Cole Hamels’ bid to be ready by Opening Day was further weakened on Saturday, when the Braves’ left-hander did not complete a scheduled side session due to triceps tendinitis.

“He’s going trough what he said were normal things before in Spring Training,” said Braves manager Brian Snitker.

Unfortunately, there is nothing normal about the current expedited preparations for the season. Instead of having the normal six weeks of Spring Training, players were given three weeks of Summer Camp to prepare for the 2020 restart. One of those weeks has already elapsed, and Hamels’ tendinitis will likely at least cut into a portion of that second week.

“I think we’re a week away from seeing where he’s going to be when [the regular season starts],” said Snitker, who said earlier this week that Hamels was still on schedule to be on the Opening Day roster.

Now it looks like the Braves might need to plan to begin the season without the lefty in their rotation. Time is simply running out even if Hamels was pushed to the fifth spot and slated to make his first start on July 29.

If Hamels wasn’t ready to throw on Saturday, he’s likely not going to be cleared to get back on the mound before the middle of the coming weeks. This would be two weeks before that potential July 29 outing, and he still likely won’t be cleared to throw live batting practice, something the other projected starters — Mike Soroka, Max Fried, Mike Foltynewicz and Sean Newcomb — all did as soon as camp opened last weekend.

So while Snitker has not definitively ruled Hamels out for the start of the season, it’s looking more like the four-time All-Star will wait until August to make his Braves debut.

Even if this latest setback was simply a minor one, it adds to the frustration the Braves have thus far experienced with Hamels. The team signed the lefty to a one-year deal worth $18 million despite the fact he made just one appearance — a four-inning stint coupled with 11 total days of rest — after being bothered late last season with discomfort in his left shoulder.

Unfortunately, the left shoulder became inflamed again during January workouts and prevented Hamels from throwing before Spring Training was shut down in March. If the start of the season hadn’t been delayed, Hamels believes he’d have been ready to join Atlanta’s rotation by the end of May.

Still, even with the long layoff and extra time to recover from the winter discomfort, Hamels was behind Atlanta’s other projected starters when camp opened last week.

When asked if Hamels would be ready for the start of the season, Snitker and president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said they felt he’d be ready to throw a few innings while a piggyback system was used during both of his first two starts.

If this bout with tendinitis does prove to be just a minor setback, Hamels might now debut a week later than expected. If it is another sign that the veteran hurler is now being undone by natural wear and tear, Braves fans will become even more frustrated.

But for now, the club has no choice but to remain patient and hope Hamels’ tenure in Atlanta proves to be much more memorable than it has been thus far.

After a night of rain on Wednesday, the Manchester Youth Baseball Association returned to the diamond on Thursday night at Fred Deadman Park.  Nine games filled the schedule as all 5 age divisions were in action. 

In the 6U division, Manchester Tire and Brake shot down Star Physical Therapy 17 to 2 and Cooper Sports came out on top over Lovelady Auto Parts 16 to 15.  In the opener, Manchester Tire and Brake opened the game with an 8 run 1^st inning and never looked back.  Kasen Shelton, Jacob Whaley, Owen Holder, Jace Spencer and Trey Spencer all had home runs for Manchester Tire and Brake.  Garrison Reed and Conner Alford had doubles and scored runs for Star.  In the nightcap, Cooper got off to a hot start and held off a late rally from Lovelady to get the win.  Jason and Easton each had a double and 2 singles while scoring 3 times each.  Isaac had 3 singles and scored 3 runs for Lovelady. 

In the 8U division, Dr. Jay stopped Interstate Auto 17 to 5 and Freedom Automotive raced past Lions Club 15 to 1.  In the first game, Dr. Jay’s raced out to a 10 to 0 lead before Interstate could get on the scoreboard.  Sterling, Rylan and Hayes all had home runs while Kolton hit 2 home runs for Dr. Jay’s.  Keyton Childress had a triple and a home run for Interstate.  In the second game, the strong Freedom defense proved to up to the challenge.  For Freedom, Davion had a home run, a triple and a double while scoring 3 runs.  Harrison was the leading hitter for Lions Club as he had a pair of singles. 

In the 10U division, First National Bank bested Coffee County Bank 17 to 15 in the battle of the banks.  First National jumped out to a 5 to 0 lead before Coffee County Bank clawed back into the contest with 3 runs in the bottom of the 2^nd inning and 6 more in the 3^rd.  First National put the game away with a 6 run 4^th inning to take the win.  Davion Dycus hit a pair of singles and 2 RBI to lead First National.  For Coffee County Bank, Clayton Keele had a single, a double and 2 RBI.   

