Local baseball fans and the media need to get their acts together

Spring training is finally upon us! The long drought from Super Bowl to pitchers and catchers reporting is finally over. Now, if we could just get the media to talk about actual spring training and not some petty
“scandal” from two years ago. So the Astros and probably the Red Sox “cheated” by stealing signs. In the immortal words of the late, great Chris Farley “Whoopdie Freaking Doooooh!”

It’s old news. It has zero effect on 2020, so can we just let it go already and focus on this season? There hasn’t been a dead horse beaten this badly since that time the Patriots deflated footballs. Enough is enough!

Focus on the story lines. There are new managers everywhere. Free agents signings may have tilted the landscape of a couple different divisions. There is so much good stuff to talk about this time of year, yet all the media wants to discuss is sign stealing from years gone by.

It’s not just spring training that is up and running. Despite the local media largely ignoring it, which is normal, UMaine baseball has started their season. Yes, UMaine has a baseball team. They are the ones that offer free admission to games that nobody in the greater Bangor area can be bothered to go to.

Coach Derba has a pretty young squad this year, but he also has a couple of exceptional upperclassmen leading the way. I guess this is my own dead horse to beat, but people need to go support this program.

There are kids from Maine, playing for Maine and doing so at a high level. It’s a complete travesty that people will not support them, and just buying the tee shirt doesn’t constitute support.

Maybe all the Red Sox fans who are so vocal in their upcoming boycott of the season because of the Mookie trade, can use their baseball energy to go and support OUR team. Everyone suddenly packs the Alfond in sub freezing temperatures once again for a team that hasn’t won anything in 20 years, but nobody can be bothered to go enjoy a free baseball game in the spring.

It’s baseball season. It’s time we all started acting like it.

By THE BAM
www.sportschowdah.com

Jeff Solari

About Jeff Solari

Jeff Solari is the president and founder of the Sports Chowdah, Maine’s only free, weekly sports e mail newsletter. Recently, the Mount Desert Island native was the co-host of "The Drive" on 92.9 FM in Bangor.