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OPTIMISM THAT THEY WILL PLAY GAMES AND PLAY GAMES THIS SUMMER. THE CHESAPEAK BAYHAWKS, FOR 19 YEARS REPPING MARYLAND IN THE MLL, HAVE DELAYED THE START TO THE SEASON. BUT THE ORIGINAL MAY 30 BEGINNING, MAY ONLY SUFFER A MONTH LONG PAUSE. >> WE’RE HOPEFUL THAT WE’LL BE GO SOMEWHERE LATE JUNE, SO THE REALITY IS, IF THAT’S THE 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND WE’LL USE THAT AS A CELEBRATORY BACKDROP. PETE: AN INCREDIBLY OPTIMISTIC GOAL, THAT WOULD NEED BLESSING OF THE STATES. BUT MARK BURDETT, THE PRESIDENT OF THE BAYHAWKS, SAYS THE BELIEF HAS A CHANCE FOR GOOD REASON, . >> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT’S BOTH AN ADVANTAGE AND THEN MAYBE A DISADVANTAGE, IS WE’RE SMALL. WE’RE PRETTY ADEPT AT MOVING QUICKLY. OUR PLAYERS ARE SELF TRAINED AND PRETTY MUCH SELF PACKAGE WE DON’T NEED TO LINE UP 5 BUSES AND A JET AND HAVE 25 DAYS OF TRAINING CAMP, YOU KNOW ALL THOSE THINGS THAT ARE REQUIRED OF THE BIG 4 TO YOU KNOW, TAKE THE FIEL PETE: SAFETY CONCERNS FOR THE PLAYERS, HE SAYS REMAIN PARAMOUNT, BUT THERE IS A NIMBLE QUALITY TO THE LEAGUE, AND WITHOUT A COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT, MAKING DECISIONS TAKES LESS TALK. >> AND IF WE CAN FIELD TEAMS AND FIELD GAMES, I THINK THERE’S A CHANCE TO MOVE UP THE FOOD CHAIN A LITTLE BIT AND MAYBE GET SOME EXPOSURE THAT WE WOULDN’T NORMALLY HAVE GOTTEN. AND THAT COULD BE A GAME CHANGER FOR A LEAGUE OUR SIZE AND FOR A BUSINESS LIKE OURS. PETE: THE CHANCE TO NOT JUST SURVIVE, BUT MAYBE EVEN THRIVE. IT’S THE DREAM OF ANY BUSINESS RIGHT NOW, BUT A DREAM HELD HOSTAGE BY THE CORONAV

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As sports leagues continue to try and find a way to start the season, Major League Lacrosse shows significant optimism that games will be played this summer.|| Coronavirus updates | Maryland's latest numbers | Rumor Control ||The Chesapeake Bayhawks, who have represented Maryland in the MLL for 19 years, have delayed the start to the season, but the original May 30 beginning may only suffer a month-long pause."We're hopeful that we'll be good somewhere late June. So, the reality is, if that's the 4th of July weekend, we'll use that as a celebratory backdrop," Bayhawks President Mark Burdett said.It’s an incredibly optimistic goal that would need blessing of the states. Burdett said he has a good reason to believe there is a chance."One of the things that's both an advantage and then maybe a disadvantage is we're small. We're pretty adept at moving quickly. Our players are self-trained and pretty much self-packaged," Burdett said. "We don't need to line up five buses and a jet and have 25 days of training camp, you know, all those things that are required of the big four to, you know, take the field."Safety concerns for the players remain paramount, but there is a nimble quality to the league. Without a Collective Bargaining Agreement, making decisions takes less talk."If we can field teams and field games, I think there's a chance to move up the food chain a little bit and maybe get some exposure that we wouldn't normally have gotten, and that could be a game changer for a league our size and for a business like ours," Burdett said.The chance to not just survive, but maybe even thrive. It's the dream of any business right now, but a dream held hostage by the coronavirus.