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.

Cascade native Collin Rea is one of the 50 players invited to the Chicago Cubs Summer Camp as they prepare for the COVID 19 shortened season.  The 29-year old Rea will be one of 22 pitchers at camp. The Cubs will have 39 players training at Wrigley Field in Chicago with 11 others training at Four Winds Field in South Bend, the home of their Class-A affiliate. Players report on Wednesday in preparation for a 60 game season schedule slated to get underway July 23^rd or 24^th.

The Hempstead High School baseball team is ranked in the new Class 4-A rankings from the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association. The Mustangs make their season debut at number eight and are the highest ranked Mississippi Valley Conference team this week. Iowa City Liberty ranked 9^th is the only other MVC team in the 4-A poll. Cedar Rapids Xavier is ranked 6^th in the 3-A poll.

Dyersville Beckman is ranked for the first time this season. The Blazers debut at number six in the Class 2-A poll.

BOSTON (AP) — A person with knowledge of the deal has told The Associated Press that the New England Patriots have reached an agreement with free-agent quarterback Cam Newton. The one-year deal is said to be worth up to $7.5 million with incentives. Newton was the 2015 NFL MVP. He will help the defending AFC East champions move on from the departure of three-time MVP Tom Brady, who left for Tampa Bay this offseason. A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Newton was the league’s top player in 2015, Newton remains the NFL’s all-time leader in touchdowns rushing by a quarterback.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Clippers have signed free agent Joakim Noah to a new contract for the rest of the season, three months after he first signed a 10-day deal with the team. The two-time All-Star averaged 7.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 42 games for Memphis last season. Noah originally signed with the Clippers on March 9, two days before the NBA put its season on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic.

CROMWELL, Conn. (AP)— Dustin Johnson won the Travelers Championship on Sunday to end a long drought and extend his career-long season victory streak to 13. Johnson closed with a 3-under 67 for a one-stroke victory over Kevin Streelman at fan-free TPC River Highlands. Meanwhile, Dylan Frittelli is the fourth PGA Tour player to test positive for the coronavirus. Frittelli missed the cut at the Travelers Championship. The tour says he took a saliva test that is required before taking the tour charter to the next tournament in Detroit. The test came back positive on Sunday.

LONG POND, Pa. (AP) — Denny Hamlin held off Kevin Harvick on Sunday night to win the second Cup race of the weekend at Pocono Raceway and flip the result of the opener. Hamlin raced to his fourth victory of the season — and sixth at Pocono — to cap a wild, marathon day of racing at the track, with three NASCAR races and Cup finish in the dark. Pocono doesn’t have lights — but the pit road numbers were lit up and glowed as Hamlin took the checkered flag for Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin has 41 career victories to move to 19th on NASCAR’s career list.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Edgar Santana has been suspended for 80 games after violating Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The club announced that Santana tested positive for Boldenone, a performance-enhancing substance. The 28-year-old Santana is in the process of a comeback after missing all of the 2019 season following reconstructive surgery on his right elbow in September 2018. Santana is 3-4 with a 3.31 ERA in 88 career games, all with the Pirates.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Former Wisconsin guard Kobe King has changed his plans and won’t be playing basketball at Nebraska. Cornhuskers coach Fred Hoiberg said in a statement Friday that King had informed the staff that he wouldn’t be enrolling at the school because of personal reasons. Hoiberg added that “we respect his decision and wish him the best in his future endeavors.” King started his career at Wisconsin but left the Badgers in late January.  The 6-foot-4 guard had made 19 starts and was averaging 10 points to rank second on the team at the time he left.

NEW YORK (AP) — Gerrit Cole could make his New York Yankees debut in a tasty opening-day treat for fans, facing Juan Soto and World Series champion Washington at Nationals Park. MLB will start a 60-game season on July 23 or 24. The schedule is still being worked out — there could be a game or two on the first day of play, or a full slate. Cole started the previous game played at Nationals Park. He pitched the Houston Astros past the Nationals 7-1 last October for a 3-2 edge in the World Series. Cole signed a $324 million, nine-year contract with the Yankees as a free agent. Rendon got a $245 million, seven-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels.

KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andrew Toles was in jail Saturday, charged with trespassing. The 28-year-old player was detained this week at the airport in Key West, Florida, by a Monroe County sheriff deputy. The Miami Herald reported he was found sleeping behind a Federal Express building at the airport and refused to move. Jail records show Toles appeared to be homeless when arrested Monday on the misdemeanor charge. The team said Toles never reported to spring training camp in 2019 because of a personal matter. He did not play that year. Toles struggled with anxiety issues even before the Dodgers signed him to a minor league contract. He was Tampa Bay’s minor league player of the year in 2013 but was released in 2015. He was working the early-morning shift in the frozen-food section of a grocery store before the Dodgers recruited him.

CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — Brendon Todd and Dustin Johnson each shot career-low 61s at the Travelers Championship on Saturday, leaving Todd with a two-stroke lead over the 2016 U.S. Open champion. Both golfers shot bogey-free rounds, with Todd making five birdies on the front nine and Johnson five on the back. Phil Mickelson, who celebrated his 50th birthday last week, began the day with a one-stroke lead, but struggled to a 71, finishing tied for seventh in a group six shots back.

LONG POND, Pa. (AP) — Kevin Harvick snapped an 0-for-38 drought at Pocono Raceway, taking the checkered flag Saturday at one of two tracks where victory had eluded him. Harvick won the first of two NASCAR Cup races in front of no fans this weekend at Pocono and will start 20th on Sunday with the field set by inverting the lead-lap finishers.

DENVER (AP) — John Carlos wants to abolish the rule that bans protests at the Olympics. The renowned Olympic protester has written a letter with an influential group of American athletes, calling on the IOC to put in place a new policy done in collaboration with athletes from across the globe. Carlos and Tommie Smith raised their fists on the medals stand at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics to protest racial inequality in the United States. They were sent home for violating rules that ban such protests. Those rules remain in place today, though in the wake of global demonstrations against racial injustice, the IOC has recently expressed willingness to rethink them.

PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. (AP) — Former NFL and college coach Phil Krueger has died. Krueger helped build a dominant defense as an assistant for 1967 national champion Southern California and later became part of the first coaching staff in Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ history. Krueger coached offense, defense and special teams during more than three decades in the NFL and college. He was the head coach at Fresno State and Utah State and an assistant at Illinois. Krueger was an assistant coach with the expansion Buccaneers in 1976 and later became their general manager.

High School Baseball

• Hempstead takes two from Linn-Mar 8-2 and 15-5.
• Senior defeated Waterloo East twice 4-1 and 13-1.
• Western Dubuque (#6 4A) swept Cedar Falls 14-6 and 12-3.
• Cascade 3, Durant 2
• Dyersville Beckman lost twice at Independence 9-6 and 5-1.
• Maquoketa swept Vinton Shellsburg 8-7 and 6-5.

High School Softball

• Hempstead (#8 5A) sweeps Linn-Mar 10-0 and 10-0.
• Senior split with Waterloo East winning 6-5 then losing 13-7.
• Wahlert sweeps Waterloo West 7-1 and 5-2.
• Western Dubuque split with Cedar Falls winning 3-1 then falling 9-6.
• Bellevue Marquette Catholic sweeps Maquoketa Valley 8-2 and 7-1.
• Bellevue lost to Wilton 14-1.
• West Delaware (#6 4A) defeated Dyersville Beckman twice 9-0 and 13-5.
• Maquoketa lost twice to Mt. Vernon 12-0 and 11-0.

The Hempstead softball team has climbed one spot in the latest Iowa Girls Union weekly softball rankings. The Mustangs, still unbeaten on the season moved up to 8^th in Class 5-A this week, two other MVC teams are ranked in 5-A with Cedar Rapids Kennedy 3^rd and Iowa City High 4^th.

Western Dubuque is ranked for the first time, the Bobcats debut this week at 12^th in Class 4-A.

Complete rankings:  https://ighsau.org/upl/downloads/library/softball-2020-62520sbrankings.pdf

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins have had “a few” players in their organization test positive for COVID-19 recently. President of baseball operations Derek Falvey said Thursday that each player was “doing well” in self-isolation at home. Falvey declined to specify the exact number or whether the players were major leaguers or minor leaguers. Major league camps are set to reopen next week, mostly at home stadiums.

NEW YORK (AP) — It has back-up plans, but the NFL still plans to hold training camps on time beginning in late July. The announcement came on the same day the league canceled the Hall of Fame game that kicks off the preseason. The Aug. 6 exhibition game in Canton, Ohio, between the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers will be played on Aug. 5, 2021, with the same teams. Enshrinements for 20 men scheduled for this year now will occur on Aug. 7, 2021, with the 2021 inductees going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame the next day.

CHARLOTTE (AP) — Panthers coach Matt Rhule says he’s considering kneeling alongside his players during the national anthem this season in support of the movement against racial injustice. The first-year coach from Baylor has told players he will support them if they express their views. Rhule says he will confer with his players before making any decision on whether to kneel during the anthem. Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien has said he plans to kneel with his players.

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — After waiting for 30 years for Liverpool to be the champion of England, soccer fans couldn’t help but put aside some pandemic precautions. They showed up in the thousands to watch fireworks that started to explode at twilight. Liverpool’s squad realized they had won it all while watching television. It happened when second-place Manchester City lost 2-1 at Chelsea and left Liverpool 23 points in front. With seven games to go, Liverpool cannot be caught.

CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — Mackenzie Hughes shot a career-low 60 and led by three shots after the first round of the Travelers Championship. The 29-year-old Canadian flirted with 59 on Thursday as the PGA Tour tried to switch its focus back to golf amid growing concerns about the coronavirus. TPC River Highlands, near Hartford, Connecticut, is no stranger to low scores. Hughes was bogey-free and made a 30-foot putt on his second-to-last hole to get to 10 under. But he left a 40-foot birdie try short to settle for 60. It was good enough for a three-shot lead over Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele (ZAN’-dur SHAWF’-lee) and Viktor Hovland.

Iowa State Athletic Director Jamie Pollard announced this morning that football games scheduled for the fall at Jack Trice Stadium are officially sold out.

Earlier this year, Iowa State announced it was reducing fan seating to half the capacity of the stadium. In a letter to fans on the Cyclones website this morning, Pollard said all 30-thousand available tickets for each home game are sold.

In addition to limiting seating capacity, ISU is taking other safety measures including  reducing the time parking lots are open for tailgating, requiring face coverings to enter the stadium, and moving to digital ticketing.

A former Hawkeye basketball star from a legendary team in the Field House era, Ben McGilmer, passed away at age 74.

McGilmer was part of the University of Iowa team that ran the table in 1970, winning the Big Ten Championship and going 14-0. “Number 14” played for head coach Ralph Miller for a team that averaged a stunning 99 points per game.

His basketball career at Iowa stopped for a time as he served in the Army and then returned to play for Iowa in 1969. McGilmer also played professionally in Europe before coaching.

High School Baseball

• Bellevue 10, Northeast 1

High School Softball

• North Linn 5, Wahlert 1
• Northeast 11, Bellevue 3

The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Board of Control met yesterday for their June meeting.

A much-discussed coaches’ recommendation to add a girls division to the State Tournament Series in wrestling was amended to conduct a girls-only individual tournament in 2021-22. Girls and boys will be permitted to wrestle each other during the regular season, but the Tournament Series will be gender exclusive.

In other action the Board approved implementing a computerized seeding system for the Boys and Girls Basketball State Tournament Series.

Another Board decision in response to the COVID-19 pandemic extends the window one week to use the coaches’ five unrestricted coaching days for this summer only. This allows 11-player football coaches unrestricted contact through Aug. 1 and all other coaches through Aug. 8.

In an effort to address the impact on the operational budget following the cancellation of revenue-producing tournaments during the pandemic, the Board approved a number of recommendations to increase revenue and contain expenditures in 2020-21 including raising ticket prices for all regional, sectional and State Tournament tickets by one dollar.

