Sports
Blue Jays leaving vaccination decision up to Merrifield after trade – Sportsnet.ca
After trading for Whit Merrifield, a two-time all-star, the pressing question for the Toronto Blue Jays was not the calibre of the player himself, but what his availability would look like due to his vaccination status.
There is “nothing new” to note on that front, interim manager John Schneider said on Wednesday, and the team insists it will be leaving it up to Merrifield to decide how he approaches his vaccine choice from here.
“Obviously we know he wasn’t there in Toronto, but totally up to him,” Schneider said. “And I’m sure that he’s had conversations with his family and other people. So, you know, we’re leaving that decision up to him.”
When Kansas City came to Toronto from July 14-17, Merrifield was one of the 10 players who were notably absent, barred from travelling to Canada due to restrictions put in place that mandate cross-border travellers be vaccinated to enter the country. America has a similar policy for non-residents, though it has not impacted the Blue Jays, as all their players have received the requisite COVID-19 vaccine.
Merrifield has yet to weigh in on his vaccination status since news of the trade broke on Tuesday, declining to make comments to reporters in Kansas City yesterday, according to the team’s communication staff.
Previously, when discussing the vaccine, Merrifield said after the Toronto series he would think about getting inoculated in the future — if doing so would enable him playing in the postseason.
“Right or wrong, I didn’t do it on a whim,” Merrifield said. “It’s been a long thought process. Because I understand what Canada has in place right now. That’s the only reason that I would think about getting it at this point, is to go to Canada. That might change down the road. Something happens and I happen to get on a team that has a chance to go play in Canada in the postseason, maybe that changes.”
Merrifield has not publicly explained what that thought process has entailed, or why he elected not to get vaccinated despite the clinical and real-world evidence pointing to the efficacy of vaccines at reducing risk of severe illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19 — especially when a person stays up to date on their vaccinations, with booster shots further improving protection.
In order for Merrifield to satisfy the country’s requirements as a fully vaccinated traveller, he must have received at least two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine accepted for travel, according to the government of Canada’s most recent advisory, or at least one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Whichever vaccination regimen is opted for, a person must have received their second dose — or the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine — at least 14 calendar days before entering Canada. This timing requirement only applies to a person’s second dose, not their third or fourth doses.
That means, if Merrifield chose to get vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine today, Aug. 3, the earliest he would be eligible to play in Toronto would be after Aug. 17, when the Blue Jays host the Baltimore Orioles. Toronto’s next home games this month come the following week, starting with an Aug. 23 game against the Boston Red Sox.
Editor’s Note: The COVID-19 situation, in sports and around the world, is constantly evolving. Readers in Canada can consult the country’s public health website for the latest.
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BOSTON – The Bruins will be back on home ice on Tuesday night as they return from a lengthy five-game road trip to host the Ottawa Senators at TD Garden. Boston has bounced back to win three straight after a brief lull in its record-breaking season produced a stretch of three losses in four games.
“Hold ourselves accountable,” Matt Grzelcyk said of how the Bruins have rebounded quickly from the downturn. “And I feel like that Winnipeg game, we got a huge goal second shift, I think that just kind of starts getting things going the right way – and having that more attacking mentality offensively, defensively, taking time and space away from them. And I think it was a good transition and that’s when we could kind of overwhelm teams.”
Here’s everything else you need to know ahead of the 7 p.m. ET puck drop on NESN and 98.5 The Sports Hub:
On the Injury Front
Derek Forbort did not take part in the morning skate and is unlikely to play again before the postseason, per coach Jim Montgomery. The blue liner suffered a lower-body injury after blocking a shot on March 16 in Winnipeg.
“We do not expect him back before the end of the regular season,” said Montgomery, who added that Forbort does not require surgery.
Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno, both of whom have been out for nearly a month with lower-body injuries of their own, have resumed skating. Foligno took the ice on his own ahead of Tuesday’s morning skate, while Hall joined his teammates donning a maroon non-contact jersey.
“They’re checking boxes and are progressing well, but there’s no timeline for them yet,” said Montgomery. “I still think they are a ways away. It’s not at the point where I’m starting to think about lines and stuff.”
When they do return, however, Montgomery is eager to have plenty of options up front.
“I don’t think it’s a problem. It’s a great situation,” he said. “You’ll get to see when they get back who plays with who, and a deep lineup is going to get even deeper. So, it’s a great problem to have.”
After sitting out Sunday’s game in Buffalo, David Krejci (soreness) and Dmitry Orlov (defense rotation) will be back in the lineup. A.J. Greer and Jakub Zboril will be the healthy scratches.
Opposing View
The Senators, on the second end of a back-to-back, snapped a five-game losing streak on Monday night with a 2-1 win over Pittsburgh. The recent downturn has pushed Ottawa (34-31-5, 73 points) six points behind Florida for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
After winning the first two games against the Bruins this season – both on home ice – the Senators fell to Boston, 3-1, on Feb. 20 at TD Garden.
“I think they won [on Monday night], so they’re probably feeling pretty good about themselves,” said Grzelcyk. “Every game probably feels pretty close to a playoff game and they haven’t been there in a few years. They’ve got a lot to prove and they’ve got a lot of young talent…a good power play.
