May 22, 2020 3:53 am
CHICAGO (AP) – The Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates are trimming payroll while they await word on the fate of the Major League Baseball season. The Cubs are instituting pay cuts because of the coronavirus crisis, but there will be no furloughs through the end of June. The Pirates announced Thursday they are instituting furloughs for several employees in business operations beginning on June 1. A person with direct knowledge of the situation says the Cubs’ pay cuts were based on compensation. President of baseball operations Theo Epstein and president of business operations Crane Kenney took the highest reductions.
May 22, 2020 3:50 am
Little League has released a set of “best practice” guidelines it believes would allow baseball and softball to be played safely after local authorities give the groups the all-clear to return to play. The recommendations include eliminating all non-essential contact and banning the postgame handshake line in favor of lining up along the respective baselines and tipping your cap to the opponent. All players should wear masks while in the dugout and coaches and volunteers should wear masks and protective medical gloves at all times.
May 21, 2020 3:51 am
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – The Oakland Athletics say they can’t pay their landlord. The head of the agency that oversees the Oakland Coliseum says the A’s have informed him they had “no ability to pay” the annual $1.2 million rent on the facility. Henry Gardner tells the Bay Area News Group that the A’s say they’ve been unable to generate revenue because they haven’t used the Coliseum this season. MLB has been in shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. Gardner says the Coliseum is willing to negotiate and waive some items in the Athletics lease, but, “we can’t just say no rent.”
Gardner is the interim executive director of the Coliseum authority. The A’s have made the payment annually for use of the city- and county-owned baseball stadium. The team could face penalties for failure to pay.
May 20, 2020 3:45 am
UNDATED (AP) – The NHL is still more than a week away from determining a return-to-play format. That word comes from a person familiar with discussions. And what that plan resembles could be complicated further should the U.S. and Canada extend border restrictions to non-essential travel into July. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced border restrictions will stay in effect through June 21. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly tells The Associated Press he’s hopeful the decision to close the border to non-essential travel for another month won’t “have a material impact” on the league’s discussions to restart its season.
May 19, 2020 3:42 am
PHOENIX (AP) – Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Starling Marte announced on social media that his wife Noelia has died of a heart attack. Marte made the announcement on Monday night and wrote that he was “grateful for the expressions of esteem and solidarity in this difficult time.” The 31-year-old Marte has played his entire eight-year big league career with the Pittsburgh Pirates before being traded to the Diamondbacks during the offseason. Both the Pirates and Diamondbacks responded to Marte with condolences on social media.
May 18, 2020 3:44 am
DARLINGTON, S.C. – Kevin Harvick was the winner as NASCAR resumed its Cup schedule following a 10-week layoff. Harvick took the lead from Alex Bowman on a late restart and pulled away over the final 30 laps at Darlington Raceway. Bowman finished second, followed by Kurt Busch, Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin. Harvick is the only drive to finish in the top 10 in each of the Cup Series’ five races this season. He emerged from his car in victory lane wearing a black face mask — what could become NASCAR’s new normal. It was the first Cup race in 71 days since the schedule was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic. The event was run without fans and with an emphasis on masks and social distancing. Roughly 900 people were approved to be inside the gates, all considered essential.
May 17, 2020 7:48 am
UNDATED (AP) – Major League Baseball owners have made their pitch as they try to convince players to accept less pay due to the coronavirus pandemic. MLB has told players their prorated salaries would contribute to an average loss of $640,000 for each game over an 82-game season in empty ballparks. That’s according to a presentation from the commissioner’s office to the union that was obtained by The Associated Press. The 12-page document was dated May 12 and paints a grim picture of a $10 billion industry shuttered by the pandemic. It was an initial step in negotiations aimed at starting the delayed season around the Fourth of July. Some players have publicly balked at the notion of less pay, and the union has called for more transparency in baseball’s financial records. Teams say the proposed method of salvaging a season delayed by the coronavirus pandemic would still cause a $4 billion loss and would give major league players 89% of revenue. The Yankees would have the highest loss at $312 million.
May 16, 2020 3:50 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Former NFL linebacker James Harrison says Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin did not offer a bounty for an illegal hit on a member of the Cleveland Browns. Harrison told former teammate Willie Colon on a podcast that Tomlin handed him an envelope shortly after Harrison was fined in 2010 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Browns wide receiver Mohamed Massqoui. Harrison declined to specify what was in the envelope, but posted on Instagram that Tomlin never offered a bounty on opposing players. Steelers President Art Rooney II said he’s “certain” the exchange between Harrison and Tomlin never happened.
May 15, 2020 4:15 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Major League Baseball players want to look at the owners’ books. A person familiar with the request told The Associated Press that lawyers for the baseball players’ union asked MLB to submit a slew of financial documents that detail the industry’s finances. Baseball owners on Monday approved a proposal that could lead to the coronavirus-delayed season starting around the Fourth of July with a regular-season schedule of about 82 games. Owners also gave the go-ahead to propose basing players’ salaries on a 50-50 revenue split, which the union says is a salary cap and a framework that players will never accept. The type of financial disclosure the union asked for is more common during overall collective bargaining talks.
May 14, 2020 3:51 am
UNDATED (AP) – The NFL has updated its Organized Team Activities schedule as the league hopes to begin the upcoming season on time. A person familiar with the decision tells The Associated Press that the NFL has extended its virtual offseason workouts through the end of May. NFL teams normally would be holding OTAs during May, followed by June minicamps. Those activities are being done remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic. Coaching and training staffs have worked with the players by conducting classroom instruction and on-field activities through digital applications. All 32 teams must submit plans for reopening their facilities to the league by Friday, though no dates for such re-openings are set. Offseason workouts must end by June 26, a week or so later than usual.