TORONTO (AP) — The Canadian government says Major League Baseball has submitted a plan to play in Toronto and health authorities are examining it. A spokeswoman for the Public Health Agency of Canada confirmed it is examining the restart plan. Anyone entering Canada for nonessential reasons must quarantine for 14 days, and the U.S.-Canada border remains closed to nonessential travel until at least July 21. On Tuesday, the Canadian government said it was open to MLB playing in Toronto this summer, but the league had not submitted the required plan to health authorities.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The return of Indiana Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon has been delayed after he tested positive for the coronavirus. And Sacramento Kings forward Jabari Parker says he has been dealing with the virus as well. The NBA is set to start again in Central Florida next month. All 22 NBA teams that will be part of the resumed season began mandated testing Tuesday.

UNDATED (AP) — Brooks Koepka chose to withdraw from the Travelers Championship because his caddie tested positive for the coronavirus. The four-time major champion feels even worse for his younger brother. Chase Koepka is trying to make it on the Challenge Tour in Europe, just like his brother once did. He made it through a Monday qualifier for a PGA Tour event. Both withdrew out of caution from being in close contact with someone who tested positive for the virus. Brooks Koepka says he feels responsible for putting his brother in that position. His brother had no place to stay Monday night after qualifying so Koepka had him stay in his house.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Redskins are removing former owner George Preston Marshall from their Ring of Fame and striking all references to him on their website. Marshall’s name has already been removed from the history wall at the team’s training facility. Marshall refused to integrate by signing Black players until “forced to do so” in 1962. There have been renewed calls for owner Dan Snyder to change the team’s name.

UNDATED (AP) — Jarome Iginla  headlines the Hockey Hall of Fame’s class of 2020 after being elected in his first year of eligibility. Iginla will be the fourth Black player inducted after Grant Fuhr, Angela James and Willie O’Ree. Iginla was the first Black player to lead the NHL in goals and points and was the first Black athlete in any sport to win a gold medal in the Winter Olympics. Iginla is joined in the 2020 class by winger Marian Hossa, defensemen Kevin Lowe and Doug Wilson, Canadian women’s star Kim St. Pierre and longtime general manager Ken Holland.

High School Baseball

• Senior and Western Dubuque (#6 4A) split with W-D winning the first game 9-5 and Senior winning the second game 14-10 in a 5 inning game stopped due to darkness.
• Lisbon 13, Bellevue Marquette Catholic 11
• Cascade 10, Anamosa 6

High School Softball

• Hempstead (#9 5A) sweeps Wahlert 1-0 and 13-6.
• Western Dubuque shutout Senior twice 3-0 and 10-0.
• Beckman Catholic (# 13 2A), Bellevue 0
• Bellevue Marquette Catholic split with Lisbon winning 4-3 then losing 9-0.
• Clayton Ridge 15, North Fayette Valley 12

Dubuque native Greg Heiar has new job. Heiar has been named an assistant men’s basketball coach at East Tennessee State. Heiar who announced Friday he was leaving LSU after three seasons will begin at E-T-S-U on July 1^st with new head coach Jason Shay who was hired last month. Shay spent the last five seasons as an assistant with the Buccaneers. E-T-S-U had a record of 130-and-43 in those last five campaigns with two NCAA Tournament appearances. This will be Heiar’s 4^th Division One Assistant Coaching position since 2009 with other stops at LSU, Wichita State, and Southern Mississippi.

More schools in the Northwest Upstate Illini Conference have announced they will be making the switch to 8-player football a year from now. Amboy, Ashton-Franklin Center, Freeport Aquin, Milledgeville and Orangeville are the latest schools to announce they will be making the change. River Ridge and Polo are switching to the 8-man game this season. Starting in 2021, East Dubuque and Galena will be among the nine school remaining playing 11-man football in the NUIC.

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball has issued a 60-game schedule that will start July 23 or 24 in empty ballparks as the sport tries to push ahead amid the coronavirus following months of acrimony. This will be MLB’s shortest season since 1878. Each team will play 10 games against each of its four division rivals and four games against each of the five clubs in the corresponding division in the other league, according to details obtained by The Associated Press. The sides expanded the designated hitter to games involving National League teams and will start extra innings with a runner on second base.

TORONTO (AP) — The Canadian government is open to Major League Baseball playing in Toronto this summer, but the league has not submitted the required plan to Canadian authorities. A senior federal government official says if MLB were to submit an acceptable restart plan to the government, an exemption letter similar to the one provided to the NHL could be provided. Ontario’s chief medical officer also says Major League Baseball hasn’t submitted a plan to local health authorities that is needed for the Blue Jays to play in Toronto amid the pandemic.

St. PETERSBURH, FL. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays have reached terms with first-round draft pick Nick Bitsko, giving the Pennsylvania high school pitcher a $3 million signing bonus. The 18-year-old right-hander was the 24th overall selection after going 4-2 with a 1.27 ERA and 68 strikeouts in two seasons at Central Bucks East High. Several months after announcing plans to graduate a year early, Bitsko’s final prep season was canceled this spring due to the coronavirus pandemic.

UNDATED (AP) — A federal judge has denied a request by American women’s soccer players to allow an immediate appeal of his decision to throw out their claim of unequal pay against the U.S. Soccer Federation. U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner in Los Angeles has scheduled a trial for Sept. 15 on the players’ remaining claim of discriminatory work conditions. Lawyers for the women had asked him to enter a final judgment on his decision to dismiss the pay claim, which would have allowed them to take the case to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

UNDATED (AP) — The rope found hanging in Bubba Wallace’s garage at Talladega Superspeedway was not a hate crime. Federal authorities say the rope had been hanging at the Alabama track since at least October. Video evidence showed it had been hanging from the garage door but was the only one fashioned as a noose. Wallace coincidentally was assigned that garage. NASCAR stood by its decision to investigate the discovery found in the stall of its only Black driver. Wallace successfully called for a ban of the Confederate flag and has become an activist for the sport during a push for racial equality.

