UNDATED (AP) — Former boxing champion Floyd Mayweather has offered to pay for George Floyd’s funeral and memorial services, and the family has accepted the offer. Mayweather personally has been in touch with the family, according to Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions. He will handle costs for the funeral on June 9 in Floyd’s hometown of Houston, as well as other expenses. TMZ originally reported Mayweather’s offer, and said he will also pay for services in Minnesota and North Carolina.

UNDATED (AP) — FIFA has urged soccer competition organizers to apply “common sense” and consider not sanctioning players over in-game expressions of solidarity with George Floyd. The recognition of the “depth of sentiment” over Floyd’s death came in a rare statement telling the global game to show flexibility and not enforce laws of soccer which FIFA helps to set. Players used weekend games in Germany to reveal messages demanding justice for Floyd, a handcuffed black man who died in Minneapolis after a white police officer pressed a knee into his neck for several minutes, even after he stopped moving and pleading for air.

NEW YORK (AP) — A legal swing and a miss for Lenny Dykstra. The former Met’s defamation lawsuit against former New York Mets teammate Ron Darling has been dismissed. Dykstra’s suit followed the publication of Darling’s book, “108 Stitches: Loose Threads, Ripping Yarns, and the Darndest Characters from My Time in the Game.” Darling accused Dykstra of directing racist comments toward Boston starter Oil Can Boyd during the 1986 World Series. The court ruled that Dykstra’s reputation “for unsportsmanlike conduct and bigotry is already so tarnished that it cannot be further injured by the reference.”

UNDATED (AP) — The Mountain West is eliminating postseason tournaments in baseball, men’s and women’s tennis and women’s soccer and shortening other postseason events. At the end of the conference’s virtual spring meetings on Monday, the Mountain West announced several cost-cutting measures, including an 18% reduction in the conference operating budget. The conference will also reduce baseball and softball series from three days to two, playing a double header on one day. The conference will also use virtual meetings and virtual football and basketball media days.

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — The Arizona Cardinals have signed tight end Dylan Cantrell to a one-year deal. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound Cantrell is switching positions to tight end after being selected as a receiver by the Los Angeles Chargers in the sixth round of the 2018 draft. He played in college at Texas Tech under current Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury. The Cardinals also said on Monday that they released cornerback Sojourn Shelton.

BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) — Brad Keselowski inherited his second win of the season when Chase Elliott and Joey Logano collided as they raced for the victory at Bristol Motor Speedway. Logano had cleared Elliott for the lead with three laps remaining but Elliott was stalking him while seeking his second win in three days. They made contact in the fourth turn and drifted into the wall, allowing Keselowski to slide past for the win. Clint Bowyer gave Ford a 1-2 finish with his best performance in a year.

UNDATED (AP) — Michael Jordan says he is “deeply saddened, truly pained and plain angry” following the death of George Floyd and the killings of black people at the hands of police. The former NBA star and current Charlotte Hornets owner issued a statement posted on the Jordan brand’s social media accounts and the team’s Twitter account. Jordan said he sees and feels everyone’s pain, outrage and frustration.

UNDATED (AP) — Major League Baseball’s players have proposed a 114-game regular season, up from 82 in management’s offer. That’s according to a person familiar with the plan who told The Associated Press that the proposal includes no additional pay cuts beyond the one they agreed to in March. Opening day in the coronavirus-delayed season would be June 30 and the regular season would end Oct. 31, nearly five weeks after the Sept. 27 conclusion that MLB’s proposal stuck to from the season’s original schedule. The union offered scheduling flexibility to include more doubleheaders.

UNDATED (AP) — The NHL has health screening protocols in place for voluntary workouts and training camp in the hands of individual teams. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly says if play resumes, players would be tested for COVID-19 daily while games are going on. That could require 25,000 to 30,000 tests at a cost of millions of dollars. The league doesn’t expect that amount of testing to interfere with the needs of the general public.

DALLAS (AP) — Hall of Fame welterweight Curtis Cokes has died at 82. Cokes took the World Boxing Association welterweight title in 1966 belt with a unanimous decision over Manny Gonzalez. He added the World Boxing Council crown three months later with a unanimous decision over Jean Josselin in Dallas. Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2003, the 5-foot-8 Cokes fought 80 times from 1958 to 1972, finishing 62-14-4 with 30 knockouts.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Gilbert Burns dominated former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley to win a unanimous decision in the mixed martial arts promotion’s return to Las Vegas.. The event was held without fans at the UFC Apex, a gym with broadcast facilities on the promotion’s corporate campus. The UFC used minimal personnel to stage the fight, and the promotion said everyone involved was subject to strict health and safety protocols.

UNDATED (AP) — Big 12 schools still got a strong payout from the conference during the pandemic. The revenue distribution to the league’s 10 schools for the 2019-20 school year averages $37.7 million each. That figure announced at the end of the league’s virtual spring meetings was down only about $1.1 million a school from last year. That ends a 13-year streak of increasing revenues. The decrease came after the cancellation of the basketball tournaments, and then spring sports. There is still plenty of uncertainty moving forward as campuses get ready to welcome athletes back for voluntary workouts.

UNDATED (AP) — Four-year colleges facing budget shortfalls because of the coronavirus outbreak have eliminated nearly 100 sports programs. Critics say some of those sports might have survived if decision-makers had taken considered the benefits those sports brought to the schools as a whole.

UNDATED (AP) – United States Tennis Association officials continue to work on plans to hold the U.S. Open as scheduled. Among the possibilities are charter flights to ferry players and limited entourages from Europe, South America and the Middle East to New York. There could be negative COVID-19 tests before traveling, centralized housing and daily temperature checks.

UNDATED (AP)  — Major League Baseball wants to ban mascots if the sport resumes this season. But mascot guru Dave Raymond thinks that’s a bad idea, saying “every mascot should be essential because of its ability to connect and distract with fun.” Raymond was the first Phillie Phanatic and has since become a mascot consultant.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — David Price hasn’t thrown a meaningful pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he’s showing himself to be a generous teammate. A club spokesman has confirmed that Price will give $1,000 each to 220 Dodgers minor leaguers as a goodwill gesture. Those players will continue to receive $400 a week from the Dodgers at least through June. Price has yet to play a regular-season game for the Dodgers because the start of the season has been delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. He was acquired in a February trade with the Boston Red Sox. The 34-year-old left-hander is on a $217 million, seven-year contract that runs through 2021.

UNDATED (AP) — The former Chicago Bears star safety Roosevelt Taylor has died. The team said he died Friday but did not provide details Taylor was an All-Pro in 1963 when the Bears won the NFL championship. He led the league in interceptions that year. Chicago was 11-1-2 in that championship season, winning all eight games in which Taylor had an interception. He also made the Pro Bowl in 1968. Taylor played his first nine NFL seasons with Chicago, starting in 1961 and appearing in every game. Roosevelt Taylor was 82.

Update on the latest sports

UNDATED (AP) — The NBA Board of Governors continues to ponder various scenarios as they prepare to resume a season still on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic. Three people familiar with Friday’s meeting have told The Associated Press that the board hasn’t developed a consensus opinion on how many teams should be back on the floor for the planned late-July resumption. The people say Commissioner Adam Silver is still collecting information on multiple options ranging from 16 to all 30 teams returning to action when the season begins again near Orlando, Florida. One person said 20 of more teams would be brought back to finish the season near Orlando, while a second person said the league would bring back any team within six games of a playoff berth. The league suspended play following the conclusion of its March 11 games.

NEW YORK (AP) — Major league teams have released hundreds of young players with the minor league season in doubt due to the coronavirus pandemic. Transactions posted at MLB.com say over 200 players were cut Friday and more than 400 have been released over the past month. The start of the minor league season was postponed in March and players were mostly sent home from spring training. While Major League Baseball and the players’ association are negotiating terms to play big league ball this summer, it’s unlikely there will be minor league games. Minor league players not on 40-man rosters were promised $400 per week through May 31 by a policy drafted by MLB.

UNDATED (AP) — Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker says the state’s five professional sports teams — the Boston Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins, New England Patriots and Revolution — can resume practicing at their respective facilities on June 6.
But Baker made clear the reopening of those facilities must be done in accordance with the health and safety rules that each of the leagues are developing. The Celtics announced they will begin voluntary individual workouts at their facility on Monday. Workouts will be conducted in accordance with city, state, CDC and NBA requirements, with only four players allowed to workout at a time.

UNDATED (AP) — The NCAA has released a long and detailed plan to help schools bring athletes back to campus during the pandemic. The move comes as schools across the country prepare for the return of athletes as early as June 8.
The NCAA last week lifted a moratorium on athletic activities starting Monday. That cleared the way for voluntary workouts and training to begin at team facilities. Schools have already started putting plans in place to test athletes, coaches and staff for the coronavirus and implement social distancing. The NCAA says its plan is offered as guidance, consistent with federal and local public health guidelines.

— Pocono Raceway will hold its NASCAR weekend without fans. The Cup Series is scheduled to race June 27-28 and Truck and second-tier Xfinity races also will be held that weekend. Pocono Raceway is in Monroe County, which is under a yellow designation. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said earlier this month that if the county moved to yellow, then NASCAR may hold the two races with no spectators present and guidelines followed to keep competitors safe.

— The Arizona Diamondbacks have laid off or furloughed about one-quarter of the team’s employees because of lost revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic. The organization made the moves on Friday. Remaining staff will take pay cuts that average less than 15%, with the team’s highest earners losing a bigger percentage of their income.

— UEFA (yoo-AY’-fuh) is planning to pull the Champions League final from Istanbul and is considering other locations as planning and scheduling are shaken up by the coronavirus pandemic. The UEFA executive committee will meet on June 17 to examine the findings of a working group that has been assessing how to complete competitions that are likely to finish without any fans in stadiums. UEFA is aiming to complete its elite club competition in August after the delayed domestic leagues of the remaining sides have managed to conclude.

— Liverpool might not get a chance to win the English Premier League at Anfield. Police have included the leader’s key games among at least five it wants at neutral venues in a bid to prevent fans from gathering outside when the competition resumes next month. Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp hopes authorities will allow them to play at home as planned, with supporters adhering to advice while they are prevented from attending games due to COVID-19 restrictions.

— Leicester (LEHS’-tur) manager Brendan Rodgers says he had the coronavirus and compared its effects to how he felt climbing Kilimanjaro. Rodgers says he fell ill “a week or so” after the English season was suspended on March 13 and later tested positive for the virus. He says he felt the effects of it for three weeks.

— Dominic Thiem (teem), Alexander Zverev (ZVEHR’-ehv) and Nick Kyrgios (KEER’-ee-ohs) will play exhibition tennis matches in Berlin in July amid the coronavirus pandemic. One exhibition event will run from July 13-15 on grass and another on a hard court in a hangar in the city’s closed Tempelhof airport from July 17-19. There will be electronic line calls with no line judges to reduce the number of people involved on court.

— Poland will allow soccer fans to attend games in limited numbers starting on June 19. Fans will only be allowed to make up 25% of the stadium’s capacity and no away supporters will be allowed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
— The Swiss soccer league will restart on June 20 in empty stadiums. The league says the 20 clubs in the top two divisions have voted 17-2 in favor of resuming.

— The Japanese soccer league will resume on July 4 in empty stadiums. Both soccer and baseball were able begin play after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lifted a state of emergency earlier in the week.

— Fans will be in the stadiums when the Russian soccer league restarts next month. The Russian government’s coronavirus task force says spectators will be allowed if they don’t exceed 10% of the stadium’s capacity.

UNDATED (AP) — The Power Five conference commissioners are asking Congress to move forward with federal legislation regarding compensation for college athletes. Those commissioners sent a letter to congressional leaders encouraging them to not wait for the NCAA process to play out before passing a national law that would set parameters for college athletes to be compensated for use of their names, images and likenesses. The NCAA hopes to have legislative proposals crafted by November and ready to be voted on in January.

UNDATED (AP) — San Francisco 49ers edge rusher Dee Ford says he had an “extensive cleanup” operation for the tendinitis in his left knee that limited his effectiveness last year. Ford says surgery was performed a few weeks after San Francisco lost the Super Bowl and that he feels in much better condition heading into his second year with the Niners. Ford’s availability was severely limited as he dealt with a knee injury initially suffered during training camp last summer.

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to a two-year contract with Czech forward Matej Chalupa. It begins with the 2020-21 season and carries an average annual value of $925,000. The 21-year-old Chalupa spent most of last season in the Czech Republic League, collecting seven goals and 17 assists in 50 games.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — Alabama-Huntsville’s hockey program will continue for another year.
Athletic director Cade Smith says “numerous individual donors” had combined to raise more than $500,000 this week to help save the program from the chopping block. UAH had announced the elimination of hockey and men’s and women’s tennis amid the financial hit from the coronavirus pandemic. Two other gifts of $125,000 each from longtime supporters provided enough money to allow the Chargers to continue competing at the Division I level for the 2020-21 season. The $750,000 marks the largest athletic campaign contribution in UAH history.

UNDATED (AP) — Roger Federer leads the annual Forbes ranking of highest-paid athletes with what the magazine says is $106.3 million in total earnings. He is the first tennis player top the list since it was first compiled in 1990. Federer made $6.3 million of that haul from tennis prize money, with the other $100 million from endorsements and appearances fees. Soccer stars Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar are in spots 2, 3 and 4, followed by the NBA’s LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. Tiger Woods is at No. 8 and NFL players Kirk Cousins and Carson Wentz complete the top 10.

Iowa athletic director Gary Barta is not ruling out having a full stadium for home football games.

Barta told reporters the school is planning for several different scenarios, and one of them is completely opening 69,thousand seat Kinnick Stadium .

Barta said the number of fans allowed into the stadium will be determined by directives of state and local health officials.

On Tuesday, Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard wrote in a letter to fans that he anticipated Jack Trice Stadium would host games at 50% capacity, or about 30,000 fans.

Even if there are no attendance limits at Iowa, Barta said there could be modifications, such as limiting the number of stadium entrances and open concession stands. He said fans might be required to wear masks.

UNDATED (AP) — The John Deere Classic in the Quad Cities is canceling what would have been its 50th anniversary as a PGA Tour event. Tournament director Clair Peterson says there were too many hurdles to overcome because of the coronavirus pandemic. The John Deere would have been the fifth PGA Tour event on the revised schedule. The tour had said the first month would be played without fans, leaving it possible for the Deere to have them. Peterson says Illinois has limited gatherings to 50 people through the summer. He says the tournament’s “Birdies for Charity” program continues and expects to donate to its 500 local charities.

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Chase Elliott capped a busy stretch for NASCAR by winning the Alsco Uniforms at Charlotte Motor Speedway yesterday, finishing 2.2 seconds ahead of Denny Hamlin. Elliott reeled in Kevin Harvick with 27 laps remaining and closed out his first Cup victory of the season. Ryan Blaney was third, followed by Ricky Stenhouse and Kurt Busch. The rain-delayed event closed a frantic 12-day period that featured four Cup races, two each in North and South Carolina.

UNDATED (AP) — Organizers have canceled the Boston Marathon for the first time in its 124-year history due to social distancing requirements of the coronavirus outbreak. The race had endured through two World Wars, a volcanic eruption and a previous pandemic. The race draws a field of 30,000 and already had been postponed from April 20 to Sept. 14. It will be replaced by a virtual event in which participants who verify that they ran 26.2 miles on their own will receive their finisher’s medal.

UNDATED (AP) — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is hopeful that coaches will be able to return to their team facilities by next week. Goodell also said during today’s owners conference call that the virtual offseason is being extended for two more weeks. NFL executive vice president of communications, public affairs and policy Jeff Miller said the league’s first consideration is of course the health and safety of the public and the players and the employees and the people who will be participating.

UNDATED (AP) — Sports agent Scott Boras is recommending that his clients refuse Major League Baseball’s attempt to cut salaries during negotiations with the players’ association. He is claiming that team financial issues caused by the coronavirus pandemic have their origin in management debt financing. Boras wrote in an email obtained by The Associated Press that players should not alter terms of the March 26 agreement between MLB and the union that called for players to reduce their salaries to a prorated rate based on a shortened season. MLB on Tuesday proposed a series of tiered reductions that would cause top stars to receive the biggest cuts.

UNDATED (AP) — The English Premier League plans to restart on June 17 after a 100-day shutdown with new staggered kickoffs to maximize broadcast slots as fans are prevented from attending games. The clubs agreed Thursday that the competition should resume with a Wednesday night doubleheader featuring Manchester City playing Arsenal and Aston Villa hosting Sheffield United. After those makeup games are played, the 30th round will start on Friday, June 19 provided authorities approve safety plans.

With high school baseball and softball cleared to play in Iowa starting June 15^th, the Mississippi Valley Conference has released their revised schedules for varsity and sophomore play.

The first day play can begin the Wahlert baseball team will travel to Farley Park to meet Western Dubuque. The next day the rest of the city schools open their seasons. In baseball, Senior will host Hempstead.  In softball Hempstead travels to Waterloo East, Senior will host Iowa City West, Wahlert will travel to Cedar Falls, and Western Dubuque hosts Iowa City Liberty.

The MVC also announced a limitation on spectators at high school athletic events this summer. Additional information will be released by the individual schools.

The schedules for each team can be accessed at https://www.mississippivalleyiowa.org/g5-bin/client.cgi?G5genie=80

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Wednesday’s NASCAR Cup race at Charlotte Motor Speedway has been rained out and rescheduled for Thursday night. The starting order for the second Cup race at Charlotte this week was set based on the finishing order of the Coca-Cola 600 but with an inversion. Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron and Alex Bowman will start from the pole, while Coca-Cola 600 winner Brad Keselowski will start 20th.

UNDATED (AP) — Baseball players will take at least a few days and possibly until next week to respond to Major League Baseball’s proposed sliding scale of salary slashing. But people familiar with their deliberations tell The Associated Press that players appeared likely to propose increasing the number of regular-season games this year while holding to their demand for full prorated salaries. One of the people said many players were angered by the proposal teams made Tuesday.

UNDATED (AP) — Basketball Hall of Fame chairman Jerry Colangelo told ESPN that the enshrinement ceremony for Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan and five others will be delayed until the spring of 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic. The ceremony was to have taken place in Springfield on Aug. 29. Bryant, Garnett and Duncan all got into the Hall in their first year as finalists, as did WNBA great Tamika Catchings.

DETROIT (AP) — Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman  is keeping coach Jeff Blashill despite missing the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. Yzerman told reporters his previously announced plans to keep Blashill behind the bench have not changed. The Red Wings won an NHL-low 17 games this season and are 153-194-52 under Blashill.

UNDATED (AP) — The final deadline to nominate horses to the rescheduled Triple Crown series is June 3. Owners and trainers can make 3-year-old thoroughbreds eligible for the three-race series at a cost of $3,000. That’s half the original price as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which is forcing the series to be run out of order for the first time since 1931. The late nominations were originally due March 30 but were postponed until the Triple Crown races were rescheduled.

Coleman-Lands, lands in Ames

AMES, Iowa (AP) – Former DePaul guard Jalen Coleman-Lands is joining Iowa State as a graduate transfer.

He averaged 11.1 points per game for the Blue Demons last season. He will be eligible immediately pending his graduation from DePaul.

Coleman-Lands began his career at Illinois, where he led the team in 3-pointers made in each of his two seasons.

The Indianapolis native was granted a sixth year by the NCAA in early April after sitting out the 2017-18 season as a transfer and being limited to just nine games in 2018-19 because of injury.

Iowa State athletic director Jaime Pollard is telling Cyclones fans that football home games will be played at no more than 50% capacity at Jack Trice Stadium, pending a change in state and local health guidelines. That means no more than 30,000 fans.

Pollard made the announcement in a letter posted to the ISU athletics website Tuesday.

About 22,000 season tickets have been renewed, leaving about 8,000 seats to be filled.

