Hip to be Saturday

 

So here's the tale of today.

Brunswick had a neutral site game up past Hartford against a team from Massachusetts. It's safe to say it went well for the Bruins, as they built up a 16-2 lead and cruised to a 17-10 victory.

The game, played at Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, was initially daunting since it wasn't played on the traditional football/lacrosse field. Loomis has a field with bleachers and a crazy "booth" that includes climbing a ladder and a slotted floor that opens to the ground below. I once climbed up there (2006) for a football playoff game. 

I climbed it while carrying a heavy suitcase of equipment for four of us to broadcast. Ah, memories.

The booth we climbed into for a Brunswick football bowl game in 2006.

Alas, we were not on that field. There's a separate field on a different part of the campus that is lacrosse-specific. Fields like that normally feature few amenities. There are, at best, small stands, a port-a-potty, and no press box.

Triple check.

However, Loomis had a mobile scorer's cart set up and scaffolding next to that. Ace videographer Gus was set up on the scaffold when I walked over. He figured I could sit at the scorer's table and run my audio to him.

That's exactly what I did. A good group of kids from each school sat there also to run the scoreboard, shot clock, and keep score. There were six of us sitting there in total. They were all great and we had a good time.

That was a theme of the day. As it was an out-of-league game for both teams, there wasn't a sense of tension in the contest. In fact, it was mostly fun but still competitive. To a man, it was clear that Brunswick was a different level for the Eagles of St. John's Prep.

The Bruins scored just over a minute in and ran away.

As the game ended, I watched both teams head to their respective huddles. Gus and I each packed up our equipment and I climbed out of the scorer's table.

One of the kids who had been sitting there with me stepped away as the St. John's Prep huddle broke up and came over to thank me for being there. He said he enjoyed meeting me and I found myself dazzled that he would say such a thing. It was a classy and wonderful thing to hear.

I almost left a few items at the field but quickly noticed that I felt empty-handed and picked them up. 

It was probably around 1:45 p.m when I drove away.

I did a quick tour of the Loomis Chaffee campus before making my way back toward Interstate 91. I decided to do a small side drive on I-291 (I am a road person, after all) and made my way to 91 via I-84 and CT 15.

There was still food to address but, ultimately, I decided to eat at home. 

As I approached New Haven, I saw the overhead sign advising of delays on 95 south towards Milford.

It wasn't too bad and I hoped that would be it.

Oh, was I wrong! Way wrong.

A latter sign, closer to Bridgeport, broke the news that it was going to take nearly an hour to get to Norwalk.

An hour. On a Saturday. 

The problem began at the Fairfield/Westport line. That's where I exited.

I'm not good at just ... sitting. I'd rather enjoy the view with a slight rain falling through the back roads of Westport, passing Staples High School towards the Merritt Parkway.

And, on cue, the Parkway also looked backed up. Pass.

So I made my way into downtown Westport -- unintentionally -- and began the slog along U.S. 1.

You know it as "The Post Road." Or "Connecticut Ave." Or "Putnam Ave." And other names.

I know it as slow with a hundred traffic lights and I hit every blasted one red.

The grind continued past Stew Leonards and Chick-fil-A into Dairen. I glanced towards 95 as it paralleled and it was still backlogged.

In Darien, I escaped more nonsense and worked the back roads until the entrance to 95 appeared. Finally, it was moving.

Oh, it still slowed through Stamford and across the Mianus River Bridge, but Exit 4 inevitably appeared and I departed to come home to The Cat.

A nearly three-hour tour of Connecticut from Hartford to Greenwich is fairly unacceptable and leads me to be snarky (thus ticking off a few Quinnipiac supporters with a tweet a short time back).

So be it. It was meant to be harmless. To the victor always goes the spoils.

Of most importance to me -- and I hadn't discussed it in a few days -- was the status of my hip. The pain didn't disappear as Tuesday morning began the way I hoped it would.

Instead, it intensified.

Thursday was by far the worst. I worked at the Renegades game that night and made sure I had a chair to sit on and keep the pressure off my right hip.

I must have sat in a bad position or something because things hit rock bottom that night. I walked very gingerly out of the stadium with Sean to his car before stepping over to my own.

Then I sat down in the car. Driving was pure misery for the next hour plus as I struggled to find a position that I could deal with. It was depressing and alarming to be honest because I felt helpless.

I struggled to walk up the stairs into the apartment and sleep that night was basically zero. I nearly fell the few times I did climb out of the bed during the overnight.

In the morning, I reached into my closet and pulled out my mother's cane. Putting any pressure on my leg was painful.

Given my mental and physical feelings at that moment, I elected to rest for a stretch. I probably should have gone out and feel a little bad about that but it might have been in the best interest that I took it easy.

I was seriously pondering how I could 1) broadcast baseball at Greenwich that day, 2) drive to Windsor and do lacrosse on Saturday, and 3) go back to Renegades on Sunday.

I felt bleak in myriad ways beyond the pure physical.

Somehow, the fog passed and things began to heal. I began to feel good enough walking around the apartment and even stepped outside with Sean to grab lunch. I also did baseball and felt an improvement.

Today went off without a hitch.

Thanks to those who were concerned. Looks like you're not done with me yet.

I'll be on the public address tomorrow in Wappingers Falls for Gades/Ironbirds.

Sean will be there as well before he probably comes back to Greenwich with me and that was at the heart of Thursday's post for those wondering. Not his fault. He's frustrated also. 

He's on his way back here now in fact.

Anything else I need to clear up?

I'm going back to watching the Knicks.