Lest we forget, every other year we in Wisconsin complain about winter lasting far too long. But this past winter seemed endless.
After Elsa tortured us with a mid-April mega-snowstorm and cold spell, spring has finally showed its beautiful face. And what a sight it is.
The prep sports season was brutally hit by the inclement weather throughout the state, let alone the region. We had cancellations nearly every day for two weeks in Green and Lafayette counties. Sometimes a field or a track was better in location B (or even C), so the administrators did what they had to do in order to simply get games in.
And that's the hard part. There are only so many days until softball, baseball and soccer have their coaches seeding meetings to determine playoff matchups, and yet there are entire conferences whose teams have yet to play a single game.
The consequences are direr than simply not getting enough games in - because most will still be played. One of the biggest problems in the sport of baseball is the availability of pitching arms. Already a coveted commodity, pitchers now face a pitch count for each game (and each week) that limits their appearances. That means some players without the skillset to be on the mound - least of all effective - are tossed to the lions to try to get through scheduled games.
I understand how this works, in a sense. When I played junior college baseball, we had 55 games in just 30 days. We played a lot of doubleheaders and typically had at least a game four days out of the week with practices taking up another one or two days. Monday through Sunday, it didn't matter - the NJCAA needed those games played. And our team had low numbers - about 18 players, with usually only 15 active and available each game (injuries, grades, prior commitments). What happens when this many games are due to be played in such a short amount of time means guys like me with busted shoulders hurl 71-mile-per-hour fastballs to the plate - unless our catcher lets us toss in the 59-mile-per-hour knuckler.
See also, a career 27.00 ERA.
I hardly challenged my opponents when I was on the mound (or at the plate, if we're being honest about it). I was tossing in meatballs meant for batting practice, and yet my assistant coach had the nerve to scream at me for tipping my cap to the North Arkansas player who launched the first pitch he saw from me about 5,000 miles beyond left field. I'd never seen a ball hit so far in all of my life; I was actually proud to be a part of the action.
What I'm getting at is that Mother Nature was playing a cruel joke on the sports world these past few weeks, and I hope that those players who have had to meander through a plethora of indoor practices and sluggish box scores don't take it too personally.
Now that the need to shovel the sidewalks appears to finally be gone, other spring items can finally be gotten to. My daughter finally had her first soccer game on Sunday, and this weekend I took the kids to a ball field and hit some softballs just to get out and moving. I forgot the sunscreen - forgive me, it's still early in the season.
Bicycles, skateboards and strollers for the kids and at night I can light my torches and sit on the porch and enjoy a cool adult beverage. This is how spring is supposed to feel.
Just when do I bust out the lawnmower?
- Adam Krebs is a reporter for the Monroe Times and had his doubts winter would ever come to an end. He can be reached at akrebs@themonroetimes.net.
After Elsa tortured us with a mid-April mega-snowstorm and cold spell, spring has finally showed its beautiful face. And what a sight it is.
The prep sports season was brutally hit by the inclement weather throughout the state, let alone the region. We had cancellations nearly every day for two weeks in Green and Lafayette counties. Sometimes a field or a track was better in location B (or even C), so the administrators did what they had to do in order to simply get games in.
And that's the hard part. There are only so many days until softball, baseball and soccer have their coaches seeding meetings to determine playoff matchups, and yet there are entire conferences whose teams have yet to play a single game.
The consequences are direr than simply not getting enough games in - because most will still be played. One of the biggest problems in the sport of baseball is the availability of pitching arms. Already a coveted commodity, pitchers now face a pitch count for each game (and each week) that limits their appearances. That means some players without the skillset to be on the mound - least of all effective - are tossed to the lions to try to get through scheduled games.
I understand how this works, in a sense. When I played junior college baseball, we had 55 games in just 30 days. We played a lot of doubleheaders and typically had at least a game four days out of the week with practices taking up another one or two days. Monday through Sunday, it didn't matter - the NJCAA needed those games played. And our team had low numbers - about 18 players, with usually only 15 active and available each game (injuries, grades, prior commitments). What happens when this many games are due to be played in such a short amount of time means guys like me with busted shoulders hurl 71-mile-per-hour fastballs to the plate - unless our catcher lets us toss in the 59-mile-per-hour knuckler.
See also, a career 27.00 ERA.
I hardly challenged my opponents when I was on the mound (or at the plate, if we're being honest about it). I was tossing in meatballs meant for batting practice, and yet my assistant coach had the nerve to scream at me for tipping my cap to the North Arkansas player who launched the first pitch he saw from me about 5,000 miles beyond left field. I'd never seen a ball hit so far in all of my life; I was actually proud to be a part of the action.
What I'm getting at is that Mother Nature was playing a cruel joke on the sports world these past few weeks, and I hope that those players who have had to meander through a plethora of indoor practices and sluggish box scores don't take it too personally.
Now that the need to shovel the sidewalks appears to finally be gone, other spring items can finally be gotten to. My daughter finally had her first soccer game on Sunday, and this weekend I took the kids to a ball field and hit some softballs just to get out and moving. I forgot the sunscreen - forgive me, it's still early in the season.
Bicycles, skateboards and strollers for the kids and at night I can light my torches and sit on the porch and enjoy a cool adult beverage. This is how spring is supposed to feel.
Just when do I bust out the lawnmower?
- Adam Krebs is a reporter for the Monroe Times and had his doubts winter would ever come to an end. He can be reached at akrebs@themonroetimes.net.
