I’m back! I have been off for the last month and a half due to a bicep tear to my left arm. During that time off I used my right arm 24-7 and ended up with bursitis in that arm. I’m trying to take care of that now.

While recovering from my bicep tear, my wife Lynne and I spent a few days with Ed and Donna Parsons in Cleveland during July 4-5. And you could check out this week’s Press Box column that Ed wrote, in the Tyler Star News, which was dead-on in accuracy. We also went to visit with our youngest in Toronto, Canada, and we visited Lancaster, Pa., and Walnut Creek as well. Now it’s time to get back in the groove before the start of high school sports season.

I also got to take in my grandson’s last t-ball game at Paden City Park. I was so tickled to watch him, as well as many other boys and girls, enjoying America’s favorite past-time.

To see the determination on the kids’ faces when it was their time to bat was PRICELESS. It was more of the same when the kids were on the field. A few parents went in the field to help the kids put down their gloves to catch the ball and showed them where to throw it when they caught it.

They had several rules that we didn’t have when I coached t-ball, and it’s all good. Each team batted everyone in two innings, as well in the field too.

The batters had to stop at first as they couldn’t try to get extra base-hits of any kind. The team at bat could either put the ball on a tee, or pitch to their own batters. Most tried to pitch to them, and after a few pitches – if the batter didn’t make contact with the ball, the coach would put the ball on the tee until the batter hit the ball.

I don’t believe in all these rules, but if it works, keep doing what you do. It’s nice both teams sidelines kept positive, and I thought both sides did an outstanding job with the kids.

From watching my grandson, Christian Blake Crawford, to all the other kids, I just had a ball watching it all.

It was also nice to see so many out playing the sports – from Hannibal to Sistersville, to Hundred and Pine Grove; you all rock. There will be a lot of road races going on throughout the summer. Make sure, who ever puts it on, to give this sports writer knowledge, so we can get the word out to everyone.

There have been various camps throughout this area – from cheer camps to volleyball spike-outs, to seven-on-seven football tournaments – along with plenty of American Legion ball.

Talking about the American Legion ball, I was so happy to see it back in New Martinsville after a long time not having a league. Thank you to everyone that had anything to do with getting it back. It was nice to see kids from Magnolia, Valley, Paden City and Tyler all playing together on one team.

Besides all these sports things happening around, don’t forget the pool is open, as well as the putt-putt, paddle-boats, midnight mini golf, free movie nights, Music In The Park, as well as many, many other things going on in all our different communities.

This weekend will kick-off the high school sports season with the 73rd annual OVAC Rudy Mumley All-Star Charity Football Classic at 7:15 p.m. on Saturday, July 28 at Wheeling Island.

Also, we are putting out a 25-member team consisting of the greatest sports athletes from Hundred, Magnolia, Paden City, River and Tyler Consolidated, along with Sistersville, Tyler, Pine Grove and Smithfield. We would like to add the top three coaches from these schools as well.

This is going to be a controversial topic, so we would like our readers to give us some feedback with nominations. If you have stats available, please send them our way. Your nominations should be sent to either Ed Parsons at eparsons@tylerstarnews.com or to myself at bcrawford@wetzelchronicle.com.

I would like to wrap this column up with saying I’m glad to be back to be able to start the 2018-19 high school sports season. The last sports season was very good, and I can see that it could be even a better sports season this time around too.

High school as well as junior high athletes, wanting to participate in sports, will need to get their physicals and school packets filled out. Plus, I need junior high school sports schedules by July 27 for our fall sports schedule booklet. I need information for the high school football tab as well. The schedule booklet will come out Aug. 8. The football tab will hit newstands on Aug. 22.