It is January on Cape Cod and just when you thought that we were in the winter doldrums, the fact is it is anything but that. Certainly it is hard to believe that it was only five short months ago that the Harwich Mariners hoisted the Arnold Mycock championship trophy with a dramatic championship win over the very capable Falmouth Commodores, but in the same amount of time going forward we will be playing the 2012 season. So, that means the off-season has passed the midway point. You may wonder what exactly goes on this time of year in the Cape Cod Baseball League. Well here is just a sample of some of the League happenings:

      ·    Three teams will have new General Managers for the 2012 season. The Bourne Braves have brought in CCBL veteran Chuck Sturtevant to head up their GM staff. The Hyannis Harbor Hawks will have Michael Letzeisen handling their GM duties as 2011 CCBL General Manager of the Year Bill Bussiere moves up into the position of CCBL Vice President. Lastly, the Orleans Firebirds now have Bill Scheier leading their GM staff at Eldredge Park.

      ·   The full 2012 CCBL schedule has been approved and is already on-line on our website (www.capecodbaseball.org) The schedule features extraordinary balance with no scheduled doubleheaders, eight teams once again in the playoffs, and the All-Star Game returning to Cape Cod this summer at a soon to be determined site.

       ·   The Brewster Whitecaps have hired former Assistant Coach John Altobelli as their new head coach. John replaces Tom Myers who is pursuing a career in professional baseball with the Chicago Cubs. Good luck to new Head Coach John Altobelli and best wishes to Tom Myers.

        ·   Head Coaches and General Managers are strategizing for the upcoming season and organizing their rosters by signing targeted players. This process is tedious, comprehensive and time-consuming and the amount of scientific work that goes into this is extensive. We all appreciate the very hard work by our GM’s and coaches!

       We will be releasing up-to-the-minute rosters shortly that can be viewed on our league web site. The players listed are those that have been given full contracts and have accepted. These rosters are always a “work in progress” as changes to rosters is almost a daily occurrence. We released this info last year in January and our fan base was most appreciative of this early info so you can follow these players throughout their college season.

      That’s all for now. Feel free to send any questions or comments at any time and I will respond promptly. Thanks for your tremendous support. We appreciate it greatly!

Best wishes!

Paul A. Galop, Commissioner
Cape Cod Baseball League
pgalop@comcast.net