It was 4:07 a.m., Sunday when the mystical dragon responded from Incheon.
Which is to say that was the time on this side of the ocean the first baseman of the SK Wyverns connected from South Korea. SK is the conglomerate that sponsors the team. Wyverns translates to mystical dragons.
Jamie Romak is the only Canadian baseball player currently playing in the just-underway Korean pro league. He holds the Canadian record for foreign league home run in a single season with 45 from 2018 set with his current club.
The London, Ont. native who made it to the majors with the Dodgers and Diamondbacks, ought to sign on as a consultant with the Toronto Blue Jays when it comes to the MLB plans of returning to action in empty stadiums.
If there has been a nation that has provided an example of how to manage the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s been Korea. And the eyes of every major professional sports league in the world ought to be on the Korean league.
It’s been a while since we’ve gotten to talk about some real on-court basketball but during a conversation last night on Instagram Live, Los Angeles Lakers forward Jared Dudley and his teammate Alex Caruso gave us just that for a few moments. Dudley has been with the Lakers all season and has played sparingly, but he’s been a constant force in the Lakers locker room, as he usually is wherever he is as a veteran who has no trouble saying what’s on his mind. But by not playing a lot he has the opportunity to see things up close, like the strong play of Caruso when next to LeBron James.
Dudley asked Caruso about the numbers that show Caruso and LeBron as one of the best on-court two-man lineups in the NBA, and the best among those who have played at least 40 games at +20.8 over 54 games this season. Caruso admits that sometimes, it can be as simple as LeBron going on a 10-0 scoring run, but he also explained why he believes he plays well with LeBron.pickuphoop@pickuphoop
Caruso speaks on him and LeBron having the best net rating of any two-man combo in the NBA.
Understanding defensive principles, spacing, and cuts are all very important factors in playing with LeBron James. It requires playing instinctually and with less structure than a typical role, but that’s the exact type of role in which Caruso has thrived for the Lakers this season. So it should be no shock that LeBron’s play goes up to another level when Caruso is on the court.
Read Original Article sports.yahoo.com The NBA is still keeping the door open for resuming play this season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, though still doesn’t have any set plans to do so . If Shaquille O’Neal had his way, though, he’d simply move on. In his eyes, there’s no point in trying to finish the season. […]
The NHL’s “Return to Play” committee continues to meet by phone and Zoom and whatever means necessary to attempt to tackle forever-in-flux issues, a task not unlike trying to catch the wind.
Nobody questions the will of both the players and owners to award a Stanley Cup at some point this summer, but is there a way?
That’s a far tougher puzzle to solve. Still, the NHL’s “Return to Play” committee continues to meet by phone and Zoom and whatever means necessary to attempt to tackle forever-in-flux issues, a task not unlike trying to catch the wind.
The discussions start with basic questions: Can we resume play? How? When? Where? And they discuss the problems with each.
Can they resume play? Not yet.
How? By skipping the remaining regular-season games and having 24 teams in a playoff tournament, with the bottom teams among them playing their way into the field, according to Larry Brooks of the New York Post.
When? Too early to say, but getting later by the day.
Where? I’ve been told that the most recent flavor of the day has centered on having the games played at anywhere from two to four host cities.
The first problem: How to transport players from all over the globe to the host cities. What travel restrictions must be overcome? At the moment, anyone entering Canada from another country, including the United States, must quarantine for 14 days. So if training camp is 10 days, don’t you actually need to block off 24 days before playing a game? The quarantine rule could be lifted soon, but what does “soon” mean, and does it mean permanently lifted?
And then there is the issue of testing the players, referees, stadium-operations staff, club officials, etc., for the coronavirus. Which tests will they use? Do we even know if there are any reliable tests on the market? Anecdotal evidence makes me ask that question: Facebook friend and former USA Today baseball writer Mel Antonen, battling COVID-19 for weeks, posted Sunday, two days before he was taken to the emergency room: “Getting negative and positive tests, but the way I feel, the negatives feel more accurate. I’m going to be fine, but there are glitches.”about:blank
New disease, new tests, new possible treatments, a lot of learning as we go. What applies today might not tomorrow.
In the early stages of the virus invading the United States, NIAID director Dr. Anthony Fauci, said during a video interview with USA Today: “You don’t need to be walking around with a mask right now. Masks, quite frankly, are more important for people who are infected to prevent them from infecting someone else.”
That thinking has changed, and to go out in public without one now in some places is to put oneself at risk of getting fined, not to mention being on the receiving end of dirty looks. I went for a walk Friday and was carrying a mask, ready to put it on if I came within 10 feet of another walker. A masked man from across the street spotted me, stopped dead in his tracks, made an exaggerated sign of the cross and said a prayer for me. Since his lips were covered with a mask, I couldn’t read them, so I’ll have to guess: “Dear Lord, please give this ignorant slug the courage to table all common sense and take his every marching order from the authorities. If there is one thing we don’t need at this time, it’s people thinking for themselves.”
