Tag Archives: thoughts

Sports

Las Vegas Raiders training camp: Inside thoughts

Leave a comment

The Las Vegas Raiders are starting their third week of training camp practice.

So far, it’s been a productive session. After talking to some folks in and around the organization, I wanted to present some notes on the general feeling in camp.

Gus Bradley
Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images

Confidence in defensive coaching:
People in camp are extremely excited about what they are seeing from new Raiders’ defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and his staff, which they see as a major upgrade from Paul Guenther and co. Players are being put in the right spots and the Raiders feel like they have will have more answers for opposing offensive coordinators than they did in the early stages of Gruden’s second tenure there. The Raiders aren’t sure if they will be great on defense in 2021, but they feel like they can be competitive on that side of the ball and that might be enough considering the ability of the offense.

Confidence in secondary:
As a result of the strong coaching, the Raiders feel good about their young secondary. They are not sure how the group will shake as far as the exact rotation, but they think young players like Trayvon Mullen, Damon Arnette and Johnathan Abram can make strides under Bradley and secondary coach Ron Milus. As Gruden said when training camp started, the Raiders are going to be very disappointed if this is a trouble area this season.

Josh Jacobs
Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images

Feeling good about the future: The Raiders have many players working in their first contract. If these players can make strides in 2021, the team thinks they can be set for a while. They are in good salary-cap shape so they can easily sign players like running back Joseph Jacobs, defensive end Maxx Crosby and extend quarterback Derek Carr while keeping their core. Thus, Las Vegas thinks it’s future is bright.

Andre James
Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images

Offensive line depth: Don’t be surprised if the Raiders continue to look for offensive-line depth played the August 31 initial 53-man roster date. They like their starting offensive line, but there is not a large margin for error. Thus, if starters get hurt, it could be an issue.

Heat is challenge: The struggle is real in terms of the Las Vegas heat. Yes, the Raiders start practice at 7:30 a.m. Still, it is often near 100 degrees by the time the two-hour sessions are over. Sometimes, practice gets a bit sluggish as a result of the oppressive heat. But, in the end, the Raiders think it will harden them and will help them stay conditioned for all four quarters of games throughout the season.

Foster Moreau
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

More Moreau: Gruden loves having varied offensive wrinkles and Foster Moreau may give him another one. The Raiders’ camp has been buzzing about how they can use Moreau, a third-year player, and star Darren Waller, in double tight-end sets. That can be a problem for opposing defenses, especially if young receivers Henry Ruggs III and Bryan Edwards show up during the season. Defenses may run out of people to cover. Moreau has big skills and he may break out in 2021.

Read original article here

Entertainment

Kit Harington talks surviving addictions, suicidal thoughts

Leave a comment

Kit Harington is getting candid about his addictions following the end of “Game of Thrones.”

The “7 Days in Hell” star, who recently revealed he was “really happy” he checked himself into rehab after the beloved HBO series ended, elaborated on the “pretty traumatic” struggles he’s endured in a new interview.

“Things that have happened to me since ‘Thrones’ ended, and that were happening during ‘Thrones,’ were of a pretty traumatic nature, and they did include alcohol,” he told the Sunday Times.

“You get to a place where you feel like you are a bad person, you feel like you are a shameful person, and you feel that there’s no way out. That’s just who you are. And getting sober is the process of going, ‘No, I can change,’” Harington continued.

The “Eternals” star, 34, shared that the age-old adage that a “leopard doesn’t change its spots” is “completely false” and allowed him to work on himself while in rehab.

“That was something I kind of clung to; the idea that I could make this huge fundamental change in who I was and how I went about my life,” he continued.

The “Game of Thrones” star revealed he concealed his issues from wife Rose Leslie.
FilmMagic for HBO

Harington, who checked himself into the luxe Connecticut retreat Privé-Swiss in May 2019, also revealed he grappled with suicidal thoughts.

“I went through periods of real depression where I wanted to do all sorts of things,” he explained, adding that he hoped his candor would “maybe help someone, somewhere.”

“But I definitely don’t want to be seen as a martyr or special. I’ve been through something. It’s my stuff. If it helps someone, that’s good.”

The British actor also revealed that he concealed his addictions from those closest to him, including wife Rose Leslie.

“You can imagine the stresses that it causes to those around you,” he explained. “I will say about my addictions that I kept them very, very quiet and I was incredibly secretive and incredibly locked up with them.

“So they came as quite a surprise to the people around me, which is quite often the case, I guess.”

