May 23, 2020 4:25 am
UNDATED (AP) – Georgetown basketball coach Patrick Ewing has tested positive for COVID-19 and is being treated at a hospital. The Hall of Fame player and former Knicks center says the virus is serious and should not be taken lightly, adding that he wanted to encourage everyone to stay safe and take care of themselves and their loved ones. Ewing also thanked the healthcare workers and everyone on the front lines. The school said the 57-year-old Ewing is the only member of its men’s program who has contracted the coronavirus.
May 22, 2020 3:49 am
UNDATED (AP) – The NHL is taking a major step toward formulating the remainder of their season. A person with knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press the NHL Players’ Association’s executive board is voting on a 24-team playoff proposal as they return to play format. Results of the vote could be in as soon as Friday night. Under the proposal plan, the top four teams in each of the Eastern and Western Conferences would play each other for seeding while the remaining 16 teams face off in a best-of-five series play-in round to set the final 16. That would mean byes for Boston, Tampa Bay, Washington and Philadelphia in the East and defending champion St. Louis, Colorado, Vegas and Dallas in West. Even if the executive board votes to approve the format, the league and players union still need to negotiate other details, including health and safety protocols. But the format is a substantial piece of the return to play puzzle to award the Stanley Cup this season.
May 21, 2020 3:45 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Kevin Kramer will miss four to six months while recovering from surgery on his right hip. The team says Kramer underwent the procedure last week in Vail, Colorado. The 26-year-old Kramer had been dealing with what the club called “chronic symptoms” while attempting to stay ready for the potential start to the 2020 season. Kramer was in the mix for a utility spot with the Pirates. He hit .149 with a home run and two RBIs in 29 appearances for the team in 2019.
May 20, 2020 3:44 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Washington Nationals will unveil their World Series championship rings during a “virtual” ceremony shown on television and online Sunday — an unprecedented approach brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. With the start of the Major League Baseball season on hold because of the COVID-19 outbreak, Nationals owner Mark Lerner said he hopes the plan to show off the team’s hardware would provide “a moment of joy in these uncertain times.” Teams typically unveil their title rings at a home stadium packed with fans.
May 20, 2020 3:40 am
UNDATED (AP) – A limited number of NFL teams are reopening their training facilities, while many are prohibited by government restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic. Commissioner Roger Goodell gave the 32 clubs the go-ahead for limited re-openings on Tuesday, as long as state and local municipalities allow them. Coaching staffs and all players, except those undergoing injury rehab, are barred from the facilities in the first phase of the league’s plan. With such states as California, New York, New Jersey, Washington and Virginia still under heavy restrictions, that immediately leaves nine franchises unable to use their facilities. The Las Vegas Raiders still have their training complex in Alameda, California.
May 18, 2020 3:46 am
JUNO BEACH, Fla. (AP) – Rory McIlroy delivered the money shot in the TaylorMade Driving Relief exhibition that raised over $5 million for COVID-19 relief funds. With the match down to a closet-to-the-pin contest after regulation, McIlroy barely stayed on the shelf left of the pin, measured at 13 feet to beat Matthew Wolff’s attempt by five feet. The final carryover gave McIlroy and Dustin Johnson $1.85 million for the American Nurses Foundation. Wolff and Fowler made $1.15 million for the CDC Foundation. Fowler had seven birdies. PGA Tour Charities allowed for online donations during the telecast, raising more than $1 million. The donations will continue until Tuesday. When the exhibition ended, more than $5.5 million had been pledged, starting with the $3 million guarantee from UnitedHeath Group.
May 17, 2020 7:49 am
Live golf returns to television Sunday with a four-man charity Skins game at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Florida, to benefit coronavirus relief. There won’t be any caddies, so Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson against Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff will be carrying their own bags. The only rake will be carried by a rules official. Another rules official will be the only person to handle the flagstick, if necessary. It will be the first live action on TV since the opening round of The Players Championship on March 12.
May 16, 2020 3:53 am
UNDATED (AP) – The NFL continues to take steps toward a return to normalcy since the coronavirus pandemic. NFL teams can begin reopening their facilities on Tuesday if state and local governments will allow it. Commissioner Roger Goodell has issued a memo to all 32 teams stressing that they must be in compliance with any additional public health requirements in their jurisdiction and have implemented the protocols that were developed by league medical officer Dr. Allen Sills and distributed to all clubs on May 6. The memo obtained by The Associated Press added that clubs unable to meet these criteria by Tuesday may reopen their facilities on the earliest date thereafter on which they are able to comply. Facilities have been closed since late March due to the pandemic. Each team was required to submit a plan to the league for reopening its training/practice facility this week.
May 15, 2020 4:14 am
Bob Watson, a two-time All-Star as a player who later became the first black general manager to win a World Series with the New York Yankees in 1996, has died. He was 74. The Houston Astros, for whom Watson played his first 14 major league seasons, announced the death Thursday night. Watson’s son Keith said he died from kidney disease. Watson was nicknamed “The Bull” and made the All-Star team in 1973 and ’75, hit over .300 four times and drove in at least 100 runs twice. He also holds the distinction of scoring the 1 millionth run in major league history.
May 15, 2020 4:12 am
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Dominik Simon will not return to the ice anytime soon, even if his teammates do. Simon underwent what the team called a successful shoulder surgery recently, but his recovery will take about six months. According to the team, the 25-year-old was injured Feb. 29 during a game against the San Jose Sharks.
