March Madness – April Gladness

 

By…Erik Schuman

 

1,148.

 

If you reverse the last 2 numbers this is the number of miles between where I live and Susanville, CA. I spent the last week of September 2020, in that city/area when I did work for the Census. It is a nice area - when the weather is cooperative. I enjoyed sunny days with clean air and breathtaking views of majestic mountain scenery. The nights were rather chilly but that is what coats are made for.

 

On a side note, the best part of my 592-mile drive to Susanville was passing thru Bishop (This might be the first time anyone has ever said that). For those who have been to Porto’s in the SoCal area, Bishop has a place like it: Erick Schatt’s Bakkery. THIS! PLACE! HAS! TO! BE! SEEN! TO! BE! BELIEVED! They have all different kinds of bread as well as freshly made sandwiches, cookies, donuts, ice cream, chocolate and more. It is a 300-mile drive for me so going there juuuuust for that is not worth it. But if you are ever anywhere close to Bishop and can visit this amazing place YOU MUST GO! The only "bad" thing about this place is deciding what to purchase because you could buy a zillion items there. I highly recommend getting one of their freshly made sandwiches!

 

Getting back to the 1,148 number………. this is the number of days between February 8, 2018 and April 1, 2021. Those days mark the amount of time between the last CIF (High School) basketball games I did. A break not of my choosing.

 

I have gone over this before but on Halloween, 2018 I woke up like I did every other day of my life. I put my feet on the floor to get out of bed and when I did, I immediately collapsed on the floor. My right leg felt like someone was hammering nails into it. I got it diagnosed, more like mis-diagnosed, two times before an MRI taken in mid-February 2019 revealed Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

 

When I thought it was just my Sciatica acting up again the hope was I would be able to officiate the 2018-19 season but start later than the beginning. Obviously, that never happened. Since I ended Chemo on July 23, 2019 being able to officiate the 2019-20 season was never even considered.

 

Had the 2020-21 season started on time I’m not sure I would have been able to do that, too. Normally the season starts in early November and runs until around Valentine’s Day. But because of Covid, the season did not start until late March. I figured “what the heck” and decided to give it a go. I told my association’s board I was gonna give it a try but had no idea how long I would last. I still don’t!

 

Having officiated for 16 seasons (2002-18) I advanced to a rating that put me at a level of doing Boys JV and Boys/Girls Varsity. I knew there was a 0% chance I could do these games. Boys JV involves running. Lots and lots of it. More so than Varsity. And frequently doing a Boys JV game also involves doing a doubleheader of the preceding Boys Freshman game, too. It was no big deal and because I was in shape, I would frequently do doubleheaders multiple times a week. One week in January 2018 I did doubleheaders Tuesday THRU Friday. Yes, I was tired, but I made it to the end OK. It didn’t help that one of the BJV games was the second game of a doubleheader and the final score was (and I am serious here) 100-88. In a 32-minute game. You can imagine how exhausted I was at the end,

 

About a week before this season began, we had a Zoom meeting among all officials. There were 100+ of us online. When I logged on someone recognized me and said how great it was to see me back. I appreciated that and expressed my gratitude to all.

 

I have no idea how many games I have done. My guess is over 700. The number of times I have been nervous for a game is the same as the number of times I have won a $100M lottery jackpot. Yet leading up to April 1 that all changed. I am very confident in my officiating ability but not having officiated a game since a few days before Halloween, 2018, shook my confidence.

 

I have never been married. I have yet to find a woman dumb enough to say “I, do” to any question other than “Would you like me to leave you alone?” Yet I felt like someone who had been married for 16 years then suddenly found himself out in the dating world once again because my spouse died. You’ve done it before but being out of the dating world for some time you almost forget what it is like. You will remember once you go out a few times but until then just doing something for the first time in a long time feels strange.