Read original article here

Technology

Brain implant turns thoughts into words to help paralyzed man ‘speak’ again

Leave a comment

UCSF’s brain-computer interface is surgically applied directly to a patient’s motor cortex to enable communication. 


Ken Probst, UCSF

Facebook’s work in neural input technology for AR and VR looks to be moving in a more wrist-based direction, but the company continues to invest in research on implanted brain-computer interfaces. The latest phase of a years-long Facebook-funded study from UCSF, called Project Steno, translates attempts at conversation from a speech-impaired paralyzed patient into words on a screen.

“This is the first time someone just naturally trying to say words could be decoded into words just from brain activity,” said Dr. David Moses, lead author of a study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. “Hopefully, this is the proof of principle for direct speech control of a communication device, using intended attempted speech as the control signal by someone who cannot speak, who is paralyzed.”

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have been behind a number of promising recent breakthroughs, including Stanford research that could turn imagined handwriting into projected text. UCSF’s study takes a different approach, analyzing actual attempts at speech and acting almost like a translator.

The study, run by UCSF neurosurgeon Dr. Edward Chang, involved implanting a “neuroprosthesis” of electrodes in a paralyzed man who had a brainstem stroke at age 20. With an electrode patch implanted over the area of the brain associated with controlling the vocal tract, the man attempted to respond to questions displayed on a screen. UCSF’s machine learning algorithms can recognize 50 words and convert these into real-time sentences. For instance, if the patient saw a prompt asking “How are you today?” the response appeared on screen as “I am very good,” popping up word by word.

Moses clarified that the work will aim to continue beyond Facebook’s funding phase and that the research still has a lot more work ahead. Right now it’s still unclear how much of the speech recognition comes from recorded patterns of brain activity, or vocal utterances, or a combination of both. 

Moses is quick to clarify that the study, like other BCI work, isn’t mind reading: it relies on sensing brain activity that happens specifically when attempting to engage in a certain behavior, like speaking. Moses also says the UCSF team’s work doesn’t yet translate to non-invasive neural interfaces. Elon Musk’s Neuralink promises wireless transmission data from brain-implanted electrodes for future research and assistive uses, but so far that tech’s only been demonstrated on a monkey.

Facebook Reality Labs’ BCI head-worn device prototype, which didn’t have implanted electrodes, is going open-source.


Facebook

Meanwhile, Facebook Reality Labs Research has shifted away from head-worn brain-computer interfaces for future VR/AR headsets, pivoting for the near future to focusing on wrist-worn devices based on the tech acquired from CTRL-Labs. Facebook Reality Labs had its own non-invasive prototype head-worn research headsets for studying brain activity, and the company has announced it plans to make these available for open-source research projects as it stops focus on head-mounted neural hardware. (UCSF receiving funding from Facebook but no hardware.) 

“Aspects of the optical head mounted work will be applicable to our EMG research at the wrist. We will continue to use optical BCI as a research tool to build better wrist-based sensor models and algorithms. While we will continue to leverage these prototypes in our research, we are no longer developing a head mounted optical BCI device to sense speech production. That’s one reason why we will be sharing our head-mounted hardware prototypes with other researchers, who can apply our innovation to other use cases,” a Facebook representative confirmed via email.

Consumer-targeted neural input technology is still in its infancy, however. While consumer devices using noninvasive head or wrist-worn sensors exist, they’re far less accurate than implanted electrodes right now. 

Read original article here

Sports

3 thoughts after the Dallas Mavericks hold on against the Orlando Magic, 130-124

Leave a comment

The Dallas Mavericks won their ninth road game of the season, defeating the Orlando Magic 130-124. Luka Doncic led Dallas with a near triple double, scoring 33 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out nine assists. Nikola Vucevic scored a team-high 29 for Orlando in defeat.

All five Dallas starters scored a basket in the opening minutes of the game. After getting to the paint at will early, the Mavericks seemed unable to score consistently, particularly after Doncic went to the bench for his usual first quarter rest. Kristaps Porzingis failed to carry the Mavericks offensively, missing five straight shots. These misses resulted in good looks for the Magic on the other end, as Evan Fournier and Vucevic scored 23 points in the quarter. Doncic’s two late threes kept the Mavericks close, but Dallas trailed 33-29 after twelve minutes.

Threes fell with frequency during the second quarter for Dallas, as they slowly inched ahead after starting the period trailing. The Mavericks led by as many as eight during the frame but continued poor defense on perimeter shooters and Dallas not connecting on open looks allowed the Magic to close within three before the end of the half. The Mavericks took a 61-58 lead into intermission.

