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‘Rocky’ still packs a punch as Philly favorite

New MLB rules: shower at home, don't spit, Mr Met stay away

In the grand scheme of things, I have few complaints.
				We are in the midst of a global pandemic with its associated loss of life and related, significant economic damage.
				But I&rsquo;m not a small business owner worried about my mounting expenses with no revenue coming in, I didn&rsquo;t have to furlough any employees or lose my job as a result of everything being shut down, and thank God, my family is staying safe. You might even say I have great timing, as I retired at the end of 2019 from a long career in health care public relations and crisis management; getting out of the fray just in time as my old colleagues are working around the clock, seven days a week.
				Like everyone else &#8211; well, most people, anyway &#8211; I&rsquo;m staying home, wearing a mask when I do venture out, and regularly sanitizing everything in sight. I&rsquo;ve been going on long walks on our area&rsquo;s many trails and taking the time to admire the scenery and appreciate those around me. And although I&rsquo;ve seen reports of people without masks squeezed tight like sardines and drinking beer on their front porch, I&rsquo;ve managed to have no thoughts whatsoever of doing so myself. It is a bit frightening to open my bank statement, not just because the envelope may be steeped in coronavirus and other germs picked up somewhere along its journey to my mailbox, but also because the pandemic has created a wild ride for everyone trying to manage their expenses.
				With the life altering things happening to people in my community and in the world, overall what do I have to gripe about? That it&rsquo;s annoying to have my eyeglasses fog up as I shop at the grocery store? That my only dining option rather than relying on my personal culinary skills is to call ahead to order takeout? That I picked up a couple bottles of wine at the grocery store and stood in a long, social distancing appropriate line only to find that I wasn&rsquo;t at the right register to purchase wine? Or that, heaven forbid, it snowed on Mother&rsquo;s Day weekend when our temperatures should have been well into the 60s? I don&rsquo;t think so.
				There is one trifle, though, that I do allow myself to lament. Some of us may miss the theater, or perhaps concerts or other gatherings. Those are all great indulgences, but I long for the crack of the bat and the smell of the fresh grown grass on a beautifully manicured ball field. It makes me feel guilty to admit it right now, but I miss baseball. I know, poor me, right? It seems so trivial that I feel like the late author and psychologist Dr. Wayne Dyer who, when it was his turn to stand up and talk at an addiction recovery meeting, admitted that he was having a problem with his diet soda habit. He always laughed about it to put things in perspective, but really?
				I&rsquo;ve been a baseball junkie since I was a kid and have always used it as a diversion from personal or societal issues and challenges. When the news of the world is bad, which it often is, I could always put on a baseball game and relax.
				Baseball&rsquo;s role in helping us to heal is a big part of our nation&rsquo;s history. Back when major league baseball considered shutting down during the darkest days of World War II, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt emphasized that Americans needed baseball to escape from the turmoil and stress of the time and the games played on. Following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, the sight of President George W. Bush throwing out the first pitch a few days later at Yankee Stadium was a symbol that while we had been knocked down, we wouldn&rsquo;t stay down. Once again, baseball was part of the healing.
				Now, during one of the biggest challenges of our time, our national pastime isn&rsquo;t there when we need it most. That may change in the coming weeks, as the baseball owners and the players appear to be getting close to an agreement for an abbreviated season. Both parties, hopefully, will put the fans first and come to terms on a safe way to move forward, even if there are restrictions about going to the games in person. At least we could have live baseball on television.
				I&rsquo;ve watched enough reruns of classic games from years gone by so many times over the past two months that I know not just who won, but also most of the important plays. If it gets to the point where I can recall the pitch sequences I&rsquo;ll know I&rsquo;m really going over the edge, like Bill Murray&rsquo;s character in the movie Groundhog Day who lived the same day over and over again so many times that he knew all the Jeopardy answers even before the clues were given. If I could only get one of those betting services from Vegas to take some action today on the outcome of the 1980 World Series I could quickly make my 401(k) whole again. Have to look for a silver lining somewhere, but they just won&rsquo;t do it.
				I have watched some live baseball, but it is Korean baseball and comes on TV in the middle of the night. There are no fans in the stands and I know none of the players, and I can&rsquo;t help but think about the umpire&rsquo;s close proximity to the catcher and batter. I hope they have face masks beneath those catchers&rsquo; masks. We were miffed back when we were kids and the coaches sent us to the outfield, but that Korean player standing all alone on the outfield grass is now in the best place to be. Social distancing at its finest. And I wonder why the names on the backs of their uniforms are in Korean but the team name on the front is in English. Marketing perhaps? The game I watched was the Lions against the Tigers, and I just know somewhere they must have a team named the Bears.
				Yesterday, though, put the entire pandemic experience into perspective for me. With a classic baseball game on TV in the background, I heard from a friend who shared he was permanently closing his small fitness center business due to the losses sustained from having to lock the doors as part of the COVID-19 shut down. Then, I talked with my brother-in-law and his siblings about their sister, Chantell, who was critically ill on a ventilator in a New Jersey hospital intensive care unit. Sadly, Chantel passed away overnight. She is the second person I knew to die from pandemic-related causes. My longtime friend and colleague, Ron, who retired back to his New Jersey home years ago after a long, successful career in health care leadership, and who I taught to golf even though his father was a golf professional, passed away a few weeks ago after falling ill with COVID-19.
				That&rsquo;s what this is really all about. Two great people among the thousands who are no longer with us, another great person among many locking the doors to their businesses, and millions of others wondering what to do next. It&rsquo;s sad all around and all too real. Hopefully soon we can argue balls and strikes and forget about the daily madness, at least for a little while.

David Jolley: Time for baseball and a little perspective