NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball’s Field of Dreams game in Iowa has been postponed until 2021 because of the novel coronavirus. The game at a newly constructed ballpark on the cornfield adjacent to the site of the 1989 movie had been scheduled for Aug. 13 in Dyersville. The Chicago White Sox originally had been set to host the New York Yankees. When MLB remade its schedule following the delayed start to the season, the St. Louis Cardinals became the opponent. MLB will keep the White Sox for the game next year. The other team has not been determined.

CHICAGO (AP) — Kris Bryant homered in his return to the lineup and Alec Mills pitched seven effective innings, helping the Chicago Cubs beat the Kansas City Royals 2-0 for their fourth consecutive win. Javier Báez had a sacrifice fly and a nice play in the field as NL Central-leading Chicago improved to 8-2 for the first time since 2016. Bryant also doubled in the first after missing two games with a stomach ailment. Kansas City wasted a solid performance by Danny Duffy, who pitched six innings of one-run ball.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — José Abreu hit a tying, two-run homer in the seventh inning, Leury García scored on a wild pitch in the eighth and Yoan Moncada added a solo shot in the ninth to lift the Chicago White Sox over Milwaukee 6-4 in the Brewers’ belated home opener. Milwaukee was set to open Miller Park for a weekend series against St. Louis, but that was postponed after numerous Cardinals tested positive for the coronavirus. The Brewers had been idle since Wednesday at Pittsburgh. Chicago has won five straight, all on the road. Starter Carlos Rodón was pulled after two innings with left shoulder soreness.

TORONTO (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes have taken a 2-0 lead in their NHL qualifying series, the Pittsburgh knotted their series at a game apiece and the Tampa Bay Lightning grab their first game in round-robin play. Andrei Svechnikov provided the first playoff hat trick in Hurricanes history to lead a 4-1 win over the New York Rangers. Jason Zucker scored the eventual game-winner in the third period of the Penguins’ 3-1 win against Montreal, and Nikita Kucherov scored once in regulation before netting the deciding shootout goal to lift the Lightning past Washington, 3-2.

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — The Edmonton Oilers, Vegas Golden Knights and Winnipeg Jets won their NHL Western Conference games on Monday. The Oilers squared their qualifying series at a game apiece behind Connor McDavid’s hat trick in a 6-3 verdict over Chicago. Will Carrier scored the tiebreaker with 5:12 left as the Golden Knights beat the Stars, 5-3 in round-robin play. The Jets beat Calgary, 3-2 on a power-play goal by Nikolaj Ehlers in the final period, evening the qualifying series at a game apiece.

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Cubs star Kris Bryant is following through on his own words when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic. Bryant homered in his return to the starting lineup against Kansas City after missing two games with a stomach ailment. The 28-year-old Bryant had thanked Reds second baseman Mike Moustakas after he self-reported possible coronavirus symptoms. Bryant then spoke up himself when he wasn’t feeling well Saturday, and he had to sit out while he worked his way through Major League Baseball’s pandemic protocols.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers clinched the top seed in the NBA’s Western Conference playoffs as Anthony Davis contributed 42 points and 12 rebounds in a 116-108 downing of the Jazz. Davis’ final basket resulted in a 4-point play with 42 seconds left, as he sank a 3-pointer while getting fouled by Rudy Gobert and made the ensuing free throw to give the Los Angeles a 114-104 lead. LeBron James scored 22 points for the Lakers, wile Donovan Mitchell was high man for Utah with 33 points.

UNDATED (AP) — Former wrestling star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson says he has acquired the XFL. The 48-year-old actor made the announcement on Twitter. Reportedly the price is $15 million. The XFL had eight franchises and played five games out of a planned 10-game schedule before canceling the remainder of its season in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Big Ten player of the year Luka Garza says he’s withdrawing from the NBA draft and will return to Iowa for his senior season. Garza says his heart is in Iowa City and that it would have been hard to close the book on his college career without a last chapter. The 6-foot-11, 260-pound center from Washington, D.C., scored 20 or more points in the last 16 games of his junior season, the longest streak by an Iowa player since 1971. Garza was a consensus first-team All-American and runner-up for Associated Press national player of the year.

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Jared Spurgeon scored twice and Alex Stalock stopped 28 shots to get his his first career postseason win, leading the Minnesota Wild in a 3-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks in Game 1 of their qualifying series. Kevin Fiala also scored — one of Minnesota’s two power-play goals. Eric Staal had two assists and Spurgeon sealed the win with an empty-netter in the final minute. Jacob Markstrom, making his first career postseason start, also finished with 28 saves for Vancouver. Game 2 of the best-of-five series is Tuesday.

TORONTO (AP) — The Philadelphia Flyers won the opener of their round-robin NHL series against Boston, while the Columbus Blue Jackets captured Game 1 of their qualifying-round series. Carter Hart stopped 34 shots and Michael Raffl provided a goal and an assist in the second period as the Flyers dumped Boston, 4-1. Joonas Korpisalo  stopped 28 shots in his first playoff start and Cam Atkinson scored early in the third period of the Blue Jackets’ 2-0 shutout of the Maple Leafs in Toronto.

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Nazem Kadri scored with 0.1 seconds left to give the Colorado Avalanche a 2-1 win over the defending-champion St. Louis Blues in the NHL’s round-robin tournament. The NHL reviewed the play for several minutes before calling it a good goal. Also in Edmonton, Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored the first of Arizona’s three first-period goals in a 4-3 verdict over Nashville in Game 1 of the qualifying series.

ATLANTA (AP) — The New York Mets say slugger Yoenis Céspedes has opted out of the remainder of the season due to concerns about the coronavirus. His whereabouts became a concern early Sunday after he didn’t report to the ballpark and didn’t reach out to management with any explanation for his absence. Céspedes went 0 for 4 during a 7-1 loss on Saturday, leaving him 5 for 31 with 15 strikeouts this season.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Brewers bench coach Pat Murphy suffered a heart attack during a Saturday team workout at Miller Park. Brewers general manager David Stearns said the 61-year-old Murphy received a stent and is expected to get released from the hospital “in a couple of days.” Stearns said it was too early to estimate when Murphy might be back in uniform.

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge extended his career-best home run streak to five games by going deep twice in the New York Yankees’ sixth consecutive win, a 9-7 comeback over the Boston Red Sox. Judge banged out a three-run homer in the second inning and broke a 7-7 tie with a two-run shot with two out in the eighth. He is the first Yankee since Álex Rodríguez in September 2007 to homer in five straight games.

LOUDON, N.H. (AP) — Brad Keselowski has won at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, his third victory of the NASCAR season and 33rd of his career. Keselowski swapped stage wins with Denny Hamlin and took the checkered flag 1.647 seconds ahead of Hamlin. Martin Truex Jr. was third after working his way back from the rear of the field because of a penalty for a runaway tire in the pits.

UNDATED (AP) — Justin Thomas has reclaimed the No. 1 ranking in men’s golf by capturing the FedEx St. Jude Invitational. Thomas closed with a 5-under 66 to finish at 13-under 267 and take the $10.5 million winner’s check for his 13th PGA Tour title. He took the lead for good on the par-5 16th with his second straight birdie, while Brooks Koepka bogeyed the hole.

CHICAGO (AP) — Tyler Chatwood matched a career high with 11 strikeouts in another terrific performance, leading the Chicago Cubs to a 4-3 victory the Pittsburgh Pirates. Javier Báez, Kyle Schwarber and Ian Happ hit home runs as Chicago won for the fifth time in six games. The Cubs have homered in each of their first eight games for the first time since 1958. Chatwood departed after Pittsburgh loaded the bases with two out in the seventh. Jeremy Jeffress came in and retired Phillip Evans on a grounder to third. Pittsburgh also lost starting pitcher Mitch Keller in the third inning because of left side discomfort.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Gio Gonzalez made his first start for the Chicago White Sox more than 16 years after drafting him, and the left-hander responded by holding Kansas City scoreless into the fourth inning in an 11-5 victory Saturday night. Eloy Jimenez hit a three-run homer and finished with a career-high four hits, and rookie Luis Robert had four while finishing a triple shy of the cycle, leading a White Sox barrage of 21 hits in all. Leury Garcia also had four hits for Chicago. Whit Merrifield hit a two-run homer and Ryan O’Hearn also had two RBIs for the Royals.

UNDATED (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Lorenzo Cain has become the latest player to opt out of the 2020 season. The Brewers announced the two-time All-Star’s decision Saturday hours after news broke that their scheduled home opener would be postponed for a second straight day because members of the St. Louis Cardinals had tested positive for COVID-19.  The whole series at Miller Park was later called off. Cain’s announcement comes on the same day that Miami Marlins second baseman Isan Diaz announced he was opting out. At least 21 members of the Marlins’ traveling party have tested positive for the disease.

UNDATED (AP) — The Minnesota Twins are back to flashing the power that allowed them to slam a major league-record 307 home runs last year. Miguel Sanó hit a pair of round-trippers and Eddie Rosario provided the Twins’ third solo homer of the night in a 3-0 win over the Indians. Kenta Maeda worked six innings in his Minnesota home debut. He retired 13 of the first 14 batters he faced and didn’t allow a hit until Bradley Zimmer beat out a weak ground ball to second base in the fifth inning.

Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says he’s confident his sport can get through the regular season and postseason without being stopped by the coronavirus. However, he cautions that there’s the chance that not every team might play all 60 games. Manfred says winning percentage could be used to determine playoff teams.

UNDATED (AP) — The 12th-seeded Chicago Blackhawks have taken Game 1 of their Stanley Cup qualifying-round series on the strength of a record-setting performance by rookie left wing Dominik Kubalik. The Blackhawks held off the Oilers, 6-4 in Edmonton as Kubalik provided two goals and three assists to become the first player to register five points in his postseason debut. He scored two power-play goals in the second period to put the Hawks ahead, 6-2. His first goal chased Mike Smith from the net. Captain Jonathan Toews added two goals and one assist for the Blackhawks, who made the postseason despite finishing last in the Central Division.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The NBA restart continues near Orlando as teams jockey for playoff position. The Heat won their first game since mid-March as Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo each scored 22 points to lead a 125-105 thrashing of the Nuggets. The game was tight until Miami went on a 22-5 run that put the Heat ahead, 87-72 late in the third quarter. Kelly Olynyk scored all 20 of his points in the fourth quarter for the Heat, who shot 56% from the field. Nikola Jokic and Jerami Grant each scored 19 points for Denver.

Elsewhere in the NBA:

— Kyle Lowry had 33 points and 14 rebounds for the defending NBA champion Raptors in a 107-92 drubbing of the Lakers. OG Anunoby scored 23 points in Toronto’s 11th consecutive victory over the Lakers. LeBron James had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, but Anthony Davis had just 14 points after scoring 34 in Thursday’s win against the Clippers.

— Paul George made three straight 3-pointers in the opening minutes and scored 28 points for the Clippers in a 126-103 pounding of the Pelicans. Los Angeles broke a franchise record by making 25 of 47 3-pointers, with George making 8 of 11. Kawhi (kah-WY’) Leonard had 24 points to help the Clippers bounce back from a two-point loss to the Lakers on Thursday night in their first game of the restart.

— T.J. Warren poured in a career-high 53 points and Victor Oladipo (oh-lah-DEE’-poh) added 15 in the Pacers’ 127-121 victory over the 76ers. Warren was 20 of 29 from the field and 9 of 12 from 3-point range in his first game with at least 50 points. Joel Embiid had 41 points and 21 rebounds for the Sixers, who couldn’t hang on after turning a 10-point deficit late in the first half into a 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter.

— The Thunder whipped the Jazz, 110-94 as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 19 points and Chris Paul added 18. Steven Adams had 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Danilo Gallinari added 15 points for the Thunder. Oklahoma City shot 53 percent from the field and limited Utah to 39 percent from the floor.

Following a thrilling victory on Wednesday, the Hempstead High School baseball team will refocus and play in the 4-A state semi-finals today at the state tournament at Principal Park in Des Moines. The Mustangs ranked 4^th and seed 3^rd meet 2^nd ranked and 2^nd seed Ankeny at 4:30 this afternoon. Both teams had to fight to advance out of the quarterfinals with the Mustangs claiming a 7-6 walk off win over Iowa City High and Ankeny surviving a tight contest winning 5-4 over Pleasant Valley.

The winner will play Saturday night at 7:30 for the state crown against the winner of the final game of the day between defending state champ Urbandale and Johnston. You can hear the Hempstead state semi-final game on AM 1370 and kdth.com with pregame at 4:15.

