Seth Herrold
@HerroldTimes
On Thursday, I was supposed to be in Kauffman Stadium. But, on Thursday, I sat at my desk at work and penned this column, which has been brought back, at least temporarily, until sports inevitably resume.
Whether that is later this spring, next fall or even later is anyone’s guess. In the interim, though, hopefully this can give you a little bit of sports content in a world without much right now.
If you would like to participate, you can drop me a question you might have and I will feature it in this column. You can hit me up on Twitter, @HerroldTimes, or send an email to [email protected].
To my original point: On Thursday I was supposed to be at Kauffman Stadium. The Kansas City Royals were scheduled to host the Seattle Mariners at 3:05 p.m. in the home opener. That game, which I hold tickets to, was not played. Nor were the five road games scheduled before.
I don’t know when baseball will be back. I don’t know what will happen with the tickets I bought. I don’t think the Royals or Major League Baseball really know either of those answers as well. What I do know is: I am bummed about it all.
Thursday would have been the 11th Royals’ home opener in a row I have been at and the 15th overall. The event has become an annual tradition with holiday-level importance for me. The Royals likely aren’t going to be very good this year. PECOTA had projected them to finish 68-94 this season, though the wins and losses totals will certainly both be lower with an anticipated shortened season.
The Royals’ standing doesn’t matter, though. I’ve enjoyed Opening Day every year I have been, even in 2005 when the Royals lost 8-2 to the Mariners, kick starting what would be a 105-loss season.
Opening Day serves as the official start to summer for me, even if the temperature* in Kansas City in early April is usually hit and miss. From then on, though, days build to the game that night. It’s getting home from work, firing up the grill and then settling in for Ryan Lefebvre’s call and Rex Hudler’s quirky sidebars.
*Side Note: The weather in Kansas City was fantastic on Thursday. Opening Days with temperatures in the 70’s are few and far between in this area and missing out on that just makes this whole thing worse than it already is.
When baseball comes back, I know there will be an Opening Day. With this delay, it might actually mean more. There are so many different variables and scenarios revolving around an eventual baseball return and one is a season starting with no fans in the stands. At this point, I would welcome even that. Just getting live games on TV would do wonders for me and many other fans across the nation. I applaud Fox Sports Kansas City for broadcasting games from last season and Royals.com for streaming some of the great games from the 2014 and 2015 playoffs. It’s getting me through, but sometimes I feel like watching replays makes the lack of live games worse. The jury is still out on that one.
While my frustration is shared by many, my understanding trumps the want for the game I have followed so closely for so many years. Canceling all sports was absolutely the right thing to do. In fact, I was one of those fans wondering why it took so long, in some cases, for events to be called off.
So until this blows over and things return to what we consider normal, here are some recommendations:
Read: Buzzsaw by Jesse Dougherty. This is the book about the Washington Nationals winning the World Series last year. Dougherty is the beat writer for the Washington Post in charge of covering the Nationals. As a baseball fan, even if the Nationals are not your team like myself, you will enjoy this book. I have just started it and it is a great read so far. Anytime a beat writer writes a book, it is almost guaranteed to be a page turner.
Watch: Wrestlemania 36. One of the few “sports-related” companies still turning out product is the WWE. While I haven’t followed pro wrestling closely since I was a kid, it can still be entertaining and it’s on TV at a time when not much else is. This year’s Wrestlemania, basically the company’s Super Bowl, was pre-taped from an empty WWE Performance Center in Orlando with no fans just as the weekly shows leading up to it have been. Wrestlemania is a two-day event this year, starting on Saturday at 6 p.m. and continuing on Sunday. You can sign up for a free trial to the WWE Network and avoid the pay-per-view fee.
Eat: Any local curbside. Right now is a tough time for a lot of businesses, but small businesses are feeling it the worst. Most all the local eateries here in Trenton are offering curbside services and would appreciate any business. A lot of your favorite local Kansas City restaurants are doing the same, but if you go down there, please, don’t get out of your car. My wife and I have designated two nights a week for curbside. It’s one less thing for her to worry about on those nights now that she is trying to teach from home through Zoom and be a full-time babysitter for our two-year-old and it’s a way to support some of our favorite local restaurants. Also, if you can, try to tip as if you are eating in the restaurant. It’s nice to help out our small businesses, but also important to remember their employees.