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PeoriaTimes.com /PeoriaTimes Coronavirus shakes Arizona sports community with baseball, basketball, hockey ‘on hold’

BY LORENZINO ESTRADA Cronkite News

The ever-changing sports world due to the coronavirus pandemic was epitomized Thursday, March 12, as Diamondbacks pitcher Archie Bradley reflected on the uncertainty of his sport. “I feel like we’re all kind of in a holding period,” he said at the team’s spring training site at Salt River Fields.

Sure enough, a few hours later, Major League Baseball pulled the plug, announcing spring training will be suspended as of 4 p.m. Friday and the start of the regular season will be delayed by at least two weeks.

This wasn’t the only news impacting Arizona sports teams and fans. The NHL soon announced its season would be suspended, while the Indoor Football League said it would put on hold its season following Saturday games. In addition, the Ladies Professional Golf Association announced the postponement of its upcoming events including the Volvik Founder Cups in Phoenix, which was scheduled to take place March 19-22.

“First and foremost our whole team is concerned with the safety and well-being of our employees, players, fans and this entire Arizona community,” Ahron Cohen, Arizona Coyotes president and

CEO said in a conference call. “First step is addressing what’s right in front of our face. We have our entire staff working through a lot of issues.”

Before MLB’s announcement, clubs including the Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants were looking for other venues to play their early regular season games. Washington state and California have banned gatherings larger than 250. “To not allow fans. To cancel a season, you feel as an athlete we’re going to be the next sport,” Bradley said. “Whether it’s proactive or to take precaution, it’s kind of the same.”

Other leagues and sports organizations had already taken steps to limit the spread of coronavirus, with the NBA as well as two soccer leagues, the MLS and USL, suspending its seasons. The NBA season suspension came after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus prior to Wednesday night’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Jazz star Donovan Mitchell also tested positive for the virus on Thursday. Multiple NBA teams have begun to self-quarantine in response.

College basketball is also being severely affected, with most major conference tournaments like the Big Ten, ACC, and Pac-12 being canceled. Both the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments will be canceled in a statement released by the NCAA.

ASU Athletics released a statement canceling all sporting competitions. in accordance with a Pac-12 announcement Thursday morning.

Meanwhile, the NFL is still on schedule to start its new league year on Wednesday despite multiple teams restricting travel and closing facilities. “I think just like everyone else, we don’t really know the severity of this,” Bradley said. “We don’t know if this is just a flu-like thing or if it will continue to affect more than just sports in general, the whole world. It’s everyone’s concern, we’re all looking at it even from a nonsports standpoint, just humans in general, human life. What’s going to happen to this country and the whole world.”

As of Friday, there were 127,863 confirmed cases across the world, with 1,323 in the United States, according to the John Hopkins University & Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center,

“To just do what’s best for the league, players, the fans and the game,” Bradley said. “I think it’s always what we want. What’s best for everyone.”

The cancellation of about 80 remain

Spring training was one of the ways fans could interact with players, as Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Avisail Garcia did — before COVID-19 became a pandemic — at American Family Fields of Phoenix. (Photo by Reno Del Toro/Cronkite News)

ing Cactus League games will have a major impact on vendors, fans and the local economy. With the abrupt ending to spring training, many fans will be packing up and heading home early. The announcement baseball will suspend spring training and postpone the regular season, Bradley reflected on how this will affect the game environment.

“It would change the atmosphere a lot,” Bradley said. “At the end of the day, we would like to play if we’re allowed to play. The fans are what make this great game and support us, but we want to play the game and I think it would just be an adjustment. It’ll take some time getting used to but we’d rather play if we can.”

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BY ERIC NEWMAN Peoria Times Staff Writer

At 23, Michael Dominguez will not be a lot older than most of the girls he is mentoring in his new job as associate head coach – joining coach Stephen Moss – of Ottawa University Arizona’s women’s basketball team.

“It’s really cool that when I retire years from now I can tell my kids and my grandkids that I was a coach at this young (age). But it’s not something I’m satisfied with. I have big aspirations,” Dominguez said.

While he will put his entire coaching focus on this role, Dominguez said his ultimate goal is to become an NCAA Division 1 coach. Transitioning to OUAZ from his former job as an assistant for the South Mountain Community College women’s team, he feels like this is a step closer.

“I felt like I needed to get on a fouryear staff and take on a bigger role,” he said. “I had the opportunity to move up after just a year of junior college, so I couldn’t pass that up.”

Dominguez said a lot of his peers in the coaching community have supported him on his career path. One of them was former boss Jordan Augustine.

Augustine, coach of the 2020 5A state champion boys’ basketball team at Ironwood, could sense Dominguez’s desire when he hired him as a varsity assistant

Michael Dominguez, 23, was hired as associate head basketball coach at OUAZ in Surprise (Photo courtesy Michael Dominguez)

for the 2018-19 season. Augustine remembers an even-younger Dominguez living in Tucson at the time, sending him an email asking about an open coaching job, and eventually securing it.