Quarter three saw the more talented Mavericks simply outpace the Magic, particularly after Fournier left the game for a chunk of time with a potential back injury. Porzingis hit two early threes, breaking a three-less stretch which dated back to Valentine’s Day. Those early looks crumbled the Magic’s defense a bit and Dallas proceed to pour it on. Orlando, however, just wouldn’t go away as they hit numerous threes of their own. Dallas should’ve ended the frame up more, but late quarter miscues along with Luka Doncic losing a shoe allowed Orlando to keep the game within single digits. The Mavericks entered the fourth up 95-86.

Dallas opened with four straight points, causing Orlando to call a quick timeout not even a minute into the quarter. The Mavericks proceeded to pour the points on the Magic but not content to blow a team out, Dallas let up just enough to where the game went on longer than it needed to as the Magic repeatedly tried to rally. The putrid Dallas defense let the Magic creep within five points after being up double digits, but there just wasn’t enough time. Dallas walked away with their 17th victory of the season, winning 130-124.

Now, some thoughts:

The Maverick bench continues to crush opposing second units

Do Jalen Brunson or Tim Hardaway have a 6th Man of the Year potential? Watching the Dallas bench go nuts against yet another team (50-to-37), I can’t help but wonder what narrative will emerge if Dallas continues their run into the second half of the season.

We’ve already talked about how good Brunson is and there’s no harm in doing it more. He’s awesome and opposing defenses likely have to game plan around him in some form. He attacks the basket relentlessly and is really fun to watch in transition. His shoulder shakes on the move are a delight. Hardaway is another monster, though he had a quieter game tonight.

Please hit open shots, this is getting silly

It’s likely not shocking to anyone that the Dallas Mavericks are dead last in the NBA in terms of converting wide open three point shots, hitting just 36.1% of looks according to NBA.com’s tracking data. They are due for a positive regression eventually because it’s the entire team that can’t hit. Porzingis, Brunson, Hardaway, Richardson, basically anyone that isn’t Maxi Kleber can’t connect on these looks Doncic is serving up. Tonight’s a night where he was clearly assist hunting and his teammates couldn’t finish the open looks from distance.

It’ll swing eventually, they get too many not to. But dang if it’s not maddening.

What is going on with the Dallas defensive assignments?

This may come off as nitpicking in a win but the Magic are missing so many people, the Mavericks should have blown them off the court. If the Mavericks are a playoff team, then some nitpicking of their play is fair game. I do no understand what the Mavericks are doing with defensive assignments almost every game. This is probably worth a longer article but I’ll get the conversation going.

Against the Magic, Dallas went with Dorian Finney-Smith on Evan Fournier and Maxi Kleber on Nikola Vucevic. Fournier had 26 and Vucevic had 29.

The continued assertion by Dallas that Finney-Smith is some kind of defensive stopper is something I don’t understand. He’s a fine help defender, as he’s very active off-ball. But he cannot navigate screens to save his life and gets beaten by single dribble moves. That’s okay, guarding guys off the dribble these days is hard. But what is the point of Josh Richardson? Wasn’t he billed as a stopper? Am I making that up? I saw the historical data on how well Finney-Smith guards James Harden but there isn’t another player I recall him really defending well.

Vucevic is an All-Star so the idea that Kleber is the guy to lock him up makes sense, but frankly, Maxi is not the guy we know from last year on defense. When Porzingis had to guard Vucevic, he did an excellent job bothering him with his length. Defending the distance shots is a slightly different story as the Magic were on fire and as long as Porzingis is there with a hand up, that’s all we can ask.

This sort of thing happens every game where it feels like the Mavericks are outsmarting themselves in terms of anticipating switches and such, but with drop coverage, that’s not what they do anyway. I’m very open to being wrong here, it’s just that in game, I do not understand it. They should’ve beaten this current Magic roster by 50.

Here’s the postgame podcast, Mavs Moneyball After Dark. If you can’t see the embed below “More from Mavs Moneyball”, click here. And if you haven’t yet, subscribe by searching “Mavs Moneyball podcast” into your favorite podcast app.

Read original article here

Sports

Jake Arrieta’s Thoughts on Free Agents Leaving the Cubs

Leave a comment

Having been one of the highest-profile free agents to depart the Chicago Cubs in recent years, and then having returned to the Cubs this year, Jake Arrieta certainly has a unique perspective on guys heading into their walk years. And, as we’ve discussed at length, the Cubs are absolutely loaded with players in their walk year.

