FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2020 | THE GLOBE AND MAILO REPORT ON BUSINESS | B11
In place of on-field baseball action
postponed by the COVID-19 pan-
demic, The Globe and Mail brings
you a computer-simulated tourna-
ment involving four of the greatest
Canadian teams, using the statis-
tics-based software of the sports-
game company Strat-O-Matic. The
first-round best-of-seven-game se-
ries pits the 1985 Blue Jays against
their World Series-winning counter-
parts from 1993, while on the other
side of the bracket, the 1981 Expos
take on the 1994 Montreal squad.
Today’s matchup is Game No. 4 of
the all-Expos series.
M
aybe baseball isn’t such a
complicated game after
all.
Postgame, after his hit drove in
the winning run to give the 1994
Expos a 3-2 win over the 1981
Montrealers, slugger Cliff Floyd
shrugged off the mental part of
the sport. “If you got a hundred
things on your mind, how you go-
ing to hit the ball,” he asked rhet-
orically. “Nah, man, I was swing-
ing for the fences tonight.”
He caught one – the one in
right field, specifically. Facing
1981’s Charlie Lea in a game tied
2-2 in the top of the seventh,
Floyd walloped a low-and-inside
offering for an off-the-wall triple
that plated Marquis Grissom for
what turned out to be the game-
winning run.
“He golfed it,” reliever Tim
Scott said of his teammate’s liner.
“It was something.”
The win gave the 1994 side a 3-1
lead in games heading into Game
No. 5. The scheduled starters are
1994’s Ken Hill and 1981’s Steve
Rogers. It’s a reprise for the pitch-
ers who faced each other in the
first game of the best-of-seven se-
ries. The winner of the all-Expos
series will face the 1993 Toronto
Blue Jays, who dispensed with the
1985 Jays in four successive
games.
The game at Olympic Stadium
was tighter than the ’94 Expos
owners’ wallets. In the top of the
opening inning, Floyd singled in
the first run and scored the sec-
ond. Two innings later, the 1981
Expos parlayed four base hits into
a pair of runs to even the score.
Floyd’s screaming three-bagger in
the seventh broke the tie.
Though the strapping rookie
seems built for power, Floyd’s bat
produced but four home runs in
334 official at-bats during the ’94
regular season. He hit the ball
ruthlessly hard, but with little ele-
vation.
“I expect to be a real good hit-
ter, hit 20 homers or so and drivein more than 100 runs each sea-
son consistently,” a confident
Floyd told reporters after the
game. “I expect to hit a few long
homers. I want people to know I
hit that ball. People have been
telling me I remind them of Willie
McCovey. If I can live up to what
McCovey did, that would be
great.”
When the 6-foot-4 Floyd com-
pares himself to McCovey, it’s no
stretch. “He does remind you of
Willie,” said one rival general
manager in spring training, refer-
ring to the Hall of Famer nick-
named Stretch. “They’re both
massive, huge. They have so
much presence. And they look
big. Some guys are big, but when
you see them in person, they
don’t appear that immense. Floyd
and McCovey are both immense.
“It’s a natural body. I take after
my mom. She’s a big woman,”
Floyd said. “When I fill out, I
won’t be surprised if I weigh 250,
but I’ll still look good.”
