The sun is shining outside the (two) windows of the Recorder newsroom on Hope Street in Greenfield. Sunshine, and the feeling of spring in the air, can only mean one thing: it’s time for another weekly installment of our quarantine mailbag.
As always, these are mostly real questions from people in Franklin County. Without further adieu, to the emails we go!
Have you been watching the Michael Jordan documentary? Which Franklin County person/athlete would you most want to make/watch a documentary about? – Bill, Turners Falls
“The Last Dance” on ESPN has quickly become appointment television for me, and I’ve made sure to clear two hours from my ̶e̶x̶t̶r̶e̶m̶e̶l̶y̶ ̶b̶u̶s̶y̶ schedule in order to watch behind the scenes footage of Michael Jordan’s career. It’s funny because I think a lot of younger people who weren’t around to watch MJ play live don’t appreciate his greatness, something that certainly was the case with me for players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Julius Erving.
The ratings are through the roof for the documentary, and I imagine showing this thing over five weeks during a pandemic doesn’t hurt. There are very few things I tune into in live time any more, but watching “The Last Dance” has become a weekly ritual.
As for the second part of your question, that’s interesting because I’ve long been fascinated with a number of topics in Franklin County history that I’ve tried to unpack in stories. The Greenfield outdoor hockey history that I wrote about last month would have been a good one. I think the easy answer is the 1942 Turners Falls baseball team, following them around as they rode the train to Boston to play in the state championship game at Fenway Park. Then there’s the professional athletes that came out of here in recent decades, following the likes of Adam Harrington, Peter Bergeron and Mark Chmura.
But I think my answer would be something on the astonishing coaching careers of some of Franklin County’s finest. The number of coaches who have done it for 30, 40, 50 years is very high for such a small community, with the likes of Jim Smith, Joe Chadwick, Peter Conway, Bob Smith, Tom Suchanek, Vi Goodnow, Ron Hebert, Gary Mullins, etc. The list is endless.
I see that Shelburne Falls Coffee Roasters in Greenfield reopened on Tuesday. Did you have something to do with that? – Irene, Greenfield
Do I have that kind of power, you ask? Could someone like me, someone who has been spewing his love for Shelburne Falls coffee for the last two months in this space, could he really yield that kind of influence?
I don’t know, I’m asking. Could he? Because if so, you’re welcome Franklin County.
I did put in my order for pickup on Tuesday, as Shelburne Falls installed a to-go window on Federal Street. So a toasted coconut cold brew and a maple latte found a home with me, and all was right in the world for just a short time. Until I spilled half of a drink on my desk in the newsroom. Then I remembered that the world is indeed upside down.
Will there be summer baseball and softball in Franklin County? – Bob, Conway
I sure hope so, Bob. But here’s the thing: no one really knows right now.
I’ve been in touch with presidents for youth baseball and softball leagues, and while a few have canceled their 2020 seasons, most are taking a wait-and-see approach in hopes of getting even a sliver of their season played.
For youngsters playing baseball and softball, every year counts. As someone who wants to see those sports thrive in 2020 and beyond, my hope is that there are games and practices in the months ahead, but it’s only going to happen if people feel safe doing so.
That’s all fine and good, but I think what people are truly wondering out there is what is the status for adult slow-pitch softball leagues? You know, Franklin County’s fifth major sport. Well, I don’t have an answer for that either, but suffice it to say, if there is beer to be consumed, and fields to be played on this summer, then those titans of sport will be out there doing the damn thing!
If you need your fix of adult softball, check out Tuesday’s Recorder where we re-ran an old column by former sports editor Jason Butynski. The man challenged players from the Greenfield Co-Rec League to a home run derby back in 2012, and boy did he deliver — by hitting exactly zero home runs and finishing dead last. It’s certainly worth a read.
Jeff Lajoie is the sports editor of the Recorder. Send him mailbag questions, story ideas, music recommendations and food recipes at jlajoie@recorder.com