So, then, when it comes to the Cubs’ brightest stars who’ve spent their whole careers here, but who are heading toward free agency after this season, I was definitely interested to hear Arrieta’s perspective.

“I don’t know how much advice those guys need from me on that topic,” Arrieta this weekend, per The Athletic. “I would like them to try and put it out of their mind as much as they can, which to do at 100 percent is probably impossible. Because, let’s just face it, that’s a huge moment in each one of their lives and their families’ lives. It’s a big part of the next phase of their career.

“First and foremost, the most important thing is developing that team bond here in Chicago this year, performing to the best of each one of their abilities. Obviously, if they’re able to do that and stay on the field, they’re going to get compensated very well. It is kind of a bittersweet thing, I’m sure, for each of those guys. They’ve all been here for a long time. It’s tough to take the Cubs uniform off.”

Tough to take the Cubs uniform off. Rings a little more strongly from a guy who did leave, and then came back.

Arrieta’s no doubt right that it’s impossible for guys like Kris Bryant and Javy Báez and Anthony Rizzo not to think about the combination of free agency looming and also possibly the end of their time with the Cubs. But Arrieta is also probably right that, to the extent possible, staying focused on this year and this year, alone, is probably going to wind up best for everyone. Then, after a good season – if no extensions have been signed – these guys can make the decisions that are right for them at that time.

I can say this: it’s definitely weird to think about those three leaving after this year … and then coming back in three years like Arrieta.

Read original article here

Sports

10 leftover thoughts after Eagles’ trade of Carson Wentz

Leave a comment

The Eagles on Thursday finally traded away Carson Wentz for a couple draft picks, ending a unique chapter in team history.

The deal won’t become official until March 17, when the new league year begins, but once that happens, Wentz will be a Colt and the Eagles will have finally moved on from a relationship that saw incredible highs and unthinkable lows.

Here are 10 thoughts I’m left with the day after:

1. Whenever there’s a trade like this, people are really eager to judge it and assign a grade. That’s not so easy here. In the short term, the Eagles did fine. They were never going to get their ridiculously high initial asking price but getting back two picks for a player everyone knew they needed to trade is fair compensation. They get a third-rounder this year and either a second-rounder or a first-rounder next year. I think it’s more likely they end up with a first. So a one and a three in a situation where they didn’t have a ton of leverage or teams bidding, is more than fair.

But in the long term, this is obviously a disaster and an embarrassing failure for Howie Roseman and the entire organization. They were able to salvage some sort of return in a trade but that doesn’t mask the overall failure. It wasn’t like they were wearing party hats and celebrating in the NovaCare Complex on Thursday. This is a disappointment and they’re largely responsible.

 

2. The conditional pick in this trade creates a weird rooting scenario for fans. The second-rounder in 2022 becomes a first if Wentz plays 75% of the Colts’ offensive snaps or if he plays 70% and they make the playoffs.

So it’s not as easy as rooting for or against Wentz in 2021. Eagles fans will have to root that he stays healthy and plays well enough to stay on the field but poorly enough so that if the pick becomes a first-rounder, it’s not in the 20s.

My guess is that’s what ends up happening. Wentz will play well, the Colts will get into the playoffs and the Eagles will be left with a pick in the 21-25 range.

3. I do think Wentz will have success in Indy, but the reason the Colts didn’t have to give up more for him was because that’s a projection. Will he return to his 2017 form and win the MVP? Nah, probably not. But I expect him to return to the level of play he reached in 2018 and 2019, when he was still pretty good.

In Indianapolis, he’ll have a head coach and play caller in Frank Reich whom he’ll trust. Reich and Wentz have a strong relationship and if anyone can get Wentz back on track, it’s Reich. Not to mention, the Colts have a good offensive line, some decent weapons and plenty of cap space to bolster a roster that just went 11-5 in 2020.

Now, it’ll obviously sting for the Eagles to watch Wentz have success elsewhere and they’ll regret that things got so bad that they needed to trade Wentz, but they can’t regret actually making the trade. Because Wentz wanted a change of scenery and the Eagles really didn’t have a choice; they had to deal him.

4. Wentz remained civil with the Eagles throughout this process, a source said, but it was clear that he wanted to move on from Philadelphia. He and the Eagles went through a lot in their five years together and he wanted to leave that baggage here and get a fresh start.

I was told that Wentz didn’t demand to go to Indianapolis and the Eagles weren’t going to lose out on compensation to give Wentz what he wanted anyway. But let’s be honest: If the Bears thought Wentz didn’t want to be there, they weren’t going to give up significant picks and make the commitment. That really left just one destination on the table.

