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THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 2020
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SPORTS From the Bleachers COLUMN BY KURT MARGGRAF IN CHICAGO
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his has been quite an eventful week for me. A week ago my partner broke her ankle in the Chicagoland area while I was in harbor country attending a family reunion. After discovering surgery was not an option until the swelling was under control ( still pending ), I began my first week of many, being a caretaker. Before I say another word, I want to give kudos to everyone who helps others. Teachers, nurses, policemen, firemen, waiters and waitresses, parents, all of those who take their time and efforts to help others, are special people. Often, the rewards for helping others isn’t measured by the size of your wallet, but rather by the gratitude of those you’ve helped. I wish I had a million dollars to give to the firemen who helped us out this week. When we arrived home from the emergency room, we didn’t know what to do. The ten steps up to our door looked insurmountable, and in fact, were. A quick call to the fire department brought instant relief and our undying gratitude. After a few days at home, a friend came over to relieve me for a day so I could rejoin my family. I got to spend a wonderful night with them before heading back to Chicago. I guess the point I’m trying to make is that in this time of social and political unrest, where everyone seems to be taking a my way or the highway approach, there are still plenty of people around who genuinely care about others. That’s always important, but especially when you’ve suffered some misfortune. Friends,
family, and others who came to my rescue, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. In sports, the Chicago Blackhawks knocked off the Edmonton Oilers to advance to the Stanley Cup playoffs. The games were wide open affairs, and once again the outstanding goalkeeping of Corey Crawford helped carry the Blackhawks to victory. They are underdogs in the next round against the Las Vegas Golden Knights, but they were underdogs against the Oilers too. Here’s hoping the Hawks can pull off another upset. The Cubs were supposed to square off against the Saint Louis Cardinals this weekend, but the games were cancelled because of the Coronavirus. I find it more than slightly ironic that the Cardinals, who seem to have the attitude that they are a model franchise, apparently had a group of players go to the casino, where they came down with the virus. At least sixteen players and staff have tested positive, putting their season, and for that matter, the entire leagues season, in jeopardy. My hopes for a city series are fading. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” Stay safe. Be kind. Have fun. Talk to you next week. Peace, love, and happiness.
Football practice begins under cloud of uncertainty
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BY STAN MADDUX
he New Buffalo High School football team began practicing Monday, Aug. 10, for a season still on at least
for now. Head coach Matt Johnson said he and his players must assume they will be hitting the playing field before every scheduled game despite the threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’re going to work hard and we’re going to hope and prepare for a season,” he said. Adding to the uncertainty is Lake Michigan Catholic deciding Monday not to have fall sports despite the recommended guidelines for safe play recently issued by the Michigan High School Athletic Association. Johnson has his fingers crossed other schools won’t follow suit. There’s aren’t many schools within a relatively short drive equal in size to New Buffalo and if just a handful of those districts choose not to play it would be a challenge to replace those games to have a full season. “You hope it is isolated but then you also have to be prepared
that might be the first domino. Hopefully, that doesn’t happen. We’ll see,” he said. Johnson won’t know until the end of the week if any of his players eligible to return from last year’s young squad will opt not to play due to the virus. He is expecting most, if not all, of the major contributors from last season will be on what’s shaping up to be a well-balanced roster of sophomores, juniors and seniors. The first week of football practice under MHSAA guidelines is limited to conditioning, physical training and skill work with little, if any, physical contact among players wearing strictly helmets. Practices with full player pads and equipment is not allowed to begin until Aug. 17. The first game of the season is scheduled Aug. 27 at Marcellus. However, MHSAA says it will announce by Aug. 20 if any changes in the timeframes will occur for the seasons in football, girls’ volleyball and boys soccer because of their risk being higher than other sports like tennis and golf.
The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but to reveal to him his own. — Benjamin Disraeli
