After all the Coronavirus quarantines the St. Louis Cardinals went through this season, I suppose they earned a break or two. They had only played 5 games when most teams were approaching twenty in this shortened baseball season. The White Sox had no worries about anything contagious, they couldn’t catch anything. The Cardinal hitting was pathetic after all this time off with little dribblers in the infield that the Sox couldn’t handle. If the Sox actually got an out, it was quickly reversed by replay. Apparently, the Pale Hose gift wrapped the double header as a welcome back gift to the Red Birds. 

The Cubs, on the other hand, made several spectacular catches against the Brewers. They were however jinxed by the announcers who pointed out that the team hadn’t gotten off to such a winning start since 1907. Two losses to the Brewers later, they were back to their normal selves. I haven’t seen a team strike out more with runners on base than these last two days at Wrigley. Naturally, Christian Yelich single-handedly beat them in Friday’s game with a 3-run homer. Poor relief pitching proved disastrous in yesterday’s match-up. The Cubs can at least even the series today, while the White Sox can only salvage some dignity. The Cubs go on to play both the Cards and Sox next week, perhaps adding to my frustration. 

The Portland Trailblazers and Damian Lillard continued their winning ways yesterday by clinching the final playoff seed in the Western Conference. They are one of the hottest bubble teams, and the LeBron Lakers will be in for an unexpected  challenge in the first round. There is no home court advantage and no fans as unprecedented times persist in the NBA. The same circumstances allowed the Portland Timbers to prevail in their Orlando bubble. Can a Portland team do it again?

Indy 500 qualifying went off without a hitch yesterday, but Conor Daly couldn’t find the speed he showed in Friday’s practice session. Marco Andretti won the day, while Conor failed to make the “Fast Nine.” It’s fun to watch the second and third generation drivers like these two speedsters. Rossi, Herta, and Rahal also came from famous fathers of the Speedway that were part of my generation. Owners like Andretti, Penske, Rahal/Letterman, Ganassi, Coyne, and Foyt have been familiar names in Indianapolis since I can remember. However, seeing the empty stands for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” was all new to me. 

Today’s “Fast Nine” action will determine the coveted Pole for next Sunday’s race. I’m glad there are plenty of live sports on TV to keep me entertained on weekend afternoons. Baseball, hockey, soccer, and racing have all managed to continue their virus-disrupted seasons. College football appears to be the biggest casualty as more and more schools push towards spring. Once winter comes, it may be back to the doldrums of nothing fresh to watch. I’m concerned about the fate of my favorite sport, college basketball. It was hard enough to deal with the loss of the tournament early this year.

The Cubs couldn’t catch a break and the Sox couldn’t catch anything. No one could catch Marco Andretti yesterday. Who will catch the biggest NBA prize? Hopefully, nobody will catch or spread the bug, causing further delays to these competitions that relieve the boredom of self-isolation.