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Peterson: An idea that really backfired

It was just an idea at first. But as it came to fruition, it turned out to be a really BAD idea. After finishing our first season in the C.C. Slow-Pitch Softball League with a winning record, the Karvakko’s Market team was looking for something more to do that fall. We couldn’t find enough other teams to go along with a fall softball league, although a few did express interest. You have to realize that slow-pitch was quickly reaching its zenith in interest, and would soon zoom to 28 teams and three divisions within two years. So it was decided to advertise in the local ...

Peterson: Merv was one of a kind on or off the field

It was the first game that I ever played with the late Merv Klemett. I had just become eligible to play for the Portage Lake Oldtimers baseball team, and Merv was the manager of the squad. Before my first game, I asked him how to approach things against the Wolverine Oldtimers. Whether to take it as just an exhibition or to play for real. He looked hard at me and said: “Have fun but play hard, just like it was a regular season game,” was his quick answer. I should have known better, having competed against his teams in the Twilight League and the Over 35 Softball League for ...

Peterson: Silence in sports is deafening

The professional sports franchises have all tried various methods to combat the lack of crowd noise during this current dark period we’re all going through. The National Hockey League has taken the course of sounding fog horns (loudly) after a goal. In the National Basketball League and major league baseball, there’s been the placing of cardboard figures around the arena and ballpark. But cardboard just can’t imitate the sound of a roaring crowd. And in Cleveland, they still have John Adams banging away on his infamous drum. Or at least a recording of Adams doing his ...

Peterson: MHSAA acted in haste

The words — and brickbats — have been flying ever since the decision was made by the Michigan High Athletic Association last month. The action effectively ended the high school football season — at least until next spring. At first, I sort of went along with the MHSAA action. But now that I’ve had time to mull it over, I believe the organization may have acted in haste. This is not a politically motivated decision on my part. That’s unlike some other segments of the population who have chosen to make the issue a political football. No pun intended. After watching prep ...

Peterson: Tigers put pressure on young prospects

There’s nothing wrong with banking on young players to bolster the fortunes of a professional sports team. But the Detroit Tigers may be putting too much pressure on their prospects. If you go strictly by the commentary of Detroit TV color men Jack Morris and Dan Petry, the pitching duo of Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal is ready to march straight into the Hall of Fame. I’m aware that Mize has great stuff (eight different pitches) and that Skubal also has the potential to be a steady winner. But the fact — call it calloused if you will — is that neither has played in enough ...

Football in spring in the U.P.?

When the Michigan High School Athletic Association made its recent decision to scrap the high school football season, it was met with opposition from several quarters. A number of parents of players have opposed it and are even threatening lawsuits to have it changed. I don’t quite go that far, but I do question the idea of switching the grid season to the spring. Now, spring football might be fine downstate. After all, any snow they might receive below the Mackinac Bridge will likely be long gone by early April. And the weather can be downright balmy at that time of the ...