Former Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Roberto Clemente is remembered as a legend for his on the field talents and his off the field humanitarian work, which is why he has been honored across the MLB since 2002 on a day simply known as Roberto Clemente Day. This year, Major League Baseball decided to take the celebratory day a step further and schedule a series to take place between Clemente's former team and the Miami Marlins in San Juan, Puerto Rico, a little over 15 miles from where Clemente grew up.
Unfortunately, due to concerns about the Zika virus, the games, which will take place tomorrow and Tuesday were moved from Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan to Marlins Park in Miami. Although moving a game from its original scheduled location is an unusual occurrence, it isn't the first time it's happened. Let's take a look at a few other instances when professional sporting events were moved from one venue to another.
In the early days of the 2007 MLB season, the Cleveland Indians had their first home series of the season vs the Seattle Mariners wiped out thanks to a snow storm. Though the snow ended a day before the Indians were scheduled to take on their next opponents, the Los Angeles Angels, there was too much snow on the field for it to be cleared by game time. The clubs packed their bags and headed northwest to Milwaukee's Miller Park. Featuring a retractable roof, Miller Park hosted the Indians' official home opener as well as the second and third games of the series. All tickets were sold for $10.
In April 1998, a 500-pound expansion joint fell in the upper-deck of Yankee Stadium, forcing the city of New York to temporarily close "The House That Ruth Built." After the first two games of a scheduled Yankees – Angels series were postponed, both teams headed across the East River to the Mets' Shea Stadium to salvage the final game of the series. The game was played on a Wednesday afternoon in front of 40,000 fans. The Mets and Cubs took the field at Shea Stadium that evening, however there were 24,000 fewer seats filled.
After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, the Saints needed to find a new home for the 2005 season. Luckily, they were able to do that by splitting up their home games in a few different cities. The team played their home opener against the New York Giants at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. After that, the organization called Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, LA and the Alamodome in San Antonio home from the remainder of the season. San Antonio also served as the team's home base for practices.
Throughout the season there were rumors that Saints ownership was working behind the scenes to permanently move the team to San Antonio. Luckily, this didn't happen and the Saints returned to New Orleans for the 2006 season.
The NBA's New Orleans Hornets, known today as the Pelicans were affected by Hurricane Katrina just as much as the Saints. Forced to find a new home for the 2005-06 season, the franchise decided on Oklahoma City, which beat out cities like Kansas City, San Diego, and Nashville as potential cities for the team's temporary relocation. In January 2006, the NBA announced that Oklahoma City would also be home to the Hornets during the 2006-07 season to allow for a full recovery of the New Orleans market.
Following the popularity of the team's tenure in the city, the Seattle SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008 to compete as the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Metrodome, the former home of the Minnesota Vikings was a unique stadium that featured an inflatable roof. Unfortunately that roof was susceptible to collapsing. Two days before a scheduled Giants – Vikings game in December 2010, the roof collapsed for the fourth time thanks to a snow storm that dropped 17 inches of white stuff in Minneapolis. With a broken roof and a field filled with snow, the NFL scrambled to find a location to host the matchup. That location turned out to be Ford Field in Detroit, home of the Detroit Lions.
In September 2004, Hurricane Frances barreled toward Florida, postponing a three-game series between the Florida Marlins and Chicago Cubs. One of those three games was moved to Wrigley Field in Chicago. While the Marlins were playing a home game on Chicago's North Side, Hurricane Ivan was quickly making its approach to Florida. Not wanting to fly the team to Florida for their upcoming series against the Montreal Expos, MLB instead had the Marlins stay put and had the Expos fly into the Windy City. The two teams then faced off for two games at the White Sox's U.S. Cellular Field.
With any heavyweight boxing match of the 70s, 80s or 90s that was known as an instant classic, a rematch always ensued.
That is exactly what the fans will get when football clubs Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid take the field for the 2016 UEFA Champions League Final in Milan, Italy. Real Madrid beat Atletico Madrid 4-1 in an intense defensive minded title game back in 2014 that was much different than the final score indicated.
