It wasn’t a perfect bunt, but it was timely. The ball popped into the air and landed in that no man’s land between the catcher and pitcher. While the battery mates tried to decide who should grab the ball, my daughter sprinted to first and landed safely 60 feet from home.
The usual calm and excitement a parent feels when their child gets on base was replaced with some other unease. A new feeling, but familiar in that we have dealt with it head-on for the past four months. The girl covering first base wasn’t wearing a mask.
In fact, no one on the other team was. To their credit, the virus numbers outside of Philadelphia where we played are a lot different. But for someone like me, who was at the Wells Fargo Center on March 11 when the Sixers played their last game in Philly amid COVID-19 concerns, I might look at things a lot more cautiously than some. Although, we’ve all been told that your mask protects me and my mask protects you.
I surveyed the field once more and noticed the other team’s coaches were wearing masks, but only when manning the third base and first base boxes, and the masks came off in the dugout. Welcome to travel softball 2020 in the Delaware Valley.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been to South Jersey and Bucks County to play against teams in areas where restrictions have loosened a lot sooner than in Philadelphia. They don’t wear masks and the players sit together in the dugout. The same goes for most of the parents in the stands. Everyone on our side wears a mask the entire game. Coaches, kids, parents; all masked up and socially distant. We’re not a bunch of altruists and humanitarians by any stretch, but there’s a difference between common sense and a political statement or carelessness.
We had a game canceled a week ago because a girl on the opposing team had a high fever for a couple of days. It happened right after the Miami Marlins coronavirus outbreak fiasco in South Philly. I started to worry that allowing my daughter to pursue her passion amid this pandemic — even though they take their temperatures before practice and games, use hand sanitizer religiously and she has been quarantined for months — was a poor decision.
It’s gotten worse in MLB as the St. Louis Cardinals experienced a similar outbreak as the Marlins’, and now the Red Birds haven’t played a game since July 29 in this 60-game sprint to the postseason. If the virus can shut down billion-dollar organizations who are trying to take every workplace precaution to keep their teams safe, what measure of prudence can you expect from school-age children in this new normal?
MLB
I’ll admit, I think worrying is a part of the dad package. I am a father of three and I have kids at every level of education from elementary school to college. I’m disappointed in the careless decisions Marlins players made which led to them being quarantined in a Philadelphia hotel for more than a week. Although, I firmly believe there is a message in the mess. Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Socially distance.
My daughter was back on the field in the area this weekend. Nothing changed regarding the other teams we saw and played against. A random mask here or there, maybe. We’re simply focusing on controlling the things we can and making sure we’re masked up and ready to win, which her team did.
It is a little odd watching live and televised sports in our new normal — masks, no fans, rare handshakes and high fives — but I’m thankful to have what’s here. Our only way through this pandemic is to follow the health guidelines. It’s the least we can do to protect each other. My mask protects you, your mask protects me, between the lines or not.
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