Coronavirus era puts Aaron Boone's Yankees management style to test - New York Post

If his former Reds teammate Sean Casey hadn’t beaten him to the nickname, Aaron Boone could go by “The Mayor.”

To watch Boone traverse the Yankees’ clubhouse is to witness an effortless ballet of small talk, eye contact, handshakes and shoulder pats, be they with his players, his coaches, his superiors or media members. See it once and you’ll understand why the Yankees viewed him as the perfect successor to the more intense Joe Girardi in the manager’s office.

As Boone began to welcome his players to Yankee Stadium for spring training 2.0 on Wednesday, with the club’s first full workout set for Saturday, he acknowledged he’ll need to alter his impressive man-of-the-people routine in light of strict rules intended to manage the coronavirus. What does the mayor do when Main Street gets shut down? What happens when the king of connectivity faces a plethora of connecting restrictions?

“I’ve definitely thought about them and honestly don’t quite know exactly what to expect,” Boone said on a conference call. “… We’ll get creative as we have to. I know in the early days here in spring training, obviously being at Yankee Stadium, we’ll try to take advantage of the entire facility, the entire stadium, take advantage of some outdoor situations.

“… The reality is on the first day, when I address the team, it’s probably going to be several different times. I’m probably going to have to do it three or four different times where I’m addressing different groups and that’s OK. That’s part of what we’ve got to do to get our message across.”

Aaron BooneN.Y. Post: Charles Wenzelberg

That message, Boone made clear: “We want to be champions.” You know that 2020 easily (probably?) could go down as a year without champions in any sport, so prevalent and dangerous is COVID-19 and, consequently, so long-reaching are its tentacles as MLB attempts a restart.

MLB’s operations manual for life in the coronavirus era includes this passage: “To the extent possible, meetings should be conducted virtually or, if in-person meetings are necessary, Clubs should make efforts to hold in-person meetings outdoors with participants sitting apart from one another and wearing face-coverings to the extent possible.”

Those correct limits decrease the likelihood of us someday reporting on a legendary clubhouse meeting that resets the team’s course toward a parade. They also beg for the YES Network to record Boone’s “three or four” opening addresses and air them at season’s end so we can dissect the nuances. By his fourth rendering, will he look as exhausted as Moe on “The Simpsons” when he must repeatedly perform his “million dollar birthday fries” shtick to eager youngsters?

Throw in dugout social distancing and the stresses attached to the disease, and Boone’s greatest strength (arguably) on the job will be challenged. The upside, arguably, is that his skill set should equip him to adjust on the fly.

Referring to the absence of fans at the ballpark as well as the myriad medical protocols, Boone said, “There’s an edge to be gained there for the teams that handle that the best, and hopefully we’ll do a good job of winning that edge on a daily basis.”

Part of that, the manager acknowledged, will be “constantly holding each other accountable as we navigate these waters.” Translation: No extracurricular activity on the road, especially Florida, and the players must do some self-policing and peer pressuring on that front. Moreover, Boone said, “There’s going to be things that we’re probably not even accounting for yet at this point.”

So many headaches for the Yankees’ mayor to treat, all with a knowing smile.

“We know there’ll be bumps along the way and who knows where it ends up?” Boone said. “My job and my focus is on the next few days. Really starting to lay that foundation and try and get our guys in the best possible position to go out and be successful.”

Some new materials will be required to construct that foundation, that culture with which Boone has become synonymous. If the season actually occurs, it’ll be fun to watch Boone figure out solutions, like a spiritual MacGyver, amidst this most unusual episode of MLB.

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QUIZ: World Cup and NWSL Champions - U.S. Soccer

The 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup is underway in Utah with eight teams vying to take home the trophy. Can you name the players who have already won it all for club and for country?

Test your knowledge and see if you can name the 15 players who have won an NWSL championship and a FIFA Women’s World Cup title. Good luck!

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Hong Kong makes first arrest under China's new national security law - CNBC

The flag of Hong Kong flies from a ferry boat on July 2, 1997, a day after the former British colony returned to Chinese rule.

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Hong Kong police announced on Wednesday that they have made their first arrest since China's national security law came into force.

The contentious legislation took effect hours after the Chinese parliament's top decision-making body voted to pass the National Security Law on Tuesday.

The law stipulates that a person who acts with a view to "undermining national unification" of Hong Kong with the mainland faces punishment of up to lifetime in prison, depending on the severity of the offense.

