I hope Pastor Goodrich will consider running for Mayor or Town Council this spring we need people of good conscience and positive action to bring this town together. You’ve got my vote Pastor!

I saw on tv where they closed some courts in Virginia because the Chief of Police couldn’t keep up with the calls. I read on Google that town councils around the country are closing or re-thinking basketball courts for the same reasons. They create the facilities for local youth who are routinely muscled out by transient older folks who bring behavior problems. No one has the money for supervision and so it goes. It’s become a quality of life issue and harms adjacent property values. You can say it’s not “all that”; just boys being boys. Of course you can say that is as long as it’s not across the street from you.

So along comes The Wave (of which I am a big fan) to give its perspective. Following a long, venerated newspaper tradition of editorial bias via photography, they show an endearing picture of the young boys playing ball with no hoop. But maybe, to be fair and balanced, they should also have shown a picture (w/soundtrack) of one of the SUV’s with the filth spewing out of it for all those children to hear. Supreme Court Judge Potter Stuart when asked to define obscenity said “I know it when I see it.” In this case you would know it when you heard it. Do you want your children exposed to this kind of thing? I don’t think anyone should have to deal with this. I guarantee you won’t hear that coming from the new hoops at the church.

I’m not particularly religious but it seems to me Cape Charles is very fortunate to have our churches. They appear to be the last reliable bastion of decency. They are very good at what they do. No one administers social programs cheaper, better, or faster. They routinely work miracles (I wonder why?) with little or no public funding. We should support and consult with them on matters of sports and youth. Municipalities seem to be incapable of effectively managing things of this nature. No one wants to deny kids a place to play ball but let’s not stick our heads in the sand and ignore the reality of everything that was at the old school court. We did a bad job of managing it — real bad.

As usual, Pastor Goodrich and the Baptist Church continue to work hard to fill the gaps for our kids. The basketball hoop behind the church helps, but it is not a replacement for the Old School court. The concerns voiced by Mrs. Pruitt and Mrs. Dudley also highlight another dilemma. Where and how are we ever going to replace the courts? As was noted, the old courts hosted a pretty competitive game, and attracted players from all up and down the road, not just kids in Cape Charles. The Old School courts were about as insulated as you are going to get in a town this size. It seems anywhere else, someone is going to have to endure the collateral noise and bustle that will accompany urban ball.