Dustin Pedroia has been battling a lingering knee injury that’s limited him to just nine games between the 2018 and 2019 Major League Baseball season. And even though the 2020 campaign has been postponed, it’s still looking pretty grim for the Boston Red Sox second baseman. Pedroia played in just six games in 2019 before…
Red Sox’s Ron Roenicke Offers Discouraging Update On Dustin Pedroia — NESN.com
MLB players, front office personnel, concession workers, and others involved with the league will participate in a nationwide COVID-19 study.
Report: MLB players, other employees to participate in COVID-19 study — HardballTalk | NBC Sports
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that players, front office personnel, concession workers, and others will take part in a study involving 10,000 people. They will have their blood drawn via pinprick. The blood will then be studied for the presence of two antibodies: IgM and IgG. The Athletic’s Molly Knight says that 27 of 30 teams will have employees of some stripe being tested.
As Passan notes, IgM is produced early among those who have COVID-19. IgG is produced later on. The reason why the study is so expansive and including so many people of different backgrounds is not only to increase the sample size, but also to allow researchers to eliminate variables.
Major League Baseball apparently mobilized quickly to join in the study. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya said, “I’ve reached out to others, but MLB moved by far the fastest. They’ve been enormously cooperative and flexible. We’re trying to set up a scientific study that would normally take years to set up, and it’s going to be a matter of weeks.”
It is worth noting that MLB’s participation in this study isn’t motivated by the league’s urgency to start a season in some fashion. The data collected will have identifying information removed. Additionally, MLB did not pay to join the study. It appears that MLB mobilized selflessly, so kudos to all involved for that.
Hopefully, MLB’s reach will help scientists better understand the disease and eventually develop a vaccine for it.
The chasm between Ray Allen and some of his former Boston Celtics teammates apparently remains quite wide. In some respects, it might be wider than ever. Allen has been in a feud with members of the 2008 Celtics — specifically Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo — since leaving Boston to join the Miami…
Ray Allen Non-Committal About Attending Kevin Garnett’s Jersey Retirement — NESN.com
Marcus Stroman is pissed at Kyle Larson — and who could blame him? On Tuesday, the New York Mets pitcher challenged Larson to a fight over the NASCAR driver using a racial slur during an iRacing event Sunday night. Larson, who could be heard saying the N-word during his Twitch stream, was fired by Chip…
Marcus Stroman Challenges Kyle Larson To Fight: ‘He Needs His Ass Beat’ — NESN.com
Editor’s note: This is the Tuesday, April 14 edition of the Purple & Bold Lakers newsletter. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here. It’s getting toward the time when, in a normal year, teams would start working out and interviewing college prospects. But, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka pointed out last week,…
Purple & Bold: All the Lakers’ offseason goals are now moving targets — Daily News
Only NBA greats end up with iconic nicknames, and they almost always come from other stars. Well, it looks like Jayson Tatum may be the latest to coin a new nickname — and he’s cool with it. Before the league suspended play amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the Boston Celtics traveled to the Los Angeles Lakers…
How LeBron James Unintentionally Gave Jayson Tatum This Iconic Nickname — NESN.com
Only NBA greats end up with iconic nicknames, and they almost always come from other stars. Well, it looks like Jayson Tatum may be the latest to coin a new nickname — and he’s cool with it. Before the league suspended play amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the Boston Celtics traveled to the Los Angeles Lakers on February 23. And although the C’s came up short in the 114-112 loss, there was some good to came out of it. LeBron James posted a photo on Instagram immediately following the game, in which the Lakers star gave the then 21-year-old Tatum quite the compliment. “That boi to the left of me is an ABSOLUTE PROBLEM!! Keep going #YoungKing 🤴🏼 #OnelegSleeveGang lol 🙏🏾💪🏾👑” James captioned the photo.
