PAUSE THE GAME
The timing is right for the NBA to make some massive changes
Dec 23, 2021, 1:23 pm
COVID has gone viral across all sports. Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images.
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On March 11, 2020, it seems like a lifetime ago, the NBA shut down its season because one player on one team tested positive for Covid-19.
In 2021, as the NBA nears the halfway point of this Covid-ravaged season, commissioner Adam Silver says the league has no current plans to suspend play. Even though …
More than 90 NBA players are missing games because they’re in the league’s Covid health and safety protocols. Included are some of the greatest players and biggest stars, like Kevin Durant, Zach Levine, Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Ja Morant, Cade Cunningham and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Nine games have been postponed because teams simply didn't have enough healthy players to take the court. Teams are required to have at least eight available players. The Brooklyn Nets have 10 players in protocols, the Raptors and Cavaliers have 8 players sidelined. Teams are signing “hardship” substitutes and developmental talent. The Boston Celtics recently signed Joe Johnson to a 10-day contract. Johnson retired from the NBA three years ago. More recently his basketball has been limited to Ice Cube’s Big 3 league.
Three head coaches are in Covid protocols: Rick Carlisle (Pacers), Frank Vogel (Lakers) and Alvin Gentry (Kings). The Raptors are allowing only 50-percent capacity at home games.
The NBA is not delivering an NBA-quality product. Is it time for the NBA to pause its season and wait out the Omicron wave, which reportedly will be briefer than previous variants? What do you say to fans around the country who purchased high-end tickets for when the Nets visit their city – and then the Nets show up without Durant, Kyrie Irving, LaMarcus Aldridge and other regulars? Or when the Bucks come to town and the Greek Freak isn't with them? Sure those replacement players are wearing NBA uniforms, but that’s a G League team out there. It’s like buying tickets to a Rolling Stones concert and when you get to the venue it’s a Stones cover band.
The Houston Rockets are one of nine NBA teams without a player on the current Covid health and safety list.
It isn’t just the NBA that might want to consider pausing its season. NFL locker rooms have become pop-up infirmaries. More than 200 players have tested positive for Covid in the past week. That’s 10-percent of the league. The virus has gone viral in the NFL.
The Los Angeles Rams have 25 players in Covid protocols, including defensive back Jalen Ramsey and linebacker Von Miller. The Cleveland Browns have 21 players out, including quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Case Keenum plus wide receiver Jarvis Landry and defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. Head coach Kevin Stefanski is in Covid protocols, too. The Cleveland Browns are now an NFL cover band. The Saints are starting Ian Book at quarterback this week.
The Houston Texans have 22 players on the Covid list including star receiver Brandon Cooks and kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn.
Texans' Lonnie Johnson Jr. and Eric Murray have tested positive for COVID, according to league source. Texans up to 22 players on reserve-COVID-19 list, including two practice squad players. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said there have been 'no discussions' about postponing game
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) December 23, 2021
The Texans will be 9-1/2 point underdogs when they host the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
The NFL is shifting game schedules trying to help teams field competitive rosters. Meanwhile superstar Aaron Rodgers lied about his vaccination status and continues to spout Covid conspiracy theories and tout unproven medical information. The NFL is a mess.
The league just announced new testing procedures that will rely on vaccinated players self-reporting if they are experiencing Covid-related symptoms. Yeah, that’ll work. NFL players are known for keeping injuries secret and some will do anything, including submitting fake vaccination cards, to stay on the field. How stupid can the NFL be?
The National Hockey League has it right, or at least it’s taking Covid more seriously than its counterpart North American pro leagues. The NHL has suspended play until after Christmas and players will not participate in the upcoming Winter Olympics.
Texas A&M has pulled out of the Gator Bowl because the 8-4 Aggies don’t have enough scholarship players – only 38 left standing, 13 on defense - to field a competitive team against Wake Forest on Dec. 31. Instead the Gator Bowl has invited 5-7 Rutgers to take Top 25-ranked A&M’s place. Rutgers will have only a week to get everybody back on campus to practice. It’s just wrong. I’m sure the Gator Bowl organizing committee is thrilled with this development. How do you market a losing team in your bowl game?
Now the College Football Playoff committee says it’s possible that the national champions may be crowned by forfeit if teams have a Covid outbreak. There isn’t a keyboard in the world with an asterisk big enough for a title by forfeit.
A better option, if Covid appears unrelenting next month: cancel the playoff. It won’t be the end of the world if there’s no college championship game. Or if the Super Bowl is pushed back to March. Or the NBA has to resort to a bubble in Orlando again.
Sports leagues have a responsibility to give fans their best product. They’re fond of saying that player safety comes first. It may hurt, but prove it.
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A new challenge awaits, and the Astros know what’s at stake
Jun 27, 2025, 2:05 pm
The Houston Astros didn’t just sweep the Philadelphia Phillies. They sent a message.
In three tightly contested games against one of the best teams in baseball, the Astros leaned on their elite pitching and timely offense to secure a statement sweep. Hunter Brown was electric in the finale, shutting down the Phillies’ lineup and showing the kind of dominance that’s become a defining feature of his game. Bryan Abreu slammed the door with four strikeouts to close out the win, and rookie Cam Smith delivered the deciding blow — an RBI single in the eighth to drive in Isaac Paredes, lifting the Astros to a 2-1 victory.
It wasn’t a series filled with offensive fireworks, but that’s exactly the point. Both teams sent out top-tier pitching throughout the series, and Houston was the team that kept finding a way. For much of the season, the Astros’ inconsistent offense might’ve been a concern in a series like this. But this time, it felt different. The bats showed up just enough, and the pitching did the rest.
Now, with Houston on pace for 96 wins at the halfway point, the question becomes: Is the league officially on notice?
Maybe. Maybe not. But one thing is certain, the Astros have the third-best record in baseball, they’re 17-7 in one-run games, and they’re playing with the kind of rhythm that’s defined their near-decade of dominance. Unlike last year’s uneven campaign, this version of the Astros looks like a team that’s rediscovered its edge. Whether or not they need to take care of business against the Cubs to validate it, their recent run leaves little doubt: when Houston is clicking, there are very few teams built to stop them.
Off the field, however, a bit of long-term uncertainty is starting to creep in. Reports surfaced this week that extension talks with shortstop Jeremy Peña have been put on hold as he recently signed with super-agent Scott Boras. The combination has led many to wonder if Peña might follow the same free-agent path as Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa, and others before him. Boras clients rarely settle early, and Peña, now one of the most valuable shortstops in the game, could command a price tag the Astros have historically avoided paying.
If Peña and even Hunter Brown are likely to get priced out of Houston, the front office may need to pivot. Isaac Paredes could be the most logical extension candidate on the roster. His approach — particularly his ability to pull the ball with authority — is tailor-made for Daikin Park and the Crawford Boxes. Last year, Paredes struggled to leave the yard at Wrigley Field, but in Houston, he’s thriving. Locking him in long term would give the Astros offensive stability and the kind of value they’ve typically targeted.
As for Cam Smith, the breakout rookie is far from free agency and will remain a cost-controlled piece for years. That’s exactly why his contributions now, like his clutch eighth-inning knock to beat Philadelphia, matter so much. He's one more reason why the Astros don’t just look good right now. They look dangerous.
And the rest of the league is starting to feel it.
There's so much more to get to! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.
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