Sports fans across the country are itching to watch, play, place bets, and argue. Just when it seems the world of sports has gone totally dark, along come some good ways to scratch that itch.
Eastham Rec to the Rescue
The recreation dept. is providing Eastham families with weekly indoor and outdoor activity packs with games and craft materials for kids and parents. Since supplies are limited, the department can provide only one bag per family. They’re available on Wednesdays.
To get one, residents can call the rec office at 508-240-5974 on Wednesdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. The bags will be left outside the rec building for pickup, marked with the names of recipients.
The rec dept. is also posting weekly videos with a demonstration of different exercises kids can do while schools remain closed.
Classic and Goofy Games
Although the NBA has postponed its season, basketball fans can still get their fix by visiting NBA.com and creating a free League Pass account. It has made its online League Pass streaming service free for everyone who creates an account.
There, viewers will find an archive of 65 classic NBA games played from 1963 all the way to 2015. Watch players like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Bill Russell, Kobe Bryant, and many others. You can also watch any of the NBA games played this season.
For many fans, especially younger ones, this promises to be an amazing viewing experience. I love basketball, but I have never seen most of these games — these are players I’ve watched only in highlight footage.
Over the weekend I watched Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls take on Karl Malone and John Stockton of the Utah Jazz in the 1997 NBA Finals. Then there was Magic Johnson playing against Larry Bird in 1984.
What’s most evident when watching these games is how much the game of basketball has evolved over the years both in style of play and fashion sense.
Viewers who have an interest in more obscure sports should tune into ESPN2. Throughout the day the channel is now playing reruns of contests like stone skipping, marble racing, and dodgeball juggling.
Dodgeball juggling? It is essentially a game of dodgeball with a juggler on either side. Players attempt to throw dodgeballs at the opposing team’s juggler to make them drop whatever it is they are juggling. Take a look at that and when you’re done, go skip some rocks at the local pond.
Podcasts
Sports podcasts are still alive and can be found by searching through the Podcast app on your phone. Many have strayed from sports into other areas of entertainment.
My favorite is the Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz. This show already walked the line between discussing sports and making fun of them. Now, with little sports action, it’s become even more creative. Tune in for a weekly analysis of The Masked Singer (a reality singing competition on Fox). The show has also been phoning in to one NBA player, Cody Zeller, each day to hear what hobbies he has been trying while unable to play basketball.
Unconquered hobbies so far include playing guitar, woodworking, and cooking.
Bet on the Weather
For sports bettors or fantasy sports players, there is a site called betonweather.io that actually allows you to bet on local weather projections for money. If you don’t believe me then Google it.
The site allows participants to bet on projected high and low temperatures based on local meteorologist projections for any day in your local city. Bettors can also wager on other aspects of the weather, like general forecasts or projected precipitation amounts.
The site uses U.S. National Weather Service data. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
