Undeniably, pandemic times reshaped our lives. From the broader realities of lockdowns, sequestering, social distancing, loneliness, anxiety, and being unable to plan ahead, to working and schooling remotely, job losses

When in this country did we come to the crossroads that indicated it was okay to burn someone’s house down if we disagreed with what they said or believed in? There have always been the yin and the yang, the dark and the light. But why have seemingly large segments of our society veered away from engaging in civil discourse, which seemed, not that very long ago, a plausible path for creating harmony or, at the very least, a grudging respect for individuals or groups with opposing views?

Purists like myself believe baseball is the ultimate game for many reasons. The perfect symmetry between the lines; the one-on-one battles; a history, nostalgia, statistics and analytics like no other sport; the in-game strategies (the games within the game); the ability to actually converse between pitches and innings; a long 162-game season; picturesque ballparks;