Sports chatter: Former MLB player Aubrey Huff ‘would rather die’ from coronavirus than wear a mask

In the sport of baseball, you can’t be scared to be hit with a 95-mph fastball or a 78-mph curveball that appears to be headed straight for your chin. So it’s not surprising to see a fearless baseball player, but Aubrey Huff took that approach to another level by stating that he’d rather die from COVID-19 than wear a mask.

“If you want to wear a mask and live in fear for the rest of your lives, that’s certainly your prerogative,” Huff said in a video he posted on his Twitter account. ”But the vast majority of well-adjusted, sane, common-sense people that aren’t sheep and can reason for themselves agree with me.”

Huff said he believes COVID-19 is real and thinks only those with pre-existing conditions or the elderly and obese should be restricted.

“Just because that is your plight in life doesn’t mean the whole world has to shut down,” Huff said.

Huff played 13 seasons for Tampa, Baltimore, Houston, Detroit and San Francisco. He won two World Series titles with the Giants in 2010 and 2012 before retiring after the last championship.

“This is not a selfish thing for me,” Huff said. “This is a thing for me to try and free Americans, so they can freely breathe.”

Bill Russell often gets discredited for the era he played in, but the Celtics legend and basketball pioneer had to remind Kendrick Perkins of his best traits on Tuesday night.

Perkins reacted to a video of LeBron James nearly finishing an alley-oop with his head above the rim by calling him the “most athletic player in NBA history.”

Russell decided to chime and reminded Perkins of his accolades, which included being one of the top track-and-field high-jumpers in the U.S. Russell also pointed out that he would’ve high jumped and played basketball at the 1956 Olympics if he was allowed to do so.

The Celtics’ great didn’t stop there. He followed up with a Youtube video that showed off his speed on the court. In it, Russell flew past the defenders, jumped over another and glided through the air for an easy layup.

James and Russell are two of the best athletes to ever pick up a basketball. It’s hard to pick a side, because both players were outstanding dual-sport athletes. While Russell starred on the track, James was an all-state wide receiver in high school.

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Both were among the fastest players on the court every time they played despite being one of the biggest. Russell’s leaping ability led to 22.5 career rebounds per game, while James’ offers an array of slam dunks and alley-oops.

After Russell’s rebuttal, Perkins quickly changed his stance.

Perkins weighed in on another debate soon after.

Kyrie Irving’s decision-making has been questioned on the court at times. Sometimes the gifted scorer overlooks a teammate by taking matters into his own hands, but Perkins might have a bigger problem with Irving’s off-the-court choices.

Irving recently gathered NBA players to discuss the ramifications of a return and if it is truly the right thing to do in the midst of the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests across America. It was later reported that Irving talked to players about starting their own league, but the report was later denied.

Still, Perkins believes Irving is in over his head with his latest thoughts.

“If you take Kyrie Irving’s brain right now and put it in a bird, guess what that bird is gonna do? It’s gonna fly backwards,” Perkins said on ESPN this morning. “Because right now, Kyrie is confused. He’s showing his lack of leadership.”

Irving’s opinion is respected among his NBA peers, so Perkins might be speaking with the opinion of an outsider. Irving is one of the National Basketball Player Association’s (NBPA) seven Vice Presidents. He was elected in February.

By his ranking among players and his ability to get them together on a conference call, Irving’s opinions might not be too backwards.