June 25, 2020 3:43 am
UNDATED (AP) – Jarome Iginla headlines the Hockey Hall of Fame’s class of 2020 after being elected in his first year of eligibility. Iginla will be the fourth Black player inducted after Grant Fuhr, Angela James and Willie O’Ree. Iginla was the first Black player to lead the NHL in goals and points and was the first Black athlete in any sport to win a gold medal in the Winter Olympics. Iginla is joined in the 2020 class by winger Marian Hossa, defensemen Kevin Lowe and Doug Wilson, Canadian women’s star Kim St. Pierre and longtime general manager Ken Holland.
June 25, 2020 3:44 am
UNDATED (AP) – All-Star outfielder Charlie Blackmon of the Colorado Rockies has become the first Major League Baseball player identified as having tested positive for the coronavirus. A person familiar with Blackmon’s situation confirmed the test result to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because there was no official announcement. The Denver Post first reported Blackmon’s condition, saying Tuesday that three Rockies players had tested positive. The Post reported Blackmon tested positive last week after workouts at Coors Field in Denver. The newspaper said the Rockies then closed the ballpark, following MLB protocol. The Philadelphia Phillies have said seven players have tested positive for the virus without identifying any of them. A person familiar with the situation tells The Associated Press that several players and staff members of the Toronto Blue Jays have tested positive. Seattle Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said a few players have tested positive for COVID-19. Dipoto said they have all been asymptomatic. And Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila says one player and one staff member have tested positive for COVID-19. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has imposed a 60-game season that will begin either July 23 or 24. It remains unclear where the Blue Jays plan to hold their training camp and play home games this summer.
June 25, 2020 3:46 am
The caddies for Graeme McDowell and Brooks Koepka (KEHP’-kuh) have tested positive for the coronavirus, and both major champions have decided to withdraw from the Travelers Championship. Both say they are withdrawing to protect the rest of the field. McDowell says it feels like the snowball is getting bigger. This is the PGA Tour’s third week back after being shut down for three months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The first week came off without a hitch. Nick Watney last week became the first player to test positive.
June 25, 2020 3:45 am
The New York City Marathon scheduled for Nov. 1 has been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. New York Road Runners announced the cancellation of the world’s largest marathon Wednesday after coordinating with the mayor’s office and deciding the race posed too many health and safety concerns for runners, volunteers, spectators and others. Last year’s marathon included a world record 53,640 finishers. Entrants for the 2020 race will be offered a full refund of their entry fee or a guaranteed entry to either the 2021, 2022 or 2023 marathon. The 2021 New York City Marathon is scheduled for Nov. 7.
June 24, 2020 3:50 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Major League Baseball gives players’ association 60-game schedule, games to start July 23 or 24. This will be MLB’s shortest season since 1878. Each team will play 10 games against each of its four division rivals and four games against each of the five clubs in the corresponding division in the other league, according to details obtained by The Associated Press. The sides expanded the designated hitter to games involving National League teams and will start extra innings with a runner on second base. The union committed its members to start reporting July 1 – those who decide to report. High-risk individuals would be allowed to opt out and still receive salary and service time, but others who sit out would get neither money nor the service credit needed for eligibility for free agency and salary arbitration. Playoff teams remain at 10 for now – there is still talk of a possible expansion. The rejected deal had called for 16 teams.
June 24, 2020 3:53 am
Pittsburgh is out of the running to be one of the two hubs for the NHL when the league resumes its season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Penguins submitted what the club called an “aggressive” bid to be a hub city and was among the 10 finalists announced by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. Penguins President and CEO David Morehouse says simply being a finalist reflected the city’s support of the team and the NHL. Seven of the finalists were in the United States.
June 24, 2020 3:48 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Matt Murray says he’s focusing on the present and not whatever awaits him in the offseason. The two-time Stanley Cup winner says he’s doing his best to get sharp following the NHL’s extended pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Murray split playing time with Tristan Jarry during the regular season and watched Jarry become an All-Star. Murray’s play was on the upswing right before the shutdown and Murray believes he will be ready when the Penguins face Montreal in the play-in round whenever the league does return.
June 24, 2020 3:52 am
Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says two unidentified players have tested positive for COVID-19 and recovered. Tomlin says the players tested positive at some point earlier this year. Both players went through what Tomlin called “the appropriate protocol” and have since returned to work. Neither player visited the team facility at any point during the offseason. The Steelers, like the rest of the NFL, have been meeting and training remotely rather than in person since mid-March.
June 24, 2020 3:46 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says the team will support players if they chose to kneel during the national anthem. Tomlin says the club has engaged in “intimate discussions” about social activism in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death last month. The team has set up structural committees designed to help players as they figure out what actions they might want to take. Tomlin says the organization is fine with whatever the players decide so long as they do things “thoughtfully and with class.”
June 24, 2020 3:47 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – The Philadelphia Phillies say two more players and two additional staff members have tested positive for COVID-19. That spikes the number of total members in the organization who have the virus to 12. The Phillies said Tuesday all other tests within the organization have come back negative. One of the two players tested positive outside the team complex in Clearwater, Florida. The Phillies shut their spring complex after five players tested positive on Friday for COVID-19. Philadelphia became the first big league team known to be struck by the outbreak. Three staff members at the camp also tested positive.