Cascade native Colin Rea has been activated to the Chicago Cubs bullpen and will be with the team for their home series with the Pittsburgh Pirates which starts today at Wrigley. The 30 year old right hander replaces Dillon Maples on the Cubs roster and Maples was sent to the teams South Bend training site. Rea, who was named Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year last season, last pitched in the majors with Miami in 2016.

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball says this weekend’s three-game series between the Philadelphia Phillies and visiting Toronto Blue Jays has been postponed as a precaution following a recent COVID-19 outbreak in the visiting clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park. Seventeen Miami Marlins players tested positive since opening a three-game series in Philadelphia last weekend. The Phillies haven’t played since losing to the Marlins last Sunday.

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball is altering the length of doubleheaders in yet another rules change created during a pendemic-shortened season. A person familiar with the plan tells The Associated Press that MLB and the players’ union reached agreement to turn twinbills into seven-inning games. MLB had already added designated hitters to National League games this year and added an automatic runner at second base to start all half-innings in extras.

UNDATED (AP) — The SEC is the latest college conference to announce that it will play only league games in 2020. University presidents have agreed on a 10-game schedule that eliminates all nonconference opponents and is set to begin Sept. 26 and will conclude with the SEC title game on Dec. 19. The Big Ten and Pac-12 have already announced plans to play only conference games, while the ACC has announced a reworked 11-game schedule that left room for one non-conference game.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz says he would not be making any staffing changes as he apologized and promised to overhaul some of his policies following a scathing report detailing racial bias within the program. University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld said the critical report by an outside law firm showed the “climate and culture must and will change within our football program.” The report said four unidentified current and former coaches — including at least two still on staff — were accused of bullying, demeaning and verbally abusing players and would be considered for potential disciplinary action.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Defending champion Brooks Koepka  matched his career best with an 8-under 62 to take a one-stroke lead over Rickie Fowler in the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Invitational. Koepka had nine birdies and a bogey on a windy day at TPC Southwind in the World Golf Championship event. The round comes a week after he missed the cut at the 3M Open in Minnesota.

INTERLEAGUE
Philadelphia at N-Y Yankees 7:05 p.m. (Postponed)
Miami at Baltimore 7:35 p.m. (Postponed)
Final Washington 6 Toronto 4
Final Atlanta 2 Tampa Bay 1
Final Boston 4 N.Y. Mets 2
___
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Cleveland 2 Minnesota 0
Final Kansas City 5 Detroit 3
Final N.Y. Yankees 8 Baltimore 6
Final Seattle 8 L.A. Angels 5
___
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Chi Cubs at Cincinnati 6:10 p.m. (Postponed)
Final L.A. Dodgers 6 Arizona 3
Final San Diego 12 San Francisco 7
___
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Utah 106 New Orleans 104
Final L.A. Lakers 103 L.A. Clippers 101

Wahlert Catholic High School has hired a new head volleyball coach to take over the tradition rich program. Paige Griffith will take the reins of the Golden Eagle Program. This will be Griffith’s first head coaching opportunity, she played collegiately at Loras College and was a graduate assistant and setters coach last season at Loras. She was an all-conference selection her senior season, prior to two seasons at Loras she helped Parkland College in Champaign, Illinois to win 2 national junior college championships.

Griffith replaces Lindsey Beaves who stepped down earlier this month after seven seasons leading the program to three straight state titles in 2016 through 2018.

It wasn’t easy, but Hempstead pulled off a Mustang Miracle to advance into the 4-A semi-finals at the state high school baseball tournament in a   7-6 walk off win over Iowa City High at Principal Park in Des Moines. Hempstead led 5-1 after 2 innings, but City High chipped away and took a 6-5 lead into the bottom of the 7^th. With 2 out and runners at first and second, the Mustangs Andrue Henry hit what appeared to be a towering game ending fly ball to shallow leftfield, however the ball was misplayed by the Little Hawks allowing Michael Garrett and Zach Sabers to score, and the celebration was on.  Hempstead now 16-and-1 on the season will play at 4:30 Friday afternoon against 2^nd seed Ankeny (20-8). You will be able to hear the game on AM 1370 KDTH and kdth.com.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — COVID-19 has forced the Illinois High School Association to push most fall sports into the spring. The IHSA decision to move football, boys soccer and volleyball to a February-to-May season came hours after Gov. J.B. Pritzker barred interscholastic play for contact or intense sports such as football, wrestling and competitive cheering and dance. Pritzker’s action follows outbreaks of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, among young athletes this summer. Pritzker also admonished voters to pressure local leaders in areas where infections are spiking to take tougher action.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Former Illinois men’s basketball coach Lou Henson died Sunday at age 88 and was buried yesterday.

Henson took Illinois and New Mexico State to the Final Four during a 21-year career that included nearly 800 victories. Henson left the game as the winningest coach at both Illinois and New Mexico State, and still ranks fifth all-time among Big Ten coaches with 214 conference wins and 423 total.

HOUSTON (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly has appealed an eight-game suspension he received from Major League Baseball for throwing a fastball near the head of Houston’s Alex Bregman and mockingly taunting Astros star Carlos Correa on Tuesday. The game marked the first time the teams had met since it was revealed Houston stole signs en route to a 2017 World Series title that came at the Dodgers’ expense. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was suspended for last night’s game and Astros manager Dusty Baker was fined an undisclosed amount.

BOSTON (AP) — Former Red Sox manager John McNamara has died at age 88. McNamara managed Boston to within one strike of a World Series victory in 1986 before an unprecedented collapse on the field extended the team’s championship drought into the new millennium. He was 1,167–1,242 over parts of 19 seasons while managing six big league clubs.

UNDATED (AP) — The ACC has reworked its football schedule to allow each team to play 11 games and to incorporate Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish agreed to give up its storied independence in a year rocked by the coronavirus pandemic. The schedule will include one non-conference game in a season scheduled to run from Sept. 7 through either Dec. 12 or 19.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — NBA starts Anthony Davis and Zion Williamson are ready for re-opening night. Davis practiced yesterday for the first time since getting poked in an eye during the Los Angeles Lakers’ scrimmage opener last week. The New Orleans Pelicans said Williamson will be a game-time decision for their re-opener tonight against Utah after he missed nearly two weeks due to a family emergency and a four-day quarantine upon his return.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch has agreed to a new five-year contract that will keep him locked up through the 2024 season. The new deal for Lynch comes about six weeks after coach Kyle Shanahan replaced his original six-year deal signed in 2017 with a new six-year contract that takes him through 2025. Lynch was named executive of the year last season by the Pro Football Writers Association of America for helping the Niners reach the Super Bowl last season.

INTERLEAGUE

Philadelphia        at      N-Y Yankees      7:05 p.m.   (Postponed)

Miami         at      Baltimore   7:35 p.m.   (Postponed)

Final Colorado   5       Oakland     1

Final Texas        7       Arizona      4

Final Washington        4       Toronto      0

Final Atlanta       7       Tampa Bay         4

Final Boston       6       N.Y. Mets  5

Final Minnesota 3       St. Louis    0

Final L.A. Dodgers      4       Houston     2

___

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Final Chicago White Sox     4       Cleveland  0

Final Detroit        5       Kansas City        4

Final N.Y. Yankees     9       Baltimore   3

Final Seattle       10     L.A. Angels         7

___

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Final Cincinnati  12     Chicago Cubs    7

Final Milwaukee 3       Pittsburgh  0

Final San Francisco    7       San Diego 6

Hempstead State Baseball

The  4th ranked Hempstead Mustang baseball team (15-1)  will meet Iowa City High (11-8) in the 4-A quarterfinals at the State High School Baseball Tournament this afternoon at 4:30 inside Principal Park in Des Moines. The Mustangs boast the top hitting team in the 4-A field batting .371 going into the tournament. The two teams met in the second game of the season with the Mustangs coming out on top 4-3.  The winner advances to Friday’s semi-finals and will face the winner of the Ankeny-Pleasant Valley game that follows.

You can hear the game today on AM 1370 and kdth.com with pregame coverage around 4:15 pm.

MIAMI (AP) — Major League Baseball has temporarily suspended the Miami Marlins’ season through Sunday because of their worsening coronavirus outbreak. And the three remaining games in this week’s New York Yankees-Philadelphia Phillies series also have been postponed because of virus worries. In a statement, MLB says it wants to allow the Marlins time to focus on providing care for their players and plan for a resumption of play early next week. The Marlins remain stranded in Philadelphia, where they played last weekend.

UNDATED (AP) — The number of NFL players opting out of the 2020 season is growing. A person familiar with the situation says New England Patriots linebacker Dont’a (DAHN’-tay) Hightower has decided to opt out because of concerns for the health of his fiancée and child, who was born earlier this month. And Denver Broncos defensive tackle Kyle Peko  has decided not to play this season because his wife has previously battled cancer.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. homered, and Tanner Roark gave up one run in five innings against his former team to help the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Washington Nationals 5-1. It was the third loss in a row for the reigning World Series champions. They have scored a total of just four runs during that skid and dropped to 1-4 for the season.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes is joining the ownership group of the Kansas City Royals. The Royals announced the addition of Mahomes, the star quarterback who led the Kansas City Chiefs to a Super Bowl title last season, on Tuesday. Mahomes was once a baseball prospect and was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 2014.

UNDATED (AP) — The NCAA is allowing all major college football teams to begin their seasons as early as Aug. 29. The association confirms that the football oversight committee requested a blanket waiver to permit any school to push up the start of its season to the so-called Week Zero. The official start of the season had been Labor Day weekend, with a few games scheduled for Aug. 29. That was before the coronavirus pandemic put the season in peril.

INTERLEAGUE
N-Y Yankees at Philadelphia 6:05 p.m. (Postponed)
Baltimore at Miami 7:10 p.m. (Postponed)
Final Toronto 5 Washington 1
Final Tampa Bay 5 Atlanta 2
Final N.Y. Mets 8 Boston 3
Final Minnesota 6 St. Louis 3
Final Arizona 4 Texas 1
Final L.A. Dodgers 5 Houston 2
Final Colorado 8 Oakland 3
___

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Cleveland 4 Chicago White Sox 3
Final Detroit 4 Kansas City 3
Final Cleveland 5 Chicago White Sox 3
Final L.A. Angels 10 Seattle 2
___

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Chicago Cubs 8 Cincinnati 5
Final Pittsburgh 8 Milwaukee 6
Final San Diego 5 San Francisco 3

Loras College, the University of Dubuque, and the rest of the American Rivers Conference has announced they are forging ahead with a fall sports schedule. The conference Presidents Council says they will proceed with conference competition, using a reduced schedule in football and single round-robin schedules in men’s and women’s cross country, women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s tennis, and volleyball. Loras Athletic Director Denise Udelhofen says the leaders of the conference wanted to give their student athletes some type of experience this season.

The ARC says schedules will be announced as soon as the revised drafts pass through the conference’s governance groups. She says the first competitions int eh ARC will likely begin September 12^th.

The ARC Presidents Council and conference leadership will continue to monitor public health in the region and will adjust the schedules accordingly.

The University of Wisconsin Platteville and the rest of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference schools will not have sports this fall. Yesterday the conference announced seasons and championships in the sports of football, women’s soccer, women’s volleyball and men’s and women’s cross country are to be canceled for the school year. Women’s tennis & women’s golf will be moved to the spring. Determinations with regards to the winter sports season, including the start date will be decided at a later date.

The CCIW and Midwest Conferences were among several leagues yesterday to announce they were pulling the plug on their fall sports seasons.

The Missouri Valley Conference, which includes the University of Northern Iowa and Drake University announced delaying the start of non-football fall sports competition until September 18. No changes were made to the schedules of the league’s winter and spring sports. The league will conduct conference-only competition in men’s soccer, women’s soccer and volleyball. Football is still being evaluated.

UNDATED (AP) — More than a dozen Miami Marlins players and staff members tested positive for COVID-19 in an outbreak that stranded the team in Philadelphia, disrupting Major League Baseball’s schedule on the fifth day of the pandemic-delayed season. Miami’s home opener against Baltimore was postponed as was Tuesday’s finale of the two-game series at Marlins Park. Also postponed was the Yankees’ series opener Monday at Philadelphia, where New York would have been in the same clubhouse the Marlins used last weekend. The Orioles are scheduled to host the Marlins in a two-game series starting Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Teoscar Hernández hit two of Toronto’s four solo homers off Aníbal Sánchez to account for all the Blue Jays’ scoring in a 4-1 victory over the Washington Nationals. Rowdy Tellez and Danny Jansen also went deep for the Blue Jays. Toronto improved to 2-2 and dropped the reigning World Series champions to 1-3. Washington got 11 hits but left 10 runners on base.