UNDATED (AP) — Just in case the NHL season resumes, teams will go straight into the playoffs. Twenty-four teams would resume play. Under the expanded format, the top four teams in each conference will play for seeding while the other 16 face off in best-of-five series. The NHL and its players’ union must still figure out safety protocols and other issues, including where to play in two host cities.

UNDATED (AP) — MLB players are said to be extremely disappointed with a sliding-scale compensation proposal by big league teams. Players had expected a 50-50 revenue-sharing plan that owners initially approved for their negotiators on May 11. The union said “the sides also remain far apart on health and safety protocols” aimed at starting the coronavirus-delayed season around July 4.

OAKLAND (AP) — Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher says the team will be placing  its scouts and a significant number of other front office employees on furlough, suspending pay for minor leaguers and cutting the salaries of other executives as part of a cost-cutting move in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fisher called it a “tremendously difficult day.”

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s top-flight soccer league is ready to resume its season within weeks of the country’s pro baseball league starting play. Both leagues have been on hold amid the coronavirus pandemic. The J-League is expected to officially announce its plans later in the week. Japanese news agency Kyodo reports that league matches will resume on June 27 or July 4. The resumption will be without fans. That is also the plan when baseball begins play on June 19.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles FC will seek a new name for its 2-year-old Banc of California Stadium after a restructuring of the bank’s partnership with the Major League Soccer club. LAFC didn’t announce a time frame for the removal of Banc of California from the stadium’s name or the selection of a new naming rights partner. The stadium will be known by its current name for the immediate future. Banc of California agreed in 2016 to a reported 15-year, $100 million deal to have its name on the $350 million stadium built by LAFC’s deep-pocketed ownership group.

Iowa Games announced today it is canceling the majority of the sports for the 2020 Summer Iowa Games due to COVID-19.

Organizers say virtual events may be offered over the summer for some of the canceled sports. The games were canceled due to the group gathering nature of the Summer Iowa Games.

However, organizers said some sports may continue to be held as scheduled. You can see the full list of wat’s canceled and what is still going to be held on their website.

Although the annual Run 4 Troops was forced to cancel their race for this year due to the COVID-19 situation, organizers for the event have announced plans for runners to take part this year on their own to help support local military families and veterans.  Run 4 Troops says runners and walkers are invited to Run Free on Saturday, June 27^th.  Participants can go to the race website https://www.run4troops.com/run-free  and pledge to run or walk on June 27^th. You can also purchase Run Free apparel to wear with proceeds to benefit the military families and vets. Orders for apparel will be taken on the website through June 1^st.

TORONTO (AP) — There’s no date set for it to begin, but the National Hockey League is hoping to move to Phase 2 of its return-to-play protocol early next month. That includes opening practice facilities and allowing small group workouts. Six players will be allowed in team facilities at one time for the voluntary workouts. No on-ice coaching or instruction is permitted. The NHL season was paused March 12 because of the pandemic.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Georgetown basketball coach Patrick Ewing is thanking his doctors and nurses and his fans as he battles COVID-19. Ewing, who played for Hoyas and the New York Knicks for 15 seasons has been released from a Washington hospital and is recovering at home. Patrick Ewing Jr. tweeted this his dad is getting better and appreciates the thoughts and prayers given.

SYDNEY (AP) — The Australian Medical Association has urged the National Rugby League to slow down on its plans to have spectators in stadiums by July 1, describing the move as “absurd and dangerous.” The AMA made the call two days before the NRL is set to restart of the 16-team competition in empty stadiums. Just two rounds of matches were played in March before the season was halted amid the coronavirus pandemic.

UNDATED (AP) — The National Women’s Soccer League says players may start training in small groups, provided it is done under league protocols and meets the requirements of local authorities. Teams will be able to progress to full team training on May 30 once they complete five days of small group training. The small groups cannot exceed eight players during Phase 2 of the nine-team league’s return to play protocol. Players must complete a pre-training assessment and undergo daily symptom and temperature screenings as well as other tests.

ATLANTA (AP) — Americans have proved they are starved for TV sports, even golf. Turner Sports said the Sunday telecast of “The Match: Champions for Charity” attracted an average of 5.8 million viewers across four of its networks. Turner says it was the most-watched golf telecast in cable TV history. Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning scored a 1-up victory over Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady at Medalist Golf Club. It raised $20 million for COVID-19 relief funds.

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Brad Keselowski extended Jimmie Johnson’s losing streak to 102 races, holding off the seven-time NASCAR champion in overtime early today in the Coca-Cola 600.Keselowski started in the back of the field, worked his way to the front at Charlotte Motor Speedway and gambled in not pitting when caution stopped Chase Elliott from winning with two laps remaining.

UNDATED (AP) Formula One driver George Russell has won the virtual Monaco Grand Prix on the day the iconic race would have been held if not for the pandemic. Russell finished 39 seconds ahead of former F1 driver Esteban Gutiérrez of Mexico. Formula One’s first 10 races have been either postponed or canceled.

UNDATED (AP) — Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning were the winners at Medalist Golf Club in Florida, as were the benefactors of “The Match: Champions for Charity.” Woods and Manning took the lead on the third hole and never trailed. The goal was to raise $10 million or more for COVID-19 relief funds, and online donations sent money climbing toward about twice that much.

UNDATED (AP) — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says teams in his state can return to their facilities for training after a pause of more than two months. The New York City area was one of the hardest-hit parts of the U.S. by the coronavirus pandemic, but COVID-19 deaths and new infections in the state have been trending downward. Major League Baseball, the NBA and the NHL are discussing the resumption of their seasons with their players’ unions.

UNDATED (AP) — Japan’s professional baseball season will open on June 19 under a plan that excludes fans. The season was to have begun on March 20 but the start was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Japan joins South Korea and Taiwan in Asia whose leagues are open and playing largely without fans. League commissioner Atsushi Saito made the announcement following an online meeting with the league’s 12 teams. Japan has reported about 850 deaths from COVID-19.

UNDATED (AP) — Hall of Fame basketball coach Eddie Sutton has died of natural causes at 84. That word from Sutton’s family. Sutton led Kentucky, Arkansas and Oklahoma State to the Final Four and was the first coach to take four schools to the NCAA tournament. He was 806-328 in 37 seasons as a Division I head coach, not counting vacated victories or forfeited games. Sutton won two SEC titles with Kentucky but had to resign in 1989 after the NCAA announced 18 allegations against the program.

UNDATED (AP) — Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine believes his team’s run defense is much better than the way it played in its most recent game. Pettine expects the team to prove that this fall. The Packers haven’t made many offseason changes to a defense that got run over by the San Francisco 49ers in last year’s NFC championship game. The only draft picks Green Bay used on defense were for Minnesota linebacker Jamal Martin in the fifth round and TCU safety Vernon Scott and Miami defensive end Jonathan Garvin in the seventh round.

UNDATED (AP) — Eddie Sutton, the Hall of Fame basketball coach who led three teams to the Final Four and was the first coach to take four schools to the NCAA Tournament, died Saturday. He was 84. Sutton’s family says in a statement that he died of natural causes at home in the Tulsa, Oklahoma, area, surrounded by his three sons and their families. Wife Patsy died in 2013. Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on April 3, Sutton was 806-328 in 37 seasons as a Division I head coach — not counting vacated victories or forfeited games — and made it to 25 NCAA Tournaments.

PALM DESERT, Calif. (AP) — Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf was arrested in Southern California on Friday. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said the second player taken in the 1998 draft was taken into custody on a domestic battery charge in Palm Desert, about 110 miles southeast of Los Angeles. Leaf was being held on $5,000 bail at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility. Leaf finished third in Heisman Trophy voting in 1997 and led Washington State to the Rose Bowl. Drafted by the Chargers, he won just four of 18 games as a starter in three seasons with the team. He was 0-3 with the Dallas Cowboys in 2001 and finished his four-year career with 14 touchdown passes and 36 interceptions.

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are getting ready for another made-for-TV match, this time with friends from the NFL. Woods and Peyton Manning take on Mickelson and Tom Brady in what’s being billed as “The Match: Champions for Charity.” It will be the second straight Sunday live golf is on TV. The purpose is to raise $10 million for COVID-19 relief efforts and to provide entertainment.

The Washington Nationals have changed their plans for a virtual World Series ring ceremony after players decided they would rather wait until they could reunite in person to receive their new jewelry. The Nationals previously announced they were going to give out the rings during a show broadcast on television and online. They still plan to unveil the design of the ring Sunday, the anniversary of the date they began their turnaround from a 19-31 record to World Series champs.

UNDATED (AP) — The NBA could become a Mickey Mouse operation, although the idea isn’t Goofy. The league is in talks with The Walt Disney Company on a single-site scenario for a resumption of play in Central Florida in late July. It’s the clearest sign yet that the NBA believes the season can continue amid the coronavirus pandemic. The National Basketball Players Association is also part of the talks with Disney. Games would be held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, a massive campus on the Disney property near Orlando. NBA spokesman Mike Bass said the conversations were still “exploratory,” and that the site would be used for practices and housing as well. ESPN is primarily owned by Disney, one of the NBA’s broadcast partners.

ELKO, Ga. (AP) — Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Montravius Adams has been arrested in Georgia this week and charged with marijuana and driving offenses. A Houston County Sheriff’s Office report says he was stopped Tuesday. An officer detected a scent of marijuana, which was found in a search of the car. He faces misdemeanor charges of possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, driving with a suspended registration and driving without insurance. The Packers say are aware of what happened but will not comment further because it is an “ongoing legal matter.”

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Marquette forward Brendan Bailey is bypassing his final two seasons of eligibility to pursue a pro career. Bailey entered his name into consideration for the NBA draft in April but still had the option of returning to school. Bailey  and Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski announced Friday that Bailey was indeed moving forward with his pro career. Bailey will turn 23 on June 9. He spent two years on a church mission between the end of his high school career and the start of his Marquette career. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 7.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 25.3 minutes this past season.

UNDATED (AP) — Hall of Fame basketball coach Jerry Sloan has died. His death was announced by the Utah Jazz, the team he took to the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998. The Jazz say he died Friday from complications of Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia. Sloan spent 23 seasons coaching the Jazz, many led by John Stockton and Karl Malone. The team finished below .500 in only one of those years. Sloan won more than 1,200 games in his career, the fourth-highest total in NBA history. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says the league “benefited greatly from his humility, kindness, dignity and class.” Jerry Sloan was 78 years old.

UNDATED (AP) — Southeastern Conference schools will be able to bring athletes in all sports back to campus for voluntary activities starting June 8 at the discretion of each university. The Big 12 plans to welcome football players back to campus a week later. These are the latest signs that a college football season will be launched in some form this fall. The move comes two days after the NCAA Division I Council voted to lift a moratorium on voluntary workouts on campus by football and basketball players, effective June 1. The NCAA now says voluntary activities will be allowed in all sports starting June 1.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A group of Power Five coaches led by Michigan’s Erik Bakich is proposing a later start to the college baseball season. They say it would trim expenses in the post-coronavirus era, make the game more fan friendly and reduce the risk of injury to players. Under the 35-page proposal, there would be nine weeks of preseason practice instead of five, the regular season would run from the third week of March to the third week of June and the College World Series would wrap up the last week of July. Bakich said the move would increase revenue.

UNDATED (AP) — A century ago, college sports in the United States was hit hard by the Spanish flu pandemic. Games were canceled and some schools were forced to call off their seasons. Jeremy Swick is a historian at the College Football Hall of Fame. He says those tough times in 1918 and 1919 helped set the stage for a decade of growth by college football in the Roaring ’20s. Georgia Tech history professor Johnny Smith also says there were lessons to be learned about social distancing.

For the second straight season Western Dubuque High School catcher Calvin Harris has been named the Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year. Harris, a senior, helped lead the Bobcats to the Class 4A state quarterfinals this past season, batting .408 with seven home runs and 40 RBI. He also posted a 3-1 record on the mound with a 1.07 ERA, striking out 63 batters in 32.2 innings pitched, while walking just 13.  Harris is planning to play college baseball at Mississippi in the fall.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Major League Baseball Players Association has given management a wide-ranging response to a 67-page proposed set of protocols for a season to be played during the coronavirus pandemic. The union says it addressed protections for high-risk players, access to pre- and postgame therapies, testing frequency, protocols for positive tests, in-stadium medical personnel and sanitization procedures. Players viewed many of the concepts in the original draft submitted last week as over-the-top, such as arriving in uniform at the ballparks, a prohibition on them leaving without team permission and a ban on guests other than immediate family members.

UNDATED (AP) — The Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates are making tough financial decisions concerning their front office staff with the major league season still on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic. A person with direct knowledge of the situation says the Cubs are instituting pay cuts based on compensation, but there will be no furloughs through the end of June. The Pirates announced Thursday that they are instituting furloughs for several employees in business operations beginning June 1.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — IndyCar has altered its schedule again amid the coronavirus pandemic, cancelling the June 27 race at Richmond and the July 12 street course event in Toronto. The open-wheel series is slated to finally begin June 6 at Texas Motor Speedway, but its next event won’t be held until July 4 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race scheduled for June 21 at Road America in Wisconsin has been changed to a doubleheader on July 11-12.

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Clemson receiver Justyn Ross will have shoulder surgery next month to alleviate an issue that cropped up during the team’s spring workouts in March. Ross led the Tigers with 66 catches last season that went for 865 yards and eight touchdowns. He had 1,000 yards receiving as a freshman, highlighting his season with a 74-yard TD in the national championship win over Alabama.

UNDATED (AP) — Some Louisville football and basketball players will return to campus Wednesday in a phased approach and begin voluntary workouts on June 8. The first phase of 30 football players and 15 men’s and women’s basketball players will arrive next week after being advised of safety protocols. Indiana University hopes to have some student-athletes back by mid-June.

The Iowa High School Athletic Association and the Girls Athletic Union have given the green light for high school baseball and softball in the state to start.  Both the Association and Union approved practices for both sports starting June 1st with the first games on June 15.  The move was made following Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announcement making it possible.

The Association and Union’s decision would allow fans to attend games with limited bleacher seating so fans will be encouraged to bring their own chairs, no concession stands will be allowed and there will be other social distancing guidelines to be followed.

Also yesterday the Governor announced some welcome news for campers just in time for Memorial Day weekend with the loosing of more restrictions at Iowa state campgrounds including campers being able to use modern restroom and shower facilities starting on Friday. Shelters and playgrounds at the parks will remain closed.

Longtime Wahlert girls cross country coach Cynthia Wagner has announced she is retiring from coaching. Wagner has been a coach at Wahlert for 44 seasons. The Golden Eagles laid claim to six state team championships during her tenure and 14 top three finishes.  Wagner also served as track and basketball coach during her five decades at the school.

DARLINGTON, S.C. (AP) — Rain wiped out the final 20 laps of last night’s NASCAR Cup race at Darlington, allowing Denny Hamlin to come away with the victory. Hamlin was out of fresh tires when the race was stopped, but he received help when Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch caused a hard-charging Chase Elliott to crash eight laps earlier to bring out the caution. Busch finished second in NASCAR’s first Wednesday race in 36 years. Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski and Erik Jones completed the top five.

UNDATED (AP) — As the NBA continues to work through multiple return-to-play scenarios, two people with knowledge of the situation say Orlando, Las Vegas and Houston remain under consideration as cities that could host regular-season and playoff games. Wednesday marked the end of the 10th week since the NBA shut down on March 11. The pandemic halted the regular season with 259 games remaining, but none of those contests have yet to be officially canceled.

UNDATED (AP) — The NFL is working on a helmet face guard that might provide the same protection as a surgical mask. Atlanta Falcons president Rich McKay says the issue came up about a month ago during a conference call with the league’s competition committee. Many players already wear visors to protect their eyes. McKay says the new mask would cover even more of the face. The medical director of the NFL Players Association tells ESPN’s Adam Schefter that league engineers and sports equipment company Oakley are already testing prototypes of the modified mask.

UNDATED (AP) — The LPGA Tour will not have its qualifying events at the end of the year and will keep the same roster of players it has on all of its tours. The LPGA already has canceled seven events, plus the UL International Crown team event, because of the COVID-19 pandemic that has shut the tour down since Inbee Park won the Women’s Australian Open on Feb. 16. It hopes to resume on July 23-26 with the Marathon Classic in Ohio.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Sabres are suing to obtain a green card for their British-born strength and conditioning coach. The Sabres say federal immigration officials wrongly denied a petition by the team to secure the card for Ed Gannon. The team maintains U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services misstated facts and arbitrarily failed to follow its own rules in denying permanent residency status to Gannon, who has worked for the team since 2015.

Cascade High School has a new head boys basketball coach. Yesterday Athletic Director Adam Kedley announced Nate McMullen as the new coach taking over for Jacob Brindle who stepped down last month. McMullen has been a member of the Cougars’ coaching staff since 2015.  He will become just the third head coach in school history pending school board approval.

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) has released guidance for its 51 member state high school associations to consider in re-opening high school athletics and other activity programs across the nation.

The guidance document was developed by the NFHS Sports Medicine Advisory Committee .The committee stressed the guidance developed is intended as ideas for state associations to consider with their respective sports medicine committees and state health departments in designing return-to-activity plans that will be in accordance with state or local restrictions.

The guidance document describes a staged approach to re-opening high school sports and other activities considering several factors related to COVID-19.

More details below:

https://www.nfhs.org/articles/guidance-for-state-associations-to-consider-in-re-opening-high-school-athletics-and-other-activities/?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=NFHS_Org

An area hall of fame girls basketball coach has announced she is retiring. Caron Townsend who has coach for 31 seasons is stepping down as the head coach at River Ridge High School.  Townsend was inducted into the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2018. Townsend retires with a career record 537 and 195. She named conference Coach of the Year 12 times and named the Wisconsin Girls Coach of the Year in 2011.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Former University of Iowa men’s basketball assistant coach Ken Burmeister passed away in San Antonio at the age of 72 following a fight with cancer.

Burmeister coached five seasons at Iowa under head coach Lute Olson (1979-83). He helped lead the Hawkeyes to five NCAA Tournaments, including the 1980 Final Four and the 1983 Sweet 16.

As a head coach, Burmeister took Texas-San Antonio to the NCAA Tournament and later guided Loyola of Chicago.

Wisconsin All Star Game on Hold

The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association has suspended plans for the 44th annual All-Star Games this summer.

The games won’t be held as scheduled on Saturday, July 18 in Oshkosh, but the association left open a window for the games to be played at a later date.

CLEVELAND (AP) — The new NFL Players Association president says he doesn’t know when players will be allowed to return to team training facilities. And Cleveland Browns center JC Tretter isn’t willing to guess what the NFL might look like when it’s back on the field. The league has told all 32 teams that they may proceed with limited openings based on state restrictions meant to combat the virus outbreak.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Angels will implement furloughs across their organization starting June 1. They’re the latest team to take steps against the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The Angels’ furloughs will impact employees across the front office, scouting department and minor league system. They had already pledged to pay their employees through May. The $1 million employee assistance fund is separate from the $1.2 million already put up by the team to pay Angel Stadium’s roughly 1,800 workers.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Texas Rangers would prefer to stay home in their new ballpark whenever it is time to get back to spring training. They still haven’t played a game, or even had an organized workout, in their $1.2 billion stadium with a retractable roof. General manager Jon Daniels says there would be a lot of advantages to workouts in Texas instead of returning to their camp in Arizona. Spring training has been on hold for more than two months because of the coronavirus pandemic.

NEW YORK (AP) — WNBA teams will have to get their rosters down to 12 by May 26 so that players can get paid starting June 1. That’s according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke to The Associated Press. The league and the players’ union are still working out details of how often players will get paid and how much. The person said players who are waived over the next week won’t get paid, but they will receive benefits through June 30.