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball has asked the players’ association to respond by 5 p.m. EDT today to whether players can report to training by July 1 and whether the union will agree on the operating manual of health and safety protocols. MLB plans to unilaterally issue a 60-game schedule for its shortest season since 1878 after the players’ association rejected a negotiated deal of the same length.

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago White Sox have signed first-round draft pick Garrett Crochet to a minor league contract that includes a signing bonus worth $4,547,500. Crochet went No. 11 overall in the June 10 amateur draft. The 21-year-old left-hander made one start before his junior season at Tennessee was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, striking out six in 3 2/3 scoreless innings. The 6-foot-6 Crochet is known for his blazing fastball.

TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) —Ricky Stenhouse Jr. edged Ryan Blaney to win the second stage of a rain-delayed race at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. The day began with a show of support for driver Bubba Wallace. Fellow drivers lined up and pushed his car to the front of pit road in a show of solidarity.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa has announced it has paused ticket sales for the 2020 football season. The Iowa Athletic Department says only individuals who have renewed season tickets and completed per-seat contributions by June 30 will be included in potential Kinnick Stadium seating plans.

New sales are being put on hold until a clearer picture of Kinnick Stadium capacity and social distancing requirements are determined.

The Athletic Deparment also announced game ticketing and parking for all venues beginning this fall will move to mobile-only.

NEW YORK (AP) — An email from baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred to union head Tony Clark led to a balk in the drawn-out talks to start the pandemic-delayed season, which now won’t begin by July 19. The executive committee of the players’ association was set to vote and reject Major League Baseball’s latest offer for a 60-game season. Players want 70 games and are worried that if the 2020 season is cut short, the deal being negotiated would lock in innovations for 2021. Manfred wrote that if fewer than the agreed-upon number of games are played, the 2021 changes would be voided.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — Webb Simpson is a winner on Father’s Day again, just not at the U.S. Open. The father of five ran off five birdies in a six-hole stretch on the back nine in a 7-under 64 and won the RBC Heritage with a record score. Simpson won by one shot over Abraham Ancer. His score of 22-under 262 beats by two shots the tournament record set 11 years ago. Simpson won the U.S. Open in 2012 at Olympic Club. This was supposed to be U.S. Open week, but the COVID-19 pandemic postponed that until September. Simpson won for the second time this year.

TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — Thunderstorms Sunday forced NASCAR to postpone the Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway that was to mark the return of more fans to the track. The race, which was pushed back to 2 p.m. CDT on Monday, is the first amid the coronavirus pandemic in which NASCAR opened the gates for up to 5,000 fans. The event was stopped several times for more than three hours of total delays.

TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — NASCAR says a noose was found in the garage stall of Bubba Wallace on Sunday at the NASCAR race in Talladega, Alabama. Wallace is the only full-time Black driver in NASCAR’s elite Cup Series. Two weeks ago, he successfully pushed for NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag at its tracks and properties. NASCAR says it has launched an immediate investigation into the noose. The series says it is “outraged” and says there is no place for racism in NASCAR.

UNDATED (AP) — Having secured a victory in the Belmont Stakes, Tiz the Law now faces an 11-week wait until the Kentucky Derby in a reconfigured Triple Crown series. In between, the bay colt, who became the first New York-bred to win the Belmont since 1882, is being pointed toward the Travers on Aug. 8 in upstate New York, which is his home turf. Tiz the Law has five wins in six career starts by an average of 19 1/4 lengths. His only loss came at Churchill Downs last year, and he’ll get a chance to avenge it over the same track in the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Former Wisconsin guard Kobe King has changed his plans and won’t be playing basketball at Nebraska. Cornhuskers coach Fred Hoiberg said in a statement Friday that King had informed the staff that he wouldn’t be enrolling at the school because of personal reasons. Hoiberg added that “we respect his decision and wish him the best in his future endeavors.” King started his career at Wisconsin but left the Badgers in late January.  The 6-foot-4 guard had made 19 starts and was averaging 10 points to rank second on the team at the time he left.

NEW YORK (AP) — Tiz the Law has won an unprecedented Belmont Stakes, claiming victory Saturday at the first race of a rejiggered Triple Crown schedule and crossing the finish line in front of eerily empty grandstands. The 3-year-old colt from upstate New York charged to the lead turning to the front stretch and now can set his sights on the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby and Oct. 3 Preakness. All three legs of this year’s Triple Crown schedule were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Belmont, usually the series capper, was initially scheduled for June 6.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — Buckle up for another wild finish on the PGA Tour. Webb Simpson made one birdie on the back nine at Harbour Town. That was just enough for a 68 that allowed him to join a four-way tie for the lead in the RBC Heritage. He was at 15-under 198. Also sharing the lead were Tyrrell Hatton of England, Abraham Ancer of Mexico and Ryan Palmer. Hatton had one of the six rounds of 63 on Saturday. The change to June because of three-month shutdown appears to be making all the difference. This is a soft course for a strong field. Meanwhile, packed restaurants and a lack of social distancing on Hilton Head Island are leading to concerns that the PGA Tour might have more players test positive for the coronavirus. Nick Watney became the first player to test positive on Friday and withdrew from the RBC Heritage.

UNDATED (AP) — The Yankees and Mets would train in New York if Major League Baseball and its players try to start the coronavirus-delayed season. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo made the announcement Saturday, and the teams confirmed the decisions. The Yankees originally had intended to base at their spring training complex in Tampa, Florida. The Mets had said they were undecided between Citi Field and their training camp in Port St. Lucie, Florida. But positive cases for COVID-19 in Florida have increased markedly in recent days, while the percentage of positive tests in New York City has dropped sharply. All 30 MLB teams have closed their spring camps in Florida and Arizona this weekend over virus concerns.

NASCAR heads to Talladega Superspeedway Sunday with new rules and more fans. The Alabama track will admit up to 5,000 fans, just 48 hours after Stewart-Haas Racing confirmed two of its employees tested positive for the new coronavirus. The new rules are in response to Ryan Newman’s crash in the Daytona 500, but there is no practice or qualifying scheduled, so drivers won’t have a feel for the adjustments until the race begins. NASCAR also will be on the lookout for the newly banned Confederate flag.