CHICAGO (AP) — The series opener between the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians has been postponed by rain. The teams will make up the game as part of a traditional doubleheader on Tuesday, starting at 3:40 p.m. Before the game was postponed, the White Sox announced that manager Rick Renteria will be kept away from the team pending the results of medical tests.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Two-time AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber  could be done for the season. He is headed to the injured list after just one inning in his debut as a Texas Rangers starter. Kluber has a tear in a small muscle in his right shoulder and is not expected to make another start this season — if he pitches at all.

UNDATED (AP) — The National Hockey League reported zero players tested positive for the coronavirus last week. The league says it administered a total of 4,256 tests to more than 800 players from July 18-25. Two players tested positive during the first week of training camps July 13-17. Players and staff from the 24 teams participating in the expanded Stanley Cup playoffs traveled to the hub cities of Toronto and Edmonton, Alberta, on Sunday. They’re now in a quarantined bubble and will be tested daily after every other day testing during camp.

INTERLEAGUE
N-Y Yankees at Philadelphia 7:05 p.m. (Postponed)
Baltimore at Miami 7:10 p.m. (Postponed)
Final Toronto 4 Washington 1
Final Tampa Bay 14 Atlanta 5
Final N.Y. Mets 7 Boston 4
___

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Oakland 3 L.A. Angels 0
Final Houston 8 Seattle 5
Final Kansas City 14 Detroit 6
___

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final San Diego 6 Arizona 2
Final Chicago Cubs 8 Cincinnati 7
Final Milwaukee 6 Pittsburgh 5

The Iowa High School football season will begin on time, but will be revised and shortened due to COVID-19 concerns.

On Friday the Iowa High School Athletic Association released a revised scheduling plan for the 2020 season. A seven-week regular season will be conducted. Teams will have the option of scheduling five, six, or seven games within those seven weeks. Class 4-A schools such as Hempstead and Senior will schedule their own regular season games and are encouraged to collaborate with their conference in scheduling. Teams in Classes 3A, 2A, 1A, and A will play their scheduled district games in the previously established order.

All teams in all classes will qualify for the postseason which will consist of six rounds in each class.  The first day of practice is still scheduled for August 10^th with the first games on August 28.

The Illinois High School Association is scheduled to meet on Wednesday on how to proceed with fall sports. There is talk the state is considering a plan to switch football to the spring. On Friday, the Illinois Elementary School Association’s decided to cancel most of its fall sports schedule.

Dubuque Senior has a new volleyball head coach. Last week the Dubuque Community School Board approved Haley Zenner as the new volleyball coach. Zenner is a 2012 graduate of Senior where she was a multi-sport athlete during her career before playing collegiately at East Central Community College in Missouri. Zenner has been a coach in the Dubuque district the last 3 seasons including as Freshman volleyball coach at Hempstead.  She takes over for Chris Miron, who stepped down from Senior in April after two seasons guiding the Rams.

PLATTEVILLE, Wis.- The University of Wisconsin-Platteville athletic department will induct four alumni into the Athletic Hall of Fame. Due to COVID-19, the date and location of the induction ceremony will be announced at a later time.

The four inductees are:

• James Anderson ’80, football
• Matt Kent ’05, football
• Ryan Kleimenhagen ’05, cross country and track and field
• Tom Stetzer ’05, football

More info on this story: https://www.letsgopioneers.com/general/2020-21/releases/2020072317me0h

INTERLEAGUE
Final N.Y. Yankees 3 Washington 2
Final Detroit 3 Cincinnati 2
Final Colorado 5 Texas 2
___
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Cleveland 9 Kansas City 2
Final Baltimore 7 Boston 4
Final Tampa Bay 6 Toronto 5
Final Minnesota 14 Chicago White Sox 2
Final Seattle 7 Houston 6
Final Oakland 6 L.A. Angels 4
___
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Miami 11 Philadelphia 6
Final Pittsburgh 5 St. Louis 1
Final Chicago Cubs 9 Milwaukee 1
Final Arizona 4 San Diego 3
Final Atlanta 14 N.Y. Mets 1
Final San Francisco 3 L.A. Dodgers 1

UNDATED (AP) — The injury news isn’t good for a pair of Texas major league teams. Reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander has a strained right forearm and will be shut down for at least two weeks. Rangers right-hander Corey Kluber  left his first start in almost 15 months after just one inning yesterday due to shoulder tightness.

BOSTON (AP) — Boston Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez says he is awaiting results of additional testing after doctors recently discovered an issue with his heart they believe is a result of his recent bout with COVID-19. The 27-year-old left-hander tested positive for the coronavirus before the start of summer camp, but was cleared and returned to workouts on July 18. He hasn’t had another positive coronavirus test, but said an MRI revealed a condition called myocarditis, that the team’s medical staff felt was serious enough to shut him down for at least a week.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Joel Embiid is hurting, and that’s a cause for concern as the Philadelphia 76ers get set to restart their season this week. The All-Star starting center sat out Philadelphia’s scrimmage against Oklahoma City yesterday with right calf tightness, something 76ers coach Brett Brown hopes is merely a minor blip. Embiid has an extensive injury history and has never appeared in more than 64 games in a regular season. He missed 21 of Philadelphia’s 65 games this season before the March 11 shutdown.

UNDATED (AP) — The Arizona Coyotes aren’t very happy with John Chayka’s decision to step down just a week after the team opens the Stanley Cup qualifiers against Nashville. The Coyotes issued a statement saying they are disappointed in his actions and his timing of the resignation. They added that “Chayka has chosen to quit on a strong and competitive team, a dedicated staff, and the Arizona Coyotes fans, the greatest fans in the NHL.”

BLAINE, Minn. (AP) — Michael Thompson birdied two of the last three holes for a 4-under 67 and a two-stroke victory in the 3M Open. Thompson finished 19 under in his second PGA victory, seven years after his first. Adam Long took second after a 64. Richy Werenski shared the lead with Thompson after both Friday and Saturday before shooting a 70 to fall into a tie for third at minus-16.

Baseball Scores from Saturday 7/25/20

Milwaukee Brewers 8,   Chicago Cubs 3

Chicago White Sox 10, Minnesota Twins 3

Nationals 9, Yankees 2

Giants  5, Dodgers 4

Astros 7,   Mariners  2

Phillies 7, Marlins 1

Braves 5,  Mets 3

Orioles 7 Red Sox 2

Angels 4, Athletics 1

Cardinals 9,  Pirates 1

Padres 5, Diamondbacks 1

Rockies 3, Rangers 2

Royals 3, Indians 2

Tigers 6, Reds 4

Golf

BLAINE, Minn. (AP) — Richy Werenski birdied three of the last four holes to erase a four-stroke deficit and pull even with Michael Thompson through three rounds of the 3M Open in Blaine, Minn.

NEWCASTLE, England (AP) — Renato Paratore has won the British Masters for his second career victory on the European Tour. The Italian golfer closed with a 2-under 69 containing his first bogeys of the week

The pairings for the 4-A state high school baseball tournament were announced yesterday afternoon. The Hempstead Mustangs were named the number 3 seed for the tournament and will play 6^th seed Iowa City High (11-8) at 4:30 Wednesday at Principal Park in Des Moines. The two teams met the second game of the regular season with Hempstead winning 5-4. The winner will play next Friday in the semi-finals against the winner of 2 seed Ankeny and 7^th seed Pleasant Valley.  The other two quarterfinals have top seed Johnston meeting Cedar Falls and 4^th seed Urbandale meeting 5^th seed Waukee.

You will be able to Hempstead State Baseball Coverage starting Wednesday on AM 1370 and kdth.com.

The Mississippi Valley Conference has announced selections for baseball all-divisional teams.

In the Valley Division: state tournament qualifier Hempstead has three first selections including Andrue Henry who was named the Divisional Athlete of the Year, head coach Jeff Rapp and his staff have been named Coach of the Year. Joining Henry on the first team were Devin Eudaley and Logan Runde along with Tommy Specht of Wahlert Catholic.  Second team choices were Kellen Strohmeyer and Zach Sabers of Hempstead along with Jake Brosius and Jared Walter of Wahlert. Honorable Mention were Max Pins and Michael Garrett of Hempstead and Bennett Cutsforth and Matthew Schmitz of Wahlert.

In the Mississippi Division: Cole Smith of Senior was a first team choice along with Western Dubuque’s Calvin Harris, Sawyer Nauman and Casey Perrenoud. 2^nd team choices were: Johnny Blake, Gavin Guns, and Ben Hefel of Senior and Peyton Quagliano of Western Dubuque. Honorable Mentions were: Drew Zillig and Ben Gourley of Senior, Ben Bryant and Carter Kluesner of Western Dubuque.

Cascade native Colin Rea will not be on the Chicago Cubs opening day roster.  Yesterday the Cubs announced Rea was assigned to their alternate training site in South Bend. The 30 year old right hander was in the mix to join the Cubs starting rotation with Jose Quintana on the disabled list however the spot was given to Alec Mills to start the season. Cubs Manager David Ross thinks Rea will be back if they need another starter.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The body that oversees Wisconsin high school sports is recommending schools conduct fall sports but delay start dates in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletics Association Board of Control voted 8-3 on Thursday to recommend schools start girls golf, tennis and swimming as well as cross-country on Aug. 17. Sports that create a higher risk of infection, including football, volleyball and soccer, should start the week of Sept. 7. The proposal also calls for allowing schools to play their fall sports in the spring if they choose.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The New York Yankees took the major league season opener as they earned a 4-1 win over the Nationals in Washington, a game called because of rain in the top of the sixth. Giancarlo Stanton put the Yanks ahead to stay with a two-run homer in the first inning of Max Scherzer, who struck out 11 over 5 1/3. Gerrit Cole allowed just one hit over five frames, a first-inning blast by Adam Eaton.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Nationals opened the season without slugger Juan Soto. The outfielder tested positive for COVID-19 and was put on the injured list hours before Thursday’s game. Soto was a breakout star of last October after producing 34 homers and 110 RBIs during the regular season, will be sidelined until he can come up negative on two consecutive coronavirus tests.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kike  Hernandez was the hitting star in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 8-1 trouncing of San Francisco, going 4-for-5 with a two-run homer and five RBIs. Hernandez delivered a two-run single while Los Angeles scored five times in the seventh. Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts was 1-for-5 with two strikeouts in his first game since signing the second-richest contract in major league history.

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball and the players’ union have agreed to expand the playoffs from 10 teams to 16 for the pandemic-delayed season. According to MLB, each of the 16 teams will participate in a best-of-three first round before heading into a best-of-five Division Series. A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that MLB agreed to guarantee a postseason pool that would be $50 million if the entire postseason is played.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Denny Hamlin raced to his series-leading fifth NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season by passing Kevin Harvick in the closing laps and holding off Brad Keselowski to make it back-to-back victories at Kansas Speedway. Martin Truex Jr. came across third, Harvick wound up sliding to fourth and Erik Jones rounded out the top five to cap a banner night for Joe Gibbs Racing. JGR made all the right calls during a crash-filled final stage to win in front of empty grandstands.

An explosive at bat in the bottom of the 5^th inning sent to the Hempstead Mustangs to the state high school baseball tournament next week defeating Cedar Rapids Prairie 5-2 at Petrakis Park last night. Hempstead trailed 2-1 going into the inning but got a one out double from Kellen Stroymeyer who scored on Zach Sabers RBI single to the tie the game then with 2 outs Logan Runde launched a two run homerun to break the tie  and give Hempstead a  4-2 lead. Hempstead added one more on an RBI single by Trey Shaber scoring Devin Eudaley. Prairie went quietly in the 6^th and 7th innings.

The Mustangs now 15-and-1 will be making the 14^th state tournament appearance in school history Wednesday at Principal Park in Des Moines. Their opponent and game time will be announced later today following the seeding meeting.

The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Board of Control will meet in special virtual meeting this morning to talk about the status of the fall high school sports seasons in Wisconsin. It’s expected one of the items for consideration is a proposal from a group of Southwestern region schools to move fall sports including football to the spring and bump spring sports to the summer. Under the proposal winter sports would be the first on this year’s school calendar either starting on time or pushed back to start in January, spring sports like track, baseball and softball would begin toward the end of May and continue into July.

The Mississippi Valley Conference has announced the softball all divisional selections.

In the Valley Division: three Hempstead Mustangs were selected to the first team including Malarie Huseman, Micki Blean, and Lydia Ettema. Wahlert’s Anna Chapman was also a first team pick. Landing second team honors were Kaylie Springer and Jadyn Glab of Hempstead along with Maria Roth of Wahlert.  Honorable Mention choices were Peyton Paulsen and Emalee Ryder of Hempstead along with Isabelle Pfeiffer and Paige Hummel of Wahlert.