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Soccer’s All-Star Game has been canceled for the first time in its quarter-century history because of the coronavirus pandemic. MLS All-Stars had been scheduled to play counterparts from Mexico’s Liga MX on July 29 at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles. MLS says the 2021 game will take place at Banc of California Stadium, most likely against All-Stars from Liga MX.

NASCAR will be paying special tribute to fallen services members during this Memorial Day Weekend. One of those who will be honored has ties to Dubuque.  The Coca Cola 600 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway once again this year will honor some fallen service members with their names featured on the windshields of all the race cars and several of the pace cars.  The car number 96 Toyota Camry driven by Daniel Suarez for Gaunt Brothers Racing will have the name of Dubuque native Ronald Rennison on its windshield. Rennison died in action in February of 1991 while serving in the Army during Operation Desert Storm. Ronald is the brother of Randy Rennison who is the Dubuque County Executive Director of Veterans Affairs.

The Coca Cola 600 is scheduled to start at 5 o’clock Sunday evening.

MIAMI (AP) — The Miami Marlins will allow players on their 40-man roster access to their spring training complex to pitch off a mound or hit in batting cages beginning today. That’s what a person familiar with the decision tells The Associated Press. The person, who asked to remain anonymous, says the rest of the complex in Jupiter, Florida, will remain closed. The person says the optional workouts will be individual, with a staff member present, and those involved will abide by social distancing guidelines.

UNDATED (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo has reported back to Juventus’ training center after a 10-week absence. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner showed up for medical tests with the Serie A leaders. Ronaldo observed a two-week isolation period at his home in Turin after spending the lockdown period in his native Portugal. Ronaldo has not been alongside his teammates since helping Juventus to a 2-0 win over Inter Milan on March 8.

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Former Buffalo Bills defensive end Robert Jerry “Ben” Williams Jr. has died at age 65. Williams was the first black player to appear in a game at Mississippi. Ole Miss says Williams died Monday from natural causes at a Jackson, Mississippi, hospital. Affectionately known as “Gentle Ben,” he was the Rebels’ first black player to earn All-America honors as a first-team selection in 1975 and was also a three-time first team All-Southeastern Conference selection.

NEW YORK (AP) — Former umpire Richie Garcia has ended a decade of silence over his firing as a Major League Baseball supervisor, telling The Associated Press he kept quiet to protect his son-in-law and daughter. Garcia feels impugned by former colleague Randy Marsh, who testified in a deposition that Garcia was let go because he attended minor league games umped by son-in-law Vic Carapazza. Marsh retracted that comment in an interview with the AP, saying he doesn’t know why Garcia was dismissed. Jimmie Lee Solomon, then in charge of umpires, says MLB wanted new supervisors with new ideas. Carapazza is a top umpire now, just like Garcia was.

TOKYO (AP) — Tokyo Olympics officials are upset that their emblem has been used in the cover design of a local magazine that combines the logo with the novel coronavirus. Tokyo spokesman Masa Takaya says the organizers have requested that the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan “take down” the image. Takaya did not answer a direct question if Tokyo 2020 was planning a legal challenge.

DARLINGTON, S.C. (AP) — Kevin Harvick took the lead from Alex Bowman on a late restart and pulled away over the final 30 laps at Darlington Raceway to win NASCAR’s first Cup race in 71 days. It was the first Cup race since the schedule was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic. The event was run without fans and with an emphasis on masks and social distancing. Roughly 900 people were approved to be inside the gates, all considered essential.

JUNO BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Rory McIlroy’s final drive allowed him and playing partner Dustin Johnson to win $1.85 million for charity in the TaylorMade Driving Relief exhibition in Florida. With the match down to a closest-to-the-pin contest after regulation, McIlroy barely stayed on the shelf left of the pin, measured at 13 feet to beat Matthew Wolff’s attempt by five feet. More than $5.5 million was pledged during the exhibition match for COVID-19 relief funds.

UNDATED (AP) — The California State University system’s plan for a mostly virtual fall semester due to the coronavirus pandemic doesn’t necessarily close the door on football at its three schools that play in the far-flung Mountain West Conference. San Diego State athletic director John David Wicker says the school is looking at having football players return to campus no earlier than July 7 and is making plans to play the season as scheduled. SDSU is proceeding because it envisions a fall schedule that includes a hybrid model of classes, in which some students will be on campus for in-person instruction such as labs while other classes will be held online.

UNDATED (AP) — English Premier League clubs will try today to agree on protocols to allow a return to training during the coronavirus pandemic. Teams already have started checking players and coaches for COVID-19, with a total of 1,600 weekly tests anticipated across the 20 clubs in England’s top division. Today’s meeting comes two days after the German league resumed its schedule.

UNDATED — All Spanish league clubs can begin small group training sessions this week despite stricter lockdown restrictions remaining in place in parts of Spain because of the coronavirus pandemic. Cities like Madrid and Barcelona have not been allowed to loosen confinement measures like most of the country, but teams such as Real Madrid and Barcelona have been given the go-ahead to move into the second phase of training. Players had only been allowed to train individually across Spain until now.

JUNO  BEACH, Fla. (AP) –  Live golf returns to television Sunday with a four-man charity Skins game at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Florida, to benefit coronavirus relief. There won’t be any caddies, so Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson against Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff will be carrying their own bags. The only rake will be carried by a rules official. Another rules official will be the only person to handle the flagstick, if necessary. It will be the first live action on TV since the opening round of The Players Championship on March 12.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — One-time PGA Tour winner Ernie Gonzalez has died. The tour says he died Friday in a Chicago hospital of Alzheimer’s. Gonzalez played on the PGA Tour from 1985 to 1988, and then he continued to play at least one tournament a year through 2003.

UNDATED (AP) — Major League Baseball owners have made their pitch as they try to convince players to accept less pay due to the coronavirus pandemic. MLB has told players their prorated salaries would contribute to an average loss of $640,000 for each game over an 82-game season in empty ballparks. That’s according to a presentation from the commissioner’s office to the union that was obtained by The Associated Press. The 12-page document was dated May 12 and paints a grim picture of a $10 billion industry shuttered by the pandemic. It was an initial step in negotiations aimed at starting the delayed season around the Fourth of July.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Michael McCaskey, who led the Chicago Bears for nearly three decades following the death of his grandfather George Halas, died Saturday after a lengthy battle with cancer, the team said. He was 76. The oldest of Ed and team matriarch Virginia McCaskey’s 11 children, Michael assumed operational control of the franchise in 1983 as president and CEO following the death of Halas, a founding father of the NFL and the franchise. He became chairman in 1999 and remained in that role until George McCaskey took over in 2011.

UNDATED (AP) — Packers star Aaron Rodgers acknowledges Green Bay’s decision to draft a quarterback in the first round surprised him and complicated his hopes of playing his entire career with the same team. The Packers traded up four spots in the first round last month to take Utah State quarterback Jordan Love with the 26th overall pick. The move has raised speculation about Rodgers’ long-term future in Green Bay, The 36-year-old Rodgers has been with the Packers since they selected him with the 24th overall selection in 2005.

UNDATED (AP) — The 145th Preakness Stakes has been rescheduled for Oct. 3. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan disclosed the new date for the Preakness on NBC, which also had a hand in the decision because it televises the race.

Update on the latest sports

NFL-NEWS
NFL has plan to reopen training facilities as early as next week
UNDATED (AP) — The NFL continues to take steps toward a return to normalcy since the coronavirus pandemic.
NFL teams can begin reopening their facilities on Tuesday if state and local governments will allow it.
Commissioner Roger Goodell has issued a memo to all 32 teams stressing that they must be in compliance with any additional public health requirements in their jurisdiction and have implemented the protocols that were developed by league medical officer Dr. Allen Sills and distributed to all clubs on May 6. The memo obtained by The Associated Press added that clubs unable to meet these criteria by Tuesday may reopen their facilities on the earliest date thereafter on which they are able to comply.Facilities have been closed since late March due to the pandemic. Each team was required to submit a plan to the league for reopening its training/practice facility this week.

In other NFL news:
— The Colts now have seven of their nine 2020 draft picks under contract after signing Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor, Washington quarterback Jacob Eason and Michigan linebacker Jordan Glasgow to four-year deals. Taylor became the first junior in FBS history to rush for more than 6,000 career yards. Receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and cornerback Julian Blackmon remain unsigned.

— The Browns have hired former 49ers executive Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as their new vice president of football operations, making him the top assistant to first-year general manager Andrew Berry. Adofo-Mensah will join a new staff in Cleveland after Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam overhauled the front office following a 6-10 season.

— Former NFL linebacker James Harrison says Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin did not offer a bounty for an illegal hit on a member of the Browns. Harrison told former teammate Willie Colon on a podcast that Tomlin handed him an envelope shortly after Harrison was fined in 2010 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Browns wide receiver Mohamed Massqoui. Harrison declined to specify what was in the envelope but posted on Instagram that Tomlin never offered a bounty on opposing players. Steelers President Art Rooney II said he’s “certain” the exchange between Harrison and Tomlin never happened.

— The attorney for Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar says he has five signed affidavits from witnesses that exonerate his client in an armed robbery. Attorney Michael Grieco told The Associated Press on Friday that the five witnesses attested that Dunbar was not involved in the robbery earlier this week. Police in Miramar, Florida, issued arrest warrants Thursday for Dunbar and Giants cornerback Deandre Baker after multiple witnesses accused them of an armed robbery at a party.

NBA-NEWS
Simmons, Embiid mending nicely
UNDATED (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers are confident they will be at full strength if the NBA season ever resumes.
76ers coach Brett Brown says stars Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid (joh-EHL’ ehm-BEED’) are recovering nicely from their injuries. Simmons had missed his eighth straight game and was receiving daily treatment for his nerve issues in his lower back when the season stopped. Embiid was recovering from surgery on his left hand and had just returned after missing five games with a sprained left shoulder at the time of the shutdown. Brown says he’s considered his fate as Sixers coach after a season of expectations to contend for an NBA championship faded to sixth in the Eastern Conference when it stopped because of the coronavirus pandemic.

In other NBA news:
— Pistons guard Bruce Brown says he had thumb surgery last month and is ready to play if the NBA season resumes. Brown said during a video conference Friday that a ligament was placed back onto his thumb bone. He said he had been dealing with pain in the thumb this season, but it didn’t limit him much. Brown has scored 8.9 points per game this season, more than double his average as a rookie in 2018-19.

NHL-CANADIENS-DOMI
Domi could see NHL playoffs for 1st time in extended format
UNDATED (AP) — Max Domi is still waiting to suit up in the playoffs for the first time. If the NHL expands its postseason format to complete the 2019-20 season, he might get that chance this year, The Montreal Canadiens sat 12th in the Eastern Conference and were destined to be on the outside looking in for a third straight spring — and the fourth time in five years — when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the league to press pause March 12. Plenty of scenarios have been rumored as possibilities if the NHL decides to resume, including a 20- or 24-team playoff tournament. A 20-club format wouldn’t include the Canadiens, but they’d just sneak in under the second option.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-SPORTS
NASCAR’s Pocono race up in the air
UNDATED (AP) — NASCAR is resuming its schedule with racing at southern tracks, but it remains uncertain when the circuit can venture north. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf says he’s told NASCAR officials that his state isn’t ready to make a decision on the reopening of Pocono Raceway, which is scheduled to host races June 27 and 28. The raceway sits in an area that is deemed a red zone by Wolf as the state deals with the coronavirus pandemic. NASCAR resumes its schedule Sunday and Wednesday at Darlington, South Carolina, before the circuit holds back-to-back races at Charlotte Motor Speedway. NASCAR then heads to Bristol, Tennessee, Atlanta Motor Speedway and Martinsville, Virginia, before events at Homestead-Miami and Talladega. Pocono is the first race scheduled north of Virginia and would be followed by the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

In other developments related to the coronavirus pandemic:
— A coalition of players is urging Congress to pass a coronavirus relief bill that would provide critical funding for elementary and secondary education. Among the signers of the letter from the Players Coalition are NFL players Devin McCourty, Kelvin Beachum and Sebastian Joseph-Day. The letter asks the House and the Senate to pass the HEROES Act, which would secure internet access for millions of economically disadvantaged students during the pandemic.

— WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert tells The Associated Press she is focusing on about a half dozen scenarios for the league to begin play this summer. the league is looking at playing at one site, a few possibly at most instead of at every home arena. She added that there is still no date to start the season.

— The Michigan tournament where the LPGA Tour hoped to resume has been canceled. The LPGA says the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational will not be played July 15-18. The tour did not offer any other specifics except for Commissioner Mike Whan emphasizing the long-term health of the tour is paramount. This is the only team event on the LPGA schedule. Whan says Dow has extended its title sponsor contract and the LPGA will return to the Great Lakes Bay region next year and beyond. The cancellation means the LPGA now hopes to return July 23-26 with the Marathon LPGA Classic in Ohio.

— The professional tennis tours are extending their suspensions caused by the coronavirus pandemic through at least the end of July. The total number of tournaments scrapped by the ATP and WTA since March now tops 40. Both tours say they will make further scheduling announcements in June. The top tours already had been on hold at least until July 13. That was announced on April 1 on the same day that the All England Club said it would be canceling Wimbledon for the first time in 75 years because of the outbreak.

— The International Tennis Hall of Fame’s 2020 induction ceremony for Goran Ivanisevic (ee-vah-NEE’-she-vihch) and Conchita Martinez has been canceled. So has the annual men’s grass-court Hall of Fame Open tournament. The induction was scheduled at the Hall in Newport, Rhode Island, for July 18. That is the same day the tournament was supposed to finish. But the COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in the suspension of all sanctioned tennis competition since March and at least until the end of July. Ivanisevic and Martinez now will be honored alongside any Class of 2021 inductees in July 2021.

— The IndyCar race in downtown Toronto has been postponed. The race was scheduled to be held July 12 on a street course at Exhibition Place. IndyCar has yet to begin its season. It is scheduled to race June 6 at Texas Motor Speedway for its opening event.

— The Belgian Grand Prix can go ahead on its original August date, but with no fans. Friday’s announcement by local Belgian authorities came two days after the Belgian government allowed outdoor training at sporting facilities to resume under a coach’s supervision starting next week. The Formula One race scheduled for Aug. 28-30 was under threat after Belgium banned all mass events in the country until Aug. 31 because of the pandemic. The track will reopen for professional practice on May 18.

— The Russian soccer league will restart on June 21 after a break of more than three months because of the pandemic. The league intends to pack eight rounds of games into just over one month to finish on July 22. All games will be held in empty stadiums. The Russian Cup will also continue with the final on July 25. That means some clubs face up to 11 games to finish the season.

— The CEO of next year’s Tokyo Olympics says the postponed games might not look like what fans are accustomed to. Toshiro Muto says cuts are likely in many areas with the cost of the postponement estimated in Japan at between $2 billion and $6 billion. Muto says one target for saving money was the torch relay. He says “we are looking into every possible area” for cuts.

— Bowling Green has dropped baseball as part of a move to ease financial stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The school says it’s reducing its athletic budget by $2 million. Athletic director Bob Moosbrugger says the school will honor scholarship agreements through graduation and will assist student-athletes who want to transfer. Bowling Green’s move came one day after Akron, another member of the Mid-American Conference, dropped three sports because of fiscal hardship caused by the virus outbreak.

MLB-OBIT-BOB WATSON
Former MLB All-Star and executive Bob Watson dies
UNDATED (AP) — Two-time All-Star first baseman Bob Watson has died at 74, 24 years after becoming the first black general manager to win a World Series. Watson was an All-Star selection in 1973 and ’75 while with the Astros. He hit over .300 four times, collected at least 100 RBIs twice and has the distinction of scoring the millionth run in major league history.
Watson was GM of the Yankees when they knocked off the Braves in the 1996 World Series. He also served in the commissioner’s office. Watson’s son, Keith, said his father died from kidney disease.

NBA-BRYANT CRASH
Kobe pilot had no drugs, alcohol in system
LOS ANGELES (AP) — An autopsy on the pilot in the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash shows he did not have drugs or alcohol in his system. The causes of death for Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, pilot Ara Zobayan and six others in the Jan. 26 crash have been ruled blunt trauma. Zobayan was flying in fog and climbed to get out of the clouds before plunging into a hillside. Bryant was broken beyond recognition when his body was found outside the wreckage of the chopper. His remains had to be identified by his fingerprints. Bryant and the passengers almost certainly were dead in an instant due to blunt trauma, according to the report. Autopsy reports were released Friday by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.

NBA-LAKERS-HOWARD
Howard says mother of his 6-year-old son has died
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard says the mother of his 6-year-old son died nearly six weeks ago due to an epileptic seizure. Although Howard has spent the NBA’s hiatus dealing with the difficult task of explaining Melissa Rios’ death to their son, he is also grateful for the chance to heal from the loss without the daily grind of the NBA schedule. Howard spoke Friday about Rios’ death on a video call from his offseason home in Georgia, where he is staying with his children during the coronavirus pandemic. Howard said he was literally texting Rios to invite her to stay with him in Georgia when he learned she had died.

MLS-HOLLINGSHEAD-FOSTER PARENTING
Dallas defender Hollingshead fosters baby amid pandemic
UNDATED (AP) — FC Dallas defender Ryan Hollingshead has been sheltering in place since Major League Soccer suspended the season because of the coronavirus pandemic. But his experience has been a bit different than that of other athletes in the same situation. He and his family have spent the time bonding with their foster son. The 13-month-old came into their home some three months ago. It is the second time the Hollingsheads have fostered a child in need. They took in a 4-month-old girl last year.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL-MARYLAND-TAGOVAILOA
Terps get Tua’s brother
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Taulia Tagovailoa (tuhng-ah-vy-LOH’-ah) is leaving Alabama and transferring to Maryland.
The 5-foot-11 quarterback will need a waiver to be eligible this season. He played five games last season as a freshman, completing 9 of 12 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown. Maryland’s Mike Locksley coached Tagovailoa’s brother, Tua, as Alabama’s offensive coordinator.

UNDATED (AP) — A person familiar with the request tells The Associated Press that lawyers for the baseball players’ union asked MLB to submit a slew of financial documents that detail the industry’s finances. Baseball owners on Monday approved a proposal that could lead to the coronavirus-delayed season starting around the Fourth of July with a regular-season schedule of about 82 games. Owners also gave the go-ahead to propose basing players’ salaries on a 50-50 revenue split, which the union says is a salary cap and a framework that players will never accept.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR has announced it will stick to Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia, Florida and Alabama for June races, all without fans. NASCAR has now set plans for 20 races, including nine in the elite Cup Series, as it returns to the tracks after being shut down for more than two months by concerns about the coronavirus. The Cup Series is scheduled to resume this Sunday at Darlington Raceway and run four times in 11 days at the South Carolina track and at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.

UNDATED (AP) — ACC commissioner John Swofford says the league expects to distribute 98% of its projected revenues to member schools for this school year despite the shutdown of college sports amid the coronavirus pandemic. The NCAA announced in March that it would distribute $225 million in June to 350 Division I schools after the cancellation of its men’s basketball tournament, much less than the original plan of $600 million. But Swofford says the league has offset some losses in savings for canceled championship events as well as less travel and other expenses.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The PGA Championship will return to Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, in May 2025. Quail Hollow hosted the PGA Championship in 2017, when a 24-year-old Justin Thomas defeated Francesco Molinari, Louis Oosthuizen and Patrick Reed by two shots to claim his first major championship. PGA officials raved about the 2017 event and strongly hinted at the time they’d like to see the PGA Championship return to Charlotte due to strong attendance numbers.

UNDATED (AP) — Germany’s Bundesliga soccer clubs will be allowed to use five substitutions per game when the season resumes on Saturday. The clubs in the top two German divisions have decided to accept the rule change allowed last week by the International Football Association Board. The change is meant to reduce the workload on players as the leagues pack their schedules to complete the season. Teams can make substitutions only at three breaks in the game and the league recommends making only two substitutions at once.