In the 12U division, Powers Storage dumped Bush Insurance 8 to 5 and Clower Automotive bested Shelter Insurance 10 to 1.  In game #1, Powers jumped out to a 2 to 0 lead in the first inning before Bush tied the game in the 2^nd inning.  The two teams each end the 3^rd tied at 4 before Powers took the lead for good in the 4^th.  Austin Gipson had a home run and 2 singles to lead Powers.  Elijah Vernon hit a pair of singles to lead Bush Insurance.   In game #2, Clower pitcher Caleb held Shelter to a pair of hits in capturing their 8^th win of the year.  Trace had a double and 2 singles to lead Clower.  Jonathan Whitten and Kerry Norris had singles for Shelter. 

In the 18U division, the Expos beat the Mets 6 to 3 and the Yankees clubbed the Manchester Braves 13 to 7.  In the night’s opener, the Expos sent 9 batters to the plate in the 2^nd inning plating 4 runs which proved to be enough.  Trailing 6 to 0 entering the bottom of the 4^th inning, the Mets rallied for 3 runs but could not close the gap further.  Walker had an RBI double and scored a run to lead the Expos.  Trenton Thompson had a pair of singles to lead the Mets.   In the late game, the Manchester Braves jumped out to a 6 to 0 lead in the first inning, only to see the Yankees rally for 8 runs in the bottom of the first.  The Yankees added 4 more runs in the 2^nd inning to gain some much needed breathing room.  Owen Neel got the win on the mound for the Yankees.  Tyler Surber ripped a 2 RBI triple for the Yankees.  Jayden Marcrom had a 2 RBI double for the Braves.   

Friday MYBA Schedule

8U Division at Fast Pitch Field

5:00 PM – Interstate Auto vs. Lions Club

7:30 PM – Lions Club vs. Interstate Auto

10U Division at National League Field

5:00 PM – First National Bank vs.  Chico’s Bail Bonds

7:30 PM – Coffee County Bank vs. State Farm

12U Division at Aaron Miller Field

5:00 PM – Shelter Insurance vs. Peoples Bank

The pictures, material and information contained in this story may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten, or redistributed, for commercial gain, without the express written consent of Coffee County Broadcasting.

Coming up on Saturday morning’s Coffee Coaches Show we will have a full hour of live interviews with local coaches.  We open the hour talking to Phil Petty, the head coach for the Coffee County Youth Bass Club as his teams prepare to compete in the upcoming state and national tournaments.  Next we will welcome Andrew Taylor, the head coach for the Coffee County CHS volleyball team who opened preseason practices on Monday.  Our final guest will be Coffee County CHS football head coach Doug Greene who will update us on practice restrictions and the current contingency plans for the upcoming high school football season. 

The Coffee Coaches Show is heard each and every Saturday morning from 10 to 11 AM here on Thunder Radio.  The Coffee Coaches Show is broadcast from the showroom of Al White Ford/Lincoln.

The pictures, material and information contained in this story may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten, or redistributed, for commercial gain, without the express written consent of Coffee County Broadcasting.

For the first time since March 10 in Montreal, members of the Nashville Predators have begun gathering to take to the ice at Bridgestone Arena as part of Phase 2 of the NHL’s Return To Play Plan.

Back on June 8, the NHL announced the commencement of Phase 2, which consisted of small groups of players allowed to partake in voluntary on and off-ice workouts at team facilities.   At the time, the Predators were satisfied with each player’s individual situation and elected not to open facilities in Nashville. 

But as the calendar turned to July, and with the potential start of training camp just days away, members of the Preds laced up their skates together once again.  The opening of training camps in the teams’ local markets, which is the start of Phase 3, is scheduled for July 13.  Teams will then travel July 26 to one of two hub cities, where they will begin Phase 4, the resumption of play, with the Stanley Cup Qualifiers starting Aug. 1. The hub cities have not been announced. 

The CBA extension and agreement on protocols for Phases 3 and 4 are subject to ratification by the NHL Board of Governors and NHLPA membership. The NHLPA said it will announce the players’ decision on Friday.

Play will resume with the qualifiers, 16 teams playing eight best-of-5 series and a round-robin among the top four teams in points percentage in each conference to determine seeding for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Teams were permitted to reopen their facilities June 8 for voluntary on-ice and off-ice workouts under Phase 2 of the Return to Play Plan. Workout groups initially were restricted to six players and limited staff but later were expanded to a maximum of 12 players.

