Inching Closer to Normal

Thoughts while taking a walk around the neighborhood on the day of what would have been the Blue-White Game, except for … you know.

• No, things aren’t back to normal, but we sure seem to be inching closer to something resembling normal.

While it wasn’t a traditional Blue-White Game, Beaver Stadium hosted a somewhat public event on April 17. Penn State freshmen were allowed in to watch a spring football practice that day, and the Blue Band played. It was the first time any fans beyond football program family have been inside the 107,000-seat stadium since November 30, 2019.

After an outcry from seniors, who weren’t invited into the April 17 session, Penn State administrators decided to open another stadium football practice to its soon-to-be graduates on April 23.

Still no word (as of mid-April) on attendance policies for the games this fall. It’s not an exaggeration to say that thousands of Nittany Lions fans, and business owners throughout central Pennsylvania, are awaiting that decision with bated breath.

• Penn State seniors and grad students will be back in the stadium May 7, 8, and 9 to celebrate commencement in a series of ceremonies organized by college. While attendance in the stadium will be limited (two guests per graduate), it figures to be the biggest event in the region in about 18 months.

For a weekend, at least, downtown State College will truly be bustling again. It’ll be a much-needed boost for a struggling hospitality industry.

Let’s just hope celebrants take COVID protocols to heart while enjoying themselves and our community.

• In another sign of welcome progress, about 42 percent of Pennsylvanians had received at least one dose of COVID vaccine as of mid-April, according to the state Department of Health. That number should rise more quickly now that the state, on April 13, made all adults eligible for the vaccine. I’m happy to say I’ve now had my shots (of Moderna). Didn’t hurt a bit.

• As a baseball fanatic, one of my favorite books as a young man was Why Time Begins on Opening Day by Thomas Boswell. The book is a celebration of the sport and the important part it plays in the rhythm of American life.

The State College Spikes have been a part of that rhythm here since 2006. After COVID wiped out the 2020 season, the Spikes will return to the diamond on May 24, hosting the Williamsport Crosscutters at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. It’ll be the first of a 34-game home schedule that runs through August 13.

But this is no ordinary season. The fact that we still have a Major League Baseball affiliate in State College is a rare upbeat story of 2020 that may have flown under the radar with everything else going on.

With MLB looking to restructure – and shrink – its minor league system, the Spikes and a number of other lower-level minor league teams faced extinction last year. But with the help of a grassroots community #SaveOurSpikes campaign, the team will play on in the new MLB Draft League, which will feature players seeking to become premium selections in the MLB Draft.

Play ball!

Mark Brackenbury

Editorial Director

[email protected]