Yesterday Dubuque area high school track and field athletes would have been attempting to qualify for state competition, but COVID-19 came along and cancelled their seasons.   Local physical therapy clinic Dubuque Physical Therapy has come up with a way for those high school athletes to showcase their skills by competing virtually.  Amanda Edwards of the clinic says the virtual meet is open to all Tri-State area high school track and field athletes. Edwards says most events in a track meet are included and can be performed and recorded June 1^st through 6^th then submitted. She says there are prizes being awarded and 2 senior athletes will be randomly selected for 250 dollar scholarships.

For more details on the virtual high school meet see Dubuque Physical Therapy’s social media page or give them a call.

https://www.facebook.com/DubuquePhysicalTherapy/

There is some hopeful news from the American Rivers Conference about the return of athletics on their college campuses this fall.

Today in a press release, the conference says the President’s Council of the A-R-C schools including Loras and Dubuque intend to conduct intercollegiate athletics programs this fall and the entire 2020-21 school year which would include all conference and non-conference events.  Officials with the A-R-C say state and local guidelines will be the primary considerations for the nine conference schools thru the summer leading up to fall practice.  The President’s Council’s spring meeting will take place on May 27^th.

Longtime Cuba City boys basketball coach Jerry Petitgoue has been named the High School Coach of the Year by the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association.  Petitgoue guided the Cubans to the SWAL title and went a perfect 25-0 on season advancing to D-4 sectional final before their season was abruptly ended. Petitgoue now has 921 career wins in 51 coaching seasons.

UW-Platteville head men’s basketball coach Jeff Gard has been tabbed the NCAA Division Two and Three Men’s Coach of the Year by the WBCA

Gard, the WIAC Coach of the Year, led the Pioneers to the conference regular-season title for the 21st time in program history. UW-Platteville also made its third straight NCAA appearance – and 13th overall.

Gard’s brother Greg Gard head coach at Wisconsin received the coaching honor in Division One.

UNDATED (AP) — A person familiar with the decision tells The Associated Press that the NFL has extended its virtual offseason workouts through the end of May. NFL teams normally would be holding OTAs during May, followed by June minicamps. Those activities are being done remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic. Coaching and training staffs have worked with the players by conducting classroom instruction and on-field activities through digital applications.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida is willing to be a restart site for professional sports leagues when play resumes following shutdowns caused by the new coronavirus. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that he is welcoming all pro sports for practicing and playing, although he couldn’t guarantee that fans would be permitted. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced Tuesday that his state is open to games without spectators for all the major sports starting Saturday.

DETROIT (AP) — A judge has dismissed criminal charges against former Michigan State University President Lou Anna Simon. She was accused of lying to investigators in 2018 as they tried to learn what she knew years earlier about sexual assault complaints involving campus doctor Larry Nassar. Simon last year was ordered to trial in Eaton County, near Lansing. But Circuit Judge John Maurer tossed the case, saying a lower court judge had abused her discretion in finding enough evidence to keep the case going.

UNDATED (AP) — The PGA Tour will test players, caddies and key staff for the coronavirus once a week when tournaments resume next month. Everyone at the golf course will have their temperatures taken every day as the tour tries to show it can restart its season with minimal risks. The new restrictions also include no pro-ams, no spectators for at least a month, no family members and an emphasis on social distancing everywhere from the clubhouse to the practice range.

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) — Lawyers for XFL owner Vince McMahon have argued in court filings that he was justified in firing league CEO Oliver Luck last month just before the football operation shut down. Luck filed a federal lawsuit last month over his April 9 termination, alleging the wrestling magnate breached their contract. Attorneys for McMahon argued Wednesday that Luck was fired for cause, in part because he failed to devote his business time to his XFL duties.

Galena High School girls basketball coach Jamie Watson has been selected by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association to receive one of the “Coach of the Year” honors for the 2019-20 season.  It is the fourth time Watson has received the honor after leading Galena to a 25-and-7 record and a share of the Northwest Upstate Illini Conference West with a 9-and-1 record.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The Big Ten Conference has approved hardship waiver petitions for Iowa basketball players Jordan Bohannon and Jack Nunge to give each an extra year of eligibility. Bohannon averaged 8.8 points and 3.3 assists in 10 games before undergoing season-ending surgery on his left hip in December. He had the same procedure on his right hip last May. The Marion, Iowa, native holds the Iowa record with 284 career 3-pointers made. Nunge started five games last season before tearing the ACL in his right knee. Freshman forward Patrick McCaffery’s hardship waiver is still under review.

NEW YORK (AP) — Their meeting about opening the season was virtual, but it’s not clear if there was a meeting of the minds between Major League Baseball and the players’ union. A person familiar with the talks says the meeting lasted more than three hours but did not include an economic proposal. MLB explained its view of the economics, science and logistics of getting the season under way. Opening day was to have been March 26. The owners would like to see an opening around the July 4th weekend.

MIAMI (AP) — A person familiar with the results of a poll of NBA players taken by their union says there would be “overwhelming” support for any plan that has this season resuming in a safe way amid the coronavirus pandemic. The poll conducted by the National Basketball Players Association was informal but gave a sense that players would like to not only get to the playoffs but also resume at least some of the regular season.

UNDATED (AP) — The Mid-American Conference is eliminating postseason tournaments in eight sports, including baseball and softball, and men’s and women’s basketball are among nine sports that will have postseasons scaled back. The MAC’s announced the cost-cutting move in response to the financial crisis being brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Champions in the 12-team conference will be determined by regular-season results in sports without postseason tournaments.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The South Korean women’s golf tour is starting up again with the KLPGA Championship this week. Women’s golf in South Korea joins the country’s professional baseball and soccer leagues that have already restarted in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Play is at the Lakewood Country Club located east of the capital Seoul. The event will be played without spectators. Reports say players will follow social distancing guidelines and use hand sanitizers at the course.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Offensive lineman Danny Pinter has become the first of Indianapolis’ nine draft picks to sign his rookie contract. The 6-foot-4, 306-pound Ball State alum was selected in the fifth round last month, No. 149 overall. Pinter played high school and college football in Indiana and now will have a chance to play in the NFL with his home-state team. Pinter signed a four-year deal worth roughly $3.6 million.

In a move seen as a glimmer of hope for baseball and softball athletes in other states like Iowa, the state of Nebraska has given the green light for resuming youth baseball and softball.  Yesterday Nebraska governor Pete Ricketts announced organized practices will be allowed starting June 1^st with lots of restrictions on social distancing and games can begin June 18^th.

The state of Iowa is expected to announce by June 1^st whether or not there will be some form of a high school baseball and softball season.

NEW YORK (AP) — Spring training could start in a few weeks and the Major League Baseball season could begin around the Fourth of July weekend. A person familiar with a proposal by owners says it will be presented to the players’ union on Tuesday. An agreement with the players’ association is needed, and talks are expected to be difficult — especially over a proposal for a revenue split that would be unprecedented for baseball.

UNDATED (AP) — The coronavirus pandemic is impacting how college athletic programs make their travel plans as they budget for the upcoming year. The cancellation of the NCAA Tournament has produced a budget crunch that leaves colleges looking for cost-saving measures. One simple step is to cut back on travel. Chattanooga took a creative approach by announcing that any 2020-21 away games that hadn’t already been scheduled must be played within 150 miles of its campus.

MIAMI (AP) — A person familiar with the negotiations says Tua Tagovailoa has signed a $30.275 million, four-year guaranteed contract with the Miami Dolphins. The person says the contract includes a $19.6 million signing bonus. Last month the Dolphins selected Tagovailoa with the fifth overall pick in the draft. They’re optimistic he’ll fully recover from a hip injury that ended his Alabama career in mid-November. Tagovailoa says doctors have indicated he’s on schedule for a return in 2020.

UNDATED (AP) — The marketing agent who has sued NBA rookie Zion Williamson wants the former Duke star to answer questions about whether he received improper benefits before playing for the Blue Devils. Prime Sports Marketing and company president Gina Ford filed a lawsuit last summer in Florida, accusing Williamson and his current agency of breach of contract. Williamson had already filed a lawsuit in North Carolina to terminate a contract with Prime Sports.

UNDATED (AP) — Major League Baseball may be weeks away from playing again, but the factory that supplies bats to many of its players resumed production Monday in Kentucky. The Hillerich & Bradsby plant that makes Louisville Slugger bats had been idled for nearly two months because of the coronavirus outbreak. Workers started filling orders for some big leaguers as parts of Kentucky’s economy reopened Monday after weeks of shutdowns.

NEW YORK (AP) — Spring training could start in a few weeks and the Major League Baseball season could begin around the Fourth of July weekend. A person familiar with a proposal by owners says it will be presented to the players’ union on Tuesday. An agreement with the players’ association is needed, and talks are expected to be difficult — especially over a proposal for a revenue split that would be unprecedented for baseball.

UNDATED (AP) — The coronavirus pandemic is impacting how college athletic programs make their travel plans as they budget for the upcoming year. The cancellation of the NCAA Tournament has produced a budget crunch that leaves colleges looking for cost-saving measures. One simple step is to cut back on travel. Chattanooga took a creative approach by announcing that any 2020-21 away games that hadn’t already been scheduled must be played within 150 miles of its campus.

MIAMI (AP) — A person familiar with the negotiations says Tua Tagovailoa has signed a $30.275 million, four-year guaranteed contract with the Miami Dolphins. The person says the contract includes a $19.6 million signing bonus. Last month the Dolphins selected Tagovailoa with the fifth overall pick in the draft. They’re optimistic he’ll fully recover from a hip injury that ended his Alabama career in mid-November. Tagovailoa says doctors have indicated he’s on schedule for a return in 2020.

UNDATED (AP) — The marketing agent who has sued NBA rookie Zion Williamson wants the former Duke star to answer questions about whether he received improper benefits before playing for the Blue Devils. Prime Sports Marketing and company president Gina Ford filed a lawsuit last summer in Florida, accusing Williamson and his current agency of breach of contract. Williamson had already filed a lawsuit in North Carolina to terminate a contract with Prime Sports.

UNDATED (AP) — Major League Baseball may be weeks away from playing again, but the factory that supplies bats to many of its players resumed production Monday in Kentucky. The Hillerich & Bradsby plant that makes Louisville Slugger bats had been idled for nearly two months because of the coronavirus outbreak. Workers started filling orders for some big leaguers as parts of Kentucky’s economy reopened Monday after weeks of shutdowns.

Wisconsin’s American Legion Baseball season has been canceled because of concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.

The American Legion Department of Wisconsin announced the decision on Saturday. For the first time since 1927, an American Legion Baseball champion won’t be crowned in Wisconsin.

At least 24 other states including Iowa have canceled their American Legion baseball programs for 2020.

UNDATED (AP) — Just 0.7% of MLB employees tested positive for antibodies to COVID-19. Results were based on about 5,600 completed records from employees of 26 clubs. Samples were obtained on April 14 and 15. Sixty people tested positive in the raw data, and adjustments were made for false positives and false negatives. One of the study’s leaders says the survey had a 0.5% false positive rate and demonstrates MLB employees have been less affected than their surrounding communities have been.

UNDATED (AP) — The president of the University of Virginia says he hopes college football can be played this fall, but he doesn’t expect it to seem like “normal football seasons.” James Ryan told CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday that athletic director Carla Williams and football coach Bronco Mendenhall are committed to a safe return to play. But Ryan says nothing will proceed until medical officials say it’s safe to resume workouts. Ryan says school officials are taking things day by day. He says students need to be back on campus before football can begin.

UNDATED (AP) — The British government says tennis courts and golf courses in England can reopen starting Wednesday, but people can only play with members of their own household. Gyms and swimming pools remain closed, although swimming in the sea or lakes will be allowed. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave no indication when professional sports can resume competition. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can set their own stance on tennis courts and golf courses, and they have already indicated a more stringent version of the lockdown will be maintained.

UNDATED (AP) — The Spanish soccer league is not changing its plan to resume competing after five players from clubs in the first and second divisions tested positive for COVID-19. The league confirmed the positive tests on Sunday but said it was not going to alter the practice protocol that got underway last week. Players from most clubs began individual training sessions on Friday after nearly two months of confinement because of the coronavirus pandemic.

UNDATED (AP) — A player for English Premier League team Brighton has tested positive for the coronavirus as clubs prepare for talks on how to resume competition during the pandemic. The southern England club told The Associated Press there is no need for other members of the squad or coaches to self-isolate since players have only worked in isolation when at the training base. The Premier League has government support for “Project Restart” and it will be trying to secure agreement among the 20 clubs on the plans during a conference call with them today.

UNDATED (AP) — The NHL is pondering the notion of holding its amateur draft before the Stanley Cup final. The draft had been scheduled for June 26-27, but it was postponed with the season in an indefinite suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now the NHL is deciding whether to hold it earlier in June following the NFL’s success with its virtual draft last month. Such a move means teams would not be able to trade players before or during the draft, there would be a lack of clarity over next year’s salary cap and the draft order could be determined before all games are played.

UNDATED (AP) — Watford chairman Scott Duxbury says at least six of the 20 English Premier League clubs are concerned about the plan to use neutral stadiums to finish the season. Teams at or near the relegation zone are worried about the monetary and competitive impact of playing the remainder of the season at neutral grounds without fans. “Project Restart” needs approval from at least 14 teams at Monday’s league meeting.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Denny Hamlin closed NASCAR’s iRacing Series with a victory at a simulation of throwback North Wilkesboro Speedway. This year’s Daytona 500 champion had four fresh tires as he chased down leader Ross Chastain and nudged him out of the way. Chastain retaliated by hitting Hamlin’s car after the checkered flag. Timmy Hill finished second, followed by Tyler Reddick, Chastain and Austin Dillon.

UNDATED (AP) — Two players at German second division side Dynamo Dresden have tested positive for the coronavirus, putting on hold the club’s planned return to soccer next weekend. Dresden was to play Hannover away on May 17 when the league resumes after a two-month suspension. Now, the entire squad, coaching and supervisory staff must go into 14 days of quarantine at home.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — President Trump has congratulated UFC for restarting the sports world Saturday night after a nearly two-month hiatus. Trump’s taped message was played during ESPN’s broadcast of the UFC 249 undercard from a fan-free arena Saturday in Jacksonville, Florida. UFC 249 served as the first major sporting event to take place since the global pandemic shut down much of the country nearly eight weeks ago.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre is disputing a Mississippi state auditor’s report that says he received $1.1 million in welfare money for multiple speaking engagements he didn’t show up for. Favre told ESPN Wisconsin’s “Wilde & Tausch” radio show he was being paid for his role in radio public service announcements and advertisements. He says he has never not shown up for an appearance. Favre has agreed to pay back the money.

BRAINTREE, Mass. (AP) — Mary Pratt, who played for the Rockford Peaches and Kenosha Comets in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, has died. She was 101. Her nephew, Walter Pratt, told The Patriot Ledger she passed away peacefully at a nursing home. Pratt pitched in the women’s league from 1943-47. The league was profiled in the 1992 movie “A League of Their Own.”

Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez, football coach Paul Chryst and men’s basketball coach Greg Gard are being asked to take a 15% pay cut over the next six months as part of the school’s response to the pandemic. School officials say Alvarez, Chryst and Gard are among 25 of the athletic department’s highest-earning employees who are being asked to take that voluntary cut. There will be no reduction in that group’s work hours.

UNDATED (AP) — Kyle Larson returned to racing for the first time since he was fired by Chip Ganassi Racing for using a racial slur in an iRacing event last month. Larson was one of 24 drivers to make the main event in Friday night’s World of Outlaws race at Knoxville Raceway. The $15,000-to-win Invitational was held without spectators on the dirt oval in Knoxville, Iowa. Larson drove a car fielded by Paul Silva with sponsorship from Tarlton & Son Inc. and Finley Farms. He finished 10th.

UNDATED (AP) — The presidents of the 11 members of the Big East Conference are leaning toward not allowing sports to be played at schools this season unless their campuses are open. Commissioner Val Ackerman disclosed the information on Friday in a wide-ranging virtual interview with members of the media about the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic on the conference. While no deadlines have been set, Ackerman said the presidents have indicated a late June/early July deadline for fall sports and possibly a Sept. 1 deadline for winter sports, when basketball is played. The conference is considered a basketball power.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre is disputing a Mississippi state auditor’s report that says he received $1.1 million in welfare money for multiple speaking engagements he didn’t show up for. Favre told ESPN Wisconsin’s “Wilde & Tausch” radio show he was being paid for his role in radio public service announcements and advertisements. He says he has never not shown up for an appearance. Favre has agreed to pay back the money. He says he wishes the auditor would have contacted him.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Marquette has added Gardner-Webb transfer Jose Perez. The 6-foot-5 guard scored at least 15 points a game for his former team each of the last two seasons. Perez will sit out the 2020-21 season because of NCAA transfer rules before playing for Marquette in 2021-22. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining. Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski says Perez’s “experience, toughness and desire to get better will make our program better.” The addition of Perez comes three weeks after Marquette announced the arrival of Ohio State transfer D.J. Carton.

— NBA Commissioner Adam Silver took part in a teleconference with members of the National Basketball Players Association for an update on the league’s future plans amid the pandemic. A person familiar with the call’s details says Silver told players that the league is still aiming to hold full best-of-seven playoff series should the season resume and that playing without fans is an obvious possibility. Silver also spoke about the well-known notion of having the season resume in a centralized location, though cautioned that no decisions may be made for another several weeks.

— A small number of NBA practice facilities reopened for workouts Friday, and at least one team received permission from the league to test players and staff for the coronavirus. Cleveland and Portland were open for players who wanted to get back into game shape. The Orlando Magic revealed that they have been authorized by local health officials to test players and staff.

— NCAA President Mark Emmert says the coronavirus is making it unlikely all schools will be ready to begin competing in college sports at the same time. He says the goal is for every team to have an equal amount of preparation time before its season starts. Emmert acknowledges there could be some competitive inequities caused by schools having varied timelines for re-opening campuses.

— The NHL and NHL Players’ Association have announced the postponement of its 2020 international games, adding they look forward to taking teams overseas again next year. The Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers were previously scheduled to open this season in Prague as part of the NHL’s Global Series. The Buffalo Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning had been slated to play two games in Stockholm.

The Senior High School volleyball program is looking for a new varsity head coach. Chris Miron has announced he is stepping down from the position after two seasons coaching the Rams.  Prior to coaching at Senior, Miron was the head coach at Clarke University for 13 seasons. Miron will continue teaching elementary school in the Dubuque Community School District, but says he is taking a break from coaching to spend more time with family.

UNDATED (AP) — The NFL’s annual kickoff game will feature the Kansas City Chiefs initial defense of their Super Bowl championship by hosting Houston on Sept. 10. That’s pending developments in the coronavirus pandemic, of course. The Texans won a regular-season game at Arrowhead Stadium in 2019, then blew a 24-0 lead in the divisional round of the playoffs.

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Canadian Football League Commissioner Randy Ambrosie says the most likely scenario is to cancel the CFL season because of the coronavirus pandemic. Ambrosie made the admission Thursday to lawmakers in Ottawa. Last week the CFL requested up to $150 million Canadian in assistance from the federal government. Ambrosie said the league’s future is “very much in jeopardy” and that the teams collectively lost about $20 million last year.

BALTIMORE (AP) — The lawyer for the wife of Baltimore Ravens safety Earl Thomas says she is being subjected to an “unfounded ongoing investigation” by Texas police after she allegedly pointed a loaded gun at her husband’s head upon finding him in bed with another woman. According to a police affidavit, Nina Thomas admitted to pointing the pistol at Earl’s head “with the intent to scare him” but thought it was unloaded. She was arrested on a felony charge and denies the allegations.

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Officials with IndyCar and Texas Motor Speedway say there will be a race on June 6 that will be run without spectators because of the coronavirus pandemic. TMS President Eddie Gossage says there will be a collaboration with health authorities on a plan to ensure the safety of event participants.

