‘Hawk tries to sneak in a woman; Cardinals drive alone to Chicago

The Seattle Seahawks released rookie cornerback Kemah Siverand after he was caught on video attempting to sneak a woman into the team hotel at training camp.  According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, she was disguised as a Seahawks player, wearing team apparel.  The Seahawks had previously announced Siverand’s release on Tuesday but at the time did not cite a reason for his departure, simply noting the need to trim the offseason roster to 76 players.  But video footage, obtained by Pelissero, showed the former Oklahoma State player with an unauthorized guest, clearly violating the protocols established to prevent the spread of COVID-19.  Siverand was one of three undrafted cornerbacks signed by Seattle this offseason.  

Between the Lines: The 6-foot-1 rookie was facing long odds making Seattle’s final roster anyway, as he’d been relegated mostly to special teams during his senior college season.  This caper is likely to mean he won’t get another NFL tryout this year.

Cardinals rent 41 cars to transport the team to Chicago

The St. Louis Cardinals have been so wracked by coronavirus that they have completed only five games this season – less than a third of what most major-league clubs have played.  Their entire roster has been exposed and subjected to quarantine.  In order to provide one more day of isolation, they rented 41 cars, so most of the traveling party could drive alone from St. Louis to Chicago on Friday, with a doubleheader scheduled Saturday against the White Sox.  Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post–Dispatch told MLB Network: “They had to replace 11 players in one week.  They were stuck in a hotel in Milwaukee, trying to create their individual workouts, before returning home for more quarantine.  They devised a schedule to have one player at a time working out alone at Busch Stadium with one coach, for about 20 minutes.”  Goold said the 11 replacement players were taking a bus from the satellite camp in Springfield, Mo., to  join the car caravan in Chicago.  The team will play two doubleheaders in the following series against the Cubs, and they’re hoping  to play 51 games in 44 days.  

Dear Commissioner Manfred: Get real.  You’re inviting all sorts of injuries – especially to pitchers — with such excessive scheduling.