DODGERS NOTEBOOK: SARS CONCERNS RISING AS MONTREAL TRIP NEARS.Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer CINCINNATI - The SARS epidemic is in Toronto, but many of the Dodgers are worried about traveling to Montreal in two weeks because of the illness. It's such a concern left fielder Brian Jordan Players are asking the Dodgers' medical staff about SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Definition Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is the first emergent and highly transmissible viral disease to appear during the twenty-first century. ) because of fears. The Dodgers play May 9-11 in Montreal. ``I think they should change it to Puerto Rico,'' Jordan said. ``Whatever happens is going to happen, but as far as playing in Montreal, I think they should consider playing in Puerto Rico.'' Dodgers player representative Paul Lo Duca Paul Anthony Lo Duca (born April 12, 1972 in Brooklyn, New York) is a catcher in Major League Baseball who plays for the New York Mets. Previously, Lo Duca played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1998-2004) and Florida Marlins (2004-2005). said he will contact Tony Bernazard Antonio Bernazard Garcia (born August 24, 1956 in Caguas, Puerto Rico) is a former Major League Baseball player. During his ten year major league career, Bernazard played second base, shortstop, and designated hitter for the Montreal Expos, Chicago White Sox, Seattle Mariners, , a special assistant for the players association, as early as today to discuss the situation. ``There's some guys that are concerned,'' Lo Duca Lo Duca is the surname of the following people:
Major League Baseball "MLB" and "Major Leagues" redirect here. For other uses, see MLB (disambiguation) and Major Leagues (disambiguation). Major League Baseball (MLB) is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. is educating teams traveling to Toronto, the North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. city hit hardest by SARS, about the situation. Guidelines were established, suggesting players not shake hands, be careful when signing autographs and avoid crowds. Sixteen people in the Toronto area have died from SARS. Montreal is a few hundred miles from Toronto, but there is anxiety. Jordan said if the series is played in Montreal, he will not take the subway, a popular mode of transportation from the hotel to the ballpark for players. Instead, he will travel by cab. ``I won't be hanging out and putting myself in a situation where I'm out there a lot,'' Jordan said. ``I'll play in a baseball game and go back to my room, which is hard to do in Montreal because it's a nice place to hang out and get a lot of shopping done. I won't be doing that.'' Dodgers closer Eric Gagne, who is from Montreal, said he talks with his family on a daily basis and doesn't believe SARS is a concern within the city. ``They haven't said anything about it,'' Gagne said. ``I understand (the concerns) because nobody wants to get sick. If anything happens, we shouldn't play there.'' Dodgers trainer Stan Johnston has already fielded inquiries from numerous players, but a decision on where to play the games doesn't belong to the Dodgers. ``A decision on a change of venue A change of venue is the legal term for moving a trial to a new location. In high-profile matters, a change of venue may occur to move a jury trial away from a location where a fair and impartial jury may not be possible due to widespread publicity about a crime and/or defendant(s) would be done by Major League Baseball,'' Dodgers senior vice president Derrick Hall said. ``I don't see that as a possibility at this point, with Montreal not being targeted.'' --Looking for more: Dodgers right fielder Shawn Green is batting .311, but he is not delivering the type of production that average suggests. In fact, Green hasn't homered since April 9, a span of 52 at-bats. He has two homers and 12 RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in this season. ``After playing a number of years, I know right now I'm in more of a base-hit mode, so I'm just trying to go with it and take what I can get,'' said Green, who had three homers last April and finished with 42. ``Right now, I'm not going to force anything that's not there yet. For me, it's weird. It just kind of clicks one day. And I work at it every day. As long as I'm getting hits at least, I guess it's acceptable.'' --Odds and ends: Lo Duca went 1 for 13 against the Cincinnati Reds and is now 2 for his last 30, dropping his average from .375 to .256. However, Lo Duca threw out two baserunners trying to steal and has thrown out 40 percent of would-be basestealers. ... The May 2 game against Pittsburgh is sold out. It is Eric Gagne Bobblehead Doll night. CAPTION(S): box Box: DODGERS vs. CINCINNATI - Brian Dohn |
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