WASHINGTON (AP) — More lawmakers are calling on NCAA leaders, conferences and schools to come up with details about how college athletes can be compensated for their names, images and likenesses. The chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, Republican Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, has sent 20 questions to each Power Five conference, dozens of colleges and universities and committees at each of the NCAA’s three divisions. Also urging action are Democratic Senators Chris Murphy and Cory Booker.

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Former NFL quarterback Brett Favre  is repaying $1.1 million in welfare money that he received for multiple speeches where he did not show up. Auditor Shad White says his office received $500,000 from Favre on Wednesday, plus a commitment that Favre will repay the other $600,000 in installments over the next few months. Favre’s effort to repay the money came two days after White released an audit of spending by the Mississippi Department of Human Services. The audit showed Favre had been paid by Mississippi Community Education Center, a nonprofit group whose former leader has been indicted in a welfare embezzlement scheme.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans have continued to reshape their secondary by working out a one-year contract with cornerback Johnathan Joseph. The two-time Pro Bowl selection just completed a nine-year run with the Houston Texans after playing his first five NFL seasons with Cincinnati. Joseph has 750 tackles and 31 interceptions over 14 seasons since being taken in the first round of the 2006 draft.

UNDATED (AP) — All but one of the 14 schools in the Southeastern Conference have indicated they plan to reopen their campuses for the fall semester, a step widely believed to be needed to resume football and other sports. South Carolina and Tennessee on Wednesday became the latest schools in the nation’s top football conference to announce their plans, joining Alabama, LSU and others. Vanderbilt hasn’t announced its plans for the fall.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Former Wake Forest center Olivier Sarr has announced on social media that he is transferring to Kentucky. Sarr was the Demon Deacons’ second-leading scorer and top rebounder last season, averaging 13.7 points and nine boards. He gives the Wildcats a veteran 7-footer after the team’s entire starting lineup declared for the NBA draft.

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — An NCAA panel has rejected an appeal by former UConn men’s basketball coach Kevin Ollie, who sought to overturn findings that he violated ethical conduct rules while leading the Huskies. The NCAA Division I Infractions Appeals Committee ruled Ollie failed to prove that information he presented alleging witnesses against him lied outweighed the information that supported the violation findings. The NCAA Committee on Infractions placed the UConn program on two years of probation 10 months ago and sanctioned Ollie individually for numerous violations of NCAA rules during his tenure.

The Dubuque Fighting Saints took a total of 18 players during Phase 2 of the USHL Draft yesterday.

Dubuque’s top pick was Tristan Lemyre, a 19-year old center from Mirabel, Quebec who was selected 14^th overall in the first round. Lemyre is a Denver University commit who played last season for the Flin Flon Bombers of the Saskatchewan Jr. Hockey League. He had 62 points with 30 goals in 44 games.

The Saints selected another Canadian born player taking center Ryan Alexander of Toronto, Ontario with second round pick, number 30 overall. Alexander was with St. Michael’s Buzzers of the Ontario Jr. Hockey League last season and is an Arizona State commit. He scored 58 points including 18 goals last season.

(Boone) — The Iowa High School Athletic Association’s wrestling advisory committee has approved changes that include regional dual qualification criteria and seeding for the state traditional tournament.

Schools will be allowed to opt out of dual postseason events if they wish by the date of the scheduled competition.

Only the 16 sectional champions will automatically qualify for regional duals and the next eight highest-ranked teams by the Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association will also qualify. If a sectional champion opts out of postseason duals, the next highest-ranked team qualifies. In the past, the top two teams from each sectional qualified with no at-large bids awarded.

The IHSAA also approved to seed all 16 wrestlers at the state traditional tournament rather than just eight. The IHSAA also made a slight tweak in the seeding criteria, reducing the criteria regarding common opponents from two points to one point.

The Dubuque Fighting Saints used the first of their 10 selections in Phase One of the USHL Draft to get a high scoring Canadian prospect. In the first round with the 14th overall pick Dubuque selected center Rieger Lorenz from Calgary, Alberta. In 35 games for Edge Prep, Lorenz tallied 72 points by scoring 37 goals and 35 assists and is a University of Denver commit.

In the second round, Dubuque chose an elite prospect from the state of Texas, selecting right wing Chase LaPinta with the 29th overall selection. Last season as a member of the Dallas Stars Elite 16 and Under team, LaPinta who hails from Frisco, Texas, scored 21 points in 24 games with 16 goals and 5 assists.

Today Phase 2 of the draft will be held, which includes all ages eligible to play junior hockey and are not currently protected by another USHL team.

The Dubuque Fighting Saints will take part in the USHL Draft that begins today. Phase I of the Draft is today for “Futures” age players only, which are U-17 players for next year’s season. The Fighting Saints have the second to last pick in each round starting with 14^th pick in the first round. Dubuque still did not trade away any of their picks and have all of their selections in the 10 rounds.

Phase II of the Draft will take place tomorrow and is open to players of all ages eligible to play junior hockey and are not currently protected by another USHL team.

Teams are then scheduled to have their tryouts in June and July.

You can follow the draft live on the USHL website: https://www.ushl.com/draft

UNDATED (AP) — The NHL could have trouble getting non-Canadian resident players into Canada should the league decide to resume the 2019-20 season soon. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Sunday that players would at a minimum need to follow quarantine protocols if they were to arrive in Canada while the border remains closed due to the pandemic. Trudeau says anyone who arrives from another country will have to follow all the rules of quarantine in an extremely strict manner. However, he adds that an agreement between Canada and the NHL hasn’t been brokered.

UNDATED (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have picked up additional quarterback depth by working out a contract with undrafted free agent Shea Patterson. The former Michigan signal-caller started all 26 games for the Wolverines over the past two seasons after transferring from Mississippi. Patterson threw for 3,061 yards with 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions last year and finished with 45 scoring passes with the Wolverines.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — William Byron showed he’s the sharpest gamer in NASCAR’s iRacing Series with his third victory in four events. Byron passed Timmy Hill with seven laps remaining at virtual Dover International Speedway, where NASCAR had been scheduled to race Sunday. The Hendrick Motorsports driver has consistently been the best of the NASCAR professionals in simulated racing. Hendrick drivers have won four straight iRacing events, including Alex Bowman’s victory last week at virtual Talladega Superspeedway.

UNDATED (AP) — A team executive in the Premier League says the BPL could face years of legal challenges if this season is not completed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish offered public support for the league’s “Project Restart” plans after Brighton and West Ham expressed concerns about teams being forced to play their remaining games in neutral stadiums. The league is working with the government to find a safe way of players resuming group training and playing games by June at the earliest.

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Former Oakland Athletics pitcher and special assistant Matt Keough has died at age 64. Keough spent 10 seasons in the majors, breaking in with the 1977 A’s and playing for the Yankees, Cardinals and Cubs before ending up with the Astros in 1986. He was an All-Star as a rookie in 1978 and led the American League with 18 losses in 1982. Keough was 58-84 with a 4.17 ERA in 215 big league games, including 175 starts.

UNDATED (AP)  The NCAA’s chief medical officer says widespread testing for coronavirus will be crucial to having college sports in the fall, especially contact sports such as football and basketball. Dr. Brian Hainline expressed cautious optimism in an interview with The Associated Press. The NCAA unveiled a three-phase recommended plan for getting sports up and running on campuses this fall. They all depend on schools having students back on campus.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  The NCAA’s board of governors has expanded its sexual violence policy to require student-athletes to inform their schools each year about any investigations or disciplinary matters in their past. The measure that takes effect during the 2021-22 school year. Athletes will need to disclose annually whether their conduct has resulted in an investigation, Title IX discipline or criminal conviction for “sexual, interpersonal or other acts of violence.” Failure to fully disclose that information may result in penalties that include a loss of eligibility.

LOS ANGELES (AP)  Jalen Hill is staying at UCLA for his redshirt junior season. A team spokesman says Hill has withdrawn his name from the NBA draft. Hill started 25 of 30 games for the Bruins under first-year coach Mick Cronin last season, averaging 9 points and a team-leading 6.9 rebounds.

UNDATED (AP)  One veteran NFL quarterback has found a new team, while another appears to have worn out his welcome. Two people with knowledge of the situation tell The Associated Press the Dallas Cowboys have signed Andy Dalton to a one-year deal, two days after he was released by the Bengals. The contract guarantees the former Cincinnati starter $3 million and could be worth up to $7 million, although he is expected to serve as Dak Prescott’s backup. Meanwhile, the Chicago Bears are indicating they are running out of patience with Mitchell Trubisky. A person familiar with the situation tells The Associated Press the Bears have declined their fifth-year option on the quarterback for the 2021 season.

UNDATED (AP)  Secretariat has won a virtual Kentucky Derby against 12 fellow Triple Crown winners, 47 years after the chestnut colt won the real race at Churchill Downs. Secretariat was the 7-2 favorite, although there was no wagering. Instead, fans selecting the winning horse online were entered to win a VIP experience at the Derby this fall. Saturday’s 1 1/4-mile race featured computer-generated imagery and was held the same day the 146th Derby had been scheduled until it was postponed by the coronavirus pandemic. The Derby has been re-set for Sept. 5.

UNDATED (AP) Scott McLaughlin has won his second IndyCar iRace in a wild finish that saw most of the leaders crash as they rushed toward the checkered flag. Formula One driver Lando Norris was headed for what appeared a 1-2-3 podium sweep for the Arrow McLaren SP entries on the final lap. But Norris ran into the back of Simon Pagenaud and the defending Indy 500 champion, to take himself out of contention. Conor Daly finished second and was followed by Santino Ferrucci, who figured there would be a lot of angry drivers after the 175-mile race.

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)  Former Oakland Athletics pitcher and special assistant Matt Keough  has died at age 64. Keough was an American League All-Star as a rookie in 1978 and was selected AL Comeback Player of the Year in 1980.  Keough’s father, Marty and uncle, Joe, were major league outfielders.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – UNI Director of Athletics David Harris, coaches, senior staff and select other staff have committed to take voluntary pay cuts through the remainder of the  fiscal year.

The pay cut will help the athletics department reduce a deficit created by a decrease in expected NCAA distributions this spring after the cancelation of the NCAA winter championships because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Other unexpected losses include rental revenue from events hosted in the UNI-Dome and McLeod Center.

Harris and the head coaches of UNI’s five ticketed sports, football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, volleyball and wrestling will take a 10% salary reduction for May and June.

CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cincinnati Bengals have released quarterback Andy Dalton, clearing the way for reigning Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow to lead a team that remade itself in the draft. Dalton set several Bengals passing records in his nine seasons and led the team to a club-record five straight playoff berths without winning a postseason game. Coach Zac Taylor benched Dalton for three games last season, an indication his time in Cincinnati was finished. Burrow was taken first overall in the draft last week.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Wake Forest has hired East Tennessee State’s Steve Forbes as its men’s basketball coach, less than a week after the school fired Danny Manning. Forbes is coming off a five-year run at ETSU that ended with a 30-win season and the Southern Conference Tournament championship. He went 130-43 with the Buccaneers, winning at least 24 games each year while also capturing the league tournament in 2017 to reach the NCAA Tournament.

UNDATED (AP) — The PGA Tour has issued a memo to its members saying players exempt for this season will keep the same status for the 2020-21 season that is scheduled to start in September. However, players can earn a higher ranking after this shortened season. The memo to outline the changes was another step in the tour trying to figure out what’s equitable in a season that will be without 13 previously scheduled events due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

UNDATED (AP) — Paris St. Germain  has been officially crowned Ligue 1 champion of French soccer, two days after the government ruled that the league had to be canceled because of the pandemic. Handing PSG its seventh title in eight years was basically a formality, with the team 12 points ahead of second-place Marseille  with 10 rounds of matches left to play. Other teams objected to the decision to finalize the league standings based on a points-per-game formula, with Lyon  threatening to take legal action after missing a chance to qualify for the lucrative Champions League.

UNDATED (AP) — The NCAA is facing a federal lawsuit accusing the organization of failing to address gender-based violence by male athletes against female students at colleges and universities. The suit was filed this week in U.S. District Court in Michigan. Plaintiffs in the suit include women who have been athletes at Michigan State, Nebraska and an unidentified America East school. Other plaintiffs have been students at Michigan State or Nebraska.

Dubuque Fighting Saints General Manager Kalle Larsson continued the teams string of offseason awards, claiming USHL GM of the Year on Wednesday. Larsson, who has been the General Manager in Dubuque since the summer of 2017, is just the fourth GM of the Saints to win the league honor. Larsson joins the likes of Jim Montgomery, Cary Eades and Jack Barzee as winners of the award for Dubuque.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa junior Spencer Lee was named co-winner of the AAU James E. Sullivan Award, presented annually since 1930 to the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States. The winner is determined by public vote, media vote, and committee vote.

Lee shared the award with Oregon women’s basketball player Sabrina Ionescu.

UNDATED (AP) — The Baseball Hall of Fame has canceled the July 26 induction ceremony because of the coronavirus pandemic. That means this year’s class with Derek Jeter, Larry Walker, Ted Simmons and the late Marvin Miller will be part of the next year’s scheduled ceremony and will be inducted with the Class of 2021. A record crowd had been expected this summer at the small town in upstate New York to honor Jeter, the former New York Yankees captain who was elected in January by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

UNDATED (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox have announced ticket refund policies for games not played through May because of the virus outbreak. Some Major League Baseball teams are offering plans for cash returns and bonus credit, a day after MLB told clubs they could decide their own ticket refund policies. The Cleveland Indians said fans who had tickets for home games this March and April could receive a 10% bonus credit for a game later in 2020 or 2021. The Red Sox extended a similar bonus credit to season ticket holders.

YORK, S.C. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Bashaud Breeland faces a total of five charges, including resisting arrest and drug possession, after he was seen smoking marijuana in South Carolina. A York County sheriff’s deputy drew his gun on Breeland, who is also charged with resisting arrest. He was released on $2,362.50 bond after spending more than nine hours in jail. Breeland had an interception and a team-high seven tackles in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win over San Francisco in February.

UNDATED (AP) — Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre says Aaron Rodgers was surprised by the team’s decision to draft a quarterback in the first round. Favre said Wednesday on “The Rich Eisen Show” that he had spoken with Rodgers since the Packers traded up four spots in the first round to take Utah State’s Jordan Love with the 26th overall pick in the draft Thursday. Rodgers has four years remaining on his contract, but Favre also told Eisen that “my gut tells me” the two-time MVP won’t finish his career in Green Bay.

UNDATED (AP) — The LPGA Tour has released a revised schedule that could end with two of its biggest events, finishing five days before Christmas. The LPGA hopes to restart in mid-July at a team event in Michigan and play every week except for the week of the Masters in November and Thanksgiving. The U.S. Women’s Open would be followed by the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, with a combined $10.5 million in prize money.

Major League Baseball is exploring various options that could allow the season to start if the medical situation allows.

Included is a plan in which the 30 teams could be split into three regional divisions. Teams could be restricted to playing within their region .

That idea, if used, would break up the traditional alignments of the American and National Leagues. It also would cut travel.

USA Today reports MLB officials have become cautiously optimistic the season will start in late June, and no later than July 2, playing at least 100 regular-season games.

UNDATED (AP) — TCU coach Gary Patterson, president of the American Football Coaches Association, says his level of optimism is “very high” that there will be a 2020 college football season. Patterson said during a Tuesday Zoom call with the media, “At some point in time, whether it’s fall or spring … or if it’s shortened, we’re talking about five, six, seven, eight different options right now.”

UNDATED (AP) — The maker of Louisville Slugger baseball bats for Wilson Sporting Goods is producing non-medical masks to help benefit food banks. Louisville-based Hillerich & Bradsby Co. says its Maskonic masks are reusable, water repellent and treated with a bactericide that lasts for up to 10 washes. The masks were inspired by the company’s Bionic gloves line.

UNDATED (AP) — The Sugar Bowl Committee is donating $500,000 to several organizations in an effort to help soften the financial hardship caused by the new coronavirus in the New Orleans area. The money will go to assist the Second Harvest Food Bank, the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s Service and Hospitality Family Assistance Fund and the Hospitality Cares Pandemic Response Fund, which is managed by United Way of Southeastern Louisiana.

UNDATED (AP) — The Atlantic Coast Conference will bring its men’s basketball tournament back to Greensboro, North Carolina in 2023 after this year’s tournament in Greensboro was canceled near the midway point due to the coronavirus pandemic. The ACC is headquartered in Greensboro, which has hosted the tournament 27 times, the most of any location. Last month’s event was canceled after two days of play, with regular-season champion Florida State being presented the tournament championship trophy.

UNDATED (AP — Athletes in track and field can apply for money from a $500,000 fund to help them get through the coronavirus pandemic. World Athletics and the International Athletics Foundation have launched the fund to help athletes who have lost income because competitions are suspended. World Athletics president Sebastian Coe says the fund will try “to help as many athletes as possible.”

Field of Dreams Game On For Now

If there is a Major League Baseball season, it appears the game between the White Sox and Yankees at the Field of Dreams in Dyersville scheduled for August 13^th will still take place.  Tom Mietzel,  the C.E.O for Go the Distance Baseball tells KDTH he has been told by MLB officials that if there is a season, the game is still on.

Mietzel says construction on the 8,000-seat temporary ballpark adjacent to the Field of Dreams attraction is starting to take shape with crews startin up construction again in the last few weeks.

MLB officials should be making a decision next month regarding if there will be a season in some shape or form.

Mietzel says the Field is open to “have a catch”, but other parts of the facility such as the gift shop are closed until this Friday.

The Iowa football program has landed a big fish from the 2021 recruiting pond. David Davidkov, a 6’6 295 pound offensive lineman from Winnetka, Illinois announced his pledge to the Hawkeyes yesterday afternoon. Davidkov is rated a four star recruit by 24-7Sports. Davidkov held offers from Ohio State, LSU, Michigan, Nebraska, Wisconsin and others.  24-7 Sports rates him the number 2 prospect in Illinois and number 59 recruit overall in the country.

In his third season, Dubuque Fighting Saints head coach Oliver David has been named the United States Hockey League Coach of the Year. In their shortened season, David coached the Fighting Saints to a 33-13-and-2 record, their second highest winning percentage in the Tier-1 era. This is the first time a Fighting Saints bench boss has received the award in the Tier-1 era.

MIAMI (AP) — The NBA has pushed back plans that would allow teams to reopen their practice facilities for at least one week. The NBA had decided over the weekend to have teams open their gyms for voluntary player workouts on Friday, if local and state laws made such a move permissible. But on Monday the league revised that potential opening date until May 8, at the earliest. The NBA says the May 8 date is far from firm, warning teams that it “may push this timing back if developments warrant.”

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR is racing toward a restart that could come as early as mid-May. The stock car series is trying to put together a schedule that allows it to race in states that have started re-opening. The series is working on safety protocols that other racing leagues will be watching, including no spectators to start. Teams could be back at work in North Carolina race shops by the end of the week when local stay-at-home orders expire.

UNDATED (AP) — As Major League Baseball explores options for starting the 2020 season, one possibility being considered is having groups of teams in Arizona, Texas and Florida. All of those areas have climate-controlled MLB stadiums, and other nearby ballparks. The new Texas Rangers ballpark is among possible venues, serving as a mid-American hub. The Rangers still haven’t played a game in their new stadium, which has a retractable roof.

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks are undergoing a major front-office shakeup. With the NHL season on pause because of the coronavirus pandemic, team president John McDonough has been ousted despite a wildly successful run that included three Stanley Cup championships. Still, after three straight seasons of lackluster results, owner Rocky Wirtz says it’s the “right decision.” His 43-year-old son Danny Wirtz is replacing McDonough on an interim basis.

