Michigan’s coaches just need to stop talking (and tweeting) about football
May 21, 2020Ryan Day is quickly climbing up the head-coaching ranks in college football
May 26, 2020Depending on when one began the count, the isolation period due to COVID-19 is around Week 10. Re-opening has begun in some areas of the country more than others. Many have been blessed enough to be able to work from home and continue life with some irritations and disruptions. Others among the essential workers ensuring society continue to operate. And some unfortunate to have either been directly affected by the virus or indirectly by the employment and business issues of the various shutdowns. Regardless, WFNY hopes you and your family have been able to stay safe and also continue to provide the necessities for your family.
Let’s check in on how some of the staff have been spending their time.
Best streaming shows you’ve watched/binged?
Bode: Disney+ came at the right time. Clone Wars was fantastic with a surprisingly satisfying conclusion to the series. Looking forward to the upcoming Artemis Fowl movie that might become a movie series as well.
Corey: My wife and I have enjoyed “Sunderland ‘Til I Die” on Netflix. It’s no exaggeration to say they’re the Cleveland Browns of English soccer. The parallels are uncanny: a blue-collar town that sits next to a body of water and has lost lots of population, a fanbase that lives and dies with its football team, and a series of heartbreaks on the field. It does a decent job filling the sports void, and I almost guarantee you will be able to relate.
Poloha: Is it bad if I say none? I don’t watch many shows and especially don’t binge watch anything.
Andrew: Like most, I binged Tiger King. I technically streamed The Last Dance, though I’m not sure that counts for the spirit of this question. Tiger King was interesting, but I’m not sure I would say I loved it. I did love The Last Dance, though. But if that doesn’t count since it was live TV and not just streamed by everyone, then I would say my answer is Parks and Rec. Sure, it’s not new and I’ve seen it before, but I decided I felt like re-watching the show and it’s better than anything else I binged in quarantine.
Baseball in Asia, NASCAR, soccer: what sports are you watching?
Bode: The only sport I have paid attention to at all is the Korean Baseball Organization; specifically the Lotte Giants where Julio Franco is their minor league hitting coordinator. Unfortunately, ESPN has only been showing a game a day, but there are some good places that offer highlight packages for the games. To note the Lotte Giants have a super-fan who looks like Santa Claus, wear trash bags on their heads as rally caps before using them to clean up, have had a Wedge-ian type season that started great before an epic tailspin and even lost a game on a balk-off. There is also a crazy amount of ‘unwritten rules’ in Korean baseball that makes the US-based list look modest.1
Corey: I enjoyed a little Bundesliga soccer over the weekend. It was good, but just plain eerie set against an empty stadium. If you want to get a feel for the types of broadcasting the league offers I recommend the following:
Poloha: A little of all three but it’s mainly just been classic games if I’m watching sports. I want (and need) live sports back in my life. It’s so weird without them.
Andrew: None. I checked out a little of the KBO, but I found I have a hard time enjoying it when I don’t know any of the teams or players. It’s funny, I miss sports dearly, but it hasn’t been enough to make me watch sports I didn’t previously enjoy. I’ve been watching some of the classic replays and The Last Dance gave me a bit of a sports fix, but mostly I’m just waiting to see if/when the sports I love are going to be able to come back.
Best meme you’ve seen these past two months?
Bode:
Corey: I don’t really meme?
Poloha: There’s so many that I have laughed at. Too many to just pick one, honestly. Keep them coming!
Andrew: I’ve been loving the Michael Jordan memes that have come out of The Last Dance.
Worst meme you’ve seen these past two months?
Bode: Quite annoying to have everyone just parrot anything and everything, but the “2020 plans versus 2020 reality” meme has been the worst of the bunch.
Corey: See above
Poloha: What Bode said.
Andrew: I find most memes about the virus to be pretty annoying.
What else are you up to?
Bode: Family time is easier when we aren’t all being pulled apart by a bunch of different things at different places. It has taken some creativity to figure out how to advance some of their activities and those decisions are only getting more difficult as things re-open but with a completely different set of rules. Still, it’s been a re-focus and connection at home that has been the pillar of these last couple of months.
Corey: Some friends from college and I have had a standing trivia game every Saturday night. We’ve also dabbled in a Marvel Cinematic Universe fantasy draft where you create your own MCU movie using elements from all the films. It’s good fun.
Poloha: Besides work, I haven’t been up to much at all. Just trying to stay healthy, is all. Can’t wait until sports are back.
Andrew: I wish I had a list of interesting things that I’ve been up to, but honestly things have been painfully boring and redundant in my life. I said in a previous roundtable that I was hoping to use some of my newly found free time to learn a new skill or something, but that hasn’t come to fruition. I’ve been reading a bit more, which has been nice, though. I’m currently reading Mark Lanegan’s memoir “Sing Backwards and Weep” and it’s been pretty fascinating so far. But mostly I’m just hoping we can find a way to safely and responsibly bring sports back because like others, I crave the distraction.
- One issue: it just isn’t a priority despite it being baseball and fun. If anything else comes up that day, I don’t really feel a need to put much effort into following. [↩]