 

Setting aside my clothing for the game felt both nice and weird. The realization of what was about to take place hit me more and more the closer it came to game time. My game was at Beckman. I have done 25+ games there. Pulling into the somewhat empty parking lot felt great. Walking into the gym did not. Except for the two teams (Orange Lutheran) the gym was empty. I took the time to sit down in the stands behind the benches and just reflect on what was about to take place.

 

Was I sure I really wanted to do this? How would I do? It was too late to ask and answer those questions. As I saw the clock ticking down to 0:00 and game time I felt both excited and scared. Before every game we get together the captains to talk about things. Because of Covid we no longer do that, but we do talk to the coaches. My partner and I did that. I then explained to them this was my first game in 3 years and I told them why. I apologized ahead of time for any rustiness and calls I knew I would miss. They understood.

 

Every single job I have ever had is one where being noticed is a bad thing. Every one of them involves showing up, doing your job, and leaving with the hope no one knew you were actually there. If I get noticed and attention is paid to me it is because something went wrong.

 

The last time I stood out and had people pay attention to me was November 23, 2019. It was on this day my brother, sister-in-law and nephew went to Staples Center to see the Kings host the Arizona Coyotes in a matinee game.

 

The reason we went was it was the annual “Hockey Fights Cancer” game. I have been to many sporting events where the crowd honors someone. At Kings’ games they honor a brave member of the Armed Forces. The place stands and gives that person the attention they have earned. The San Diego Padres honor the Navy at Sunday home games and at every game the crowd stands to appreciate all the Navy does. At this Kings game there was a moment where they asked all people who have, or have beaten, cancer to stand and get an ovation. I stood. And for the first time ever was on the other end of the crowd’s cheers. More than a few times I broke down in tears with the realization of what I had overcome and how lucky I was to be attending the game in person and not looking up at it taking place.

Outside before the game: 

Once inside I took this pic:

Getting back to the April 1 game, I was the “Referee” for this game. That means tossing up the ball to start the game is my responsibility. I got the ball and started walking to the center circle. OMG – am I actually gonna do this? YES! I tossed up the ball and before I knew it, 1148 days were gone.

 

For games we are given the option of wearing a mask, or not. I wore one and will until at least April 21 – 2 weeks after my second Covid shot on April 7. Normally I have a whistle in my mouth. Now they make electronic whistles that are activated my pushing a button. I got one and using it was unique. You can see the whistle in my hand in this pic I took before the game.

My doctor told me part of the bone in my right leg was eaten away by the cancer. He said it will never grow back and because of that I might have stamina issues. Doc has been right all along. Doc was right here, too. Running is hard. Especially since my legs are not the same length. I’m not sure if my right leg is a tad shorter or the hip is out of whack. Numerous X-rays and MRIs as well as trips to the doctors have left me confused. This is why I am doing lower-level games. The amount of running is far less. The game is also slower which helps after being away so long.

 

Once the game got underway it took about a quarter to get back into the flow of things. I was working with a relatively new official. New officials hate to blow their whistle. Veterans do not. I had to cover some calls my partner did not and that also helped. By the time the game was done, Lutheran won by about 20, I started to feel OK. Like I belonged. I have another game tonight, April 8. The more games I do the better I will feel. This is the first, and last, time I have done something like this but needed to do it to feel like the “mission” was complete.

 

Driving home from games I usually play music on the radio. Driving home from this game the radio was off and the car was eerily silent. On purpose. Before I got home, I stopped off some place and mystery shopped it. Doing something normal like this put a full circle on everything.

 

What took place on April 1 was over three years in the making.

 

What took place four days later, on April 5, 2021 was just under two years in the making.

 

On April 4, 2019, I checked into Hoag for the second of my six Chemo visits. A quick recap of what those visits were like. I would get a call from Hoag around 8 am saying they had a bed for me, and I needed to come to the hospital within a few hours. I knew the call was coming so I was all set to go. I would get there around 10 am. I checked in with registration downstairs and then went up to the 8^th floor – my “home” for the next 5 days.

