Day 347

• Chip Ganassi has been thrown out of next week's NASCAR race in Miami.
• That said, it is only Ganassi.  He brought someone into the bubble who had no place belonging there under NASCAR COVID protocols.  He's also fined $30,000 -- but his teams are not otherwise penalized, as this was a specific action by Ganassi.
• Kevin Mather opened his mouth, and now he's out as President and CEO of the Seattle Mariners.
• A 45 minute video of a Rotary Club speech by Mather had "highlights" of a racist diatribe toward a Japanese pitcher in the Mariners system who "suddenly got better at English" when Mather threatened to pull the $75,000 interpreter they had.
• He then said the same about a Caribbean top prospect -- probably THE top prospect in the Mariners system, about his ego and that his English stank as well.
• For this, he was fired (yeah, he quit, but who are we kidding??), and the MLBPA had this to say on it:

"The Club's video presentation is a highly disturbing yet critically important window into how Players are genuinely viewed by management. Not just because of what was said, but also because it represents an unfiltered look into Club thinking,'' the statement read. "It is offensive, and it is not surprising that fans and others around the game are offended as well. Players remain committed to confronting these issues at the bargaining table and elsewhere.''

• At least three sexual harassment claims against Mather are also on the table.
• This has overshadowed a day in which it now appears that Albert Pujols will play his last season in 2021.  Of course, there has to be an increasing chance (see comments above by the MLBPA) that there is no 2022 season, and that the future of Major League Baseball may be, in fact, FAR BLEAKER than anyone is caring to admit.   
• All this as the United States now officially has passed 500,000 -- and now 510,000 -- coronavirus deaths.  According to WorldOMeters, fully 9% of the United States population has now caught and had the coronavirus, with 512,590 passings -- still, today, nearing a 2% fatality rate.  Meaning you can still make the claim the Covidiots are attempting to kill almost SEVEN MILLION AMERICANS, just with the virus itself, and just in this round of it.   
• In a MAJOR blow to EA's efforts to relaunch college football video games on an officially-licensed basis, Notre Dame will not take part.
• The good news for Deion Sanders in his first Spring-FCS game as head coach of Jackson State University, the team won over a far lesser NAIA opponent.
• The bad news is that a number of his belongings were robbed from the locker room during the game (which was also reported to have had no running water) -- and one of his assistants was able to stop it.
• Late word Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has tested positive for COVID-19.
• The state of New Jersey says it wants to start allowing fans at sporting events as early as next week.  FACEPALM...  
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