On Deck

 

New York Yankees on X/Twitter

While football was the talk of the day (well, football and Taylor) football is done for the season.

The draft is in a few months and the schedules will also be out. But training camp and preseason are months away and we won't see a regular season game until September.

Hockey and basketball are at the forefront now. College basketball will especially step into the limelight with March Madness roughly a month away.

As I got ready to go live on "Doubleheader" today, I popped over to the Brunswick Athletics website to check on things. I use it to check scores and occasionally see if any schedules have been updated.

My eyes widened.

The lacrosse schedule was online.

Then I saw it.

The baseball schedule.

Spring is coming.

But, as with anything in life, there are conflicts and decisions to be made.

Sean and I planned to go back to Florida basically as soon as we got home from last year's trip. It was safe to say that he loved it.

Of course, I did as well.

To tell you the truth, I'd probably prefer to go in February for a few reasons. First, that's when I used to go with my parents back in the 1980s. But also, there's something to be said about driving away from the cold and snow. By the end of the day, it wasn't unrealistic to think that the heavy jacket in the morning had been shed and the temperature was much more comfortable.

The temperature shift in March isn't as dramatic but beggars can't be choosers. I chose March last year because that's when I knew Brunswick's season would be over and, in all likelihood, I wouldn't have any games.

That was the same plan this year, as I made sure to be available into March. Brunswick's hockey team has what it takes to make a deep run towards the New England championship at Harvard and I'm intrigued at going to that.

Brunswick's basketball team, for the record, will wind up their season in February, regardless of any championship run. The FAA Championship is scheduled for Feb 29 as of now.

There also might be more for me back in New York and there's always the opportunity of broadcasts in New Jersey.

But it looks like I've scheduled our trip a little too late. Three home games for Brunswick lacrosse and baseball are when we'll either be in Florida or on our way back.

So now those are things to consider.

Look, you know how I feel about these things. Especially baseball. I've missed calling the pastime, having not done a game since last August in Virginia.

Conversely, we want this trip, and have a bit of a nostalgic one planned in that we're going to drive it. This will be the first time I've been to some of these places since 1989.

This is all part of the gig. There are conflicts, lost money, and lost opportunities. But life also needs to keep rolling and, if we can afford it, we need to be good to ourselves.

I'm on a great roll of calling so many games but I have to be mindful that my voice and my mind deserve an occasional break. Burnout can happen and I try to monitor that. 

So the trip will happen. I actually checked out a little when I was down there last year. Yes, me.

The games will also happen. Brunswick baseball and lacrosse as well as any other games I can get. 

And the Renegades will be back as well.

All coming very soon.

*****

I'll be home tomorrow and working from here as a big snowstorm is supposed to hit us. There's talk of upwards of a foot but I'll frankly believe that when I see it.

Many schools have already closed and others will follow.

It's amazing that word spreads about closings earlier now. I'm used to the days of getting up in the morning and putting WHUD radio on. The veteran broadcaster Joe O'Brien had the duty of telling us we had the day off.

Now, families learn via different technology and that's just how things evolve.

I'll have the day off from leaving the house I suppose.

Be safe if you're out in it.