Baseball is Back...Or is it?

I have been a baseball fan ever since I was a little kid, so I could hardly wait for the Astros' opening night game on Friday.  I have recovered from my shock at the sign stealing scandal.  Instead, I like to remember how the Astros brought Houston so much joy after Hurricane Harvey.

I tuned in just as the team took the field so I don't know if the Star Spangled Banner was played or who threw out the first pitch.  It must have been a great night because they won, but I fell asleep after the third inning.  Was it the cardboard fans in the Crawford boxes, the piped-in cheers, or have I outgrown baseball?  No, no and no; I was just sleepy.  Being locked down drains your energy.

The Chronicle sports columnists mourned the lack of fans.  Jerome Solomon's headline was "An Empty Feeling."  He said, "No cheap hot dogs, no fireworks, no hugs, no handshakes, no happiness."  And I would add, "No spitting."

Brian Smith's column was titled, "Back, But Not Really With Us."  "Fake sports," he wrote.

There will be other games, 59 of them, and maybe another World Series.  I'll try to stay awake for the rest of the season.