UNDATED (AP) — Houston left tackle Laremy Tunsil became the NFL’s highest-paid offensive lineman by negotiating a $66 million contract extension with the Houston Texans without the help of an agent. Agents typically take between 1-3% of the contract’s value as their fee, so Tunsil saved a substantial amount by doing it himself. Tunsil says the toughest part was learning the right terminology and being able to voice it to the coaches.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – UNI men’s basketball guard, AJ Green, has declared for the 2020 NBA Draft. Green will proceed through the draft process without an agent, therefore maintaining his NCAA eligibility.

• Meanwhile Iowa forward Joe Wieskamp has announced late Saturday he will not be testing the NBA draft waters this time around. The sophomore said he made his decision due to all the unknowns regarding team workouts and even the date of the draft.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa led the nation in NCAA wrestling attendance for the 14th straight year and the state’s two other Division I programs ranked among the top 13 nationally. The National Wrestling Media Association announced the Hawkeyes averaged a record 12,568 fans over seven dates at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. This was the first season a program drew more than 10,000 for every home dual. Penn State was second in attendance with an average of 7,604. Iowa State was third at 4,795 and Northern Iowa was 13th at 2,168.

The Iowa Hawkeye football team had 5 players selected in the 7 rounds of the NFL Draft that wrapped up Saturday.

• Junior offensive lineman Tristan Wirfs was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round taken as the 13th player picked overall.
• Junior defensive end A.J. Epenesa was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the second round and was the 54th player picked overall.
• Senior defensive back Michael Ojemudia was picked the Denver Broncos in the third round as the 77th player picked overall.
• Junior defensive back Geno Stone was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the seventh round on Saturday and was the 219th player picked overall.
• Senior quarterback Nate Stanley was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the seventh round and was the 244th player picked overall.

UNDATED (AP) — The defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers did a good job filling their needs on draft weekend. They added defensive tackle Jevon Kinlaw, receiver Brandon Aiyuk and seven-time Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams to fill the three glaring holes on their roster. The Green Bay Packers were among the teams that didn’t do as well filling their needs. They took quarterback Jordan Love in the first round to sit behind Aaron Rodgers and didn’t get their star quarterback any help in terms of receivers.

UNDATED (AP) — ESPN executive producer Seth Markman said he was overwhelmed with how everything came together over the three days of the NFL draft. It also ended up being must-see TV as the first significant live sporting event since the coronavirus pandemic ground everything to a halt. The draft averaged a record 8.4 million viewers over all three days, according to the NFL and Nielsen. The previous high was 6.2 million last year.

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he can envision baseball games being played without fans this summer at Yankee Stadium and the Mets’ Citi Field. Adding that if players could get paid more than staying home and owners would get some revenue versus total shutdown, why not? He’d love to watch. Cuomo says he has spoken with owners of professional sports teams and they would have to make the economics work without gate revenue but with broadcast revenue.

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Indians will pay regular salaries to full-time employees through June 30, but the club has had to furlough others due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The team says senior executives took “voluntary salary reductions” to ensure the team could continue to pay staffers. The Indians confirm they have furloughed many of their part-time employees and interns. Those will take effect on May 1. The Indians are one of the few teams to guarantee full-time workers their salaries through June.

UNDATED (AP) — — South Carolina forward A.J. Lawson is entering the NBA draft for a second straight season. Lawson is a 6-foot-6 sophomore who also went through the process after his freshman season. Like a year ago, Lawson is not hiring an agent giving him the chance to return to the Gamecocks. Lawson started all 31 games for South Carolina, averaging a team-best 13.4 points a game. Lawson had until Sunday to enter the draft. He has until June 3 to pull his name out and return for his junior season.

NFL-TRADES

UNDATED (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers made a flurry of trades on Saturday, the final day of the NFL draft.

They agreed to acquire seven-time Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams from the Washington Redskins on for a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft and a 2021 third-rounder.

The 49ers had a big need at left tackle because their longtime standout left tackle Joe Staley announced his retirement Saturday.

The 31-year-old Williams must pass a physical for the trade to be finalized. He sat out the entire 2019 season because of a dispute with Washington’s front office. The Redskins did not trade him before the Oct. 29 deadline and Williams renewed his request for a trade this offseason. In November, Williams revealed he had cancer and said that situation led him to distrust the Redskins’ medical staff and organization as a whole.

The deal reunites Williams with 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, who was the offensive coordinator in Washington when Williams was drafted fourth overall in 2010.

The 49ers later sent Matt Breida, who was their starting running back for part of their NFC title season, to Miami for a fifth-rounder. They used the pick to select West Virginia tackle Colton McKivitz.

San Francisco then traded wideout Marquise Goodwin to Philadelphia for a swap of sixth-round spots.

NFL-DRAFT

UNDATED (AP) — The NFL draft entered its third and final day with Cincinnati selecting an Appalachian State linebacker. Akeem Davis-Gaither was the Sun Belt’s defensive player of the year and a standout at the Senior Bowl, a game the Bengals coaching staff worked.

The Redskins dealt their unhappy veteran tackle Trent Williams to San Francisco on Saturday morning, then chose LSU tackle Saahdiq Charles.

The first quarterback chosen on Day 3 was Washington’s Jacob Eason, who went to Indianapolis. The Colts already have Philip Rivers, who signed as a free agent, and incumbent Jacoby Brissett. But both have contracts only through this year. Eason transferred to Washington after losing out to Jake Fromm at Georgia. Fromm was claimed by Buffalo with the 167th overall pick.

The New York Jets took Florida International QB James Morgan with the 125th pick.

In other NFL draft news:

— The Kansas City Chiefs return 20 of 22 starters who helped them win the Super Bowl last season, so they spent their six picks in the NFL draft on guys who could help them not only defend the title but also plan for the future. They took LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the first round, Mississippi State linebacker Willie Gay Jr. in the second and TCU offensive tackle Lucas Niang in the third. They wrapped up the draft Saturday by selecting Louisiana Tech defensive back L’Jarius Sneed, Michigan defensive end Mike Danna and Tulane cornerback Thakarius Keyes.

— The Las Vegas Raiders spent the first two days of the NFL draft getting quarterback Derek Carr playmakers such as Henry Ruggs, Lynn Bowden Jr. and Bryan Edwards. They added some offensive line depth and a promising cornerback prospect in Amik Robertson on the final day. Now the question for the Raiders is if all the moves they made in free agency and the draft will help close the gap in the AFC West with the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

— The Minnesota Vikings made the defensive line their first priority on the final day of the draft. They took South Carolina defensive end D.J. Wonnum and Baylor defensive tackle James Lynch with their first two selections in the fourth round. The Vikings wrapped up the draft with 15 picks, the most by any NFL team since the event was trimmed to seven rounds in 1994. Wonnum was targeted by the Vikings for his potential similar to what they saw in Danielle Hunter in 2015. Hunter last year became the youngest player in league history to reach 50 career sacks.

— The Patriots didn’t find a replacement for Tom Brady in the draft, if that was even possible. But they did attempt to address almost every other one of their needs. New England drafted 10 players over three days. Four of the picks were on defense, which was hit hard in free agency. Five were used on offense, including a pair of tight ends. That position was unproductive for New England last year after the retirement of Rob Gronkowski, who’s now making a comeback to join Brady in Tampa. New England also drafted a kicker to replace Stephen Gostkowksi.

— The Philadelphia Eagles addressed their need for speed in the NFL draft. After selecting TCU wide receiver Jalen Reagor with the 21st overall pick in the first round, the Eagles acquired wideout Marquise Goodwin from the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday and chose two other fast receivers. The Eagles picked Boise State’s John Hightower in the fifth round and Southern Mississippi’s Quez Watkins in the sixth round. The receivers will help remake a group that struggled last season, in part because of injuries. Carson Wentz led the Eagles to four straight wins in December and an NFC East title with mostly castoffs at receiver.

— Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy is ready for an unusual offseason now that his first draft with Dallas is complete. It isn’t known when players will be able to go to team facilities. The Cowboys also don’t know when quarterback Dak Prescott will be under contract. Meantime, they’ve given him another weapon with a receiver they didn’t think would be available in Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb. Dallas used the last day to add a cornerback, center, pass rusher and quarterback.

—The Denver Broncos injected plenty of speed into their offense as they try to catch up to the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West. Broncos general manager John Elway went into the draft intent on adding playmakers for second-year quarterback Drew Lock and he grabbed three speedy receivers and one of the fastest tight ends in the draft. Elway also drafted a new center. Elway didn’t exactly neglect his defense as he added an inside linebacker and an edge rusher Saturday to go with a cornerback and a D-tackle he took on the first two nights.

— Eric DeCosta wanted to make Baltimore’s impressive offense even better. Over the course of three days, DeCosta added several key pieces to a unit that led the league in scoring and rushing yardage last season. Baltimore snagged Ohio State star running back J.K. Dobbins, wide receivers Devin Duvernay of Texas and James Proche of SMU and a pair of offensive linemen who hope to ease the sting of eight-time Pro Bowl guard Marshal Yanda’s retirement in March. DeCosta also secured LSU linebacker Patrick Queen in the first round.

— The two-win Bengals took full advantage of their favorable draft position and made themselves interesting again. How it translates into on-field success is still a question. Taking quarterback Joe Burrow and receiver Tee Higgins with their first two picks set them on a very different course on offense. The defense also will look much different in coach Zac Taylor’s second season with an influx from both free agency and the draft.

— The Miami Dolphins this week have added 11 draft picks, including a potential franchise quarterback, and a veteran running back. Even so, they may still be at least a year away from playoff contention. That’s partly because last season’s team was so bereft of talent, and partly because of the type of players Miami drafted, especially with the top two picks. Neither is likely to start when the 2020 season begins. That includes No. 5 overall choice Tua Tagovailoa (TOO’-ah tuhng-ah-vy-LOH’-ah), who is still recovering from a hip injury that ended his Alabama career in mid-November.

— The Green Bay Packers found Aaron Rodgers’ potential successor but didn’t give their star quarterback any new wide receivers. The Packers didn’t select any receivers even though this draft class was heralded for its depth at that position. Davante Adams is the only Packer who caught as many as 50 passes or accumulated as many as 500 yards receiving during the 2019 regular season. The Packers spent much of this draft trying to solve long-term issues rather than focusing on immediate needs. That included selecting Utah State quarterback Jordan Love in the first round.

— Maybe the Southeastern Conference should simply hold onto its players and become part of the NFL. The home of national champion LSU and perennial contenders Alabama, Georgia and Auburn, the SEC dominated the first four rounds of the NFL draft. By the time this unusual draft was over, 63 players had come from the SEC’s 14 teams — well, 13, because Ole Miss was ignored. LSU sent 14, tying the most in a seven-round draft, followed by Alabama with nine. The SEC fell just short of last year’s record of 63 selectees.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NBA

MIAMI (AP) — A person with knowledge of the situation says NBA players will be allowed to return to team training facilities starting Friday, provided that their local governments do not have a stay-at-home order prohibiting such movement. Any workouts that take place would be voluntary and individual sessions only. The directives from the league were not released publicly.

Group practices would not be allowed yet, and teams will not yet be permitted to organize in-person workouts.

The NBA’s move is not a sign that a return to play is imminent. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has said on several occasions that the league does not anticipate being able to decide until sometime in May.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa led the nation in NCAA wrestling attendance for the 14th straight year and the state’s two other Division I programs ranked among the top 13 nationally. The National Wrestling Media Association announced the Hawkeyes averaged a record 12,568 fans over seven dates at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. This was the first season a program drew more than 10,000 for every home dual. Penn State was second in attendance with an average of 7,604. Iowa State was third at 4,795 and Northern Iowa was 13th at 2,168.

Update on the latest in sports

UNDATED (AP) — Housebound football fans gave the NFL a huge boost on Thursday.
The first night of this week’s NFL draft averaged 15.6 million viewers on television, easily shattering the record set six years ago. The first round was aired on ABC, ESPN, the NFL Network and ESPN Deportes. Viewership peaked from 8:45-9 p.m. EDT when 19.6 million people tuned in, according to Nielsen. That is up 37% over last year’s 11.4 million. The previous high was 12.4 million in 2014, when the draft was held in early May. The draft was the first live U.S. sporting event since the coronavirus pandemic. The draft originally was to be held in Las Vegas but is taking place virtually. The draft resumed from with second- and third-round selections. After having a record 15 of the 32 players in the first round of the draft come from the SEC, another 10 came off the board in Round 2. Seven more wide receivers went in the second round, one more than in Day 1. The wideouts included Florida’s Van Jefferson to the Rams and Baylor’s Denzel Mims to the Jets. With 13 receivers taken in the first two rounds, it breaks the record of 12 set in 2014. Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts was selected by the in the second round with the 53rd overall pick. He was the fifth QB selected in the draft, and the first in the second round. Round 2 was the running back round, with five high-profile players coming off the board. Green Bay used a second-round pick on running back A.J. Dillon, taking the Boston College workhorse with the 62nd overall selection.

UNDATED (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams announced the signings of linebacker Leonard Floyd and defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson on Friday after quarterback Jared Goff restructured his contract to create salary cap room. Floyd and Robinson agreed to join the Rams as free agents several weeks ago, but the announcements of their deals were delayed because they hadn’t been able to complete their physical exams because of the pandemic. Goff agreed last year to a four-year contract extension with an NFL-record $110 million guaranteed. The extension doesn’t begin until the 2021 season, but Goff agreed to restructure the deal’s money distribution to create breathing room for the Rams.

— The Texans have agreed to a three-year, $66 million contract extension with left tackle Laremy Tunsil, according to a person familiar with the situation. He had one year left on his current contract that will pay him more than $10 million this season. Tunsil was named to his first Pro Bowl last season after being acquiring from Miami in August.

— Patriots center David Andrews says he is ready to return after missing all of last season with blood clots in his lungs. He says he’s excited to have the opportunity to play again, whenever and however the NFL season begins. Andrews has played four seasons for New England. In 2018, he started every game and participated in 99% of the offensive snaps.

— Tua Tagovailoa (TOO’-ah tuhng-ah-vy-LOH’-ah) now knows where he’ll play next, but he still doesn’t know when. The Dolphins selected him with the fifth overall pick in Thursday’s draft and are willing to wait until 2021 while Tugavailoa continues to recover from a major hip injury. Tugavailoa says doctors have indicated he’s on schedule for a return this year. General manager Chris Grier said the Dolphins are comfortable about Tagovailoa’s health, despite a long injury history.

— The older brother of Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has died. Jace Prescott was 31. The Cowboys confirmed the older Prescott’s death yesterday in a brief statement. There was no information on how or where he died. Jace Prescott was an offensive lineman a decade ago at Northwestern State, where he played three years and started all 11 games in his final season.

UNDATED (AP) — Memphis freshman Precious Achiuwa has announced he will enter the NBA draft, saying he has dreamed of “playing in the NBA since I picked up the game.” The 6-foot-9, 225-pound Nigerian-born star is projected as a likely first-rounder and possible lottery pick. Achiuwa became the first player in the American Athletic Conference named both player and freshman of the year, averaging 15.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game after arriving as one of the nation’s top prospects.

— Texas has landed top basketball recruit Greg Brown III, who had listed the G League as a possibility before decided to attend the college where his father played football. The 6-foot-9 forward from Austin is expected to play just one year in college before turning pro. He had long listed Texas among his top college choices but in the last few days had listed the G League as a possibility.

UNDATED (AP) — Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo expects there will be a 2020 major league season. In a conference call Friday, Rizzo said: “I’m optimistic, as is the commissioner, that we’ll have baseball in 2020.”
The GM said the team’s owners have committed to giving Nationals employees full salary and benefits through the end of May. Baseball has been on hold since last month because of the coronavirus pandemic.

— The Cape Cod League executive committee has announced the cancellation of the 2020 season, saying the unanimous vote was based on the health concerns and safety needs of all involved. The 10-team league is the top summer competition for college baseball players and was scheduled to run from mid-June until August. The league was founded in 1885 and had not missed a season since 1945, the last year of World War II.

— A Summer X Games stop in Minneapolis scheduled for July has been canceled due to the coronavirus. The action-sports event in Minneapolis was to be the fourth and final go-around in the city. The deal was originally for 2017 and ’18, but two more years were added after a successful first year. The X Games plans to bring regular and original programming through the World of X Games TV series and on digital and social channels. They will kick off an event called “Real Street” in May. It’s an all-video, all-street skateboarding competition shown on XGames.com.

— The rest of the Dutch soccer league has been canceled without a champion declared. Ajax was level on points with second-placed AZ Alkmaar but ahead on goal difference when the league was suspended on March 12. The Dutch soccer federation added it will allocate Champions League and Europa League spots by the current standings. The federation’s decision sparked instant complaints from clubs who felt they had lost out.

— Manchester United vice chairman Ed Woodward has told fans there will be reduced spending on players due to the financial consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. English Premier League games have not been played for more than six weeks and stadiums are due to be closed to fans when the season resumes in June at the earliest.

— The U.S. Junior Amateur and the U.S. Girls’ Junior golf championships have been canceled. That makes six USGA championships that have been canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Junior Amateur was to be played July 20-25 at Hazeltine National outside Minneapolis. The U.S. Girls’ Junior was scheduled for July 13-18 in Colorado Springs, Colo. The USGA says it wouldn’t be able to hold qualifying for its two premier junior championships because of health guidelines. State associations were to hold 100 qualifying events in 41 states between May and July.

— Triathlon’s world series grand final in Edmonton, Alberta, in August has been canceled because of the pandemic. The decision was inevitable after the Canadian province’s chief medical officer extended the provincial ban on all gatherings of more than 15 people through summer. Edmonton’s triathlon was scheduled for Aug. 17-23.

— The International Olympic Committee is allocating more than $25 million to cover extra athlete and team costs related to the one-year postponement of the Tokyo Games. The IOC says an extra $15 million will go to a program helping 1,600 athletes from 185 less well-funded countries prepare for the games in 2021. More than $10 million is available for national Olympic bodies to cover additional operational costs such as travel and accommodation for officials.

— FIFA (FEE’-fuh) says advance payments of $500,000 are being sent to member associations to cover running costs during the coronavirus pandemic. Each of the 211 member associations is entitled to $6 million from FIFA spread over the four-year World Cup cycle. International soccer’s governing body says the next installment due in July will now be paid in the coming days along with other payments due from last year. FIFA president Gianni Infantino says the soccer body has a duty “to be there and support the ones that are facing acute needs.”

— The German Cup soccer final has been postponed indefinitely and will likely take place without fans. The German soccer federation says the final will no longer be played on May 23 in Berlin as planned but it’s still sticking to a June 30 deadline to finish the season. There are no dates for the postponed semifinals, which were originally scheduled to be played this week.

— A tropical island in the South Pacific is likely to be the only venue in the world hosting a competitive cricket final on Saturday, as most international sport remains shuttered around the globe. Vanuatu (vah-noo-AH’-too) Cricket Association chief executive Shane Deitz is inviting anyone missing live action to tune in to a live stream. Vanuatu went into lock down late last month as a precaution during the coranavirus pandemic and was then hit hit by a destructive cyclone on April 6. The lockdown and closed borders meant there were no reported cases of COVID-19 in Vanuatu.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NCAA is giving teams new scheduling options for the 2020-21 season.
The Division I Council has approved a proposal to give men’s basketball programs choices with 28- and 29-game schedules.
The council vote still must be reviewed by the NCAA Board of Directors and won’t be considered final until the conclusion of its board meeting on Wednesday. The proposal will allow schools that schedule 28 regular-season game to participate in one multiple-team event of up to three games. Programs with 29-game regular-season schedules can participate in a multiple-team event with up to two games. A team that does not participate in a multiple-team event can have up to 29 regular-season games.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers are being sued for negligence by a man who was attacked in the parking lot of Dodger Stadium and left with brain damage. Lawyers for Rafael Reyna and his wife announced the suit, which contends that the stadium lacked adequate security. Rafael Reyna was attacked while walking to his car shortly after midnight following a Dodgers game against Arizona on March 30, 2019. Reyna suffered a brain injury when his head hit the pavement. The suit says he spent days in a medically induced coma and still suffers effects of the injury. A team spokesman said the Dodgers had no comment on the suit.

