July 5, 2020 7:13 am
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – NASCAR’s extravagant weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been rocked by its first driver testing positive for the coronavirus. Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson will miss what was supposed to be his final Brickyard 400 as he quarantines following the Friday test result. He was asymptomatic but wife Chani had tested positive, so Johnson had himself checked. Johnson on Sunday had hoped to tie Jeff Gordon and Michael Schumacher as the only drivers with five victories at Indianapolis. Instead, Justin Allgaier will drive the Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet.
July 4, 2020 3:21 am
UNDATED (AP) – A person familiar with the discussions told The Associated Press the NFL plans to consider the NFL Players Association’s recommendation to cancel the preseason though the league prefers to cut the schedule in half. The NFL decided Wednesday to cut its preseason from four games to two. The union’s board of player representatives voted Thursday to ask the league to cancel the entire preseason schedule, according to two people who were part of that conversation. The four people spoke on condition of anonymity because the league and the union haven’t reached an agreement.
July 4, 2020 3:20 am
NEW YORK(AP) – New Yankees ace Gerrit Cole is busy on and off the field this week. Cole and his wife, Amy, celebrated the birth of their first child on Tuesday. Cole has been working out at Yankee Stadium. After a near-miss in the World Series last year with Houston, the All-Star right-hander is hoping to help pitch the Yankees to their first championship since 2009. He signed to a $324 million, nine-year contract that set a record as the highest for a pitcher. Cole says the delay caused by the pandemic might benefit the Yankees because it allowed many to heal. The Yankees open on July 23 at Washington.
July 4, 2020 3:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – -The Cleveland Indians have announced that they too are reviewing their contentious nickname. The team released a statement on Friday night saying it is committed to making a positive impact in their community and that they embrace their responsibility to advance social justice and equality. The club said it plans to review a nickname it has had since 1905. In 2018, the Indians removed their Chief Wahoo logo from caps and jersey worn by the team. The red-faced mascot, however, remains on some team merchandise. The move mirrors one made by the NFL’s Washington Redskins, who Friday said they are embarking on a “thorough review” of their name. FedEx on Thursday called for the Redskins to change their name, and Nike appeared to remove all Redskins gear from its online store.
July 4, 2020 3:16 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Dodger Stadium’s 40-year wait to host the All-Star Game is going to last even longer. The game scheduled for July 14 has been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, and Dodger Stadium was awarded the 2022 Midsummer Classic. The 2021 game is set for Atlanta’s Truist Park, home of the Braves since 2017. The pandemic had already delayed opening day from March 26 to July 23 or 24. This will be the first time since 1945 that no game will be held. Travel restrictions because of World War II kept the game scheduled for Boston’s Fenway Park from taking place that year. It was pushed back to the next season.
July 4, 2020 3:14 am
DETROIT (AP)- Bryson DeChambeau chose to compete in the Rocket Mortgage Classic while many of the PGA Tour’s top players skipped the tournament in Detroit. He’s aiming to take full advantage of the relatively weak field and course. DeChambeau had four birdies on his back nine Friday to close with a 5-under 67, giving him a share of the lead among the early starters in the second round. Matthew Wolff, Seamus Power and Mark Hubbard also were in front at 11-under 133 after the first wave of players finished their second round.
July 3, 2020 2:49 am
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced they have signed Competitive Balance A round selection Carmen Mlodzinski, second round pick Jared Jones and third round pick Nick Garcia from the 2020 First-Year Player Draft. The 21-year-old Mlodzinski (selected 31st overall), was a Baseball America second-team pre-season All-American selection as a redshirt sophomore in 2020 at the University of South Carolina. In four starts this past season with the Gamecocks, Mlodzinski went 2-1 with a 2.84 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 25.1 innings of work. The 18-year-old Jones, selected 44th overall in the second round, was rated as the No. 41 overall draft prospect by Baseball America. Jones finished his high school career at La Mirada (CA) High School with a 20-6 record, 0.89 ERA and .150 batting average against. During his senior year, Jones also posted a 0.82 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 17.0 innings of work. The 21-year-old Garcia, selected 79th overall in the third round, was rated as the No. 70 overall draft prospect by MLBPipeline.com. Garcia went 4-1 with a 2.00 ERA in five appearances (five starts) this past season for Chapman (CA) University. He also finished the 2020 campaign ranked 18th among NCAA Division III pitchers with 36 strikeouts Garcia was a 2019 American Baseball Coaches Association and D3Basball.com first-team All-American after going 9-0 with 12 saves, a 0.64 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 30 appearances. He was also a 2019 Division III Baseball National Championship All-Tournament team selection for NCAA Division III-champion Chapman University. The team also signed non-drafted free agent catcher Joe Jimenez.
July 3, 2020 2:51 am
DETROIT (AP) – Doc Redman took a step toward remaining among those to make the cut in every event since the PGA Tour resumed, opening with a 7-under 65 to share a one-shot lead with Scott Stallings and Kevin Kisner in the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Redman closed his first round Thursday with four straight birdies and seven over the last eight holes at the Detroit Golf Club. He went from being a Monday qualifier to finishing second at the inaugural Rocket Mortgage Classic last year. The 22-year-old Redman is shooting to take the next step with his first PGA Tour victory.
July 3, 2020 2:44 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The title sponsor of the Washington Redskins’ stadium wants the NFL team to change its name. In a statement today, FedEx said they “have communicated to the team in Washington our request that they change the team name”. The company paid the team $205 million in 1999 for the naming rights to FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland. In addition to the stadium name and sponsorship agreement, FedEx CEO Frederik Smith is a minority owner. Majority owner Daniel Snyder has shown no indications he’ll change the name since buying the team in 1999. On Thursday night, Nike appeared to remove all Redskins gear from its online store. The other 31 NFL teams were listed and a search for “Redskins” came up with no results. Nike did not immediately respond to an email message seeking comment.
July 3, 2020 2:45 am
“Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” will be performed live or played before “The Star-Spangled Banner” prior to each NFL game during Week 1 and the league is considering putting names of victims of police brutality on helmet decals or jersey patches, a person familiar with the discussions told The Associated Press. The person said the league is working collaboratively with players to recognize victims of systemic racism throughout the season in a variety of ways.