5. How did we get here?

That’s really the big question. There’s not one simple answer and there’s not one person to blame. And honestly, we might never know the full story. But it’s not all Wentz’s fault, it’s not all Roseman’s fault, it’s not all Doug Pederson’s fault. When there’s a failure of this magnitude, it’s really all of the above. Everyone deserves their fair share of blame for their role in the deterioration of the relationship between franchise QB and team.

 

I keep coming back to the Jalen Hurts pick. That’s not the only reason we ended up here, but it definitely didn’t help. What an absolute failure on the part of the Eagles to misunderstand Wentz’s mental makeup and how he might respond to that pick. He’s not Aaron Rodgers; this situation is different. But don’t let Wentz off the hook either. At a certain level, toughen up and compete. Failure on both sides there and in other areas.

Another: We hear all the reports about Wentz’s at-times grating personality, his stubbornness, etc., and that’s on him. But the Eagles created an atmosphere where they allowed and enabled Wentz to feel entitled.

6. I hear all the time that the Eagles won the Super Bowl without Carson Wentz. Nope.

Let’s be clear: The Eagles don’t win the Super Bowl in 2017 without Wentz.

That’s not to take away what Nick Foles did and who knows if Wentz would have been able to play well enough to win in the big game. But Wentz got the Eagles off to an 11-2 start and his incredible play boosted them to the No. 1 seed, which gave them the homefield advantage they rode to Super Bowl LII.

7. I don’t know if the Eagles are going to draft another quarterback in the first round but I know they’re at least going to think about it. They are keeping all their options open, a source said, so that at least means they’re not entirely sold on going into the future with Hurts as their quarterback. And if you’re not entirely sold …

The Eagles at least owe it to themselves to do their homework on these quarterbacks. I’m not sure what they’ll take away from it but if they fall in love with Justin Fields or Trey Lance or Zach Wilson, they should contemplate taking him at No. 6. And if they’re willing to take a quarterback at 6, they should be willing to move up a few picks to guarantee they get him.

8. The Hurts pick still baffles me. It didn’t look good when they made it last April and now that the entire organization has been torpedoed it looks even worse.

9. With all that said, I actually hope the Eagles give Hurts a chance to be the guy. They liked him enough to draft him in the second round and he showed enough last year to at least be intriguing going into 2021. Sure, there were some big concerns; his accuracy tops that list.

But Hurts will have a full offseason this year, he’ll presumably have a healthier offensive line, likely better weapons and a new head coach who will have months to design an offense around his strengths. I don’t know how good Hurts will be and I don’t think his ceiling is as high as Wentz’s even right now, but I’m eager to see what he can do.

 

10. It’s up to Roseman to fix this team. If you’re not overly confident in the Eagles’ GM, I get it. But it doesn’t look like he’s getting fired anytime soon. The Eagles had 10 draft picks last year and they’ll have at least nine in 2021. So that’s a lot of lottery tickets. The Eagles just have to start hitting on them more often.

Read original article here

Sports

Early thoughts on Packers hiring new defensive coordinator Joe Barry

Leave a comment

The Green Bay Packers officially named Joe Barry as the team’s new defensive coordinator on Monday. A veteran NFL coach with previous (but forgettable) experience as a coordinator, Barry will take over Matt LaFleur’s defense after Mike Pettine’s contract wasn’t renewed following the 2020 season.

Here are some early thoughts on Barry as the new Packers defensive coordinator:

– Matt LaFleur and the Packers spent a lot of time preparing for that Rams defense before the divisional round playoffs. You can bet all the work involved – and the various difficulties of preparing for the scheme – played into LaFleur’s desire for a coach from the Rams system.

– Like Sean McVay, LaFleur wanted a coach with ties to the Vic Fangio system. The Rams struck gold with Brandon Staley. The Packers are hoping to do the same with Barry.

– There’s no need to skirt around the fact: Barry’s previous two stints as a defensive coordinator didn’t go well. His defenses in Detroit and Washington ranged from fantastically average to historically bad. And two failed opportunities as a coordinator is hard to overlook. But talent matters. It just does. The players almost always matter more than the coordinator. And in Green Bay, he’ll have significantly more individual talent, especially at key positions. It’s on Brian Gutekunst and the personnel department to make sure the stars on the Packers defense – Kenny Clark, Za’Darius Smith, Jaire Alexander and Adrian Amos – are complemented with better surrounding talent in 2021. Schemes and coordinators can mask deficiencies, but a defense is usually only as good as its weakest link.