Under the new regulation, many of Hong Kong's protests that took place last year would be punishable by law.

Critics say it will undermine Hong Kong's autonomy, promised to the Chinese territory when it was handed over from the U.K. to China on July 1, 1997. Wednesday marks the 23rd anniversary of the city's handover.

Hong Kong is governed under the "one country, two systems" framework. Under that structure, it enjoys certain autonomy that other Chinese cities do not have — including freedom of speech, the right to protest and limited election rights.

The new legislation gives Beijing greater control on the city and has already had an impact on the protest movement. Hours after the law was passed, Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong said that he was resigning as secretary general of pro-democracy group, Demosisto, and leaving the party. Other members, including Nathan Law and Agnes Chow, issued similar statements on social media and the party announced it would disband.

However, officials have refuted the idea that the law targets such activity.

"The purpose is not to take the pro-democratic camp in Hong Kong as an imaginary enemy. The purpose is combating a narrow category of crimes against national security," said Zhang Xiaoming, executive deputy director of Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council Wednesday.

"The 'one country two systems' has already spoken volumes of the political tolerance of the central (government)," he said, according to an official English translation of his Mandarin-language remarks.

"People with different views, they may continue to exist for a long time in Hong Kong ... You should not use this (difference in views) as a pretext to ... turn Hong Kong into a safe haven of anti-China forces," he added.

International leaders have condemned China's decision to pass the law, but Beijing maintains that foreign powers should not interfere in its domestic matters.

"As Beijing now treats Hong Kong as 'one country, one system,' so must the United States," White House National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot said in a statement, according to a Reuters report. "We urge Beijing to immediately reverse course."

— CNBC's Evelyn Cheng contributed to this report.

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AOC: Israel may become 'apartheid state' after annexing West Bank - New York Post

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is leading legislative opposition to Israel’s possible annexation of West Bank areas, saying it could result in the country becoming an “apartheid state.”

The 30-year-old New York Democrat rounded up a dozen signatures on a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that threatens to add anti-annexation strings to $3.8 billion in annual US aid to Israel’s military.

The annexation “would actively harm prospects for a future in which all Israelis and Palestinians can live with full equality, human rights and dignity, and would lay the groundwork for Israel becoming an apartheid state, as your predecessor John Kerry warned in 2014,” AOC’s letter says, according to Politico.

Co-signers of the letter to Pompeo include socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who is Jewish, along with the three other members of the left-wing “Squad”: Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts.

“Should the Israeli government continue down this path, we will work to ensure non-recognition of annexed territories as well as pursue legislation that conditions the $3.8 billion in U.S. military funding to Israel to ensure that U.S. taxpayers are not supporting annexation in any way,” the letter says.

“We will include human rights conditions and the withholding of funds for the offshore procurement of Israeli weapons equal to or exceeding the amount the Israeli government spends annually to fund settlements, as well as the policies and practices that sustain and enable them.”

Describing Israel’s treatment of Palestinians as similar to apartheid in South Africa is controversial. Israel’s defenders note Arabs with Israeli citizenship can vote in elections — though Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank cannot. South Africa’s government gave limited sovereignty to disjointed and impoverished black-majority areas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this year he’s “confident” that the US will approve his plan to annex parts of the West Bank. The scope of the possible annexation remains unclear, but it may include Israeli settlements in the West Bank and a strip of land along the Jordan River.

The West Bank was taken by Israel from Jordan in 1967 and Palestinians hope it will form the core of their own country one day. Israel already has annexed occupied East Jerusalem, which also was taken from Jordan, and the Golan Heights, which Israel took from Syria during the same 1967 war.

President Trump has been consistently supportive of Netanyahu. In 2017, Trump ordered that the US Embassy be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In 2019, Trump authorized US government recognition of the annexation of the Golan Heights.

Netanyahu, however, on Tuesday indicated the timeline may be delayed, saying his talks with US officials on the topic would continue “in the coming days.” The prime minister faces calls for delay from center-left members of his governing coalition. He originally planned to begin the West Bank annexation process on July 1.

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Russia's Putin appeals to patriotism as key vote reaches climax - BBC News

All week, millions of Russians have been voting to reform their constitution, many using polling stations set up on tree stumps, park benches and even car boots.

Giant prize draws have helped entice them to the ballot, with the chance of winning everything from shopping vouchers to a car or flat.

Opposition figures have dismissed the whole process as a farce, stretched over seven days with no proper monitoring or independent scrutiny.