For 93 minutes Atletico Madrid was going to win its first UEFA Champions League Final. A goal from a corner kick late in the first half gave them a 1-0 lead that they clung onto until dying seconds of the match. However, the match went one more minute than they wanted and Real Madrid's supreme talent could no longer be stifled.
A corner kick for Real Madrid was redirected beautifully by defender Sergio Ramos to tie the score, and in extra time a deflated Atletico Madrid allowed three more goals to a side that was ready to pounce.
Countless things have changed since that May night in Portugal, and a few are in the favor of the heartbroken Atletico Madrid. Here's why the 2016 title game will be different, and Atletico Madrid will capture the crown.
Relatively new to the scene of international football, Atletico was content with just making the final in 2014. That was one of the best seasons in the history of the football club and many of their players had not experienced such a spotlight like a Champions League Final. When they took an unexpected lead in the first half they were just waiting for the final whistle, and that's what doomed them in the end. Long story short, Atletico should be the hungrier team, and now with the experience they possess and revenge on their mind, look for the result to be different this time.
This will be a little bit of déjà vu for Atletico fans, but a goalie using a strong Champions League showing in order to cash in on a big pay day will again be the narrative. Like Thibaut Courtois, now a rich man at Chelsea FC, Jan Oblak has been the star for Atletico Madrid. Nominated to the UCL Team of the Week during the semifinals, Oblak won the Ricardo Zamora Trophy in 2015-16 as the best goalkeeper in La Liga. The 23-year-old from Slovenia only allowed 18 goals this season and his athleticism and length is hard to match. A clean sheet is a very big possibility and would go a long way towards Atletico lifting the trophy.
In the 2014 final, Atletico Madrid had problems up front with their star forwards. David Villa and Diego Costa were the starting forwards in that game, but Costa came in to the game with a nagging injury and was only able to play nine minutes. On top of that an aging David Villa was not capable of taking on the talented defense Real Madrid defense by himself. This time around the forwards are healthy and hungry. Fernando Torres will take on the role of David Villa, mostly playing off the ball and waiting for that one chance to strike. He will most likely be set up all game by the electrifying Antione Griezmann. The 25-year-old French national player has scored 32 goals in all competitions this season for Atletico and his health and creativity will be the catalyst for Atletico pulling off the upset in 2016.
Let's not forget that for almost the entire game the trophy belonged to Atletico Madrid. Then, in a move similar to Shooter McGavin and the Gold Jacket, Real Madrid was able to steal it away. Three of the four defenders that were anchors on the 2014 squad are still playing for Atletico, including the dominating presence of Diego Godin, who scored the lone goal for them in the 4-1 loss. Add Oblak in to the mix and this is one stout defense that can contend with any offense. Unfortunately, they are taking on one of the best offenses in the world. Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema are the three headed monster of Real Madrid and they have been known to pour on the goals when in the zone. However, Atletico Madrid has only conceded one goal this season against Real Madrid in La Liga play so that familiarity will be vital.
This match will unfold much like the one that took place in late February between these two teams. Atletico won the game 1-0 behind the brilliance of Griezmann and Oblak. I expect the same story to unfold this time around as well. Griezmann just needs a sliver of daylight to make a difference, and then the swarming Atletico Madrid defense that almost closed the deal in 2014 will be up to the task until the final whistle blows.
Get your UEFA Champions League Final tickets now on TicketNetwork.com! The final is on May 28th at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in Milan, Italy.
Although one grand slam tournament is already in the books this season as Novak Djokovic dominated down under and Angelique Kerber was able to pull off an upset in the Australian Open, the ATP and WTA tennis seasons are in full swing starting May 22nd.
The French Open begins the grueling summer grind for the tour professionals, and this is usually the part of the season where the cream rises to the top. Call it a cheat sheet, call it a text book or even a manual, but this article will give you everything you want to know and everything you need to know heading in to the 2016 edition of the French Open, which has its first round on Sunday, May 22, with the Women's Finals scheduled for Saturday, June 4 and the Men's Final on Sunday, June 5.
