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VIRUS OUTBREAK-SPORTS
Baseball till Christmas?
UNDATED (AP) — The final pitch of the 2020 baseball season could be thrown closer to Christmas than Halloween.
Major League Baseball owners ratified a 17-page agreement with the union on Friday in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, with players willing to extend the season as long as needed to cover as close to a full schedule as possible.
This season was to start Thursday and Game 7 of the World Series was on track to be Oct. 28. With opening day postponed until mid-May at the earliest, the final pitch could come as Frosty the Snowman starts popping up. The sides have discussed a regular season extending into October and a postseason in November.
The deal provides for $170 million in advances from salaries that total more than $4 billion and guarantees service time to players even if no games are played this year. That means Mookie Betts, George Springer, Marcus Stroman, Trevor Bauer and J.T. Realmuto (ree-al-MOO'-toh) remain on track for free agency next offseason.
In other developments related to the coronavirus pandemic:
—Olympic officials have confirmed that the 6,200 or so athletes who had already punched their ticket for the Tokyo Olympics will keep their spots for the rescheduled games in 2021. It resolves one of the key questions for marathoners, open-water swimmers and hundreds of other athletes whose qualifying process came early in the 2020 sports calendar, before the coronavirus started shutting down sports across the globe. Still to be determined is how the rest of the spots at the rescheduled games will be allocated. Typically, the individual sports determine their qualifying procedures.
— The NCAA Division I Council is scheduled to vote on Monday whether to provide another year of eligibility to spring sport athletes. That includes sports such as baseball, softball and lacrosse. Those players had their seasons wiped out by the coronavirus pandemic. Providing similar relief to winter sport athletes, such as basketball and hockey players and wrestlers, will also be considered although there does not appear to be support for that.
— Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens says guard Marcus Smart is doing well and remains in good spirits following his positive test for coronavirus last week. Smart announced his diagnosis on March 19, seven days after Utah Jazz All-Stars Rudy Gobert (goh-BEHR’) and Donovan Mitchell tested positive for COVID-19. Boston played the Utah Jazz on March 6. Other Celtics players and staff were also tested as a precaution and those tests have all come back negative.
— ESPN NBA broadcaster Doris Burke has tested positive for the coronavirus. Burke made the announcement Friday on an ESPN podcast. Burke says she started feeling extreme fatigue on March 11, the day the NBA was shut down once it was learned that Utah center Rudy Gobert had tested positive. Burke was assigned the Denver-Dallas game on that date and fought through her symptoms to work that night. She said she had a three-day period of such deep fatigue that she couldn’t remain out of bed for more than five minutes at a time. She was eventually tested and received the results on Wednesday.
— Santa Anita has stopped live racing because of the coronavirus after receiving instructions from the Los Angeles County Health Department. The track in Arcadia, California, was preparing to run eight races when the cancellation was announced. It's not immediately known when racing will be allowed to resume. The Santa Anita Derby won't be run on April 4 as scheduled. It's the major West Coast prep for the Kentucky Derby, which itself has been pushed back from May 2 to Sept. 5.
— Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson has joined the field for IndyCar's inaugural online race as he contemplates driving in that series following his retirement from full-time stock car racing. IndyCar has followed NASCAR, IMSA and Formula One in setting up a virtual racing series to give fans content during the coronavirus pandemic that brought sports to a halt. IndyCar's first race is Saturday and Johnson is the 26th driver to enter.
— Commissioner Roger Goodell has told NFL teams that the draft will go on as originally scheduled next month. In a memo obtained by The Associated Press, Goodell said the draft will still take place April 23-25, but will be scaled down and “televised in a way that reflects current conditions.” It was originally planned as a big outdoor production in Las Vegas, but those plans were scrapped because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Teams were told to plan “to conduct draft operations in a location outside of your facility, with a limited number of people present, and with sufficient technology resources to allow you to communicate internally, with other clubs, and with draft headquarters.”
— The Evian Masters women's golf tournament has been moved to August because of the coronavirus outbreak. The event originally scheduled for July 23-26 will now be held on Aug. 6-9 at the Evian Resort Golf Club. Evian is one of the five majors on the women's circuit. The decision was made by the LPGA Tour, the Ladies European Tour and Evian organizers.
— The Big Ten has extended the suspension of all organized team activities through May 4.
— Top-ranked tennis player Novak Djokovic (NOH'-vak JOH'-kuh-vich), his wife and their foundation are donating about $1.1 million, to help buy ventilators and other medical equipment for hospitals in Serbia. Djokovic says his foundation's staff "will be monitoring everything" to get the equipment in place.
— Athletic trainers across the country are changing their routines and joining the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. The National Athletic Trainers Association put together an app aimed at helping trainers assist understaffed hospitals. The app was intended to give health care providers a database to look for help nationwide. More than 950 athletic trainers have signed up over the last week.
— Ottawa Senators radio color commentator Gord Wilson has tested positive for the coronavirus. Wilson’s wife, CTV Ottawa anchor Patricia Boal, confirmed the news Friday night during a newscast. The 59-year-old Wilson is recovering at home and both he and Boal, who has not tested positive for the coronavirus, have been in self-isolation since March 18. Boal said the diagnosis was confirmed Friday, about 11 days after Wilson was first tested.
— The St. Louis Blues confirmed Friday that Fox Sports play-by-play announcer John Kelly has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. The team said in a post on Twitter that Kelly has been in self-quarantine at home since March 13.
— USA Curling says additional participants at a tournament this month in Laurel, Maryland, have tested positive for the coronavirus. The United States Curling Association Club National Championships were held March 7-14 at Potomac Curling Club. Fox 5 DC reported that at least 20 people who participated in the event are sick.