But for the Kremlin the amendments are vital. The vote will clear the way for Vladimir Putin to stay in power up to 2036, if he chooses.

Putin's vision of Russia

Not that the president mentioned that in his address to the nation ahead of the final day of voting.

"We are voting for the country we want to live in… and which we want to hand down to our children," Mr Putin declared, standing beneath a giant, ghostly new statue of a Soviet soldier, to underline the "patriotic" theme that runs through this process.

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The sovereignty of Russia is supported by our feelings of genuine patriotism… as well as respect for our history, culture, language and traditions

The biggest overhaul of the constitution since 1993, this vote is partly about setting down Vladimir Putin's vision of Russia: spelling out the values and priorities he has established during two decades in the Kremlin.

"Putin can't just say to himself, 'I need to do everything possible to stay in power!'," argues Tatiana Stanovaya, the head of R.Politik, a political think-tank.

"People try to hide the low things they're doing within something more grandiose and positive. So he says instead, 'I want to create a great Russia, and stay in power too'."

What are Russians voting on?

The new constitution includes articles promoting a patriotic education, reiterating the ban on same-sex marriage and adding explicit mention of God - all in line with the increasing cultural conservatism of Vladimir Putin's rule.

Those "ideological" articles, alongside "social" ones like minimum wage guarantees, are the changes actively discussed on state TV and by celebrity endorsers.

By contrast, the amendments allowing Vladimir Putin to restart the clock on his presidency when his current term ends in 2024 - and so run twice more for president - are barely mentioned.

They were left off the initial information on the vote altogether.

Russia's new constitution

The amendments cover dozens of existing articles, and add several new ones. They fall broadly into three categories and many enshrine things in the constitution that are already federal law:

• 1: Conservative ideology

Banning any action aimed at the "expropriation" of Russian territory, or calls for that.

Protecting the "historical truth" of the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) and banning any "belittling" of the feats of those who fought.

Protection of the institution of marriage as the union of a man and a woman.

Senior officials barred from holding foreign passports, residency or overseas bank accounts.

Refers to Russians' faith in God, as handed down by their ancestors.

• 2: Social/Welfare

Pensions to be index-linked.

Minimum wage no less than subsistence minimum income.

Forming a "responsible attitude" to animals.

• 3: Institutions

State Council to set "direction of domestic and foreign policy and socio-economic priorities".

A person can only hold the presidency for two terms (replacing "two consecutive terms").

In the case of a person already holding the presidency, previous terms will not count - the so-called "zeroing" of Vladimir Putin's terms so far.

Yes or No

Voters can only select one of two boxes: accepting or rejecting all of the amendments.

Lobbying for either option is officially banned, but fliers posted to Moscow apartment blocks all called on people to vote "for" the amendments, rather than "on" them.

A much smaller counter-campaign has plastered stickers with Mr Putin's face around town urging Muscovites to say "No".

Will the pandemic affect the vote?

A short drive from the capital, on the outskirts of Podolsk, voters were invited to a tent in a car park to make their choice.

Election officials in face visors, masks and white suits were a reminder that this nationwide vote was being held in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Postponed from April, the Kremlin was keen to reschedule as soon as possible.

A poll by the independent Levada Centre in early May reported a slide in Mr Putin's approval rating to 59% - his lowest ever. The continuing Covid-19 crisis is unlikely to improve things.

So officials have done their utmost to get people out to vote.

An election official in Omsk, Siberia, made national headlines when she won an apartment in the lucky draw. Her protest that she was "just another voter" met with a deeply sceptical response.

There were no prizes in Podolsk, but plenty of enthusiastic pensioners.

"All the amendments suit me!" Galina said, dropping her voting slip into a transparent plastic briefcase decorated with a double-headed eagle.

"The index-linking of pensions, the right to study and work and housing," she listed as her favourites, although the latter few are not explicitly covered by this reform.

"I like the idea that marriage should only be between a man and a woman," said Elena, selecting her top amendment.

In her thirties, she also had no problem with Vladimir Putin staying on as president. "He suits us for now," she said.

Is there much opposition?

In the town centre, beneath a tower block decorated with Russian flags, some younger voters were scornful of the vote.

"What's the point? Putin will stay forever in any case," one girl flung over her shoulder.

Maxim said he and "lots of friends" had voted against.

"We've had one president for 20 years, and Putin could do another 16 years? I think our country needs something new," he said.

Russia's most prominent opposition figure, Alexei Navalny, has published a stream of posts on social media mocking the makeshift nature of the vote and highlighting irregularities.

