I have been dreading this weekend!
Normally, I would be heading to Corvallis to broadcast the Oregon State Women's basketball team in the First and Second round of the NCAA Tournament. You see, the Beavs are ranked 14th in the final Associated Press poll and that would pretty much guarantee them hosting the first two rounds. Gill Coliseum would once again play host to some intense basketball. Scott Rueck would have his team well-prepared for the style of play of their opponent. Would it be Boise State for a second straight year? Would Troy cross the country to play the likes of Mikalya Pivec and Kat Tudor? Both are seniors who would be getting bonus games at Gill where they entertained and impressed Beaver Nation for four years.
Instead ,here we sit semi-quarantined, The Women's hoop world is on hold. All sports have been relegated to reruns and a lot of Covid-19 chat on the local sports radio talk shows. NFL free-agency is getting a lot of play of course.You can find some talk about college hoops but its mainly about all of the spring sports that have been cancelled. The impact of no College World Series on the city of Omaha.was the big headline earlier this week.
I have been relegated to taking long walks with Sagan my dog.
He actually has his own twitter page (@Sagan34) and has kept me sane through this Coronavirus mess. It is a mess that might be the wierdest thing I have dealt with in my life . I can't see my two incredible grandkids ( Ages 4 and 2 and a half) because my daughter wants to protect me from any potential contact with the virus since I am a little older than some. I have been helping a good friend at a local Brewery involved in the canning process for some impressive IPA's. But what I miss most is broadcasting games on the Beaver Sports Network. That is over now for the foreseeable future. Yah, its depressing. Netflix and HBO now shows can only go so far.
Then my attitude was improved a bit by this video. If you love Women's college basketball thank Katie Mavis and the Oregon State Athletics department for cheering up all of us
Now, if you are really into some intense basketball and are willing to watch an entire game; check out the Sweet Sixteen game between Oregon State and Baylor in Lexington, Kentucky in 2018.
The first time the Beavers ever played inside Rupp Arena. The Baylor Bears had revenge on their minds because the Beavs had beaten them in the 2016 Elite Eight game in Dallas to head to the Final Four. This is one great college basketball game that can take your mind off the latest shelter in place edict put out by your local politican.
Hopefully, this crisis will pass sooner than later. We can get back to the things we all love the best. A baseball game in Seattle or Hillsboror or Keizer. Yah, the In n Out lines will be back but so what. We can look forward to Jonathan Smith's third year as Oregon State head coach and the possibility of a bowl game. We will wait to see what happens to the potential eligibility of the Women's basketball players denied their swan song in the NCAA Tourney.
Yes, this is a tough weekend for what could have been. I guess you can't wallow in it and be positive. The crisis will pass. The long-term impact is unknown so.....walk the dog,,,,,enjoy cooking and that great Coasters IPA and hope that things will return to normal sooner than later