NFL-NEWS
Ravens lose DT Brockers, who returns to Rams for 3-year deal
UNDATED (AP) — The Baltimore Ravens won't have Michael Brockers on their retooled defensive line after all, and now he's headed back to Los Angeles. Baltimore reached agreement on a three-year contract with the Rams free agent last week but the deal was never sealed in part because Brockers could not take a physical at the team's training facility due to restrictions by the NFL regarding the coronavirus.
The Ravens had concerns over a lingering ankle sprain after Brockers had a physical administered by two independent doctors. Baltimore and Brockers ultimately failed to reach an agreement on an amended contract.
In other NFL news:
— The Dallas Cowboys say they have agreed to deals with kicker Greg Zuerlein and defensive tackle Dontari Poe. The Zuerlein agreement gives Dallas competition at kicker because they've also re-signed Kai Forbath. He was last year's replacement for a shaky Brett Maher. Zuerlein was similar to Maher in being strong from 50-plus yards but struggling on shorter kicks. Zuerlein's accuracy has tailed off since making a career-best 38 field goals on 40 tries in 2017. A deal with the nearly 350-pound Poe is another sign of the Cowboys seeking bigger defensive tackles under new coach Mike McCarthy.
— Former Chargers running back Melvin Gordon says one of the biggest takeaways from his futile holdout in Los Angeles last year was realizing he still has so many detractors. This despite scoring 49 touchdowns at the University of Wisconsin and another 47 in the NFL. Gordon says he's driven to prove he's still an elite running back after scoring nine touchdowns in a dozen games once he ended his holdout last season. Gordon will now be teaming up with fellow Pro Bowl running back Phillip Lindsay in a dynamic Denver Broncos backfield.
— The Detroit Lions have agreed to a contract with linebacker Reggie Ragland, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. Ragland started 32 games over the past three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. He played 14 games last season for the Super Bowl champions, making seven starts. He had two sacks.
— The Minnesota Vikings re-signed two more of their own free agents, with new contracts for running back Ameer Abdullah and center Brett Jones. Abdullah had 203 yards from scrimmage with one receiving touchdown in a reserve role. Jones joined the Vikings in a trade with the New York Giants in 2018.
— The Las Vegas Raiders have announced the additions of free agent linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski, safety Jeff Heath and defensive end Carl Nassib. All three players agreed to deals last week but those weren't announced until after they all passed physicals. The Raiders also announced that long snapper Trent Sieg has signed his exclusive rights tender.
— Terry Tausch, an All-American offensive lineman at Texas and eight-year NFL veteran who played for the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers, has died. He was 61. The Longhorns announced that Tausch died Wednesday night at his home in Plano, Texas. His older brother, Gary Tausch, told San Antonio TV station KENS that the death was “sudden." Tausch was a second-round draft pick by the Vikings in 1982, playing seven seasons for them. He was their starting right guard for five years, until joining the 49ers in 1989 in what was his final NFL season. It ended with a Super Bowl ring.
—Stefen Wisniewski's (wihz-NOO'-skeez) nomadic football journey has come full circle. The veteran NFL offensive lineman is now a Pittsburgh Steeler after agreeing to a two-year deal with the club. Wisniewski grew up in Pittsburgh and played on Heinz Field as a high schooler. Wisniewski helped the Kansas City Chiefs win the Super Bowl in February. Though the Chiefs expressed interest in bringing him back, Wisniewski says the chance to play for the Steelers was too good to pass up.
NHL-NEWS
Ducks sign Zegras
UNDTED (AP) — Trevor Zegras has signed a three-year contract with the Anaheim Ducks. Zegras was the ninth overall pick in last year's NHL draft. The center had 11 goals and 25 assists in 33 games as a freshman at Boston University. He was tied for second among NCAA freshmen in assists and tied for third in points and points per game. Zegras was on the United States team at this year's World Junior Championship. He was only the second player since 2004 to have nine primary assists in a single tournament.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-GEORGIA-HAMMONDS-NBA
Georgia's Hammonds entering NBA draft, protects eligibility
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Georgia junior forward Rayshaun Hammonds says he is entering the NBA draft while protecting his college eligibility.
The 6-foot-9, 235-pound Hammonds averaged 12.9 points while leading the Bulldogs with 7.4 rebounds per game. He was second on the team in scoring, behind freshman Anthony Edwards, who also has entered the draft.
While Edwards could be the top pick in the draft, Hammonds' draft outlook is far less certain. When announcing his plans on his Twitter account on Friday, Hammonds said he is protecting his option to return for his senior season.
In other men’s basketball news:
— Kentucky reserve guard Johnny Juzang will enter the NCAA transfer portal after one season with the Wildcats. The 6-foot-6 freshman from Los Angeles can transfer to another school without restrictions per NCAA rules. Juzang played well down the stretch for Kentucky, scoring in double figures twice the final nine games. He made 10 of his final 20 3-point shots to finish the season shooting 33% from beyond the arc.
OBIT-HUNTER
Les Hunter has died
CHICAGO (AP) — Les Hunter, a star on Loyola Chicago's barrier-breaking 1963 NCAA championship team, died Friday. He was 77. Hunter helped Loyola — with four black starters — break down racial barriers and capture what remains the only NCAA Division I championship for an Illinois school by beating Cincinnati. The 6-foot-7 center from Nashville averaged 17 points and 11.4 rebounds as a junior that season and followed that up by turning in 21.4 and 15.3 as a senior. In an era when freshman did not play with the upperclassmen, Hunter had 1,472 points in three seasons and 1,017 rebounds — second on the school's career list. He and LaRue Martin are the only Loyola players with 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
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