Hockey players won’t be required to wear masks on the ice, but will they have to wear them when walking from their hotel to the arena? What might someone who recognizes Brad Marchand have to say to him that he could use as fuel for that day’s game? If the hotel is too far, surely gathering in the close quarters of a team bus wouldn’t be allowed, right? Will each player rent his own car and get to and from his workplace that way? And after the game is played in an empty arena, where several teams per day will play, is showering out of the question? Will they have to walk or drive back to the hotel in uniform to shower there?
Who will feed them? Someone will have to wash their clothes, not just their uniforms, but the clothes they wear when not at the arena.
If Major League Baseball is up and running at the same time, how will regional TV scheduling conflicts be addressed?
That shouldn’t be a problem for national TV if the Stanley Cup playoffs are taking place from July 24 through Aug. 9. NBC was supposed to be televising the Olympic Games then, so there should be plenty of programming slots available. Despite the strange vibe that comes with no fans in the stands, ratings likely would be great. Even sports fans new to hockey might tune in and get hooked.
Unlike in baseball, where the owners and players would have to renegotiate contracts in a way that motivates both sides to want to return, that’s not a problem with hockey. The players and owners work under a salary cap with what’s known as a “true-up of revenues.”
So they’re joined at the hip.
Say a player has a $1 million salary. If the revenues fall short of anticipated, after all the salaries are combined together, the player might end up only getting $850,000. Or, if revenues end up being more than anticipated against the dollar level that’s in a player’s contract, he would get a check for more money than his salary. In the early years of the salary cap the latter scenario tended to happen, but for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the weakening of the Canadian dollar, that hasn’t been the case in recent years.
So it’s good that the two sides don’t have to argue over how the money will be divided. Normally, that would be considered a big hurdle, but these are not normal circumstances.
That brings us right back to where we started. There’s a shared, strong will to return to play NHL games, all right, but is there a way?
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The NBA is willing to wait quite a while to get the season restarted. Of course, the current campaign is on pause amid the COVID-19 outbreak, but slowly *some* normalcy is beginning to resume. Teams are able to reopen their facilities on a limited basis if it complies with state requirements, and commissioner Adam Silver…
The NBA is willing to wait quite a while to get the season restarted. Of course, the current campaign is on pause amid the COVID-19 outbreak, but slowly *some* normalcy is beginning to resume. Teams are able to reopen their facilities on a limited basis if it complies with state requirements, and commissioner Adam Silver has started talking to the players’ association about possible restart plans. But things remain plenty uncertain, which is little surprise given the impact and unpredictability of the pandemic. And while Labor Day initially was named as a time frame for the current season to be completed by, it appears it could be even later than that. Los Angeles Lakers forward Jared Dudley indicated on Twitter that the league might be willing to wait until October to crown a champion.
Gerry Cheevers believes the Boston Bruins’ bright present will reap future glory. The Bruins legend predicted Thursday in a virtual town hall with season ticket holders the team would win the Stanley Cup Final in the near future. “It’s obviously a great franchise,” Cheevers said, according to NHL.com’s Amalie Benjamin. “Just stick by them. They’re going…
Gerry Cheevers believes the Boston Bruins’ bright present will reap future glory. The Bruins predicted Thursday in a virtual town hall with season ticket holders the team would win the Stanley Cup Final in the near future. “It’s obviously a great franchise,” Cheevers said, according to NHL.com’s Amalie Benjamin. “Just stick by them. They’re going to win the Cup soon.” Cheevers based his prediction on the enduring quality of the Bruins’ front office and players. “They’ve done a great job, that organization,” he said. “I don’t know what the format’s going to be or what’s going to happen. You (drafted) a guy like Patrice Bergeron (in 2003) — when I still worked for the Bruins (as a scout) … — and Zdeno Chara. I worked with Tuukka (Rask) a little bit. These are good people. The Bruins have done a good job in hiring and signing and recruiting classy players and certainly Patrice Bergeron is the A-1 example of that. And you like being associated with people like that.” The Bruins rebounded from last season’s Stanley Cup Final heartbreak nicely in 2019-20. They were leading the NHL after 70 games with 100 points when the season paused in March. Cheevers seemingly has faith the high-performing group will recover their place atop the NHL heap when the players return from hiatus the coronavirus outbreak prompted. And the Hockey Hall of Famer knows a thing or two about what makes a winning team. He played for the Bruins between 1967 and 1972 and between 1975 and 1980, winning two Stanley Cup Final with the big, bad B’s in the process.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver joined the NBA players on a Player’s Association conference call on Friday and in no uncertain terms laid out the immediate future of the league as he knows it. Read More
OK. We’re all itching to get sports back to some capacity after nearly two months without it due to the COVID-19 outbreak. One NBA coach, however, is worried about a hasty return. As of Friday, the league is allowing teams to reopen their practice facilities while testing players and staff (asymptomatic or not) for the…
Doc Rivers Is Concerned About Hasty Return To NBA Action Amid COVID-19 Outbreak — NESN.com As of Friday, the league is allowing teams to reopen their practice facilities while testing players and staff (asymptomatic or not) for the coronavirus beforehand. At least three teams — the Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers and Cleveland Cavaliers — have reopened their facilities, while a handful of others — including the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and the Orlando Magic — are gearing up for their own reopening. But Clippers head coach Doc Rivers just hopes things don’t move too hastily. “I’m worried, because you should be,” Rivers said on the latest edition of the “Hoops, Adjacent” podcast, as transcribed by The Athletic. “I’m not smart enough to know what this virus is or does. We do know it affects most people when they’re in a group setting, and it doesn’t affect you at all when you’re by yourself. You know? We already know that. Listen, I’m not young (58), but I guess I’m young enough … I don’t know. Would I say I do it without fear? Of course not. You’ve got to have some fear in all this … until (there’s a vaccine), no one can tell me they’re going to do anything and feel comfortable doing it. I just don’t know how we get there.” RIvers certainly isn’t alone with his concerns. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who has been a vocal leader for the NBA during the pandemic, has been cautious about when to reopen Dallas’ facilities. He even went as far as saying, “the risk isn’t worth the reward.” Portland Trail Blazers star CJ McCollum also is concerned about the speed at which the NBA resumes. Though he appreciates workouts are optional, the 28-year-old guard says he sometimes wonders, “Is it worth it?” Well, we’ll soon find out.
