Back in March, and then again in June and July I wrote columns regarding sports and the COVID-19 pandemic. I was pretty much convinced that we would be without sports for 2020 and hoped that all would be well for 2021. However, through some great manipulations, working together for the most part, sports made it back to finish their seasons in basketball and hockey, to get a 60 game MLB season plus a post season done and the NFL getting started on time. This was something not only myself but many, many people and fans thought would not happen, but it did with a lot of new rules and restrictions attached.

On a local level here in Tampa Bay the return has been a Godsend to the entire area. Even though fans were not allowed, because of the pandemic to attend games by the Rays, Rowdies and Bucs, the fan support was huge. The Lightning were tucked away in a “bubble” atmosphere in Toronto and then Edmonton, being away from their families for two months. The NHL put a very solid and successful plan together that enabled them to not only finish their season but continue with the post season that resulted on our Tampa Bay Lightning winning the Stanley Cup and bringing it home to Tampa. The NHL bubble plan was so successful that they had zero, yes zero, positive corona virus cases throughout the two months players were confined in that bubble. In the end, what many thought would not happen did, the NHL completed the 2019-2020 season and the Bolts came home champions.

Then we had the Rays and again many, myself included, did not think the 2020 MLB season would get started, let alone finish  and have a post season. There were some stumbling blocks with positive tests with the Marlins, Cardinals and a couple of other teams. It resulted in an extraordinary number of doubleheaders in the short 60 game season, but they got it done. Our Rays wound up with the second best W-L record in MLB going 40-20, winning the AL East and being the #1 seed in the post season. They did it with a depleted pitching staff due to injuries and several position players  having off years and injuries. Still this team pulled itself together and went out and showed just how resilient they are basically running away with the AL East winning it by seven games. Now they are in the post season, just defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in a dominant two game sweep. Now it is off to Petco Park in San Diego to face the New York Yankees in the ALDS begi9nning Monday in their next big step towards the World Series.

Then we have the Bucs and the NFL was another one we didn’t think would get started on time, but they did. To this point, and with Tom Brady, at the helm for the Bucs (that still sounds strange) they are off to a 2-1 start to the season. They are showing some excellent offense and their defense looks like it could be one of the very best in the NFL. Does this mean a winning season and a trip to the post season is possible? The guessing is yes, but it is really too early to tell, plus there is a potential problem looming that could have a wide ranging effect on the NFL season. There have been at least eight or ten positive coronavirus tests that resulted from the Tennessee Titan-Minnesota Viking game that has put things on hold for both teams. Now a couple of more positive tests have come back and that has resulted in this Sunday’s upcoming Titan-Steelers game to be postponed until a later date. How this will all play out and what other positive tests will come from other teams, no one really knows.  But it is something that I was concerned about right from the beginning simply because football is the one game with the closest contact and the chances of catching or spreading the virus is much greater. So now we just have to wait and see how this all plays out in the coming weeks and what it means to the NFL and the Bucs. We might also mention that this also caused a cancellation of a USF game after it was found that several Notre Dame players had tested positive after playing USF, although no positive results came back from the USF team. Football, on all levels, could possibly be the one sport that could lose big time. Let’s hope not.

The bottom line here is that baseball made it back, hockey made it back and the NBA made it back against all odds that said the opposite. The NHL and NBA’s “bubble” format was a success and now MLB will use it during the post season. Unfortunately for the NFL doing a “bubble” was impossible. So let us see if this Titans mess goes no further and will not affect the league and game as a whole, To be honest, I am kind of holding my breath on this one. We shall see.

In the meantime, congrats again to the Lightning winning the Stanley Cup, congrats to the Rays for winning the AL East and advancing towards the World Series. It is an exciting time in Tampa Bay right now not only for sports fans, but for everyone. The virus numbers are down, businesses are reopening, people are getting out and maybe, just maybe, things throughout Tampa Bay will continue to get better. One more championship and celebration would certainly be nice to have in Tampa Bay at the end of the month. GO RAYS!!

Art Koch, National Features & DVD Editor, NightMoves Magazine and AAN