Jays, Orioles fostering intense rivalry
AARHUS, Denmark — Like Russia’s star Alex Ovechkin, the International Ice Hockey Federation thinks NHL players need not miss the 2018 Winter Olympics — though team owners likely now need a “game-changer” offer on the table.
“We are continuing to try to find solutions,” the governing body’s general secretary Horst Lichtner told The Associated Press on Tuesday, after the NHL said it would not take part in the games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Lichtner spent much of the day in talks with IOC officials and winter sports leaders about the NHL’s announcement late Monday. The league ended negotiations aimed at ensuring it would shut down for the Olympic period in February and let its superstars play in South Korea.
Ovechkin said Tuesday he would play at the games anyway, suggesting the NHL was bluffing.
Lichtner also said the door is not closed, though he acknowledged that the Switzerland-based IIHF must make a better offer.
“Then we can re-open the discussion, maybe not for ever but to come back with some so-called game changers to the (NHL team) owners which would then probably help to find a better decision than we have now,” he said.
The IIHF had already agreed to meet players’ travel and insurance costs when the IOC ended its longtime commitment to pay. The NHL sought more concessions, but the IOC would not concede a share of marketing rights to a commercial league.
Lichtner said the IIHF was focused on a five-year plan for the sport in Asia, leading up to the 2022 Beijing Winter Games in the coveted Chinese market.
“We have a strategy and that would of course be easier and much nicer if this is with the NHL than without,” the German official said of a plan that includes the Russiabased KHL.
A Chinese delegation is due to attend the annual world championships, staged in May in France and Germany.
Though a two-Olympic deal was part of recent NHL talks, Lichtner did not rule out finding a separate solution to the Beijing Olympics.
“I don’t think we should predict now what will happen until 2022,” he said. “We will always try to do the best for ice hockey — and this is put the best players on the ice and let them play, because they want it.”
BALTIMORE — For too many years, the Red Sox had noted Jays killer David Ortiz while John Farrell, the manager most reviled in Toronto still runs the Fenway Park dugout.
The Yankees are still the Yankees, a division rival whose fans flood over the New York- Ontario border to invade the Rogers Centre whenever they play in Toronto.
Those two American League East rivals aren’t going anywhere, but the Orioles are certainly muscling their way into the conversation of the Jays most despised division foes.
Recent history — including the thoroughly entertaining opening day, 11-inning thriller at Camden Yards on Monday — is certainly trending the rivalry in that direction.
Baltimore centre fielder Adam Jones, for one, believes there’s something there and it has more to do than his ongoing spat with Jays slugger Jose Bautista, a chirp-fest that dates back a couple of years.
“It’s become a rivalry now,” Jones said following Monday’s 3-2 Orioles win. “They are two great teams and the respect is there for both.”
Credit to the schedule-maker for cueing this one up, considering the Orioles stewed all winter about their AL wild-card playoff loss in Toronto last October. The fans were ready and so were the Orioles, in what was a highly entertaining opening day.
A rivalry has much more meaning when there’s more than bad blood, however. Competitiveness is a requisite and with both teams coming off playoff berths and intent on repeating again this season, the head-to-head meetings are even further enhanced.
Lately, there hasn’t been much to choose between the two. After Monday’s win, the O’s and Jays have met 58 times since 2014 with an all square 29-29 record.
To stoke the ill will, Orioles VP Dan Duquette won’t let up on his “Baltimore fans hate Bautista” commentary. The Camden Yards faithful took the cue on Monday, lustily booing the Jays slugger in each of his six plate appearances.
And then there was the parallel to the wild-card playoff drama when the Jays won in the 11th inning on a walk-off Edwin Encarnacion homer. On Monday, the Orioles flipped that bat with a Mark Trumbo blast in their 11th for the win. Weird, right? “Doesn’t seem weird at all,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “It seemed appropriate. How’s that?”
With 18 more meetings this season, including Wednesday’s conclusion of this mini two-game series, plenty of encore opportunities await.
OH OH OSUNA
Even though the Jays loss came in a scenario that wouldn’t necessarily have had closer Roberto Osuna in the game and even though the five relievers that saw action were generally solid, the concern over the bullpen ace’s absence won’t go away.
The good news for the Jays, however, is that Osuna isn’t being shut down because of the neck injury that has him on the 10-day disabled list. Osuna was throwing on the field on Monday to help keep his fitness and arm strength.
“It’s more that (stiffness in his neck) just hasn’t gotten out,” Jays general manager Ross Atkins said. “It’s not a complete shutdown but a shift in his routine.
“There will be a lot less intensity because he’s not having to get ready going into a game. We felt like with a moderate continuation of his development that we had a better chance to have him put his best foot forward the day he pitches.”
Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see if manager John Gibbons alters his approach for fill-in closer going forward. Joe Biagini was strong in 1.2 innings of setup work while Jason Grilli took the loss with the slider Trumbo rocked out of the park in the bottom of the 11th.
HAPP-Y TIMES
The Jays will turn to 20-game winner J.A. Happ in their attempt to earn a mini-series split Wednesday night.
“I feel pretty good execution wise,” Happ said of his work this spring. “I take that as a positive and I’ll just keep trending in the right direction.
“I’m ready when my name is called and I’m excited to get this thing going.”
Happ, who was efficient over his four Grapefruit League starts yielding a stingy 1.76 ERA, is also slated to pitch the Jays home opener next Tuesday.
The Orioles will counter with Dylan Bundy, who is coming off a strong rookie season that finished with a 10-6 record and 4.02 ERA.