FIRE! (Not really.)

Fire alarms begin blaring and slow-paced strobe lights blink brightly at NFL Films sometime around 11:00 in the morning. At first, despite the ear piercing noise and flashing white light, no one does anything except glance around at everyone else. “Should we get out of here?” A few moments pass, hundreds of employees leisurely walk outside into a picture perfect scene of late summer/early autumn: unobstructed sun rays warming the air to a comfortable temperature with crystal clear blue skies. A light breeze keeps the air feeling fresh and almost spring-like but a few trees say fall is right around the corner.

Footballs are common in this building. Surprise! One is thrown between three or four people on a large patch of grass between the grey, modern-looking, fake metal building and the full parking lot. No one panics. No smoke is seen contaminating the textbook blue skyline, yet the buzzing alarm blares on and on in a recognizable rhythm. Buzzrr… buzzrr.

Boredom sets in for me, but I’m enjoying the beautiful day and I could certainly pull up a chair and spend a few more hours outside. Wondering around with no destination whatsoever, I watch a makeshift homerun derby (a few guys hitting a whiffle ball and running around the parking lot to make big catches to enthusiastic rooting and cheering). Tom does a little commentary al la Harry Kalas. A ground rule double is hit with a 3-2 count in the bottom of the ninth to score one run. Not really though.

Then I go back inside and watch more football in the day care center.