By Mark Carpenter-
I’ve watched every second of “The Last Dance” (yes, my son is named after him). I’ve watched the 1990 World Series. I’ve watched the 1975 World Series. I’ve watched horse races from years gone by and Super Bowl Highlights (yes, the Bengals still lost, but we’ll be back. I’ve watched every possible episode of Jeopardy, Andy Griffith, Seinfeld, and The Six Million Dollar Man. I even finished a real, hold it it my hands book for the first time in years. But I’m done, enough is enough, it’s time to go live.
It’s time for some real sports. I’m tired of hearing all the reasons why it can’t be done yet. IT CAN BE DONE. Yes it will take a tremendous amount of work and planning for the safety of everyone involved. We’ve heard enough “this may happen”, “estimates show”, all the doom and gloom. It’s time for some good news, and for folks like me, it’s time for something that resembles lives sports and not a television rerun.
I’ve already read today where the Miami Dolphins have begun to put a plan in place for allowing fans to re-enter their stadium, albeit 15,000 fans instead of 60,000, but it can be done. All of the major sports leagues are scrambling to find something to give their fans and cut into the massive revenue losses they have already suffered. Those dudes that drive around in a circle for a living are going to race around seven times in 10 days to quench the thirst (likely beer) of their faithful. No fans in the stand, but I suppose fans can drink along at home.
Major League Baseball seemed to throw out a new proposal every week, the latest one having three 10-team divisions with a shortened schedule, playing who knows where. Rumor has it that MLB is planning a short resumption of spring training, then a season beginning somewhere around July 4. I’m not sure I can wait that long. I’ve run all these scenarios through my head about how GABP could be opened up safely to fans, but I’m not the one making those decisions and that’s likely a good thing.
The NBA has pushed back its draft, meaning that E.J. Montgomery can find out that his NBA draft chances are about as good as mine. The NFL had its highly successful virtual draft and is supposed to release its 2020 schedule this week, with provisions for a delay if necessary. I do commend the professional leagues who say that they shouldn’t be given a bunch of COVID-19 testing kits for their athletes if there aren’t enough out there for the general public. Of course, the idea for all the athletes involved is to get in as many games as possible in order to get paid as much as possible, which most of us during this pandemic don’t have a lot of sympathy before.
I do have a lot of concern about what is going to happen with the upcoming college football season. I shudder to think of fall Saturdays without Notre Dame football to look forward to. It was announced recently that the University of Kentucky will reopen its campus to students in August and as I say tongue-in-cheek, that’s a good thing to get next year’s basketball recruits to work. Would they open for any other reason?
Besides all our local athletes who lost their spring seasons, next year’s fall and winter athletes are going to miss out on some valuable summer preparation time with the school buildings here in the county now shut down until June 30th. June as the big month for fall sports workouts, youth basketball camps, basketball shootouts, and the like. How all that will be worked out is one of the big unanswered questions hanging over the high school sports world at the moment.
Yes, I am a frustrated fan and yes, I have been following all of the guidelines and instructions for this pandemic. But daggone it, it’s time to start reopening the state, slowly but surely. And it’s time to get some live sports on my 55-inch screen. Not that the Bionic Woman still doesn’t look hot after all these years on a big screen now, but I want to hear the crack of the bat, which should come through very clear from an empty stadium. Yes, IT CAN BE DONE.