Trying times ahead IMPACT ON SPORTS
Gobert makes $500,000 pledge to help with relief, NBA shutdown For these athletes, this is a spring break they wanted no part of Avila says Tigers riding out wait; Reds’ Bauer organizing sandlot game
Rudy Gobert of the Jazz offered the first of what he said will be “many steps” he will take to help with the coronavirus pandemic, pledging Saturday to donate more than $500,000 to relief efforts.
Gobert, who was the first NBA player to test positive for COVID-19 — a diagnosis that prompted the NBA to suspend its season for at least a month — said he is giving $200,000 to part-time employees at the arena that plays host to Jazz games to help cover their lost wages.
He also pledged $100,000 each to assist families affected by the pandemic in Oklahoma City, where he was when the diagnosis came, and Utah. He also is giving 100,000 Euros ($111,450 USD) to relief efforts in France, earmarking that for childcare assistance to health care workers as well as for caregivers to the elderly.
“I know there are countless ways that people have been impacted,” Gobert said in a release distributed by the Jazz. “These donations are a small token that reflect my appreciation and support for all those impacted and are the first of many steps I will take to try and make a positive difference, while continuing to learn more about COVID-19 and educate others.”
Gobert was diagnosed Wednesday, moments before the Jazz were to play in Oklahoma City against the Thunder. That game was called off, the league said it was suspending operations after the slate of games that night was completed, and a subsequent Pelicans-Kings game in Sacramento was also canceled because one of the referees in that game had worked a Jazz game two nights earlier.
Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell also tested positive for COVID-19. He released a video Saturday thanking fans for their continued support.
“It means a lot to me,” Mitchell said. “I feel fine. Things are going well. Just taking the proper precautions. So, I’m solo in here, playing video games all day and can’t wait to get back out there on the floor.”
■ An elementary school student in Rhode Island tested positive for the coronavirus after getting an autograph from Gobert, officials told NBC10. The student reportedly attended the Jazz and Celtics game in Boston on March 6, which was five days before Gobert became the first of at least two NBA players to test positive for COVID-19. It’s impossible to know whether the child contracted the virus from Gobert or elsewhere. A preschooler in the same Rhode Island town of Westerly tested positive after going on a cruise ship to the Bahamas, according to the report.
■ Pistons forward Christian Wood has tested positive for the coronavirus, a person with direct knowledge of the situation said Saturday night. Wood is feeling fine, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the Pistons nor Wood had publicly confirmed his positive result. Wood’s diagnosis became known one week after he played against the Jazz — spending much of that night matched up with Gobert.
OMAHA, Neb. — Creighton right-hander Ben Dotzler was supposed to be in the bullpen at TD Ameritrade Park this weekend, readying himself to pitch against Northern Colorado.
Molly Little, who plays lacrosse for Denver, expected to be on the road for a much anticipated match against Michigan, the team the Pioneers beat to reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament last year.
Avrey Steiner thought she would be with her softball teammates for Illinois’ first home games of the season against Bowling Green and Green Bay.
Everything changed for thousands of college athletes when the NCAA announced Thursday it was canceling all spring sports championships, along with remaining winter championships, because of the coronavirus pandemic. Conferences followed, saying they were temporarily or permanently shutting down their regular seasons. Suddenly, athletes who put in long hours juggling commitments to their sports and academics had lots of free time.
And they’re miserable.
“We didn’t work a whole year,” Dotzler said, “to play 15 games.”
Little said she woke up at 6:30 every morning to go to the training room to rehab an injury and stretch before lifting weights and running — all before going to a 2 1⁄2-hour practice and then her classes.
“There’s nothing that can prepare you for the feeling of your season being done, and it’s not because you lost in NCAAs,” Little said. “I spent many hours crying with teammates. You work your whole life to get to this point, to play on this big stage, and to have it taken from you is devastating.”
Steiner said she was doing fine emotionally until she started cleaning out her locker Friday.
“That really got me,” she said. “A lot of people are going to say, ‘Oh, yeah, this is like a week off or getting a couple days off. I guarantee you it’s going to hit me and other people in the coming weeks.”
Some good news arrived on Friday when the NCAA informed schools that spring athletes would be given another year of eligibility to make up for their lost season. Details must be worked out. States Fort, a senior on the Coastal Carolina men’s golf team, hopes to return for another year even though he’ll graduate in May.
“I would try to make it work with grad courses,” he said. “I would do everything in my power as long as the finances are there. I would love to come back and play with these guys.”
Not all seniors will be able to take advantage of being granted an extra year. Some already have jobs lined up. Others have been accepted into graduate programs at other schools. There are athletes who currently are on partial scholarships, and they may not be able to afford paying the difference for another year.
Though the eligibility extension offers some consolation, it will be impossible for athletes to duplicate the experiences of playing with their 2020 teams.
LAKELAND, Fla. — Most of his lieutenants have already bugged out. The scouts are home. The analytics staff is home. The media relations people are checking out soon. The minor league side is mostly vacated. Manager Ron Gardenhire is back with his wife and grandkids in Fort Myers.
And yet, like all good leaders, Al Avila will be the last man standing.
“It has been kind of weird,” said Avila, the Tigers general manager. “Nobody has ever gone through anything like this.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has shut down baseball. Spring training is over. The Tigers players voted on Friday to remain in Lakeland and continue training on their own at TigerTown. But nobody knows, nobody can know, when things will get back to normal.
“The closest thing to this I can remember was being with the Miami Marlins, I was assistant general manager, when 9-11 hit and baseball stopped,” Avila said. “That changed everybody’s lives. This is the coronavirus and not an attack on us, but I remember sitting around waiting for instructions from Major League Baseball.” Just as he is doing now.
“The two situations are different, for sure, but there’s things that happen that are unprecedented and you don’t know how to deal with,” he said. “You just make decisions based on the information you are given.”
The TigerTown facility was closed Saturday and Sunday for what Avila called a deep cleaning. No Tigers’ player or staff member has been tested for the virus.
“The players had the option to go home, or back to Detroit or stay here in the Lakeland area,” Avila said. “They will have use of the facility here. After my meeting (Friday), they had a team meeting and my understanding is they all voted to stay.
“We will see if they all show up on Monday, but my expectation is that they all will.”
Charitable action: Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer says he is organizing a “sandlot” baseball game.
He also is trying to raise $1 million for Major League Baseball game day staff who could be affected by the league’s decision to delay the regular season at least two weeks because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Bauer tweeted an invitation on Friday to all MLB and minor league players remaining in Arizona to see if anyone wanted to take part in the pickup game. Several players — including Diamondbacks outfielder Josh Rojas and Padres outfielder Tommy Pham — responded that they were interested.
Bauer has not publicly given any information about the time or location of the game. Reds pitcher David Carpenter initially proposed the idea of a game to Bauer, who organized the fundraiser. Bauer says any content or live streams would be shared through his website Momentum.
On Saturday, Bauer tweeted a link to a fundraising account encouraging people to donate toward the $1 million goal. The site raised more than $10,000 less than 30 minutes after he sent out the tweet.