April 13, 2020 3:52 am
UNDATED (AP) – Former golfer Doug Sanders has died at age 86, according to the PGA Tour through a text from Sanders’ ex-wife, Scotty. Sanders was still an amateur when he won his first PGA Tour event in 1956 at the Canadian Open in a playoff. His best year was in 1961 when he won five times and finished third on the PGA Tour money list.
April 13, 2020 3:45 am
CHICAGO (AP) – Glenn Beckert’s baseball exploits can be overshadowed by his four Hall of Fame teammates, but his contributions were vital to the success of the Chicago Cubs during the late 1960s and early 70s. The four-time All-Star second baseman has died of natural causes at age 79, according to his family. Beckert won a Gold Glove in 1968 before earning All-Star berths over the next four seasons. He had the best strikeout-to-at-bat ratio in the National League five times and finished third in average when he hit a career-high .342 in 1971. Beckert teamed with shortstop Don Kessinger for his entire nine-year Cubs career to form one of the best double-play combinations in baseball. Beckert compiled a .283 average in an 11-year career that began with the 1965 Cubs and ended with the 1975 Padres.
April 11, 2020 3:56 am
The XFL has suspended operations and laid off its employees. Employees were told of the layoffs Friday during an in-house conference call. The upstart league backed by WWE canceled the remainder of its season last month because of the coronavirus pandemic, but promised to be back in 2021. The moves have left the league’s future in doubt. The XFL has eight franchises and played five games out of a planned 10-game schedule.
April 10, 2020 3:46 am
UFC 249 has been canceled after ESPN and parent company Disney stopped UFC President Dana White’s plan to keep fighting amid the coronavirus pandemic. UFC 249 was scheduled for April 18, and White planned to follow it with weekly fight cards from Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino on tribal land in California’s Central Valley.
April 9, 2020 4:06 am
UNDATED (AP) – The NFL is turning the league’s 2020 draft into a three-day fundraiser to help six charities dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. The “Draft-A-Thon” will be featured during the draft April 23-25 to raise money for non-profits selected by the NFL Foundation. Among the charities are the American Red Cross, CDC Foundation’s All of Us, Meals on Wheels COVID-19 Response Fund, the Salvation Army, and United Way’s COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund. Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement that the Draft-A-Thon will deliver much-needed funding to many who are suffering as well as those on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
April 8, 2020 3:54 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Timmy Brown, a running back and kick returner who won an NFL championship with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1960, has died. He was 82. The Eagles announced Tuesday that Brown passed away on Saturday. Brown was the first NFL player to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in the same game, doing it in a 24-23 win over Dallas on November 6, 1966. Brown was inducted into the Eagles Hall of Fame in 1996. He is sixth on the franchise’s all-time list for touchdowns with 62.
April 7, 2020 3:47 am
UNDATED (AP) – Resuming the NBA season with the start of the playoff is one option for the league. Most teams had about 15 games left to play in the regular-season schedules when play was halted on March 11, and not everyone had played the same amount of games. But in this unprecedented situation, games won’t resume until well beyond the originally scheduled April 15 end of the regular season. If the NBA does decide to resume the season there would be some intriguing matchups.
April 6, 2020 3:45 am
NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Former NFL kicker Tom Dempsey has died at 73 from what his family described as complications from the new coronavirus. Dempsey was known for being the first to hit a field goal from 63 yards and for succeeding in pro sports despite being born without toes on the right foot with which he kicked. The 63-yard field goal stood as the longest in NFL history for 43 years until 2013. Dempsey kicked 11 seasons in the NFL with New Orleans, Philadelphia, the Los Angeles Rams, Houston Oilers and Buffalo. He had been diagnosed with dementia and was living in a New Orleans nursing home that was hard hit by the virus.
April 5, 2020 4:52 am
– The Preakness is looking for a new date for the Triple Crown race normally held on the third Saturday in May. The owners of Pimlico Race Course and the Maryland Jockey Club have also decided to cancel the infield party on race day. The Preakness usually draws more than 100,000 fans, most of whom gather on the infield. The Kentucky Derby was previously postponed from May 2 to Sept. 5.
