A Big Day for Baseball: Poster Evolution, Final

Posted on by Thor

A Big Day for Baseball: A Magic Tree House Adventure is playing at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater through March 18, 2023. This poster is closely based on the book designs of the very popular Magic Tree House series. I did multiple designs based on the Jackie Robinson story, but those tended to look more like they were for adults. Returning t the leaf and acorn design motif lightened the mood of the poster.

I read the script and it should be a very fun play about kids being able to be on the field for a very historic baseball game. Jackie Robibnson was the the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB). Robinson made his debut in a Dodgers uniform wearing number 42 on April 11, 1947, in a preseason exhibition game against the New York Yankees at Ebbets Field with 24,237 in attendance. These two lucky kids get to experience the day as a bat boy and girl from the field. It should be an exciting day of theater.

The Day that Sports Stood Still

Posted on by Thor

March 11, 2020 The Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder were set to tip-off in a midweek match up. There was an unusually long delay by the referees to start the game. It was announced that Utah center Rudy Gobert had COVID-19. He had mocked the virus by touching every mic in the news conference room. Both teams were then quarantined in their respective locker rooms and fans were told to exit the arena. The National Basketball League (NBA) elected to postpone the season. Everything in the sports world was suddenly canceled.

The NBA invested in a Walt Disney World Orlando Bubble during the final eight games of the 2019–20 regular season and throughout the 2020 NBA playoffs. Players were tested often and were to stay isolated. Multiple players who had previously tested positive for the coronavirus then tested positive a second time, sources told ESPN. The NBA has announced more than 100 positive tests since last summer. Lou Williams a Clippers guard was granted an excused absence for a family funeral. While on leave, he went to Magic City an Atlanta strip club where he was photographed.

The Major League Baseball league bubble was even a worse nightmare. Teams still traveled city to city allowing for plenty of opportunities for infections on the road. The Miami  Marlins had over 19 reported cases of COVID-19. Baseball players were tested and traced incessantly, isolated and placed, as needed, on the COVID-19. Much of the it drama occurred outside the public eye. The confidentiality of the players’ health status was a high priority. That said, there were 104 positive tests reported to the public.

In the National Football League (NFL) 32 teams were hit by COVID-19. Games were postponed as a result of players testing positive for the coronavirus. As of July 10, 2020 The NFL Players Association revealed on its website that 72 players in the league have already tested positive for COVID-19 . The Superbowl was areal shit show. The league said that many of the seats in the stadium would be filled by photo cut out of virtual fans. However it was clear on game day that they packed as many people as they could on the lower level around the 50 yard line. The post game celebrations in Tampa following the game were far worse.

Lost in 2020:

