In a perfect world tonight would be the home opener for the Sacramento River Cats as they would start a seven game homestand against the Tacoma Rainiers, and the Reno Aces. They would be 5-0 coming into tonight’s game and the excitement from a Triple-A national championship would bring a sellout crowd to Sutter Health Park.
The River Cats look good, and the fans would have the hopes of back to back championships on their mind. Fan favorites Steven Duggar, Chris Shaw, Shaun Anderson and Sam Selman would be set to return, and the up and coming Heath Quinn. Joey Bart could be in the cards as Aramis Garcia recovers from hip surgery, and Heliot Ramos wouldn’t be far behind. Yes, the 2020 River Cats were looking good. Sadly this isn’t a perfect world, and if anything it’s a much scarier world than we are used to thinking about on a daily basis.
President Trump said last week that we are looking at this generation’s “Pearl Harbor moment” with the potential of thousands of Americans losing their lives to the COVID-19 pandemic in the upcoming weeks. It’s a terrible thought, and with 24/7 coronavirus coverage in the news, it’s one we can’t escape from with baseball. Baseball saved us after 9/11, and as a country we embraced the game. This time around we sadly face not having baseball at all!
A year without baseball is a nightmare I have to imagine, but a nightmare that takes a back seat to what we are facing around the world. There is one thing that is here for us every day, even more than baseball, and that is “family”. ’m lucky, in so many ways. I’m old enough to have enjoyed many years with my parents although they both passed over ten years ago, it’s one less thing I have to worry about during the crisis. My children, two beautiful daughters, are both healthy, young adults who took head early to the stay at home orders, and social distancing. My fiance, the rock of this family and my soulmate, is also lucky enough to work from home; so we are very lucky and fortunate. (Sidenote: the office to get a marriage license is closed, so apparently its not essential…Oh My!!)
This good fortune does not mean our hearts are not heavy. We both have loved ones near and dear to our hearts who are vulnerable to this pandemic and our hearts go out to them, and to you and yours. We may not know you, but we think about you. We may not be blood, but we are “family”; a baseball family. Take care of yourselves, cherish and look after those you love, and know that if you feel there is no one else who is, I am thinking about you.
So who’s on first? Family, but baseball is on deck.
Dugout Tales 