“We’ve got to stay disciplined, something we’ve lacked in a little bit recently. I’ve got to be mindful of that and I don’t want to give them any easy opportunities. And they played last night, so get on them early and make them work for it.”
Ottawa is paced by Tim Stutzle, who leads the club with 35 goals and 78 points in 66 games. Brady Tkachuk (30-42-72) has also hit the 30-goal, 70-point plateau, while Claude Giroux (28-30-68), Alex DeBrincat (21-35-56), and Drake Batherson (21-34-55) have reached the 20-goal mark.
Tuesday’s Projected Lineup
FORWARDS
Brad Marchand – Patrice Bergeron – Jake DeBrusk
Pavel Zacha – David Krejci – David Pastrnak
Tyler Bertuzzi – Charlie Coyle – Trent Frederic
Jakub Lauko – Tomas Nosek – Garnet Hathaway
DEFENSMEN
Matt Grzelcyk – Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm – Brandon Carlo
Dmitry Orlov – Connor Clifton
GOALIES
Linus Ullmark/Jeremy Swayman
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It was mixed results for Canada on Tuesday at the world women’s curling championship with a narrow loss to undefeated Switzerland and a comfortable victory over winless New Zealand.
Kerri Einarson’s squad from Gimli, Man., opened its day with a 7-6 defeat at the hands of three-time defending champion Silvana Tirinzoni before rebounding with a 10-4 win over New Zealand’s Bridget Becker.
The results left Canada tied for second place at 5-2 through 11 draws heading into games Wednesday against Germany and South Korea.
“It’s a little challenging out there and it’s taking a little longer to buy into and adapt to the changes in the game,” Canada lead Brianne Harris said. “We had a better day yesterday and then today was just a little off again. Hopefully we can build tomorrow and have our best day yet.”
Canada’s Kerri Einarson beats New Zealand’s Bridget Becker 10-4 at the women’s world curling championship. The Canadian women have a 5-2 record and are tied for second place with Italy.
Tirinzoni had her squad ahead 6-4 following a three-point fifth end and a steal of one in the sixth.
After a blank seventh, Einarson scored one in the eighth and tied the match 6-6 with a steal in the ninth.
With the hammer in the final end, Tirinzoni scored one to cement the win and improve to 6-0.
Against New Zealand, Einarson and teammates Harris, Val Sweeting and Shannon Birchard broke open a 2-2 tie with three points in the third end.
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Canada’s Kerri Einarson falls to Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni 7-6 at the women’s world curling championship. The Swiss team stays perfect with a 6-0 record while the Canadian squad drops into a four-way tie for second at 4-2.
Leading 6-4 after six ends, Canada scored two in the seventh, and the teams shook hands after a Canadian steal of two in the eighth.
New Zealand fell to 0-7.
In other Draw 11 results, Sweden edged Japan 5-4, Italy beat Scotland 7-6 and the United States thumped Denmark 7-2.
Italy was tied with Canada at 5-2, with South Korea and Norway next at 4-2.
The top six teams in the 13-team field qualify for the playoff round. The final is scheduled for Sunday.
Fresh off her fourth straight Scotties title, the skip joins That Curling Show to talk about what makes her team so dominant, having her kids be able to watch the final and how she’s prepping for worlds.
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Three misdemeanour charges were filed Monday against the son of Philadelphia Flyers interim general manager Danny Brière after a video posted on social media showed him and another Mercyhurst University athlete pushing an unoccupied wheelchair down a staircase.
Police in Erie, Pennsylvania, filed charges of criminal mischief, criminal conspiracy to commit mischief and disorderly conduct against Carson Brière, who completed his third hockey season at Mercyhurst. Patrick Carrozzi, listed as a senior member of the school’s lacrosse team, faces the same three charges, according to documents filed with District Judge Sue Mack.
The two are scheduled to appear in court on May 22.
The wheelchair’s owner, identified as Sydney Benes, filed a complaint saying the fall down the stairs damaged the left brake handle, broke the right arm rest’s plastic molding, bent a rear handle and caused the wheels to drag when moving forward. Benes said the wheelchair was purchased a year ago, costing $2,000 US.
It’s unclear if Brière or Carrozzi have lawyers who can speak on their behalf.
Brière and two other athletes were placed on interim suspension, while the school investigated the matter.
A message seeking comment left with a Mercyhurst athletic department spokeswoman was not immediately returned.
Last week, the 23-year-old Brière apologized in a statement released through the NHL’s Flyers.
“I am deeply sorry for my behaviour on Saturday,” he said. “There is no excuse for my actions, and I will do whatever I can to make up for this serious lack of judgment.”
Danny Brière, who was promoted to run the Flyers after Chuck Fletcher was fired two weeks ago, said he was shocked to see his son’s actions and called them “inexcusable,” while saying his son “accepts full responsibility for his behaviour.”
Mercyhurst previously released a statement saying the actions displayed in the video fall short of the school’s “belief in the inherent dignity of each person,” adding the school’s “tradition also reminds us that students and all people who make poor choices deserve opportunities to learn, change behaviours and atone for harmful actions.”
Carson Brière previously was dismissed from Arizona State’s hockey club in 2019 for what the school called a violation of team rules.
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