Presently, the baseball situation in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas is still in a quandary. The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture has taken on board Senator Greg Burrows, who no doubt has been charged with the responsibility of trying to network a compromise between the Bahamas Baseball Association (BBA) and the Bahamas Baseball Federation (BBF). There is uncertainty about what will ultimately happen.
What's the ongoing dilemma? For readers who have not been keeping abreast of the issue, there are two baseball groups in the country. One, the BBA, is the parent body and the organization with the full baseball history in the country. The other, the BBF, is the vibrant entity with member bodies throughout the country. However, it is the BBA that is recognized by the international baseball world.
Jim Wood, the much-criticized president of the BBA, has reportedly been quite stubborn and is perceived by many as the villain. Some see him as the old guy who refuses to step aside for younger leadership. There is some merit to that I suppose. Personally, I believe he has made his contribution and would do well to allow others to gracefully escort him, with all the due accolades, into the sunset.
Wood was an excellent player for many years and is one of the names most positively associated with the St. Bernard's baseball organization. There is another bit of information that is generally unknown about Wood. He happens to have a background as an official of the Pan American Baseball Federation (or Confederacion Pan Americana de Beisbol-COPABE). He is known in the regional baseball mix. Wood has recognition status and to his credit, there have been instances when he could have caused the BBF to be ignored.
There was the occasion when The Bahamas got a major amateur triumph. A BBF team represented the country at the University Games in Cuba and defeated the host team 2-1. It was a glorious occasion for The Bahamas that would not have happened had Wood not endorsed the participation. Wood will tell you that he was called about the team that did not arrive in Cuba with BBA sanction.
"I could have stopped them. They would have been sent back home, but I couldn't do that to The Bahamas," he explained.
In truth, while it is good copy and nice to see the BBF interacting with Major League Baseball (MLB), all Wood has to do is communicate a concern to the confederation or the International Baseball Federation (IBF) and the BBF would find itself facing a wall, regionally and internationally.
At this point, despite the fact that the IBF wants the local matter settled in the best interest of the program here, the BBA is still considered the parent body for the sport in the country. Burrows will have to sit with Wood and make a mighty effort to come to some kind of an arrangement. Burrows' position as a consultant with ministry means little in the grand scheme of things. The IBF and COPABE do not recognize government intrusion in sports. Woods can ignore Burrows and the baseball situation would stay the same.
Quite frankly, like it or not, getting Wood to sit down and come to a middle of the road agreement, is essential. Although the Bahamas Olympic Committee (BOC) has been brought into the mix by the international body, Wood is still a powerful force and will remain that way unless, or until the BOC, IBF and COPABE take some extreme action. There could be a decision to ban Wood from his role as BBA President.
Will that ever happen? I doubt it, so, the Jim Wood/baseball saga continues.
(To respond to this column, kindly contact Fred Sturrup at sturrup1504@gmail.com)

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