 

I would get into my room by 11 am. Within a few hours two women came into my room to place a “PICC” line in my arm. This allowed tubes to be hooked up. I can’t even begin to describe how painful this was because they actually dug into my arm to place the device. I had to have my eyes covered so I could only feel the pain and not see it happening. Once this happened it took a few more hours for the pharmacy to have my first Chemo bag ready. What you see here is me after the PICC line is in. If you look at my right wrist the yellow wristband says “Fall Risk” meaning I could not walk without someone with me for fear I might fall. Good call. When I did walk, I would use one of the crutches you see behind me and the IV machine to help me get thru it. The blanket I am covered by is one of the amazingly generous gifts made for me by someone I have known since my undergrad days at Cal State Fullerton. Kim Antoniou (Svoboda – at CSUF) and Stephen Weissbart had Kim’s mother make this for me. I am incapable of finding the words to express how blown away I was by this and everything else Mrs. Svoboda did for me (As well as the 4 caps you see that she knitted for me).

Broncos blanket:

Headwear:

Because the Chemo had yet to be put into my body it meant I could eat dinner – the last true meal I would eat while there because once the first bag was ready at around 10 pm, my visit was never the same. By the time I woke up around 6 am, my body was taken over by Chemo and would be until I went home. If I checked in on a Monday this meant I was there until around 10 am on Saturday so by 6 am Tuesday I was a zombie. I would spend 20+ hours in bed and all I wanted to do was sleep.

 

Occasionally I would watch something on TV. During this second visit the college basketball tournament finals were held. On Sunday April 7, the women played, and I knew it would be a good game. I also knew I could not stay awake for the entire game, so I set an alarm to wake up to watch the second half.

 

I did the same the next day. Monday, April 8. I set my alarm for 7:15 pm so I could see the second half of Virginia and Texas Tech. I watched some but at times it was too painful to even open my eyes, so I listened to the game. Of course, the game went to overtime meaning I had to stay up even later. Virginia won the game but since Cal State Fullerton did not win, I did not care about this.

 

The one thing I did on this day was make a vow that come next year, when I was not in the hospital, I was going to watch the game at home and enjoy a nice BJ’s pizza and a nice beverage. I don’t drink beer. I can’t stand the taste. When I eat pizza the only kind of “beer” I drink is “Root Beer.” Sadly, there was no 2020 Tournament meaning this had to wait 365 more days.

 

So, when the realization that April 5, 2021 would be the same as April 8, 2019, I got ready for it. I made sure not to officiate any games. I had friends ask if I wanted to join them at Hooters and watch the game, but I turned them down because my plans for the night were made 728 days earlier.

 

I am like most people – I LOVE BJ’s pizza. It is not cheap. A pizza runs about $30. Except on Monday’s when it is half-priced. YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!! Earlier in the day I bought a 2-liter bottle of Root Beer. I have no idea the last time I had any kind of soda. But I didn’t care. This day was 100% mine and what I did on it was something for which no rules applied.

 

Here is the pizza I purchased – and the Root Beer. The pizza is a 50/50 pizza comprised of: BBQ Chicken on one side and Vegetarian on the other side.

“YES” is the answer to your question. It was sooooooooooooo goooooooooood. The pizza was far better than the game – a complete one-sided affair that Baylor dominated from the opening whistle. But just like in 2019, the score did not matter. Unlike 2019 the fact I was not hooked up to tubes and watching from a room at Hoag Hospital made this one of the most enjoyable basketball games I have ever seen.

 

It felt great to knock a pair of items off the list I made of things I wanted to accomplish when I got better. Thankfully the #1 item happened January 1, 2019 when I went back to Dave & Buster’s with my niece – a place I have taken her many more times than the number of years she has been alive (She will be 14 in June......if we let her live that long).

The #2 item is something I was all set to do in March 2020. Until Covid wiped out Opening Day for the Dodgers. I have been a fan for 40+ years yet have never gone to Opening Day. This will change in 2022. I WILL be at Opening Day and experience another version of “April Madness.”