The Wahlert High School baseball team is being forced to suspend their season after a member of the Golden Eagles coaching staff was diagnosed with COVID-19. Due to privacy laws, the name of the coach can’t be released.  Under the health guidelines set by the Iowa Department of Public Health and the Iowa School Athletic Association Wahlert must suspend the season for at least 14 days at all levels.

Wahlert is the sixth Iowa high school summer program to suspend its season due to coronavirus concerns since teams were allowed to begin practicing on June 1^st.

High School Baseball

• Hempstead 5, Iowa City High 4
• Waterloo West 6, Senior 4
• Wahlert (#8 3A) 6, Cedar Rapids Prairie (#10 4A) 3
• Linn-Mar 12, (#6 4A) Western Dubuque 2
• Camanche 3, Cascade 2
• Bellevue Marquette Catholic swept East Buchanan 14-5 and 6-4.

High School Softball

• Hempstead (#10 5A) sweeps Senior 5-1 and 8-2.
• Wahlert and Western Dubuque split, W-D winning 6-1 then Wahlert wins the second game 5-4 (9)
• Dyersville Beckman split with Marion losing 12-2 then winning 10-8.
• Camanche 12, Cascade 0
• Bellevue Marquette Catholic split with East Buchanan winning 12-4 then losing 3-2(9)

Dubuque native Greg Heiar is stepping down as an assistant coach at LSU.  The 44-year old Heiar just completed his first season as associate head coach after serving for two years as an assistant for Tigers head coach Will Wade. Prior to coming to LSU, Heiar, was an assistant at Wichita State for six seasons which including helping the Shockers reach the Final 4 in 2013. He is considered one of the top guard developers and recruiters in the country.

NEW YORK (AP) — While the gap has narrowed, baseball players and Major League Baseball remain opposed to additional concessions and the path toward an agreement to restart the season remains uncertain and difficult. Players proposed a 70-game regular-season schedule Thursday, a plan immediately rejected by baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred with the sides 10 games and about $275 million apart on plans to start the coronavirus-delayed season. Players also want to wear advertisement patches on their uniforms during all games for the first time in major league history.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — Jordan Spieth made a triple-bogey 7 and then had a career-best six straight birdies on his back nine and finished with seven birdies over his last eight holes for a 66 at the RBC Heritage. Ian Poulter and Mark Hubbard share the lead at 7-under. The top three players in the world are at Hilton Head — Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas — and none broke par on a day in which 66 players in the 151-man field shot in the 60s. This week’s tourney is the second since the tour resumed. The only fans watching in person are residents in houses that line the course.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The University of Florida is ending its “gator bait” cheer at football games and other sports events because of its racial connotations. President Kent Fuchs  said in a letter to the university’s faculty, students and staff Thursday that the cheer has a “horrific historic racist imagery” involving African American people, especially children, being used as bait for alligators. The letter outlined a number of other steps the university in Gainesville, Florida, is taking on racial issues following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. Floyd’s death has sparked nationwide protests focused on police brutality against African Americans.

TORONTO (AP) — Former NHL player Daniel Carcillo is leading a class-action lawsuit against the Canadian Hockey League and its member teams on behalf of players who say they were abused playing major junior hockey. The CHL and its three member organizations — the WHL, Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League — are listed as defendants, as are all 60 teams that play under the CHL umbrella. The law firm handling the lawsuit say the action “is on behalf of children aged 15-17 who were sexually and physically assaulted, hazed and otherwise abused while away from home and playing for CHL teams.”

NEW YORK (AP) — A person with direct knowledge of the situation says All-Pro safety Jamal Adams has requested a trade from the New York Jets amid a contract dispute. The 24-year-old Adams has been seeking a contract extension, and the Jets have said they want the safety to remain a member of the team his entire career. But the conflict apparently is about the timing: Adams wants the extension now, while the team prefers to wait until next year, at the earliest.

High School Baseball

• Dyersville Beckman Catholic 5, Independence 3
• North Scott 13, Maquoketa 3

High School Softball

• Dyersville Beckman Catholic wins two over South Tama 13-3 and 12-0
• Maquoketa lost twice to Williamsburg 5-0 and 10-3.

NEW YORK (AP) — The players’ association hasn’t embraced a plan reached between baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred and union head Tony Clark to start the pandemic-delayed season on July 19 or July 20. Each team would play 60 games, and players would get full prorated pay, about 37% of their salary. The wild-card round would expand from two games to eight best-of-three series this year. The designated hitter would be used in all games for the first time. Some on the players’ side consider the framework merely another plan subject to more bargaining.

UNDATED (AP) — The NCAA Division I Council has approved a plan to allow college basketball players to start working with their coaches for the first time since the pandemic wiped out March Madness. Required activities for both men’s and women’s teams can begin July 20 and last up to eight weeks until Sept. 15 or the first day of classes, whichever comes first. Those activities include weight training, conditioning and skills instruction with coaches supervising for up to eight hours per week. Skills instruction cannot exceed four hours per week and no days off are required.

NEW YORK (AP) — Serena Williams is planning to play in the 2020 U.S. Open. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion said in a video shown during the U.S. Tennis Association’s tournament presentation that she “cannot wait to return” to New York for the major championship she has won six times. The 38-year-old American was the runner-up in Flushing Meadows each of the past two years.

TOKYO (AP) — The contentious issue of the billions being spent on the postponed Tokyo Olympics has entered the debate in the race for governor of Japan’s capital. Incumbent Yuriko Koike is a strong favorite to be reelected — and a strong supporter of the Olympics — in a field of more than a dozen candidates. In the field is Taro Yamamoto. He is a popular actor turned politician. He said in a debate this week that the Olympics should be called off and the billions redirected to help people struggling with the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

NEW YORK (AP) — Shaq and Gronk are about to throw down with each other for a cause. Shaquille O’Neal and Rob Gronkowski – with seven championship rings between them – will compete against each other June 27 in Shaq’s Fun House Vs Gronk Beach, a virtual party combining fun and music and a benefit for social justice. They’ll compete in six different challenges with the winner earning a donation to his charity. O’Neal is competing for Boys & Girls Clubs of America, while Gronkowski is playing for the NAACP. DoorDash will donate one meal for each viewer up to 1.25 million meals in conjunction with Feeding America.

