This Week's Updates, 4/12/2020

This Week's UPDATES: Happy Easter

It's Easter Sunday and we've a unique new post for the #KlicKNet viewers today. Some would call it same old same old, but in the moment of crisis we're, is there ever any difference. So, let's now kick if off with this week's brand new 7-Day Round-Up.

*7-Day Round-Up*
Sunday	Former Browns player and Football Hall of Famer Bobby Mitchell passed away at 84.	KlicK
Monday	Lady Gaga announces global benefit concert television special for coronavirus relief.	KlicK
Tuesday	The State of Wisconsin holds it primary election during the ongoing virus pandemic.	KlicK
Wednesday	Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has decided to end 2020 Presidential campaign.	KlicK
Thursday	Yelp lays off or furlough 35 percent of staff to cut costs amid coronavirus lockdowns.	KlicK
Friday	WWE and The Revival have agreed on their immediate release from the company.	KlicK
Saturday	Cuomo comments on de Blasio’s decision to close all public schools in NYC arena.	KlicK

We have not one, but two Main Stories this week; the first one concerns Major League Baseball. As everyone already knows by now, the coronavirus pandemic has force major sports leagues around the world to suspend or even cancel their sporting events that were meant to happen this spring and throughout year. The NBA was the first to do this after a player was in effected with the virus, this caused a chain reaction which saw the NHL suspend its season too, the MLB postpone its regular season before it could commence last month. The WWE relocated WrestleMania 36 from Tampa Bay, Florida to the company's performance center in Orlando, without any fans. Golf, Soccer, Tennis, Horse Racing, UFC and even the NCAA March Madness Tournament were affected by the pandemic as well and made the decision to either to postpone or cancel altogether as we might have to wait until the summer for everything to clear up. The NFL is luckily its 100th season was done before the spread of the virus got worse and is now working its way around it during the off-season, the NFL Draft will still take place under a different format. The XFL was hit the most by the pandemic as its season was canceled for before it reached its end and the all day-to-day operations have been suspended as well, causing millions of employees to be lay off and the entire league to be shut down with plans t return next year in 2021. It just goes to show how the virus is affect everyone whether they contract it or not. Moving back to the MLB, the league is trying to desperately to try and salvage its 2020 season knowing that fans what see to see some live sports with the pandemic ongoing right now. A few days ago, ESPN reported that the MLB might look to start baseball next month but under the condition that all 30 teams would play in only city to keep the virus from spreading. That city being the greater arena of Phoenix, Arizona where the Diamondbacks play, however, there has been a mixed reaction to this idea of playing in only one city as first of all, there will be no fans in attendance and players having to be far away from their families. But then last Friday, the USA Today gave a new report that the MLB is considering hosting an abbreviated season under the Spring Training format it currently has. The American League and National League would be reshuffled into the Grapefruit and Cactus leagues, and all games would be played in just two states Arizona and Florida. The postseason, if there is one, would be the same as it is now and the World Series would take place in a domed stadiums without fans. This realignment proposal does give fans some glimmer of hope that baseball will be seen despite the growing pandemic, but to see how most people feel about it, here's a Max Sports-type #TwitterTrend nobody can afford to miss.

Bob Nightengale @BNightengale
MLB considering radical realignment as one of their options for 2020 season: Grapefruit and Cactus leagues https://t.co/vLQTG4ezgu?amp=1

DM Register Sports @DMRsports
MLB plan would have all 30 teams returning to their spring-training sites in Florida and Arizona, playing regular-season games only in those two states and without fans in an effort to reduce travel and minimize risks in the midst of the COVD-19 pandemic. https://t.co/ftDjXNalb7?amp=1

Sarah Kezele @SarahKezele
Still no fans allowed in this proposal, but teams would get to play in the familiar confines of their respective spring training facilities.

From @BNightengale:

Starting 9 @Starting9
No more NL or AL in 2020, it’s potentially all about Grapefruit and Cactus

Starting 9 @Starting9
AND for those wondering: Universal DH 2020

Stadium @Stadium
Would you be in favor of division realignment in @MLB, if it means we get some baseball this summer? #MLBAtHome

Matt Reichl @matt12r
Who makes the playoffs in these divisions?

Martin Frank @Mfranknfl
The article says division winners, plus 1 or 2 wildcard teams. And the World Series would be Cactus League winner vs. Grapefruit League winner.

Brian Walton @B_Walton
Seems to me that an implication of the new MLB plan would be that the revised division alignment and locations would remain for the entire (shortened) season. Can't see how returning to home cities to play partway through would be feasible with a FL-AZ-centric division schedule.