In the Mississippi Division: Western Dubuque had two first team choices with Sydney Kennedy and Sara Horsfield.  The Bobcats Jacie Walters and Aliyah Johnson of Senior were second team picks. Honorable Mention selections were Emma Link and Sophie Link of Senior and Ella Link and Emma Gile of Western Dubuque.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts has agreed to the second-largest contract in terms of money in major league history, taking a $12-year package worth $365 million. The four-time Gold Glove winner captured the 2018 AL MVP award en route to Boston’s World Series title. He hit .295 with 29 homers and 80 RBIs last year, down from a major league-leading .346 average with 32 homers and 80 RBIs in his MVP season.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania health officials won’t allow the Toronto Blue Jays to play at PNC Park in Pittsburgh amid the coronavirus pandemic. The state is the latest jurisdiction to say no to the team as the baseball season begins this week. The state’s secretary of health cited a significant increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in southwestern Pennsylvania as the reason to bar the Blue Jays from playing their home games in the Steel City.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Kansas City Royals outfielder Hunter Dozier has tested positive for COVID-19 and been placed on the injured list. The 28-year-old is coming off a breakthrough season in which he hit 26 homers, drove in 84 runs and tied for the American League lead in triples. He is expected to play a big role for the Royals during their abbreviated 60-game season, which begins against the Indians on Friday night in Cleveland.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Former Pittsburgh Steelers Pro Bowl right guard and six-time national championship wrestler Carlton Haselrig has died at 54. Haselrig didn’t play a down of college football due to an injury suffered in his freshman year, but he was taken by the Steelers in the 12th round of the 1990 draft. His former college wrestling coach says Haselrig had been in declining health in recent years.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Phoenix Suns guard Ricky Rubio and forward Aron Baynes say they have tested positive for COVID-19. Rubio has been cleared and joined the team in Florida following a positive result in Phoenix. Baynes is still in Phoenix and said in a video interview with Stadium that he’s “trying to pass some steps to get re-united with the team out there in Orlando.”

The Dubuque Fighting Saints open up their 2020 Main Camp today. The camp runs today thru Saturday with games played at the Mystique Community Ice Center. Due to COVID-19 protocols, only attending players and their families are allowed in the building for the duration of camp.

The four-day event will culminate with two All-Star Games, one on Friday night and one on Saturday morning. Fans will have an opportunity to watch both games on the Saints Facebook page. For more information check out  https://www.dubuquefightingsaints.com/news_article/show/1113800

Tonight, the 4^th ranked Hempstead Mustang baseball team will try to return to the state high school baseball tournament for the first time since 2014 when they host Cedar Rapids Prairie for the Class 4-A Substate 4 Championship. Prairie advanced with a 1-0 win over Davenport West last night while the Mustangs got a bye to the final after defeating Davenport Central 13-0 last Friday night. The game will be played at Petrakis Park at 7 o’clock and you can hear it on AM 1370 and kdth.com with pregame at 6:50pm.

High School Softball

Class 4A Region 8 Final:

• #5 North Scott 10,  #15 Western Dubuque 0

University of Iowa senior offensive linemen Alaric Jackson and Coy Cronk, Wisconsin tackle Cole Van Lanen Illinois guard Kendrick Green have been named to the 2020 Outland Trophy Watch List by the Football Writers Association of America. The trophy is presented to the nation’s most outstanding interior lineman on offense or defense.

–Iowa senior defensive end Chauncey Golston , Iowa State senior defensive end JaQuan Bailey, senior defensive back Greg Eisworth , Illinois linebacker Jake Hansen, and Wisconsin defensive back Eric Burrell have been named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List. The Nagurski Trophy is given annually to the nation’s most outstanding defensive player.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The NBA comes back Wednesday with a very different look. There’s no bench. The courtside broadcasters will not be courtside. Seating in the bench areas will be assigned, with folding chairs set up on three rows instead of the customary two and spaced out several feet from one another — instead of players sitting shoulder-to-shoulder as they have in the past. And across the center stripe, the words “Black Lives Matter” are painted onto the surface.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Utah Jazz will honor Hall of Fame coach Jerry Sloan by wearing a patch on their team jerseys and warmups when the NBA season restarts in Orlando, Florida. The patch will feature the number “1223.” That was the total number of wins during Sloan’s 23 seasons in charge of the Jazz. Sloan died in May of complications from Parkinson’s disease and dementia.

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL football won’t begin this year with preseason games that are mostly tryouts and practice sessions. The NFL Players Association has agreed to the league’s plan to drop all preseason games for the 2020 season. That’s what a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press. The union also agreed to an 80-player roster limit for training camp, instead of the usual 90.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Attendance will be limited to 25% capacity for the Indianapolis 500 and spectators will be required to wear face coverings at “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Indianapolis Motor Speedway can hold approximately 350,000 fans in the grandstands, suites and infield, but officials said last month only 50% capacity would be admitted for the Aug. 23 race. The number was adjusted Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is awarding the nation’s highest civilian honor to Jim Ryun, a former Kansas congressman who was the first high school runner to clock a mile in under 4 minutes. Trump is scheduled to honor the three-time Olympian with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House on Friday. Ryun competed in three Olympic Games and later served in Congress.

High School Baseball

4A Substate Semi-Finals

• Cedar Falls 4, Western Dubuque 3
• Cedar Rapids Prairie 1, Davenport West 0 (Prairie will meet Hempstead Wednesday night at Petrakis Park 7:00pm for the 4A substate 4 title and trip to state)

3A District Final

• Marion 5, Maquoketa 1

High School Softball

Class 4A Region 8 Final Tonight:

• Western Dubuque at North Scott (7:00pm)

The Heart of America Athletic Conference announced that the conference will move forward with fall sports as scheduled for the upcoming season. Clarke University and the other institutions in the Heart will have their first day of practice on August 15^th. The NAIA announced fall sport modifications in June – which featured delayed start dates and a reduced number of maximum contests for fall sports. All fall sports except football are still scheduled to open play on September 5.  Football will open play the following weekend on September 12.

The parade of college football award pre-season watch lists continued today with the Butkus and Jim Thorpe Awards. The Butkus award is presented to the top linebacker at the end of the season. Among the 51 candidates is Iowa State junior Mike Rose, Wisconsin junior Jack Sanborn, and Illinois senior Jake Hansen.

The 49 Watch list candidates for the Jim Thorpe Award which goes to college football’s best defensive back include Iowa State senior Greg Eisworth, and Wisconsin senior safety Eric Burell.

Today the pre-season candidates for the Outland Trophy and Nagurski Award will be announced.

UNDATED (AP) — NFL players will be tested daily for the coronavirus for at least the first two weeks of training camp per the league’s new testing protocols. The new policy was approved by the NFL and the players’ union. Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL chief medical officer, said more than one negative test is required before players initially enter the building to begin physical exams or any form of team activity. After two weeks of daily testing, if the rate of those positive tests falls below 5%, testing would go to every other day.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The New York Jets and Giants say they will not have fans at home games this season “until further notice” because of the coronavirus pandemic. The teams, who play at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and have separate training facilities in the state, released a joint statement after Gov. Phil Murphy announced an executive order limiting outdoor public gatherings to 500 people.

TORONTO (AP) — The Toronto Blue Jays are talking to the Pittsburgh Pirates about sharing a major league ballpark this season after Canada’s government barred them from playing in their home stadium amid the coronavirus pandemic. Pirates President Travis Williams confirmed the talks and sounded ready to welcome the Blue Jays. Williams calls it a challenge but says if the Pirates are able to safely accommodate the Blue Jays, it will bring international attention to Pittsburgh.

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Rangers forward Brendan Lemieux has been suspended by the NHL for the first two games of the team’s preliminary-round series against Carolina because of an illegal check that injured Colorado forward Joonas Donskoi in March. The NHL waited until return to play guidelines were in place before making a ruling. The suspension means Lemieux will miss the first two games of the Rangers’ best-of-five series against Carolina, which opens in Toronto on August 1.

UNDATED (AP) — Major League Baseball is adding on-field advertising this season, both real and virtual. Allowed locations include the back of the pitcher’s mound, behind home plate, on tarps in the stands and in the grass in foul territory down the first-base lines. Teams have the choice whether to make the ads real or project them virtually during telecasts. In addition, physical ads can be put on the on-deck circle.

Western Dubuque will host Cedar Falls tonight in a Class 4A Substate semifinal game at Farley Park. The winner meets Cedar Rapids Kennedy Wednesday for a trip to the state tournament.  Also this evening Davenport West will host Cedar Rapids Prairie with the winner to meet Hempstead on Wednesday night in the substate final.

In Class 3A: Maquoketa  will host Marion for the Class 3A District 8 title game. The winner will face the winner of the District title game between Center Point-Urbana at Central Dewitt.

Tomorrow night in softball: Western Dubuque travels to North Scott for the 4-A Region 8 championship game and a trip to state.

Former Iowa Hawkeye Jared Uthoff has signed a contract with the NBA’s Washington Wizards. Uthoff was picked up the Wizards as a substitute player and has joined the team in Orlando. Uthoff spent most of the season with the Memphis Hustle the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate, where he averaged 18.9 points, 10.7 rebounds.

DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — Jon Rahm has won the PGA’s Memorial to become the world’s No. 1 golfer, moving ahead of Rory McIlroy. Rahm closed with a 3-over 75 for a 9-under total, three strokes ahead of second-round co-leader Ryan Palmer at Muirfield Village. Rahm survived a double-bogey and a two-stroke penalty after leading by as many as eight strokes yesterday.

UNDATED (AP) — Jack Nicklaus told Sunday’s CBS telecast of the Memorial that he and his wife, Barbara, have recovered from the coronavirus. Nicklaus said the couple tested positive at the onset of the pandemic and shook off the virus around April 20. He said his wife had no COVID-19 symptoms, while Nicklaus had a sore throat and a cough.

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Richard Childress Racing pulled off a 1-2 finish at Texas Motor Speedway yesterday, with Austin Dillon nosing out rookie Tyler Reddick. Dillon raced to his third career win and first since Daytona at the start of the 2018 season. Joey Logano finished third, with Kyle Busch coming in fourth a day after he finished ahead of the field in two races.

TORONTO (AP) — The Toronto Blue Jays are investigating the possibility of playing their home games at a major league ballpark this year. Canada denied the Blue Jays’ request to play at Rogers Centre because the regular-season schedule would require frequent travel back and forth from the United States, where COVID-19 cases are surging. Pitcher Anthony Bass says the front office is working to find a major league ballpark for the team. Bass said he spoke with general manager Ross Atkins and emphasized that players prefer a big league stadium.

UNDATED (AP) — NFL players are publicly pleading with the league to address several health and safety concerns on the eve of training camp. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, whose wife is pregnant, wrote: “We want to play football but we also want to protect our loved ones.” Saints quarterback Drew Brees tweeted, “If the NFL doesn’t do their part to keep players healthy there is no football in 2020.”

UNDATED (AP) — There will be no Major League Baseball action in Canada this year. The Canadian government has turned down the Blue Jays’ request for an exemption that would have allowed them to play regular-season games in Toronto amid the coronavirus pandemic. Major League Baseball needed an exemption to a requirement that anyone entering Canada for nonessential reasons must self-isolate for 14 days. The team had previously been given clearance by city and provincial governments to play regular-season games at Toronto’s Rogers Centre but needed approval from Canada’s federal government.

Yankees pitcher Domingo Germán (hehr-MAHN’) says he is not retiring from baseball and apologized for suggesting as much in an Instagram post on Friday. Germán is serving an 81-game ban for violating Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy last summer. He posted Friday night words in Spanish that translated to, “I’ve left baseball. Thanks everyone.” But he wrote Saturday in Spanish and English that he was “very sorry for the unsettling post.”

Tigers pitcher Jordan Zimmermann is going on the 45-day injured list because of a strained right forearm. Manager Ron Gardenhire said the right-hander doesn’t need surgery and could return at the end of this abbreviated season. He went 1-13 with a 6.91 ERA last year and has struggled to stay healthy while with the Tigers.

DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — The fast greens were to Jon Rahm’s liking Saturday as he took over the Memorial lead at Muirfield Village. Rahm began play one shot back before carding a 68, while previous co-leaders Ryan Palmer and Tony Finau shot 73. Rahm now enjoys a four-shot edge heading into Sunday’s final round. He took control with four straight birdies on the back nine before closing with consecutive pars. Danny Willett is alone in fourth place, six shots back and one ahead of Jason Day and Henrik Norlander. Tiger Woods shot a 71 after barely making Friday’s cut. He’s 10 strokes back.