High School Baseball

• Hempstead 14, Senior 5
• Wahlert 9, Independence 3
• MFL Mar Mac 9, Clayton Ridge 5

High School Softball

• Senior 20, Iowa City West 19 (10) (Game 2 suspended due to darkness)
• Hempstead (#10 5A) sweeps Waterloo East 11-0 and 17-8
• Wahlert wins twice at Cedar Falls 7-0 and 12-6.
• Western Dubuque sweeps Iowa City Liberty 2-1 and 3-0.
• Midland 7, Bellevue 3

DENVER (AP) — The Denver Nuggets were in third place in the Western Conference when the NBA season was halted. So, they have a slot in the league’s “bubble” for the restart at the Disney campus near Orlando, Florida. But Nuggets coach Michael Malone says an antibody test has revealed that he had COVID-19. Malone tells CBS4 in Denver he wasn’t feeling well shortly after the season was suspended but wasn’t able to get tested at the time. But now he says: “I got coronavirus and I kicked its butt.”

UNDATED (AP) — The NBA has laid out for players its vision for the season restart at Disney in Florida next month. Safety tops all, with players tested regularly — but not with the deep nasal swabs. They must also adhere to strict physical distancing and mask-wearing policies. But amenities are ample: game rooms, golf course access, cabanas with misters to combat the heat, fishing areas, bowling, backstage tours and salon services.

UNDATED (AP) — NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett says he has tested positive for coronavirus and now is in quarantine. The three-time Daytona 500 winner and 1999 Cup champion made the announcement during NBCSN’s Hall of Fame announcement show on Tuesday. The 63-year-old Jarrett told viewers that was why he didn’t return to the television studio with the rest of the crew. He says the only symptom he has is a slight cough that has gotten better each day since his test last week.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The NFL’s Pro Bowl is headed to Las Vegas. The NFL announced Tuesday that the 2021 all-star game will be played at the new Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday, Jan. 31 — one week before the Super Bowl in Tampa. Plans include what the league calls a week-long celebration of football and will include NFL FLAG Championship games and a Pro Bowl skills showdown in which players compete in a variety of events. There will be community and charity initiatives as well.

CORNELIUS, N.C. (AP) — Former National League Cy Young award winner Mike McCormick has died at age 81. The San Francisco Giants say McCormick died at his home in North Carolina after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. McCormick played 16 years in the majors from 1956 to 1971 with the Giants, Orioles, Senators, Yankees and Royals. He had a 134-128 record with a 3.73 ERA with his greatest accomplishments coming with the Giants.

High School Baseball

• Western Dubuque (#6 4A) 5, Wahlert Catholic (#8 3A) 1
• Cascade 16, Bellevue 6
• Edgewood Colesburg 6, Bellevue Marquette Catholic 5
• Maquoketa lost twice to Independence 9-7 and 3-1.

(Today: Hempstead at Senior, pregame on AM 1370 KDTH and kdth.com at approx. 5:20pm.)

High School Softball

• Dyersville Beckman lost twice to Mt. Vernon 13-0 and 11-1.
• Cascade 10, Bellevue 0
• South Winneshiek 4, Clayton Ridge 2
• Maquoketa split with Independence losing 8-6 and winning 5-4.

(All 3 Dubuque High School teams open the season today)

SPRINGFIELD, Ill.– The Illinois High School Association has announced it is set to start an Individual Girls Wrestling State Series beginning in the 2021-22 school year.

The IHSA also announced the return of the High School Boys Basketball state tournament finals back to the University of Illinois campus from Peoria. The tournament was previously held there from 1919 to 1995. The Girls Basketball state finals will remain at Redbird Arena on the campus of Illinois State University in Bloomington-Normal for the next three seasons.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Chris Doyle is out as Iowa’s football strength and conditioning coach. He and the university have agreed to a separation agreement paying him more than $1.1 million. Doyle was accused by former players of mistreating African American players. Athletic director Gary Barta says he is confident head coach Kirk Ferentz can continue to lead the program. The university says a law firm has been hired to conduct an independent review of the football program.

UNDATED (AP) — Iowa’s athletic department has reported two positive COVID-19 tests during the second week of its return-to-campus protocol. The school has not disclosed whether it’s athletes, coaches or staff members who tested positive. In the two weeks since Iowa began testing, there have been three positive test results and 343 negative. According to an Associated Press count, at least 45 athletes, coaches or staff members at a total of 17 schools have tested positive in June.

NEW YORK (AP) — “It’s just a disaster for our game.” That’s Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred’s view of the breakdown in talks between teams and the players’ union over an abbreviated season. At issue is how to split up the revenues. Manfred tells ESPN there could very well be no season at all. The league has also revealed several players have tested positive for COVID-19.

UNDATED (AP) — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says the league should have listened to players’ earlier on issues of racial injustice, including Colin Kaerpernick. In an appearance on ESPN, Goodell also says he’d like to see Kaepernick back in the NFL this season. The 32-year old quarterback hasn’t played the past three seasons. Kaepernick was with the San Francisco 49ers in 2016 when he kneeled during the national anthem to protest racial injustice.

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — The PGA Championship is scheduled for Aug. 6-9, and now we know where. The San Francisco Chronicle reports public health officials have approved plans for it to be held at Harding Park with no fans.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers have rewarded coach Kyle Shanahan with a new six-year contract after he took the team to the Super Bowl in his third season at the helm. The Niners are replacing the three years remaining on Shanahan’s original six-year contract signed in 2017 to keep him under contract through 2025. ESPN first reported the new extension.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Vegas Golden Knights have signed Ryan Reaves to a two-year contract extension worth $3.5 million. The rugged forward announced the deal in a video on the Golden Knights’ Twitter page, saying he now has a shot at winning a Stanley Cup this year. He also conceded he has no shot at a scoring title. Reaves had eight goals and seven assists for 15 points this season — 95 short of Leon Draisaitl’s (DRY’-sy-tulz) league-leading 110. Still, Reaves led the NHL with 316 hits.

