Thursday’s thumbs

Baseball’s back, at least for now

With Major League Baseball starting up today, we thought now would be a good time to call some folks out with our weekly thumbs.

If the umpire yells “Play Ball” and there are no fans to hear it, does it make a sound? Yes! Because the teams will be there to respond, starting today. The truncated Major League Baseball season, all 60 games of it, begins with the defending world champion Washington Nationals playing some team from New York. Later, the Los Angeles Dodgers take on some team that use to be from New York. On Friday, a full schedule of games are on tap. No more replays! Get ready for the real thing.

Just the players, coaches, umpires, support staff and, of course, the TV production folks will be in the stadium during games, thanks to the coronavirus. But baseball will be played, gladdening the hearts of homebound fans everywhere. It might be a little odd, watching a game with little to no cheering. But maybe we’ll get to hear some major-league level chatter via the on-field microphones. The broadcasts of the games probably ought to be on that seven-second delay, just in case, to protect the kids’ ears. Still, nothing’s more normal than a summertime baseball game. Charge!

As baseball purists, we will decry the introduction of the designated hitter into National League games. We’ll also turn up our noses at the silly “put-a-runner-onsecond-base” tie breaker that’s been instituted for 2020. We pray both are only allowed for this very strange season and won’t reinfect the game in 2021.

We can’t say we disapprove of all the new coronavirus rules ballplayers have to deal with. For example, players won’t be allowed to spit on the field, use smokeless tobacco in the dugout nor expel sunflower seed shells onto the ground. That kind of behavior always prompted our grandmother to wonder aloud how those fellows on TV were raised in the first place. And, while baseball fights rarely amount to much more than some pushing and shoving that resembles the foxtrot more than fisticuffs, we’re glad to see even stiffer penalties imposed to stop them, at least for this season. Now, if we can just outlaw the practice of a batter readjusting every piece of equipment on his person between pitches, we just might have something.

Some of our favorite events either didn’t happen this year, or won’t happen, once again due to the covid-19 pandemic. This saddens us and not just because we’re

missing out on some fun times and good fellowship. We’re also missing part of what makes our communities unique. No fried chicken and spaghetti at Tontitown’s Grape Festival. We won’t experience the sights, sounds and smells of Springdale’s Rodeo of the Ozarks (though, truth be told, we don’t really miss the smell). We regret not seeing the beautiful sights of Siloam Springs’ Dogwood Festival or the amazing talent on display at Fayetteville’s Artosphere. We might even miss the ever-present rumble of motorcycles with no Bikes, Blues & BBQ. There’s so much more we’re missing. Perhaps one of the bright sides of this damnable virus is that we’ll appreciate the events that add color and life to our corner of the world even more when they return.

Brian Culpepper of Rogers is on a mission to right a wrong almost a century in the making. We wish him luck. Culpepper is searching for descendants of one Edward Allen, a Benton County constable who was killed in the line of duty in March 1924. Finding one of Allen’s relatives could clear the way for Allen’s name to be added to the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington D.C., Culpepper says. Allen died on his way home from a gambling raid when his car collided with a horse and buggy on a dark road. Yet he is not one of the 21,000 law enforcement officers from across the country listed on the memorial honoring those who gave their lives in service. Here’s hoping Culpepper’s search will be successful and Allen’s name is added to the memorial.

Walmart Inc., receives a lot of criticism — some deserved — by virtue of its status as the world’s largest retailer. However, the company also deserves praise from time to time. Like now. The company announced this week that its stores will be closed Thanksgiving Day so employees can spend the holiday with their families. In making the announcement, company officials said they knew holiday shopping in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic will be different than in years past and will take the opportunity to give employees a day off they normally wouldn’t get. Not bad. And, oh yeah, Walmart also announced a third round of cash bonuses to employees who have been working through crisis. That’s not bad, either.