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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