Los Angeles Angels Charter Plane Makes Emergency Landing At LAX; Rule 29 Specifies Team Restocking Procedure In Case Of Catastrophe

ESPN reports that on June 1st, 2011, the Los Angeles Angels charter plane flown by Delta Airlines diverted from its intended destination at Orange County's John Wayne Airport and made an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport instead because of a mechanical problem. The landing proved to be uneventful and there were no injuries; the 61 people aboard were bussed to Orange County. The situation was a possible hydraulics problem impairing the landing gear. The landing gear apparently had to be lowered mechanically.

Angels first baseman Russell Branyan said that the pilot did an outstanding job. "These guys, they fly us all over the country, not enough can be said for them", Branyan said. Pitcher Rick Thompson tweeted "Glad to be on the ground save, pilot did a he'll of a job bringing the bird down!" KNBC Channel 4 news video embedded below:

View more videos at: http://www.nbclosangeles.com.

Naturally, this story generated questions about what would happen if a major league team was to be decimated by an aircraft mishap or other mass disaster. Major League Baseball has a contingency covering just such a tragedy; it's called Rule 29, the Major League Disaster Plan:

-- Disaster: If a common accident, illness, or event causes the death, dismemberment, or permanent disability from playing professional baseball of (1) at least five players on one team’s active, disables, or suspended list; or (2) at least six players whatsoever on any team, the team shall be a “disabled club”
-- Procedures: In such an event, the following procedures shall take place:
----- Mourning Period: Commissioner has discretion to postpone or cancel games for a period of mourning.
----- Continuation of season: In conjunction with the Players’ Association, the Commissioner may cancel the teams’ season, or may set a date to resume the season.
----- Restocking Draft: The Commissioner has the discretion to hold a Restocking Draft to restock the disabled team with players. Each club shall make five players from its active roster available for the draft. Each team’s list shall include at least one pitcher, one catcher, one infielder, one infielder (at the discretion of the Commissioner). If the club has less than three eligible catchers on its roster, that team need not make a catcher available. Subject to these rules, each team shall include in its list at least as many players with 60+ days of service time as the disabled club lost (up to five). Any player with no-trade rights may not be made available for a restocking draft. Unless those rights are waived. Each team shall warrant that each player it makes available is capable of playing immediately. The names of players on the restocking list shall be confidential. The disabled club may select as many players as it lost, but no more than one from each other team. In its discretion, the Commissioner may also award the disabled club additional selections in the Rule 4 or Rule 5 drafts.
-- Insurance: The Commissioner shall exercise best efforts to maintain appropriate insurance to ensure the financial rehabilitation of the disabled club.

An index to all the rules of MLB is accessible HERE.

The timing of the restocking draft would depend upon when the catastrophe occurred and the team's position in the standings. If the catastrophe occurred early in the season, the restocking draft would likely occur before play was resumed. But if the catastrophe occurred late in the season and the team was already out of contention, the commissioner would likely cancel the remainder of the team's season and delay the restocking draft until the off-season.

The question is what might happen if the catastrophe occurred late in the season and the team was still in contention or had already clinched a postseason berth.

Hall Of Fame Catcher Gary Carter Diagnosed With Inoperable Glioblastoma, Will Begin Radiation And Chemotherapy Treatment

Doctors treating Hall of Fame major league baseball player Gary Carter have confirmed that he has glioblastoma, a form of cancer which affects the brain and central nervous system. They say surgery is not a good option given the location of the tumor. Instead of surgery, doctors have discussed an aggressive treatment plan entered around chemotherapy and radiation. Carter will return home to Florida to begin the next phase of treatment. According to Carter's daughter, Kimmy Bloemers, doctors further described Carter's four tumors as "a snake of tumors that are connected across the back of the brain." Performing surgery on something like this would be like trying to unravel cooked spaghetti one strand at a time.

Allan H. Friedman and Henry S. Friedman, co-deputy directors of Duke's Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center, issued the following statement:

"The results of biopsies performed on the tumor in Gary Carter's brain have conclusively shown that Mr. Carter has a glioblastoma. While surgery is not a good option given the location of the tumor, we discussed an aggressive treatment plan with Mr. Carter and his family, which will include chemotherapy and radiation. ... Mr. Carter's youth, strong physical condition and fighting spirit will be to his advantage as his treatment commences."

The family of Gary Carter issued a statement of their own:

"While we are saddened by the news we received today, we take comfort in the overwhelming support and prayers that have been extended to our family during this difficult time. ... Gary was always a fierce competitor on the baseball field and that same tenacity will help him not only fight but win this battle. So please join Team Carter and continue to pray with our family."