-The NCAA says hearings and oral arguments in infractions cases have been suspended through May 31 amid the coronavirus pandemic. The suspension applies to cases before the infractions committee, appeals and the new Independent Accountability Resolution Process created to handle complex cases in the wake of the federal corruption investigation into college basketball. Deadlines for schools in pending cases to file briefs and other documentation remain in effect, including the release of rulings.
-The U.S. Tennis Association says it’s best not to play the sport right now because of the coronavirus pandemic. The USTA called it “in the best interest of society to take a collective pause” from tennis. The statement from the organization that runs the U.S. Open Grand Slam tournament said there is “the possibility” that the virus could be transferred among people via sharing and touching of tennis balls, net posts, court surfaces, benches or gate handles.
– The U.S. Women’s Open is moving from the end of spring to the middle of December. The USGA says the Women’s Open at Champions Golf Club in Houston is moving from June 4-7 to Dec. 10-13. The LPGA has also postponed or canceled the next five events on its schedule. All but the Pure Silk Championship are getting new dates later in the year.
– The WNBA has postponed the start of its season because of the coronavirus pandemic. The league was set to open training camps on April 26 and the regular season was to begin on May 15. The WNBA will still hold a “virtual” draft on April 17. Two WNBA cities are major hot spots for the virus: New York and Seattle. The WNBA, which was set to begin its 24th season, is the longest running professional women’s sports league.
– The Ottawa Senators are making temporary layoffs and salary reductions because of COVID-19. The team’s parent company says the full-time workforce will be reduced starting Sunday, when the NHL club’s season was originally scheduled to end. Those not laid off could be placed on furlough. Others could have their salaries reduced. Health benefits will continue uninterrupted.
– Anaheim Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli say they will pay their 2,100 part-time employees across all of their sports and event management companies through June 30 for work that was wiped out by the coronavirus pandemic. The Samuelis’ Anaheim Arena Management company operates Honda Center, the Ducks’ home rink. They also own two lice hockey complexes in Orange County.
– Major League Soccer has extended its training moratorium through April 24 because of the coronavirus outbreak. Team facilities are closed to players and staff – except for players requiring treatment that cannot be administered at their homes. Players are expected to remain in market with their teams during the moratorium to avoid the spread of the virus.
– The under-construction Athletes Village for the Tokyo Olympics could be used as a temporary hospital for coronavirus patients. Tokyo’s governor has been talking about the possibility of occupying the massive development on Tokyo Bay, which is to house up to 11,000 Olympic and 4,400 Paralympic athletes and staff during the games.
– Former marathon world record holder Wilson Kipsang was among 20 people arrested in Kenya for locking themselves in a bar and drinking alcohol in breach of a curfew imposed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Police say the 2012 Olympic bronze medalist was among those detained at a police station in Iten, one of Kenya’s famous high-altitude towns where distance runners train.
– NBC’s Mike Tirico is returning to hosting a daily talk show, which will focus on the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on the sports world. The hour-long “Lunch Talk Live” will air weekdays beginning at noon EDT on NBCSN. Tirico will host the show remotely from his home in Michigan.
April 3, 2020 3:41 am
UNDATED (AP) – British Open organizers say postponement is an option for this year’s tournament at Royal St. George’s. The 149th edition of the Open Championship is scheduled to take place July 16-19. The last time the Open wasn’t played was in 1945 because of World War II. The R&A released a short statement in response to media speculation about the staging of the event. Chief executive Martin Slumbers says the “process is taking some time to resolve” because of a range of external factors. Meanwhile, the Senior PGA Championship in Michigan has been canceled. The PGA of America says it based its decision on Michigan’s stay-at-home order that was enacted March 23. The Senior PGA in Benton Harbor, Michigan, was to be played May 21-24.
