Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Players told of losses with empty stadiums
Major League Baseball told players their prorated salaries would contribute to an average loss of $640,000 for each game over an 82-game season in empty ballparks, according to a presentation from the commissioner’s office to the union that was obtained by The Associated Press.
Teams say the proposed method of salvaging a season delayed by the coronavirus pandemic would still cause a $4 billion loss and would give major league players 89 percent of revenue.
They contend they lose more money with each additional game played. The players’ union, however, believes clubs would lose less money with more games. In addition, many teams and/or their owners have stakes in their regional sports network that would benefit from additional games.
MLB and the union agreed to a March 26 deal in which players would get a prorated share of their salaries during a shortened season. As part of the agreement, $170 million in salaries are being advanced through May 24. If the season is scrapped, players are guaranteed service time equal to what they accrued in 2019, a key to gaining eligibility for salary arbitration and free agency.
■ According to a draft of Major League Baseball’s proposed 2020 Operations Manual obtained by The Associated Press, MLB encourages social distancing rules intended to prevent the spreading of coronavirus if games were to start up in 2020. The manual covers virus testing, travel, on field accustoms and other issues that may come up.
■ Former manager Art Howe is in intensive care in a Houston hospital with the coronavirus. The 73-year-old Howe was best known as the manager of the “Moneyball” Oakland playoff teams.
COVID-19: Athletics:
THE obituary said Vicki Jean Spoonhour was 63 when she died, that she was the former wife of UNLV basketball coach Charlie Spoonhour. And that the two shared a love for music, the St. Louis Cardinals and rescuing injured, neglected and mistreated animals.
When Vicki died April 30, she left behind years of memories with “Spoon,” who preceded her in death in 2012 after being diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis.
She also left behind four dogs and seven cats. Talk about a deep bench. The pets are being cared for by Cynthia Bruce (and her friend Sue Sandoval), who babysat the menagerie when the Spoonhours traveled on vacation and to Cardinals spring training — they were friends with St. Louis manager Tony La Russa, himself an animal rescuer and advocate — and when Charlie had lung transplant surgery at Duke University Medical Center.
One of the dogs, a mini poodle named Lewis, is blind and hard of hearing. But he still gets around well with his brother Pancake, and the other little dogs named Wylie and Little. The seven cats are Coco and Chanel; Benny and Jett; Trumper, Rainbow and Priscilla.
“Every pet they had, they rescued,” Bruce said of the Spoonhours’ devotion to animals. “I’m taking care of them the way Vicki would have done it — trying to find the best homes, the best situation, trying to honor her wishes.”
She is hoping to find a few
Rebels fans or pet lovers to honor the coach and his wife by adopting one (or more) of their “babies.” She can be reached via email at cyrblv@gmail.com.
Around the horn
■ More from Las Vegas’ Kurt Busch about NASCAR’s Sunday reboot at Darlington, South Carolina: “It will be exciting, to say the least. When I ran the Indianapolis 500 a few years ago, everybody was hyped up and going three wide into Turn 1. This will be the same thing for us.”
■ To which his younger brother Kyle promptly disagreed during remarks to NBCSN: “For me, I’m going to fire off the race around 50 percent at Turn 1. When the first caution flies around lap 30 … I think that will be firing off time and (everyone will be) ready to go after it.”
■ The NFL Films series “NFL 100: Greatest” continues on NBC this weekend with the greatest games, game changers and plays. The Raiders will be featured in two: Former owner, general manager and coach Al Davis was ranked the No. 3 Game Changer; Franco Harris’ “Immaculate Reception” touchdown catch-and-run for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1972 AFC Divisional Playoffs against the Raiders was tabbed the NFL’s Greatest Play of all time.
■ The annual American Motorcycle Association Supercross event — which packed them in at Sam Boyd Stadium before social distancing — has been canceled. Originally scheduled April 25, the Las Vegas race will not be made up this year as the series will conclude with seven made-for-TV races at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City beginning May 31. The races will air on NBCSN Sundays and Wednesdays through June 21.
■ An aerial photo of Allegiant Stadium has social media users comparing the spectacular new home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders to a Roomba. For those not domestically inclined, a Roomba is a robotic vacuum cleaner that doesn’t work nearly as well as a Hoover pushed by hand.
0:01
The running of the Preakness was supposed to be Saturday, so Las Vegas-based pro sports bettor — and former Pimlico Race Course oddsmaker and analyst — Frank Carulli shared Preakness anecdotes via email. One was about when Stephen A. Smith appliying for press box credentials for the 2004 running after the deadline.
This was before he went to ESPN and become both famous and somewhat irritating. The bombastic Smith received a surprise that (nearly) rendered him speechless.
“You’re in the auxiliary press box on the second floor,” he was told.
Carulli said Smith was sent to the musty receptacle, whose primary features were moldy folding tables and chairs, a musty odor and a view of the Pimlico backstretch far removed from the 124,351 spectators.