The drama began when Gary Carter reportedly started forgetting things, repeating questions and feeling tired all the time. He sought medical treatment, and it was first reported on March 21st, 2011 that four small tumors were found. Now they've been confirmed to be malignant. Glioblastoma is considered a particularly aggressive and fast-moving cancer; the average survival rate for patients after surgery, radiation and chemotherapy is 14 ½ months although a few patients have survived as long as 15 years. Carter is 57 years old.

Other major league figures affected by this type of cancer include Bobby Murcer, Tug McGraw, Dick Howser, Dan Quisenberry and Johnny Oates. All are now deceased. Meanwhile, another former major leaguer battling cancer, Tony Gwynn, has a much better prognosis. Gwynn, who is battling parotid cancer, reports that five months after treatment began, all his tests have come back good.

Gary Carter's career record can be viewed on Baseball Reference. He played in the majors from 1974-1992, beginning with the Montreal Expos. In 1975, he was runner-up for National League Rookie of the Year, but his first breakout season was 1977, when he slugged 31 homers with 84 RBIs, and hit .284. Carter was then traded to the New York Mets in 1985; he was instrumental in their world championship run in 1986. Towards the end of his career, he made one-year stops in San Francisco, Los Angeles (NL), and then a final curtain call in Montreal. In 2001, Carter was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame, and in 2003, he was elected to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame; during the same year, he was also elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Carter has been married to his wife, Sandy, since 1975. They have three children - Christy, Kimmy and D.J., and three grandchildren. They reside in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Carter also runs the Gary Carter Foundation, which supports eight Title I schools in Palm Beach County.

It's Official: Winnipeg Back In The NHL, Atlanta Thrashers To Relocate; Winnipeg Hockey Fans Overjoyed

The unfortunate 11-season saga of the Atlanta Thrashers has come to an end. The NHL announced in a news conference on Tuesday May 31st, 2011 that a Canadian group, True North Sports and Entertainment, has reached an agreement to purchase the Thrashers and move them to Winnipeg, Manitoba, effective the 2011-12 season. The sale is still subject to the approval of the NHL’s board of governors, who will meet on June 21 in New York; it is believed the Winnipeg team must sell at least 13,000 season tickets before then to guarantee approval.

By virtue of the reaction in Winnipeg, that should be the least of the team's problems. Video embedded below:



The Winnipeg franchise, yet to be nicknamed, will compete in the Southeast Division and Eastern Conference for at least a year as the league looks at possible realignment for the 2012-13 season. Many Winnipeg fans want the team to be nicknamed the Jets, after their previous franchise, and the NHL has released the name for use if the new ownership wants it.

True North Sports also retains ownership of the existing Winnipeg AHL franchise, the Manitoba Moose, and say they will be a farm club for the new Winnipeg NHL franchise next season. Relocation of the Moose is in the offing; True North Sports has yet to decide where, but are strongly considering St. John's in Newfoundland.

Team President Don Waddell spoke out for the Thrashers, and said they had held out for replacement local ownership in Atlanta for as long as possible. He explained that since a potential buyer in 2009 backed off due in large part to the internecine lawsuits that the Atlanta Spirit ownership group were involved with, there hadn't been a lot of heat for the struggling NHL club. He also said that while there were a number of inquiries since that date, only a handful came from persons or groups with the resources to buy a franchise, and that ultimately no sufficient local offers came forth. Waddell himself does not plan to move to Winnipeg with the team, so he'll be out of a job.

Atlanta Thrashers owner Rutherford Seydel insists the Thrashers "tried their hardest" to keep the team in Atlanta, but SB Nation accuses them of having never entered into actual good faith negotiations with any group interested in keeping the team in place.

The Thrashers didn't help matters on the ice by making the playoffs only one time in their 11-season history. In 2006-7, they were ousted by the New York Rangers 4 games to none in the conference quarterfinals. They promptly regressed thereafter. It is the second time Atlanta has coughed up their NHL franchise, having lost the Flames to Calgary after the 1979-80 season. Fan support was there, but there was piss-poor ownership. Since Atlanta has now lost two NHL franchises, questions are beginning to surface as to whether the Sun Belt can effectively support hockey, and whether other Sun Belt franchises may also try to retrench northward.

Certainly, it is fair to say that Atlanta is unlikely to ever receive another NHL franchise.

Had justice been effectively served, the Phoenix Coyotes would have been the team allowed to move back to Winnipeg. The original Winnipeg Jets moved to Phoenix after the 1995-6 season, not because of lack of fan support, but because of arena issues which have since been resolved. The city of Glendale, Arizona stepped forth at the last moment and rescued the Coyotes with a $25 million bailout -- but that's only good for one year. The Coyotes are still trying to find a buyer; there's a serious rumor afloat that the Coyotes may be Seattle-bound if they can't find a local buyer.

In the final analysis, the reaction of Winnipeg hockey fans makes it all worthwhile. Too bad the Atlanta hockey fans had to get screwed.