The Coronacation Diaries, Episode 92

By Evan-Amos - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

Fingers Crossed

The email said, "Looks like we will have something resembling a baseball season this year." Sam's team, the team he was so excited to make, is going to start practicing on Wednesday. It won't be easy. The boys have to somehow stay 6 feet apart. The coaches have to wear masks. There is no sharing of equipment. This is also the year that baseball gets real: you can steal on any base; overthrows can result in home runs; there are only 3 players in the outfield. There are so many drills that the teams need to run and it's going to be really difficult to figure out how to run them at a safe distance. There is no crying in baseball this year. There is also no dugout.

Sam usually plays first base. I'm not exactly sure how he can play first base and stay 6 feet apart. I don't think anyone knows what this is going to look like. But the smile on Sam's face when I told him that practice started Wednesday...I think this feels a little bit like hope.

The Facebook post said, "Hello everyone! LDV/LJV practices are still on hold due to current WFTDA/JRDA guidelines so there will be no formal practices, but we can still get outside and enjoy our skates...If anybody wants a socially distant skate friend you are welcome to join me. I'll bring my training cones and might even lay a sidewalk chalk track if I'm feeling ambitious..." Helena's team, although not back to formal practices, is going to get together and skate.

It won't be easy, trying to social distance and wear a mask and run drills in an outdoor hockey rink. But the smile on Helena's face when I told her that some of her teammates and the adult team were going to get together and skate this week...I think this feels a little bit like hope.

The curve in the state has definitely flattened.

The crisis isn't over; the virus is still out there. We still don't know what the summer holds, or what the fall holds.

But right here, right now, this week, this evening...this feels a little bit like hope.