Base ball season to begin on time

Unsullied by “labor disputes” and other forms of strife that plague lesser leagues, Bay Area Vintage Base Ball has announced that its 2022 season is expected to begin Sunday, March 20, as scheduled and offer cranks throughout the region a full slate of matches — 13 per squad — for the first time since the 2020 campaign was curtailed by an outbreak of plague.

“We all get paid the same amount,” said association President Matt “Ranger” Petty. “A big, hearty ‘huzzah!’ is all we need to keep going.”

The new season is set to open with all 10 teams taking part in the action. The defending Golden Gate Cup champion Haywards Journals begin the day with a morning visit to Albany to take on the Berkeley Clarions, and the Oakland Colonels launch another season on Alameda Island when they host the San Jose Dukes that afternoon.

Meanwhile, San Francisco's Big Rec fields will host a triple bill to mark the new season's inauguration. The Dublin Aces, who led B.A.V.B.B. in regular season victories in 2021, will visit the San Francisco Eagles at noon, while coastal creatures do battle across the way as the Pelicans host the Sea Lions. Finally, the 2021 Championship Match winning San Francisco Pacifics will round out the day hosting their crosstown rival Barbary Coast.

With a full schedule in store, B.A.V.B.B. returns to a two division structure. The regular season will close with the annual Championship Match on Sept. 11 as East Division and West Division leaders meet for bragging rights. The Golden Gate Cup post-season tournament will also return to form, going back to its usual 10 team format; the seventh instance of the single elimination competition takes flight the same afternoon as the Championship Match and culminates in the Final Match on Sept. 25.

Watch this space for any notable changes or updates in the schedule, along with details about this season’s All Star Match.