UNDATED (AP) — The NFL has informed teams their training camps will open on time. League executive Troy Vincent sent a memo to general managers and head coaches on Saturday informing them rookies are to report by Tuesday, quarterbacks and injured players by Thursday and all other players should arrive by July 28. The league and the NFL Players Association are still discussing testing for the coronavirus and other health and safety protocols. Union leadership expressed several concerns in a 90-minute conference call with reporters Friday. However, under the collective bargaining agreement, the NFL can impose report dates.

The first exhibition games of the NBA restart will go a little more quickly than usual as players become acclimated to competition following the suspension of the season. The NBA is tweaking the rules for those initial matchups, going with 10-minute quarters instead of the usual 12 minutes.

There will be fans in the massive grandstands at Texas Motor Speedway for the NASCAR Cup Series race this weekend. Sunday’s race will be the first major sporting event in Texas in more than four months to allow spectators. It could be one of the largest gatherings of any kind in the state since the start of the pandemic. A state-approved plan would allow 50% capacity Sunday at the track with about 135,000 seats, but the crowd is expected to be closer to the 20,000 that attended this week’s All-Star race at Bristol.

Regional Softball

5A Region 7

• Senior 18, Cedar Rapids Washington 1 (Senior at #2 C.R. Kennedy tomorrow evening)
• Davenport West 4, Davenport Central 3, (West meets Hempstead 5 o’clock tomorrow evening at Hempstead in a Region 6 semi.)

4A Region 8

• Wahlert 11, Clinton 1 (5) (Wahlert at #5 North Scott tomorrow evening 7pm)
• Central Dewitt 10, Maquoketa 0 (Central Dewitt at #15 Western Dubuque tomorrow evening 7pm)

1A Region 8

• Easton Valley 6, Bellevue Marquette Catholic 4

–2A Region 7 semi-finals tonight Cascade travels to Iowa City Regina and Dyersville Beckman travels to #4 Northeast Goose Lake.

——-

–Tonight in high school baseball the 4A and 3A tournament trail gets started, In a 4-A substate doubleheader at Farley Park: #4 Hempstead meets Davenport Central at 4:30 , then at 7:00, Western Dubuque faces Waterloo West.

–In a 3-A District 8 first round match-up Wahlert will host Marion at Dyersville Commercial Club Park at 7 o’clock. The other game in Distric 8 has Maquoketa visiting Mount Vernon. The winners meet Monday evening.

Biletnikoff Preseason Watch List

Yesterday the pre-season candidates for the  Biletnikoff Award were announced. Those on the list of 55 players include: Iowa wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette and Iowa State’s Charlie Kolar who is one of 3 tight ends on the list.

Today the pre-season candidates for the Mackey Award will be announced.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The Iowa men’s basketball team will return to South Dakota for a nonconference game against Oregon State this season.. The Hawkeyes and Beavers are scheduled to meet December 22nd at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.

The contest will be Iowa’s second trip to the Pentagon, which has hosted 28 NCAA Division I men’s college basketball games since opening in 2013.

MADISON, Wis. — Renovation of the south end zone seating area inside Camp Randall Stadium is being put on hold temporarily. The project was due to begin at the conclusion of the 2020 football season and open by the start of the 2021 campaign. It is now more likely that work will begin sometime in 2021 with a target opening for the 2022 campaign.

UNDATED (AP) — The NCAA has released its latest guidance to help member schools navigate competition during the coronavirus pandemic, and they come as the prospects of actually playing look grim. The NCAA says college football players should be tested for COVID-19 at least 72 hours before a game, players with high-risk exposures should be quarantined for 14 days and everybody on the sideline should wear a mask. NCAA President Mark Emmert says that if there is to be college sports in the fall, they need to get a much better handle on the pandemic.

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom says he feels good after leaving an intrasquad game because of back soreness, but manager Luis Rojas says there’s no certainty the two-time Cy Young Award winner will start opening day. A precautionary MRI came back clean, and deGrom thinks he simply might have slept “wrong” the night before. He believes he can pitch Saturday against the Yankees in preparation for the season opener against Atlanta, but Rojas says the team is taking a day-to-day approach.

DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — Tiger Woods got his first taste of playing competitive golf without adoring admirers since the coronavirus pandemic caused the PGA to hold tournaments without spectators. Woods opened and closed with birdies en route to a 1-under 71 in opening-round play at The Memorial. He’s five strokes behind leader Tony Finau , who birdied seven of his final 10 holes for a 66 that puts him one ahead of Ryan Palmer.

UNDATED (AP) — The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference is the third Division I league to postpone its football season, joining the Ivy and Patriot Leagues. The MEAC said it will consider trying to make up the schedule for those sports in the 2021 spring semester. The MEAC comprises 11 historically black colleges, although three of those schools plan to leave the conference.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Houston Rockets guard and league scoring leader James Harden practiced with his team Thursday for the first time in more than four months. He explained that his arrival at the league’s restart bubble at Walt Disney World was delayed by family issues. Harden came to Disney earlier this week, satisfied his league-mandated quarantine requirements and got cleared to participate. He has been working out but said it was his first time playing actual 5-on-5, contact-laden basketball in more than a month.

High School Softball Regional Tournament

• In Class 2A Region 7 quarterfinals: Cascade upset #7 Jesup 3-2. Friday evening the Cougars meet the winner of the Iowa City Regina vs Alburnett contest which was postponed until tonight.  Dyersville Beckman clipped Maquoketa Valley 9-8 and #4 Northeast defeated Clayton Ridge 14-2. Beckman will play at Northeast on Friday.
• In Class 1A Region 8: Bellevue Marquette Catholic hosting Easton Valley was postponed to tonight, the winner will travel to #13 Central City who advanced last night.

Regular season

• West Delaware (#2 4A) 6, Western Dubuque (#15 4A) 4 (12)

Due what have been deemed unplayable field conditions that continue to exist at Petrakis Park, there have been changes in venue for both Wahlert Catholic and Hempstead’s Friday high school baseball tournament games that were scheduled to be played there.

Wahlert’s 3-A District contest against Marion has been moved to Commercial Club Park in Dyersville and will start at 7 o’clock.

Hempstead first round substate game against Davenport Central has been moved to Farley Park in Farley starting at 4:30 and it becomes part of a doubleheader with Western Dubuque hosting Waterloo West in the 7 o’clock game.

There will be no restrictions on the number of fans, but social distancing is encouraged, cost is $6, and fans are asked to bring exact admission cost.

There are two Hawkeyes a Cyclone, and a Badger on the Doak Walker Award preseason watch list released yesterday. The Walker award is presented to the top college running back in the nation at the end of the season.  Iowa senior Mekhi Sargent and sophomore Tyler Goodson along Iowa State sophomore Breece Hall and Wisconsin sophomore Nakia Watson are among the 76 candidates announced.

Today the preseason candidates for the Biletnikoff Award going to top wide receiver in college football will be unveiled.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa redshirt sophomore CJ Fredrick underwent successful surgery of his right foot . Fredrick had a screw inserted to fixate a stress fracture. The Hawkeye guard is expected to be off the court the next six weeks. Fredrick was a regular in the Hawkeye lineup as a rookie, starting all 25 games played, and earning All-Big Ten Freshman Team accolades.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans agreed to a new contract with NFL rushing leader Derrick Henry just before yesterday’s deadline. The team announced only that it was a multi-year extension, but ESPN.com says it’s a four-year package worth up to $50 million with $25.5 million guaranteed. The Titans had to sign him today or let him play this season under the $10.2 million franchise tag he signed April 2.

DALLAS (AP) — Dak Prescott will play under the franchise this year after the Dallas Cowboys quarterback was unable to work out a multiyear package before yesterday’s deadline. The two sides have been working for more than a year on a long-term contract for a two-time Pro Bowler who has started every game of his career. He will get $31.4 this year after earning just over $4 million over his first four seasons.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett’s has signed a five-year, $125 million contract extension, making the talented edge rusher the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player. The deal includes $100 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network. Garrett received a six-game suspension last season after ripping a helmet off of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph and striking him in the head with it.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo  is having second thoughts about calling it a season, saying the workouts in Orlando, Florida, have forced him to rethink his decision. Oladipo said less than two weeks ago that he would sit out because of concerns over his surgically repaired right knee. His presence could give the Pacers a big boost when the season resumes, especially with starting guard Malcolm Brogdon also expected to be healthy.

NEW YORK (AP) — The NHL has announced the finalists for the Jack Adams Award and the Calder Trophy. Columbus’ John Tortorella, Philadelphia’s Alain Vigneault  and Boston’s Bruce Cassidy are up for the Adams Award, which goes to the Coach of the Year. Colorado’s Cale Makar ), Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes and Chicago’s Dominik Kubalik  are the finalists for the Calder Trophy as the top rookie.

High School Baseball

• Western Dubuque 10, Wahlert Catholic 8

2-A District 7 semi-finals

• Dyersville Beckman 14, Bellevue 4
• Monticello 6, Cascade 3

(Monticello meets Beckman Saturday evening at Dyersville)

Regional Softball Tonight

Weather permitting, the Class 2-A and 1-A regional softball tournament trail continues this evening across the state. Locally in 2-A Region 7 quarterfinal round play: Cascade travels to Jesup, Dyersville Beckman hosts Maquoketa Valley and Clayton Ridge is at Northeast Goose Lake. In a 1-A quarterfinal game in Region 8: Bellevue Marquette Catholic will host Easton Valley.  Winners tonight advance to the regional semi’s on Friday.

Purdy Named To Davey O’Brien Award Watch List

Iowa State junior quarterback Brock Purdy is one of 30 pre-season candidates on the Davey O’Brien Award preseason watch list announced yesterday. The O’Brien Award is given annually to the nation’s best quarterback. Purdy was a semifinalist for the award last season.

Today the pre-season watch list for the Doak Walker Award will be announced.

The NCAA announced this week University of Iowa graduate Kathleen Doyle has been selected as one of the nominees for the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year award. The award is given to a student-athlete who excels academically, athletically and shows commitment to community service and leadership.

Doyle ended her collegiate career at Iowa ranked second all-time in assists and 13th in scoring. Doyle was in the top-50 national rankings in five statistical categories during her senior season.

TORONTO (AP) — With the start of its season approaching, Major League Baseball still needs to work out approval to send teams back and forth across the Canadian border. A top Canadian government health official says a longer stretch of home games might help the Blue Jays get approval to play in Toronto. Amid the pandemic, MLB needs an exemption to a requirement that anyone entering Canada for nonessential reasons must self-isolate for 14 days.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The New England Patriots have joined a growing list of NFL teams who hope to play home games this season in front of a significantly reduced number of fans to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. The team announced Tuesday that it plans to play in front of about 20% of Gillette Stadium’s capacity, if approved by state and local officials. The stadium’s capacity is just under 66,000.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have agreed with defensive tackle Chris Jones on a four-year, $85 million contract extension that includes $60 million in guarantees. That’s what a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. The Chiefs and representatives for Jones have been working on a contract extension ever since last year, when they remained far apart on terms and the Pro Bowl selection skipped the entirety of the offseason program.

CLEVELAND (AP) — A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that the Cleveland Browns are closing in on a massive contract extension with star defensive end Myles Garrett. He was the No. 1 overall pick in 2017 and is one of the NFL’s premiere edge rushers. Garrett and the Browns could have the deal completed in the next day or so. NFL Network reported the extension could be for five years and $125 million.

UNDATED (AP) — The New York Islanders have signed goaltender of the future Ilya Sorokin to a contract for next season. The $2 million deal includes $1 million in salary and a $1 million bonus. A day earlier, the team signed Sorokin to an entry-level deal for the remainder of this season even though he’s not eligible to play. The 24-year-old Sorokin is considered one of the top prospects at any position not current in the NHL.

High School Baseball

• Hempstead (#4 4A) takes two from Wahlert Catholic 12-7 and 14-6. The Mustangs finish the regular season with a record of (13-1). Wahlert will meet Western Dubuque this afternoon at 2:00pm at Peosta.

2-A District 8

• Bellevue 8, Clayton Ridge 1

District Baseball Today

Class 2A District semi-finals this evening at Dyersville: Monticello faces Cascade at 4:30 then Beckman Catholic meets Bellevue at 7 o’clock with the winners meeting in the District Final on Saturday evening at Dyersville.

High School Softball

• Senior 17, Cedar Rapids Washington 5 (game 2 forfeited by Washington)
• Wahlert beat Marion 9-8.
• Western Dubuque split with Linn-Mar winning 6-2 and then falling 4-2

2A Region 7

• Cascade 5, North Cedar 4(Cascade at Jesup on Wednesday)

It’s college football award Watch List season. Yesterday, the Bednarik Award was the first of the post season awards to release the pre-season candidates for the award: The Bednarik Award is presented to college football’s top defensive player of the season. Regional players on the list include: Iowa State safety Greg Eisworth, Wisconsin linebacker Jack Sanborn, and Illinois linebacker Jake Hanson.

