Softball-Baseball merger in the works

MANILA, Philippines -- Like its international counterparts, the local baseball and softball associations are headed into a possible merger.

"Because the world has done it, that possibility is being looked at here in our country," Phl softball's operations manager Ismael Veloso III yesterday told The STAR.

Veloso, however, said that while softball, which is headed by Cebuana Lhuillier's Jean Henri Lhuillier, isn't turning down the proposal, baseball has yet to act on it because its still on a transitory period following the death of its long-time president Hector Navasero.

"It will still depend on what will happen with baseball," said Veloso, who is part of the transitory group that is helping iron the leadership issue in baseball being a representative of Titans group.

"As far as I know, the baseball leadership is yet to be settled because it has been agreed upon in the last meeting with the Phl Olympic Committee to come up with the constitution and by-laws first before coming up with an election," he added.

Eli Baradas, the Philippine Amateur Baseball Association executive vice president and commissioner, serves as the acting president until a new president is elected.

Last April, both the international baseball and softball federations had ratified a joint constitution that officially formed the World Baseball Softball Confederation with hopes of improving their chances of getting back into the Olympics in 2020.

The two sports were voted off the Olympic program in 2005, or the year after the Beijing Olympics, and their unification is being aimed to launch a bid to get reinstitated in the quadrennial meet.

Interestingly, the sports have been working hard to make the games appealing to the public after making rule changes including shortening of the games.