‘It’s an eerie feeling.’ Taking in the last game in Fresno before coronavirus shutdown
To take in the last sports event in Fresno and maybe even California for … well, no one knows for certain, I drove 7 miles.
York Yu traveled 2,500. The anesthesiologist from Long Island, New York, hopped on a cross-country flight early Thursday morning (there were 26 passengers on the Airbus A321 , social distancing made easy) and arrived at the Fresno State lacrosse field as the national anthem was being played.
“Got here just in time,” Yu said. “I couldn’t miss it.”
Yu’s daughter, Vanessa, is a senior captain on the Yale women’s lacrosse team that spent spring break in California. Thursday’s match at Fresno State wasn’t supposed to be the final game of the season, not for either team or their respective schools. But everything changed when the coronavirus pandemic forced cancellations and suspensions of just about every high school, college and pro sports league – not to mention concerts, theater performances, street festivals and even Disneyland.
Suddenly, it was the only game left.
Which helps explain why Yale’s players and coaches erupted like they had won a championship after winning 13-12 in overtime. And why each team held an on-field ceremony to honor their seniors, six weeks ahead of schedule.
“It’s nice that they squeezed this game in for the seniors,” York Yu said. “At least there’s a little closure.”
If not for a certain highly contagious disease, one could have been forgiven for thinking all was well in the world. It was a beautiful spring afternoon, warm but slightly overcast. About 75 people sat in the metal bleachers. Each time Fresno State scored a goal, ASAP Rocky and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis blared over loudspeakers. Fans yelled, “Go back to Foot Locker!” and “Bad Zebra! Bad!” at the referees. I paid $4 for a bottle of water.
A respite from bad news
Pretending everything was normal, at least for a couple hours while watching lacrosse, felt like a much-needed respite.
“It’s kind of weird. It’s an eerie feeling, you know?” said Patt Dailey, a retired Fresno Unified teacher who works part time at Fresno State as a ticket taker and van driver. “But I’m glad we’re taking care of the athletes.”
Dailey’s day began at 4:30 a.m. when she helped transport the Bulldogs softball team to the airport. Before their plane touched down in Boise, Idaho, the Mountain West decided to suspend (and later cancel) all spring sports.
Because of that, Dailey was due back at Fresno Yosemite International early Thursday evening to pick the team up.
“Never thought that when we dropped them off this morning,” she said. “Wished them good luck and a good weekend series. And the softball team is doing so well this year.”
‘No sports at all’
Not far away and sitting in the front row were Fresno State football players Juju Hughes and Chris Coleman. It was Coleman who suggested they go after hearing this could be the last game for any Bulldogs team until the fall.
“I told him, ‘I’ve got to go watch. What else is going to be going on?’ “ said Hughes, a senior last season. “No NBA. No March Madness. No baseball. No sports at all. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
Recently Hughes has spent a good chunk of time training for Fresno State’s pro day, which was scheduled March 17. Except, that too has now been canceled, leaving the Hanford native to wonder if his NFL chances will be negatively impacted.
“Usually you want (pro day) later so you can prepare more,” Hughes said. “This year is the one year you wish it was earlier.”
The Bulldogs from Fresno and the Bulldogs from New Haven, Conn., played an even, back-and-forth match that was tied after 60 minutes. After Yale celebrated their sudden-death victory, and Fresno State walked off glumly, both teams lined up across from one another at midfield.
Yale honored two seniors, whose accomplishments were read over the PA: Yu and Bronwyn Davies. Fresno State honored eight: Marina Mayo, Kayla Galet, Olivia Mannon, Laurel Maunder, Olivia Sandoval, Jordyn Pandolfo, Kayle Kaesbauer and Tiffiny Wallace, the program’s all-time leading scorer. The Bulldogs were given flower bouquets and accompanied by family members and teammates.
Caution is the wisest course
Not how any of them envisioned ending their college careers. At the same time, they were thankful to be permitted one final game.
“We want to play every game like it is the last time we are going to step on the field,” Fresno State interim coach Kara Concheck said. “That is something that we embody. It was a tough one today considering the circumstances.”
The circumstances are unlike anything we’ve experienced. Most of us don’t know how to cope with a global pandemic. And this was the week, as our favorite sports and events that are the sources of so much enjoyment got picked off one by one, that reality hit home.
How long until things return to normal? Not even the world’s foremost virologist can say for certain. It could be weeks, or months, and those weeks, or months, could be awful. Or they could be no big deal. We really don’t know. That’s why caution is the wisest course, even if some of it spills into overreaction.
I do know this, though: When this is all behind us, we’ll never take normal for granted again.
This story was originally published March 13, 2020 at 8:25 AM.
