Kentville Wildcats

In a press release from former Coach and General Manager Jim "Rico" McEachern, the Sydney Sooners Senior Baseball Club, after taking a year's leave of absence from the Nova Scotia Senior Baseball League for the 2002 season, will quietly exit the Provincial League, as it was announced the senior club will not participate any longer in the league. The Sooners, of the founding members of the league in 1977, leave after a twenty-six year association with the league. Sooners' former Coach and GM Jim "Rico" McEachern stated last night that it had been the hope of the club that someone would have stepped forward during the year's leave of absence, to take over the administrative and financial aspects of the club, but unfortunately no one did. "The operation of a senior team in the provincial league requires a serious committment from a dedicated group who have the time and energy to be involved; the financial aspect is what chased most people away. There are good people in the community who could and would donate their time to most of the other aspects of running the team, but putting together the financial requirememtns was difficult," McEachern stated. "We approached some possible corporate support, but in the end we were unable to put it together," said McEachern. "Personally I am quite disappointed that we were not able to stay in (the league), because I feel for the group of young ball players who wanted to stay at the sport in a competitive basis, we offered that opportunity for most of them. I don't think this will help the sport grow in Industrial Cape Breton, but rather just the opposite; and from someone who has been involved since 1977 with the league, it leaves a major void in the sport community." The Sooners hope to stay active locally, in the Cape Breton Community, as they did last summer, setting up a very informal "Alumni Baseball League", for those interested in playing Recreational competitiver baseball. McEachern will stay involved with the Nova Scotia Senior Baseball League as President and CAO in his second term of office.