– There is something to be said about a head coach getting an opportunity to fully implement his own vision. Remember, Pettine was a holdover from Mike McCarthy. There’s no doubt that Pettine’s previous experience as a head coach was a good thing for LaFleur during his first two seasons. Now, LaFleur finally had an opportunity to find his coach and fully realize what he wants to do on defense. Whether it provides improvement or not is obviously up in the air. But everything that happens moving forward will happen within the fully realized framework of LaFleur’s vision, both on offense and defense.

– Barry’s coaching background is in linebackers. It will be interesting to see what he thinks of the returning group, and how much his influence over the defense will impact how the Packers attack the position this offseason. Kamal Martin and Krys Barnes are intriguing young talents, but this is a spot where the Packers could really use an upgrade. Will it come internally, via Barry, or with outside help? A mix might do the trick.

– Just as it would be silly to flatly dismiss his previous work as a coordinator, it would also be unwise to overlook what he’s done over the last four years. Getting a chance to work under Wade Phillips and Brandon Staley likely had a big impact on the philosophy of defense he’s going to be bringing to Green Bay. The Rams had the No. 1 scoring defense in football last season, although 2020 was the first time in the last four years that Los Angeles ranked inside the top 10 in scoring or yards.

– There should be a lot of intrigue about how the Packers use Jaire Alexander, too. Barry was on the staff that built coverage around All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey in Los Angeles. It’s possible the Packers will put more on Alexander’s plate in 2021. He’s ready for it.

– A question that must be considered: Does Joe Barry even get an interview if he didn’t previously work with LaFleur in Los Angeles?

– Another relevant fact: McVay and the Rams hired two defensive coordinators over the last two seasons. Both were outside hires with Barry on the staff.

– Without much doubt, this was the biggest decision LaFleur has made since becoming the Packers coach. His team has won 26 regular season games and advanced to the doorstep of the Super Bowl each of the last two seasons. Now, he’s making a big change at the most important coaching position under him. Even marginal improvement on defense could make a big difference, but the Packers don’t have a grace period. This is a team ready to compete for Super Bowls. Barry’s defense must play a key role in finally getting the Packers over the hump.

Read original article here

Sports

Andrelton Simmons says depression, thoughts of suicide led to decision to opt out last week of Los Angeles Angels’ season

Leave a comment

Shortstop Andrelton Simmons says that depression and thoughts of suicide led to his decision to opt out during the last week of the Los Angeles Angels’ 2020 regular season, telling the Orange County Register that “the idea of finishing the season in a bubble was too much for me to handle.”

Simmons, who recently finalized a one-year, $10.5 million contract with the Minnesota Twins, chose to share his story in writing, through a series of Twitter direct messages, instead of verbally, because “it is still difficult to articulate certain things or be open.”

The Angels announced on Sept. 22 that Simmons had opted out of the final five games of the regular season. No additional information was provided, though Simmons said in a statement that he felt it was “the best decision for me and for my family.” At the time, the Angels remained mathematically in the race for the second wild card and second place in the AL West. Although their chances of reaching the postseason were slim, league rules required that potential playoff teams begin quarantining that week in preparation for upcoming playoff games.

“It was tough for me mentally to where the thought of suicide crossed my mind,” Simmons told the Register. “It was something I vowed a long time ago I would never consider again. I was fortunate to talk to a therapist, which helped me let go of those thoughts. At the end when a lot of people were still going through what most would think of as tough times, the idea of finishing the season in a bubble was too much for me to handle.”

Simmons played in just 30 games during the abbreviated regular season, missing time due to an ankle he injured for a third straight summer. He told the Register it was difficult to focus on baseball when so many people were struggling amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“First time was driving through Oakland and seeing some of the shops and restaurants trying to stay open with all the homeless people camping outside,” he said. “That’s when it really hit me.”

Simmons began communicating with a therapist, but his hesitations about entering a playoff bubble persisted.

“I was really saddened by how much I was hearing about the death toll, and seeing how smaller businesses were going out of business and I was a little depressed at how the effects of all the new rules and fears were gonna affect people’s livelihoods and how disconnected people were becoming,” he said.

Simmons told the Register he wasn’t forthcoming about his reasons for opting out at the time “because I don’t like the idea of having to explain every detail of my life” and “was afraid of people judging and people twisting my story.” But he said he changed his mind when he realized that being open about his situation could help others who are struggling.

Information from ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez was used in this report.

Read original article here