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NBA

    GAME OFF

    What to Play, Watch, Listen To, and Bet On

    Sports fans, scratch that itch

    By

    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.

    Larry Bird
    How can you not love watching vintage Larry Bird with mustache and mullet? (Photo NBA.com)

    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.

     

    MARCH MADNESS

    Spring Sports Suspended Until at Least April 27

    Coronavirus halts activities here and across the country

    By

    Editor’s note: This article has been updated since the publication of the March 19 edition of the Independent.

    EASTHAM — The local sports schedule has been put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Mass. Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) has pushed back the start of the high school spring sports season until at least April 27, the day after the scheduled April vacation. Completion of regular season and tournament games would take place no later than June 20, the MIAA said.

    “There’s no playbook for this,” Nauset Supt. Thomas Conrad told the regional school committee on March 12.

    Gov. Charlie Baker announced on March 15 that all schools would be closed for a minimum of three weeks.

    Eastham Field of Dreams
    Eastham’s Field of Dreams playground is open but stood empty on Monday afternoon, as fears of contagion kept people isolated. (Photo Ryan Fitzgerald)

    Other events like Nauset’s winter sports award ceremony scheduled for March 12, the 28th annual Billingsgate Basketball Tournament at both Wellfleet Elementary School and Nauset Regional High School scheduled for March 21 and 22, and Wellfleet Recreation’s postseason basketball party scheduled for the same weekend have all been canceled.

    Nauset Athletic Director John Mattson did not return a phone call or email last week.

    All adult and youth recreation programs in Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown have been suspended until further notice.

    Provincetown Recreation Director Brandon Motta said in an email that Veterans Memorial Community Center will be closed to the public, but recreation staff will still be responding to phone calls and emails.

    These measures fit within a larger context of caution and cancellations as the professional and collegiate sports world has come to a standstill due to the spread of COVID-19.

    The Masters golf tournament held annually in April has been postponed. The Boston Marathon has also been postponed to a tentative date of Sept. 14. The National Basketball Association (NBA), National Hockey League (NHL), and Major League Soccer (MLS) have suspended their seasons until further notice.

    It was announced on March 11 that NBA player Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz tested positive for coronavirus and the association immediately suspended the season. Gobert and the Jazz played the Boston Celtics in Boston on March 6. Players from teams that had played the Jazz within 10 days of March 11, including the Celtics, were told to self-quarantine, according to ESPN reporter Brian Windhorst.

    Since that time at least two other NBA players have tested positive for the coronavirus.

    The annual “March Madness” collegiate men’s and women’s basketball tournaments have been canceled. Major League Baseball (MLB) announced it will delay the start of the 2020 season by at least two weeks.

     

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