Sports this 'n' that

New York Giants offensive lineman Nate Solder, in his 3rd season with the team, has opted out due to concerns over coronavirus and prospective effects on his family. Solder, who came over from New England as a free agent in 2018, has the support of Giants management, but there is a window by which he can return.

That's because, in baseball, Atlanta Braves outfielder Nick Markakis, who initially opted out, has reversed field, and will rejoin the team in time for their return match with the Mets, beginning tonight at SunTrust Park in suburban Marietta. And if it works out, more players who opted out in both sports will likely follow suit.
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Add the Mets. If you believe tabloid media in New York, 1st year manager Luis Rojas has lost faith in closer Edwin Diaz.

Diaz, brought in with the Mets down, 3-2, in the 9th Thursday, added gasoline to the fire, as Boston scored an insurance run to nail down what would be a 4-2 win, as the team split the four game home & home series, each winning two at the other's park.

Unfortunately for Boston, they now must go across town to play their ancient rivals, the Yankees, the next three nights, starting tonight.

As for Diaz, Rojas told the New York Post he feels Diaz is letting his emotions get in the way, a sure sign that he isn't handling the pressure of playing in New York too well, so early in his 2nd season in Flushing. Uh-oh.

The fan base will call for Seth Lugo to take over as the closer, I suspect, and Diaz could be on his way out of town before the end of the summer. Stay tuned.
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Reading some comments on a Reddit message board, I can see that people ain't digging Major League Baseball adopting new extra inning rules that were tested in the minor leagues over the last couple of years. Valleycats fans know what I'm talking about. In an effort to speed up the game once it reaches the 10th inning, the inning will start with a runner on 2nd before the first batter steps to the plate. This worked out well for and against the 'Cats last year, as ye scribe can attest.

None of this would be happening if today's generation of ballplayers were broken of certain personal habits that prolong the games......!
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If you've been following the Independent Collegiate Baseball League, as I have, you know they've adopted the minor league system of 7 innings per game for each doubleheader.

Now, Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association, realizing they're in a dangerous situation due to COVID-19, are following suit, starting tomorrow. Doubleheaders will be 7 innings per game, with the new extra inning rules kicking in at the start of the 8th inning in these cases (ICBL games end in ties after 7 innings). The average time of a 7 inning game in the ICBL falls shy of 2 1/2 hours. For example, last night's twin bill between Amsterdam and the Albany Athletics clocked in at  just under 4 1/2 hours for the two games, so it's doable.
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The NBA resumed play with a nationally televised doubleheader from Orlando on Thursday, but not everyone is playing. Teams that were already eliminated from postseason contention (i.e. the Knicks) were not included for the summer party, if ya will, at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex. The teams and their media partners (ABC/ESPN, TNT) may be happy, especially since the WNBA has also begun play.

By the way, ESPN now shares broadcast rights to the WNBA with CBS Sports Network. Just sayin'.

The NHL will get things going again as early as tomorrow, with two bubble sites in Canada. Like, it's not as if there's enough going on in New York now, eh?
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Fresh from having earned a Super Bowl ring with Kansas City, LeSean McCoy has signed with Tampa Bay as a free agent, joining ex-Patriots Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady, which will only elevate the Buccaneers' chances of making the playoffs. Do I see them winning the NFC South? Nope. Wild Card? Yep. The only way Tampa bounces perennial division champion New Orleans is if someone greases a few palms on behalf of the league's media partners, more so than for Brady.....!
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Governor Andrew Cuomo announced earlier this week that the US Open tennis tournament, set to start in late August in Flushing, will go without spectators. Ditto for the US Open golf tournament at Winged Foot Country Club. These are the times we live in, folks. Set your DVR's.