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Rain, rain go away . . . .
The Advocate
As a veteran spring sports guy (former athlete and hardcore fan), I have been anything but impressed with the God-awful weather at the start of this season that the Saints have had to deal with. In other words, "rain, rain go away."
My hat truly goes off to head coaches Meadow McWhorter (softball) and Bryan Donohue (baseball). The two have remained "optimistic" and "eager" to get on the diamond and get after it. The back-to-back NWAACC softball champs have only touched the field in six of their 16 scheduled games, while the baseball team has had a tad bit more success, seeing green grass and semi-clear weather for 12 of their 17 scheduled games. As I mentioned last week, the Saints baseball team were the last of 28 NWAACC teams to play.
The forecast doesn't seem to be getting better any time soon. Not to mention, the Gresham area has some of the hardest weather in the country to predict, so don't blame the meteorologists for their poor performance when checking the local weather channels. In some parts of Oregon they are still receiving snow, while Gresham has been lambasted with over-flowing rain and golf ball-sized hail. Not exactly your ideal outdoor sports weather.
What's even worse is that two-year schools such as MHCC, and the rest of the NWAACC are trying to figure out the roles of their players. They don't have the luxury that four-year schools do to size up their players and let them mature for a couple of years before taking the reins from upperclassmen. At the community college level, players come and go year to year, so it's virtually impossible to figure out lineup cards without getting players their reps in preseason games.
Kudos to the track and field team for fighting their way through the storm and putting up huge numbers, including a school record in the javelin (65.61 meters) that freshman Tyler Callahan set last Saturday at the Shotwell Classic at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash. Both men's and women's teams have athletes in the top 10 of almost every single event in the NWAACCs.
You can bet your butt it isn't easy for these trackies to compete in this weather either. Imagine when the weather clears and they're competing at a high level. Oh boy! That will be a force to reckon with.
So with all of this said, I'm begging Mother Nature to show her sunny side. It takes a toll on us reporters and photographers receiving emails every other day saying "game cancelled." Believe it or not, we love what we're doing.
Lets keep our fingers crossed for better days in the near future. No more umbrellas and unpredicted weather. How about some sun, sunflower seeds, hot dogs, nachos and the famous words of the umpires saying, "Lets play ball."
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