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Column: Loss of state tournament in New Ulm has many frustrated

NEW ULM — The 2020 Minnesota State Amateur Baseball Tournament begins Friday in Springfield and Milroy.

And if everything had gone as usual, those games would have been played here in New Ulm at Johnson and Mueller Parks.

But instead of crowds coming to our city and both of our baseball parks — two of the best baseball parks in Minnesota in the same town — we are faced with this.

Two empty and quiet baseball parks.

On August 7th, the New Ulm City Council voted unanimously by a 5-0 vote to not allow the state tournament to be played here because of justified concerns for the health of her people due to COVID 19.

Again, no one is arguing they were wrong.

But now — just hours before a state tournament that should have been in New Ulm during a normal year — reality is setting in.

At first the feels were of disappointment that there would be no state tournament here.

Those feelings later turned into anger and now are mixed with sadness, questions and an empty feeling.

Why?

It is sometimes very hard to let go of a dream that was so close to becoming a reality after seven years of working and making plans only to see them shattered.

No one can describe the feelings that the people have right now who worked those years to get the bid for the state tournament here in New Ulm and see is shattered like it was.

You have to ask each of them. Each may describe it differently. But they will have the same meaning.

New Ulm has put in bids for future state amateur tournaments and hopefully the Minnesota Baseball Association will soon award New Um a future state tournament.

New Ulm’s baseball facilities are second to none in Minnesota.

But how many of the people who worked to get the state tournament bid here for 2020 will be around to see a future one?

That is the sad but realistic part.

Just like seeing two empty and eerily quiet baseball parks.

NO FALL LEGION BASEBALL: The Minnesota State American Legion Baseball Board has voted not to have a fall season this year.

Reasons given were the availability of high school coaches, players already signed up to play fall baseball with club teams and the availability of baseball fields.

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