No Canada: Blue Jays barred from playing games in Toronto

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By ROB GILLIES

TORONTO (AP) — The Blue Jays won’t play their home games in Toronto this year because Canada’s government doesn’t think it’s safe for players to travel back and forth from the United States, one of the countries hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic.

Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said Saturday the federal government had denied the Blue Jays’ request to play at Rogers Centre, confirming what an official familiar with the matter had told The Associated Press ahead of the announcement.

The team had been given clearance by city and provincial governments to play in its home stadium and was awaiting approval from Canada’s federal government. The other 29 Major League Baseball teams plan to play in their home ballparks, without spectators, when the pandemic-shortened 60-game season begins on July 23.

Mendicino told The AP frequent travel to the U.S., where COVID-19 cases are surging, was the biggest issue.



Photographers cover the game in an empty stadium during fourth-inning intrasquad baseball game action in Toronto, Friday, July 17, 2020. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)


Read more: https://apnews.com/72e93f0780cad703e4d6bd1d47ed2aef

[Trenzalore]

1. The rest of the world sees us as diseased.

[stillcool]

2. I wouldn't come here either...

especially to one of the states that has issues with masks. If all the display of ugly rocks my world, what must people think on the outside looking in? Or, have they always known...ugly Americans.

[47of74]

3. I could I'd leave tomorrow and NEVER return

Not even for funerals of immediate family members.

I'd renounce my citizenship at the first opportunity too.

That's how disgusted I am with this country right now. Think me a traitor all you want but that's where I'm at now.

[sarcasmo]

4. Sadly no country will take us right now. We all live in a Shithole.

[TryLogic]

5. Yea, created by Trump and Barr, and Republicans.

[47of74]

7. Yeah as I said IF I could

[a la izquierda]

12. Me too.

I can’t wait to have my visa in hand and hopefully another citizenship down the road.

[TryLogic]

6. Wise move by Canada.

[roamer65]

8. Smart move, Canada.

[ProfessorGAC]

9. I Don't Blame Canada

Two teams in Florida, two in Texas, and 5 in California. 9 of the other 29 teams from states with flare-ups.
That doesn't even count the flare-up states with one team.
They could be looking at more than 40% of opponents coming from hotspot states.

[brush]

16. And the Diamond Backs in Arizona. I guess Canada's...

Last edited Sun Jul 19, 2020, 03:10 PM - Edit history (1)

decision will also apply to the NBA and NHL teams when next season starts as it'll be a miracle if this virus is gone by then.

[ProfessorGAC]

18. Braves In Georgia, Too

That's already 11. We think of one more and we're over 40% of potential opponents.

[ProfessorGAC]

19. Hey Brush, Maybe 2 More

DeWine says Ohio is heading in the wrong direction.
Per this, positivity is 6.1 and rising.
https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/testing/individual-states/ohio
That's possibly 2 more teams.
No wonder Canada said no.

[brush]

20. Yeah, it's bad and getting worse. I'm pissed to no end that our country...

is going through a re-spiking in so many states because of trump's bungled, and continued bungling, of his response to covid. The European countries, Asian countries and Australia and New Zealand have all went up the curve, flattened it and down the other side and their societies are just about back to normal and here we are, diseased pariahs with international travel bans against us. They don't want Americans entering their countries.

I just have no words to describe how horribly trump has screwed everything up. As Rick Wilson says: "Everything trump touches dies."

[ProfessorGAC]

21. Luckily...

...my state is still 3% and the 7 day MA fell for the last 2 days.
Officials here took it VERY seriously from early March forward.
Per WSJ, we were the only state that moved to phase 4 by meeting all 5 CDC criteria.
I'm surprised NY wasn't the same. Seems they were very serious, too.

[Jimbo S]

24. They will only play

AL East and NL East teams.

[Vinca]

10. It's like we're rats trapped in a petri dish.

[Maxheader]

11. Canada's obvious next move..

https://www.texasobserver.org/over-the-wall/

[HotTeaBag]

13. So the team isn't going to play this season?

If they aren't going to play in Canada then they certainly won't come down here to play unless they can find a stadium to 'borrow' for the season, or some other Canadian city allows them to play there - but that doesn't seem likely either.

[ProfessorGAC]

14. City & Province Ok'd It

Canadian federal government said no.
That eliminates other Canadian cities.
Talking about Buffalo or their spring training site.

[HotTeaBag]

15. Ah, makes sense.

Thank you.

[brush]

17. Yeah, I heard Buffalo too. And since there will be no fans...

their small spring training stadium would also do.

[Botany]

22. their small spring training stadium

Its in Florida

[brush]

23. I know. Since no fans will be allowed does it really matter where they play?