Tuesday night, after a full day of interviewing Southeastern Conference coaches and players, Tom Murphy, Bob Holt and yours truly were ready for some hot food and a break from sports.
Tom found an Italian place about 20 minutes away from SEC Media Days in Hoover, Ala., and the food was good, with huge portions and decent prices.
Our waiter couldn’t have been more helpful. He was 51 and had worked there for three years. He informed us that the original owner was dead, but it was widely believed he haunted the place.
Once our food was eaten and we were about to leave, the subject of the coronavirus came up.
Tom, Bob and myself have been vaccinated.
Our waiter has not and doesn’t intend to.
“My choice," he said, and I replied “Absolutely."
I asked if he had grandchildren, and he has one due in five months.
That is one of the reason I still take such strong precautions, I told him.
“When my grandkid gets here, I might rethink it," he said.
As we left, I stopped and said the food was great and so was the service. "We’ll be back, and if you’ve been vaccinated, you can wait on us."
From now on I’m asking first.