I don’t know the exact number, but I guarantee that at least one young Crew fan cried upon hearing goalkeeper Eloy Room was leaving the team as a free agent.
Room became a fan favorite after arriving in July 2019, his strong defense punctuated by a personality that oozed passion and joy. He was instrumental in bringing an MLS Cup championship to Columbus in 2020, but this season lost the starting job to rookie Patrick Schulte.
The Dispatch reported Friday that Room, 34, and the team mutually agreed to terminate the remainder of his contract, pending a league rubber stamp so he could pursue other playing opportunities. He is expected to sign with Vitesse of the Dutch Eredivisie, according to Dutch newspaper de Gelderlander.
Adult fans dissect the positives and negatives of moves like this rather unemotionally. Sure, feelings factor in, but mostly it becomes “How does this help the team?” How could it hurt?”
We need to remember that children see things differently. To them, Room belongs only in black and gold. For some, he was their soccer hero (sorry, Messi). His departure leaves a hole in the heart.
Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. How did you feel, grizzled Reds fan, when you were 10 years old and Pete Rose left Cincinnati for Philadelphia? (To be honest, adult Reds fans probably cried over that one, too).
Young Blue Jackets fans were forlorn when their team turned traitorous by trading fan favorite Cam Atkinson to Philadelphia in 2021, the same way they cried 16 years earlier when the CBJ sent Tyler Wright to Anaheim for Sergei Fedorov (talent differential matters little to 7-year -olds).
I know what I am saying, because in 1978 I sobbed when the Cleveland traded Buddy Bell to the Texas Rangers for Toby Harrah in a swap of third basemen. It wasn’t fair. Bell was a Cleveland mainstay. Then he was gone. How was this possible?
So let’s not underplay Room’s departure. To a kid, circumstances – such as Room wanting out – don’t matter. Instead, let’s allow the grieving process to play out. And parents, probably best not to buy that Schulte jersey for another week.
Time to make bunker shots more difficult
If you’re like me, and pray you’re not, a golf shot into the sand is no day at the beach. Bunkers are the bane of my existence, because I either a) thin the shot over the green; b) leave it in the trap; or c) put it 40 feet from the pin, setting me up for the expected 3-putt.
But PGA Tour players love them some sand, which is a problem. When a pro actually would rather hit into a hazard than take a chance landing in rough – players actually aim for bunkers on purpose – it is time to make things more difficult by making sand traps more penal.
Other than perfectly manicured bunkers being more aesthetically pleasing, and white sand appearing more attractive than brown dirt on TV, there is no reason why traps should make life easier for anyone, much less those whose abilities are well beyond ours.
I say let Brooks and Scottie and the boys blast out the same stuff many of us play. I’m not suggesting the tour toss pebbles into bunkers and let weeds grow in them, but these pristine beach conditions need to end. Make them earn that up-and-down.
New Albany teen Mia Hammond beating the odds
First, 15-year-old Mia Hammond qualified for the LPGA Dana Open in Sylvania, then the New Albany sophomore shot a 3-under-par 68 during Thursday’s first round, good for 27th place. Then she made the cut Friday.
Next up? Winning? That may be a bit ambitious, but if Hammond keeps playing like on the weekend like she did in the second round (another 3-under on the day to go 6-under for the tournament) then who knows?
Hammond carded five birdies and a double bogey at the par-70 course, which is tied for 20th. Over the first 36 holes she has hit 22 of 28 fairways, 28 of 36 greens in regulation and is averaging 265 yards on her drives.
Keep an eye on this one. She’s really good.
Listening in
“If LIV Golf was the last place to play golf on earth I would retire.” – Rory McIlroy, at this week’s Scottish Open.
Off topic
Went to the store the other day and was knocked over by how many varieties of Oreos exist. (I know, have I been living under a rock the past decade?)
Anyway, after buying four different varieties, including birthday cake and toffee crunch, I am happy to report that basic vanilla, sandwiched between two chocolate halves, still reigns supreme. Sorta. If I had to choose I’d pick Double Stuf over the original. See, I can be progressive.
Next up: Pop Tarts.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew goalkeeper Eloy Room breaks hearts with a stunning exit