“Cubs lefty José Quintana needed surgery to repair nerve damage in his pitching thumb after a dishwashing accident,” reports Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times. “For once it didn’t pay to work the edges of the plate.”
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Perry spotted this one from NFL Memes on Facebook, on QB Nick Foles getting a $24-million contract — $21 million of it guaranteed — from the Bears: “Meanwhile, the Patriots just signed Cam Newton for less than he was making at Auburn.”
While Bayern Munich won soccer’s Bundesliga championship, the league’s greatest accomplishment may have been getting through its restarted season without even one positive test for the coronavirus. . . . How did it accomplish that? . . . There is much more on that story right here.
With FC Dallas having had nine players and a coach test positive, its opener at the MLS is Back Tournament in Orlando has been postponed. Originally scheduled to be played on July 9, a new date has yet to be set. . . . The Vancouver Whitecaps, who were to supply the opposition, have yet to leave for Orlando, although that departure may take place today (Monday). Their first game now is scheduled for July 15 against the San Jose Earthquakes. . . . The Colorado Rapids were to have flown to Florida on Sunday, but have delayed their departure after two presumptive positive tests. Now they may fly on Tuesday, depending on the lab results.
After reading reports that the NFL may have fans sign COVID-19 waivers before attending games, Bob Molinaro of the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot wrote: “On any given Sunday . . . you might go home with coronavirus.”
The Atlanta Braves have four players who tested positive, including Freddie Freeman, one of MLB’s top players. According to his wife, Chelsea, he has “body aches, headaches, chills and a high fever.” . . . Pete Kozma also is showing symptoms, while Touki Toussaint and Will Smith are asymptomatic. . . . Meanwhile, Eric Young Sr., Atlanta’s first-base coach, has opted out. He is 53. He apparently is considered high risk, although the team didn’t explain. . . . Atlanta also lost P Felix Hernandez, who also has decided to opt out. Hernandez, 34, signed with Atlanta in the off-season after spending 15 years with the Seattle Mariners. . . .
In San Francisco, Giants C Buster Posey says he hasn’t decided whether he will play. . . . According to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco, Posey took part in his first workout on Saturday, and later said: “I definitely think there’s still some reservation on my end as well. I want to see how things progress here the next couple of weeks. It would be a little bit maybe naive or silly not to gauge what’s going on around you, not only what’s going on here, but what’s happening in different parts of the country. “I’m going to watch what’s going on and keep communicating with my wife.” . . .
The Miami Marlins said they have had four players test positive. One was from intake screening on Wednesday. The other three tested positive during the previous two weeks and have been in self quarantined. . . .
Two players with the New York Yankees — 2B DJ LeMahieu and P Luis Cessa — tested positive. Both are self-isolating at home after testing positive before leaving for New York. . . .
The St. Louis Cardinals announced that P Genesis Cabrera and P Ricardo Sanchez have tested positive. The positive tests came up two days after the players returned to St. Louis. . . .
Mike Matheny, the Kansas City Royals’ manager, revealed that he tested positive “about a month ago.” He and his wife, who was negative, self-quarantined and he has since tested negative. He is the first MLB manager to say he had the coronavirus. . . . Royals C Salvador Perez also has tested positive and is in self-isolation, although he is asymptomatic. . . .
P David Price of the Los Angeles Dodgers has said he won’t play this season, citing via Twitter “the best interest of my health and my family’s health. . . .” Price, a five-time all-star, was acquired by the Dodgers from the Boston Red Sox during the off-season. . . .
OF Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels, perhaps the best player in baseball, said he isn’t “comfortable” with things right now and might opt out. His wife, Jessica Cox, is pregnant, something that is weighing heavily on his mind. . . .
The Minnesota Twins have four players who have tested positive, including 3B Miguel Sano and C Willians Astudillo, both of whom are asymptomatic and in quarantine. . . . INF Nick Gordon and P Edwar Colinas also tested positive, although Colinas has since tested negative. . . .
The Chicago White Sox have had two players test positive. Both are asymptomatic, have asked that their names not be released and are in self-quarantine. . . .
G Landry Shamet of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers has tested positive so likely won’t be joining his teammates in Orlando as the league prepares to resume its season. . . .
have an assistant coach poised to take over. . . . That changed when Dan Lambert left for the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres and Hamilton went outside his organization to hire Brad Ralph, who was gone after a 48-20-4 regular season and a trip to the Western Conference final. . . . Jason Smith, another outsider, was hired on July 6, 2016; his run ended on Oct. 22, 2018, with Hamilton saying that “we need to go in a different direction.” The Rockets were 4-10-0 at the time of the firing; Smith left with a 92-54-12 record in two-plus regular seasons. . . . At that time, Hamilton bypassed assistant coach Kris Mallette, this time hiring another outsider, former NHL defenceman Adam Foote. . . .
the plug on Foote, and this time he put Mallette in charge, albeit on an interim basis. Foote leaves with a 48-49-12 record, including 24-26-4 this season. . . .
TAKING NOTE 