Today the pre-season watch list candidates for the Davey O’Brien award will be announced.

Dubuque Fighting Saints fans have been wondering about  the United States Hockey League season in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The league announced Friday the plan is to start the season this fall with the intention to play a full schedule. The USHL Board of Directors met lThursday in the first of a series of weekly scheduled Zoom calls to review Return to Play protocols based on the latest health recommendations.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Effective immediately, the Washington NFL team is dropping the “Redskins” name, which had been in use since 1933. The change comes following national protests against inequality and financial pressure from sponsors FedEx, Nike, Pepsi and Bank of America. Opponents of the name have long said it was a slur. Owner Daniel Snyder had vowed never to change the name. More than a dozen Native leaders and organizations wrote to the league last week demanding an immediate end to Washington’s use of the name.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Add another name to the list of MLB players opting out of the shortened season because of health risks. St. Louis Cardinals reliever Jordan Hicks has opted out, citing pre-existing health concerns. The 23-year-old Hicks was diagnosed in high school as having Type 1 diabetes. Hicks had been taking part in workouts at Busch Stadium, leading up to the Cardinals’ opener on July 24 at home against Pittsburgh.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Russell Westbrook of the Houston Rockets says he has tested positive for coronavirus, and that he plans to eventually join his team at the restart of the NBA season. Westbrook made the revelation Monday on social media. As recently as Sunday, the Rockets believed that Westbrook and James Harden — neither of whom traveled with the team to Walt Disney World near Orlando last week — would be with the team in the next few days.

NEW YORK (AP) — Reigning MVP Elena Delle Donne says her request to be medically excused from the WNBA season has been denied. The Washington Mystics star said in a statement Monday that the independent panel of doctors the league and union agreed upon to decide whether players should be medically excused deemed her not to be “high risk, and should be permitted to play in the bubble.” Delle Donne has battled Lyme disease since 2008.

CHICAGO (AP) — The Bank of America Chicago Marathon has been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Marathon organizers and city officials cited the challenge of staging the large-scale Oct. 11 event while COVID-19 concerns endure. Chicago’s event typically draws about 45,000 runners and wheelchair athletes, and more than one million spectators. The Boston Marathon and New York Marathon have also been canceled because of the pandemic.

The Dubuque Senior Rams baseball team has had to end their season early due to a positive COVID-19 case within the program.  Athletic Director Brent Cook and District Director of Activities Joe Maloney broke the news yesterday which means Senior played their last game of the season on Friday night and forced to withdraw from the Sub-Tournament. Senior was scheduled to travel to Cedar Falls Friday evening for first round tournament play.

The Class 2A and 1A regional softball tournament opens up across the state this evening. Locally in Class 2A Region 7 playing first round games tonight, Cascade hosts North Cedar and Bellevue travels to Clayton Ridge.

In post season baseball they will play the make-up the 2A district  first round game between Bellevue and Clayton Ridge tonight in Bellevue. The game was postponed Saturday.

It appears junior colleges across the country will be moving football season to the spring. The proposal, first reported by the Athletic will affect 54 football-playing schools at the junior college level. Under the NJCAA Presidential Advisory Council’s proposal, football practice would start March 1, 2021, with games beginning March 25. The move will also affect other fall and winter sports including men and women’s basketball with practice starting on January 11^th and the season starting on Jan. 29. A vote is expected later today.

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Multiple reports say Washington’s NFL team will get rid of the name ‘Redskins’ on Monday. It’s unclear when a new name will be revealed for one of the league’s oldest franchises. USA Today, ESPN, The Washington Post, Washington Times and Sports Business Journal are reporting that owner Dan Snyder is set to “retire” the name. Yahoo, on Saturday, reported a name change is imminent.

SPARTA, Ky. (AP) — Cole Custer became the first rookie winner in the NASCAR Cup Series in nearly four years, surging to the lead in a four-wide, final-lap scramble Sunday at Kentucky Speedway. Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. were dueling side by side for the lead on the final restart when Custer — with a push from Matt DiBenedetto on the outside in the backstretch — made his move in the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. As the leaders bunched in Turn 1, Custer slid ahead and outlasted Truex’s Toyota. The victory was the first by a series rookie since Chris Buescher at Pocono on Aug. 1, 2016.

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (AP) — Felix Rosenqvist passed Pato O’Ward on the next-to-last lap and earned his first career victory in the second half of an IndyCar doubleheader at Road America winning by Rosenqvist won by 2.8699 seconds. Teammate Scott Dixon’s three-race winning streak ended with a 12th-place finish. O’Ward and Rosenqvist were both chasing their first career victories. They traded the lead throughout the second half of the race. O’Ward pulled ahead in the 43rd of 55 laps. Rosenqvist kept charging and finally passed him.

DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — Collin Morikawa won the Workday Charity Open with a two-putt par from 10 feet on the third playoff hole. But this finish was so much more than that. Morikawa was three shots behind with three holes to play when he finished par-birdie-par for a 66 to force a playoff with Justin Thomas. Then after watching Thomas make a 50-foot birdie in the playoff, Morikawa drained a 25-foot birdie to keep going. Thomas had another chance to win until missing from 10 feet. And on the third extra hole at No. 10, Thomas found trouble off the tee and made bogey.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen was late arriving to summer camp after he tested positive for COVID-19. The three-time All-Star closer says he believes he contracted the virus from his 4-year-old son Kaden. He says the child had a fever, among other symptoms, which led his wife to suggest everyone in the family get tested. Jansen says his wife, Gianni, and 7-year-old daughter Natalia tested positive, but that his first test was negative. A day later, he says he also tested positive. Jansen expects to be ready for the season opener on July 23.

HOUSTON (AP) — Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman has tested positive for the coronavirus and is experiencing mild symptoms. New York manager Aaron Boone announced the news Saturday. He said Chapman “overall is doing well” but “will not be here for the foreseeable future.” Hours after Chapman’s diagnosis, Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was scratched from a simulated game with a stiff neck. New York is also without infielder DJ LeMahieu and right-hander Luis Cessa due to the virus. The AL East champion Yankees open the season July 23 at Washington.

Texas Rangers outfielder Joey Gallo says he doesn’t know if he actually had the coronavirus despite two positive tests, since he never had any symptoms and also had multiple negative tests. Gallo said Saturday that he planned to have a more extensive antibody test to be sure after a finger-prick test didn’t indicate that he had COVID-19. The All-Star slugger missed the first week of the Rangers summer camp after two positive tests that sandwiched a negative result during intake testing.

UNDATED (AP) — LeBron James says his thoughts on social justice can’t be contained on the back of a basketball jersey. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar won’t wear one of the NBA-approved social justice messages on the back of his jersey when the NBA resumes competition later this month in the Orlando bubble. As part of the NBA’s recognition of the nationwide invigoration of the social justice movement sparked by the death of George Floyd, NBA players are allowed to choose from a lengthy list of possible messages for their jerseys during the league’s restart. James is among just a few who declined to choose one of the messages.

UNDATED (AP) — The Pac-12 has become the second major conference to shift to a conference-only fall schedule amid growing concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. The decision covers football, women’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball. Conference-only schedules will be announced no later than July 31. The announcement came a day after the Big Ten opted to eliminate nonconference games for all fall sports. The Atlantic Coast, Big 12 and Southeastern conferences are still weighing options for fall sports.

Scott Dixon earned his third straight victory Saturday with an improbable triumph in the opening race of a weekend doubleheader at Road America, as IndyCar welcomed fans to its races for the first time this season. Dixon has won each of the three IndyCar races to take place thus far during this pandemic-delayed season. He’s the first IndyCar driver to start a season with at least three consecutive victories since Sebastien Bourdais reeled off four straight to start the 2006 campaign.

DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — Justin Thomas went from a three-shot deficit to a two-shot lead in the Workday Charity Open. Thomas had a third consecutive round without bogeys, this one a 66. He made birdies early to keep pace with Collin Morikawa. When Morikawa fell back, Thomas added three birdies to hold off Viktor Hovland. The Norwegian star also had a 66. The final round is a glimpse of golf’s next generation. All three will be in the final group because of an early start to avoid storms. The round needs to finish Sunday to have a day to get ready for the Memorial.

Due to field issues at Petrakis Park, today’s Wahlert-Senior varsity doubleheader have been moved from Petrakis Park and will start a little earlier. The varsity games will be played at the Senior High diamond now and start at 3:30 instead of 4 o’clock. You can hear both games on  station AM 1370 and kdth.com.

The Iowa High School Athletic Association announced the pairings for the 4A and 3A high school baseball post season yesterday. First round games will be next Friday.

In Class 4A: Hempstead is the top seed in Substate 4 and will host Davenport Central at Petrakis. A win by the Mustangs automatically sends them to the Substate Final.  In Substate 3: Senior is seeded 4^th and will travel to 3^rd seed Cedar Falls and Western Dubuque a number two seed and will host 5^th seed Waterloo West. Cedar Rapids Kennedy is the top seed.

In Class 3A: Wahlert is the top seed in District 8 and will host Marion at 4:30 prior to the Hempstead-Central game. The other game in District 8 has Maquoketa hosting Mt. Vernon. The two winners square off in the District Final at Petrakis on Monday, July 20^th.

For the complete brackets: https://www.iahsaa.org/baseball-2020-postseason-brackets/

Wahlert Catholic High School is looking for a new head volleyball coach. Athletic Director Tom English says Lindsey Beaves has resigned for personal and family reasons. In seven seasons as head coach, Beaves guided the Golden Eagles to three state championships and she was named Mississippi Valley Conference Coach of the Year once during her tenure. Prior to head coaching Beaves, formerly Lindsey Kane, also served as an assistant coach, and as a player at Wahlert graduating in 2004 she helped Wahlert to four straight state titles and was an Iowa co-player of the year her senior year.

DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — Collin Morikawa had his first forced weekend off when he missed the cut two weeks ago for the first time in his pro career. He bounced back in a big way. Morikawa made a strong debut at Muirfield Village with a 7-under 65 for a one-shot lead over Adam Hadwin. It was a quiet day of work with no fans at the course Jack Nicklaus built. Phil Mickelson made noise early until a 41 on the back nine left him in danger of missing another cut. This is the first of two straight events at Muirfield Village.

UNDATED (AP) — The Big Ten Conference won’t play nonconference games in football and a handful of other sports this fall because of the coronavirus pandemic. The league also warns that it’s “prepared not to play” at all to keep its athletes safe. The decision affects more than 40 games, including some marquee matchups like Notre Dame against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field. The announcement came a day after the Ivy League called off all fall sports. Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith says he is “very concerned” about the season.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — J.T. Realmuto isn’t worried about his contract situation. The All-Star catcher and the Philadelphia Phillies had preliminary discussions about a long-term deal before the coronavirus pandemic but talks between the two sides haven’t progressed since baseball returned last week. Realmuto is eligible for free agency after the season unless the Phillies sign him before he can test the market. He’s expected to seek at least $20 million per season. Last week, Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said the pandemic has changed the landscape of baseball. Lost revenue could affect salaries around the majors going forward.

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Texas Tech has signed 7-foot-1 Russian center Vladislav Goldin. He played last season at Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut. Goldin also played for Russia’s U18 and U19 national teams, and for three seasons with CSKA Moscow’s Junior Team. The center is the eighth player that has signed with the Red Raiders, including Division I transfers Mac McClung (Georgetown), Jamarius Burton (Wichita State) and Marcus Santos-Silva (Virginia Commonwealth). There was also a junior college transfer and three high school signees.

UNDATED (AP) — American broadcaster CBS will get an early start on its Champions League deal by showing games next month when the pandemic-delayed competition resumes. The rights to the rest of this Champions League season and all of next season became available last month when Turner opted out of its 2018-21 deal for exclusive English language rights in the United States. CBS says it has acquired the rights and will get two Champions League finals in less than 10 months. This season’s competition resumes Aug. 7 and ends with an eight-team knockout tournament in Lisbon, Portugal. The final is on Aug. 23.

High School Baseball

• Hempstead (#5 4A) sweeps Waterloo West 3-1 and 14-4 (6)
• Wahlert split with Linn-Mar. Golden Eagles win 5-0 then lose 9-2.
• Bellevue falls to Durant 9-2. (open district tourney play Saturday hosting Clayton Ridge
• Cascade 5, Monticello 0

High School Softball

• Hempstead (#8 defeats Waterloo West twice 8-2 and 17-3.
• Wahlert lost twice to Linn-Mar 17-7 and 10-9.
• Western Dubuque takes two from Waterloo East 11-0 and 11-2.

