(This blog post started as an email.)
What a phenomenal surprise for yours truly this evening (Saturday). Out taking a walk, not expecting to come upon something special, then a real treat. I could never have expected this: varsity softball at Big Cat Stadium! Yes, Big Cat Stadium, home of the football Cougars and Tigers. It's nestled between the two campuses, of course, with the public school on the high ground.
My walking route took me out by the softball complex at first. I like to observe to see what if any progress is being made there. Very muddy now of course. So muddy I could not cross the grounds. I then heard, faintly at first, sounds of a P.A. announcer. It was for a ballgame. But the sound was coming from a place where I was not aware of any ball field. It was from the direction of the soccer fields. Naturally curious, I headed over there.
The sound grew louder. Then it became clear: the action was at Big Cat Stadium. But my goodness, was this practical? Has this ever been done there before? Maybe it has and I was not aware. I looked over the beautiful green artificial turf. Fans were assembled in the usual bleacher seats. But was the setting truly practical? I was immensely curious at first, maybe even a little skeptical. But as I scanned the scene, I could see that 100 percent of the provisions were there. For example a temporary pitching rubber. Would the foul lines be properly defined? I guess they were, according to the lines already on the field. It all looked totally legitimate. The Cougars were playing Northland.
So we must offer a hearty congratulations to the athletic people responsible for this. Are they all ready to go for both UMM and MACA softball? I wonder about baseball. Guess I can't see why not. There was an outfield fence and it seemed pretty far out. That's no big deal as it would just open the door for more extra-base hits. Maybe the outfield fence was positioned for baseball. But everything was there: benches for the players with some netting in front of them. Whoever was in charge thought of everything.
So I'm wondering: since Big Cat Stadium is a joint thing with the high school and the U, might the Tigers be accommodated just as well there? I'm sure the MACA games were no-go for this past week, at least at their normal locations. I use the plural because Wells Park has always been an alternative and could still be. It might be used when the new "complex" is overcome with muddy grounds. April is a time for wet grounds, before we get the pleasant warmth of early summer. Right now is sort of a netherworld between "March Madness" and Easter: we expect pleasant conditions but are disappointed too often. Wind can be a real pain.
I think the Big Cat ball field has some natural protection from the wind. If the wind is northwest, I believe the bleachers would be a natural buffer from the wind, accommodating the fans. Let's accentuate the good news here: fans are accommodated 100 percent better at Big Cat than at the "softball complex." I like to be positive in order to counteract some of the contrarian stuff I write. So aren't you proud of me today? I am gushing with positivity because I can proclaim that we didn't even need the softball complex! We have boffo accommodations with Big Cat.
So, we're getting more of our money's worth from Big Cat too! You can't beat it. We 100 percent do not need the softball complex. Isn't that good news? Let me emphasize again: I like being positive. I wonder if both UMM and MACA have invested in the "props" at Big Cat to make it softball/baseball worthy. Or is it just UMM? It ought to be both. It is a shame that last year's post-season high school softball games could not have been played on the beautiful green turf of Big Cat, in front of fans seated in a perfect elevated spot for enjoyment.
So, I set out this evening on an uneventful walk. As a journalist my eyes are always open. You just never know what you'll discover. My eyes really got opened. Think of how happy the visiting team fans were, being able to view from so comfortable a spot. The new softball complex is a nightmare for fan viewing. Shall we just abort the whole complex thing? Stop right now? But there's still all that ungodly mud out there.
I feel some sadness as I think back to the dedication ceremony and how Allen Anderson arrived on his riding lawn mower! Isn't there an old George Jones country song with that theme? A dude who had lost driving privileges? In Jones' case, I assume because of alcohol abuse? That would not have been the cause for Allen. The poor guy passed away last summer. The pastor at the funeral said Allen "was not a good driver." Maybe he had limitations with his eyesight, getting worse with age because Allen was my age! We graduated from high school together in 1973. I will personally have to see an optometrist before renewing my license next time! I can't be any worse off than the South Dakota attorney general.
As noted at the top, I began this blog post as an email. That's kind of different. I wasn't going to write today. Needed a rest. But I strive to be intrepid with my journalism instincts. And upon arriving back at the house and tossing my muddy shoes on the mudroom floor, I got positioned at my word processing device. So here I sit amidst the "netherworld" of post-March Madness and pre-Easter. Once the basketball is over, we expect the weather to treat us better. Basketball took our attention off the weather to an extent. Now we're in the funk of no basketball, yet we ought to feel some excitement about Tiger and Cougar softball and baseball. And other spring sports too.
Early-spring sports has to be depressing to an extent: the weather is never ready. And yet, the setting at Big Cat helped to overcome that handicap almost 100 percent. Let's make that 100 percent. So congrats to the powers-that-be who made sure provisions were ready for having softball at Big Cat. I strive to be a positive writer!
Addendum: Sub-varsity games? The community has a glut of ball fields. The fields at the public school are on high ground, thus protected some from moisture. I have counted four up there.
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