Home Base

We should be grilling out or eating brats and peanuts or bragging about our team's perfect record, maybe 1-0, but perfect. Instead we all had to observe the 2020 MLB Season Opener at home. At home! And not even on TV.

Not everyone believes baseball is America's favorite pastime (gasp!), but I can guarantee it would be America's favorite distraction right about now.

When the NCAA and NBA called an end to the hoops season earlier this month, I was probably in the minority when I thought that was fine – knowing in my head and heart that baseball was right around the corner.

Sadly, we were denied both sports. Among many others.

Lots of cable sports channels are airing "classic" games right now. And I'm not ashamed to say they're from my childhood. C'mon, you knew I was classy, er classic!

It's actually appropriate to see them now – in a time where there's very few options to watch any other games on TV (just like "back then") and we want to watch something uplifting rather than the depressing news (like gas shortages in the '70s, the Iran hostage situation in the '80s, and the gulf war in the '90s). See, there's always negative events capturing the world's attention.

Now do you understand why right in the midst of all that "classic" time a little television channel called ESPN launched – and claimed we could use more sports?

I think they were right. Baseball (and sports in general) don't necessarily cure the problems, but they sure as heck do a fine job healing our symptoms.

And right now, I don't care if it's a ball, a strike, outside, or bounces to the plate... Bring on that first pitch!