August 7, 2020

 

I had the energy and the time to hit the gym today, unlike the previous three.  It felt good to challenge the body a bit.  There were quite a number of others that were thinking the same thing.  Leon Wood, a former player in the NBA that made the Olympic team in 1992 but is now an NBA referee, was in his usual place on the elliptical second from the entrance.  I can assure you he did not slack the last three days like I did. We exchanged glances and it would have been nice for him to ask where I had been.  Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen.  His head was wrapped in a towel and his headphones were on his ears.  After his one hour workout on the machine he is dripping with sweat and he promptly cleans the apparatus he called home for the last hour and heads out for another day.  I hope when I am his age I continue to work that hard.  Wait, I am his age.  In fact, I’m older. He’s 58 and I am 60. I have found my workout rabbit while here at the resort. I must work as hard as he moving forward.

 

I needed to be at the HP Fieldhouse at 1:30 pm for our 6:30 contest of the 76ers and Orlando.  Yes, 1:30 seems a bit early and when I arrived there was another game being played on the court.  Utah was up against the Spurs.  ESPN was covering that game so there really was nothing I could do until that game was over and it was only the start of the second quarter.  I checked the schedule and sure enough, we were to go to lunch first and then come back at 4:00 pm to have a camera meeting and fax the equipment.

 

With another game going on in the same arena as our next contest it reinforced my comparison of the restart to an NCAA tournament.  This has a collegiate feel to it not because of the level of play of course, but the non-stop number games being played simultaneously at one location.  And all the teams being so proximal in regards to their lodging and practice facilities.  I wonder if they feel the same?

 

I don’t understand why we couldn’t have eaten our lunch at the resort then checked in at 4:00 pm to have the meeting and equipment check. This really made zero sense to me.  Luckily I had brought my computer along so I took care of much needed pub responsibilities.  It would have been so much nicer to have tackled those chores in the comfort of my room instead of the press room of the arena but such is life.  After taking care of business I headed to the dining area and grabbed a small meal.  I have been doing my best to eat smaller portions and healthier choices after that weeklong quarantine.  Something is always available to shove into my mouth so I must be vigilant.

 

The Magic has a depleted roster.  Aaron Gordon is out with an injury, Johnathan Isaac is out with the ACL tear (no more will he be the lone wolf standing for the anthem), and the rest of the team has fight in them but they lack the size and athleticism these two provide when they are healthy.  The 76ers are clearly the better team but you couldn’t tell watching the first half.

 

Joel Embiid has the ability to be a superstar in this league yet his performance in the initial half of this contest was sad.  He appeared completely out of sorts like he didn’t want to be there and was simply going through the motions for the first 24 minutes. He came out for warmups before the game with seven minutes on the clock and appeared more stoic than motivated.  I said the team that has the most players with the ability to mentally adapt to this environment would be the victor and Embiid is not one of those players.  Ben Simmons is out with an injury and that puts more responsibility upon the shoulders of the big man.  It didn’t look to me that he wanted that.  Our announcers for the game, Ian and Stan, made reference to that observation the entire half.  I liked what Van Gundy said about Joel.  He said there are All Stars in the league and superstars.  Superstars come out and are ready to play every game.  They are self-motivating and play each game like their careers are on the line.  You know who those players are.  Joel Embiid is not.

 

I was starving at halftime so I sprinted over to the dining area as soon as we went to commercial.  There was fifteen minutes on the clock and I had to be back on camera with three minutes left of halftime.  The place where the food waits is about a two minute walk so I had more than enough time.  Much to my surprise there was not chicken on the menu.  I was very excited when I saw a platter full of jumbo sized coconut shrimp.  The attendant filled my plate with the seafood (we cannot serve ourselves unless it is individually provided pre made portions) and I grabbed some cocktail sauce to wolf down at least twelve of the tasty creatures in less than ten minutes so I could get back on camera on time.  They were lovely.  I only wish I could have been able to enjoy them at a slower pace because we don’t get many opportunities to enjoy a meal that doesn’t contain chicken in one form or another.  And that begs another question.  How many chickens have to be produced each and every day to support the world- wide demand for chicken and it’s by products?  Have you ever thought about that?  The chicken and the egg are huge in regards to the human diet.  My mind wanders…

 

The superstar Joel Embiid came out the second half and destroyed any thought of the Magic coming away with a victory.  Had he played like that in the first half he may have been able to rest most of the second. It was like night and day evaluating his performance comparing the first half to the second.  I am sure Brett Brown, the coach of the Sixers, wishes he had the magic formula to have second half Joel play every game and first half Joel retire. 

 

Another day is nearing completion.  How many more of these do I have to endure?  On the way back to the resort I got an email from ESPN confirming me to work the US Open Tennis Championships in New York from August 28 through September 13.  Wait, did I not inform them I was unavailable because of my commitment to Turner here at the NBA restart?  Did that slip through the cracks?  I have worked the Open the last five years and it is something I look forward to every late summer.  Crap, now I have to let them know I cannot make it this time.  I know I sent the scheduling team an email about this, or did I?  I hate to double book myself.  Not only is it an inconvenience for the client, in this case ESPN, but it is unprofessional on my part. Then, my wife sends me a picture of what was delivered at our house from ESPN while I was still on the bus.  It was a photo of three masks and a thermometer to be used as part of their protocol at that major event.  I think I know what I need to take care of in the morning.  It’s late, it’s a Friday, and if I send out any emails tonight, they won’t read until tomorrow.  It is an email I am not looking forward to preparing and sending but it must be done.