
Mike Powers took his 11-year-old son, Liam, to his former home field in Somerville, Mass., on Sunday for his version of home-schooling.
The father, a former Somerville High baseball coach, carved out a Yawkey League Hall of Fame career as a player and coach for the Somerville Alibrandis on Trum Field. On Sunday, Mike gave Liam a tour of the ballpark, complete with a history lesson on a statue behind the backstop that honors servicemen who lost their lives in World War I.
The father and son then took to the field for a quarantine-style practice -- catch, batting practice, and infield grounders while other field patrons were at a safe distance. The workout came to an end when a Somerville police officer pulled up to the outfield fence and made an announcement on the intercom that all fields and parks in the city are closed.
Youth baseball seasons are on hold all across New England -- and the entire nation -- as the response response to the coronavirus outbreak has restricted access to fields, parks and interaction between youth players. In a statement issued to New England Baseball Journal, Little League International confirmed that it "strongly advises all its local Little League programs to suspend/delay their Little League seasons through no earlier than Monday, May 11." Other Cal Ripken and Babe Ruth leagues are adhering to the same schedule.