Bobby Valentine: Sports stoppage led to a 'river of tears' at Sacred Heart

The coronavirus has brought the sports world to a standstill all over the world, including at Sacred Heart University, where a well-known former coach runs the show.

News 12 Staff

Mar 17, 2020, 8:29 PM

Updated 1,511 days ago

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The coronavirus has brought the sports world to a standstill all over the world, including at Sacred Heart University, where a well-known former coach runs the show.
Ex-Red Sox and Mets manager and current Sacred Heart Athletic Director Bobby Valentine oversees a program on hold. Winter sports were stopped and spring sports were canceled, as were all college athletics nationwide.
Seasons coming to an end so quickly was a tough sight for Valentine.
"This was like a river, a flowing river of tears," says Valentine.
Valentine says he hasn't seen a total stoppage of sports like this since 9/11, but even then sports came back within a matter of days. He managed the Mets in 2001, when his team played its first game back in New York City 10 days after the attacks, when Mike Piazza hit an iconic, game-winning home run.
He says at least the country had sports to fall back on then, but they have nothing right now.
"Well my thoughts are like everyone else's, that there's so much uncertainty that we need to be able to stay calm and try to find the courage that it's going to take to continue to move forward," says Valentine.
Valentine says he's also had to shut down his restaurants and sports academy amid the coronavirus crisis. He says he's working on ways to raise money for people who have been hurt by the outbreak.
 


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