Peterson: The real danger to pro sports

June 24, 2020

There is no question the present conditions we’re operating under in this country are going to have long-term effects. The effects to the professional sports world could be even more long-lasting. The tenuous situation in major league baseball is one of the more visible ones. MLB owners have been pushing for the start of the season — even as the players continue to balk (no pun intended) over money issues. Although they now have a 60-game schedule in place, the lords of baseball and the players frittered away any chances for an extended schedule with unproductive ...

Peterson: Music the sound of our times

June 17, 2020

Just the other day, I was listening to the radio (Sirius variety) when a song came on that put me on time passages of the mind. The song, “Monday, Monday” by the Mamas and Papas, was popular in the winter of 1966. Now, 1966 was a time when you could actually understand the words. That’s very unlike today when the music is either so loud — or obnoxious — that you can’t make out the lyrics. The year 1966 marked a turmoil-filled era in this country. There were riots and protests in the streets of America. The Vietnam War was raging and young men in this country were very ...

Peterson: Pandemic aside, the game goes on

June 9, 2020

They may be a pandemic going on in this country. And record unemployment and racial strife rages on. But still the game goes on. That game — and there aren’t many going nowadays — is the 50 and Over Softball League. Now, the league may be the only operating one of any kind locally at the moment. Heck, even the Little League season was canceled because of health concerns. But the local graybeards will tentatively begin (weather permitting) the season on Thursday. The 35 And Over League was initiated in 1978. It was intended as a place for aging players to finish out their ...

Peterson: The things you won’t see in 2020

June 2, 2020

In this — whacky and never seen before — world we’re living in, there are going to be things you are not going to see in 2020. It’s bad enough that that high school and college tournament seasons in hockey and basketball were washed away. I especially feel for all the seniors who never got to play that final game of their careers. Then, we lost the major league baseball season, even though the MLB insists it is still trying to implement an 80-game season and post season in the next month or so. Good luck on that as several star players are already saying they don’t want ...

Peterson: The sound of a real fastball

May 26, 2020

The game of baseball has unique sounds of its own. There is the solid crack of a fastball hitting the bat right in the sweet spot. That sound is known to anyone who has ever played the game and it is usually an indication that a batter will soon be circling the bases. And there’s the sound of a fastball thunking into the catcher’s mitt. It is perhaps the most intimidating sound in the sport. Curt Lahti had that kind of fastball when he played for Houghton in the Twilight League. He was reportedly clocked at just under 90 miles per hour at Cincinnati Reds tryout camp in the ...

Peterson: Bad Boys really were that good

May 19, 2020

In the long-running and just concluded “The Last Dance,” the exploits of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls dynasty of the 1990s were well-documented by ESPN. Yes, Jordan is the finest basketball player ever produced by the National Basketball Association. His skills and game preparation were unparalleled. But the Bulls would not have had the success they enjoyed without a superb coach in Phil Jackson. As he did in Los Angeles with the Lakers, Jackson was able to work through a diverse collection of egos. That’s not an easy thing to do in today’s sports, which features a ...