The Long Delay

I am repeating (with some edits and updating) a post from July 4, 2011 called Baseball, Apple Pie, and Exhaustion.  It seems like a million years ago now  So much as changed....and if you don't like baseball, please, please stick around.  This is about more than baseball.  In a way, it's about life in our (I hate that phrase now) "new normal".

I tend to do things a little backwards, so I saw my 2011 Fourth of July fireworks on July 3rd, at a minor league baseball game.  

So, about my life and baseball, and 2020 baseball and the pandemic:

I grew up in the Bronx, New York City and my parents were not baseball fans, so how I managed to become interested in baseball (in the early 1960's, when girls "didn't do that") is beyond me. My first couple of games were outings with a girlfriend, when we could get into Shea Stadium (because we were women) on "Ladies Day".  A Ladies Day ticket got us seats so high up you couldn't see the game unless you were Superman.

Then, I met my future spouse.

The only baseball either of us ever knew was large stadium baseball. Even as older teens, the only seats we could afford were what we called the "nosebleed seats" and if you didn't have binoculars you vaguely knew there was a game going on down there below.  So years later, when we started going to Binghamton Mets, (double A baseball) games with our then-young son, we were pleasantly surprised.

The stadium only held  some 6000 people and almost every seat was a good seat.

When my son was young (we are talking late 2000's and early 2010's), the players freely gave autographs.  My son would wiggle up to the fence with the other children, when warm ups were going on, with his baseball.  Some of these players ended up going to the major leagues (such as, Jose Reyes).  Too bad my son managed to destroy the balls he got autographed.

B Mets Game July 4, 2014

Between innings, there was hokey but fun entertainment.  Over the years this entertainment included musical commodes (don't ask), beanbag tosses for free restaurant tickets, and races between costumed characters dressed as the products of that year's sponsor.  On the July 4, 2011 game, a young man dressed up in an Uncle Sam costume threw T-shirts into the audience.  Later on, another costumed character tossed wrapped hot dogs into the audience.

The B-Mets wore "flag" uniforms that were auctioned off after the game.

The fireworks were enjoyable.

Then came the future.

In the years since 2011, the stadium was renamed, and, eventually, renovated.  The B Mets became the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (don't ask).   At least they weren't renamed the Stud Muffins.

This year was possibly going to be the last year for the Stud Muff...I mean, the Rumble Ponies (due to a major league baseball decision), and many other minor league teams.  The obituaries were already written.

Then, along came COVID-19.  All minor league ball was cancelled for 2020, meaning Binghamton, New York most probably won't have minor league baseball any time in the near future.

As for the major leagues, they have been struggling putting together a short season. It should have started the beginning of April.  Instead, it's supposed to begin July 23 as of this writing, and it's not going to be the baseball we quite remember. But who knows?  Maybe (except for no fans) it might be better.  It certainly will be played faster, and has some interesting rule changes.

I must mention the controversy that has started over athletes in these sports (baseball, basketball, football are trying to get started up again, too) getting tests easily while the bulk of us have to wait and wait and wait.   We are going to have to answer this one ourselves.  If we want these sports, I feel it's necessary.  So our question becomes:  do we want to allow this?

So, in a way, major league baseball has become a microcosm of our new world.  We feel our way, learning more and more long the way, trying this and that, seeing what works, and what makes things worse.  We reject some of "this is the way things must be because they've been like that for generations", but, at the same time, we just want to get back to how it was last year.  That's just not possible.

Will you watch?