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball will cut its amateur draft from 40 rounds to five this year, a move that figures to save teams about $30 million. Clubs gained the ability to reduce the draft as part of their March 26 agreement with the players’ association and MLB plans to finalize a decision next…
Things are happening in the NBA, sort of. We’re still at the mercy of the COVID-19 pandemic for the return of actual games, but Friday the league allowed its teams to open facilities in markets where local quarantine regulations have loosened. Additionally, in Friday evening a conference call with the NBA’s player association, Adam Silver…
Additionally, in Friday evening a conference call with the NBA’s player association, Adam Silver covered a lot of ground as to what the league is envisioning for a plan to return. NBA Insiders Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN and Shams Charania of The Athletic were all over the commissioner’s updates, updating followers with a storm of tweets. Here’s what they both reported throughout the evening. Despite the financial challenges it causes, don’t expect fans. We probably already knew this was the case, but since fans account for 40% of the league’s revenue, the NBA will be looking to find creative ways to deliver its product to fans. The NBA is taking a massive hit this season no matter which way they spin it, but seeing how motivated the owners are to lead the way in restarting the world economy through sports in encouraging. Though, Silver telling players to prepare for the possibility of playing without spectators through next season is sobering.
NEW TAIPEI CITY, Taiwan (AP) — There were fans in the stands for baseball in Taiwan on Friday, albeit spaced far apart as a safeguard against the spread of the coronavirus.
Up to 1,000 spectators are now allowed at each ballpark in Taiwan, but they are still barred from bringing in food and concession stands are still closed.
“This means our government’s disease control measures are quite rigorous,” said 34-year-old fan Frank Cheng, an electronics industry worker from New Taipei City.
Cheng went to see his hometown Fubon Guardians play the UniLions with four of his friends. Their body temperature was checked at the entrance and they all sat at least three seats apart.
Before the game started, Taiwan health and welfare minister Chen Shih-chung appeared at home plate wearing jersey No. 0, an emblem of the government’s hope for zero coronavirus cases.
When the season opened on April 11 after a three-week delay, only players, team personnel and cheerleaders were allowed in the stadium. The league later proposed allowing 200 fans per game and the Centers for Disease Control gave clearance for 1,000, league spokesman Tai Si-song said.
But instead of dancing together in support of their teams, Guardian fans stood on their own moving to the cues of cheerleaders and mascots. Friends leaned across seats to talk to one another while security guards told people wandering around the aisles to find a place to sit.
When the Guardians scored, fans still shouted through the team’s signature blue bullhorns to the drum rhythms coming from behind first base. Cheerleaders, the only people in the stands without facemasks, led the usual chants.
“There’s plenty of social distance here,” said Guardians fan Sun Ming, a 29-year-old finance sector worker from New Taipei City. “I think the disease prevention is quite effective and therefore we can have this chance to attend the game.”
The Taiwan league has five teams and started its season ahead of professional baseball in Japan, South Korea and the United States.
As of Friday, stadiums will leave three seats between spectators, even if they come in groups. Every second row will be left empty, ensuring no one coughs on someone else from behind. The league’s smallest stadium at 11,000 seats can accommodate 1,000 people with that spacing plan and without opening the bleachers, Tai said.
“If we were to add people, that would impinge on the safe space,” Tai said.
In New Taipei City, about 900 people bought tickets to watch the Fubon Guardians at the 12,500-seat venue, the club said. Tickets were still selling into the second inning.
A second league game was taking place at the same time in Taiwan’s largest stadium, which has 19,000 seats.
Games in previous years averaged 6,000 fans each.
The government in Taiwan reported 440 coronavirus cases on Friday among a population of 23 million. Many Taiwanese still stay indoors after work in case the coronavirus outbreak suddenly worsens.
The view from left field 