As the Iowa High School Baseball season begins today, the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association has released their first rankings of the season.  Area teams ranked to start the season include in Class 4-A as Western Dubuque starts the season ranked 6^th while Hempstead did receive votes to for top 10 consideration. In Class 3A, Wahlert Catholic is ranked 8^th. In Class 2A, Dyersville Beckman Catholic is rated 7^th.

Today the season opens with Wahlert playing at Western Dubuque. Tomorrow Hempstead will open the season at Senior.

The city softball teams all open their shortened seasons tomorrow as well.

The N-A-I-A has announced its game plan for a return to college athletics for schools like Clarke University.  Fall sports athletes including football will return to the Clarke campus beginning on August 8^th.  The policy announced by the N-A-I-A includes a reduced schedule of football games from11 to nine, cross country moved from eight meets to seven; soccer will play 14 games instead of 18; and women’s volleyball decreased from 28 matches to 22. The first football games will be September 12^th. All other fall sports can begin competition on September. 5.

The NAIA also announced that at this time, there are no planned changes for the winter sports season.

UNDATED (AP) — It’s not known how many college athletes have tested positive for COVID-19. Nearly half the 66 Football Bowl Subdivision members that responded to an Associated Press inquiry last week said they were still deciding whether to disclose that number. Just over half aren’t going to release numbers at all. The inconsistency has been apparent since football players began returning to campus this month for voluntary workouts.

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Ash Barty has joined the ranks of high-profile players expressing concern over the staging of the U.S. Open while there’s still so much uncertainty around the coronavirus pandemic. The women’s No. 1 hasn’t had the chance yet to defend her French Open title because all elite tennis competition is shuttered. She’s still awaiting clarity on the U.S. Open, which is scheduled to start Aug. 31. Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have aired reservations about the potential restrictions on players and other changes being considered. Barty says “I understand the tournaments are eager to run but keeping everyone safe has to be the priority.”

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) — Denny Hamlin found the magic at Homestead-Miami Speedway, once again. Hamlin went to the lead for the final time with 30 laps left and held off Chase Elliott for his record-tying third NASCAR Cup Series victory at Homestead. Former drivers Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle are the other three-time winners. Hamlin is in the club now, after battling Elliott most of the night. Hamlin raced to his third victory of the season and 40th overall. He opened the season with a victory in the Daytona 500 and won at Darlington last month. At Homestead, he led 137 of 267 laps on the 1 1/2-mile track in Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 11 Toyota, finishing 0.895 ahead of Elliott.

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Daniel Berger was playing some of the best golf that no fans noticed on Sunday. Three months away because of the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t slow his momentum, and he made it pay off with a victory at Colonial. But there were no cheers when Berger’s 10-foot birdie on the final hole gave him a share of the lead. There also were no groans when Collin Morikawa missed a 6-foot birdie putt for the win.

NEW YORK (AP) — Jeremy Jeffress, Jordan Montgomery, Kevin Plawecki could be playing for free this season, earning salaries lower than what they already received as advances. Mookie Betts, George Springer, J.T. Realmuto, James Paxton and Marcus Stroman are likely to find fewer bidders, dollars and contract years as the free-agent market lurches into a free fall next offseason. And all of baseball could be bracing for a spring training lockout and shortened 2022 season after the coronavirus pandemic heightened the likelihood of the sport’s first work stoppage since 1994-95.

NEW YORK (AP) — Baseball players told Major League Baseball additional talks to start the season during the coronavirus pandemic are futile and said owners should order a return to work, which likely would spark lengthy litigation and the sport’s return to labor wars. The union’s action could lead to a season of about 50 games rather than the 82 initially proposed by MLB.  Players and MLB agreed to a deal March 26 calling for prorated salaries. That deal gave baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred the right to start the season provided there were no travel restrictions and games could be played before fans in regular-season ballparks. It called for “good faith” negotiations to play in empty ballparks or neutral sites. MLB made three economic offers, the last Friday, and the union proposed two. The sides remain far apart on how much players should get of the $4 billion in salaries they originally were set to earn: MLB has offered to guarantee $1.27 billion and increase the total to $1.45 billion if the postseason is completed. Players want $2.25 billion.

NEW YORK (AP) Major League Baseball and the affiliated minor leagues are shut down but an independent circuit is set to open on July 3 with some fans in the seats. The American Association says six teams will play in three hubs, at least at the start of the season. Minnesota’s St. Paul Saints will play home games at Sioux Falls Stadium along with South Dakota’s Sioux Falls Canaries. Manitoba’s Winnipeg Goldeyes will be based at Newman Outdoor Field with North Dakota’s Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks. The Chicago Dogs will play home games at the Ballpark Commons with the Milwaukee Milkmen.

NEW ZEALAND (AP) New Zealand has become one of the first nations in the world to welcome hordes of fans back into a packed sports stadium. More than 20,000 fans poured into a stadium in Dunedin to watch a rugby match Saturday, with no masks or social distancing required. New Zealand removed almost every remaining virus restriction this week after no new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the country for more than three weeks, and all those who contracted the disease were determined to have recovered. The only major restriction that wasn’t lifted was the shutdown of the country’s border.

MIAMI (AP) — Kyle Busch’s slump wasn’t much of a slump. And it’s over now anyway. Busch won the NASCAR Trucks Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday night, his 58th career win on the circuit and his eighth victory in his last 10 series starts.

Busch had to start at the back of the field, then serve a pass-through penalty on top of that, after failing pre-race inspection. But he managed to stay on the lead lap, then worked his way to the front and made it all seem easy.

MIAMI (AP) — A late caution flag gave Harrison Burton new life, and he took advantage. Burton took the inside line on the way to the lead in the final lap and held on to win the Xfinity Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway — denying, among others, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Noah Gragson, who seemed to be in full command with seven laps remaining.

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — The PGA Tour has returned after three months because of the pandemic, and it has not taken long for fans to see what they were missing. Xander Schauffele made a 12-foot birdie putt on the last hole for a 66 and a one-shot lead over an All-Star cast at the Charles Schwab Challenge. Among those one shot behind were Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland. Among the 14 players separated by three shots were Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose.

