September 8, 2020

 

I had lunch today next to a family that was in supporting the Milwaukee Bucks.  I didn’t ask who they were here with as I didn’t want to come across too inquisitive or nosey.  I tried like hell to see the names on their credentials but that didn’t work either.  But I did ask them the process they had to go through to be able to be in the bubble.  I was told they had to self-quarantine three days in Milwaukee and an additional four days when they arrived here on campus.  Their four days of quarantine were exactly like mine.  They received the same amount of food each day as I did, were tested daily the same manner I was, and got just as antsy in the room like me.  They had been out of quarantine for only four days and were not too thrilled with the lack of activities available to them.  One member of their party, a young boy I’m guessing was eight or nine years old, plopped himself down on the cushioned seating in the dining center with a very heavy sigh.  “I feel for you buddy, I feel for you.”  Sadly, Milwaukee would lose their game tonight and were eliminated from the playoffs.  I don’t know if sadly is the right word to use because I think that family I ate with couldn’t wait to be bubble free.

 

Right after lunch another wonderful thunderstorm hit Orlando. Any thought of hanging by the pool and catching up with my reading was squashed.  You know what that meant, don’t you?  A few more episodes of Shameless, that’s what.  You might ask why I couldn’t simply read while in the room.  I could do that, but I usually start to fall asleep if I read indoors.  I have reserved my reading time to the pool only and no more than one hour per setting.  I have such a busy schedule that I must portion it out in order to get everything done.

 

We found out today that two of our TNT greenies will be leaving the bubble this weekend to get a few days at home then head to San Diego to quarantine for ten days in preparation for the upcoming baseball post season that Turner Sports is involved in.  The playoff scenario for baseball is still pretty unclear but thing that had been mentioned is if your job requires you to be on the field for any reason, you must do the ten day quarantine.  Luckily for me, my position for the baseball playoffs does not require me to be on the field so I will not have to fulfill a lengthy quarantine.  I don’t know what my protocol for baseball is, nor do I care, because I simply want to complete this obligation first.

 

I received some more unexpected news today.  Remember my nephew that moved to Tucson to attend the University of Arizona?  He and several of his dormitory mates decided to not follow the protocol for COVID set forth by the stewards at the university and held a small gathering of about seventeen students in one room one recent evening.  As a result he tested positive for the virus and was moved to the COVID dorm set up at the school. 

 

Let me say once again about our strict protocol here.  I arrived on July 12.  It is now September 8.  No COVID cases here in the bubble.  We follow all the protocol set forth.

 

I stated earlier that the Bucks had been eliminated so only seven teams remain in contention for the championship.  Milwaukee played without Giannis because of his injury but was competitive until the last few minutes of the game.  His contract is up with the Bucks and there is a tremendous amount of speculation where he might be next season, if there is a next season.  I never imagined this pandemic would last this length. We found out that Billy Donavan had been let go as head coach of Oklahoma City today as well after they lost in seven games to the Houston Rockets who is taking on the Lakers tonight in the game I am working. The head coach of the Rockets, Mike D’Antoni, is on the final year of his contract as well. The outcome of this series will have repercussions regarding his future with Houston. 

 

The game was again competitive throughout but LeBron James was too much for the Rockets.  His all-around great play propelled the Lakers to another victory putting them up two games to one in this second round matchup.  It looks like I will be rooting for the Lakers to win this one.  That doesn’t make me a Lakers fan. It makes me a fan of the short series.  Come on Los Angeles, do this one in five!

 

When we arrived back at the resort around 12:30 am there was quite a gathering around the pool.  I joined them for a quick glass of wine because I wanted to get a good night’s sleep even though I was not scheduled to work the next day.  Leon Wood was playing a great mix of music from his computer being amplified on a Bluetooth speaker.  One of the attendees was responsible for incredible graphics that are displayed on the LED screens that surround the courts.  I had seen her numerous times during this stint but I never knew what her responsibility was.  She had several of her employees with her that night so I learned a little more of what they did and how they did it.  A few more of my TNT buddies joined in but after my one glass of wine, and okay, a few sips of Crown Royal, my bed was calling and I needed to answer.