So, there has been some effort to get some sports started up again.
In baseball, the Korean baseball league is the first to successfully start playing games. There are actually some Phillies players from the past playing in this league, including Aaron Altherr. He was among the first to hit a home run during the first two days of scheduled games. It's great to have baseball at least somewhere for now.
I hope to hear that Major League Baseball can come up with a plan to try to start the season in the near future. There are a million things to address and one of the biggest problems will be the dugout environment. It's impossible to social distance in a small space like that. Makes my hopes feel pretty shaky at best.
Did you know that NASCAR intends to start the season over again next Sunday? Let’s hope all of this planning really happens on time and isn't dashed away, leaving us all frustrated with the never-ending aspects of "what, where, and whens"! Talk about the agony of defeat!
And then there's golf. If nothing significant changes, which is what we all expect with this mess, next Sunday one of the first live sporting events will be a golf match between Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson vs. Ricky Fowler and Matthew Wolff.
They will be placing bets along the way and all the winnings will go to coronavirus relief organizations. The match is scheduled to be on NBC from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday, May 17. It really is one of the sports that can pull this off and also raise some of the needed money to help in this crazy time.
And since there is a tiny glimmer of hope for this golf event, I decided that my book choice for this week is 'The Greatest Game Ever Played' by Mark Frost. It is the story of Francis Ouimet, who was an amateur player who won the U.S. Open in 1913. He really helped boost golf's popularity in the United States. The book was also made into a movie and is quite good also if you aren't up to reading the book.
Stay well everyone! See you on the sidelines!
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A 2002 Cape grad and 2007 UD grad, Lewes resident Sumner Spence is one of the Cape area's biggest sports fans. Although he’s used a wheelchair his entire life, he has lived vicariously through his sports-playing father, brother, and friends, who gave him his love of sports. He hopes to provide new and interesting perspectives on the sports stories and issues of the day. Email Sumner at sumspence@gmail.com.