They include pressure on some to vote and other people discovering their ballot had already been cast for them.

Influential blogger Yury Dud described the vote as "shameful", in an Instagram post liked by more than a million people. He quoted Vladimir Putin himself in 2008 insisting that it was "absolutely unacceptable" to remain in office for life.

But the blogger hadn't decided whether to boycott or tick the "No" box.

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In fact, this vote is not required by law: the reforms to the constitution were approved by Russia's parliament back in March.

But the Kremlin is said to want a high turnout and 70% support at this ballot, as a popular mandate to point to in future.

One exit poll already published - something that's banned at a normal election - suggests it's well on target.

In any case, the new constitution has already been printed and is on sale in bookshops.

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Cam Newton already working out with Mohamed Sanu - NBC Sports - NFL

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The newest quarterback of the Patriots isn’t wasting any time in getting together with one of his future pass targets in New England.

In an instagram video from The Sideline Hustle, Newton was shown working out at a field on the campus of UCLA with wide receiver Mohamed Sanu on Tuesday.

Newton and Sanu were frequent opponents of each other when Newton was with the Carolina Panthers and Sanu with the Atlanta Falcons. Now together in New England they will be tasked with taking over for Tom Brady and trying to keep extend a streak of AFC East division titles to 12 straight seasons.

Both Newton and Sanu are looking to bounce back after injuries after their 2019 seasons. Newton was limited to just two games before a Lisfranc injury ended his final season in Carolina. Sanu was slowed significantly after he was traded to New England last year when he sustained a high-ankle sprain in just his second game with the team.

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Baseball's minor leagues cancel 2020 seasons - Fox News

Baseball's minor leagues canceled their seasons Tuesday because of the coronavirus pandemic, and the head of their governing body said more than half of the 160 teams were in danger of failing without government assistance or private equity injections.

The National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, the minor league governing body, made the long-expected announcement.

“We are a fans-in-the-stands business. We don’t have national TV revenues,” National Association president Pat O’Conner said during a digital news conference. “There was a conversation at one point: Well, can we play without fans? And that was one of the shortest conversations in the last six months. It just doesn’t make any sense.”

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O’Conner estimated 85-90% of revenue was related to ticket money, concessions, parking, and ballpark advertising. The minors drew 41.5 million fans last year for 176 teams in 15 leagues, averaging 4,044 fans per game.

MLB teams are planning for a 60-game regular season and most of their revenue will derive from broadcast money.

“I had a conversation with the commissioner, and we weren’t unable to find a path that allowed us to play games,” O'Conner said. “It wasn’t an acrimonious decision on our part.”

O'Conner said many minor league teams had received money through the federal Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act.

“That was a Band-Aid on a hemorrhaging industry,” he said. “Many of our clubs have gone through one, two, maybe three rounds of furloughs. In our office here, we’ve had varying levels of pay cuts between senior management, staff, and we’ve furloughed some individuals, as well, and are just about to enter in a second round of furloughs.”

He hopes for passage of H.R. 7023, which would provide $1 billion in 15-year federal loans from the Federal Reserve to businesses that had 2019 revenue of $35 million or less and “have contractual obligations for making lease, rent, or bond payments for publicly owned sports facilities, museums, and community theaters.”

In addition, the Professional Baseball Agreement between the majors and minors expires Sept.. 30, and MLB has proposed reducing the minimum affiliates from 160 to 120.

“There’s no question that what the pandemic has done is made us somewhat weaker economically,” O'Conner said. “I don’t think it’s challenged our resolve. I don’t think it’s impacted our desire to stick together and get a good deal.”

There have not been substantive talks for about six weeks.

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“There are very many teams that are not liquid, not solvent, not able to proceed under normal circumstances, and these are anything but normal circumstances given the PBA and the uncertainty of the future for some of these ballclubs,” O’Conner said. “So I think the coronavirus has really cut into many clubs’ ability to make it. And I think that we’re looking at without some government intervention, without doing something to take on equity partners, you might be looking at half of the 160 who are going to have serious problems.”

MLB already has told clubs to retain expanded 60-player pools, of which 30 players can be active during the first two weeks of the season starting in late July.

Conner said the financial impact of the pathogen might extend until 2023.

“As serious as the threat from Major League Baseball was,” O'Conner said, “this threat from the coronavirus, it transcends any list that anybody wants to make with respect to the possibility of teams not being around in the future.”

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