Sunday in the parks: The playoffs, NFL, a no-hitter and more

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — In a year where good days seem in short supply, sports delivered one.

The NFL roared back to life, even if the roar was from fans who weren’t in the stadiums. Baseball saw a no-hitter. The NBA and NHL playoffs continued. Men’s tennis and women’s golf got first-time major champions. And one school reached the AP Top 25 for the first time since World War II.

Put simply, Sunday was special.

Sept. 13, 2020, will go down as a day like none other; of course, it should be no shock that there’s never been such a menagerie of NFL games, NBA and NHL playoff games and a no-hitter on the same day, with everything else just being superfluous garnish atop that mix.

“Three months ago, there was nothing,” Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. “I’m thankful that there’s something now.”

Something?

Sunday had much more than that. It brought a little of everything.

At this point, nobody needs to be told why everything in 2020 is different. Racial injustice remains a massive problem. The coronavirus pandemic continues. Sports -- the escape the world has from everything -- were on hold for much of this year, with all corners of the globe trying to find their way to whatever the new normal will be in a world that includes COVID-19.

But on Sunday, even if from afar and not at the stadium or arena, there was so much to cheer again.

There were 12 NFL games, including a winning debut for the now-Las Vegas Raiders, who topped Carolina — and a big rally for Ron Rivera, whose Washington club came from 17 points down to beat Philadelphia. Rivera, who revealed last month that he’s fighting cancer, needed a precautionary IV at halftime. Washington, in its first game since scrapping a nickname out of touch with the times, outscored Philly...

source https://www.chron.com/news/article/Sunday-in-the-parks-The-playoffs-NFL-a-15564268.php