Before I begin, I have to share a funny moment. I was reading through Bob Hanson’s column before typing it up for the paper. I got to the end. “To the Floridians on the beach: you have been removed from your grandparents’ wills.” I burst out laughing. We all need some light humor during these times.
I’m really missing baseball this time of year. This past week would have been opening day in MLB. The Twins have an incredible team this year, and many fans are excited to see what this team can accomplish. Some of my favorite radio sportscasters even say they have World Series aspirations. That’s saying a lot, but the Twins have the best offense in the league, or at least they did last year.
This year the Twins added more big names in free agency and trades than any other year I have been alive. They look to be all in. That said, we don’t know when the season will start, if it will at all. I was watching ESPN the other night and there was an interview with the MLB Commissioner. He said, optimistically, that the season could start in early June. Then he was asked about the doomsday scenario, if he would consider cancelling the season.
The answer was yes, of course. Fans and players’ safety is more important than baseball, but it was still difficult to hear. Among other things he was asked about included the possibility of playing doubleheaders to help make up for the late start. One possible idea was for each team to play two doubleheaders a week, each with seven-inning games. The commissioner remarked, “I once said that a professional baseball game had to be nine innings, that it was sacred. I wasn’t thinking about these circumstances when I made that comment.”
The worst part of missing baseball isn’t the professional sports absence, but the absence of high school and lower level. I greatly miss coaching and these past two years were incredible. I don’t get to coach or umpire. And worse, none of the kids will get to play.
My senior year was special. I remember playing baseball and towards the end, I got a knot in the pit of my stomach. I didn’t want the season to end. I never wanted to stop playing baseball. These kids don’t even get the chance to play one final season. They’re just done. It really is tragic.
I could go on and mention all the other aspects of senior year that students are missing out on, but we can all imagine at this point as it has been a topic of discussion. We will come out of this situation better people than we were before. I’m not sure what it will look like, but I’m optimistic. However, I am not optimistic for those Floridians’ hopes of a great inheritance. Until next time, stay safe everyone.