Hello to everyone and welcome back to another year, albeit truncated, of McCaffrey’s Musings. This column is going to be a little different this season as we wait, see, and hope that things will get back to some sense of normalcy. I have received many questions about when I was going to write something and to be honest, I just haven’t felt the time was right. I can’t thank those who took the time to check in over the past 10 months. Many of those notes came from people who this columnist has never even met. Humbling.
For those of you who are wondering, I spent the hiatus as a converted stay-at-home dad. It’s a pretty rewarding experience and one that I cherish. When I wasn’t maintaining the home front, I was podcasting. Many of you don’t know that I umpired at the professional level for over 1500 games and am a purveyor of the website closecallsports.com where we teach, entertain, and much more. Whenever you have a baseball rules question, feel free to ask away! In addition to hosting a podcast called “The Plate Meeting”, available wherever free podcasts are sold, I created and co-hosted a new show in 2020 called, ‘This Week in Umpiring.’ If you’re curious what that series was about, e-mail me! Also, my wife and I were able to catch up on TV and movies; lots and lots of TV and movies. From Dowton Abbey to NYPD Blue, we spanned decades finding oldies, but goodies to watch and rewatch!
Over the next few weeks, this space is going to be used to talk about my favorite things. Hopefully, like the SUPER 75, it will spark some conversation about the region and sport we love. Finally, I want to thank Chris and Steve who continue to put more time than anyone could ever imagine into a website that brings top-flight coverage of a division that is all too often overlooked. The unmatched knowledge this duo has imparted to me over the years is invaluable.
Until next week when we talk about the ending of a National Championship game I didn’t want to see, and my favorite gyms in the region to broadcast from, be nice to each other, and maybe say hello to a friend you haven’t spoken to in some time. It really does mean the world. Thank you.
Love the Musings? Want the Musings to take a long walk off a short pier? E Mail: tpmccaffrey@gmail.com