Get a load of baseball’s next big
thing.1994Exposedge’81Expos,nab3-1serieslead
Floydwallopsonefrom
RHPLeaintorightfield
tobreakatie,leading
’94squadtoa3-2win
BRAD WHEELER
‘ 94 ExposAB R H RBIAVG ‘81 ExposAB R H RBIAVG
M.Grissom CF 4 22 0. 37 5T.RainesLF 401 0. 294
C.FloydLF 4 122. 37 5R.Scott2B 311 0. 286
M.Alou RF 402 0.4 38 C-J.ManuelPH,2B 1 0 0 0 .000
L.Walker 1B 4000. 15 4A.Dawson CF 2 1 1 0. 286
D.Fletcher C 4011. 250 G.Carter C 5 0 1 0. 143
W.Cordero SS 3 0 1 0. 214 L.Parrish3B 4011. 143
S.Berry3B 4000. 2 00 J.WhiteRF 401 0.4 29
M.Lansing2B 401 0.400E-J.Milner PH 1 000. 333
B.HenryP20 0 0 .000 W.Cromartie1B 4021. 385
A-L.Frazier PH 1 0 1 0 1 .000 C.Speier SS 401 0. 250
M.RojasP 0 0 0 0 .000 S.Sanderson P 2 0 2 0 1 .000
D-J.BellPH 1 0 0 0 .000 C.LeaP 0000 —
J.WettelandP 0000 —B-T.WallachPH 1 0 0 0 .000
E.SosaP 0000 —
Totals 35 3 10 3 Totals 35 2 11 2BOXSCORE
GAME 4 : 199 4 MoItrealExposat1981 MoItrealExposA-PinchHitFor HenryIn7thInning
B-PinchHitFor LeaIn8thInning
C-PinchHitFor ScottIn8thInning
D-PinchHitFor RojasIn9thInning
E-PinchHitFor WhiteIn9thInning‘ 94 Expos 2 000001 00 -31 0 1
‘81 Expos 002 00000 0-211 0‘ 94 Expos( 3 - 1 ) IP H R ER BB SO HR PCERA
B.HenryWIN(1- 0 )61 0 22330 113 3 .00
M.RojasHOLD(2nd)21 0002 0 22 2 .4 5
J.WettelandSAVE(3rd)1 000110 13 0.00
Totals 91122460‘81 Expos( 1 - 3 ) IP H R ER BB SO HR PCERA
S.Sanderson LOSS( 0 -1) 6 2/ 3933150 115 4.0 5
C.Lea 11 / 310001 0 26 0.00
E.Sosa 1 0000007 0.00
Totals 9103316 0Some have compared ‘94 Expo Cliff Floyd, a 6-foot-4 slugger, to Hall of
Famer Willie (Stretch) McCovey.ANDREW VAUGHAN/THE CANADIAN PRESSMonday, The Globe will run a
game report and box score of
Game 5 of the Montreal side of
our computer-simulated tourna-
ment. Scheduled starting pitch-
ers are Steve Rogers for the1981 Expos and Ken Hill for the
‘94 Montrealers. The winner of
the best-of-seven series will face
the 1993 Toronto Blue Jays in
the final round for the mythical
Macdonald-Cartier Cup.NEXT UPO
rlando’s Steve Clifford figures
he’s like every other NBA coach
right now: Wake up, go to what-
ever now serves as the office,
study his own team, maybe think about
possible opponents and resume planning.
Of course, nobody knows what they’re
planning for – or when these plans will get
used.
A stoppage in play doesn’t mean vaca-
tion time has arrived for NBA coaches, es-
pecially those like Clifford in position to
take their teams to the postseason – as-
suming this pandemic-interrupted season
is able to resume. They’re all spending
more time at home, not able to run practic-
es, but none seems to be sitting idly either.
“Not knowing the restart date is the
toughest challenge professionally,” Clif-
ford said. “Obviously, we’re all limited in
what we can do, and basketball takes a
back seat right now to family and health.
But I will say this: When I talk to our guys,
the one common question that comes up
is ‘When do you think we can start
again?’ ”
And that’s a question with no answer.
The waiting game is the only game in town
right now.
Miami coach Erik Spoelstra was coach-
ing the fourth quarter against Charlotte on
March 11 when the NBA announced it was
suspending the season, a move made once
it became known that Utah centre Rudy
Gobert was the league’s first player to test
positive for COVID-19. Spoelstra found out
right after the final buzzer, as he walked to
the Heat locker room.
He instantly realized that losing to the
Hornets that night didn’t ultimately mat-
ter much. Spoelstra and his staff are hold-
ing Zoom meetings every other day, but
he’s also enjoying the benefits of time
away – getting more time with his two
young sons, his wife and grilling for the
family most nights – and is emphasizing to
his coaches and players that this is a time
to help those less fortunate.
He’s checking the news as well, on a lim-
ited basis.
“My routine is checking af-
ter dinner, and I usually get
on my computer, watch a lit-
tle bit of what’s going on,”
said Spoelstra, who often
wears a T-shirt emblazoned
with “Stay Positive.” Like
many coaches, he taped a
video telling fans the impor-
tance of hand-washing and
other precautions. “So, I’m
staying abreast of the current
status of things, but I defi-
nitely do not try to start my day that way
and I do not obsess about it during the
day.”