– Qiu Jun (72), Chinese bodybuilder, died on February 6 in Wuhan
– Italo De Zan (92), Italian cyclist, died on March 9 in Treviso
– Francisco Garcia (21), Spanish football coach, died on March 17 in Malaga
– Luciano Federici (81), Italian footballer, died on March 18 in Carrara
– Innocenzo Donina (69), Italian footballer, died on March 19 in Bergamo
– Jose Maria Candela (59), Spanish sports journalist, died on March 20
– Tomas Diaz-Valdes (78), Spanish sports journalist and amateur pilot, died on March 20 in Madrid
– Benito Joanet (84), Spanish footballer and coach, died on March 22 in Alicante
– Mohamed Farah (59), Somalian footballer, died on March 24 in London
– Azam Khan (95), Pakistani squash player, died on March 28 in London
– Pearson Jordan (69), Barbadian sprinter, died on March 28
– Jose Luis Capon (72), Spanish footballer, died on March 29 in Madrid
– Angelo Rottoli (61), Italian boxer, died on March 29 in Ponte San Pietro
– David Hodgkiss (71), Chairman of Lancashire County Cricket Club, died on March 30
– Pape Diouf (69), Senegalese journalist and former president of Olympique de Marseille, died on March 31 at Dakar
– Daniel Yuste (75), Spanish cyclist, died on March 31
– Goyo Benito (73), Spanish footballer, died on April 2 in Madrid
– Zaccaria Cometti (83), Italian footballer, died on April 2 in Romano di Lombardia
– Arnold Sowinski (89), French footballer, died on April 2 in Lens
– Tom Dempsey (73), American football (NFL), died on April 4in New Orleans
– Roger Chappot (79), Swiss ice hockey player, died April 7
– Donato Sabia (56), Italian athlete, died April 8 in Potenza
– Miguel Jones (81), Spainish footballer, died on April 8 in Madrid
– Francesco La Rosa (93), Italian footballer, died on April 8, in Milan
– Ho Kam Ming (95), Macanese-born Canadian martial artist, died on April 9in Toronto
– Francisco Aritmendi (81), Spanish athlete, died on April 12
– Baldiri Alavedra (76), Spanish footballer, died on April 13
– Zafar Sarfraz (50), Pakistani cricketer, died on April 13 kin Peshawar
– Cyril Lawrence (99), English Footballer, died on April 14
– Norman Hunter (76), English Footballer, died on April 17
– Lukman Niode (56), Indonesian swimmer, died on April 17
– Bob Lazier (81), American race car driver, died on April 18
– Urano Navarrini (74), Italian football player and manager, died on April 18
– Steve Dalkowski (80), American baseball player, died on April 19
– Josep Sala Mane (82), Spanish casteller, died on April 20
– Dave Bacuzzi (79), British footballer, died on April 21
– Teruyuki Okazaki (88), Japanese karate master, died on April 21
– Henk Overgoor (75), Dutch footballer, died on April 23
– John Rowlands (73), English footballer, died on April 26
– Francesco Perrone (89), Italian athlete, died on April 27
– Dick Lucas (86), American Football player, died on April 29
– Fernando Sandoval (77), Brazilian water polo players, died on May 1
– Jim Cross (83), American ice hockey player, died on May 2
– John Ogilvie (91), English footballer, died on May 2
– Roy Lester (96), American Football player, died on May 3
– Shobushi (28), Japanese sumo wrestler, died on May 13
– Marv Luster (82), American Football player, died on May 25
– Celio Taveira (79), Brazil footballer, died on May 29
– Riaz Sheikh (51), Pakistani cricketer, died on June 4
– E Hamsakoya (61), Indian footballer, died on June 6
– Ali Hadi Mohsin (53), Iraqi footballer, died on June 12
– Aaron Padilla Gutierrez (77), Mexican football, died June 14
– Ahmed Radhi (56), Iraqi footballer, died on June 21
– Ken Snow (50), American footballer, died on June 21
– Mohammed Yaseen Mohammed (57), Iraqi weightlifter, died on June 24
– Ilija Petkovic (74), Serbia footballer, died on June 24
– Muhammad Alloush (44), Egyptian football coach, died on June 29
– Sanjay Dobal (53), Indian cricketer, died on June 29
– Mohamed Kouradji (68), Algerian football referee, died on July 9
– Corra Dirksen (82), South American rugby player, died on July 10
– Ramesh Tikaram (51), Indian para-athlete, died on July 16
– Cesar Salinas (58), Head of the Bolivian football federation, died on July 19
– James Arthur Harris aka Kamala (70), American professional wrestler, died on August 9
– Chetan Chauhan (73), former Indian cricketer, died on August 16
– Tom Seaver (75), former American baseball player, died on August 31
– Nadhim Shaker (61), former Iraqi footballer, died on September 11
– Azmi Mohamed Megahed (70), former Egyptian volleyball player, died on September 12
– Nick Mourouzis (80), former American Football player and coach, died on September 16
– Abdul Mahdi Hadi (74), former Iraqi footballer, died on September 26
– Jay Johnstone (74), former American baseball player, died on September 26
– Ruben Anguiano (64), former Mexican footballer, died on September 26
– Fred Dean (68), former American Football player, died on October 14
– Danil Khalimov (42), Russian wrestler, died on October 15
– Ernesto Contreras (83), former Argentinian cyclist, died on October 25
– Miguel Angel Castellini (73), former Argentinin boxer, died on October 28
– Rick Baldwin (67), former American baseball player, died on October 30
– John Meyer (78), former American Football player, died on November 4
– Shkelqim Troplini (54), former Albanian wrestler, died on November 9
– Jim Pace (59), American racing driver, died on November 13
– Lindy McDaniel (84), American baseball player, died on November 14
– Kay Wiestal (80), former Swedish footballer, died on November 14
– Juan Roldan (63), former Argentinean boxer, died on November 18
– Resit Karabacak (66), former Turkish wrestler, died on November 19
– George Nock (74), former American Football player, died on November 22
– Nikola Spasov (61), former Bulgarian footballer, died on November 23
– Fred Sasakamoose (86), former Canadian ice hockey player, died on November 24
– Vladimir Ivanov (65), former Bulgarian athlete, died on November 26
– Roberto Leitao (83), former Brazilian martial artist, died on November 28
– Ernesto Galli (75), former Italian footballer, died on November 29
– Aldo Moser (86), former Italian cyclist, died on December 2
– Arnie Robinson (72), former American athlete, died on December 2
– Karim Salman (55), former Iraqi footballer, died on December 2
– Tony Curcillo (89), former American Football player, died on December 8
– Aslanbek Fidarov (47), former Russain wrestler, died on December 8
– Kurt Stettler (88), former Swiss footballer, died on December 8
– Gordon Forbes (86), former South African tennis player, died on December 9
– Charley Pride (86), former American baseball player, died on December 12
– Otto Baric (87), former Croatian footballer, died on December 13
– Marcelo Veiga (56), former Brazilian footballer, died on December 14
– Paul Nihill (81), former British race walker, died on December 15
– Rene Weber (59), former Brazilian footballer, died on December 16
– Giovanni Sacco (77), former Italian footballer, died on December 17
– Marjan Lazovski (58), former Macedonian bastketball player, died on December 19
– Benedicto Bravo (58), former Mexican footballer, died on December 24
– Armando Romero (60), former Mexican footballer, died on December 24
– Milka Babovic (92), former Croatian athlete, died on December 26
– Nikhil Nandy (88), former Indian footballer, died on December 29
– Gennady Strakhov (76), former Russian Wrestler, died on December 30