— Wisconsin says seven athletes have tested positive for the new coronavirus since the school started testing them a month ago. School officials previously had said two tested positive out of the 117 athletes who were part of the initial group of tests. The school now has conducted 428 total tests. Wisconsin isolates those who test positive, and the athletic department’s infection response team monitors their recoveries. School officials aren’t specifying which sports are affected by the positive tests.

— Northwestern’s football game against Wisconsin scheduled for Nov. 7 at Wrigley Field in Chicago is being moved to Ryan Field because of uncertainties due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Northwestern announced the decision Wednesday after consulting with the Chicago Cubs, state and local authorities and the Big Ten Conference.

High School Baseball

• Clayton Ridge lost to Sumner-Fredricksburg 6-1.

Due to a confirmed positive test for COVID-19 in the Bellevue softball team the Comets have been forced to have their season come to an end. Bellevue was scheduled to host Durant tonight, play Bellevue Marquette tomorrow and start regional tournament play on Monday.

The Western Dubuque softball team is planning to resume play this evening after suspending their season late last week, the Bobcats had to cancel three varsity doubleheaders while they sat out waiting for COVID-19 test results. W-D is scheduled to travel to Waterloo East this evening.

Even though the Field of Dreams Major League Game with the White Sox and Cardinals is still scheduled for August 13^th, officials with Beyond the Game, an Iowa baseball experience originally created to celebrate the MLB game have announced their events have been cancelled. Also organizers with the annual Team of Dreams event held at the Field of Dreams have announced the event is cancelled for this season. As of now, the game between the White Sox and Cardinals is still on for August 13^th.

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs delayed the start of their workout a few hours on Tuesday because they were awaiting some new coronavirus test results. That’s according to manager David Ross. The move came one day after slugger Kris Bryant criticized the lack of frequency of the tests and delays in getting results. Ross urged patience from everybody. Meanwhile, the Kansas City Royals say right-hander Brad Keller and first baseman Ryan O’Hearn have tested positive for the new coronavirus.

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks say they will continue to use their team name because it honors a Native American leader who has been an inspiration to generations. The NHL team said in a statement Tuesday that: “The Chicago Blackhawks name and logo symbolizes an important and historic person, Black Hawk of Illinois’ Sac & Fox Nation, whose leadership and life has inspired generations of Native Americans, veterans and the public.”

CLEVELAND (AP) — A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press the Cleveland Browns have re-worked defensive end Olivier Vernon’s contract for next season. Vernon’s future with the Browns seemed uncertain as he was set to make $15.25 million in 2020. But the club reworked his deal and the source says he’ll earn $11 million. The 29-year-old Vernon joined the Browns last season after coming over from the New York Giants in the blockbuster trade involving wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.

UNDATED (AP) — International Ice Hockey Federation chief Rene’ Fasel is encouraged upon learning the NHL’s tentatively-agreed-to labor deal opens the possibility of the league allowing its players to return to Olympic competition. Aside from the uncertainty raised by the global COVID-19 pandemic, Fasel tells The Associated Press he doesn’t foresee any major stumbling blocks that could derail negotiations leading up to the 2022 Beijing Games. Fasel spoke a day after the NHL and NHL Players’ Association tentatively agreed to extend the Collective Bargaining Agreement for four years, which would run through the 2025-26 season, including a provision to have players compete in the next two Winter Games.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Former Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan has been elected to the team’s Ring of Honor. Shanahan won’t be inducted until 2021 because of coronavirus precautions. Shanahan was a two-time Super Bowl winner and is the franchise’s all-time leader in victories with 146. He was head coach of the Broncos from 1995 until 2008.

High School Baseball

• Hempstead (#5 4A) split at Iowa City Liberty winning 10-2 then falling 9-5.
• Senior lost twice at Cedar Rapids Xavier (#6 3A) 7-5 and 5-1.
• Wahlert at Iowa City West got PPD due to COVID-19 concerns in the West program.
• Western Dubuque at Iowa City High (cancelled)
• Bellevue lost to West Liberty 7-3.
• Cascade lost to Wilton 2-1.
• Dyersville Beckman split with Marion winning 12-10 then losing 12-0.
• Maquoketa split with (#1 3A) Dewitt Central losing 9-1 then winning 6-3.
• MFL Mar-Mac 10, Clayton Ridge 3

High School Softball

• Hempstead (#8 5A) split with Iowa City Liberty (#14 5A) losing 5-1 then winning 5-4.
• Senior lost twice to Cedar Rapids Xavier 5-2 and 2-0.
• Wahlert lost twice to Iowa City West 11-4 and 14-6.
• Western Dubuque vs Iowa City City (cancelled)
• Cascade lost to Wilton 13-2.
• Maquoketa beat South Tama twice 3-0 and 12-0.

The Western Dubuque High School baseball program is hoping to return to play for the Sub-state tournament next week, but the Bobcats must sit out this week after test results returned yesterday confirmed more than 1 positive tests forCOVID-19 in the program. The baseball program decided to suspend play last Wednesday during a game and hasn’t returned to play since. The school schedule now shows baseball games throughout the program cancelled through July 13^th.

The W-D softball programs seasons are also suspended waiting for a few more virus test results before they can return to play, they are hopeful to have those by the end of the day.

UNDATED (AP) — It’s the biggest sports contract ever and could generate about a half billion dollars for Kansas City Chiefs quarter Patrick Mahomes. According to his agency, Steinberg Sports, Mahomes agreed to a 10-year extension worth up to $503 million. The deal is worth $477 million in guarantee mechanisms and includes a no-trade clause and opt-out clauses if guarantee mechanisms aren’t met. Mahomes threw touchdown passes on consecutive fourth-quarter drives in rallying the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl title in 50 years and the first for coach Andy Reid.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Baseball’s two World Series finalists have each canceled workouts because of COVID-19 testing delays. The Washington Nationals and Houston Astros called off training camp practices Monday after not receiving test results from Friday. Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said it’s not safe to continue with camp without accurate and timely testing. Astros GM James Click speculated the July 4th holiday weekend contributed to the delay.

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than a dozen Native American leaders and organizations have sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell calling for the league to force Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder to change the team name immediately. The letter was signed by 15 Native American advocates and obtained by The Associated Press. It demands the team and the NFL cease the use of Native American names, imagery and logos.

UNDATED (AP) — Iowa State guard Rasir Bolton said he decided to leave Penn State last spring because of a comment by coach Pat Chambers, who said the player had a noose around his neck. Bolton, who is Black, disclosed the reason for his departure Monday in a tweet he titled “a noose around my neck.” Chambers, who is white, later tweeted an apology. Bolton told The Undefeated he was offended by the reference and confronted both Chambers and the athletic director’s office.

UNDATED (AP) — The PGA Tour and the Memorial have scrapped state-approved plans to have limited spectators next week in Ohio. The Memorial was scheduled to be the first tournament with spectators since golf’s return from the COVID-19 pandemic-caused shutdown. Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine approved a plan for there to be 20% capacity at Muirfield Village. The tour said rapidly changing dynamics of the pandemic caused that to change.

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs were glad to be back on the field, resuming workouts Friday for the first time since Major League Baseball shut down camps in March. New manager David Ross said he felt like a “12-year-old thinking about baseball and how much you’ve missed it in this time.” With the season cut from 162 games to 60, the Cubs are gearing up for a sprint they hope ends in the playoffs after missing out for the first time since 2014. Chicago went from 95 wins in 2018 to 84 last season and finished behind St. Louis and Milwaukee in the NL Central. The Cubs kept their roster largely intact. But they made one big change when they hired Ross to replace Joe Maddon.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers veteran Ryan Braun says he’s more likely to play beyond 2020 because of the unusual circumstances of this pandemic-shortened season. Braun had said in January that the upcoming season could be his last. He now believes this year’s 60-game schedule won’t wear him out as much as a full, 162-game season. Braun can also benefit from the National League adopting the designated hitter this season. The former MVP is entering the final season of a five-year, $105 million contract and will turn 37 in November.

NEW YORK (AP) — Freddie Freeman tests positive for COVID-19. Masahiro Tanaka gets hit in the head by a line drive. David Price announces he won’t play this season for the sake of his health and his family’s health. Sobering examples of the game’s potential danger took place at camps across the country as Major League Baseball teams continued preparing to start their pandemic-shortened season later this month. The return of baseball didn’t offer much cause for celebration on this Fourth of July.

Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka was alert and sent to a hospital after he was hit in the head by a line drive off the bat of slugger Giancarlo Stanton during live batting practice Saturday, a frightening scene during the team’s first official summer camp workout. Tanaka’s hat flew off and he immediately collapsed to the ground, cradling his head at Yankee Stadium. Trainers quickly ran to Tanaka, who stayed down for a few minutes before sitting up. Trainers tended to his head and appeared to check his vision. Tanaka was helped to his feet and walked off the field with help. Yankee’s Manager Aaron Boone also announced that All-Star infielder DJ LeMahieu and right-hander Luis Cessa tested positive for the coronavirus before traveling to New York and are self-isolating at home.

Elsewhere in the majors:

— Dodgers pitcher David Price won’t play this season because of concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, delaying his Los Angeles debut until next year. The five-time All-Star became the latest player to opt out, posting Saturday on Twitter that he wouldn’t participate in the 60-game season that’s scheduled to begin July 23. Price’s announcement came a day after Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout said he wasn’t comfortable with the current climate and might not play. Washington first baseman Ryan Zimmerman, Colorado outfielder Ian Desmond and Arizona pitcher Mike Leake are among those who have already said they’re out this year.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Scott Dixon retook the lead with 18 laps to go and pulled away from Graham Rahal to earn his first IndyCar Grand Prix victory. The five-time series champion beat Rahal to the checkered flag by 19.9469 seconds. It’s the first time in Dixon’s 20-year career he has opened the season with back-to-back victories. He won the season opener last month at Texas. Dixon, of Chip Ganassi Racing, also broke Team Penske’s five-year reign on the IndyCar GP title. Dixon’s 48 career wins are third all-time behind A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti.

UNDATED (AP) — The NBA announced the schedule Saturday for scrimmages at the Disney complex in Florida, with 33 games set for between July 22 and July 28. Each of the 22 teams that will be part of the season restart has been scheduled for three games. All three arenas at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex that will be used for the restart will also play host to the scrimmages. There will be between three and six games per day during that six-day span. The season will officially resume with the start of seeding games on July 30. Teams begin arriving at Disney for a brief quarantine followed by the start of their training camps on Tuesday.

DETROIT (AP) — Matthew Wolff had a roller-coaster round that went well enough Saturday to give him a three-shot lead in the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Wolff shot his second straight 8-under 64 to move into position for his second PGA Tour victory. He was at 19-under 197 at Detroit Golf Club.

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — The Green Bay Packers have signed each of their two top draft picks: Utah State quarterback Jordan Love and Boston College running back A.J. Dillon. Green Bay gave the Miami Dolphins a fourth-round draft choice to move up four spots in the first round and take Love with the 26th overall selection back in April. The Packers chose Dillon with the 62nd overall pick. Both selections were somewhat surprising because the Packers already have two-time MVP Aaron Rodgers at quarterback and Aaron Jones at running back.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The title sponsor of the Washington Redskins’ stadium wants the NFL team to change its name. In a statement today, FedEx said they “have communicated to the team in Washington our request that they change the team name”. The company paid the team $205 million in 1999 for the naming rights to FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland. In addition to the stadium name and sponsorship agreement, FedEx CEO Frederik Smith is a minority owner. Majority owner Daniel Snyder has shown no indications he’ll change the name since buying the team in 1999. On Thursday night, Nike appeared to remove all Redskins gear from its online store. The other 31 NFL teams were listed and a search for “Redskins” came up with no results. Nike did not immediately respond to an email message seeking comment.

Chicago Cubs left-hander José Quintana had surgery to repair nerve damage in his pitching thumb Thursday after he cut himself washing dishes and is out indefinitely. The Cubs said Quintana lacerated his thumb at his home in Miami on Saturday and needed five stitches. He had surgery in Chicago on Thursday morning. The 31-year-old Quintana is expected to resume throwing in about two weeks. The Cubs will then get a better idea of how much time he will miss.

All 30 Major League Baseball teams will train at their regular-season ballparks for the pandemic-shortened season after the Toronto Blue Jays received a Canadian federal government exemption to work out at Rogers Centre. Toronto will move training camp from its spring training complex in Dunedin, Florida. This exemption does not cover the regular season and player travel between the U.S. and Canada. MLB required an exemption to a requirement that anyone entering Canada for nonessential reasons must self-isolate for 14 days. The U.S.-Canada border remains closed to nonessential travel until at least July 21.

