We Now Pause For This

 

Current situation

Whether it's a gymnasium in Yorktown Heights, NY, or a hockey rink in Bridgewater, NJ, the games keep coming and I have to be dressed appropriately.

In other words, I need to be bundled up in an ice rink.

Today began at Yorktown High School.

I called two girls basketball games in the New York State playoffs with the winners advancing to the state semis in Troy.

Shout outs to Putnam Valley and Our Lady of Lourdes for getting the victories.

I jumped on those because I was needed and I can't deny that's a nice feeling. Then I turned the equipment over to someone else after my two were over.

There were two more games there but I needed to get to New Jersey.

That's where I am now.

When I first walked into Yorktown, nothing was set up and, honestly, I didn't expect it to be.

Dutifully, I got to work setting up tripods, getting internet, and carrying everything out of the nearby closet.

As I was stringing wires, Kevin Devaney Jr -- unaware I'd be setting up -- came in and relieved me.

And I do mean relieved. He knew what he was doing and I stopped worrying about things falling apart. All I had to focus on was my audio and the call.

To top that off, I had AJ Szymanowski on controls, and that helped even more. His steady hand will chide me as needed or we'll just talk via text.

With the games done, I packed up, got in my car, and began driving.

I grabbed dinner and a much-needed coffee and came to the rink.

These can be funny places. My game is coming up in a little more than an hour but there's another game going on. In this case, it's a youth hockey game.

Thus, there are parents standing where I need to set up.

We're going to have to boot them eventually but I'm trying to be patient for now. I don't like being "that media guy."

So, here I am. Ready to call the third game of the day with a voice that's OK but a throat that's a bit sore.

I have my throat drops and can get a drink if needed.

Other than the coffee, of course.

Tonight's game comes with a broadcast partner, whom I only met a few minutes ago. There's always an awkwardness to that and the fear that chemistry won't come naturally but we'll give it a try and see how it goes.

As the saying goes, this is not my first rodeo.

Or hockey game.

Of course, I'll look forward to the drive back up 287 to get back to Greenwich and a solid night of sleep.

Which we'll lose an hour of tonight.

That's fine. I'll take the tradeoff of longer daylight for being a bit bleary-eyed when doing "Meet the Beatles" tomorrow morning.

So long as I don't get stuck on any highway in traffic for an hour like last night.

It's true, I got hung up on the Hutchinson River Parkway due to what appeared to be a pretty serious accident. Fire engines and other emergency vehicles roared past all of us.

Eventually, I put my car in park and hoped I didn't fall asleep.

That happened on Interstate 684 one time before Sean was born.

In this case, we were eventually permitted to move and head on our way.

The slight inconvenience of traffic woes is nothing compared to whatever happened to the car that looked pretty destroyed when I saw it on the back of a flatbed tow truck. Their lives were likely changed.

Compassion doesn't cost much.

Rockets Hockey Club and the Connecticut Junior Rangers -- yes, ironically enough -- are coming up at 7:30 on FloHockey and wherever you get your Robcasting.