Marv’s Thursday Sports

THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS RELEASED A STATEMENT TO THEIR FANS YESTERDAY, AND SINCE WE ARE A CARDINAL AFFILIATE, WE PASS THIS ALONG TO OUR CARDINAL NATION….

This week, Major League Baseball announced that the opening of the 2020 season will be delayed due to the CDC’s latest guidelines, which restrict events of more than 50 people for a matter of weeks. We are supportive of this decision as the health and safety of our fans, players, and staff is our highest priority. The situation is fluid. It evolves by the hour, and unfortunately, we don’t have a date we can circle on the calendar for Opening Day yet.

What we do know is that MLB will continue to share updates regarding plans for the 2020 schedule in the days and weeks ahead, and we will share news as it becomes available, along with news specific to Busch Stadium and other events.

MLB has a variety of contingency plans, and we will remain flexible with the hope of resuming normal operations as soon as possible. When the season does begin, MLB will be committed to playing as many games as possible.

Ticketing Questions: We are working through our approach to handling ticket issues, and we will communicate details to fans soon. We appreciate your patience and understanding in the meantime.

AS FAR AS The MLB London Series: MLB continues to monitor the situation, but has not made a decision to delay or cancel the event at this time…THE CARDS ARE SCHEDULED TO PLAY THE CHICAGO CUBS, JUNE 13TH AND 14TH ACROSS THE POND IN LONDON STADIUM..

Most of our major league players have returned home, with a few remaining in camp who live nearby. Our minor league players were sent home after spring training operations were suspended on Friday. Before players left, they were provided at-home training information as well as guidelines about prevention, good hygiene, and the latest travel recommendations. We will communicate with them on a regular basis to ensure their health and wellness during this time. Also, we will honor our daily allowance for minor league players.

***
THANKS TO THE NFL, WHO’S SEASON DOES NOT START UNTIL SEPT., THE FREE AGENCY PERIOD AND CLUBS TRADING PLAYERS IS ABOUT THE ONLY SPORTS WE HAVE THAT DOES NOT CONCERN COVID-19..

Less than two years after signing one of the biggest contracts in NFL history for a running back, Todd Gurley could be on his way out of Los Angeles.

Not only has Gurley’s name been coming up in trade talks this week, but if the Rams can’t find a trading partner, there’s a very real chance that they could end up releasing their star running back. According to Mike Silver of NFL.com, the Rams “want to move forward without” Gurley and they’ll consider cutting him if that’s their only option.

Of course, that doesn’t mean Gurley will get cut, and that’s because there’s still a chance that the running back could get dealt. Although the Rams weren’t feeling too optimistic about the possibility of trading Gurley and his monstrous contract going into the offseason, they’re apparently feeling slightly better about their chances after watching David Johnson get traded, and the team now seems to feel that there’s a chance that someone might be willing to take on Gurley’s deal.

**
on Wednesday the Chicago Bears agreed to send the Jaguars a fourth-round pick for Nick Foles, who is expected to rework his contract to facilitate the trade. In Foles, the Bears are acquiring arguably the sport’s best backup quarterback, a Super Bowl MVP who once led the Eagles to their first-ever Super Bowl title in relief of Carson Wentz, and an upgrade over Trubisky, who remains on the roster after his inability to improve in 2019 cost the Bears a spot in the playoffs.
Foles should compete with Trubisky for the Bears’ starting job.

*
New York Giants’ first-year head coach Joe Judge is set to enter 2020 with quarterback Daniel Jones under center, and while the Giants did pick up the 2020 option for backup quarterback Alex Tanney, they are interested in procuring the services of another signal-caller. According to SportsNet New York, the Giants are showing some interest in former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Moore.

The 35-year-old signed a one-year deal with the Chiefs last August after Chad Henne fractured his ankle during a preseason game. He ended up having to step into the starting role after Patrick Mahomes went down with a dislocated kneecap in Week 7 against the Denver Broncos. In the 30-6 win, he completed 10 of 17 passes for 117 yards and one touchdown.

Moore started the next two games for the Chiefs, a 31-24 loss to the Green Bay Packers and a 26-23 win against the Minnesota Vikings. In those two games, Moore threw for a combined 542 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. The two wins he helped Kansas City acquire were important, as it kept the Chiefs on track to win Super Bowl LIV in February.

Moore went unsigned during the 2018 season but spent the 2011-17 seasons with the Miami Dolphins. His best season came in 2011 when he started 12 games and threw for 2,497 yards, 16 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He made his name known from 2007-10 as the capable backup quarterback of the Carolina Panthers.

*****
At Kansas UNIVERSITY, closing the gap with the rest of the Big 12 on the recruiting trail IN FOOTBALL requires some creativity….they say that necessity is the mother of invention, and Les Miles’ staff has stepped up their efforts in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak. Many schools have shut down all athletics indefinitely and the NCAA has issued a mandatory dead period for recruiting, canceling previously scheduled on-campus events for high school prospects all across the country.

Kansas’ junior day, originally scheduled for Saturday, March 21 in Lawrence, IS UNDERWAY TODAY, virtually on the program’s social media channels with enhanced personalized experiences for top prospects through FaceTime. the virtual recruiting experience was led by director of player personnel Dave Shumate and director of recruiting Will Redmond.