Mavericks, Stars etc. justifiably are turning off the lights
Never thought we’d say this, but we’ll just have to wait ‘til it warms up ... to play basketball, and hockey.
One day after the mayor of Dallas politely asked the Dallas Stars not to play their home game, the governor of Texas stepped in and told the Dallas Mavericks they don’t have a choice.
The Great Quarantine/Storm of 2021 that has left millions of Texans without power and heat has justifiably shut off sports in Texas.
On Tuesday morning, at the order of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, the Dallas Mavericks postponed their scheduled home game against the Detroit Pistons on Feb. 17 because of the power crisis as a result of the historically bad weather. No makeup date has been set.
It’s the Pistons ... do we really need to make this one up?
The Dallas Stars also postponed the second of its back-to-back games against the Nashville Predators on Feb. 16.
On Monday night, about one hour before the Stars were to host the Predators, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson asked the team, and the NHL, to please postpone the game due to the power crisis that has overwhelmed energy providers throughout Texas.
The Stars are still scheduled to host the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, Feb. 18, and again on Saturday, Feb. 20. Expect the team to make a decision on that “series” on Feb. 17, before the Lightning would potentially fly in for the games.
Temperatures are expected to warm up by the weekend, but no one is certain when the power and heat will be restored to residents.
Texas Motor Speedway announced that the races at the TMS Dirt Track scheduled for Feb. 18-21 have been postponed.
The start of the three-day 2021 State Farm College Baseball Showdown at Globe Life Mall featuring TCU, Texas Tech, Arkansas, Ole Miss and Mississippi State has been moved from Friday to Saturday.
Considering the maligned state of the Texas power grid, turning on the lights and the power at a large sports venue is doable, but not high on the priority list.
“They don’t have to max out [in power] to have a sporting event at a large facility,” said Dr. Gerald A. Turner, who has a PhD in operations research and systems science from Columbia. “Those are controllable environments. They can cut it down. They can cut corners so it’s not using as much.
“But if you increase the power, or the demand from major facilities, it can be pretty busy [near the American Airlines Center]. The grid is very stressed out. It’s pretty sensitive for the most part because of the lack of planning.”
As the time of COVID all taught us, we can make do without a ball game.
