On the TunneySide of Sports February 225, 2021 #836 Up next… We Need “Bes-bawl”
After further review…“Bes-bawl.” Well, that’s the way it sounded to me when Terrance Mann (played by James Earl Jones) said it to Ray Kinsella (played by Kevin Costner) in the movie “Field of Dreams” about why Ray should keep this baseball field in his Iowa cornfield. “Bes-bawl” is America’s game and “surely people will come.”
Mann continued, “people will most definitely will come. They’ll come to Iowa for reasons they can’t even fathom. They’ll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they’re doing it. ‘Of course, we won’t mind if you look around,’ you’ll say. ‘It’s only $20.’ And they’ll pass it over without even thinking about it. They’ll sit in the bleachers in their shirtsleeves on a perfect day and watch the game. This field, this game will remind us of our past. The one constant through the years has been baseball. It reminds us of all that is good and could be good again.”
Normally, February is the month major league players go to spring training — first pitchers and catchers, then the rest of the team. However, Arizona officials requested MLB to delay the start of this year’s Cactus League due to COVID-19. Originally the plan for the 2021 season was to start April 1 (no foolin’) and would feature 10 divisional matchups. It will be only the fourth time all 30 MLB teams would play on opening day. Let’s hope that MLB has a successful season.
With MLB back this spring, school baseball and softball games, hopefully, resume. The kids — both boys and girls — need physical activity. This will also provide an opportunity for parents and friends to attend games to cheer them on. We need this.
If I may offer a concern about major league baseball. My issue is with the MLB Hall of Fame elections. The hall is located in Cooperstown, New York, and for the 7th time since the hall started (1936) NO player for the 2021 class was selected to be inducted. The 2020 class which included Derek Jeter and two to three others did not have an induction due to the pandemic but will have their 2020 induction ceremonies in 2021 – COVID-19 permitting. The honor of being selected for the Hall of Fame is deserving – yet many are being denied with this slight!
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Jim’s books “On the TunneySide of Sports” as well as “Chicken Soup for the Sports Fans Soul” are full of baseball stories. Each sells for $20. However, as a 2021-year special if two are bought, a third is included free of charge. All autographed with no tax and free shipping. Mail to: Jim Tunney Youth Foundation (501c3) P.O. Box 1440 Pebble Beach, Ca. 93953 Be well!
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