Empty seats, stadiums serve as a reminder of what we all miss
Summer is just around the corner. Winter safely in the rear-view mirror. More than warmer weather, May was supposed to bring us a bounty of sports. From heated postseason games to hot laps on the track, we were all looking forward to a month of meaningful events. But not this year. The coronavirus has brought the entire world — and sports — to a halt. We're social distancing from our favorite athletes and games. While we wait for sports to come back, reporters from across the USA Today Sports Network tell us what they will miss most of all in May.
Empty Garden
In 21 of the 34 full seasons I’ve been covering the Celtics for The Enterprise, they have played in May, and it is always a special time in Boston. After an 82-game regular season, the games that really matter are being played. Fans of the franchise with the most NBA titles usually bring their Agame to make it a hostile place for visiting teams. May won’t be the same not hearing the loud roars and the catchy chants from the Garden. — Jim Fenton The Enterprise (Brockton, Mass.)
Going, Going Gone
The ACC Baseball Tournament, which ends on Memorial Day weekend every year and would’ve been in Charlotte, N.C., this May for the first time in nearly 20 years. It regularly produces record crowds at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, an excellent setting that’s considered one of the best venues in all of minor league baseball. And given the frequency with which nearby rivals North Carolina and N.C. State tend to meet in the tournament, the atmosphere can hint at a college basketball type of feel. In 2013, the Tar Heels and Wolfpack played a six-hour marathon in the semifinals that went 18 innings, the longest game in tournament history. — Adam Smith Burlington (N.C.) Times-News
Nothing Bruin
There’s never a guarantee, but May has increasingly become a month in which I cover the Bruins (home games, off-days, analysis/columns) during the Stanley Cup playoffs, both for my home paper (“Patriot Ledger,” Quincy, Mass.), as well as for other Gannett properties throughout New England. There are often players from our circulation area still competing in minorleague playoffs, as well; I go to as many of those as possible. When playoffs are done, I jump into coverage of local high school spring sports, especially when the spring tournament begins. There are close to 30 teams within our circulation area; the spring tournament is normally one of our busiest times of the year. — Mike Loftus Patriot Ledger (Quincy, Mass.)
New Routine
The life of a baseball writer includes three basic destinations – airports, hotels and stadiums. Travel to the next city, drop your rollaway suitcase in the room and head for the game. It’s been replaced by a trip from the bedroom to the couch, with the occasional walk outside in the fresh air mixed in. The Red Sox had a particularly tasty May schedule on tap. Mike Trout was due to visit Fenway Park with the Angels, and it’s always a pleasure to witness greatness in real time. Other matchups included calling on the Yankees in the Bronx and back-toback weekends against a fellow group of Major League Baseball sinners in the Astros. All we can do now is hope this routine resumes at some point soon. — Bill Koch Providence (R.I.) Journal
Off Track
Marble Falls junior Bailey Goggans was aiming to duplicate the double-gold medal performance she had in 2019, winning the Class 4A 400- and 800-meter events. Across Texas, Goggans is one of roughly 1,000 competitors who will not converge on the University of Texas campus for the UIL state track and field meet. That includes Central Texas athletes such as Cameron Events (bound for the Air Force Academy), who was hoping to win the 4A 300 hurdles again. The duo of Dushon Orr (long jump) and Montana Welch (pole vault) had their dreams of a repeat shattered when Gov. Abbott announced schools would remain closed for the remainder of the spring semester. — Rick Cantu Austin (Texas) AmericanStatesman
Silent Bats
The Women’s College World Series was set to begin May 28 in Oklahoma City, but there will be no bat flips or charming chants from the dugouts at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium this season. No repeat for UCLA. No revenge for Oklahoma. No highlights from the likes of Washington’s Sis Bates, Oklahoma’s Giselle Juarez or Florida State’s Sydney Sherrill. It was supposed to be the biggest WCWS ever. Literally. OKC was ready to host college softball’s showcase event for the 30th time in May with an expanded stadium. The stadium’s seating capacity was increased to about 13,000 with 4,000 permanent seats added. That would’ve meant more hotel rooms booked and more meals eaten at local restaurants. — Jeffrey Patterson The Oklahoman
Close to the Heart
I’m going to miss the least attended games. My girls are 6 and 8, so they’re finally playing sports year-round. It’s been equally frustrating as rewarding watching them learn and play, so those are the games I’ll miss. U8 softball doesn’t have the drama of an NHL or NBA playoff game but probably has the same excitement as an earlyseason MLB game. Missing those memories hurts more than not seeing a pro game. Unless Xander Bogaerts is going to hug me with the biggest smile he’s ever had after fielding a ground ball properly, I’ll survive without pro sports at least until September. When the fall hits I’ll gladly sacrifice Saturday soccer doubleheaders for the NFL. I’m not that crazy. — Eric Rueb Providence (R.I.) Journal
Playoff Push
After a winter spent monitoring the NBA and NHL races mostly via TV, there is nothing like spring in Boston when the Celtics and Bruins are mounting playoff runs. The city pops as life returns along the Charles River after a long, cold winter. TD Garden may never be the old Boston Garden, but in its 25-year run New England fans have learned how to shake the new building to it core. We’d all love to see more of the same in the middle of summer. — Kevin McNamara Providence (R.I.) Journal