SHOHOLA, PA – Saturday was a beautiful, three-hour escape from all things troubling in our world. A truncated 152nd running of the Belmont Stakes was run and a handful of other races were televised as well, albeit in the barren Long Island landscape that I’ve come to love over my lifetime. Anybody who knows me is aware of my positive nature but at the same time I’m a realist. I’m aware that when it comes to certain local sports teams like the Mets, Jets and Knicks, pessimism is the norm until they show otherwise.
The first love of my life was Bobby Orr, the Boston Bruins and hockey in general. I’m a huge puckhead! The news of the NHL’s playoffs starting July 31 excited me. What has been reported in the past week has the realist in me worried and rightly so. The Tampa Bay Lightning were forced to close their facilities over #Covid19 concerns. The Bruins have had a positive case and two others are symptomatic. The pandemic is on the rise across the country, as Angry Ward got out of the Sunshine State at the proper time. Two playoff hub cities have yet to be selected, with the provision each not be a playoff team’s home rink. This will prove to be almost an impossible task.
Player safety before, during and after games is concerning and just as difficult as a New York bred horse winning the Belmont. Congrats Tiz The Law! There’s also an issue of ice surfaces in arenas over the course of the dog days of summer. The Stanley Cup Playoffs take roughly over two months to complete and ice maintenance is a super huge undertaking. Add all of this up and I’m resigned to the fact that these 2020 NHL Playoffs never happen. It’s a shame because this tournament was shaping up to be so unique that everyone had a shot to win it all.
In the interim of hockey calling things off, we’ll all be treated to the ongoing bickering of billionaire MLB owners and millionaire ball players… over what else? Money. All involved need to re-examine their stance as millions have lost loved ones, jobs, the ability to provide food for themselves and their families. There’s also the new sport of human target practice across DeBlasio’s NYC with almost one shooting per hour to keep citizens on edge, as lawlessness runs downhill like Earl Campbell. Luv ya, Blue! Read into that what you will.
