July 10, 2020 3:50 am
UNDATED (AP) – The New Jersey Devils have hired veteran coach Lindy Ruff to take over one of the NHL’s youngest teams. Ruff replaces interim coach Alain Nasreddine (ah-LAYN’ NAZ’-reh-deen), who guided the Devils to a 19-16-8 record after replacing John Hynes. The 60-year-old Ruff had been an assistant coach with the New York Rangers. He previously coached the Dallas Stars and the Buffalo Sabres, leading the Sabres to the Stanley Cup Final in 1999. New Jersey also removed the interim tag from Tom Fitzgerald’s title as general manager. Fitzgerald had served as interim general manager since January.
July 9, 2020 4:17 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Ivy League says will not play sports this fall because of the coronavirus pandemic. The league left open the possibility of moving some seasons to the spring if outbreak is better controlled by then. The move could have ripple effects throughout the big business of college sports. Football players in the Power Five conferences have already begun workouts for a season that starts on Aug. 29. The Ivy League decision affects not just football but soccer, field hockey, volleyball and cross country, as well as the fall portion of winter sports like basketball. The league said it has not yet determined whether fall sports can be moved to the spring.
July 9, 2020 4:19 am
UNDATED (AP) – With no guarantee of fans, there won’t be a Ryder Cup this year. The PGA of America says the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin has been pushed back to 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The PGA Tour still hasn’t allowed spectators at its events, and no other golf tournament is dependent on partisan cheering like the Ryder Cup. After working with the PGA Tour and its Presidents Cup, the decision was reached to move the Ryder Cup to Sept. 24-26 in 2021. That means the Presidents Cup will return to even-numbered years starting in 2022 at Quail Hollow in North Carolina. The Ryder Cup had been scheduled for Sept. 25-27 at Whistling Straits, one week after the U.S. Open.
July 9, 2020 4:18 am
KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) – Nearly 200 players took the field for an 8-minute, 46-second moment of silence to protest racial injustice before Major League Soccer’s return to action Wednesday night. Players wore black T-shirts, black gloves and black facemasks emblazoned with Black Lives Matter. The players walked toward midfield, raised their right arms one at a time and held the pose so long that some could be seen stretching fatigued muscles afterward. It was a poignant moment that put two of the nation’s most prominent changes over the last four months – masks and movements – at the forefront of the sport’s return. The league’s teams are sequestered in resorts for the duration of the World Cup-style tournament, which began with a Group A match that was the first meeting between two Sunshine State teams. FC Dallas withdrew Monday after 10 players and a coach tested positive for COVID-19. A day later, Nashville SC’s status was thrust into doubt with five confirmed positive tests.
July 8, 2020 2:49 am
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. (July 7) — The Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Presidents’ Council has unanimously approved conference-only scheduling format for all varsity sports during the fall 2020 season. All fall sports except football now have a first contest date of Sept. 7, while football will begin its nine-game league schedule on Sept. 19. “The PAC is blessed with a heritage of strong leadership collaboration coupled with a unique geographical configuration that makes athletic competition within the NCAA guidelines possible. We’re grateful for the work in establishing conference protocols that we trust will maximize opportunities to compete for our student-athletes while minimizing the risks we face together in these challenging times,” said Dr. Calvin Troup, president of Geneva College and chair of the PAC Presidents’ Council.
The structure and format of the conference-only schedule model will continue to be refined over the next month, and is subject to change as the situation and conditions evolve. Today’s announcement confirms the conference’s commitment to the responsible return of varsity intercollegiate athletics, but also demonstrates the membership’s faithfulness and trust in one another, a key component of the league’s operational culture since its founding in 1955. The Presidents’ Council also unanimously approved a recommendation to provide PAC schools with the flexibility to determine their own first practice dates this fall. Before this change, permissible start dates were based on a team’s first contest date.
July 8, 2020 3:44 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Mitch Keller is eager to prove his rocky rookie season in the big leagues was just a fluke. The highly touted Pittsburgh Pirates pitching prospect went 1-5 with a 7.13 ERA in 2019. While Keller was discouraged by the numbers, the analytics indicated Keller was a victim of bad luck at times. Keller spent the break provided by the COVID-19 shutdown diving deeper into analytics hoping to become more efficient. He says he’s trying to find a way to mesh the information available to him with the talent that helped him rise through the minors quickly.
July 8, 2020 3:45 am
The San Francisco Giants say they are “suspending workouts at Oracle Park, pending the results of tests conducted this past weekend.” On Monday, the club announced two people had tested positive for the coronavirus without providing further details on whether the two were players, coaches or staff. Prospect Hunter Bishop and pitcher Luis Madero, in the 60-player pool, already tested positive. Meanwhile, the reigning World Series champion Washington Nationals have resumed training camp after canceling workouts Monday because of COVID-19 testing delays. General manager Mike Rizzo said the team felt confident about getting back to Nationals Park for practices after receiving all player and staff test results from Friday.
July 8, 2020 3:48 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson has apologized after backlash for sharing anti-Semitic posts on social media over the weekend. In a video posted on Instagram, he said his post “was definitely not intended for anybody of any race to feel any type of way, especially the Jewish community,” He added that he “just probably never should have posted anything Hitler did, because Hitler was a bad person.” The team and the NFL both issued statements condemning Jackson’s posts.
July 8, 2020 3:46 am
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – Major League Soccer has postponed Wednesday night’s match between Nashville and Chicago. MLS says five Nashville players have received positive tests for COVID-19 since arriving in Orlando. Two players received positive results during the weekend, while three others got their positive results Monday night. Four other Nashville players need further testing after receiving inconclusive results. The league is continuing to evaluate Nashville’s participation in its tournament. FC Dallas withdrew Monday after 10 players tested positive for coronavirus.
July 7, 2020 4:10 am
PITTSBURGH — The Pirates released their 60-game regular season schedule for the 2020 season, which will feature the Bucs opening the season with a three-game series in St. Louis beginning on Friday, July 24. This will mark the 33rd time in Club history in which the Pirates will play the first game of the regular season against the Cardinals; the first time since 2016. Following the season-opening series in St. Louis, the Pirates are scheduled to play the Milwaukee Brewers in the first game at PNC Park on Monday, July 27, at 7:05 p.m. It will mark the third time ever (first since 2005) in which the Pirates will host the Brewers in their Home Opener. The 7:05 first pitch time for Pittsburgh’s Home Opener will also mark the club’s first Home Opener at night since 2003 against Milwaukee (the originally scheduled game between the two teams that season was postponed due to inclement weather). The Pirates’ 2020 interleague schedule will include home games against each club from the American League Central division with the exception of the Kansas City Royals. The Pirates will travel to Kauffman Stadium for a three-game series against the Royals for the first time since 2015. WJPA 1450AM is your radio home for Pirates baseball.
