Well, here's a column I never expected to write.
Sports are gone. Our teams are on pause. Our favorite pastimes have taken a break from action. Our day-to-day lives have changed, and it's impossible to say when normal will feel normal again.
But that day will come. The coronavirus will pass, and we'll endure as a city and country. And we'll certainly endure as sports fans. But while it's easy to reflect on what was just lost (March Madness, baseball's scheduled Opening Day, etc.), we should reserve some head space (when it's not reading about global health issues) to look ahead.
I don't know when sports will resume, but here are 10 things to look forward to whenever that exciting day arrives in Philadelphia.
1. Healthy Andrew McCutchen: There are few silver linings of the Phillies season being delayed at least two weeks. But here's one: McCutchen, an irreplaceable part of last year's lineup, has a much better chance of playing a "full" season and being ready for the new Opening Day.
2. The potential for an entire month of meaningful home games for the Sixers, Flyers and Phillies: Maybe it's May. Maybe it's June. We don't know how the NBA and NHL will resume play, and if the regular season will be scrapped or not. But there's a future stretch of a full month of beautiful weather and meaningful games for the Sixers, Flyers and Phillies happening at the same time.
3. Ben Simmons coming back: When Simmons went down with a nerve impingement in his back, my initial (and current) thought was that we had seen the last of the Sixers point guard this season. But if the season doesn't resume for a few months and the postseason slate extends into mid-to-late summer, a Simmons return isn't out of the question. You'll miss his all-around excellence (even without a jumper) when the game isn't there, even if you aren't ready to admit it.
4. Grabbing a beer at Citizens Bank Park: Here's a prediction: The next beer you have at a Phillies game will taste like the best beer you've ever had. Just try not to think about how much you paid for it.
5. Pushing for the Phillies to pay the tax: Baseball could push back its trade deadline in a shortened season, or it could remain on July 31. Either way, I'm excited to watch us all come together to push the Phillies to #PayTheTax with a big trade to improve the team.
6. Watching games together: Social isolation is the new (imperative) thing, replacing any activity or hobby that likely takes up most of your time. While not gathering at stadiums will be strange, not going to a bar or having friends over to watch a random game will be missed even more. We can now all look forward to that normalcy becoming a big thing again.
7. Brett Brown debates: Brett's last playoff run with the Sixers? Playoff games to critique every coaching decision and timeout (or lack thereof)?! Can't wait.
8. Plenty to watch before training camp starts: A different way to look at our new reality: Instead of early summer being a slow time on the sports calendar as we anxiously await the start of Eagles football and training camp, we'll have too much going on to be bored.
9: Playoff hockey: As someone who finds the NHL regular season trivial and isn't shy about admitting to bandwagon fanship of the Flyers these days, we're heading for something everyone loves: Playoff hockey, maybe even including a few overtime games.
10. WIP's takes on Joel Embiid, Simmons, Brown, Carson Wentz and an inevitable Rhys Hoskins slump: Be honest here. When the time comes, you'll be happy to hear the debate of the day about one of our coaches or players. I certainly will be!
