Doug Fernandes: Dreams on hold, or ended for good

Apr. 25--Back on March 15, fired off a text to Ryan McMahon. There would be no March Madness for the former Cardinal Mooney star and Louisville Cardinal senior.

He played his last game on March 7, a 57-54 loss to Virginia. McMahon scored 9 points in the contest, handed out 3 assists. Four days later, the scheduled tip-off to the ACC tournament.

Then the coronavirus forced a permanent TO.

Still waiting for a response from McMahon, one of the most cooperative and introspective young athletes you could ever meet.

I understood perfectly. What was there to say?

"Not much I can tell you, man. My dreams of a Final Four went down hard."

On Friday morning, fired off a text to AJ Caldwell. The former Riverview High star was luckier than McMahon. Caldwell did have a complete college basketball season, his Tennessee-Chatanooga team losing last month to Wofford in the semifinals of the Southern Conference Tournament.

We're hoping context is assumed here. The virus has brought hardship, illness and death to many families, and collegiate student-athletes missing out on playing games doesn't, by comparison, raise a blip on the radar.

But, after all, these are the sports pages, so we'll press on.

Though their basketball is done, McMahon, like Caldwell, former Charlotte High star Brandon Gonzalez and ex-Victory Rock Prep star Loren Christian Jackson still have classes to complete, the virus limiting them to the online variety.

After his classes at Louisville end, McMahon is supposed to start an internship with Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company. Will the virus impact his off-the-court life as well?

The seasons of area players playing college baseball were cut short, with several putting up big numbers. All batting .350 or better as hitters for their respective teams were former Ram Stephen Wilmer (.429 for Pasco-Hernando), former Indian Scott Dubrule (.424 at Jacksonville University), former Palmetto Tiger Colton Vincent (.357 at College of Central Florida) and former Sailor Nick Derr (.353 at the University of Tampa).

On the mound, pitchers Nick Long, Taylor Briggs, Kyle Bachle, Dalton Plattner, John Paige, Logan Frasier and David Barrett all had ERAs of 0.00 for their college teams. Barrett, the former Sailor right-hander, had pitched 20 innings over 10 games at State College of Florida to register his perfect ERA.

The virus may impact players at the major-league level, meaning playing the waiting game are area players Ian Desmond, Scooter Gennett, Chad Sobotka, Eric Skogland and Myles Straw.

For Sobotka, Skogland and Straw, all trying to earn valuable MLB service time, the wait is especially long.

Right now, with the virus, that applies to everyone, both in and out of sports.

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