November 19, 2020 2:52 am
LOCK HAVEN, PA – The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference announced Wednesday the cancellation of its mandated regular season and championship competition for winter sports following a vote of the league’s Board of Directors. “With careful consideration to health concerns and realistic abilities to conduct sport seasons amid this pandemic, our conference and our membership is forced to make some very difficult decisions,” said PSAC Commissioner Steve Murray. “With the time we have to continue weighing our options, we are fully committed to playing a spring sports season. We will remain supportive of any other decisions to play sports and host championship events should our membership view it as a safe and reasonable opportunity.” The PSAC includes California, Clarion, Edinboro, IUP, Pitt-Johnstown, Seton Hill and Slippery Rock. The Board voted last week to cancel SPAC Championship season for fall sports but agreed to proceed with intention to play a full regular season and championship season for 2021 spring sports.
November 19, 2020 2:29 am
UNDATED (AP) – The NFL is placing all teams in intensive protocol starting Saturday to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 as the number of cases rises around the country. Use of masks will be mandatory at all times at team facilities, including during practice and in weight rooms. Meetings must be held either virtually or in the largest indoor space with approval by the league. Meals have to be made available for grab-and-go to avoid players and staff congregating in cafeterias. Time spent in the locker room also has to be limited.
November 19, 2020 3:42 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Minnesota Timberwolves selected Georgia freshman guard Anthony Edwards on with the No. 1 pick in the delayed NBA draft. Edwards became the 11th straight one-and-done player to be the No. 1 pick, coming in a year where there was no clear obvious choice. He averaged 19.1 points for the Bulldogs, tops among all freshman. Commissioner Adam Silver announced the pick from ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut. The Golden State Warriors, stung by the news that Klay Thompson sustained another leg injury earlier Wednesday, took Memphis center James Wiseman with the second pick. They stumbled to the bottom of the league while Thompson missed the entire season with a torn ACL in his left knee. LaMelo Ball then went to the Charlotte Hornets, the next stop on a lengthy basketball journey that sent the guard from high school in California to stops as a professional in Lithuania and Australia. The Chicago Bulls took Patrick Williams of Florida State, the ACC sixth man of the year as a freshman, at No. 4. Cleveland followed with Auburn’s Isaac Okoro, another freshman, to round out the top five.
November 19, 2020 3:44 am
NEW YORK (AP) – New York Mets second baseman Robinson Cano has been suspended for 162 games by Major League Baseball after his positive test for a performance-enhancing drug. The 38-year-old Cano will miss the entire 2021 season and lose $24 million in salary. The eight-time All-Star hit a robust .316 with 10 home runs and 30 RBIs in this year’s pandemic-shortened season.
The commissioner’s office said Wednesday that Cano tested positive for Stanozolol, an anabolic steroid. He was penalized 80 games in May 2018 while with Seattle after a positive test for furosemide, a diuretic that some athletes have used to mask other substances.
November 18, 2020 3:47 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says his 9-0 team is perfect in name only. The Steelers are searching for ways to kickstart a running game that has taken a step backward in recent weeks. Pittsburgh managed a season-low 44 yards rushing in a victory over Cincinnati, relying largely on quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who threw four touchdown passes. Tomlin says the play by both the running backs and the offensive line has been subpar and needs to improve. Pittsburgh heads to Jacksonville next week to face the 1-8 Jaguars.
November 18, 2020 3:49 am
UNDATED (AP) – The New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons and Las Vegas Raiders put players on the COVID-19 list on the same day Washington had its first instance of someone in the organization testing positive for the coronavirus since the season began. The NFL said there were 17 new confirmed positives among players and 35 among other personnel during testing last week. Giants kicker Graham Gano, Falcons wide receiver Laquon Treadwell, Washington injured defensive lineman Matt Ioannidis, and Las Vegas defenders Clelin Ferrell and Lamarcus Joyner all went on the list.
November 18, 2020 3:50 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Atlantic Coast Conference says this weekend’s game between Duke and Wake Forest won’t be played due to coronavirus issues and injuries within the Demon Deacons’ football program. The league made the announcement Tuesday night ahead of Saturday’s matchup at Duke. The ACC’s statement made no mention of rescheduling. In a separate release, Wake Forest said it would work with Duke and the ACC on the possibility of rescheduling the game. Wake Forest said the decision was due to positive cases, quarantines of close contacts and injuries. The team won’t practice or hold team activities Wednesday or Thursday.
November 18, 2020 3:52 am
CHICAGO (AP) – Theo Epstein is stepping down after nine seasons as the Chicago Cubs’ president of baseball operations. The team announced Epstein is leaving the organization, and general manager Jed Hoyer is being promoted to take his place. Epstein transformed the long-suffering Cubs and helped bring home a drought-busting championship in 2016. He said after the season he anticipated remaining on the job for at least one more year, with his contract set to expire in 2021. Epstein said in a statement Tuesday he will “cherish” his time with the Cubs and said it was simply time to make a change.
November 17, 2020 3:45 am
CHICAGO (AP) – Kirk Cousins threw for 292 yards and two touchdowns, and the Minnesota Vikings overcame a 104-yard kickoff return by Chicago’s Cordarrelle Patterson to beat the Bears 19-13. Cousins won for the first time in 10 career Monday night starts. He hit Adam Thielen with a 6-yard TD early in the fourth quarter to put Minnesota on top 19-13, and the Vikings hung on for their third straight win. They also snapped a four-game losing streak against Chicago. Bears quarterback Nick Foles got taken from the field on a cart in the game’s final minute after landing on his right, throwing shoulder.
November 17, 2020 3:43 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s play has thrust the 17-year veteran into the mix for the league’s Most Valuable Player award. Roethlisberger is on pace to set a career high in touchdown passes and a career low in interceptions for the NFL’s last unbeaten team. Roethlisberger also appears to be getting stronger as the season goes along. He threw for 344 yards and four touchdowns in a blustery 36-10 victory over Cincinnati that pushed the Steelers to 9-0. Roethlisberger did it despite spending last week in self-quarantine as part of the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols.
