Hometown Broadcasting Sports Monday 6/15/20
15 June 2020 Sports
The Major League Baseball Players Association asked MLB to set a schedule for the 2020 season rather than counter the latest return-to-play proposal by the league, setting the stage for MLB to implement a significantly shorter schedule and deepening the labor strife between the parties.
In a statement Saturday night, MLBPA executive director Tony Clark rejected MLB’s latest proposal and said: “Further dialogue with the league would be futile. It’s time to get back to work. Tell us when and where.”
A March agreement between the parties allows MLB to set a schedule, and the league has suggested that in the absence of a negotiated agreement with the union it could impose a schedule of somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 games and pay players full prorated salaries worth a total of around $1.25 billion. MLBPA lead negotiator Bruce Meyer, in a letter sent to deputy commissioner Dan Halem on Saturday night and obtained by ESPN, said: “We demand that you inform us of your plans by close of business on Monday, June 15.”
In a statement on Saturday night, MLB said in part: “We are disappointed that the MLBPA has chosen not to negotiate in good faith over resumption of play after MLB has made three successive proposals that would provide players, Clubs and our fans with an amicable resolution to a very difficult situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Upon any implementation of a schedule, players wouldn’t necessarily report to a second spring training immediately, sources told ESPN. The parties still do not have an agreement on a health-and-safety protocol and would need one before players arrive. Any season would be scheduled to start after a three-week spring training, though a coronavirus outbreak could change the league’s plans. Multiple players on 40-man rosters have tested positive for the virus recently, according to sources. If MLB does implement a season, both parties could file grievances to be heard by an arbitrator, though neither would necessarily delay games being played, sources said. The union could file a grievance that the league did not fulfill its obligation to play the most games possible, sources told ESPN. The March agreement says the league should use “best efforts to play as many games as possible, while taking into account player safety and health, rescheduling needs, competitive considerations, stadium availability, and the economic feasibility of various alternatives.” The league could likewise file a grievance over a lack of good faith negotiations regarding salary by the union, sources said.
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Denny Hamlin found the magic at Homestead-Miami Speedway, once again. Hamlin went to the lead for the final time with 30 laps left and held off Chase Elliott for his record-tying third NASCAR Cup Series victory at Homestead. Former drivers Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle are the other three-time winners. Hamlin is in the club now, after battling Elliott most of the night. Hamlin raced to his third victory of the season and 40th overall. He opened the season with a victory in the Daytona 500 and won at Darlington last month. At Homestead, he led 137 of 267 laps on the 1 1/2-mile track in Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 11 Toyota, finishing 0.895 ahead of Elliot. Ryan Blaney was third in the race delayed by rain and lightning. Tyler Reddick finished fourth and Aric Almirola came in fifth. Most of those fans were gone when Hamlin drove under the checkered flag at 10:46 p.m., ending the marathon day.
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The PGA Tour made a healthy and crowdless return Sunday as Daniel Berger won the Charles Schwab Challenge at the Colonial in a one-hole playoff over Collin Morikawa. One hole after a chance to win in regulation, Morikawa hit a superb pitch on the 17th hole in the playoff to 3 feet. Berger converted his simple up-and-down for par from behind the green, and Morikawa’s short par putt to extend the playoff hit the right side of the cup and spun out.
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A sign of a return to normalcy at Lambeau Field: the Packers Pro Shop will reopen on Monday, June 15th. The store with everything Packers has been closed since March 19th due to the pandemic. On the Packers website, it says the store will be using retail-sector, back-business precautionary guidelines offered by Brown County Public Health, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation and the CDC. Staff will be wearing masks, fitting rooms will be closed, and hand sanitizer will be available at the entrance and checkout registers. The Pro Shop encourages customers to wear masks as well. The store will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Only the entrances off Lombardi Avenue will be available. Other Lambeau Field Atrium businesses will remain closed, including the Packers Hall of Fame, Stadium Tours, and 1919 Kitchen & Tap. Team-run activities in the Titletown District will also not be returning yet. The playground, 46 Below, and The Turn will stay closed.
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J.J. Watt and Baker Mayfield have become the latest prominent league figures to address the possibility of players protesting social injustice and police brutality during the national anthem at NFL games this season.
The Texans’ five-time All-Pro defensive end responded with a clarifying message Saturday to a tweet suggesting Watt would not kneel during the anthem.
- A) don’t speak for me
B) if you still think it’s about disrespecting the flag or our military, you clearly haven’t been listening https://t.co/tnsEq5D9WC
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) June 13, 2020
Later Saturday, the Browns QB and No. 1 pick of the 2018 NFL Draft responded to an Instagram comment stating he will “absolutely” kneel during the anthem. Mayfield then issued a longer comment on the matter on his Instagram story:
Conversation surrounding potential mass player protests this season has increased in the past two weeks after Saints quarterback Drew Brees said in an interview that he “will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country.”
Brees’ comment sparked backlash from players across the sporting world, including many of his teammates. The QB apologized twice the following day and later responded to a critical tweet by President Donald Trump,
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