Page 19 - ARUBA TODAY

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SPORTS Thursday 19 March 2020
Continued from page 17 ies D-backs players would workers who will lose in-
As Yankees manager Aar- have now that there will come because of the de-
on Boone started driving be at least two months until lay to the season.
home from spring training opening day. He said the "Over the past 48 hours, I
in Tampa, Florida, to Con- team is encouraging play- have been approached
necticut, New York an- ers to stay in shape, but by representatives of all
nounced a second minor "we're not getting after it, 30 clubs to help assist the
league player tested posi- if that's what you're asking. thousands of ballpark em-
tive for coronavirus. They We're really pulling back." ployees affected by the
are the only two known Some of the big league delay," MLB commission-
baseball players who have Yankees have stayed in er Rob Manfred said in a
tested positive. Florida to work out, but statement. "Motivated by
"While under self-quaran- more may go home soon, desire to help some of the
tine, the player reported including reliever Zack Brit- most valuable members of
fatigue and an elevated ton. He said now that play- the baseball community,
body temperature to Yan- ers know there's going to each club has committed
kees medical personnel," be at least a two-month $1 million."
the Yankees said in a state- break, many might head Many ballpark employ-
ment. "The test was ad- home for at least a few ees are paid by the game
ministered on Sunday, and weeks. and will not have that in-
the player returned to self- "You don't want to just con- come during the delay. If
quarantine following the sistently be training at a re- the schedule is cut, their
positive results. ally, really high level when income likely would be re- Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner
"We can also report that we're not going to start ac- duced. (40) talks with manager Torey Lovullo, right, after leaving a
spring training baseball game after pitching a shutout into the
within the past 48 hours his tion again until another two "Our game-day staff are fourth inning against the Kansas City Royals, Monday, March 9,
symptoms have dissipat- months or so," Britton said. the familiar faces that 2020, in Scottsdale, Ariz.
ed." "You want to be healthy. It's our fans know and love," Associated Press
Lovullo said about half of his going to be tricky." Tampa Bay Rays president
big-league roster remains in MLB's teams have pledged Brian Auld said. "They are ballpark experience at are an essential part of our
the Arizona, though the D- $30 million for ballpark part of the fabric of the Tropicana Field, and they operations."q
backs have the advantage
of being based in Phoenix,
so several players also live
there during the offseason.
He said those who remain
are coming into the team's
facility in shifts no larger
than four or five in an effort
to make sure social distanc-
ing protocols are followed.
He said there's also a "skel-
eton staff" of team person-
nel assisting players.
"We're making sure that as
people are moving around
the facility that there's a lot
of space between every-
body and the area is being
cleaned as soon as those
people move on," Lovullo
said.
Lovullo said he hasn't been
at the facility because he's
had an eye infection and
his son just had his tonsils
removed. He's passing the
time by watching movies,
playing cards with his wife,
checking the news and
fighting boredom. He add-
ed that it's important ev-
eryone follows recommen-
dations to fight the spread
of coronavirus and that his
family is no different.
"I've gone from level 45 on
my landscape app game
to like level 295," Lovullo
said. "So I'm sitting around,
doing nothing, just like ev-
eryone else."
He said the team instructed
pitchers to ramp down their
activities.
Lovullo also said he didn't
know of any major surger-