For Starters: The French Open is played on clay, a very unique surface in the game of tennis. The clay court, being much softer and slower than grass and hard courts, neutralizes power, rewards quickness and requires players to be very fit in order to survive long rallies that are a common occurrence. Rafael Nadal has a made a living on this surface, winning nine times on the clay at the Roland Garros Stadium, home of the French Open, the most wins all-time at a single major.
The one factor that works in the favor of the players is the weather. The French Open is played right before the summer months roll in, and the temperature is usually perfect for players and tennis fans alike.
French Frustration: Although the title is named the French Open, many fans are beginning to think the tournament should be changed to the Spanish Open. To go along with Rafael Nadal's nine titles in the last 11 years, a Spanish born player won the event five out of ten times from 1993-2003. The only Frenchman to ever win the French Open when it was contested as a professional event was Yannick Noah in 1983.
If the home crowd wants to see one of their own take home the title, their best hope is the powerful Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Tsonga, now 31, is reaching the end of his prime but is still a fearsome competitor. He reached the semifinals of the French Open last year and would love to win his first career major title in front of his home fans. Gilles Simon, a journeyman, and Gael Monfils, a wildcard to say the least, are two other French players that can bring a title back to France, but their draw will be much tougher than Tsonga's.
As for the French women, their last champion was Mary Pierce in 2000, and it seems their hope for a woman champion is still a few years away. Kristina Mladenovic, 23, is starting to play some great tennis but has a long way to go before becoming a champion. She has a shot to reach the quarterfinals and will have the home crowd behind her which always helps.
Names You Need To Know: Heading into any men's singles tournament the list of favorites is a broken record. Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray have been the favorites for the past five years and in that time span you'd be hard pressed to find a trophy that doesn't have their name on it. However, the clay surface is the great equalizer and there are young players on the rise waiting to swoop in to take the tennis throne should one of these great players slip up.
Japan's Kei Nishikori is at the top of that list. The 26-year-old plays like the Energizer bunny and although he doesn't have the power to match the top 4 players in the world he has the heart and the skill. He is ranked No. 6 in the world and reached the quarterfinals of the French Open last year. The other name that is a trending topic in tennis these days is Canada's Milos Raonic. He has vaulted in to the top-10 in the world rankings and is playing some of the best tennis of his life.
In the women's bracket, Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka are receiving top billing as usual. Azarenka has rebounded from an injury and is once again a top five tennis player. Serena is Serena and strikes fear in all of her opponents except a select few. Two women can step up and challenge Serena for the title, one being Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska, the second ranked player in the world. The other is Germany's Angelique Kerber, who might be the most confident player in the world right now. She beat Serena Williams in the Australian Open final this season and is currently the third ranked player in the world.
Defending Champ: In 2015, Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka could not be stopped. He defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semifinals and No. 1 player in the world Novak Djokovic in the final with an impressive display of power and will that stunned the crowd. At 31, it seems Wawrinka is finally reaching the peak of his tennis abilities, and he will be hard to beat again this year.
Prediction: One of the scariest things in sports is a hungry Serena Williams. She currently has 21 grand slam titles and is four away from breaking the all-time record set by Margaret Court (24). After coming off a loss at the Australian Open combined with a chance to defend her title Serena will be firing on all cylinders.
As for the men, history is on the line once again at Roland Garros. Novak Djokovic, who now has 11 career grand slam titles is still chasing the elusive career grand slam. Only seven players in the history of tennis have ever accomplished this feat and four of them have completed it at the French Open. Djokovic has been the runner-up in three of the last four years and the breakthrough is inevitable. I see Kei Nishikori, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal all making strong runs to the semifinals, but I'd get French Open Final tickets as I believe Novak Djokovic will lift the trophy and make history in the process.
Missing In Action: Two tennis legends will not be competing in the 2016 French Open. Maria Sharapova, a two-time French Open Champion, is serving a suspension for using a banned substance. In the men's draw, Roger Federer, arguably the best tennis player of all-time pulled out recently due to a back injury. Federer was a champion at this event back in 2009.