Dallas coach Rick Carlisle also went the
video-message route, doing one for the go-
ing-stir-crazy crowd to demonstrate his
“Balance, Balance, Shot Drill” that allows
players to work on their shooting form
even when they don’t have access to a
court or a rim.
Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan
took advantage of downtime to appear on
a virtual coaches clinic, and had a safety
message for those who attended – online,
of course – before spending about an hour
breaking down his philosophy.This is the first in-season stoppage of its
kind in NBA history, but Milwaukee coach
Mike Budenholzer is equating the un-
known – in terms of when the next game
will be – to what the league went through
with lockout-shortened seasons in 1998-99
and 2011-12.
His message to his staff: Things may be
slow now, but when the suspension ends
the pace of everything will be frantic. So
while some projects like things in the vid-
eo room and breakdowns of his roster are
being tackled, Budenholzer
is also having staff get ready
for potential playoff oppo-
nents with a first-round se-
ries against either Brooklyn
or Orlando likely for the
NBA-leading Bucks.
“Things happen really
fast, whether it’s three games
in three nights, or playoff se-
ries are shorter or the time
between the end of the regu-
lar season to the first playoff
game, everything can be shorter or can
happen quicker,” Budenholzer said. “We
can put a little bit of money in the bank
now with preparation for first round but
also if you go a little bit deeper, the East.”
For 30 teams, 30 coaches, there’s many
ways to spend the down time.
And they all know that they’re in the
same boat – waiting and wondering.
“It’s hard for all of us,” Clifford said. “It’s
hard to set a plan for yourself that will have
you ready. But that’s the parallel, not just
for us, but for everyone around the world
no matter what profession that you’re in.”THE ASSOCIATED PRESSAs NBA officials plan for a nebulous future, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, seen in Miami in February, says he checks the news on a limited
basis. He’s looking to stay informed, but trying not to ‘obsess’ about things.MICHAEL REAVES/GETTY IMAGES
ForNBAcoaches,waitinggametheonlyoneintown
TIM REYNOLDSMIAMI
Not knowing the
restart date is the
toughest challenge
professionally.STEVE CLIFFORD
ORLANDO MAGIC
HEAD COACHM
arcus Ball isn’t finished
with football just yet.
The veteran linebacker
says he’s been medically cleared
to resume running and cutting af-
ter suffering a season-ending
knee injury last year with the Cal-
gary Stampeders. Ball remains
part of an impressive group of CFL
free agents but remains intent on
playing in 2020, whenever that
might be given the uncertainty
created by the COVID-19 pandem-
ic.
“I’m ready to roll,” Ball said by
telephone from his off-season res-
idence in Atlanta. “I have dreams
of hoisting another trophy, so I
have to do what I have to do to get
to that point.
“I don’t want to be on the street
any more, I want to play, I want to
get signed, I want to get going here
immediately. I’m not saying I
wouldn’t, but I don’t want to step
into a situation late in the season.
I’d like to be able to learn and
grow with my teammates.”
Ball’s 2019 campaign ended
shortly after it began. The 6-foot-1,
220-pound linebacker signed
with Calgary on Oct. 1 but was hurt
in his first game with the Stam-
peders.
“I’m fine,” Ball said. “The doc-
tor has cleared me for running
and cutting and all that good stuff.
“Once I sign with a club ... I’ll be
ready to go for whatever is next.”
But Ball admitted the injury
did test his resolve early on.
The pandemic has forced Ball
to be imaginative with his off-sea-
son workouts as gyms are closed.
But the challenge hasn’t been in-
surmountable because Ball also
works as a personal trainer and
has equipment at his home.
“I’ve had to dip into my bag of
tricks of the trade,” Ball said. “But
I’ve always been kind of a solitary
workout guy and my in-home
training hasn’t really changed.
“I’ve got the equipment I’ve al-
ways need: bands, weights, any-
thing you could think about. I
wake up every morning before
the crack of dawn to get my miles
in. I’m fine conditioning-wise.”
The off-season has only served
to strengthen Ball’s football re-
solve.
“This is probably the hungriest
and most motivated I’ve been in a
while,” Ball said.THE CANADIAN PRESSVeteran
linebacker
Ballnotready
tocallita
careerjustyet
DAN RALPH