(“The TEN” is not a top ten but ten items worth being included in “The TEN”)
1. The Dodgers Justin Turner suggested that there should be a home run derby to decide games that are tied after 10 innings. He said this should only be for the 2020 season since there will be a condensed schedule with sparse days off and regular doubleheaders.
2. Former Harvard-Westlake standout Johnny Juzang, a 6-6 shooting guard who spent his freshman year at Kentucky, announced that he is transferring to UCLA.
3. The NBA announced that players will receive their full paychecks on April 15, even though no games will have been played for more than a month.
4. A bat used by New York Yankees legend Lou Gehrig sold for more than $1 million at an auction in Dallas, Texas last week.
5. The Rams are set to trade wide receiver Brandin Cooks to the Houston Texans for a second round draft pick and a future pick sources say.
6. Former Rams players Todd Gurley and Clay Matthews, who were both released on March 19th, tweeted that the team still owes them money and is behind on their paychecks.
7. “The first day barbers are cleared to resume work I’ll live stream the lines waiting to enter. It will be HUGE.” – LA Times prep sportswriter Eric Sondheimer on Twitter.
8. The Mira Costa baseball program has donated $10,000 to groups to help with the COVID-19 crisis.
9. On this date in 1962 the first game was played at Dodger Stadium as 52,564 fans saw the Dodgers fall to the Cincinnati Reds 6-3.
10. Also on this date in 1947 Jackie Robinson became the first black player to sign a MLB contract as Brooklyn Dodger GM Branch Rickey announced that the team had bought Robinson’s contract from the Montreal Royals.
@ Anonymous: That quote is from the movie “Network,” which is about a “mad” news anchorman who crosses the line separating objective reporting from the advocacy journalism that’s commonplace today. The film came out in around 1975, so that dates me.
What’s going on now—socially, politically, and with the coronavirus—is so stark that it really doesn’t need to be sensationalized at all.
I have to admit I didn’t watch the O.J. police chase on live TV, and I’m glad I missed seeing Joe Theisman breaking his leg. I read the description in the L.A. Times sports section the next morning; that was enough for me.
Not so sure social distancing is going to work much longer. I drove along a section of Whittier Narrows park today and a large group of men were standing side by side waiting to play frisbee golf and the clincher was a sheriffs cruiser was driving in front of me totally unconcerned. This virus is gonna kill off a whole generation of baby boomers.
Hey Ron, I am not just speaking to you. Years ago, the news media new that if they showed burning fires in living color and they were first, more people would tune in to their station. Maybe, it’s something along the line of watching Joe Theisman’s broken leg on Monday night football, or the possibility of a burning human running out of that building. Remember the slowest car chase ever on the LA Freeways? Yes it was O.J. And I don’t mean Tropicana. “I’m made as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore “. LMAO. I am sure you and Tim will get it, but very few others.
@ Anonymous: You offer some pretty good advice. By the way, I own very little professional team gear, I don’t do social media, and most of my television watching is news-related. I’ll take in an occasional game when I’m not working or busy doing something else.
I believe the fact that NBA players are getting full pay despite there not being any games creates the impression that they’re not sharing in the sacrifices during this public health and economic crisis.
There would be a lot less consternation if all the players agreed to donate, say, 25% of their basketball income to hospitals, medical providers, food banks, or charitable groups.
Wow, now we get a social conscience. Thats the professional world of sports we live in today. If you have a problem with that contract the players signed, then:
1. Don’t buy any tickets.
2. Don’t buy their gear.
3. Unhook yourselves off of all the players social media accounts and “Social Distance” yourself for real.
4. Stop watching ESPN’s, Fox Sports’, “Just Don’t Do It”.
The bottom lines are, that we as consumers, created this special treatment of athletes. We care more about them, the athletes, then we do about 1st responders, and all the people who won’t be able to pay their medical bills. “Keep America Great”!
@ Three: America’s priorities and social class system at their “finest.” On an individual basis, the majority of us will have to get by on $1,200, and it looks like that’s all we’re going to get from the U.S. government.
Having been furloughed from two jobs because of the coronavirus, I’m still fortunate enough to have a good pension. Otherwise, I’d be totally out of luck.
Millions of people in this country are now completely jobless; I hope that everyone who has filed for state unemployment benefits will get the help they need.
I’m cautiously optimistic that we can start getting back to some form of normality by June, but everything will depend on how well we limit the impact of this disease over the next several weeks.
News that NBA ballers get full compensation while barbers and other small business operators rot on the vine has to make everyone proud.
From T. Peterson: I agree. It’s not cool.