PULLMAN, Wash. (AP)— The Whitman County coroner says acute intoxication was the cause of death for a Washington State football player last month. Coroner Annie Pillers said Friday that 22-year-old Bryce Beekman died after consuming a combination of fentanyl and promethazine. She ruled the death as accidental. The senior defensive back from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was found dead in his Pullman apartment March 23. Beekman started all 13 games last season for Washington State after transferring from Arizona Western College.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — A legal team that says it represents more than 100 people who allege they were abused by a University of Michigan sports doctor on Friday announced the first step in filing a lawsuit against the school.
The Anderson Survivors Legal Team said it has filed 20-plus notices of intent to sue the Ann Arbor school, its board and Dr. Robert Anderson’s estate. A lawsuit would be among a rising wave of legal action against the school, which is investigating allegations of decades of sexual abuse by Anderson. The university has acknowledged some campus employees were aware of accusations against Anderson before a 2018 complaint that led to a police investigation. The Anderson Survivors Legal Team says its clients include Robert Stone, the first to speak publicly about allegations of abuse against Anderson, and female accusers.

UNDATED (AP) — The hard-throwing, wild left-hander whose minor league career inspired the creation of Nuke LaLoosh in the movie “Bull Durham,” has died.
Steve Dalkowski died Sunday at the Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain. His sister, Patricia Cain, said Friday he had several pre-existing conditions that were complicated when he became infected with the new coronavirus. Dalkowski had been in assisted living for 26 years because of alcoholic dementia.
Dalkowski never reached the major leagues but was said to have thrown well over 100 mph. According to “Bull Durham” director and writer Ron Shelton, Ted Williams told him Dalkowski was the fastest he ever saw after facing the southpaw during batting practice at spring training in 1963.

The USHL named their all league selections for the shortened 2019-20 season. The Fighting Saints Riese Gaber and goalie Erik Portillo were both named to First Team. The two join three other Fighting Saints as All-USHL selections, giving Dubuque a league-high five players on All-USHL Teams.

Gaber finished with 55 points, second on the team, and finished with a league-high 34 goals.

Portillo had a league best 2.11 goals against average and he ranked top five in both save percentage and wins as well.

• The other Saints named all USHL were: Dylan Jackson 2^nd team, Braden Doyle and forward Ty Jackson were named to the 3^rd

UNDATED (AP) — Joe Burrow’s the one.

The Cincinnati Bengals have taken the LSU quarterback with the first selection in the NFL draft. It’s the third straight year in which the reigning Heisman Trophy winner was taken first overall in the draft.

Burrow just led the Tigers to the national championship in a record-setting season. He completed an outstanding 76.3% of his passes for 5,671 yards, 60 touchdowns and just six interceptions.

Burrow played his last two seasons at LSU after transferring from Ohio State.

• Ohio State produced the No. 2 and No. 3 pick as defensive end Chase Young was taken by the Redskins. The Lions grabbed the highest-rated cornerback in this year’s draft by taking Buckeye All-American Jeff Okudah with the third selection.

Other 1st round highlights:

• Tampa Bay traded up one spot with San Francisco to number 13 in order to insure selecting Iowa All American offensive Tackle Tristan Wirfs.

• The Green Bay Packers have found a potential successor to Aaron Rodgers. And they were willing to trade up in the first round and bypass more immediate needs to land him. Green Bay moved up four spots in the first round to take Utah State quarterback Jordan Love with the 26th overall pick in the NFL draft.  The move fortifies Green Bay’s quarterback depth and provides an heir apparent for Rodgers.

• The Minnesota Vikings have taken LSU wide receiver Justin Jefferson with the 22nd overall pick in the NFL draft. They also traded down to select TCU cornerback Jeff Gladney with the 31st choice. The slot for Jefferson came from Buffalo in the trade that sent wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Bills. Jefferson set a school record and led all FBS players with 111 receptions in 2019 for the national champions. The Vikings sent the 25th selection to San Francisco and moved down six spots for Gladney while gaining additional picks in the fourth and fifth round from the 49ers.

•  The first night of the NFL draft figured to be an uneventful one for the Chicago Bears, with no first-round picks for the second year in a row. Business will likely pick up on Friday. The Bears have a pair of second-rounders at Nos. 43 and 50 overall and seven picks total. They are in need of playmakers and better pass-blocking protection.

• Round two gets underway later today, still on the board are Iowa defensive end A.J. Epensea and Wisconsin running back Johnathan Taylor.

MLB-RED SOX-SIGN STEALING

NEW YORK (AP) — The Boston Red Sox have escaped the heavy punishment doled out to the Houston Astros in their separate sign-stealing scandals.

Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has stripped the Red Sox of their second-round pick in this year’s draft while also punishing former Boston skipper Alex Cora for his role in the Astros’ sign-stealing maneuvers of 2017 and ‘18.

Manfred concluded Red Sox replay system operator J.T. Watkins broke rules by using in-game video to revise sign sequences provided to players. According to Manfred, Watkins was a “key participant” in the 2017 Apple incident, when the Red Sox used a smartwatch to relay decoded signs from the replay room to the dugout.

Watkins was suspended without pay through this year’s postseason and prohibited from serving as the replay room operator through 2021.

Meanwhile, Cora has been suspended through the 2020 postseason for his previous conduct as bench coach with the Astros. Cora became manager of the Red Sox in 2018 and left the team last winter.

Manfred found Boston’s conduct far less egregious than that of the Astros, whom he determined used video to steal catchers’ signs during their run to the 2017 World Series title and again during the 2018 season. Houston manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were suspended through the 2020 postseason on Jan. 13 and Houston was fined $5 million, the maximum under the Major League Constitution. The Astros were penalized their next two first- and second-round amateur draft picks.

The Red Sox also announced that Ron Roenicke is their new manager after giving him the job on an interim basis in March. He replaced Cora.

NFL-NEWS

UNDATED (AP) — Rob Gronkowski has become an official member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The tight end will be catching passes from Tom Brady again after the New England Patriots agreed to send him to the Bucs, along with a seventh-round pick in this weekend’s draft. The Pats receive a fourth-round selection.

Gronkowski earned four All-Pro selections in nine seasons while serving as one of Brady’s top targets at New England. Brady signed a two-year, $50 package with New England past month.

The 31-year-old Gronkowski has one year and $10 million left on his contract. He comes out of retirement following a one-year absence.

In other NFL news:

— On Saturday, Brad Lang, a Marine veteran who lost both legs in an explosion while on patrol in Afghanistan in 2011, will announce a draft pick for the Carolina Panthers. He was selected by the NFL to represent the new league that will play in Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Kansas City, Missouri.  Then Lang will continue preparation for the wheelchair version of America’s most popular sport. Disabled Sports USA, with funding from the NFL and the Bob Woodruff Foundation, plans to launch a league in the fall.

In other NFL news:

— Giants defensive tackle Leonard Williams has signed his non-exclusive franchise tag. Williams will earn a salary in the 2020 season based on the average of the top five salaries from his position. The two sides can negotiate a long-term contract during the season. The Giants acquired Williams on Oct. 29 from the Jets for two draft choices.

— The head of the NFL Players Association says the new collective bargaining agreement does not have a similar clause to one that allows the NBA to start cutting players’ pay in mid-May. Executive Director DeMaurice Smith said Wednesday on a call with reporters that the CBA with the NFL does not have a provision that would prevent someone from fulfilling a contract because of unforeseeable circumstances. The NBA is using that clause to begin taking a 25% chunk out of players’ checks starting May 15 for a league that shut down March 11 because of the coronavirus pandemic. The NFL began its new business year March 18.

— The New Orleans Saints have canceled their offseason program because of the coronavirus shutdown and informed players they’ll not be required to report to club headquarters until training camp, whenever that may be. Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said coach Sean Payton informed players of the decision today, adding that the club will remain in regular communication with players between now and the opening of training camp.

— Percy Harvin is planning an NFL comeback, nearly four years after his last game. The former Florida star and first-round draft pick by Minnesota in 2009 expects to get invited to a training camp this season and show his 32-year-old body still has what it takes to be an elite playmaker. Harvin’s decision to resume his career comes after he underwent hip surgery last August. Doctors found a blockage he says may have been there since high school.

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL-NOTRE DAME-MCGRAW

UNDATED (AP) — One of the most successful coaches in women’s basketball history has stepped down.

Notre Dame’s Muffet McGraw has abruptly retired after a Hall of Fame coaching career that includes 936 victories and two national championships in 33 seasons. The 64-year-old McGraw became the 13th woman inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame three years ago, one year before her second NCAA title.

McGraw is one of five Division I men’s or women’s basketball coaches with at least 930 wins, nine Final Fours and multiple titles. She logged 842 over 24 seasons with the Irish.

Former Wahlert Catholic state champion wrestler Boone McDermott is taking his talents to the Big 10 conference. McDermott announced  this morning on Twitter he will wrestle at Rutgers University next season and have three years of eligibility.  McDermott, who pinned his way to a state high school title at 220 pounds in 2018 went to Iowa Central Community College where he redshirted his first year then won a junior college national championship this past season.

Wisconsin and Illinois have followed Iowa in announcing they are cancelling their spring High School Sports seasons and all state tournament competitions due to the Covid-19 crisis.  The announcement was made yesterday by both states governing associations.

Both associations did leave the door open to the chance those athletes may be able to hold some competitions this summer if conditions allow.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Rob Gronkowski is about to come out of retirement and be reunited with Tom Brady, pending completion of a physical. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to acquire the tight end and a seventh-round pick from the New England Patriots for a fourth-round selection. The proposed trade needs to be finalized before the NFL draft, which begins tomorrow. Gronkowski has caught 521 passes for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns in 115 regular-season games.

NEW YORK (AP) — The number of minor league teams with major league affiliations is about to shrink by 25%. A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press the minor leagues are prepared to agree to Major League Baseball’s proposal to cut guaranteed affiliations from 160 to 120 next year. The plan would impact hundreds of prospects and cut player development expenses. Under MLB’s proposal, each franchise would have four full-season farm teams, a rookie level club at its minor league complex and prospects in the Dominican Summer League.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The University at Buffalo men’s basketball team has been placed on one-year probation after a former assistant coach was found to have forged recruiting documents. Buffalo also was fined $5,000, agreed to a two-week ban on communicating with potential recruits and reduced its recruiting days by five for the 2020-21 season. The decision was announced by the NCAA and the Mid-American Conference school as part of a negotiated resolution reached today. The school said it self-reported the infractions in October and cooperated with the NCAA investigation.

DENVER (AP) — The Associated Press has learned that the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee is bracing for cuts of 10% to 20%. The reductions are due to the coronavirus pandemic that has pushed the Olympics back one year and triggered losses across the nation’s sports organizations. The AP received a copy of a letter CEO Sarah Hirshland sent to leaders across the U.S. Olympic world today in which she said the exact nature of the cuts would be determined by the end of May.

UNDATED (AP) — The men’s and women’s professional tennis tours plan to create a player relief fund to help those in the sport dealing with the financial effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The ATP and WTA say they are in discussions with the International Tennis Federation and the four Grand Slam tournaments. Neither tour provided any specifics about how much money they are pooling or how it will be distributed. No tournaments will be played before mid-July at the earliest.

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball players are bracing for a battle with owners over the possibility of reduced salaries caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Players are upset over the prospect teams may seek additional pay cuts if games are played in empty ballparks. Their anger was stoked last week when New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he was told by Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon that the union would have to agree to lower salaries if games are played without fans.

A March 26 deal between the sides states “the Office of the Commissioner and Players Association will discuss in good faith the economic feasibility of playing games in the absence of spectators or at appropriate substitute neutral sites.” The union points to another passage covering salaries in which players agree to give up 1/162nd of base pay for each regular season game lost.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Rob Manfred has made a move that allows teams to lay off or cut the pay of major and minor league managers, coaches, trainers and full-time scouts starting May 1.

Manfred has suspended uniform employee contracts that cover about 9,000 people, including general managers on some teams. Manfred cited the inability to play games due to the national emergency caused by the pandemic.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-SPORTS POLL

UNDATED (AP) — The possibility of professional sports resuming without fans is growing. And a recent poll suggests a majority of fans wouldn’t feel safe attending games anyway without a vaccine for the new coronavirus.

One sports business expert says losses of fan-related revenue will be substantial even if clubs begin cashing in on lucrative media rights deals again. Losses could reach $3 billion among the NBA, NHL, Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer.

The Seton Hall Sports Poll found that 72% of Americans wouldn’t feel safe attending games without a vaccine. The number drops to 61% among respondents who identify as sports fans.

Seventy percent said the NFL shouldn’t start in the fall to ensure the safety of players, even if some form of social distancing is still in place.

Just over three-quarters said they would have the same interest watching a broadcast of live sports played without fans.

TENNIS-VIRUS OUTBREAK-DJOKOVIC

UNDATED (AP) — Novak Djokovic says he won’t take any anti-coronavirus vaccination if it becomes compulsory for tennis players to return to the world tours.

The world’s top-ranked men’s tennis player said in a live Facebook chat he wouldn’t “be forced by someone to take a vaccine in order to be able to travel.” Djokovic and his wife have two children and have spoken previously against vaccinations.

Djokovic won the Australian Open in January for his 17th grand slam singles title.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says there is a chance for large public gatherings later in the summer, which could lead to games at Yankee Stadium and the Mets’ Citi Field. De Blasio announced Monday that parades and city-permitted events had been canceled through June because of the novel coronavirus but said progress in fighting the pandemic will determine what’s allowed after that.

Six Super Bowl rings may get you special treatment in a lot of places but former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady learned Monday that it won’t get you anything when you’re caught working out in a park that is closed to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said during a news briefing that the new Buccaneers quarterback was spotted working out by himself at a park downtown by staff patrol. The staffer went over to tell him he had to leave and she recognized the man to be the 42-year-old Brady.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL-NBA DRAFT

UNDATED (AP) — Baylor’s top two scorers are entering their names in the NBA draft while keeping open their options to return to the Bears.

All-Big 12 sophomore guard Jared Butler announced his intentions Monday on Twitter. Junior guard MaCio Teague said last month that he was exploring the NBA draft. Butler was third in the Big 12 with 16 points a game, while Teague scored 13.9 points a game.

And Washington State star CJ Elleby plans to go through the NBA draft process. Elleby led the Cougars in scoring and rebounding this past season as a sophomore, delivering 18.4 points and 7.8 boards a game. He can still return to Washington State for his junior season as long as he withdraws his name by 5 p.m. on June 15.

The inaugural class for the Cascade High School Athletic Hall of Fame will be made up of three Iowa Hall of Fame coaches.  Robert Davidshofer, Al Marshall, and Jerry Roling will become the very first members of the Hall of Fame.

• Davidshofer coached cross country in Cascade for 56 seasons and led his teams to a total of fifteen State Championships.
• Marshall in 47 seasons of coaching boys basketball retired in 2016 with 738 career victories, 13 conference championships, and 8 state tournament appearances.
• Roling led Cascade baseball to 750 of his 1,022 career coaching wins and three state tournament trips. He was also named National High School Athletic Coaches Association’s Baseball Coach of the Year in 2012.

The trio of inductees will be honored during ceremonies on October 2^nd and 3^rd in conjunction with homecoming activities.

UNDATED (AP) — Andrew Bogut says he probably needs to decide by mid-May whether to end his professional basketball career after 15 years. The first player taken in the 2005 NBA draft began his career with the Milwaukee Bucks and won a championship with the 2015 Golden State Warriors. Bogut spent the last two seasons playing in his native Australian and was planning to retire after representing his country at the Tokyo Games this summer before the pandemic postponed the Olympics.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Nobody did anything to get fired or lose a sponsor in this week’s edition of NASCAR virtual racing. William Byron won his second consecutive NASCAR virtual race by holding off Timmy Hill in today’s event at virtual Richmond Raceway. The most excitement came when Matt DiBenedetto was parked for intentionally crashing Ryan Preece and the two then engaged in a Twitter spat. The iRacing Series has had a sour taste since Bubba Wallace lost a sponsor for quitting a game in a rage and Kyle Larson was fired for using a racial slur.

UNDATED (AP) — Charles Leclerc has won his second straight Formula One Virtual Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver started the Chinese GP in the pole position. The 22-year-old Leclerc, who has won two F1 races, only started playing the video game at the start of the month. The actual Chinese GP, originally scheduled for April 19, was postponed in February. With the F1 season halted by the coronavirus pandemic, the sport launched a virtual series to keep fans entertained. Golfer Ian Poulter was 18th.

UNDATED (AP) — Wayne Gretzky is optimistic the NHL will be able to resume at some point this summer, telling The Associated Press he’s hopeful all sports will be able to come back from the coronavirus pandemic and serve as a sign that conditions are improving. Gretzky says he believes leaders in the U.S. and Canada will find a way to bring back hockey and other sports in June, July and August. The league is considering several options on trying to resume this season, including going directly to the playoffs at several neutral sites.

UNDATED (AP) — The Associated Press has asked more than 20 policymakers, coaches and players across the globe to assess the chances of getting sporting events going again soon. They all conceded that sports may not restart for months, if at all this year. Most agree that what’s needed is a drastic ramp-up in testing, a vaccine or some type of improved treatment to make players feel safe to compete.

UNDATED (AP) — The Chicago Bears have some work to do if they’re going to bounce back from a disappointing season. They come into the draft with seven picks, starting with two second-rounders, and no shortage of holes. The Bears need more playmakers on offense, better blocking and help in the secondary.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Running back Brian Hill has signed his $2.1 million tender offer to remain with the Atlanta Falcons. The restricted free agent received an original-round tender last month, giving the team a right to match any offer Hill received from another team or accept a fifth-round draft pick as compensation. Hill played in 12 games with two starts in 2019, rushing 78 times for 323 yards and two touchdowns along with 10 catches for 69 yards and one TD.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Simon Pagenaud   competed in his firesuit and captured IndyCar’s race on a simulated Twin Ring Motegi in Japan.Pagenaud took advantage of a frantic final 10 laps to get the victory.

MADRID, SPAIN (AP) – The mayor of Madrid says soccer matches and other sports events in Spain will take place in empty venues at least until the end of the summer. He says the coronavirus pandemic likely “won’t be under control” in time for events with big crowds to resume normally. The Spanish league is not expecting to resume at least until the end of May. It is working on several scenarios, including playing without fans through the fall.

UNDATED, (AP) – Socially distanced crews in New York and California are keeping horse racing on television in the U.S. during the coronavirus pandemic. Horse racing is one of the few sports ongoing, albeit in a limited capacity at a handful of empty tracks. But its TV presence has expanded because of the dearth of other options. The New York Racing Association helps produce “America’s Day at the Races” on Fox Sports, TVG has partnered with NBC Sports for a dozen hours of coverage each week and the hope is that the fledgling industry can stay afloat and gain more exposure.

NBA player payroll slashed due to pandemic
UNDATED (AP) — The COVID-19 pandemic is taking a bite out of NBA salaries.
NBA players will see 25% of their paychecks taken out starting May 15 in an agreement with the league. The decision was finalized today in a board of governors meeting and was done in concert with the National Basketball Players Association.
The cutback in salary has been expected for some time in response to the NBA’s shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The NBA playoffs would have started Saturday. If none of the 259 outstanding regular season games are played, the players would lose about $800 million in gross salary.

— Von Miller says he is in good spirits and “not feeling sick or hurting” after testing positive for the coronavirus. The Broncos linebacker told KUSA-TV in Denver that he developed a cough a couple of days ago. When his nebulizer for his asthma didn’t clear things up, he decided to get tested.

