August 7, 2020 3:09 pm
In a statement released this afternoon, the PIAA Board of Directors has asked for consultation with Governor Wolf, the Departments of Health and Education and the General Assembly regarding the “strong recommendation” that high school/recreational sports be shutdown until January, 2021. PIAA’s statement follows:
The PIAA Board of Directors met this afternoon to review Governor Wolf’s statement strongly recommending no interscholastic and recreational sports until January 1st. As we have noted, our member schools have worked diligently to develop health and safety plans in accordance witht he Department of Health and Department of Education recommendations to allow students to safely return to interscholastic sports.
The PIAA Board of Directors has heard the thousands of voice of student-athletes, parents, coaches, and community leaders that have contacted us. The Board believes that the Governor’s strong recommendation to delay sports to January 1, 2021 has a potential negative impact on the students’ physical, social, emotional, and mental health. These issues along with the financial inability of many students to participate in any other form of non-school based athletic programs affects all students directly or indirectly.
PIAA is asking the Governor, along with the Departments of Health and Education, to partner with us and work collaboratively to further discuss fall sports. We are also seeking insight and discussion from the Pennsylvania General Assembly.
It is clear to PIAA, the unintended consequences of cancelling fall sports need to be further reviewed. PIAA has worked diligently with its Sports Medicine Advisory Committee and developed the following general policy statement: Based on currently known information, the Committee believes that STRICT ADHERENCE by schools and teams to their school-adopted plans and the Governor’s School Sports Guidance should provide a reasonably safe environment for student athletes to participate in interscholastic athletics as currently scheduled.
Consistent with the advice of the PIAA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee, PIAA continues to believe it can safely sponsor fall sports. On August 21st the Board will reconvene. Between now and then, voluntary workouts, per the Governor’s Guidance for All Sports, and with local approval, may continue. Mandatory fall sports activities are paused for the two week period. PIAA remains committed to providing a season for each of the sports during the 2020-2021 school year.
August 7, 2020 3:51 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Kevin Newman’s pinch-hit two-run single with one out in the bottom of the ninth lifted the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 6-5 victory over the Minnesota Twins. Newman ended Pittsburgh’s seven-game losing streak when he took a pitch from Minnesota closer Taylor Rogers (1-1) and laced it up the middle against a drawn-in infield to score Cole Tucker and Bryan Reynolds. Gregory Polanco added a three-run home run for the Pirates. Miguel Sano hit a three-run shot for the Twins. Byron Buxton and Eddie Rosario also went deep but the bullpen faltered late to snap Minnesota’s seven-game winning streak.
August 7, 2020 3:52 am
UNDATED (AP) – A total of 66 players have opted out of the 2020 NFL season due to the coronavirus pandemic, nearly half of them linemen. Twenty offensive linemen and 11 on defense opted out before Thursday’s deadline. Players with a medical opt out will receive a $350,000 stipend, whole those voluntarily opting out receive $150,000 as an advance against future salaries. No team has come close to New England in losing players for the upcoming season, which begins Sept. 10 with Houston at Super Bowl champion Kansas City. The Patriots, already minus several stars who left in free agency – including, of course, Tom Brady to Tampa Bay – saw eight opt outs: running back Brandon Bolden, offensive tackle Marcus Cannon, safety Patrick Chung, linebacker Dont’a Hightower, tight end Matt LaCosse, wide receiver Marqise Lee, offensive lineman Najee Toran and fullback Dan Vitale. Hightower, Cannon and Chung were key contributors in recent seasons.
August 7, 2020 3:49 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is wary of what lies ahead as his team prepares for the 2020 season. The Steelers did not have a single player opt out of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Tomlin says there are still many challenges ahead. Tomlin said he’s not sure he’s “extremely confident” that the NFL won’t hit some bumps along the way. Tomlin added the team is proceeding with caution, and it will require players being responsible away from the field to help prevent COVID-19 outbreaks in locker rooms around the league.
August 7, 2020 3:53 am
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Jason Day’s name hasn’t been on the leaderboard lately in the majors. Brooks Koepka’s is there all the time. Day opened the the PGA Championship with a bogey-free round of 5-under 65 at the TPC Harding Park. Right behind was Koepka, going after a third straight PGA Championship title. No one has ever won this major three straight times in stroke play. And only six players in history have won the same major three straight times. Koepka had six birdies and was among those at 66. Tiger Woods had a new putter and opened with a 68. Bulked-up Bryson DeChambeau, the longest driver on tour, broke his driver, which he has nicknamed “the Kraken.” It cracked when he bent over to pick up his tee, the club snapped under him. His support team fetched another shaft.
August 6, 2020 3:48 am
TORONTO (AP) – Jeff Petry scored 5:33 into the third period as the Montreal Canadiens rallied from two goals down and beat Pittsburgh 4-3 in Game 3, pushing the Penguins to the brink of elimination in the best-of-five series. Shea Weber had a goal and two assists for Montreal, Paul Byron added a goal and an assist, and Jonathan Drouin also scored. Carey Price stopped 30 shots for the Canadiens. Montreal can advance to the normal first round with 16 teams with win in Game 4 on Friday. Patric Hornqvist, Jason Zucker and Teddy Blueger scored for fifth-seeded Pittsburgh, which led 3-1 after Blueger’s goal 5:34 into the second. Matt Murray finished with 27 saves.
August 6, 2020 3:53 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Major League Baseball is cracking down on coronavirus safety protocols, mandating that players and staff wear face coverings at all times, including in the dugouts and bullpens, except for players on the field of play. The league sent a memo to teams Wednesday outlining changes to its 2020 operations manual after outbreaks on the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals led to 21 postponements in the first two weeks of a shortened 60-game season. The memo, obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday night, says that repeated or flagrant violators of the protocols could be banned from participating in the 2020 season and postseason.
August 5, 2020 3:51 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is confident he is fully recovered from right elbow surgery that ended his 2019 season. Roethlisberger says he had three flexor tendons rip off the bone near halftime of Week 2 against Seattle. He underwent a procedure to reattach the tendons shortly thereafter, ending his 16th NFL season early. Roethlisberger says it wasn’t fun watching the team limp to an 8-8 record without him. The 38-year-old says he didn’t seriously consider retirement and that he believes he has enough left in the tank to lead the team to a seventh Super Bowl title.
August 5, 2020 3:52 am
ST. LOUIS (AP) – St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina says he’s one of the players on the team who tested positive for COVID-19. The nine-time All-Star revealed his results in a Spanish-language Instagram post. Soon afterward, the Cardinals issued a release naming six of the players who have tested positive. The others are infielders Paul DeJong, Edmundo Sosa and Rangel Ravelo along with pitchers Junior Fernandez and Kodi Whitley. The outbreak resulted in the postponement of the Cardinals’ scheduled three-game weekend series at Milwaukee as well as a four-game series with Detroit.
August 4, 2020 3:52 am
TORONTO (AP) – Sidney Crosby, Jason Zucker and Jake Guentzel scored for the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 3-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens, tying the best-of-five qualifying series at one game apiece. Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored for the Canadiens. The Canadiens opened the series with a 3-2 overtime win on Saturday, but were flat from the start in Game 2 and never recovered. Game 3 is Wednesday night.