“It impressed me that a college student living in Tucson at the time drove all the way here to meet me face-toface to talk about the job,” Augustine said.

“You could see how much effort he put into coaching, and his willingness to do all the little things that need to be done to be successful.”

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now, the new Spirit coach can work to try and help develop the team into a contender in the NAIA GSAC conference.

OUAZ finished its 2019-20 season on Feb. 29 with a 12-14 record. Dominguez said there are several talented players returning to the squad in the next season.

“We’re back on the court next week with the returners,” he said. “I am excited to get started.”

To celebrate the launch of the New Balance and Big League Chew collection, Cleveland Indians star shortstop Francisco Lindor and fastpitch softball standout Sierra Romero appeared Feb. 26 at Dick’s Sporting Goods at the Arrowhead Towne Center. The pair surprised the baseball and softball teams from Desert Sky Middle School, who received footwear and apparel from New Balance and Big League Chew. The student-athletes spent time taking swings with Lindor and Romero at Dick’s in-store batting cage, before each team received a $5,000 donation from the Dick’s Sporting Goods Sports Matter program. (Photos courtesy Dick’s Sporting Goods)

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17 March 19, 2020 Peoria Times The show goes on: Mecum auction at SFS

BY OCTAVIO SERRANO Peoria Times Staff Writer

While Spring Training and many other events around the West Valley cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic concerns, the show went on at Mecum Auctions, where participants experienced over 100 years of car history and bid on stunning autos.

Mecum Auctions, the world’s largest collector-car auction company, returned to State Farm Stadium Wednesday, March 11, through Saturday, March 14, for its second annual event in Glendale. The family-owned company brings a diverse collection of cars and motorcycles for bidders and car aficionados.

David Morton, communications and event marketing manager, said the Glendale auction is one of 13 car auc

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tions the company has this year. Last year, the inaugural event made roughly $39 million and exceeded the first-year sales by 80%.

Morton said the event allows men to channel their passion for automobiles at one location.

“Cars are one of the things that men are most passionate about,” Morton said. “Mecum realized the auction provided an opportunity to showcase a variety of cars in one setting.”

As of Thursday, March 12, Morton said the event had had roughly 2,000 bidders. The auction itself holds 1,300 cars and 15 motorcycles.

New this year was a Sunset Sessions Food and Music Festival following

Denis Martin, John Mayer

the auction on Friday and Saturday. The show featured unlimited food and beverages prepared by award-winning celebrity chefs. In addition, Lifehouse and Billy Ray Cyrus performed and thrill rides were being offered for guests at an adjacent racing track.

But the vehicles are the reason people make the trip to Mecum Auctions every year. Spencer Hoover, of Litchfield Park, said he has attended numerous car auctions and decided to attend Mecum in 2019. He bought three motorcycles and a car and also was selling a 1955 Porsche Speedster. Hoover said he is fond of the Mecum events because of the myriad of car types and styles.

“It has such a variety, which is nice, and I think that’s what attracts a lot of different people,” Hoover said. “You don’t just get very wealthy people. I do like the diversity.”

Hoover, who has been a Porsche-lover since he was 5, said that as a car collector, the atmosphere of an auction is important, as he likes to engage with other car-enthusiasts.

“The atmosphere is good,” Hoover said. “People seem to be out here walking around and having fun.”

Morton said this year some of the biggest attractions will be muscle cars. This includes a one-of-three remaining 2017 Ford GT Competition Series with just over 265 miles, which is owned by famed driver Sebastien Bourdais.

Dan Minor came to Arizona from Minnesota to attend the event. He is selling three types of cars, which include a Dodge, a Ford Bronco and a Chevrolet.

“I buy them to bring them to the auction and sell them,” Minor said. “My dad has six of them here.”

Minor said he likes the family-feel atmosphere the event has. Specifically, however, he likes that bidders have the option to put cars at a reserve. If they choose to do so, the seller can choose to not sell the car if they don’t get the amount of money desired.

Morton said roughly 95% of cars will be at reserve this year.

“Mecum does a good job,” Minor said. “They put a lot into it, they know how to get the crowd here.” The family-feel aspect of the show is something owners Dana and Patti Mecum take pride in, Morton said. He said the heart of Mecum Auctions remains with the passion for cars.

“It’s the type of people being around some

thing that they love,” Morton said. “That enthusiasm and that passion for their work is extended to our customers because we want them to have that fun we’re having.”

Despite the heavy rain the auction experienced, people remained at the event, with their feet wet, as they looked at the different types of cars available. From muscle cars to sports cars to American classics, Mecum Auctions had something for everyone that attended.

“This auction gives people an opportunity to watch a great car show and look at cars they have never seen before or wished they had as kids,” Morton said.

“I just spent time with two couples that were in town for Spring Training that attended the auction since the games were cancelled.”

Peoria Times photos by Chris Mortenson.