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MLB-NEWS
Nationals catcher Tres Barrera banned 80 games for drug test
UNDATED (AP) — Washington Nationals catcher Tres Barrera has been suspended for 80 games without pay by Major League Baseball after testing positive for an anabolic steroid.
MLB says Barrera tested positive for the performance-enhancing substance DHCMT, the chemical compound used in a drug that fueled Olympic athletes in the former East Germany decades ago.
Barrera said Saturday that he appealed his suspension but it was upheld by an arbitrator. In a statement released by the players’ association, the 25-year-old said the failed test and suspension came “as a complete surprise.” He said he has never knowingly used a banned substance.
Barrera was on Washington’s 40-man roster and part of its 60-man player pool. He appeared in two games in 2019 and was not a member of the postseason roster as the Nationals went on to win the franchise’s first title.
In other MLB news:
— World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg has been scratched from what was supposed to be his first start of the season for the Washington Nationals because of a nerve issue with his right hand. Nationals manager Dave Martinez announced the news about four hours before the scheduled first pitch against the visiting New York Yankees on Saturday. Martinez said Strasburg would be replaced as his team’s starter by Erick Fedde. Martinez said Strasburg was given an injection for the issue, likening it to “basically a cortisone shot.” He said Strasburg felt something was wrong with his hand during an exhibition game last week.
— New York Mets relief pitcher Brad Brach says he missed preseason camp because he tested positive for the coronavirus. Brach confirmed he and his pregnant wife both had COVID-19 and experienced mild symptoms, including loss of taste. Jenae Brach gave birth to healthy twin boys, Carson and Brody, on July 17. Brad Brach helped the family settle into their Tennessee home before reporting to the Mets today.
— Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Luis Urias has been cleared to return to baseball activity after testing positive for coronavirus before the start of Major League Baseball’s preseason summer camp. The Brewers are sending Urias to their secondary facility in Appleton, Wisconsin. The Brewers have said Urias remained asymptomatic while going through the MLB protocols on returning to action.
— Cincinnati Reds infielder Matt Davidson has tested positive for COVID-19. He went on the injured list one day after he started the opener as a designated hitter. Davidson popped out and grounded into a double play during the Reds’ 7-1 win over the Detroit Tigers at Great American Ball Park on Friday night. The Reds signed the 29-year-old to a minor league deal earlier this year. He also played for the Diamondbacks and White Sox. Davidson hit three homers in Chicago’s season opener in 2018.
— Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw’s back issue that forced him to miss his opening day start is improving and he hopes to return soon. Manager Dave Roberts said Friday that Kershaw had an MRI after tweaking his back three days earlier. It showed no structural damage. Kershaw gave no timetable for his return. The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner has been receiving treatment daily.
— The pandemic-delayed Major League Baseball opener was a hit on television. The Nationals-Yankees game on ESPN was the most-watched regular season game in baseball on any network in nine years. It averaged 4 million viewers according to Nielsen fast national ratings and peaked at 8:30 p.m. EDT with 4.48 million viewers. No regular season game had been viewed by that many since 4.7 million watched Boston beat the Yankees 3-2 in 10 innings on Aug. 7, 2011. That game was also on ESPN.
NFL-NEWS
Chiefs’ Duvernay-Tardif first to opt out of 2020 NFL season
UNDATED (AP) — Kansas City offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is the first player to announce he is opting out of the upcoming NFL season. The 29-year-old is choosing to put his medical degree to use on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic rather than helping the Chiefs defend their first Super Bowl title in 50 years.
Duvernay-Tardif has been working to fulfill his requirements to become a doctor in the offseason, and has spent this summer working at a clinic in his native Canada. He said that experience helped him decide that if he was going to take any risks with his health, it would be to help patients dealing with the virus.
The NFL and its players association agreed Friday to an opt-out clause for the upcoming season. Two people with knowledge of the decisions told The Associated Press that those who opt out voluntarily will receive a $150,000 stipend and those with medical opt outs will receive $350,00 rather than their contractual salary. The deadline to opt out is Aug. 3.
In other NFL news:
— Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes acknowledges there is “some risk” in returning to the team facility for training camp. But he says he’s comfortable with the protocols established by the NFL and its players’ union to ensure a safe environment. The Super Bowl MVP was at the facility Saturday along with rookies and select veterans, a day after the league and union agreed to a proposal opening camps in earnest next week. The players’ board of representatives voted to adopt changes to the collective bargaining agreement that provide for new training camp and roster rules, economics and protocols for operating amid the coronavirus pandemic, as well as an opt-out clause.
— The Las Vegas Raiders have signed their entire seven-person draft class. The rookies all took tests for COVID-19 earlier in the week and then officially signed their deals. The Raiders had seven picks in the draft in April led by first-round receiver Henry Ruggs III and cornerback Damon Arnette. Ruggs was picked 12th overall and is being counted on to add a dynamic playmaker to an offense that ranked 24th in the league in scoring last season. Arnette was picked 19th and will be in competition with free agent addition Prince Amukamara for a starting cornerback spot.
