From the sidelines
By Marty Gordon
The year was 2008 and those piercing eyes haunted me from right field at Calfee Park in Pulaski. I swore something was staring at me. The animal was sitting on the outfield fence at the baseball park. The ledge was probably three inches wide, but this animal had climbed up there and was watching everything going on.
As assistant general manager of the then-Pulaski Mariners minor league baseball team, I had always noticed a few stray cats walking along this same fence line. But it was the crazy eyes that bore down on me especially when the field lights were off.
For the most part, they never moved. So, I decided to venture closer only to discover a small statue of a raccoon. We repaired a hole in the bottom, giving him a touch of new paint ever so often. He was the Calfee Park raccoon and became one of those superstitions that stories are written about in sports.
I left the park several years ago for another job, but I left the raccoon behind not even thinking about him until this past week. I knew he was still there on his perch watching the new boys of summer.
Well, just like everything else this year, baseball didn’t take to the fields in Pulaski. And someone decided the loveable unofficial mascot was needed. He was stolen and so far, neither park staff nor police have any leads.
It’s hard to understand why someone would take an older, plastic statue of a raccoon. Yes, they would have had to probably climb out on the ledge. I know it wasn’t easy, but they did it anyway.
If anyone has information, please contact the Pulaski Yankees front office.
In other sports news, the Virginia High School League’s executive committee is recommending spring football to include only six regular season games. Thus, a no-brainer for schools like Blacksburg and Christiansburg. They will play everyone in the River Ridge District. No out-of-district games will be played.
But scheduling is a little tougher for Eastern Montgomery and Auburn. They each play in a district that has only six teams. The two will play everyone in the district and then look for one game outside the “bubble.”
The solution lies in an old rivalry contest. Eastern Montgomery and Auburn should square off in the battle for the Golden Helmet.
Across the river in Radford, the Three Rivers District has only seven teams. Thus, the Bobcats’ schedule of opponents is set for the ride.
At the collegiate level, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) will kick off its 2020 football season in a few weeks, and the idea of a home-field advantage might be thrown out the window as fan attendance will be limited in all of the stadiums. You might even be able to hear a cricket in the stands in Blacksburg.
None of this is ideal, but it must be done.
Here are the latest updates for attending ACC games:
Clemson has announced 23 percent capacity. The plan would allow for 16,000 fans but needs final approval by the South Carolina governor.
Duke says no fans will be in the stands this fall.
Florida State is looking at 20-25 percent capacity with tailgating. Florida State’s home venue seats about 80,000 people, so this translates to about 16,000-20,000 people maximum.
Georgia Tech plans on 20 percent capacity, approximately 11,000 fans max.
Louisville is still working on its plans.
Miami says it will be 20 percent, approximately 13,000.
UNC and N.C. State are still working on a plan to put people in the seats.
Syracuse says no fans.
UVA and Virginia Tech are limiting fans to 1,000 per game.
Wake Forest hopes to have fans but has yet to set the number.
Notre Dame and Pittsburgh are still unclear on a plan for the fall.
Looking at many of the preseason college football polls has many fans and sportswriters scratching their heads. At least 11 schools in the recent AP poll will not be playing football this fall. Instead, they will have to wait until the spring.
Only 77 Division I College FBS teams are playing this fall, and if everything plays out, all of them will be invited to a December-January bowl game. Currently at estimated 82 teams would be invited to the planned bowls. Virginia Tech’s bowl streak will remain intact no matter what happens.