Died in 2021 

– Cleber Eduardo Arado (48), Brazil footballer, died on January 2
– Brandaozinho (90), former Brazil footballer, died on January 5
– Hubert Auriol (68), French racing driver, died on January 10
– Bruno Ghedina (77), former Italian ice hockey player, died on January 10
– Fabio Enzo (74), former Italian footballer, died on January 11
– Paul Kolliker (88), former Swiss rower, died on January 11
– Joel Robert (77), former Belgian racer, died on January 13
– Leonidas Pelekanakis (58), former Greece sailor, died on January 14
– Geoff Barnett (74), former American footballer, died on January 15
– Gildardo Garcia (66), Colombian chess player, died on January 15
– Gyorgy Handel (61), former Hungarian football, died on January 16
– Carlos Burga (68), former Peruvian boxer, died on January 18
– Danial Jahic (41), former Serbian long jumper, died on January 19
– Gustavo Pena (78), former Mexican footballer, died on January 19
– Raisuddin Ahmed (82), former Bangladesh cricketer, died on January 20
– Calixto Avena (77), former Colombian footballer, died on January 21
– Anthony Mwamba (60), former Zambian boxer, died on January 21
– Roy Torrens (72), former Irish cricketer, died on January 23
– Johannes Edvaldsson (70), former Iceland footballer, died on January 24

Half of the Miami Marlins Infected

Posted on by Thor

Major League Baseball has millions of dollars on the line, so they have every incentive to get the players on the field at the height of a pandemic.  The league created extensive protocols to try and play the game safely. No fans would fill the stands. The plan is to even fill the stands with computer generated crowds when the games are televised, much like the huge armies seen in the Lord of the Rings movies. The sound of fans shouting would be piped into the stadiums. The players travel would be cut down but they still would travel state to state. Players have been testing extensively and getting results within two days unlike the testing for everyday citizens that can take two weeks to get results.

One week into the season, two games were postponed because half of the Miami Marlins players and support team have tested positive for COVID-19. The Marlins had played a game in Philadelphia despite the fact that three of their players had tested positive for the virus. The team players had voted by text and decided to play despite the infections. 7 more players and two coaches then tested positive. 17 players and staff are infected as of July 28, 2020. They are now stuck inn Philadelphia quarantining.

It is truly Orwellian the way MLB executives believed that they could continue to play the game in the midst of a raging pandemic. They did not survive first contact. If they continue to ignore the beast, they will never complete the season without loosing lives. You can’t play games while the world burns all around you. The amount of control they are attempting is not possible.

MLB is a microcosm for all the failures happening all across the country as people blindly think they can control and subdue the virus. Schools are rushing to re-open, only without the same level of monetary resources. Washington Nationals pitcher Shawn Doolittle said, “Sports are the reward of a functional society.” We are NOT a functional society. Blind greed and ignorance have become more important than player safety.