Panhandle Forecast: Heat

Imagine my surprise when my sister called me bright and early this Thursday with the front page story from the Northwest Florida Daily News. She said I wouldn't believe the news...so I'm thinking "finally we're getting a real Saks not just the outlet store", but no, it's a sports story, and not just any sport, it's basketball. Then I query "is Carmello Anthony being traded to the Magic?" No, it's better than that sportsfans...the Miami Heat has announced that it will be holding it's training camp in none other than my hometown. That's right, you read it correctly, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh and company are coming to town to train in the quiet and (unfortunately for me) protected setting of Hurlburt Field and Eglin Air Force Base.

The Heat will arrive on September 27 and will train and practice here until October 3. Needless to say, I am wracking my brain to think of ways I can have a sighting of this most highly anticipated hoops trio. Security is something that the Air Force, naturally, takes quite seriously so I'm not sure how my chances are looking for seeing the live action on base.

Perhaps I'll have to spot them in a public setting, maybe a restaurant. The husband seems to think that basketball players eat lots of steak , so we should go out to steakhouses during that week. Hmmm....it's an interesting thought but he might just be using this as a way to get out of the house where he is typically force-fed a mostly plant based diet. Meat deprivation can apparently make one quite devious.


Then I wonder, where will they stay? Could they be staying on base, eliminating any wishes I have to see them? Are they staying in a fine local hotel? Are there extra long beds available at fine local hotels? Do we have any fine local hotels?


I'm sure the details will soon be revealed as secrets don't usually stay secrets in small towns. The imminent threat of oily beaches seems to have spared us, tourist season is over and the tropics are not (knock on wood) sending their winds down Hurricane Alley, so we have little else to do but chat about the fact that a hugely popular professional basketball team is coming to town. I have happily lived here, on the Redneck Riviera, for my entire life and cannot recall any visits/events of this magnitude. Previously we just looked forward to the running of the crabs and Captain Billy's yearly show of taking the city over from the Indians so I'd say this is pretty big news for our once sleepy fishing village.

And hopefully, yours truly will be able to take in some of this exciting basketball action.

xoxo