JUPITER, Fla. — When I had the room to myself, I quickly checked my phone for an update from the game that could not possibly be starting on time a few blocks away.
When the dentist returned, I closed my eyes, as requested.
Right in the middle of last spring training I sneaked away from the ballpark for an afternoon to have a root canal, and on March 12, 2020, I was scheduled for the finishing checkup. That is where I was the morning after the NBA and the NHL stopped their seasons, and where I still was as the clock ticked toward the first pitch of the Cardinals-Marlins game at Roger Dean Stadium.