James’ comments left the sports community wondering if he had given Tatum a new nickname: The Problem. During an appearance on Monday’s episode of “The Jump,” Tatum recalled what that night meant to him — and gave the green light on the new name. “I mean, I’ll take that nickname,” he said with a smile. “I remember, he posted, it was like right after we played him. We were in L.A. and I remember was back in my hotel room and I was taking a nap because it was an early game. And I remember my best friend from back home, he called me and he was like, ‘Bro, go on your Instagram! LeBron just shouted you out.’ “And I remember I saw it and I’m a competitor, but I realize at the end of the day, that’s one of the greatest players ever and somebody I looked up to growing up, so I still understand that’s a big deal.”
Read more at: https://nesn.com/2020/04/how-lebron-james-unintentionally-gave-jayson-tatum-this-iconic-nickname/
David Ortiz was a busy man Monday, but he made sure to share his love and support for Karl-Anthony Towns. The Minnesota Timberwolves center’s mother, Jacqueline, died Monday due to coronavirus complications. Her death comes three weeks after Towns announced his mother’s diagnosis in an emotional video. Many around the NBA shared messages on Twitter…
David Ortiz Shares Heartfelt Message For Karl-Anthony Towns After Mother Dies — NESN.com
Orioles outfielder Trey Mancini’s recovery from surgery to remove a malignant tumor will take “months rather than weeks,” per GM Mike Elias.
Trey Mancini out ‘months rather than weeks’ according to GM Mike Elias — HardballTalk | NBC Sports
SCOTT STINSON, Postmedia Network Read More
With empty stadiums not an option, the CFL will need a creative solution to salvage season — Toronto Sun
Amid the ubiquitous uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ducks players and their significant others sought to ease the burden on medical professionals as they pledged 200 meals a day for staff at UCI Medical Center. Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli had recently become the first North American pro sports ownership group to pledge…
Ducks players, families, pledge meals for staff at UCI Medical Center — Press Telegram
Looking for a reason to smile Monday morning? This should help. Massachusetts native John Krasinski, an actor most well known for playing Jim Halpert in “The Office,” has started a web series called “Some Good News” amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose, as you probably gathered, is to spread some of the good news happening…
David Ortiz, Red Sox Team Up With John Krasinski To Honor Healthcare Workers — NESN.com
The Chicago Bulls fired general manager Gar Forman on Monday after 10 years in the role and 22 years with the team.
Bulls fire GM Forman amid front office changes —
The Chicago Bulls fired general manager Gar Forman on Monday after 10 years in the role and 22 years with the team.
The move came soon after the Bulls confirmed the hiring of Denver Nuggets general manager Arturas Karnisovas as the franchise’s executive vice president of basketball operations, which ESPN reported last week.
The Bulls also announced Monday that John Paxson, who previously held Karnisovas’ position, will stay with the team in the new role of senior advisor of basketball operations.
“Gar Forman worked tirelessly for the Chicago Bulls organization, first as a scout and then as an executive,” team owner Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement. “He made many significant contributions during his time here and helped to bring some of the brightest young basketball talent to our team, from Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson to Jimmy Butler and Coby White. He has been a trusted advisor and friend to me over the years, and on behalf of everyone I want to thank him for his commitment to the organization. Gar will always be a part of our Bulls family.”
Forman was named the 2011 NBA Executive of the Year. The Bulls reached the playoffs seven times during his tenure as general manager.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to work for the Chicago Bulls for more than two decades,” Forman said in the Bulls’ statement. “There is no better ownership group in professional sports than the Reinsdorfs, and I want to thank Jerry and Michael for their support during my tenure. The Bulls organization will always hold a special place in my heart.”
Karnisovas is planning to start discussing Chicago’s GM job with candidates soon, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported last week. The pool is expected to include several assistant GMs: Calvin Booth (Denver), Marc Eversley (Philadelphia), Mark Hughes (LA Clippers) and Matt Lloyd (Orlando), among others.
Paxson had been EVP of basketball operations since 2003 and also served as general manager until Forman took on those duties in 2009.
“John has an invaluable perspective on our organization and where we want to be, and he played an instrumental role in this change by bringing forward the idea of a restructure and reorganization,” Reinsdorf said of Paxson. “I have always held his knowledge and basketball insight in the highest regard, and he has earned my respect as well as that of his peers.”
The view from left field 