Major League Baseball in Phoenix
Major League Baseball and the players’ association discussed placing all 30 teams in the Phoenix area this season and playing in empty ballparks
Potential sites include Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, 10 spring training facilities and other fields that are nearby.
The concept is still in the early stage, and the Arizona option would have many obstacles to overcome
Half of the MLB clubs hold spring training in Arizona, the other half in Florida.
Arizona’s advantage is 10 spring training ballparks plus the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Chase Field all within about 50 miles.
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Kaline Passes
Detroit Tigers legend Al Kaline has died at the age of 85,
No cause of death was cited.
Kaline spent 22 years in the majors, all with the Tigers and was an 18-time All-Star,
During his career, Kaline won 10 Gold Gloves as outfielder and was a member of the Tigers' 1968 World Series-winning team.
Kaline was the 12th player in Major League history to reach the 3,000-hit plateau & finished his career with 399 home runs & was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980 in his first year of eligibility.
UFC 249
Tony Ferguson will fight Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title in the main event of UFC 249 on April 18th.
The mixed martial arts promotion announced the main event matchup yesterday.
Gaethje replaces lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov, who is apparently unable to leave Russia during the coronavirus pandemic.
Although UFC President Dana White hasn't announced a venue for UFC 249, he remains determined to hold a pay-per-view show this month.
NFL Draft
The National Football League draft will be conducted in a virtual format, with team personnel working from their homes.
In a memo sent to the 32 teams yesterday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell outlined procedures for the draft which will be conducted from April 23rd-25th
The memo instructed clubs to conduct their draft operations remotely, with club personnel separately located in their homes.
All NFL facilities were closed on March 26 and Goodell has ordered them to remain shut indefinitely.
NBA Draft
The National Basketball Association has delivered a series of guidelines to teams in advance of the NBA Draft.
Among the items, teams may not conduct or attend any workouts with draft-eligible players
Plus, teams also are being prohibited from watching, requesting, or sharing any video (live or recorded) of a draft-eligible player or prospective early entry player taking part in a workout” during the league’s shutdown.
The NBA draft is scheduled for June 25.
The league shut down on March 11th after Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz tested positive for COVID-19
British Open & The Masters
The Royal & Ancient announced it has cancelled the 2020 Open Championship that was scheduled for Royal St. George’s in England from July 12-19.
It's the first time since 1945 that the Open Championship won't be contested
The 149th Open will remain at Royal St George’s from 11-18 July 2021,
The Masters Golf Championship has set a target date of November 9-15 for the 2020 major,
Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, made the announcement yesterday.