On the 10-year anniversary of his perfect game against the Marlins, ESPN will air a documentary about former Blue Jays and Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay.
ESPN to air Roy Halladay documentary on May 29 — HardballTalk | NBC Sports
If the Winnipeg Jets and Blue Bombers were to start up play in the fall and there were no restrictions on fans entering stadiums, would you attend? Read More
Poll suggests Canadian sports fans will be leery about attending pro events even when pandemic eases — Winnipeg Sun
(This story was originally published on May 8, 1969) By Dave Newhouse, Oakland Tribune The Oakland Oaks are champions of the American Basketball Association, and talking of a dynasty. The Oaks polished off Indiana in the fifth game of their seven-game series, 135-131 in overtime, before 6,340 at the Oakland Arena to complete a magic…
On this Date, 1969: Oakland Oaks win ABA championship — Times-Standard
Germany soon will provide soccer-starved fans something to consume. The Bundesliga announced Thursday in a press release the German first and second divisions will resume their respective seasons May 16 with the playing of Round 26 games. Germany’s domestic league will become the first major soccer competitions to restart play, following a two-month-long hiatus due…
Bundesliga To Restart May 16; Germany Soccer League Ends Hiatus First — NESN.com
MLB should not, however, expect the players to rubber-stamp a return-to-play plan
MLB to submit a return-to-play proposal to the players within a week — HardballTalk | NBC Sports
Each day during the sports pause stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, NESN.com will publish a diary full of random thoughts, opinions, takeaways, and other cool tidbits we’ve stumbled across in the absence of actual games. Because why not? We’re all in this together. If you never heard of Brendan Leipsic, chances are that changed Wednesday.…
NESN Diary: Unpacking Brendan Leipsic’s Despicable Comments (And Other Random Thoughts) — NESN.com
Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. recently suggested that giving hitters chin music would solve the problem of sign stealing in baseball.
Cal Ripken Jr. suggests throwing at batters would fix sign stealing — HardballTalk | NBC Sports
Major League Baseball is eager to start its season. The league reportedly proposed starting a second training camp in June with the regular season following in July to its players association. An Opening Day on July 1 has been floated around, optimistically speaking, but everything rides on two things. The coronavirus, and the players’ actual…
Red Sox’s Collin McHugh Says MLB Can’t Make Return Mandatory For Players — NESN.com
Collin McHugh, who the Boston Red Sox signed a week before the original spring training got shut down, told MassLive’s Chris Cotillo that the league can’t force players to play if they’re uncomfortable with it. Here’s what McHugh had to say: We’re in a situation right now where you can’t make this mandatory. You can’t tell a guy you have to come play or else your roster spot is not going to be here when you come back. You can’t tell a guy to risk his life and the life of his family and the lives of anyone he chooses to be around to come play this game. There’s probably going to have to be some waivers signed and whatever else you need to have done to make guys feel comfortable coming back. Then, MLB and the teams are going to have to do everything in their power so that we go about this in the best way possible and don’t just start playing games, but really set an example of how to do this, how to do it well and how to do it safely. I’m probably in the minority here because I see baseball for what it is, which is an amazing game but not an essential activity. We’ve got a lot of things going on in this world that we need to happen and need to get going, and we need to do it in a safe manner. It’s going to be really hard to get the risk level down to zero no matter what we’re doing. As long as this virus is still out there and as long as we don’t have a treatment or vaccine, there’s going to be risk inherent in leaving your house. For me, as a major league baseball player and as a husband and father, I want to make sure I’m protecting myself and my family, first and foremost. With all this anticipation for sports to come back, how the players feel about returning to play has been overlooked. At the end of the day, it’s their call.
Read more at: https://nesn.com/2020/05/red-soxs-collin-mchugh-says-mlb-cant-make-return-mandatory-for-players/
The NBA and the NBA Players Association apparently are looking to follow up with players as the league’s hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic enters Week 8. NBA commissioner Adam Silver and NBPA executive director Michele Roberts will hold a call for players at some point Friday, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelbourne. Players reportedly will…
NBA Rumors: Adam Silver, Michele Roberts To Hold Call With Players Friday — NESN.com
Wednesday is National Nurses Day and the home of the Boston Red Sox made an awesome gesture to thank the nurses on the front lines. Of course, we’ll never be able to thank them enough for all of their hard work during the coronavirus outbreak. But Fenway Park found a nice way to use its…
Red Sox Honor Nurses At Fenway Park For National Nurses Day With Awesome Gesture — NESN.com
Wednesday is National Nurses Day and the home of the Boston Red Sox made an awesome gesture to thank the nurses on the front lines. Of course, we’ll never be able to thank them enough for all of their hard work during the coronavirus outbreak. But Fenway Park found a nice way to use its outfield while baseball is on hold to show some appreciation for the nurses. Check these out: This is great. While we wait for the return of sports, don’t forget about all the healthcare workers vigorously working to keep everyone safe and healthy during this time. More Red Sox:
Read more at: https://nesn.com/2020/05/red-sox-honor-nurses-at-fenway-park-for-national-nurses-day-with-awesome-gesture/
Kings general manager Bob Blake was easily distracted Wednesday morning. Somebody asked him if he had a chance to gather with friends and neighbors to play beach volleyball during the NHL’s suspension of play because of the coronavirus pandemic. Suddenly, the talk of the recent re-signing of defenseman Kurtis MacDermid, the cross-country drive of forward…
Kings GM Rob Blake: ‘At the end of the day, there will be hockey’ — Daily News
Like everyone else in hockey, Blake has been quarantined at home during the pause in play. It’s been eight weeks since the Kings’ last game, a 3-2 victory March 11 over the Ottawa Senators that extended their winning streak to seven games and gave them a 29-35-6 record.
Play was halted the next day.
Like everyone else in hockey, Blake has been preparing for the resumption of play, whether it’s the Kings’ final 12 games of the 2019-20 season in the coming weeks or months or advancing directly to the 2020-21 season without the completion of the current campaign.
“At the end of the day, there will be hockey,” he said.
So, Blake said the Kings’ scouting department has gone about its business as if the draft will be held next month. There was no sense in delaying preparations since it’s going to be held at some point, whether it’s next month or next fall if the resumption of the 2019-20 season is delayed until summer.
Interviews with draft prospects are ongoing via video conference calls rather than in person.
The NHL is expected to announce in the next few days when the draft lottery and the draft will be held, and what formats they will take. The draft was originally scheduled for June 26-27 in Montreal’s Bell Centre, but it’s expected to be held via video conference calls.
“Everyone’s in the same boat,” Blake said of adjusting to the new normal.
Blake also said he recently held meetings with Todd McLellan and the Kings’ coaching staff to review their play to determine what worked and what didn’t. Soon, Blake will take what he learned from the coaches and mesh it with the statistics produced by the Kings’ analytics department.
Players’ interviews, traditionally the final act of any given season, haven’t taken place yet. Blake said he’s remained in contact with the players, including but not limited to the eight or so who have remained in Southern California to self-isolate during the break in the action.
Blake said center Jeff Carter would not be available to play “in the next couple of months” because of a core injury that has sidelined him since Feb. 18. Blake said Carter has been doing rehabilitation work at home and could see a specialist soon.
If play resumes, Blake said he expected rosters would expand by as many five to eight players, giving the Kings a chance to find meaning to as many as 12 otherwise meaningless games. The Kings were seventh in the Pacific Division when play was halted, 14 points out of a playoff spot.
“We will find positives from playing these games,” he said.
The view from left field 