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Tigers have become the first Major League Baseball team to reach a deal with a sports gambling company, announcing a multiyear partnership with PointsBet. Detroit said the agreement will enhance fan engagement and game-day excitement. Johnny Aitken, CEO of PointsBet USA, says it is the first legal sports betting operator in U.S. history to partner with a Major League Baseball franchise.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — NASCAR and IndyCar have come together for an unprecedented weekend of racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. IndyCar will start the racing on Saturday afternoon, followed by the Xfinity Series making its debut on the road course. Then NASCAR’s elite Cup Series will race on the oval on Sunday. Fans aren’t allowed to attend what is considered a major milestone for American motorsports.

High School Baseball

• Senior split with Cedar Rapids Prairie losing the first game 6-5 then winning 7-6.
• Hempstead at C.R. Kennedy (PPD)
• Western Dubuque 6, Cedar Rapids Washington 1 (suspended in 3^rd)
• Clayton Ridge lost to North Fayette Valley 11-5

High School Softball

• (#8 5A) Hempstead lost twice to (#3 5A) Cedar Rapids Kennedy 3-0 and 10-3.
• Senior lost twice to Cedar Rapids Prairie 13-2 and 14-0.
• Wahlert defeated Cedar Rapids Jefferson twice 1-0 and 9-8.

The Western Dubuque High School baseball team has become the third Mississippi Valley Conference team to have to shut down their season due to COVID-19 concerns. The Bobcats got word in the 3^rd inning of yesterday’s game against Cedar Rapids Washington that an individual that has had close contact to someone within the program has tested positive for the virus.  W-D could resume their season in a few days or be forced to quarantine for 10-14 days and miss the rest of the regular season, but be back in time for the tournament.  Western Dubuque joins Wahlert and Cedar Falls as MVC teams having to alter their seasons.

NEW YORK (AP) — The baseball organization that presents the annual MVP awards will consider whether the name of former commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis should be pulled from future plaques. A longtime official of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America says the issue will be put up for discussion. Former NL Most Valuable Players Barry Larkin, Mike Schmidt and Terry Pendleton this week told The Associated Press they would favor removing Landis’ name because of concerns over his handling of Black players. Landis was hired in 1920 as MLB’s first commissioner and no Blacks played in the majors during his quarter-century tenure.

NEW YORK (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals have replaced the New York Yankees as the opponent for the Chicago White Sox in the Field of Dreams game on Aug. 13 at Dyersville, Iowa. The schedule change caused by the new coronavirus pandemic meant the White Sox no longer play the Yankees this season. The new opponent, first reported by The Des Moines Register, was confirmed to The Associated Press by a person familiar with the arrangements who spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the matchup has not been announced. Major League Baseball hopes to announce its new schedule next week.

UNDATED (AP) —The tour’s latest policy change on the coronavirus means Cameron Champ can play the Rocket Mortgage Classic this week in Detroit. Champ tested positive for the virus last week when he arrived for the Travelers Championship. That meant he had to self-isolate for 10 days without showing symptoms. Champ was asymptomatic when he tested positive. The tour says he had three negative tests over the next three days. The tour consulted with the CDC on its policy change. Now, anyone who is asymptomatic and tests positive will be eligible to return with two negative tests at least 24 hours apart.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) —Catcher Patrick Bailey has agreed to a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants that includes a $3.8 million signing bonus. He was selected 13th overall in last month’s amateur draft, The 21-year-old hit .296 with six homers, including three grand slams, and 20 RBIs in 17 games in the pandemic-shortened season as a junior at North Carolina State. He earned the Johnny Bench award as the top Division I catcher, an honor also won the Giants’ Buster Posey in 2008 and Joey Bart in 2018.

UNDATED (AP) — The Oklahoma athletics department is cutting $13.7 million from its budget, blaming those cuts on fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Budget cuts include a 10% salary drop for any employee earning at least $1 million per year. Athletic director Joe Castiglione said the moves were the “first steps” in responding to the financial losses associated with virus outbreak.

A major league baseball game is still being planned at the Field of Dreams in Dyersville on August 13^th, but the match-up has changed. According to sources from inside the White Sox organization and several Chicago media, the St. Louis Cardinals are replacing the New York Yankees as the opponent for the unique game. When the game was announced last year, the Yankees were named as the Sox opponent, but due to the COVID-19 delayed season being shortened to 60 games with teams only playing opponents from their region the switch to a different opponent was made. An official announcement is expected soon from MLB. It’s unknown whether or not any fans will be allowed in the specially constructed eight thousand seat stadium going up next to the movie site in Dyersville.

High School Baseball

• Dyersville Beckman (#6 2A) lost the Don Bosco (#7 1A) 10-9.
• Clayton Ridge lost twice to Lansing Kee 12-2 and 10-0

High School Softball

• Central City 1, Bellevue Marquette Catholic 0

Major League Baseball is still hoping to play the Field of Dreams game this season.  In a statement given to the MLB Network the league says “To date there has been no change in the status of the event, and we hope to have the option to play”.  If the game which was planned for August 13^th at a newly constructed field near the movie site in Dyersville takes place, it may not include the New York Yankees.  When the game was announced last year the Chicago White Sox and Yankees were the scheduled opponents, however MLB’s new 60 game schedule will have only have regional opponents playing one another.   Speculation now surrounds the Sox playing the Cubs, Cardinals, Brewers Twins or Reds, although it’s not a given the Sox would still participate. The league has not yet released the full schedule for the 60-game season, but that should come by the end of the week.

The University of Iowa Athletics Department will be slashing the budget for fiscal year 2021 by millions in order to stem the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yesterday Iowa Athletic Director Gary Barta said that the budget would be cut by around $15 million, setting it for around $112.5 million. The difference is made up of around $13 million in reduced operating expenses, with the rest being adjustments to pay.

Head coaches Kirk Ferentz, Fran McCaffery, Tom Brands, and Lisa Bluder all voluntarily agreed to a 15% reduction in base salary for the budget year or an equivalent contribution to the department. Barta reduced his total compensation by over 30 percent, and deputy athletics director Barbara Burke took a 25% salary reduction.

NEW YORK (AP) — Baseball’s minor leagues canceled their seasons Tuesday because of the coronavirus pandemic, and the head of their governing body said more than half of the 160 teams were in danger of failing without government assistance or private equity injections. The National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues president Pat O’Conner says the leagues “don’t have national TV revenues.” O’Conner estimated 85-90% of revenue was related to ticket money, concessions, parking and ballpark advertising.

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball says a team will not specifically announce a COVID-19 injured list placement for a player who is removed from the club after testing positive, just an IL trip. MLB’s operations manual says a positive test and exhibiting symptoms that require isolation for additional assessment or exposure to someone who has had the virus are cause for placement on the new COVID-19.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The San Diego Padres have acquired infielder Jorge Mateo from the Oakland Athletics in the first trade since baseball resumed after a shutdown of more than three months due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Padres will send either a player or cash to the A’s for the 25-year-old Mateo, who will be added to the player pool for the resumption of spring training. The Padres are scheduled to have their first workout Friday at Petco Park.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Pelicans general manager David Griffin says three New Orleans players have tested positive for COVID-19 and will be in self-isolation until testing shows they can return to team activities without infecting others. Griffin declined to identify the players, citing medical privacy laws. The positive tests occurred on June 23, the first day all members of the team were tested as part of the NBA’s plan to restart the season, which was suspended in mid-March because of the pandemic.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Memphis Grizzlies rookie guard Ja Morant posted and deleted an Instagram photo suggesting he’d replace his name with an expletive on his number 12 jersey in a protest against police. Morant then apologized, saying the post didn’t “accurately convey” what he wanted to share. Morant said he knows “there are good cops” out there. The league, Nike and the players association are reportedly working on a deal that would allow players to replace the names on the backs of their jerseys with social justice statements.

High School Baseball

• Hempstead (#8 4A) sweeps Iowa City West 2-1 and 5-2.
• Senior and Iowa City High split, the Rams win 8-2 then fall 14-4.
• Western Dubuque split with Cedar Rapids Xavier (#6 3A) winning 3-2 and losing 8-2.
• Dyersville Beckman (#6 2A) fall twice to Central Dewitt (#1 3A) 2-1 and 10-0.
• Bellevue 8, Tipton 2
• Bellevue Marquette Catholic wins twice over Central City 7-6 and 11-0 (5)
• Northeast 1, Cascade 0

High School Softball

• Senior lost twice at Iowa City High 11-2 and 11-0.
• Hempstead (#8 5A) swept Iowa City West 12-2 and 4-2.
• No report Wahlert at Iowa City Liberty
• Western Dubuque (#13 4A) split with Cedar Rapids Xavier winning 11-1 and falling 9-3.
• Cascade lost to Northeast 15-4.
• Dyersville Beckman lost twice to Central Dewitt 15-5 and 13-1.

Division 3 Grinnell College in central Iowa has announced they are canceling several early fall sports seasons due to concerns over the COVID 19 pandemic. In a statement on their website, Grinnell announced it is canceling sports seasons in its Fall Term 1 schedule which also includes football, volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s tennis, women’s golf along with men’s and women’s cross country.  Grinnell says it will monitor research and reports before they make a decision on other sports like basketball.

Wadley Alleges Mistreatment at Iowa

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Former Iowa running back Akrum Wadley says he was so mistreated by some coaches he now regrets playing there. Wadley’s statement, posted on Facebook, mentions coach Kirk Ferentz, his son, offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz and others. He says his weight was a constant issue and was used to belittle him. A statement issued to the Des Moines Register said Kirk Ferentz would not comment publicly.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The reigning World Series champion Washington Nationals will be without at least two holdovers from last year’s team. Longtime infielder Ryan Zimmerman and pitcher Joe Ross are opting out of playing as Major League Baseball tries to get back amid the COVID-19 pandemic. General manager Mike Rizzo says the team supports Zimmerman and Ross deciding not to play the 60-game season that’s set to start in late July. Zimmerman cites family health concerns.

TORONTO (AP) — The premier of Ontario says Major League Baseball is close to winning approval to play in Toronto amid the coronavirus pandemic. Ontario Premier Doug Ford says city, provincial and federal authorities “kind of gave their approval,” but the Toronto Blue Jays are waiting for a letter of support from the federal government. MLB requires an exemption, as anyone entering Canada for nonessential reasons must self-isolate for 14 days, and the U.S.-Canada border remains closed to nonessential travel until at least July 21.

NEW YORK (AP) — Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie and center DeAndre Jordan say they have tested positive for the coronavirus. Dinwiddie told The Athletic he is experiencing symptoms and it is unclear if he can play when the NBA season resumes. He has played well this season with Kyrie Irving out of the lineup because of injuries. At least six Nets players have tested positive. The other four were in March, with Kevin Durant saying he was among them.

WASHINGTON (AP) — John Wall will not join the Washington Wizards for the resumption of the NBA season this summer, ending the chances of the five-time All-Star guard playing his first game since 2018. General manager Tommy Sheppard effectively ruled out Wall returning this season when he said Monday that the 29-year-old wouldn’t be part of the Wizards’ traveling party to Central Florida. Among the factors in the decision was a cap of 35 people per team in the quarantined bubble at Walt Disney World. The COVID-19 pandemic also hindered Wall’s progress in his rehab from multiple surgeries.

HILTON HEAD, S.C. (AP) — PGA veteran Nick Watney says it’s not the greatest feeling to be known as the first Tour player to test positive for the new coronavirus. In his first interview since the June 19 test at the RBC Heritage, Watney says he hasn’t had a fever, coughing or shortness of breath. He says he only felt a little fatigue and a lot of boredom. Monday was the 10th day of his self-isolation in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. That’s the minimum time for players who test positive. Watney says he’ll give it an extra day before driving 17 hours home to Austin, Texas. Also Monday, Harris English tested positive at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit.

The high school baseball substate groupings for Class 4-A and 3-A have been released by the Iowa High School Athletic Association.

In Class 4-A: Senior and Western Dubuque were assigned to Substate 3 which also includes Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Waterloo East and Waterloo West.

Hempstead will be in Substate 4 which includes Cedar Rapids Prairie, Bettendorf, Clinton, Davenport Central and Davenport West.

In Class 3A: Wahlert will be in Substate 4 , grouped with the Golden Eagles are Central Dewitt, Marion, Anamosa, Center Point-Urbana, Maquoketa, Mount Vernon and West Delaware.

Pairings will be announced sometime next week following Coach’s seeding meetings. The tournament trail begins for 3A and 4A teams on Friday, July 17^th.