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Before the pandemic, children playing Little League baseball often would greet their parents with a hug after games. Now, children sit at a picnic table and acknowledge their parents — standing at a distance — with a wave.
As COVID-19 continues to drastically alter the world, Little League is no different. At the Mid-Atlantic Region tournament in Bristol, Conn., Toms River East of New Jersey is battling not only its competition, but also strict COVID-19 protocols.
“It’s crazy with the parents. We see [the kids] on the field and after the game you want to hug them,” Charlie Frazier Jr., father of Toms River East’s pitcher, center fielder, shortstop and first baseman, Carson Frazier, told The Post. “My wife [Mindy] wants to squeeze Carson so badly. After the game, we go to the back of the complex to a special area. They have to sit on a table and we stand like 10 feet away and they have to wear a mask. You have all the moms yelling, ‘Hey great hit, are you keeping your clothes neat?’”
Toms River East has gone 2-0 so far in the tournament, with wins over teams from Delaware and Maryland to advance to within one victory of the final in the double-elimination tournament. The New Jersey team will face Upper Providence from Oaks, Pa., at 7 p.m. Thursday in the winners’ bracket, with the game broadcast on ESPN.
With a win, Toms River East will play on Saturday (6 p.m., ESPN) for the regional championship. A loss would send them to the losers’ bracket final on Friday (7 p.m., ESPN), which they would have to win to play for the regional title.
All teams that reach the regional finals this year will advance to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa. (Aug. 19-29), because no international teams will be included in the field due to the pandemic.
When the Toms River East players arrived in Bristol last week, they were tested for COVID-19 and placed in a bubble, only permitted to see their teammates and coaches. Parents were separated and only allowed to see their children from afar.
“I remember back in the day, the parents would be able to go to the dorm and see how smelly or messy it was,” said Frazier, a brother of former Yankees and Mets star Todd Frazier. “I remember kids trading pins.”
Pins are not being traded this year — one of the sacrifices that have allowed the games to be played. Little League International, the organization overseeing the tournament, put safety first when planning how it would run.
“The Little League Tournament experience is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all players and families, and we hope that everyone has an enjoyable and memorable time,” Brian McClintock, the senior director of communications for Little League International, told The Post.
“As we work together to keep the players, coaches, and volunteers as healthy and safe as possible through the coronavirus pandemic, we know that parents want to be with their players, but limiting contact and a potential exposure to COVID-19 is a sacrifice we’re asking all families to make as they cheer their players through the World Series.”
The rules were put in place by the 2021 Little League International Pandemic Response Advisory Commission, which was formed in February to advise the organization’s seven tournament divisions on how they could safely conduct their tournaments. National Jewish Health in Denver, Colo., also helped draft the protocols.
“It has been a very tough road with protocols. These boys are locked in dormitories. There is not much for them to do. They are bouncing off the walls,” Toms River East head coach Paul Mika told The Post on Monday afternoon. “It is tough for me and the coaches to corral them and keep things focused on baseball, but we are doing a good job.”
While the experience has been emotionally grueling for players and coaches, the adversity has made the children grow stronger. For some athletes, it is their first extended experience away from their parents.
The bubble also has allowed the competitors to focus simply on their task at hand — winning games — and has brought them closer with their teammates and coaches.
“The parents are sitting around with each other and it’s like the kids are growing up,” Frazier said. “They are on their own.”
The athletes may be on their own, but they are doing what they love: playing baseball. So while the restrictions are tough, enduring them is a small price to pay.
— Additional reporting by Kirsten Fleming
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