I really don’t want to write about the coronavirus. Every week, like clockwork, I start ranting about it and how the virus impacts society and sports. Let’s face it—this is going to go on for a long while with very mixed results as to how the U.S., the world and the sports world deal with the problems of a pandemic.
Right now, there is disagreement about how to confront the disease. To wear a mask or not. Whether testing is a good thing or not (for the record, my wife and I recently were tested for the SARS-2 antibody and the tests came back negative). Is Dr. Anthony Fauci credible or a nuisance to political agendas.
So many questions can be asked and the number of answers that come back are wide-ranging. There isn’t a consensus that the disease is real and as bad as we are making it out to be. The extremes are given as much credence as the middle ground, and in this 24/7 news and social media world, the opinions and disagreements continue unabated.
I am a guilty party. When I walk my 3 laps around Garden Oval, totaling between 1.5 and 2 miles, I carry my mask with me. I put it on when I see others approaching and I keep it on until they are way passed me—which ultimately is a mistake, because my hands go too near to my face and we are uncertain about how far the virus carries in any environment even if appropriately social distanced. Almost uniformly, those outside with their children, those who are running or walking, or the worker who tend to lawns and repair items inside homes—they are not wearing a mask or have it sit below their noses and mouths. And this is New Jersey, which was the first state to mandate mask wearing and has done a fairly good job at leveling the curve.
Every weekend I see the pictures of those at the beach, working on their tans and hanging with their friends. They aren’t socially distances and masks are foreign items. Same thing on the trains which carry many of the same people to the Jersey Shore. Which makes me look at the statistics of new cases and deaths a week or two after a beach weekend with the hope that we haven’t had another spike. Plus we are approaching the two week mark after July 4th, and I have my hopes and prayers that the reports of new cases isn’t as bad as I envision.
Nobody wants to endure what we have gone through thus far and the ominous warnings for the future are even scarier. People want to live their lives free of encumbrances, and this is one whale of a serious encumbrance.
In New Jersey, outdoor dining is available. No matter how tempting that may be, it is not for me and my wife, who fall into the high risk category due to our ages. I get nervous enough picking up items for take out, as the delivery mode at curbside varies tremendously and many times you have to enter the establishment to retrieve your meals. I quickly move past people at Shop Rite, even in the tight produce aisles, never lingering much if I can help it, because social distancing isn’t possible nor is it observed.
Quite frankly, I see too many people mask less in the parking lots or near the doors, either entering or leaving and promptly ridding themselves of facial protection. And I don’t want to have someone shop for me, because they substitute their judgment about items and you’re stuck with what they give you. So I go, a couple of times a week, in a nervous roulette-like game, hoping the ball always lands on black.
Thus, I go very few places right now. Having learned that the cars need to be run at 55 mph on a weekly basis, I have some trips on Route 24, passing the far-from-filled Mall at Short Hills and exiting at Morristown Airport, before returning via local roads in Florham Park and Chatham, sometimes stopping at CVS for some needed items.
A trip to Kings Supermarket in Short Hills is the exception to the rule—only if something I want is on sale. I went to the Summit Farmers’ Market last Sunday which was moved two parking lots from its usual spot to allow for social distancing. It was bustling and the lines were longer—with minimal adherence to the 6 foot rule and with people ripping their masks off as soon as they exited the premises.
Doctor’s visits are highlights. Boldly marked on my calendar. I had so much fun seeing the allergist on Wednesday; I cherished my time there and didn’t want it to end. I stayed outside of the Summit Medical Group building in Florham Park near the Jets’ facility while my wife was seeing an orthopedist for her shin (she’s in a boot, staying off of her feet and resting for what might be a possible stress fracture). When we went for bloodwork, it was almost a normal activity—except that we made the appointment two weeks ago and you have to exchange emails and texts to enter the facility.
Virtual doctor’s visits aren’t nearly as exciting. Nonetheless, they more than serve their purpose—to keep the patient and provider insulated and healthy.
Speaking of virtual—Face Time use is up. And who ever heard of Zoom before the pandemic? When you mention that you are going to a Zoom meeting, everyone understands.
A big day is some garden work, or watering the parts of the garden and grass which the sprinkler system cannot reach. Cooking, always a hobby of mine in retirement, is a staple and making dinner is a sign that we are headed towards PTI on weekdays (now back in its full 30 minute format, even if grumpy old Tony Kornheiser remains sequestered in his attic) and some form of TV entertainment—whether it be a Netflix movie, watching Curb Your Enthusiasm in its entirety (we have completed season 2, leaving only 80 more episodes to view) or just talking (yes, talking is nice).
There is laundry to do, cleaning around the house until we finally have the cleaning people back at the end of the month, reading, social media reviewing, and napping. There is so much to do and so little time to do it. And it is physically exhausting, too.
