July 15, 2020 3:49 am
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) – The New England Patriots have joined a growing list of NFL teams who hope to play home games this season in front of a significantly reduced number of fans to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. The team announced Tuesday that it plans to play in front of about 20% of Gillette Stadium’s capacity, if approved by state and local officials. The stadium’s capacity is just under 66,000. The Patriots also informed season ticket holders that if fans are allowed at the stadium, they will be asked to adhere to physical distancing of at least six feet. Tickets will be arranged in blocks of 10 seats or fewer, with the first eight rows of the stadium not in use. Face coverings will also be required at all times.
July 15, 2020 3:45 am
About 10 Major League Baseball umpires have opted out this season, choosing not to work games in the shortened schedule because of concerns over the coronavirus. There are 76 full-time MLB umpires and more than 20 of them are age 55 or over. Joe West and Gerry Davis are the oldest umps at 67. Umpires who are deemed at risk – either for their age, health situation or other issues – and opt out will continue to get paid. Umps get their salaries over 12 months and have already been paid through April.
July 15, 2020 3:44 am
TORONTO (AP) – A top Canadian government health official says a longer stretch of home games might help the Blue Jays to get approval to play in Toronto amid the pandemic. Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Howard Njoo says back and forth travel from the U.S. where cases are surging is a major issue that could prevent the government from approving MLB to play in Canada. MLB requires an exemption to a requirement that anyone entering Canada for nonessential reasons must self-isolate for 14 days. The U.S.-Canada border remains closed to nonessential travel.
The Blue Jays’ home opener is scheduled for July 29 against Washington.
July 14, 2020 3:56 am
UNDATED (AP) – The NHL says 43 players tested positive for the coronavirus from June 8 through the end of the league’s optional workouts. That number announced Monday includes 30 who tested positive at team facilities and 13 the league is aware of who tested positive outside the league’s protocols for its Phase 2. The NHL opened Phase 3 Monday with the start of training camps for the 24-team playoffs, scheduled to open in two hub Canadian cities – Toronto and Edmonton, Alberta – on Aug. 1. Players had until Monday evening to elect to opt out of competition without penalty. All players who tested positive self-isolated. The NHL is not sharing names of the players who test positive or the teams involved.
July 14, 2020 2:49 am
(WPXI) – Nine players are being sidelined from the Pittsburgh Penguins’ training camp due to potential secondary exposure to COVID-19, the team announced Monday. The team is voluntarily sidelining the players, who might have been exposed to someone who had contact with a person that has tested positive for the virus. The team said it learned of the possible secondary exposure on Sunday. “The decision to isolate this group of players was made out of an abundance of caution in an effort to avoid exposure to anyone else within the organization. The nine players will not participate until they are deemed safe in accordance with NHL protocol and further test results,” a news release said.
July 14, 2020 3:55 am
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) – Russell Westbrook of the Houston Rockets says he has tested positive for coronavirus, and that he plans to eventually join his team at the restart of the NBA season.
Westbrook made the revelation Monday on social media. As recently as Sunday, the Rockets believed that Westbrook and James Harden – neither of whom traveled with the team to Walt Disney World near Orlando last week – would be with the team in the next few days. In Westbrook’s case, that now seems most unlikely.
July 14, 2020 3:53 am
ATLANTA (AP) – The Atlanta Braves say they have no plans to follow the lead of the NFL’s Washington Redskins and change their team name. The tomahawk chop chant used by Braves fans is under review, however. The team said in the letter it is seeking input from the Native American community, fans, players and former players as it examines the fan experience, including the chant. The Redskins announced Monday they will change their name and Indian head logo. The Braves say they have established a “cultural working relationship” with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina and formed a Native American Working Group. The name came with the team on its move from Milwaukee to Atlanta in 1966. The name was adopted in 1912, when the team was based in Boston.
July 13, 2020 3:54 am
NHL teams return to the ice Monday for the first time since March as the 24 that qualified for the expanded playoffs open two-week training camps. Mixed with the excitement is the uncertainty of which and how many players might opt out and how the long layoff could contribute to injuries. It’s a training camp unlike any in history, with players coming back from a four-month absence to compete for the Stanley Cup. It’s a two-week sprint from home cities to Toronto for Eastern teams and Edmonton, Alberta, for their Western counterparts.
July 13, 2020 3:51 am
Protective masks won’t be out of sight when big league baseball resumes. Some players and coaches are planning to wear them on the field. Safety protocols require masks in clubhouses and close proximity indoors, but not on the field. Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier plans to wear one during games, in part to set an example for those watching on television. Atlanta third base coach Ron Washington also plans to wear one for health reasons. At age 68, he’s in a high-risk group.
July 13, 2020 3:48 am
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) – Washington’s NFL team will get rid of the name ‘Redskins’ on Monday, according to multiple reports. USA Today, ESPN, The Washington Post and Sports Business Journal reported owner Dan Snyder and the organization would announce the move two weeks before the start of training camp. It’s unclear when a new name will be revealed for one of the league’s oldest franchises. The team launched a ‘thorough review’ of the name July 3. That came in the aftermath of several prominent sponsors calling for a change.
