Applying logic to the stoppage of sports while waiting for sound answers

This is not necessarily a question of right or wrong.

It is not an issue of rich or poor, of black or white.

It is not an issue of conservatives and liberals.

It is an issue of being smart, seeking knowledge and wisdom, making the proper decisions.

The problem is that we simply do not have enough intelligence to make the right decisions pertaining to how to cope with COVID-19, otherwise known as the Coronavirus.

That will change.

It may very well change sooner, rather than later. That is the fervent hope, the prayer of many.

Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion. We are to have substantive discourse, to decipher as much about truth as is possible and to act accordingly.

Applying logic is prudent.

What is logical, at this point?

The immediate, short-term answer is to limit contact with large crowds, often used appliances, door knobs, controls, and other items which are constantly contacted by human hands.

Those that feel that play should resume immediately have been labeled as being only concerned about money.

Think again.

This is not about millionaires or billionaires losing profits.

It is about the little person, the person who lives paycheck to paycheck, the person who relies on games to make a living, to support themselves and their families.

Of course, the impact on tourism has already been severe. The impact on travel has been enormous. The cruise industry is crippled.

With gatherings of over 250 prohibited in Louisiana for weeks, that will have a direct impact on other businesses.

My wife and I went to see a movie at the theater and at a time that usually finds that theater packed, it was virtually empty.

Fear is powerful force.

I choose to live my life by applying logic to the choices made, not to be governed or controlled by fear.

Whether right or wrong, here is my opinion.

The result of sports cancellations, across the board, are regrettable, disappointing, depressing, shocking, sad but, ultimately, understandable and correct.

The concept of cancelling events more than a month down the road is puzzling, premature, unnecessary and incorrect.

Is it truly troubling to see the abrupt stop to the promising seasons of LSU gymnastics, softball and baseball. The LSU men and women are ranked No. 1 in the national in track and field.

The LSU men’s basketball team was on its way to the NCAA tournament and Will Wade was doing perhaps his best job in his stint in Baton Rouge.

It is disconcerting to see Tulane baseball and such a great start and renaissance to a program end. It is emotional to see the national tournament opportunities for the Loyola men and women and the Xavier men wiped out after earning those spots.

On the junior college level, LSU-Eunice is 21-0 on the diamond, the best team in the country at the Division II level, if not in all of junior college baseball. Delgado is always good and in the postseason and Nunez is a young program with real growth potential. Let us hope their seasons resume in April since the NJCAA has wisely left that door open.

On the high school level, we are covering our final high school games for quite some time with Lenny Vangilder in Lake Charles while David Grubb and Randy Pistorius are in Baton Rouge. I covered the John Curtis-St. Thomas More baseball game on Thursday after covering the St. Augustine-Catholic basketball semifinal Tuesday night.

So many student-athletes have been impacted.

What do coaches do to keep their student-athletes occupied?

With school closures, what will students do with their free time?

Will prep softball, baseball, track and field, golf, tennis and bowling have a chance to finish their seasons?

High school seniors will not have another chance and that is simply a shame. College seniors could possibly retain some eligibility in some sports, a subject which is pending. Others could receive a redshirt year.

These are unprecedented times.

While none of us wants to contract the virus, none of us wants to be the one who passes it on to anyone else. Either would be a sobering, bordering on incomprehensible feeling.

On a personal level, my feelings and emotions have run amok, from shock to anger, from anger to concern, from concern to trying to learn how to get past the latest malaise to arrive in our area, city, state and country.

When first learning of the virus making its way into the United States, there was cause for pause.

When first learning that it had made its way to Louisiana and to the New Orleans area, it hit home.

This was an enemy to combat, to take seriously.

It became easy to play the blame game. We all know it started in China. That would be a good place to assign responsibility to but in the final analysis, that does not matter. It is here.

Now, we are looking to find a way to make it disappear, to eradicate it.

First, we must find a way to control it, to arrest it.

Supertramp once penned “The Logical Song,” which became a big hit in 1979. The chorus struck me as I pondered this virus, the reaction and where we end up.

“But at night, when all the world’s asleep, the questions run so deep, for such a simple man. Won’t you please tell me what we’ve learned, I know it sounds absurd, please tell me who I am, who I am, who I am. ‘Cause I was feeling so logical.”

The questions are legitimate. We are searching for answers. We are in the early stages of learning. The reactions may seem absurd to some. We want to know who we are in the midst of dealing with this disease. We felt like we had a semblance of control. Now, we are attempting to apply logic to resume our normal lives.

There is no doubt that we always think first about what is best for us. Ultimately, in times of making huge decisions, in times of crisis, we must look beyond self to the greater good, a concept lacking in society today and a concept certainly lacking among many principals in the LHSAA.

Despite loving sports and making a living off of athletics for my entire adult life, there are more important things in life like becoming a grandparent for the first time, which occurred this past week. The miracle of life is a beautiful thing to appreciate and admire, to cherish. May the Lord bless our daughter and her husband with the wonderful blessing bestowed upon them.

In the midst of darkness, there is always light. Out of the bad, there is good.

Wonderful acts of kindness are on display throughout the world of athletics with prominent professional athletes, including from our own Zion Williamson, who is covering the salaries of Smoothie King Center employees who will lose their way of living for at least a month.

We should all aspire to live life to the fullest.

To live in fear, to live in isolation, to live a hermit-like existence is not prudent or a good option, unless the latter is by choice.

Interestingly enough, in a country where choice is championed, where freedom runs rampant, where individuals choose to live and let live (for the most part), we are now limited as to the choices we can make.

While that is troubling and no one likes having his or her freedom taken away, the concept is understandable.

What is not understood, at this point, is the timeline of when things will change and when we may return to normal.

There was the HINI virus or The Swine Flu. There was the Asian Flu. There was Typhoid Fever, Diptheria, Cholera, Yellow Fever and Scarlet Fever.

This, too, shall pass.

When it does, we can get back to telling the great stories of the professional, college and high school level, the wins and the losses, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat in the wide world of sports. I couldn’t resist!

First, we have to win the battle with the latest health challenge to our treasured, valued, precious existence.