Will the Cats come back? Final decision on 2023 Northwoods League season still to be made
CBC
The commissioner of the Northwoods League says a final decision on the 2023 return of the Thunder Bay Border Cats to the ball diamond has not yet been made.
The Cats have been on hiatus for the last three seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
And while things are opening back up, and the Cats organization has said it hopes to field a team in 2023, pandemic border restrictions remain an issue.
"The only thing that lingers as a concern is the vaccination mandate with the border, from the U.S. and Canada," said Ryan Voz, president and commissioner of the Northwoods League, and co-owner of the Willmar Stingers.
"Right now, the Northwoods League does not require all players to be vaccinated in order to play," he said. "So we're still trying to navigate through that.
"Hopefully, with the help of the Border Cats, we're able to have the the country of Canada drop the mandate for a vaccination, and that would definitely increase the odds of being able to play up there."
The vaccination requirement is an issue, as not only are the Cats the only Canadian team in the league — all other teams are based in the United States — but the Thunder Bay squad's roster includes many U.S. players.
The Northwoods League is a collegiate summer league made up of players who want to get some playtime in during the college off-season.
Border Cats vice-president Bryan Graham said in a statement to CBC News that the league's fall meetings are taking place Oct. 11-12.
"We hope to get more clarity by the league meetings next month," Graham said.
Voz said the Northwoods League schedule is normally put together in November, so a decision on the Cats would come before then.
As for the league itself, Voz said the plan is to have a full schedule for 2023.
It's a departure from the last three summers, which saw some changes due to the pandemic.
In 2020, Voz said, the league ran on a pod system, which were essentially mini-leagues spread across several U.S. states. A new travel team, the Minnesota Mud Puppies, was created, to round out the schedule while the Border Cats were on hiatus.
