Only in 2020 is it a blog-worthy announcement to say, “I went to a baseball game this week.” This past week I proudly wore one of the masks I’ve made, and attended the championship game of the long-running annual National Baseball Congress World Series tournament. I’ve written about the NBC World Series in prior years, here in 2016, and here in 2018. This month they managed to plan and carry out a 2020 pandemic version of the tournament, in a borrowed stadium.
The COVID-19 rules for attendees: Masks were required to be worn by every person in the stadium. Every other row of seats was roped off, so attendees sat at least a row apart. We were also instructed to sit several seats away from other fans.
The championship game was between the Cheney (KS) Diamond Dawgs and the Santa Barbara Foresters.
My only 7th inning stretch of 2020.
The Foresters led from the start and continued to build on their lead as the game progressed. A rain and lightning delay was looming.
The Diamond Dawgs signaled with a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 9th, that they weren’t going to be rushed out of the stadium. But then came the 3rd out, and congrats to the champions, the Santa Barbara Foresters.
The first gust from the storm hit as I left the seats. The first drops of rain fell as I was getting into my car.
More sports to come?
The last live sports event I’d attended before this was a Big XII basketball game on March 5. On the day of this baseball game, it was rumored that two of the Power-5 collegiate conferences were going to cancel football for the year. The Big 10 did in fact cancel 2020 football, and the Pac-12 postponed their football season to Spring 2021. At the time, I thought this NBC baseball game might be the last live sports event I’d be attending in 2020.
But maybe not. The Big XII has announced that it does not plan to cancel or postpone its 2020 football season. Teams want fans there, too. Wishful thinking on my part? We’ll see what surprises are out there for the final four months of 2020. Wear those masks and be distant and considerate of each other. It’s our only hope of having more chances to head to the stadiums to cheer our teams on this year.
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That is really cool that you got to go… personally I don’t know how football teams will make it through this.
Baseball…well you have space. The Marlins in the MLB got the virus but they contained it to themselves. In football…if one person gets it…then everyone will on both teams.
The NFL has said they want fans…with that many? They are saying 30 thousand per game. I think MLB has the right idea with cutouts of people…silly but safe.
Cool mask by the way!
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Thanks! I almost got a bit emotional when I entered the seating area, since it had been so long since I’d been to a game. I too am nervous for football, but glad they are trying to find a way to play. It’s the players I’m worried about. If they don’t overload the stadiums with fans, and enforce mask and distancing rules, I think the fans should be okay. They need to keep the staff (ushers, concessions) safe too. I don’t know that 30k fans in one stadium is okay though. I’d probably feel better about 25-30% capacity, and only in outdoor stadiums. (I sound like an expert, when actually I’m going with my gut.)
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Out of all the major sports baseball is a little easier to keep the players safe…the 30,000 is what I’ve read from the NFL…which yea I think is too many. It won’t matter in some cities…they will not allow fans anyway.
The baseball games I’ve watched isn’t bad…they have piped in the noise…the noise is what I was wondering about..you have to have it for it to be anything near real.
I just hope everyone is safe
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Baseball does seem easier because of way less contact. I listen to the Royals games on the radio, and it sounds like a normal game with normal crowd. Yet the announcers aren’t at the game, and in fact are not even together in the same place. They do a great job. Overseas they have managed to resume big league football (soccer), and my impression is that’s going okay with no fans in the stadium. I think MLS has resumed here in the US, too.
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With football…heck flag football would be hard to play without some distance so it will be interesting. 18 Marlins and staff got the virus at once…imagine if that was football…both teams would have it most likely…but the Marlins are playing again.
Fox baseball actually put computer generated people in the stands in baseball…it looked real until a closer look.
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The Marlins were indeed hit hard. The new AAA team that was supposed to start playing here this summer, was the Marlins affiliate. They’ve built a brand new lovely stadium downtown on our river, only to have their inaugural season canceled. In the most inconceivable tragedy, the team’s owner has now died from Covid-19.
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Oh no…I didn’t hear about the owner…that is terrible. Does it go to his relatives now? That is so sad. You know I just don’t understand…none of us do I guess…why only some people die while others barely know they have it…or in some cases don’t know.
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The virus certainly does seem to be selective. I know they are researching that angle too. I’m sure the team will go forward here, but I don’t know the particulars.
I haven’t tried to watch any of the MLB games on Fox. I need to see what it looks like.
Good album pick today, btw!
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Thank you…I can’t believe none have been taken.
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I expected Exile on Main Street to be the first Stones pick, and thought it would have been picked way before now. So yours was a surprise that way, too.
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I almost went with Sticky Fingers… I love Exile but I’m closer with this one… this is the one that kicked my stones interest off
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