Plus this is without reengaging in my exercise before I had a series of epidural procedures for my S-2, L-5 vertebrae and nerve in my L lower back. Now that I have the green light to exercise again, the days will be even more crammed.
All of this has left little time for sports. Baseball is in it final rehearsals before the start of the season on July 23. The Yankees play an intra squad contest on Friday where Gerrit Cole tunes up for the opener in Washington. Then the Mets are on tap for two games—Saturday at Citi Field and Sunday night at Yankee Stadium. Saturday night’s game will be televised by ESPN. The Phillies close this abbreviated exhibition schedule with a game Sunday evening in New York. Joe Girardi returns, without the appropriate fanfare.
The Washington Redskins retired their nickname. Then The Washington Post reported serious allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct, primarily on the team’s administrative side. Calls for owner Daniel Snyder to sell the team have increased.
J-Lo and A-Rod have a group of present and former athletes as part of their bid to buy the Mets. They certainly have the glitter, but do they have the necessary cash?
A-Rod is certainly thinking like an owner when he called for a salary cap. The rebuke from players was swift. I guess how he made his millions shouldn’t be available to other in the new economic landscape baseball faces—so his group’s bottom line doesn’t suffer. His attempts at walking his statement back are like the way he treated his use of performance-enhancing substances—very disingenuous.
A quick aside here. One of the favorite players of my youth has passed away at age 84. Tony Taylor, known primarily as a Philadelphia Phillies star and who had some good years in Detroit, passed away after complications from a stroke. Never overly flashy, the second baseman from Cuba amassed just over 2,000 hits in his MLB career. I know the late Phillies’ announcer and Hall of Fame inductee Richie Ashburn liked Tony’s play. For me, a lasting memory of Taylor came from the launch of the Telestar TV satellite where he was at bat in Wrigley Field facing the Cubs when the first telecast to Europe and the US occurred. Rest in peace, number 8.
Tiger Woods is playing for the first time since February at the Memorial. He is doing as well as one might anticipate for an older guy who hasn’t competed much lately and has a creaky body. Still, it is Tiger Woods, and any sighting of his eminence is huge for golf fans.
Pro basketball plods onward towards its July 31 opener. Now the NBA is minus Zion Williamson for an undetermined time, as he deals with family illnesses. How he comes back, assuming that Zion is quarantined and not infected with CoVID-19, will impact the TV ratings. As I have said it before—lose LeBron to the virus and the NBA is doomed. Meanwhile, more players are testing positive daily.
How the NBA, NHL and MLB do will largely determine the future of the NFL as training camp approaches. The NFL and the NFLPA have much to work out and the clock is ticking.
College football teeters on the edge of playing or not playing this fall. Probably the only games that may ultimately be played are Air Force versus Army and Navy and Army-Navy, because the service academies’ contests against one another are not regulated by conferences.
While most conferences have either held back making a decision on playing or have determined that a conference schedule only is the way to go, there is much at stake here. I read an article on NJ.com about the staggering money the Big Ten members will lose if no football is played this fall. Ohio State could lose over $100 million. Even Rutgers, the low man on the conference totem pole, would lose about $49 million without any football this fall.
Spring football may be ethically and morally sound, but what about the bottom line? Will we lack a consensus among Power 5 teams and conferences about what to do this fall, or will there be economically-induced chaos? Just like the way things are regarding masks, I would not be surprised if some conferences opt to play while others say no thanks, I’ll wait and see. Will the money lure the schools into a deep hole either way—by not playing or by playing and putting the young men who play at risk? Who makes the decisions here and will they be more politically-driven as well as economic?
The economy is going to be a huge mess for years to come. Same with so many other segments—starting with the health care area, airlines, the hotel and hospitality industries. Not to mention how many people will suffer personal bankruptcies, lose their homes and apartments and jobs. Or burn through their savings with the increased costs of daily living.
Then there are the families that have suffered the greatest with loss of life due to the virus or individuals who remain very affected by the ravages of the illness. What will their futures be like?
For me, I don’t want to talk about the pandemic. Coronavirus and COVID-19 are two terms which have very bad connotations. I don’t like using those titles.
Besides, I am too busy right now to slow down (except when my batteries are drained in the afternoon and the upstairs couch beckons). I am in my own semi-bubble, isolating as best I can. My wife and I haven’t threatened to kill each other yet—a good sign during a pandemic or any other time.
We are in the same dilemma. Homebound and no sports on TV. And she is wearing her Rutgers Basketball T shirt today while I am clothed in a Travis d’Arnaud freebie T shirt from his tenure with the Mets. Two of a kind, I guess.
Nope, I really don’t want to talk about the coronavirus. For if I do, I will become redundant and irrelevant. What good would that be with some sports actually on the horizon?
No comments:
Post a Comment