— Alex Smith could move one step closer to returning to the football field after a gruesome injury. A team spokesman says the Washington quarterback is set to take a physical with a team doctor on Monday that he must pass before being cleared for football activities. The 36-year-old Smith hasn’t played since November 2018 when he broke the tibia and fibula in his right leg. He underwent multiple surgeries and has worked to get back to game action. Washington expects 2019 first-round pick Dwayne Haskins and former Carolina QB Kyle Allen to compete for the starting job this season under new coach Ron Rivera.
— The Minnesota Vikings have signed head coach Mike Zimmer to a three-year contract extension through the 2023 season, finalizing a key piece of business Friday before the beginning of training camp. The deal was agreed to earlier in the week. Zimmer has a 57-38-1 record over six years. It is the third-best winning percentage of the nine head coaches the Vikings franchise has had over 59 seasons. The 64-year-old Zimmer trails Bud Grant and Dennis Green on the team list.
NBA-NEWS
AP source: Knicks close to deal to make Tom Thibodeau coach
UNDATED (AP) — A person with knowledge of the details says the New York Knicks are finishing a deal to make Tom Thibodeau (THIH’-buh-doh) their coach. The person told The Associated Press that no contract has been signed but a deal is expected to be announced next week.
ESPN first reported that the Knicks and Thibodeau were completing a five-year contract.
Thibodeau was the 2011 NBA Coach of the Year in Chicago and is a former Knicks assistant under Jeff Van Gundy.
Mike Miller finished the season as interim coach after David Fizdale was fired 22 games into last season.
In other NBA news:
— Zion Williamson will be out of quarantine by the time New Orleans plays in the first official game of the NBA restart at Walt Disney World. Whether the Pelicans will play him that night or not remains anyone’s guess. The NBA said Saturday that Williamson will have to serve a four-day quarantine for leaving the league’s Disney bubble on July 16 to tend to an urgent family matter. He returned to Disney last night and immediately went into quarantine. That means he will likely be released from quarantine sometime Tuesday, two days before the Pelicans play the first “seeding game” against the Utah Jazz.
NHL-NEWS
Goalie Corey Crawford returns as Blackhawks await Oilers
UNDATED (AP) — Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford has revealed that he missed the start of training camp because he tested positive for COVID-19. He said he was in quarantine at his place in Chicago.
The 35-year-old Crawford skated with the team on Saturday and faced shots from teammates.
His return is a big development for Chicago as it prepares for its qualifying series against Edmonton. The best-of-five series begins on Aug. 1.
In other NHL news:
— Carolina Hurricanes All-Star defenseman Dougie Hamilton missed a second straight practice Saturday, and his status remains unclear as the team prepares for the return to play in the coming week. The team said on its website Wednesday that Hamilton left that day’s practice early in “some visible discomfort” and he didn’t practice Thursday. At the time, coach Rod Brind’Amour offered no specifics. Hamilton broke his left leg in January and was sidelined until the NHL suspended the season because of the pandemic, but he had returned for the beginning of training camp.
WNBA RETURNS
Storm beat Liberty in WNBA’s season opener
BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Breanna Stewart had 18 points, eight rebounds and four steals in her first WNBA game since helping Seattle win the 2018 championship, sending the Storm past the New York Liberty 87-71 Saturday in the season opener.
Stewart missed all of last season after tearing her Achilles tendon while playing for her Russian club team in April 2019.
Jewell Loyd scored 14 points for Seattle and Sue Bird — who also missed the 2019, season because of a knee injury — added 11 points and five assists. Layshia Clarendon led the Liberty with 20 points. Sabrina Ionescu had 12 points, six rebounds and four assists in her WNBA debut.
The 2020 WNBA season, delayed and shortened by the coronavirus pandemic, is being played in a bubble at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. There are two other games on the Saturday schedule: Los Angeles vs. Phoenix and Indiana vs. Washington.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-KANSAS SEASON OPENER
KU adds Southern Illinois to open football season - for now
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas has added Southern Illinois to open its football season in just over a month. The game, however, might not be played.
The revision came after New Hampshire backed out of the game Sept. 5 because of the Colonial Athletic Conference’s decision to suspend fall sports due to COVID-19.
The Jayhawks and Salukis will play for the fourth time on Aug. 29 at Memorial Stadium.
Jayhawks athletic director Jeff Long said Saturday the school wanted to look regionally for an opponent and that whatever school was chosen had to adhere to Big 12 testing protocols once they have been set.
Whether the game actually takes place has yet to be determined. The Salukis play in the Missouri Valley, whose own school presidents are expected to address their football season in the coming week.
GOLF-BRITISH MASTERS
Paratore wins British Masters for 2nd European Tour title
NEWCASTLE, England (AP) — Renato Paratore has won the British Masters for his second career victory on the European Tour after closing with a 2-under 69 containing his first bogeys of the week.
The Italian golfer’s first dropped shot of the Newcastle tournament came on his 63rd hole, which was at No. 9 in his final round. It ended his bid to become the first player to win a European Tour event without a bogey since Jesper Parnevik (JEHS’-pur PAR’-nek-vihk) in the 1995 Scandinavian Masters. Paratore also bogeyed the 11th hole but recovered to play the last seven holes in one under par and claim his first title since the Nordea Masters in 2017.
Paratore finished on 18 under overall, three strokes ahead of Rasmus Højgaard,.
The European Tour made its full return following a four-month suspension because of the coronavirus pandemic with an event held without spectators and featuring regular COVID-19 testing of players and caddies.
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