For many of us who practically live our lives around the National Basketball Association schedule, last Thursday\u2019s announcement by commissioner Adam Silver that the NBA was going on a hiatus was nothing short of sports apocalypse.<\/p>\n
There I was watching the Miami Heat squander a 20-point first quarter lead against the lowly Charlotte Hornets, which was a disappointment in itself.<\/p>\n
Little did I know that even before the former Bobcats had somehow managed to hoodwink an 11-point win against Miami, an even bigger surprise awaited\u2014all NBA games are suspended for two weeks (later amended to 30 days) after Jazz all-star center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19.<\/p>\n
This was followed by the NCAA\u2019s cancelation of March Madness, MLB foregoing spring training, Major League Soccer postponing games for 30 days like the NBA, and ditto for the NHL.<\/p>\n
In the grand scheme of things, sports is just sports and it makes sense for us to focus more on the big picture\u2014the coronavirus outbreak.<\/p>\n
But let\u2019s be honest. Sports junkies like me only finally came to our senses about the pandemic (yes, WHO declared COVID-19 as a pandemic the same day) when the NBA was suspended even as the death toll from this super bug has reached more than 5,000 with nearly 160,000 cases worldwide.<\/p>\n
There was also some sort of karmic justice that Gobert is Patient Zero as far as the NBA is concerned after the Frenchman openly joked about the virus and even touched the microphones and cellphones of reporters during a press conference days before he tested positive.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t get me wrong. I feel bad that the Stifle Tower\u2014who later supposedly infected teammate and fellow all-star Donovan Mitchell\u2014contracted the bug and hope for both their quick recoveries. But let that be a lesson to treat COVID-19 seriously and give it the respect it rightfully deserves.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m keeping my fingers crossed that a month from now, COVID-19 would be relegated to the annals of history and\u2014as Gov. Ralph DLG Torres recently said\u2014we can all go back to living normally, including getting my daily fix of pro basketball.<\/p>\n
Closer to home, the 2020 Saipan Marathon came and went last Saturday and so far no one has tested positive from the coronavirus.<\/p>\n
However, given its incubation period we\u2019re not out of the woods yet. Days before the Saipan Marathon, many sounded of the alarm as more than 200 runners from Japan and Korea registered for the event.<\/p>\n
I begged off from running a second consecutive Saipan Marathon. I know if the virus somehow reaches our shores (not necessarily from the runners as it could come from other tourists and residents that have flown here), it\u2019s just a matter of time that it spreads and I don\u2019t want to be the person to infect my family.<\/p>\n
Being immune-compromised, I\u2019m at a higher risk of contracting the virus. So, better safe than sorry and there are other races to slay in the future.<\/p>\n
It doesn\u2019t diminish a tinge of regret though that I didn\u2019t get the finisher\u2019s shirt and medal I\u2019ve been pining for more than a year.<\/p>\n
To all the winners, participants, volunteers, and organizers of the 2020 Saipan Marathon, strong work, if I could borrow the immortal words of former CNMI triathlon and tennis national team member Peter Sinclair.<\/p>\n
As for what to do without the NBA and other sports we\u2019ve come enjoy on the boob tube, computer, laptop or any ubiquitous mobile device, there\u2019s still Ultimate Fighting Championship and WrestleMania.<\/p>\n
If those don\u2019t tickle your fancy you can binge watch shows on your favorite streaming service. I just finished watching Outbreak and will soon play Space Jam on Netflix. Seems appropriate for the times.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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