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SML playoffs to resume tonight…weather permitting
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Posted on Aug 08 2005
While most of the local athletes have returned from 2005 South Pacific Mini Games in Palau, a number of them are about to return to their sporting haunts as the CNMI’s top hardballers venture back to Francisco M. Palacios Baseball Field to kick-off the playoffs of the Saipan Major League.
After completing the regular season months ago, the postseason action was put on hold to provide the all-star team ample time to prepare for the international competition. Now the only thing that will further delay the race for the championship is the weather.
As long as Mother Nature permits, the pennant winning Northern Yankees will face off against the Budweiser Kings tonight at 6:30pm, followed by tomorrow night’s contest pitting the defending champion Miller Lite Brewers and the Ford Rangers.
“We’re supposed to start our playoffs today, but unfortunately Mother Nature will not allow us to do so, so we’ll have to play it by ear,” said league coordinator Tony Rogolifoi yesterday afternoon.
Each of the teams will compete in a best of three series, and the winners will advance to a best-of-five series in the championship. While the teams will enjoy the familiarity of the home turf again, the local sluggers and fielders will have to start thinking about long drives to Marpi in the summer, as the Tan Ko field may be off limits for a while.
“We wanted to lay the grass on the infield [of Francisco M. Palacios field] to save us a lot of maintenance hours, and we are going to try to tap the UMDA to assist us with the improvement of the field. The idea was to move the summer league to Marpi if they allow us the use of the field. In the meantime we can work on the grass infield because who knows we might be hosting the Micro Games next year,” said Rogolifoi.
