OT: Iowa High School baseball is back!
- Thread starter Robowe
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99topdawg
Well-Known Member
In the few games I've been a part of, there is no social distancing by players, the bleachers were packed, there are handshakes, etc. It's just like normal baseball and it's fine. Not according to the state's guidelines, but they were not feasible. In fact, a lot of things the state said contradicted each other and no one knows what to do.
ssckelley
Well-Known Member
Yes! It has been great being able to go to watch live sports.
Even though they've closed all the bleacher seating, which makes it almost impossible to stay 6 feet apart as we are now all forced to sit in lawn chairs. They should have allowed people to sit in certain rows of the bleachers.
Even though they've closed all the bleacher seating, which makes it almost impossible to stay 6 feet apart as we are now all forced to sit in lawn chairs. They should have allowed people to sit in certain rows of the bleachers.
ssckelley
Well-Known Member
Not the games I've went too. At Wapsie they've closed off all the bleachers and the players are tipping their hats to the other team after the games. But us parents are unable to sit 6 feet apart, it's impossible since there is only so much space you can put chairs to watch the games.
99topdawg
Well-Known Member
Glad to hear someone's doing it right. In all honesty, the coaches joke that baseball is the only place where the kids actually social distance. Last week, we had ~30 players hop off of a bus without masks. Our SB team does the same.
Some of the rules don't make sense. It just seems weird that the balls have to be sanitized, stay apart in dugout, and so many other little things, yet catchers may share equipment, and players may share helmets during games without sanitizing. They only have to be sanitized after games. In one of the zooms from the IAHSAA, one of the bigwigs said one thing and 5 minutes later, another said the complete opposite. They're just pulling crap out of their hats, throwing it at the wall and hoping it sticks.
Northside Hawk
Well-Known Member
Dubuque Wahlert had to shut baseball down this week when their coach tested positive....
Over here in Wisconsin Wednesday is the day the make their decision on fall sports. I am not optimistic. Everyone has been operating with an overabundance of caution when it comes to closing swimming pools and county fairs. And I know parents who won't let their kids play sports even if it gets the go ahead. Mostly I get the feeling decision makers would rather not start things up at all then be forced to stop them once they start.
Oh well, take sports away from teenagers because of the fear of what might happen and you will just give them an excuse to do other things, especially in big cities. They seem to have no problem allowing protesting and damaging property.
Over here in Wisconsin Wednesday is the day the make their decision on fall sports. I am not optimistic. Everyone has been operating with an overabundance of caution when it comes to closing swimming pools and county fairs. And I know parents who won't let their kids play sports even if it gets the go ahead. Mostly I get the feeling decision makers would rather not start things up at all then be forced to stop them once they start.
Oh well, take sports away from teenagers because of the fear of what might happen and you will just give them an excuse to do other things, especially in big cities. They seem to have no problem allowing protesting and damaging property.
proudhawkfan21
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RobHowe
Administrator
I shoot photos for yourprepsports.com and was out at Solon for softball and baseball. Some social distancing but hardly any masks and there were people in the bleachers together and sitting close to each other in lawn chairs.
I have an assignment each day this coming week. I'll be interested in seeing how other schools are handling things.
I have an assignment each day this coming week. I'll be interested in seeing how other schools are handling things.
ssckelley
Well-Known Member
But I don't think we are, closing the stands completely makes it impossible to stay 3 feet apart from each other let alone 6. It sucks because we just put up new bleacher seating and press box. I say it makes more sense to close off certain rows, not the entire bleachers.
It's very tough to social distance in baseball, you've got about 20 kids in the dugout with coaches and that's if you only have 1 of either varsity or JV in the dugout at once. Some of the schools have both teams in the dugouts.
HawkGold
Well-Known Member
We'll see if it's fine. Locally, there has been a major uptick in COVID 19 cases and deaths. last 2 were 30s and 40s, one of which had no medical conditions.
99topdawg
Well-Known Member
You're right. I phrased it wrong. It's fine with the people at the games. I'm not saying I agree with them. I didn't think they should have had the season in the first place, and now 6 teams have cancelled or postponed their seasons. I think the state needed money that they didn't get from state track, soccer, etc to pay their own salaries.
99topdawg
Well-Known Member
I agree that people are. From what you said, I think it sounds like you're doing your best to abide by the guidelines. The games I have been a part of have had no effort at all to follow the guidelines.
HawkGold
Well-Known Member
It's all a mess and who knows. My daughters marching band season, her last, will likely not happen. At our school, either a soccer player or football player in just opened summer workouts tested positive. It's one or the other but no announcement of which. The school is still trying to figure out a strategy. They are looking at part online school and part at school. My daughter has a rare physical condition (she's healthy except when she isn't) that makes her particularly at risk. Wish our state did summer BB like Iowa. The weather otherwise is pretty miserable for baseball.
99topdawg
Well-Known Member
We have 3 players on our team who have a parent with cancer, one of them is borderline terminal. I don't how the hell justify that.
MelroseHawkins
Well-Known Member
Have two 13U players and been to two tournaments now. Yea, no distancing. In two tournaments I have not seen one mask on which is kind or weird. One tournament said only household individuals living with players could attend. Hell, there were both sets of grannies and pas for each kid.
The only true difference I saw is no players meeting with the umps before the game and the teams lining up on the baselines and tipping hats to each other after the game, which I think is kind of cool and neater than a high five line. Great to be back on the field, though!
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ssckelley
Well-Known Member
I wonder if there are more people like me that are just craving live sports. Normally I'd go to my sons game and then leave, now I'm staying for the whole thing because I've been craving baseball.
Oh and F the billionaire owners and the millionaire players who are fighting over money in MLB. I figured this was a good excuse to slip that in there.
Fryowa
Administrator
This COVID related mess is really the only reason to have summer baseball. Fall ball in the north and spring in the south are better time slots in all cases. I played K-college, coached, and umpired for the last 34 years in Iowa so of all people I'm not biased towards summer ball.
Actually I just now realized that this will be the first year since I was 4 years old that I haven't been involved in baseball other than youth practices. My kid is a junior high student (no school ball allowed in Iowa for middle school), and I gave up all my umpiring contracts because of the uncertainty of scheduling once COVID hit.
I honestly don't know if I'll go back. It's fun and very rewarding more often than not, but several times a year the following happens...
Leave straight from work, drive an hour one way, try to find my partner that I've never met, get dressed for the bases because my partner hasn't shown up yet and that way I'm the nice guy by working the varsity plate (which no one wants), Then he gets there 5 minutes before first pitch and says he "thought he brought his cup but must have left it at home," so then you have to change and work two plates in a row. Strip to your underwear again (now there are tons of people around), and put on different pants, shoes, shirt and hat (all different for the plate), bags, mask, hope you remembered your cup and indicator, all of it in 107* heat index. Then Karen (you guys know Karen...it's Brayden or Kayden or Tayden or Hayden's mom...) tells you after her kid goes down looking that the pitch bounced in the dirt and you suck, and then you hear her tell Felicia how the umps last night were way better. By that time the sweat's in your eyes, you're inhaling gnats right around every 3 minutes, and whatever school you're working for allows one free mini Powerade per night from concessions. Then @99topdawg comes out of the dugout and says, "Sir, that pitch was UP HERE! How are my guys supposed to deal with that, sir??" and motioning that the strike you just called was chin level. Yeah, I don't miss that part. Sitting on my deck grilling steaks sounds better every year.
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