Not everything that happened this year was bad. After waiting 35 years, after my diagnosis, I finally got my first hip replacement. I'm still waiting on the second, for reasons I won't get into here, but that should happen early next year, probably in March. And I was finally able to move out of a residence that I did not like, to say the least, and into a much better place.
It was not an especially good year for my teams. Arsenal won the FA Cup, but in the next season, they have gotten off to the worst start in a League season in 46 years. The Yankees and the Red Bulls made the Playoffs, but flopped once they got there. East Brunswick football notched a .500 season. The Devils and Rutgers football would have been lucky to even do that well.
The big story of 2020, of course, was the Coronavirus, which has now claimed the lives of over 350,000 Americans. What's even scarier that, had he shown just the slightest bit more of caring about it, Donald Trump probably would have gotten a 2nd term as President.
But he didn't, and America finally had enough revulsion of him to elect Joe Biden as our new President. No matter what Trump wants done, or believes can be done, Biden will become President on January 20th, 2021.
Notable deaths in sports included some victims of the Coronavirus, and many others that weren't:
* From baseball: Don Larsen, Tony Fernández, Johnny Antonelli, Jimmy Wynn, Al Kaline, Jim Frey, Bob Watson, Claudell Washington, John McNamara, Tom Seaver, Lou Brock, Jay Johnstone, Bob Gibson, Ron Perranoski, Whitey Ford, Joe Morgan and Phil Niekro.
* From football: Sam Wyche, Jerry Norton, Chris Doleman, Willie Wood, Del Shofner, Timmy Brown, Tom Dempsey, Bobby Mitchell, Pete Retzlaff, Willie Davis, Mike Curtis, Don Shula, Ken Riley, Jim Kiick, Larry Wilson, Gale Sayers, Fred Dean, Herb Adderley, Ray Perkins, Paul Hornung, Jake Scott and Kevin Greene.
* From basketball: David Stern, Dick Schnittker, Morgan Wootten, Kobe Bryant, Bora Stanković, Curly Neal, Les Hunter, Jim Tucker, Jerry Sloan, Eddie Sutton, Wes Unseld, Harry Glickman, Lou Henson, Lute Olson, John Thompson, Billy Tubbs, Tommy Heinsohn and K.C. Jones.
* From hockey: Pete Babando, Henri Richard, Pat Stapleton, Dale Hawerchuk and Eddie Shack.
* From soccer: Hans Tilkowski, Rob Rensenbrink, Norman Hunter, Trevor Cherry, Tony Dunne, Jack Charlton, Wim Suurbier, Nobby Stiles, Ray Clemence, Diego Maradona, Papa Bouba Diop, Viktor Ponedelnik, Paolo Rossi and Gérard Houllier.
* From tennis: Ashley Cooper.
* Olympic Gold Medalists: 1952 Hungarian swimmer Éva Székely, 1960 Soviet (Georgian) high jumper Robert Shavlakadze, 1952 Czech javelin thrower Dana Zátopková, 1968 Soviet (Latvian) javelin thrower Jānis Lūsis, 1956 American sprinter Bobby Morrow, 1956 American boxer Pete Rademacher, 1964 German decathlete Willi Holdorf, 1952 American hurdler Charles Moore, and 1960 American decathlete Rafer Johnson.
* And Ben Cross, who played 1924 British Olympic Champion runner Harold Abrahams in Chariots of Fire; and Chadwick Boseman, who played Jackie Robinson in 42.
There have been Wi-Fi problems at my new residence, making it very difficult to write these new entries, and all but impossible, for now, to write the necessary obituary posts for K.C. Jones and Phil Niekro. When my Wi-Fi is restored, I will write said posts, and backdate them so it looks like they appeared when they should have.
In the meantime, congratulations: You have gotten out of 2020 alive. My condolences to you for anyone close to you who didn't.
Have a happy, and safe, new year.
*
The details of this countdown are dependent on COVID restrictions:
Days until the next game of the U.S. National Soccer Team: Unknown. There are no games scheduled, for either the men's or the women's team.
Days until the next Arsenal game: 2, this Saturday, at 3:00 PM New York time, away to Birmingham-area team West Bromwich Albion.
Days until the New Jersey Devils start their 2021 season: 14, on Thursday night, January 14, home to the Boston Bruins.
Days until the Devils again play a local rival: 19, on Tuesday, January 19, against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
Days until Joe Biden is elected the 46th President of the United States, and Donald Trump becomes eligible for criminal prosecution: 20.
Days until the next New York Red Bulls game: Unknown. MLS has yet to release a schedule for the 2021 season.
Days until the Red Bulls again play a local rival: See the previous answer.
Days until the next North London Derby: 72, on Saturday, March 13, at 10:00 AM New York time, at the Emirates Stadium. A little over 10 weeks. The British TV networks may have the time and/or the date changed in order to get better ratings, or so they believe.
Days until the New York Yankees open the 2021 season: 91, on Thursday, 1:00 PM, home to the Toronto Blue Jays. Just 3 months.
Days until the next Yankees series against the Boston Red Sox begins: 155, on Friday, June 4, at 7:00 PM, at Yankee Stadium II.
Days until the COVID-delayed Euro 2020 opens: 177, on Friday, June 26. Under 6 months. Games will be played all over Europe, with the Semifinals and the Final at the new Wembley Stadium in London.
Days until the COVID-delayed 2020 Olympics open in Tokyo, Japan: 204, on Friday, July 23. Under 7 months.
Days until the next East Brunswick High School football game: 246, on Friday, September 3, at 7:00 PM, home to arch-rival Old Bridge. A little over 8 months.
Days until the next East Brunswick-Old Bridge football game: See the previous answer.
Days until the next Rutgers University football game: 247, on Saturday, September 4, at 12:00 noon, home to Temple University.
Days until the next election for Governor of New Jersey and Mayor of New York City: 306, on Tuesday, November 2. A little over 10 months.
Days until the next Rutgers-Penn State football game: 331, on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, November 27, at 12:00 noon, at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. Under 11 months.
Days until the 1st Baseball Hall of Fame election for which Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz will be eligible, and we will know for sure whether steroid use keeps a player out, or if it's only perception that does: 390, on Tuesday, January 25, 2022. Under 13 months.
Days until the next Winter Olympics open in Beijing, China: 400, on Friday, February 4, 2022. A little over 13 months.
Days until the next elections for Congress and for Governor of most States, including New York and Pennsylvania: 677, on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. Under 2 years, or a little over 22 months.
Days until the next World Cup opens: 690, on Friday, November 21, 2022, in Doha, Qatar. Under 2 years, or under 23 months.
Days until the next Women's World Cup opens: 921, on Friday, July 10, 2023, jointly held in the neighboring nations of Australia and New Zealand. A little over 2 and a half years, or a little over 30 months.
Days until the next Presidential election: 1,405, on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. Under 4 years, or a little over 46 months.
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