(“The TEN” is not a top ten but ten items worth being included in “The TEN”)
1. Quarterback Tom Brady announced that he will not return to the New England Patriots and is expected to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
2. Former LA Charger quarterback Philip Rivers signed a one-year, $25 million deal with the Indianapolis Colts.
3. The Carolina Panthers signed quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to a three-year, $63 million deal.
4. Kevin Durant was one of four Brooklyn Nets players to test positive for the coronavirus. The Nets did not release the other names but Durant issued a statement. The Lakers, who were the last opponents of the Nets last week before games were suspended, will be tested Wednesday.
5. The Las Vegas Raiders signed tight end Jason Witten to a one-year, $4.75 million deal. The Raiders also signed former Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota Monday.
6. The Houston Texans traded receiver DeAndre Hopkins and a 2020 fourth round pick to the Arizona Cardinals for running back David Johnson and a 2020 second round pick and a 2021 fourth round pick.
7. The Baltimore Ravens signed former Rams defensive end Michael Brockers to a three-year, $30 million deal.
8. MLB announced that Opening Day will be pushed back to Mid-May due to the coronavirus.
9. The Minnesota Vikings traded receiver Stefon Diggs to the Buffalo Bills for four draft picks over the next two years.
10. The Miami Dolphins made Byron Jones the highest paid cornerback in the league with a five-year, $82.5 million deal. Jones spent the first five years of his career with the Dallas Cowboys.
Obviously, we should all do what we can to avoid contracting this virus, but that’s doubly hard because a newly infected individual won’t show symptoms for upwards of two weeks, and 80% of those who are already infected show little or no symptoms. In the absence of a vaccine to thwart this menace, the only weapon we have with which to fight this virus is a strong immune system.
To be exact, our immune system relies on the number and vibrancy of white blood cells. These are the components of our blood that surround invading microbes, literally starving them to death. Exercise adds to the white blood cell count, and probiotics eases their burden, freeing them to fight bacteria and viruses. I wish all of you the best in getting through this troubled time.
I think we’d be extremely fortunate to have any more than half of a normal baseball season, and that would happen only if things begin improving substantially in the near future.
Sadly, the statistical curve for the number of coronavirus cases in this country has been moving almost straight upward for the last 2-3 weeks.
The situation is very likely to continue getting worse for a while before it starts getting better. This could become the most serious public health crisis our country has faced since the influenza pandemic of 1918-19.
I’m an optimist by nature, but we have to prepare for the worst now. We have to take care of ourselves and each other first before we can consider resuming our normal activities, including sports.
Mid May MLB opening day is not going to happen as I doubt the ban on groups of 10 or more is not going away any time soon. By quarantine and separation we are buying time to get some sort of treatment going, The President’s press conference today with medical personnel and the Surgeon General shows that even the optimistic treatments will need to undergo normal clinical testing to show effectiveness and safety for the virus. Even optimistic view puts that months from now. If you noticed UC university system canceled graduations. (a lot more important to people than some ball game)
My prediction is the MLB will delay it and delay it, and if the need to pay their bills drives them to play ball too soon, the attendance will be puny. We should not let a TV contract endanger the public health.