In the United States, sports reflect life. When I lived abroad, I often had to help the interpreters who would be translating for the Americans who would visit because they inadvertently used so many sports metaphors and did not realize it. Those not familiar with the game of baseball have no idea what is meant by terms like “swing and miss,” “foul ball, “knock it out of the park,” and the like. Translators scratched their heads when Americans would refer to football euphemisms like “getting to the end zone,” “it’s fourth and long,” or my favorite, “Hail Mary pass.” 

We use these expressions without thinking because sports have always brought us together in this country. That is, until now. In the past, fans who were of different ages, nationalities, races, educational levels, and political persuasions could sit down together in the stands or in a bar in front of the television and cheer on their team. Today, sports are separating us, no longer common entertainment for its own sake, but rather a part of the social and political turmoil that is fraying the fabric of our common national culture. 

But not here at Webb Weekly!

Allow me to review 2020 from a football game perspective, noting that as we are entering October, we are about to begin the fourth quarter between Team Lycoming County vs. COVID-19. 

In the first quarter, Team Lycoming County (TLC), quarterbacked by Commissioners Metzger, Mussare, and Mirabito (3Ms), hardly made any mention of the opposition. Looking back at the articles in County Hall Corner from January to March, it seemed the TLC were on a roll. Chairman Metzger chaired a tight meeting and throughout county government there was a new wave of optimism. Departments were getting reorganized, long ignored problems were getting addressed — our team was making first down after first down. Team COVID-19 was out there, but was so quiet it seemed like they weren’t even on the field yet. 

But when Team COVID-19 showed up, they did it with a bang! As the first quarter was approaching its end, a very unlucky Friday, the 13th of March hit the state and the county with a hammer blow. It was a full moon, the clocks were moving ahead, and there was to be a temporary, two-week shutdown of schools and activities involving crowds to “flatten the curve” of the impending virus. Our opponent, COVID-19, which was on field all this time, now brought up the first-string players, and suddenly the two weeks stretched into two more weeks. Even before that ended, we were introduced to a stoplight color-code world where our team had to get a first down before we could go from ‘red’ to ‘yellow.’ 

Then it felt like we were in the infamous December 31, 1988 NFL playoff game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears known as the “Fog Bowl.” In that game, the players could not even see the sidelines due to the dense fog. In the same way, there was so much confusion coming out of Harrisburg, Team TLC could not find where the yard markers were to tell them how to get from the “Yellow” phase to “Green.”

That second quarter of March, April, and May was brutal. It felt like Team COVID-19 was scoring touchdowns every time they had the ball as many events that were institutions, such as the Home Builders Show, the Lycoming County Fair, even the iconic Little League World Series, fell by the wayside. Our quarterbacks, the 3Ms, were doing their best to at least keep our team in the game, but it seemed that the head coach in Harrisburg, Governor Wolf, kept calling the plays that kept at least two of the three Ms (Metzger and Mussare) wondering if the coach had looked at the scoreboard lately. What good is it to win against the spread of the disease when you are crushing the economy in the process?

If the second quarter was brutal, the third quarter of June, July, August, was barbaric. Small businesses especially were in dire peril of surviving. There were massive job layoffs. The big box stores were allowed to stay open but those that could not ensure ‘social distancing’ were to remain closed. Federal and State aid money was slowly becoming available, which was of some help to be sure, but watching this play out was like the old days of ‘three yards and a cloud of dust’ football. It was ugly, but at least the ball was moving forward. 

Which brings us to now — entering the fourth quarter — which begins October 1st. Listening to the 3Ms in their public huddle at the County Commissioners Meeting on Tuesday, September 22nd, it appeared they were entering the final quarter with a host of concerns. QB Metzger pointed the finger again at Coach Governor Wolf’s actions of placing severe restrictions on high school sports with fans. QB Mussare was concerned about the social impact of the state government making a money grab by placing gambling machines in low income areas. QB Mirabito was concerned about the 400 workers who lost their job in the ShopVac shutdown. 

Team Lycoming County is frustrated because Team COVID-19 seems to be winning without scoring. There have been almost no serious cases, evidenced by hospital reports that only one person has been placed on a ventilator in the past three weeks. But our team has to keep plugging along. This is one game that everyone will be glad when it’s over.