For Phase 3, players will be permitted to participate in full team activities on and off the ice. In addition, coaches, general managers and hockey operations personnel will be allowed to have direct interactions with players and conduct typical training camp activities while following preventative measures, including enhanced testing for COVID-19 and diligent hygiene practices designed to prevent the spread of the virus.

For Phase 4, the 24 teams will travel to the two hub cities, one for the 12 Eastern Conference teams and the other for the 12 Western Conference teams.

The teams will be housed in Phase 4 Secure Zones, which will include hotels, restaurants, practice facilities and the arena where exhibition, qualifier and postseason games will be played. Each person inside the secure zone, including players, coaches, team and NHL personnel, arena and practice facility staff, and vendors and service providers will be tested daily for COVID-19 and have symptom screening and temperature checks.

Some of the key points in the Phase 3 protocols include: rosters being limited to 30 skaters but allowing for an unlimited number of goalies per team; participation being limited to players who are eligible for the playoffs; and COVID-19 testing being required for players, team personnel and other personnel who will be in the vicinity of players (ice and building maintenance, security, etc.) 48 hours prior to returning to team facilities and every other day after that.

Phase 4 protocols include: rosters being limited to 31 players (including goalies); a maximum of 52 individuals per team (including ownership, players, coaches, executives and staff) being permitted inside the secure zone; and daily testing, symptom checks and temperature screenings for each person.

In the Western Conference Qualifiers, the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues (42-19-10, .662), Colorado Avalanche (42-20-8, .657), Vegas Golden Knights (39-24-8, .606) and Dallas Stars (37-24-8, .594) will play in the round-robin.

The four best-of-5 series in the West are the Edmonton Oilers (37-25-9, .585) vs. the Chicago Blackhawks (32-30-8, .514); the Nashville Predators (35-26-8, .565) vs. the Arizona Coyotes (33-29-8, .529); the Vancouver Canucks (36-27-6, .565) vs. the Minnesota Wild (35-27-7, .558); and the Calgary Flames (36-27-7, .564) vs. the Winnipeg Jets (37-28-6, .563).

In the Eastern Conference Qualifiers, the Boston Bruins (44-14-12, .714 points percentage), Tampa Bay Lightning (43-21-6, .657), Washington Capitals (41-20-8, .652) and Philadelphia Flyers (41-21-7, .645) will play in the round-robin.

The four best-of-5 series in the East are the Pittsburgh Penguins (40-23-6, .623) vs. the Montreal Canadiens (31-31-9, .500); the Carolina Hurricanes (38-25-5, .596) vs. the New York Rangers (37-28-5, .564); the New York Islanders (35-23-10, .588) vs. the Florida Panthers (35-26-8, .565); and the Toronto Maple Leafs (36-25-9, .579) vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets (33-22-15, .579).

The losing teams from the qualifiers will have a chance at the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft in the Second Phase of the NHL Draft Lottery.

The teams that advance from the qualifiers will remain in the two hub cities for the first two rounds of the playoffs. The four teams that advance past the second round will convene at one hub city to be identified for the conference finals and Stanley Cup Final.

Nashville Soccer Club in conjunction with Major League Soccer announced today that the club will withdraw its participation in the MLS Is Back Tournament due to positive COVID-19 cases among its players.

Nashville SC arrived in Orlando, Fla. on July 1, having taken all the necessary steps and following all the mandated protocols established by the league as well as local and national health authorities to minimize the risk and exposure to the virus. Despite the precautions, one player tested positive upon arrival at the host hotel, and another eight Nashville SC players tested positive upon a few days of arrival.

Following daily testing of players and staff during the past nine days, it was determined that the club would not be medically cleared to get sufficient training before their next match. As a result, it was decided that it would be in the best interest of the health and safety of the players, the staff and the rest of the league that Nashville SC does not participate in the tournament.

“In what has been a challenging year, and in an uncharted environment created by the Tornado that devastated our city, and COVID-19, this is another big disappointing outcome for Nashville SC and its supporters,” said Nashville SC CEO Ian Ayre. “Our focus now lays on the recovery of our players who have been infected with COVID-19 and on getting our complete traveling party back home safely. Once everyone is safe and healthy in Nashville, we can then turn the page and focus on our preparation and participation in the return to play for the latter half of the season post Orlando.”

Nashville SC is working with MLS and local health officials on a plan to bring home those players and staff who have consistently tested negative throughout their time in Orlando, Fla. as soon as it ensures everyone’s safety in the process. The timetable for the return of players who have tested positive will be determined by MLS’ health, safety and medical protocols.