Opening Day for the Amarillo Sod Poodles is finally here!
I’ve been lucky enough to attend a few of the high school pre-games this year, but let’s be honest: there is nothing quite like opening day at Hodgetown. From the roaring cheers right after the National Anthem to the continual hoots and hollers after every successful play, the fans and players can now celebrate the long awaited return to the diamond after the Coronavirus lockdown of 2020.
I can personally relate to the joy of getting back to the normalcy. Sports has always been a favorite past-time for me, and this year I’ve dedicated to take full advantage of Hodgetown Stadium reopening. As a contributing photographer for the Amarillo Globe News, I’m excited to capture the pictures of the Sod Poodles, and I am even more grateful for my time in downtown Amarillo. Here are some links to some of my published work with AGN so far this spring: (just the photos, not the stories)
Not that it parallels exactly, but I can’t help but be reminded of how baseball was kept going during World War II to keep spirits alive. If you are familiar with the 1992 movie A League of Their Own starring Geena Davis and Tom Hanks, you probably have a good idea of what baseball can do for the moral of the American public. Based on the true accounts of WWII America, the movie accurately depicts how the sport kept spirits lifted during a very challenging season.
Despite looking a little differently (women took over the sport due to the millions of men who enlisted), the fans of the sport still turned up to take their minds off of the hardships of war. Similarly, even though we have not returned to the way things used to be before 2020, the spirit of the Amarillo community is tangibly energized by the return of the Amarillo Sod Poodles at Hodgetown.
If you’ve yet to attend a game, I highly encourage you to take the trip to Hodgetown Stadium this year. Take it from me and all of the other fans, it is worth it!