August 9, 2020

 


So I begin my fifth week here in Orlando getting the results from yet another COVID test and I realize once again that I have the privilege of getting tested each and every day, results coming back in eighteen hours, while most of the United States either can’t get a test or when they do, the results come back a week later making them virtually useless.  Enough said about this issue.

 

The gym was fairly packed this morning but today was aerobic and abs day.  I found an open platform to perform my thirty minute heart exercises.  With the number of people inside and the humidity outside the area was a bit stuffy so after just a few minutes of exercise I was already sweating nicely.  That is one of the great things about working out in the south, you begin perspiring very soon and it gives you the impression you are working out even harder.  Your body is working hard to cool itself so I guess you are working harder than you might in a less humid locale.  Anyway after the aerobic portion I grabbed a mat then went outside to do a ten minute ab workout.

 

I already had a pretty good sweat going as I began the stomach exercises.  My god it is wet outside.  I kept slipping from the pad as I tried hard to keep up with the instructions coming from my Ipad.  By the time I finished the course, unsuccessfully I might add, every piece of my clothing was soaked down to my socks.  I felt great.  Another completed workout was in the books, now I can go spoil it with another of those damn Starbucks iced coffees that are abundant in the dining area.

 

With an iced coffee in each fist I strolled around the lagoon slowly cooling down my body while enjoying the cooler temperatures that would soon warm to the mid-nineties.  It was still humid as ever but I was on a leisurely pace as I walked the circumference.  Making my way past the player’s only pool once again not a soul could be found in the entire area.  The faithful lifeguards were pacing the edges of the swimming area safeguarding no one.  That beautiful area is like a ghost town unreachable to the rest of the population.  It seems kind of wasteful to me as it does to the rest of us that have no access.  If the players aren’t going to utilize the pool, water slide, arcade, volleyball court, ping pong tables, and open air bar, why not let the rest of us enjoy the amenities? I am sure the employees working the area would appreciate the business and company.  Aren’t we all in this together?

 

As I neared the hotel on my stroll I encountered Danny Green and Kyle Kuzma returning from a late breakfast.  I had met Danny many times before when he played for the Spurs.  I was introduced to Danny by his agent at the time which was Bill Duffy.  Bill and I played basketball against each other in high school as well as college.  Bill has had a very successful career as a representative for many big name NBA players, past and present.  Look him up, Bill Duffy and Associates.  Anyway, Danny has switched to being represented by the company ran by JayZ called Roc Nation Sports.  But that isn’t the point of this story.

 

Being as personal communication with the players is now frowned upon I decided to reach out to Bill to get his opinion regarding how the players are doing in our sterilized environment.  I sent him a quick text asking how his players are doing in the bubble.  I expected to hear back from him in an hour or two.  Within two minutes he got back to me.  Two minutes!  This high profile sports agent responded to my inquiry within two minutes. 

 

He said his guys, at least those he represents, are doing great because they are together as teammates and just playing ball.  They have little or no distractions and are enjoying shooting hoops.  He then added that he hasn’t heard very many negative comments, but then added, and I quote “It’s not too rough when you are making five, ten, fifteen, twenty million a year!”

 

I then inquired about the significant life change they were experiencing and he let me know it was only temporary.  Most teams will be gone in a couple weeks so only a minority of teams will be here for the longest period of time.  I countered that I would be here up until the Finals and he told me to put my “Cavaliers” and “Gator” educations to work and catch up on my reading. My high school is in Montclair, CA and we were the Cavaliers. The Gators were from my college, San Francisco State University.

 

Lunch was a welcome surprise.  Fried chicken, corn on the cob, green beans, and peach cobbler rounded out the menu.  I learned a very valuable lesson regarding corn on the cob.  If you like it and you are in the bubble getting a daily COVID test always get tested prior to consuming that specific meal option.  After dining I went for my daily swab and the technician pointed out that I had a bit of kernel stuck in my teeth, actually in three areas of my mouth. Thank you very much for that. 

 

I have another day off today so after watching a little more of the PGA tournament on television I opted to head for the pool for a little sun and catch up on my reading. The referees that were not working today were out in full force.  They had their wine, their cigars, their music playing from their speakers.  They are a close knit group and appear to get along very well.  Normally they travel in groups of three or four so having this many together at one time for such a long duration must be enjoyable for them.  It sure does look like it because whenever I am out at the pool, they are out at the pool. I can confidently say they are there when I am not.  They own the eastern edge of that piece of recreation.

 

One hour is all I can handle in the Orlando sun just lying there reading and thankfully my phone buzzed that we were going to play whiffle ball in twenty minutes.  I gathered my poolside belongings then headed for my room to change into yet another pair of shorts and a tee shirt. When I made it to the playing area there were a total of six of us.  This is perfect.  We can play three on three by dividing the field in half and get seven innings in before dinner.  Four of us played catch while the other two took turns at batting practice.  Doing these mundane tasks brought on the perspiration quickly and already I was dampening my second set of clothes for the day. 

 

Right when we started to play a game the skies darkened quickly as the wind increased strongly from the west. A huge bolt of lightning struck from the same direction followed immediately with crackling thunder. Game over!  Off the field we went and decided to catch an early dinner and call it a day.

 

While leaving the dining area after a meal of cod, short ribs, brussels sprouts, and a huge double chocolate cupcake, the skies remained dark and lightning was flashing around me.  The rain had stopped but I glanced upward and saw the tops of the palm trees had sunlight illuminating them.  I looked back at the Gran Destino hotel where the players are housed.  It was completely bathed in sunlight while the entire background almost black.  A huge rainbow wrapped the building from one side to the other.  It looked almost fake like an illusion that only Disney could pull off.  I posted the picture on Facebook and the first response I received was “The Magic Kingdom.”  It truly was, at least for that instance.

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