Christopher Dabe @cmdabe
I wondered about this from the get-go, but with all NL teams in Arizona and all AL teams in Florida. This latest proposal seems more reasonable. But it also suggests zero chance for games being played in actual MLB parks this season — something that might happen regardless.

Our second Main Story is about Amusement Parks, the place where you can eat, play, and scream like a little girl on the tallest, fastest, longer coaster ever built. Yesterday, I saw a report on NewsPlusNotes.com, which does great news on theme parks around the world, and what I saw was about Dorney Park. If you remember, I went on a Road Trip to Dorney Park in Pennsylvania with my sister and a few of her friends, we only got to go to Wildwater Kingdom ride down a few water slides as then it starting to rain we didn't get to ride on the roller coasters. Some say that Dorney Park is in dire need of a new roller coaster and it has not build one in almost a decade, but all of that might change pretty soon. According to NewPlusNotes, the South Whitehall Township in Pennsylvania intended to have a special Planning Commission meeting this week before the pandemic came about, it would have involved Dorney Park seeking approval for a New Attraction which could very will be New Coaster. But the plan at this time has been withdrawn from the meeting and could be revisited at a later date, so let's take a look at what this coaster looks like according to the plan. NewsPlusNotes states that:

"An application to further develop the property located at 3830 Dorney Park Road. The plan proposes to remove an existing attraction, construct a new attraction, associated walkways and access drives, and relocate a portion of the existing Zephyr train ride. The new attraction will be approximately 106 feet tall (419.5 feet above MSL). The project proposes a net reduction of impervious surface. The property is zoned CR Commercial Recreation. Dorney Park LLC is the owner and applicant. The project site is clearly taking up the site of the former Stinger roller coaster, plus a bit more land here and there. The agenda states that it is 106 feet tall and the plans show a lot of proposed concrete being put down."

"Starting at the start, this appears to be the entrance to the new ride. Similar to where the Stinger entrance was, near the Rita's building. The queue (aqua) will then meander toward the station with the ride going over it several times."

"The queue (aqua) then eventually comes to the ride's station (yellow), which sits nicely tucked in the middle of the ride. You can see that the exit path (green) will drop guests off on the midway further down, near the Cedar Creek Flyers. There is also a maintenance shed (purple) on the other side of the Zephyr tracks and Stinger's old electrical connection building (orange) looks like it will be utilized again for the new ride. You'll also notice the red on this image, which is what I believe the ride path to be. There's a bit of a loop here with the direction of travel, which is a very telling aspect of the ride type."

"The above image is how I believe the coaster will play out, including direction of travel. Station is orange, then follow the red out of the station, up a lift hill, through a tight 180 degree turn, then down a drop. The red then zooms through the layout until a curious stopping point not far from the entrance to the ride. This looks like a spike tower that will deplete the trains of energy, allowing them to roll back through the ride's layout - this is the dark blue path. The trains will eventually creep up the first drop, then reverse direction again - green path - then stop for a track switch to take place that will allow them to return to the station."

NewsPlusNotes pointed out that the ride looks similar to that of Switchback at ZDT's Amusement Park, which opened in 2015 and was built by The Gravity Group Company. There is a lift hill and drop, end spike, switch track and very tight radius turns. Switchback stands 64 feet tall with a 56 foot drop, so the proposed Dorney ride is a significantly larger version at 106 feet in height. Switchback is said to use steel supports, and that plays into another large hint that can be gathered from the plans. The proposed concrete sections are rather large, which is exactly how The Gravity Group has been building rides for some time now. To make the tight turns on Switchback the ride uses two 4 car trains, so one might expect to maybe double that size to two 8 car trains for Dorney's project. The switch track allows two trains even though the ride is a shuttle, improving capacity.

As seen in the image above, there's a rough look at the proposed plans on top of the park's current layout. A grove located next to a building will be demolished for the ride's lift hill and drop. The Zephyr train track will also be slightly reconfigured in this area to make room for the ride. The new coaster will cross the Zephyr track and come very close to the Dorney Park Road, the property's entrance road.

More importantly, the park proposes to "remove an existing attraction" which seen above shows the Inverted Impulse Coaster called "Possessed" is nowhere to be found. Personally, I hope that plans change a little bit and they do not have to remove such a good ride. For more this this new coaster which could possible coming in 2021 to Dorney Park, we go now to an all out Web Choice playlist full of rumors and coaster animation that will leave your head spinning out of control.