The Texas Rangers home opener against the Toronto Blue Jays drew 38,000 fans on Mon Apr 5, 2021. That was way over the recommended amount of fans other teams were allowing in. (AP News photo)

The Texas Factor – A Near Full House at Arlington 

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

On Monday April 5, the Texas Rangers on their first ever regular season game at their new park Globe Life Field drew at least 38,000 fans. Although this might look as an “unusual” Opening Day during this pandemic, this was authorized by their local officials.

MLB teams do not determine how many people are allowed inside their stadiums, it’s all left to their State, County and City. Most owners detested the idea of empty stadium in 2020 and now in 2021 in some places (like Texas) things are opening-up as the cases of covid diminished in numbers.

The attendance was not a shocker to anybody; Texas was the first State in the Union to announce the removal of lock downs and the Texas Rangers the first MLB club to announce they will be allowing a capacity for their first game at home this season.

In Texas all reports point that coronavirus cases and death have collapsed since Governor Greg Abbott replaced their State’s mask mandate. As with everything these days all this has become political in nature as many Democratic politicians opposed Gov Abbott as they predicted Texas cases and death will rise as a result of the Governor’s decision, however that did not happened in Texas.

At the end of the story, it doesn’t matter what the politicians say, because the politicians do not buy the tickets, it is up to the people who have the last word to attend a baseball game and is only the people/fans that actually buy the tickets and attend to the games.

If the fans are “ok” with the park opening to a full capacity they have the freedom to attend and purchase their tickets regardless what anybody else says. And just because officials remove restrictions, you can still wear a mask in Texas if you wish. At the end it all boils down to personal decisions.

We are all individuals, not a herd of cattle. Carl Sandburg is a three-time Pulitzer Prize winner, journalist, editor, biographer of Abraham Lincoln and he once wrote this about the State of Texas: “Texas is a blend of valor and swagger”. The final score, Blue Jays 6 Rangers 2. The Texas Rangers are in a rebuilding mode and this year there is not a lot of hope in Arlington.

Stay well and stay tuned.

Amuary Pi Gonzalez is the lead Spanish play by play announcer for Oakland A’s flagship station 1010 KIQI LaGrande San Francisco and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com