Bye bye spring sports

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The Hot Corner

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The day the sports world stopped.
It’s weird to think that while the rest of the world is in a panic over the Coronavirus, the sports world has fallen dormant.
In a span of just a few days, the UIL, NBA, MLB, XFL, NCAA and almost every professional soccer league shut their doors in an attempt to eliminate large gatherings that could result in the virus’ spread.
Sports in America have never stopped like this, at least not in my lifetime. At every level, athletics has come to a stand-still and no one knows what to do because we’ve never seen this before. Obviously, the goal is to eliminate large social gatherings. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a statement saying that it recommends all gatherings and events of 50 people or more be cancelled. This applies to churches, weddings, funerals and of course, sporting events. While it is just a recommendation, it’s being taken seriously.
Personally, I couldn’t wait for MLB’s Opening Day, but now I’m worrying about the tickets I purchased to a Houston Astros game in late June. Most reports say that a mid- to late-June start is best-case scenario.  A New York Yankee minor leaguer became the first MLB player to test positive for the virus just a few days ago, raising concern over how quickly it could spread throughout clubhouses. I guess I will have to stick to my Playstation for my baseball fix over the next few weeks.
The NBA was just two weeks from the playoffs before it decided to suspend all activities. It is ironic that after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert mocked the Coronavirus panic by touching every single microphone after a post-game interview, he became the first NBA player diagnosed with the virus just two days later.
His teammate, Donavan Mitchell, became the second player diagnosed and the NBA shut its season down.
Five weeks into its inaugural season, the XFL shut down. The move could be devastating for the league’s health because it was already struggling to garner viewers and sell tickets.
An entertaining playoff race and playoff battle could have gone a long way in cementing the league’s place in the sports landscape, but that is no longer possible.
I guess the 5-0 Houston Roughnecks are the unofficial champions, so go Texas.
With the cancellation of all UIL activities through at least March 29, all of your favorite local teams get an extended spring break. The UIL later announced that it was extending the suspension to include all practices, effectively putting high school athletics in Texas in neutral.
So what does a sports editor do when there are no sports to cover?
I will continue to cover what happens and provide updates about the situation here in Scurry County. But it is going to be a dry few weeks. Softball for both Snyder and Hermleigh were set to start district this Tuesday and both Ira and Snyder track had meets scheduled this week in what was to be a busy sports week. Now, our focus will shift to what those teams will do to stay prepared for the resumption of games.
As much as this is uncharted waters for you readers, it is for me also. I will do my best to bring you local sports and features about local athletes.
For some reason, I can’t stop thinking about the song American Pie by Don McLean.

Reed Graff is the sports editor for the Snyder Daily News. Comments about his column may be sent to sports@snyderdailynews.com