— The NFL will hold a practice remote draft on Monday, three days before the real thing is done in the same way. Commissioner Roger Goodell ordered all team facilities closed in March, and later required club personnel to conduct the draft from their homes. Because of the reliance on free-flowing communication, the league decided to stage a mock draft to ensure that the proceedings next week would go smoothly.

— NASCAR has postponed the May 9 race at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia with the state under a stay-at-home order until June 10. It gave no indication when the season will resume. NASCAR suspended its season four events into the year when sports shut down because of the pandemic. It had listed Martinsville as its first race to resume.

— Nippon Professional Baseball’s season openers will not take place in May due to the new coronavirus pandemic, with no firm date set for the start. Representatives of the 12 teams decided Friday to also scrap interleague play. The removal of 18 interleague games from each team’s calendar would make for a 125-game regular season.

— English Premier League clubs discussed the coronavirus testing required and scenarios that could salvage the season. The league hopes to restart on June 8, presenting an optimistically tight timeframe for players to return to game shape if social distancing is relaxed. Clubs in the three professional leagues below the Premier League have been told by the English Football League that May 16 is the earliest training sessions are recommended to start.

— The Senior LPGA Championship has been canceled. It was scheduled to be played July 30-Aug. 1 at French Lick Resort in Indiana. The USGA previously canceled the U.S. Senior Women’s Open. The Senior LPGA will stay at French Lick in 2021. The new dates will be determined later.

— Major League Soccer says it is pushing back restarting the season to at least June 8. Teams had played two matches before the season was suspended on March 12 because of the pandemic. The league had been looking at possibly resuming play in mid-May.

— The governing body of track and field is leading a panel of Olympic sports to advise on safely organizing mass gathering events amid the coronavirus. World Athletics says the Outbreak Prevention Taskforce includes the International Institute for Race Medicine and officials from cycling, rowing, skiing, triathlon and the International Paralympic Committee.

SDSU’s Flynn, UNC’s Anthony turning pro
UNDATED (AP) — Two of college basketball’s young stars have announced they are entering the NBA draft before completing their eligibility.
The list of draftable players now includes consensus All-American and Mountain West Conference Player of the year Malachi Flynn, who will forego his senior season at San Diego State. Flynn became the most decorated player in Aztecs history in his one season at SDSU after transferring from Washington State and sitting out a year. Flynn averaged 17.6 points, 5.1 assists and 4.5 rebounds this season as the sixth-ranked Aztecs went 30-2.
Cole Anthony is entering the NBA draft after just one season at North Carolina. He had been considered a likely one-and-done player and a high first-round draft prospect before his arrival in Chapel Hill. The son of former NBA player Greg Anthony set an ACC freshman record by scoring 34 points in his conference debut and finished the season averaging a team-high 18.5 points for the Tar Heels.

Jets, Byfuglien split
UNDATED (AP) — The Winnipeg Jets and Dustin Byfuglien (BUHF’-lihn) have agreed to mutually terminate the veteran defenseman’s contract after a lengthy dispute, potentially marking the end of his hockey-playing career.
No financial settlement was part of the agreement, meaning Byfuglien walked away from the $14 million remaining on his contract for this season and next. Winnipeg general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said a conversation in September led him to believe Byfuglien was healthy but “had lost his desire to play in the National Hockey League.”
The Jets suspended the 35-year-old for not reporting to training camp. They received a call from his agent in October that he was considering a return. Byfuglien underwent ankle surgery in October and rehabbed into the winter.
Byfuglien filed a grievance through the NHL Players’ Association believing he should be paid while recovering from ankle surgery.
Also in the NHL:
— The Blue Jackets have signed All-Star goaltender Joonas Korpisalo (YOH’-nuhs kohr-pih-SAH’-loh) to a two-year contract worth a reported $5.6 million. The Finnish-born netminder has a 19-12-5 record, 2.60 goals-against average, .911 save percentage and two shutouts in 37 appearances this season. Korpisalo has established career highs in games played, wins and goals-against average since taking over as the starter when Sergei Bobrovsky (boh-BRAHF’-skee) left via free agency last summer.

Ionescu goes to Liberty with top pick
NEW YORK (AP) — Sabrina Ionescu was the No. 1 pick in Friday’s WNBA draft, going to the New York Liberty in an Oregon sweep of the top two picks. Ionescu set the NCAA record for triple-doubles and was the first college player to have over 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists in her career
The WNBA draft went about as well as the Dallas Wings could have hoped after pushing toward the night for so long. The Wings had three of the top seven picks Friday. Dallas picked Oregon 6-foot-4 forward Satou Sabally second overall. Princeton guard and three-time Ivy League player of the year Bella Alarie was taken by the Wings with the fifth pick. They got 5-10 South Carolina point guard Tyasha Harris at No. 7.
Lauren Cox went third to Indiana and Chennedy Carter was the fourth selection by Atlanta.
Due to the pandemic, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced selections from her home in New Jersey, holding up the jersey of the player being chosen.

NWSL had momentum heading into now suspended season
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The National Women’s Soccer League was set to open its eighth season this weekend with plenty of momentum behind it courtesy of an enthusiastic new commissioner in Lisa Baird and a new TV deal with CBS.
The league was also riding a surge in attention following the United States’ victory in the Women’s World Cup last summer. The national team’s players are scattered throughout the NWSL, with U.S. Soccer paying their salaries.
The league averaged 7,337 in attendance last season, a 21.8% increase over 2018 — the so-called “World Cup Bump”
But like other leagues, it’s now on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic. Among those who have been sidelined are the Portland Thorns’ Morgan Weaver, the surprise No. 2 draft pick this year. Weaver got in just about a week of training camp before the NWSL was suspended.

Marion Hollins elected to 2021 class of Golf HOF
UNDATED (AP) — Marion Hollins has been elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame.
She was elected through the contributor’s category, joining a 2021 class that so far includes Tiger Woods.
Hollins was a visionary in golf course architecture. She financed and developed a club only for women in New York in the early 1920s. And she was the brains behind Cypress Point Club and Pasatiempo in California.
Hollins died in 1944 when she was 51.
The induction is planned for March in Florida.

Horse racing gets more TV time with other sports on hold
UNDATED (AP) — Socially distanced crews in New York and California are keeping horse racing on television in the U.S. during the coronavirus pandemic. Horse racing is one of the few sports ongoing, albeit in a limited capacity at a handful of empty tracks. But its TV presence has expanded because of the dearth of other options.
The New York Racing Association helps produce “America’s Day at the Races” on Fox Sports. TVG has partnered with NBC Sports for a dozen hours of coverage each week and the hope is that the fledgling industry can stay afloat and gain more exposure during these trying times.
Live racing at Aqueduct Park in Queens was suspended in mid-March after a backstretch worker tested positive for the coronavirus. Groom Martin Zapata, 63, died in early April from COVID-19 complications.

Iowa HS Spring Sports Cancelled-Wisconsin Hopes Fading

Iowa High School stadiums hosting track and field events, soccer fields, and tennis courts will remain empty this spring. This morning Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announced that Iowa schools will be closed for the rest of the academic year which wipes out all school related activities including spring sports.  The announcement postpones a decision on summer baseball and softball until June First.

The hopes of beginning the Wisconsin High School spring sports schedule are quickly fading after news yesterday from the Governor’s office as well.

Governor Tony Evers extended the state’s Stay at Home order until May 26 and ordered all public and private K-12 schools to remain closed and interscholastic athletics are prohibited for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year..

The W-I-A-A Board of Control will discuss the options for the for the spring sports seasons and for summertime regulations at its scheduled meeting on Tuesday.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Illinois star Ayo Dosunmu declared for the NBA draft in a video posted to his Twitter account on Wednesday. A first-team, all-Big Ten guard, Dosunmu wrote in the video he is “100% locked in” and plans to forgo his final two years of eligibility. He said he does not have an agent, though players can now hire one and withdraw as long as they cut ties. The NCAA deadline is June 3.

AURORA, Colorado (AP) — Von Miller’s agent says the Denver Broncos linebacker has tested positive for the coronavirus and wanted to come forward with his diagnosis to show doubters how serious the disease is. Joby Branion tells The Associated Press that Miller is in good spirits while resting at his home in Denver and that Miller plans to speak publicly about his diagnosis on Friday. Miller said last week he trained in San Francisco before returning home to Colorado when the stay-at-home measures went into effect to contain the virus.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland Browns chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta has dismissed a report the team is trying to trade star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to the Minnesota Vikings, saying it’s “completely false.” DePodesta says he knows Beckham is excited about the possibilities of what this offensive system could bring for him, adding that he’s excited to have Beckham. Beckham was injured during his first season with the Browns after arriving from the New York Giants in a blockbuster trade 13 months ago.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco 49ers running back Matt Breida has signed his restricted free agent tender worth about $3.3 million. The Niners placed the tender on Breida last month that gave them the right to match any contract or get a second-round pick as compensation. Breida had 123 carries for 623 yards and one touchdown in 13 games last season. He also grabbed 20 passes for 120 yards and a score.

UNDATED (AP) — The PGA Tour has hopes of a restart to the season at Colonial on June 11-14 and keeping fans away for at least the first month. Tour officials said Thursday that if government and health authorities give golf the green light, the tour will have an official event every week through Dec. 6 except for the week of Thanksgiving. Even as it announced a truncated schedule, several key details were still being contemplated, such as testing for COVID-19 at tournaments.

UNDATED (AP) — The U.S. Tennis Association says a decision on whether to postpone or cancel the U.S. Open because of the coronavirus pandemic is expected by June. USTA CEO Mike Dowse says their ambition is to run the tournament, although the driving factor will be the health and well-being of the players, fans and staff. Dowse said the USTA is being advised by a medical advisory group that includes at least five doctors.

In their second season in the Mississippi Valley Conference, Western Dubuque High School has been honored for the sportsmanship they’ve shown. Western Dubuque is the winner of the MVC Mississippi Division Cliff Brees Sportsmanship Award. The winners were determined from results of sportsmanship ballots summarized by all varsity athletic officials for the sports of girls’ basketball, boys basketball, and wrestling during the recently completed winter athletic season. Cedar Rapids Kennedy was the winner of the Valley Division honor.

UNDATED (AP) — The major college football conference commissioners have held a 30-minute conference call with Vice President Mike Pence, stressing that college sports cannot return from the coronavirus shutdown until campuses have reopened. Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby says Pence asked good questions during yesterday’s call and was “hopeful and optimistic” about the fight against the coronavirus. American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco says they stressed the differences between pro and college sports and talked about how academics and college athletics are inseparable.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Baseball Hall of Famer Roy Halladay had high levels of amphetamines in his system and was doing extreme acrobatics when he lost control of his small plane and nosedived into Tampa Bay in 2017, killing him. That’s according to a report issued yesterday by the National Transportation Safety Board. Halladay had amphetamine levels about 10 times therapeutic levels in his blood along with a high level of morphine and an anti-depressant that can impair judgment.

UNDATED (AP) — Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive lineman Willie Davis has died at 85. Davis was a five-time All-Pro who helped Green Bay win six championships from 1960-67, including the first two Super Bowls. He was voted to the NFL’s all-decade team for the 1960s and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1981, 12 years after he retired. Davis played his first two seasons with the Cleveland Browns after being taken in the 15th round of the 1958 NFL draft out of Grambling.

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Graduate transfer Dimencio Vaughn has signed to play his final season with Mississippi after three years at Rider. Vaughn averaged 14.8 points and 6.6 rebounds last season, ranking fifth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in both categories. He was twice a first-team All-MAAC selection and was considered one of the top available grad transfers. Vaughn received a medical redshirt after a season-ending injury nine games into his freshman season.

STAMFORD, Conn (AP) — World Wrestling Entertainment started releasing professional wrestlers yesterday in budget cuts related to the coronavirus pandemic. The moves came even with the company allowed to continue to run live TV shows in Florida after Gov. Ron DeSantis deemed WWE an essential business. Pro sports were added to a list of businesses permitted to stay open in an April 9 memorandum. WWE is allowed to continue putting on shows without fans.

UNDATED (AP) — The major college football conference commissioners have held a 30-minute conference call with Vice President Mike Pence, stressing that college sports cannot return from the coronavirus shutdown until campuses have reopened. Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby says Pence asked good questions during yesterday’s call and was “hopeful and optimistic” about the fight against the coronavirus. American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco says they stressed the differences between pro and college sports and talked about how academics and college athletics are inseparable.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Baseball Hall of Famer Roy Halladay had high levels of amphetamines in his system and was doing extreme acrobatics when he lost control of his small plane and nosedived into Tampa Bay in 2017, killing him. That’s according to a report issued yesterday by the National Transportation Safety Board. Halladay had amphetamine levels about 10 times therapeutic levels in his blood along with a high level of morphine and an anti-depressant that can impair judgment.

UNDATED (AP) — Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive lineman Willie Davis has died at 85. Davis was a five-time All-Pro who helped Green Bay win six championships from 1960-67, including the first two Super Bowls. He was voted to the NFL’s all-decade team for the 1960s and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1981, 12 years after he retired. Davis played his first two seasons with the Cleveland Browns after being taken in the 15th round of the 1958 NFL draft out of Grambling.

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Graduate transfer Dimencio Vaughn has signed to play his final season with Mississippi after three years at Rider. Vaughn averaged 14.8 points and 6.6 rebounds last season, ranking fifth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in both categories. He was twice a first-team All-MAAC selection and was considered one of the top available grad transfers. Vaughn received a medical redshirt after a season-ending injury nine games into his freshman season.

STAMFORD, Conn (AP) — World Wrestling Entertainment started releasing professional wrestlers yesterday in budget cuts related to the coronavirus pandemic. The moves came even with the company allowed to continue to run live TV shows in Florida after Gov. Ron DeSantis deemed WWE an essential business. Pro sports were added to a list of businesses permitted to stay open in an April 9 memorandum. WWE is allowed to continue putting on shows without fans.

Iowa High School Baseball-Softball  Set New Dates

With a target date of May 1^st to restart schools in Iowa, the high school baseball and softball season calendar also has been reshuffled.  Both baseball and softball now will have their first practice dates scheduled for May 18^th with games to begin on June 1^st. Originally, the first date of practice was scheduled for May4th, the state tournament dates would remain the same with softball July 20^th thru 24^th and baseball July 24 thru August 1^st.

Hempstead High School is looking for a new head girls basketball coach. Casey Smith recently announced she is stepping down to concentrate more on her family. Smith led the Mustang program for three seasons compiling an overall record of 28-20. Casey is the wife of new University of Dubuque head women’s basketball coach Justin Smith.

The Wahlert Catholic High School Athletic Hall of Fame will enshrine 6 new members during ceremonies sometime later this year. The 2020 class induction ceremony was to be held late last month, but was postponed.

The new Wahlert Hall-of- Famers include:

• Jim Reilly — A 1985 graduate
• Barney Boland — A 1963 graduate
• Mel Cushing — from the class of 1965
• Craig Gansen — A 1995 graduate
• Teresa McClain —A 1978 graduate
• Kari Hamel — Kari was a 1985

CHICAGO (AP) — Four-time All-Star second baseman Glenn Beckert has died of natural causes at age 79, according to his family. 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.

UNDATED (AP) — Golf showman Doug Sanders has died at age 86, the PGA Tour confirmed through a text from Sanders’ ex-wife, Scotty. His best year was in 1961 when he won five times and finished third on the PGA Tour money list. But he is best known for four runner-up finishes in the majors, the most memorable at St. Andrews in the 1970 British Open. Needing to sink a 3-foot par putt on the final hole to beat Jack Nicklaus, Sanders muffed it before losing to Nicklaus in a playoff the following day.

LONDON (AP) — Formula One great Stirling Moss has died following a long illness. Moss won 16 of his 66 F1 starts and was affectionately known as “Mr. Motor Racing” while possessing a fearless and often reckless attitude. That took a toll on his slight body and his career ended at age 31 after a horrific crash. He said, “If you’re not trying to win at all costs, what on earth are you doing there?”

UNDATED (AP) — Former British soccer star Kenny Dalglish has returned home after being hospitalized for the coronavirus. The 69-year-old former Celtic, Scotland and Liverpool forward was hospitalized on Wednesday for treatment on gallstones and subsequently tested positive for COVID-19 despite not showing symptoms. Dalglish has gone into self-isolation at home and urged the public to do everything possible to slow the spread of the virus.

LONDON (AP) — Former Chelsea goalkeeper Peter Bonetti has died at 78 following a long-term illness, according to the team. Bonetti made seven World Cup appearances for England, including in the 1970 final. He kept 208 clean sheets in 729 appearances for Chelsea over two spells from 1960-75 and 1977-79. Only Ron Harris, with 795, has made more appearances for the club.

TORONTO (AP) — Edmonton Oilers forward Colby Cave has died less than a week after being diagnosed with a brain bleed. He was 25.

NHL-OILERS-CAVE DIES

Cave was placed in a medically induced coma Tuesday at a Toronto hospital, where he was taken after being admitted to a medical facility in Barrie, Ontario, the previous day. Cave underwent emergency surgery Tuesday to remove a colloid cyst that was causing pressure on his brain.

The NHL club confirmed Cave’s death with a statement from his family.

Cave was acquired by the Oilers from the Bruins in January 2019. He played 44 games for Edmonton and scored once in 11 contests for the Oilers this season, spending most of his time with the team’s AHL affiliate at Bakersfield.

COLLEGE HOCKEY-HOBEY BAKER AWARD

UNDATED (AP) — Minnesota Duluth defenseman Scott Perunovich has won the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as college hockey’s top player, edging North Dakota forward Jordan Kawaguchi and Maine goalie Jeremy Swayman.

The junior from Hibbing, Minnesota, became the first defenseman to lead the National Collegiate Hockey Association in scoring, finishing with 40 points on six goals and 34 assists in 34 games.

Perunovich recently signed with the St. Louis Blues, who selected him in the second round of the 2018 NHL draft.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL-WOODS-ARIZONA STATE

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Portland State basketball transfer Holland “Boo Boo” Woods is headed home, announcing on Twitter that he’s going to play for Arizona State.

The 6-foot-1 guard averaged 17.7 points 5.2 assists and 2.5 as a junior last season. He earned first-team all-Big Sky honors and finished second in the conference in assists.

Woods played at Glendale Apollo High School before spending the past three seasons at Portland State.

He’ll have to sit out a season under NCAA transfer rules unless he is granted a waiver.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL-OKLAHOMA STATE-GUNDY

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy has apologized for his comments about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gundy said during a teleconference call Tuesday that he hoped to have the team return to its facilities May 1. His proposed timetable would have defied federal social-distancing guidelines and was quickly disputed by the university.

Athletic director Mike Holder also declined to back Gundy’s timeline, saying in a statement: “May 1 seems a little ambitious.”

Gundy said Saturday it was never his intention to offend anyone, adding that his first priority is and will always be the student-athletes and doing what is best for the program and the university.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The cancellation of this year’s College World Series because of the coronavirus pandemic isn’t hurting Omaha just economically. The eight-team tournament that decides the Division I baseball championship each June has long been a point of pride for the city of just under a half-million. Total attendance for the 15 games in 2019 was more than 330,000. Thousands more gather outside the stadium. The move to TD Ameritrade Park 10 years ago sparked development near the stadium. The event packs a $75 million economic impact each year.

UNDATED (AP) — Iowa’s Luka Garza and Duke’s Vernon Carey Jr. head the latest cluster of college basketball players who are testing their potential value in the upcoming NBA draft.

Garza has announced he’ll enter the draft process without an agent so he can maintain his college eligibility. The All-America center was runner-up to Dayton’s Obi Toppin for Associated Press national player of the year after becoming the first Big Ten player in 26 years to average at least 26 points per game in conference play.

Garza scored a school-record 740 points this season, breaking the program’s 50-year old record.

Carey Jr. is entering the NBA draft after being named the ACC’s player of the year and newcomer of the year by The Associated Press. He had been considered a likely one-and-done prospect and projected first-round pick.