EDITORIAL: All-Star game big win for Mankato

Jul. 24—Thumbs up to the Mankato MoonDogs and the Northwoods League for their efforts in putting on the Northwoods League All-Star game in Mankato at ISG Field.

By all accounts, the event was a smashing success with 2,854 in attendance, a record for Northwoods League games at ISG Field, formerly known as Franklin Rogers Park. Fans were treated to a great game with the three MoonDog players on the winning side as the Great Plains All-Star team defeated the Great Lakes team 7-3.

MoonDogs starting pitcher Blake Reilly started the game for the Great Plains All-Star team and struck out two of the three batters he faced. Another MoonDog pitcher, Nolan Pender, pitched the third inning, faced three batters and threw only seven pitches.

MoonDogs outfielder Matthew Higgins helped the Great Plains win the homerun competition by smashing 10 homeruns with his side behind by eight.

You can't ask for much more in terms of a couple great days of baseball and festivities. ISG Field has become the premier field in the league with $4 million of improvements over the last few years.

Mankato has become a baseball town and ISG Field is the crowing jewel.

The All-Star game was winner and bodes well for such events in the future.

Blue Origin soars

Thumbs up to Blue Origin's short trip to the edge of space this week.

There's been plenty of criticism tossed at Amazon founder Jeff Bezos for spending billions to develop a space program for super rich civilians.

But Americans have always been fascinated with space travel and the new focus on privately funded space programs, including Virgin Galactic and SpaceX, are the next step in our ongoing thirst to go where no man has gone before.

With an always constrained NASA budget, building space programs on a private business model makes sense. Space-related technology advances have always benefited society and that will continue under government funded or private space programs.

And Bezos, like anyone else, should be able to spend his money the way he wishes.

Mandated shots

Thumbs up to the Sanford Health system requiring employees to get COVID-19 vaccinations.

The action by the Sioux Falls, South Dakota-based, system is especially notable because during the height of the pandemic, its former top administrator proclaimed he'd no longer wear a mask because he'd already had COVID-19, setting a terrible example for everyone in the system and the public in general.

Luckily, the system parted ways with that longtime president and CEO, Kelby Krabbenhoft, after his proclamation.

What the Sanford system does or doesn't do affects Minnesotans. Its operations in our state include nearly a dozen hospitals and many clinics, as well as more than two dozen Good Samaritan Society assisted-living facilities. In total, Sanford has 46 hospitals, 1,500 physicians and more than 200 Good Samaritan Society senior care locations in 26 states and 10 countries.

Sanford is mandating all workers get shots by Nov. 1. It's still baffling that health care workers everywhere aren't already immunized after witnessing the upheaval in health care caused by this aggressively contagious virus.

With the South Dakota governor's history of digging in her heels about sound pandemic protocols, it's a relief to know that the Sanford health system is being proactive and following the science.

Scout charity

Thumbs up to Jon Luepke and Boy Scout Troop #29 who took it upon themselves to build three wheelchair accessible picnic tables at Fallenstein Field, a baseball field and playground for children with special needs.

Lloyd Lumber donated the wood for the project and Caswell Sports provided assistance as well.

The scouts built tables that have large overhangs at each end so those in a wheelchair can pull up underneath the table and don't have to lean forward to use them.

Great job and effort by the scouts.