Hiram Bithorn Stadium in Puerto Rico "took a pounding from Hurricane Maria, destroying outfield fencing, batting cages and the statue" of the ballpark's namesake, according to Kevin Spain of USA TODAY. Part of the "visible damage" to the ballpark was the "destruction of the Hiram Bithorn statue out front." The Twins and Indians are slated to play a two-game series there in April 17-18, and MLB will "have to assess the damage to see" if the games can still be played (USATODAY.com, 9/20).
HOLDING UP WELL: In Boston, Karen Guregian reports the NFL is "investigating the condition of Estadia Azteca" in Mexico City following the earthquake there this week. The Patriots and Raiders are scheduled to play there Nov. 19, and NFL Exec VP/Int'l Mark Waller said that the league is "looking into whether that game can go on as planned." Waller: "The initial information from that review is that the stadium is remarkably well." Guregian notes there were "initial reports on social media showing a gap in the stadium." But Waller indicated that "wasn’t caused by the earthquake." Waller: “The initial reports are good, but our commitment to ownership is to give a full report back by tomorrow night -- Thursday night -- and that will cover the stadium, the hotel facilities that we will be using, and also the airport" (BOSTON HERALD, 9/21).
