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Coronavirus and Sports,..The Effects.

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Hunter Greene among 3 Reds pitchers placed on COVID-19 list


Reds right-handed pitcher Hunter Greene will miss at least a week after he was among three pitchers placed on the COVID-19 injured list, the team said Friday. "Hunter will be on the COVID list for seven days," Reds manager David Bell said. "He could pitch any time after that as long as he gets better each day. He could start on Friday. That would be the earliest."

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Two former Detroit Tigers scouts sue team alleging age discrimination

A pair of former Detroit Tigers scouts sued the team, alleging age discrimination over their terminations after the 2020 season. Gary Pellant and Randall Johnson filed the suit Thursday in U.S. District Court in Detroit, claiming a shift toward analytics was accompanied by a "false stereotype" that older scouts lacked acumen for newer scouting tools. They claim wrongful termination and post-termination employment interference in violation of the Age Discrimination and Enforcement Act of 1967 and violations of the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, a Michigan law that took effect in 1977. They also alleged disparate treatment age discrimination and/or disparate impact age discrimination in violation of the Elliott-Larsen act. They asked for back pay, front pay, and compensatory and punitive damages.

Seventeen former Major League Baseball scouts sued the league, its teams and commissioner Rob Manfred in June in U.S. District Court in Denver. They alleged violations of the ADEA along with laws in 11 states and New York City. Pellant, 68, is from Chandler, Arizona, and Johnson, 67, is from Valley Center, California. The pair said they worked for multiple teams for more than 20 years before they were let go by the Tigers on Oct. 31, 2020. The suit did not specify which other teams they worked for or when they were hired by the Tigers. The pair said that they were among four Tigers scouts over 60 who were terminated and that remaining scouts ranged in age from early 20s to early 50s. The suit said 51 of at least 83 "older scouts" were let go among the 30 teams.


"Defendant claims they terminated plaintiffs due to the financial hardship from the COVID-19 pandemic," the suit alleged. "COVID-19 was a pretextual reason to terminate plaintiffs' employment."

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wnba mock draft 2024: clark, brink hold tight at 1-2 pili up to seventh pick
The question for Brink, Clark and several other players is whether to declare for the 2024 draft or exercise the COVID-19 waiver and come back to college for a fifth season. With an NCAA title already under her belt, Brink might be ready to move on.


Top 5
No.1: (PG)Indiana - Catlin Clark, Iowa
Iowa is selling out home and away games; tickets are going for big bucks on the secondary market; and the cereal named after Clark sold out almost immediately in Iowa grocery stores. (Now it's being sold on eBay.) Analyst Debbie Antonelli refers to the Iowa star's impact as "Clarkonomics," and the Fever would love to be part of it. Clark is averaging 31.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 7.7 assists.
No.2: Los Angeles - (PF) Cameron Brinks, Stanford
The Sparks got a franchise-changing player in Nneka Ogwumike in 2012, and they might look to Brink as that type of player for the next generation. In the past year-plus, the Sparks have been focused on remaking themselves as a franchise. Brink -- averaging 17.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.3 blocks -- has the skill level to be star player, which could help a lot with that process. (Could return to college for 2024-25.)
No.3: Phoenix - (PG) Paige Bueckers, UConn
Bueckers has been outstanding in her return from a knee injury that kept her out last season, showing the scoring ability (19.8 PPG) and efficiency (55.9 FG%) that makes her such an enticing WNBA prospect -- especially for a team such as Phoenix, which could benefit from a dynamic young guard. However, some of the things Bueckers has said about her stay-or-go decision make you think she's leaning more toward staying at UConn. (Could return to college for two more seasons.)
No.4: Seattle - (C) Kamilla Cardoso, South Carolina
The Storm are trying to retool around star guard Jewell Loyd. Seattle's biggest need, admittedly, is point guard, although that might be addressed in free agency. Even if it isn't, Cardoso's size, strength, defensive prowess and potential make her hard to pass up. She's averaging 13.1 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.9 blocks for the undefeated No. 1 Gamecocks. (Could return to college for 2024-25.)
No.5: Dallas - (PF) Rickea Jackson, Tennessee
Injury has limited Jackson (19.4 PPG, 9.0 RPG) to eight games this season. That has made it even clearer how vital she is to Tennessee, which struggles without her. Jackson is just 7-of-25 from 3-point range this season, and for her career is 71-of-238 (.298) from behind the arc. That percentage needs to improve, but at least Jackson has shown she has legitimate range as part of her potential pro game.
 

Novak Djokovic in Miami Open field after five-year hiatus​


Novak Djokovic is set to return to the Miami Open next month after a five-year hiatus because of COVID-19 and U.S. travel restrictions, after being included on the entry list released by tournament organizers on Wednesday. The Serbian world No. 1 player owns a record-tying six Miami Open titles but was unable to even attempt adding to that tally in recent years as the United States did not allow unvaccinated foreigners to enter the country. Reigning champion Daniel Medvedev and 2023 finalist Jannik Sinner are also on the entry list, with the latter having since avenged that loss when he beat the Russian in the Australian Open final to become the first Italian man to win a Grand Slam title since 1976. This year's Miami Open is scheduled for March 17-31.

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Gabby Douglas will return to competitive gymnastics this month as she targets 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris​

Douglas, 28, is a three-time Olympic gold medalist for Team USA


Gabby Douglas is back, and she's not backing down from her most ambitious goals yet. Speaking on NBC News' "Hallie Jackson Now", Douglas, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, who became the first Black gymnast to win the all-around Olympic gold in 2012, announced that she's returning to competitive gymnastics for the first time in nearly a decade. She will return to competition at the Winter Cup in Louisville, Ky., on Feb. 24. It will be her first competition since the 2016 Rio Olympics, though she announced her return to the sport in deneral in August 2023.

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gabby douglas postpones gymnastic comeback after positive covid test
Gabby Douglas' return to competition is going to have to wait. The 2012 Olympic gymnastics champion pulled out of this weekend's Winter Cup in Louisville, Kentucky, after posting on social media that she had tested positive for COVID-19. The 28-year-old Douglas was planning to compete in three of the four events at Winter Cup, her first meet since the 2016 Olympics, when she helped the Americans win a team gold.
 

UConn's Aaliyah Edwards to bypass final year, enter WNBA draft​


UCoonn Huskies senior Aaliyah Edwards announced her intention to forgo her final year of eligibility and enter the 2024 WNBA draft on social media Thursday. Edwards, a 6-foot-3 forward, is a projected first-round pick in next month's draft. She is currently projected by ESPN's Michael Voepel to go No. 5 overall to the Dallas Wings. Edwards, a senior, could have used her COVID-19 eligibility waiver for one final season. "Although got to savor every moment because this is my last jam at UConn, I'm all in, ready to bring that championship glory back to Storrs".

A three-year starter for the Huskies, Edwards helped UConn make the Final Four in 2021 and 2022, including a national title game appearance in the latter. This season, she is averaging 17.8 points (on 59.4% shooting) and 9.3 rebounds per game, with those marks ranking second and first for the team, respectively. Edwards was named a third-team All-American by the USBWA and The Associated Press in 2023, while this season was tabbed to the second-team by the USBWA and was an honorable mention by the AP.

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