By Sonny Jones
There may be a delay to the start of the Major League Baseball season. There may not be a 2022 MLB season at all, although that’s unlikely.
I don’t care.
It’s not that I’m swearing off watching and following Major League Baseball because owners and players can’t agree on how to divvy up the cash in their multibillion dollar industry. It’s because I enjoy following the sport. If the MLB plays games, then I’ll watch. If MLB doesn’t play games, then I won’t. It’s that simple.
There’s plenty of baseball to watch, with or without Major League games. The college season began about two weeks ago. The high school season started Monday.
I watched portions of East Carolina’s 5-0 win against North Carolina on Sunday night via ESPN+, then watched Drake Pierson belt a two-out, two-run homer in the ninth that gave Campbell a 3-2 win against Air Force on Monday afternoon. Being retired has its advantages.
Want to attend a college game? Along with the aforementioned ECU and UNC, there’s Southeastern Community College in Whiteville, Fayetteville Technical Community, Methodist in Fayetteville, UNC Wilmington and St. Andrews in Laurinburg. N.C. State has one of the top teams in the country. Duke is playing many of its early-season games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
The high school season began Monday with East Columbus outlasting West Bladen 9-8 in 10 innings. East Bladen is scheduled to open its season Wednesday at home against South Columbus.
While MLB and its players seemingly can’t agree if the sky is blue nor if the grass is green, the minor league schedule is not affected by the MLB negotiations. In fact, minor league players are in the process of reporting for spring training. Their season opens in early April.
Did you know there are 14 minor league teams in North Carolina and South Carolina? Along with the nearby Fayetteville Woodpeckers, there are the Down East Wood Ducks (Kinston), Carolina Mudcats (Zebulon), Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, Asheville Tourists, Charlotte Knights, Durham Bulls, Greensboro Grasshoppers, Winston-Salem Dash, Hickory Crawdads, Myrtle Beach (SC) Pelicans, Charleston (SC) RiverDogs, Columbia (SC) Fireflies and Greenville (SC) Drive.
So, MLB and its players can talk and talk and talk for as long as they choose. There’s plenty of baseball games to watch and plenty of teams playing.
Play Ball!
GOLF, ANYONE?
March 19: Legacy Golf Tournament: 9 a.m. shotgun start, Vineyard Golf at White Lake. Fee is $80 per player or $320 per four-person team. Deadline to register is March 14. Fundraiser for Elizabethtown Christian Academy. Information: 910-862-3427.
March 25: Kayla Thompson Golf Tour Fundraiser: 10 a.m., Vineyard Golf at White Lake. $75 per play and $300 per four-person team. Deadline to register is March 22. Information: Otis at 910-549-7618.
TUESDAY’S PICK TO CLICK
Andrei Svechnikov with a goal and an assist and defenseman Jacoob Slavin with a power-play assist as Carolina seeks its sixth straight win when the Hurricanes play at Detroit.
MONDAY’S PICK: North Carolina’s backcourt of Caleb Love and R.J. Davis combine for 33 points, four 3-pointers and nine assists against Syracuse. RESULTS: The duo combine for 38 points, nine 3-pointers and eight assists in the Tar Heels’ 88-79 overtime win against Syracuse.
Sonny Jones can be reached at wibbyj@gmail.com.
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