June 30, 2020 3:43 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The reigning World Series champion Washington Nationals will be without at least two holdovers from last year’s team. Longtime infielder Ryan Zimmerman and pitcher Joe Ross are opting out of playing as Major League Baseball tries to get back amid the COVID-19 pandemic. General manager Mike Rizzo says the team supports Zimmerman and Ross deciding not to play the 60-game season that’s set to start in late July. Zimmerman says his family situation factored into his decision. His mother is at high risk for the coronavirus because of multiple sclerosis, and he has three young children including a newborn. The 35-year-old says the decision doesn’t mean he’s retiring. Meanwhile, Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Mike Leake is also opting out due to concerns about the coronavirus. Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen did not elaborate on Leake’s decision during a Zoom call, but the pitcher’s agent issued a statement saying he made a personal decision not to play during the pandemic. Hazen also said two players on Arizona’s 60-man roster tested positive for COVID-19, as did another player not in Arizona.
June 30, 2020 3:45 am
Monday marked the 10th day of self-isolation for Nick Watney, the minimum required for PGA Tour players who test positive for the new coronavirus. He said he is feeling good except for some minor fatigue, perhaps brought on by a major case of boredom, and except for the distinction of becoming the first of what now is five players and two caddies who have tested positive since the PGA Tour returned amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He lost his sense of smell, a sensation he described as “gnarly,” but said that is coming back. And perhaps the strangest sensation is being at a golf resort without playing golf. He remains in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, as the PGA Tour has moved on to Connecticut, and now Detroit this week, and then two weeks in Ohio. The show goes on. Three more players tested positive during the Travelers Championship – Cameron Champ before the tournament started, Denny McCarthy after his first round and Dylan Frittelli after he missed the cut. Two caddies tested positive, which caused a chain-reaction of withdrawals.
June 29, 2020 3:44 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Edgar Santana has been suspended for 80 games after violating Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The club announced that Santana tested positive Boldenone, a performance-enhancing substance. The 28-year-old Santana is in the process of a comeback after missing all of the 2019 season following reconstructive surgery on his right elbow in September 2018. Santana is 3-4 with a 3.31 ERA in 88 career games, all with the Pirates.
June 29, 2020 3:47 am
BOSTON (AP) – The New England Patriots have reached an agreement with free-agent quarterback Cam Newton, bringing in the 2015 NFL Most Valuable Player to help the team move on from three-time MVP Tom Brady. A source tells the AP that the one-year deal is worth up to $7.5 million with incentives. The signing was first reported by ESPN. The Patriots had been heading to training camp with 2019 fourth-round draft choice Jarrett Stidham as the heir apparent to Brady, who led the team to six Super Bowl championships since 2001 but signed with Tampa Bay this offseason. Stidham appeared in three games last season, completing two passes for 14 yards with one interception. The Panthers released Newton on March 24 following nine seasons, a move that saved the team $19.1 million under the NFL salary cap. The 31-year-old Newton was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 draft after leading Auburn to a national championship and winning the Heisman Trophy.
June 29, 2020 3:49 am
CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) – Dustin Johnson won the Travelers Championship on Sunday to end a long drought and extend his career-long season victory streak to 13. Johnson closed with a 3-under 67 for a one-stroke victory over Kevin Streelman at fan-free TPC River Highlands. Johnson last won in Mexico City in March 2019. Johnson said it was along time between wins and he wants to keep his streak going. Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus each won in 17 consecutive years. Mackenzie Hughes, who shot a first-round 60, had a 67 to tie for third with 23-year-old Will Gordon at 17 under. Gordon, who has no status on either the PGA Tour finished just enough to earn him a special temporary card and unlimited exemptions for the rest of the season. There were seven COVID-19-related withdrawals from the Connecticut event, with two positive tests among players. Cameron champ withdrew Tuesday and Denny McCarthy had a positive test on Friday.
June 29, 2020 3:45 am
LONG POND, Pa. (AP) – Denny Hamlin held off Kevin Harvick on Sunday night to win the second Cup race of the weekend at Pocono Raceway and flip the result of the opener. Hamlin raced to his fourth victory of the season – and sixth at Pocono – to cap a wild, marathon day of racing at the track, with three NASCAR races and Cup finish in the dark. Pocono doesn’t have lights — but the pit road numbers were lit up and glowed as Hamlin took the checkered flag for Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin has 41 career victories to move to 19th on NASCAR’s career list.
June 28, 2020 7:24 am
CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — Brendon Todd and Dustin Johnson each shot career-low 61s at the Travelers Championship on Saturday, leaving Todd with a two-stroke lead over the 2016 U.S. Open champion. The 34-year-old Georgian, playing a couple holes behind Johnson, had a chance at the tournament’s second 60 of the week but missed a 10-foot putt to the left on the 18th hole. He finished with a 54-hole score of 192, 18 under par, after shooting 66-65 the first two rounds. Johnson, who is looking for his 21st win on tour, also has improved each day, opening with a 69-64. Both shot bogey-free rounds, with Todd making five birdies on the front nine and Johnson five on the back.
June 28, 2020 7:28 am
LONG POND, Pa. (AP) — Kevin Harvick hit pause on that victory swirl of scorched rubber and billows of smoke at Pocono Raceway. Sure, Harvick needed to save the engine for a repeat run in the same Ford and a shot at a weekend sweep in a Cup Series twin bill. He stood on his car alone again in victory lane in front of another race with barren grandstands and the only noise at the track just a few cheers from his Stewart-Haas Racing crew. Harvick snapped an 0-for-38 drought at Pocono, taking the checkered flag Saturday at one of two tracks where victory had eluded him. Harvick won the first of two NASCAR Cup races in front of no fans this weekend at Pocono and will start 20th on Sunday with the field set by inverting the lead-lap finishers.
June 27, 2020 3:42 am
Longtime Canon-McMillan High School girls soccer coach Dave Derrico has resigned. Athletic Director Frank Vulcano Jr. says the resignation was approved by the school board Thursday night. Vulcano says “Dave was a State Champion coach that will be missed by the players and school district. He gave a lot of his time to make our program one of the top girl’s soccer programs in the state”. In his letter, Derrico says “recent events and changes have caused me to examine life’s costs which I have steadfastly borne through the years with the team. After a great deal of soul searching and some heartache, I feel that I cannot serve with the same high level of devotion and personal commitment that I have demonstrated in the past and the level of commitment that the Canon-McMillan players deserve”. Derrico had served as assistant or head coach of the program for more than twenty years. His resignation is effective immediately.
June 27, 2020 3:49 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton says he’s tired of hosting video conference calls with his players and is ready to get back to work as the MLB plots a return next month. Shelton is tackling a series of issues he couldn’t have imagined when the Pirates hired him last winter. Shelton must help his players navigate the 108-page safety protocol designed to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. He’s also in the process of finding ways to support players who may want to speak out about social justice issues. The Pirates begin spring training 2.0 at PNC Park on July 1.
