The Portland Sea Dogs have become the latest minor league baseball franchise to offer fans a chance to have a meal on the ballpark field.
The team announced Wednesday it will host “Dining on the Diamond” at Hadlock Field on July 24-25. Tables will be aligned along the infield dirt, with at least 12 feet between them to adhere to social distancing guidelines during the pandemic. Up to eight fans can be seated at a table.
The menu includes ballpark staples such as hot dogs, hamburgers and sausages, along with chicken fingers, haddock sandwiches, barbecue chicken and a steak tip dinner. Vegetarian options also are available.
Food orders need to be placed at least 72 hours in advance. Reservations can be made at www.seadogs.com.
With no minor league baseball games this summer, several other franchises have been offering meals at the ballpark, including the Pawtucket Red Sox. The Sea Dogs have been offering concessions food for curbside pickup at Hadlock Field, and last weekend hosted a target golf event.
HORSE RACING
BAFFERT SUSPENDED: Two-time Triple Crown-winning trainer Bob Baffert was suspended for 15 days by the Arkansas Racing Commission and two of his horses were disqualified after testing positive for a banned substance.
The stewards said in a ruling that the suspension will run from Aug. 1 -15. They found Baffert violated Rule 1233, which states that a trainer shall ultimately be responsible for the condition of any horse that is entered regardless of the acts of any third parties.
His horses, Charlatan and Gamine, tested positive for lidocaine in two rounds of testing after winning races at the Hot Springs, Arkansas, track on May 2. The stewards disqualified both horses and stripped them of their purse earnings. Charlatan’s owners lost $300,000 in purse money; Gamine’s owners forfeited $36,000.
“We’re just very disappointed because we thought we put on a very compelling defense that it was innocent contamination,” Baffert told The Associated Press. “We’re definitely going to appeal it.”
In a hearing before the stewards on Monday, Baffert and his representatives argued that the horses were accidentally exposed to lidocaine by assistant trainer Jim Barnes, who had applied a medicinal pain patch to his own back. Barnes had previously broken his pelvis and the patch he used contained trace amounts of lidocaine. The drug was transferred from his hands through the application of tongue ties on both horses, Baffert’s representatives said.
DEL MAR: The southern California track canceled racing for the upcoming weekend after 15 jockeys tested positive for COVID-19.
All the track’s riders and personnel who work in the jockeys’ room were tested by San Diego County public health officials at the request of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. Of the 15 positive tests, all were believed to be asymptomatic.
HOCKEY
NHL: Columbus’ John Tortorella, Philadelphia’s Alain Vigneault and Boston’s Bruce Cassidy were revealed as the finalists for the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year.
Colorado’s Cale Makar, Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes and Chicago’s Dominik Kubalik are the finalists for the Calder Trophy as the top rookie. All three Jack Adams finalists come from the Eastern Conference, while all three Calder Finalists play in the West.
SOCCER
WORLD CUP: The 2022 World Cup will have four games every day in a 12-day group stage and matches later in the tournament that go into extra time will extend past midnight in Qatar.
FIFA released the schedule for the first World Cup to be played in November and December, with kickoff times at 1 p.m. (5 a.m. ET), 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.
The first game is scheduled at 1 p.m. Nov. 21. The final starts at 6 p.m. on Dec. 18.
BASKETBALL
NBA: Victor Oladipo is having second thoughts about calling it a season.
If all goes well over the next two weeks, the Indiana Pacers just might get their two-time All-Star guard back.
Twelve days after announcing he would sit out because of concerns over his surgically repaired right knee, Oladipo told reporters the workouts in Orlando, Florida, have caused him to rethink his decision.
“It was hard for me to assess where I was,” Oladipo said. “But being able to come down here and practice with my guys at a high level, I think there’s a strong possibility that I might play. I want to be smart because I want to play the next 10 years.”
COLLEGES
ST. THOMAS: The NCAA gave the University of St. Thomas permission to jump directly from Division III to Division I, the final clearance for a bold move born out of the Minnesota private school’s ejection from its conference for competitive reasons.
The Tommies, who previously secured a spot in the Summit League for all but three of their 22 varsity teams, announced they’ll join the Pioneer League for football and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association for women’s hockey. The men’s hockey program is still in the process of finding a conference home.
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