UNDATED (AP) — Timing favors the NFL over other major pro sports leagues in trying to figure out how to keep the coronavirus pandemic from wrecking the 2020 season. America’s most popular sport has another big advantage if the games are played: TV money. While NFL owners could lose billions collectively with limited capacities in stadiums or no fans at all, the league is well positioned financially because of lucrative media contracts approaching $10 billion in a full 2020 season.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield plans to kneel during the national anthem this upcoming season to support protests of social injustice, police brutality and racism. In answering a post from a fan on his Instagram account Saturday that pleaded with him not to kneel, Mayfield responded: “Pull your head out. I absolutely am.″ Mayfield has been outspoken recently about the need for more understanding and justice in the nation following the killing of George Floyd, a black man, while in police custody in Minneapolis. On Friday, Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien said he would kneel with his players if they chose to do so during the anthem. Earlier this week, while not going as far as O’Brien, new Browns coach Kevin Stefanski made it clear he would back his players in any peaceful demonstrations.

UNDATED (AP) — U.S. Soccer President City Parlow Cone has apologized for the federation’s lack of leadership in the fight against racism. Parlow Cone on Saturday discussed the federation’s decision to repeal a policy that required players to stand during the national anthem. The rule had been adopted by U.S. Soccer in 2017 when national team player Megan Rapinoe kneeled during the anthem in support of Colin Kaepernick’s protests of police brutality and racial injustice.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa defensive back Jack Koerner sustained serious injuries when he and a passenger on a jet ski collided with a boat on the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. Police say Koerner and the passenger were hurt Friday when their watercraft crashed into the side of a boat. Koerner was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. His passenger was taken to a hospital by aircraft.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Drake University student who was accidentally shot in the head by a basketball player alleges in a lawsuit that a coach instructed the player to lie to police. The Des Moines Register reports that Nathaniel Miller Jr. filed the lawsuit this week against the university, Bulldogs forward Tremell Murphy and the managers of the off-campus property near the university where the shooting happened during a party last August. It alleges that an unidentified coach showed up before officers arrived and told Murphy to deny any involvement. The lawsuit also alleges that proper medical care for the victim was delayed because of the misdirection from witnesses

GENEVA (AP) — Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter is the target of a criminal investigation in Switzerland for suspected mismanagement of a $1 million payment from soccer funds. Blatter has been notified by Swiss federal prosecutors he is an “accused person” over a loan FIFA gave in 2010 to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association, according to a document seen by The Associated Press. The payment came from a FIFA account on April 13, 2010, and was interest-free, unsecured and later waived as a kind of gift, according to the document. The 84-year-old Blatter has denied any wrongdoing during decades of financial scandals linked to soccer’s world governing body, though he was banned from the presidency and risks being brought to trial in his home country. It is the latest allegation in Swiss and American federal investigations tying FIFA to irregular payments benefiting Jack Warner, its former vice president from Trinidad who is fighting extradition to the United States.

CHICAGO (AP) — When the Chicago Blackhawks left the ice after their last game, they had little chance of making the playoffs. Whenever they play their next game, it sure looks as if they will be one of 24 teams with a shot at the Stanley Cup. Welcome to the strangest postseason berth in franchise history, one so unusual that it isn’t exactly a playoff appearance at the moment. Assuming everything goes according to plan and the final details are ironed out between the league and the players’ union, the Blackhawks will play Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers in a best-of-five qualifier series for the playoff bracket.

NHL training camps will open July 10 if the league and players’ union agree to resume the season. That’s still contingent on the two sides figuring out health and safety protocols and the league choosing cities to host the games. The NHL and NHLPA say camps will also only open July 10 if medical and safety conditions allow. Setting a start date for camps allows the 17% of players overseas to make arrangements to return in light of quarantine regulations in the U.S. and Canada. Players were able to start small-group voluntary workouts Monday. After some exhibitions, playoff games could get underway in late July or early August.

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Golf is the second major sport in the U.S., behind motor sports, to resume a schedule shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic. The start was even more quiet than usual on the PGA Tour, only the silence never left over the next 12 hours as golf was back to business at the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial. Justin Rose and Harold Varner shared the lead at 7-under 63, with Justin Thomas among those a stroke back. Tom Lehman, a 61-year-old former champion at Colonial, got in on the act with a 65.

UNDATED (AP) — The NFL is committing $250 million over 10 years to social justice initiatives, targeting what it calls “systemic racism” and supporting “the battle against the ongoing and historic injustices faced by African Americans.” The league, which has raised $44 million in donations through its Inspire Change program, announced the additional $206 million commitment Thursday. It plans to “work collaboratively with NFL players to support programs to address criminal justice reform, police reforms, and economic and educational advancement.”

The NFL has extended virtual offseason programs for teams through June 26. Although team facilities have opened for key personnel, coaches and players rehabilitating injuries, healthy players have been barred from those complexes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The remote programs have taken the place of on-site work, and some teams already have announced they are shutting those down. But the league said Thursday it will allow the virtual work for an additional 15 days.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Detroit Tigers took a few more big swings at rebuilding their lineup. And, they hope sooner rather than later. After selecting Arizona State slugger Spencer Torkelson to open the Major League Baseball amateur draft Wednesday night, the Tigers used all five of their picks Thursday on hitters they envision joining him in Detroit. Ohio State catcher Dillon Dingler led off the draft’s second day as the No. 38 overall selection. The Tigers then took LSU outfielder Danny Cabrera 62nd overall, and Rice shortstop Trei Cruz 11 picks later. Cruz is the son of former big leaguer Jose Cruz Jr. and grandson of Jose Cruz.

UNDATED (AP) — Green Bay’s Christian Kirksey believes his history with his new defensive coordinator will help the veteran linebacker make a smooth transition as he switches teams for the first time. Kirksey signed with the Packers in March after spending his first six NFL seasons in Cleveland. Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine was the Browns’ head coach in 2014-15. Kirksey, who played at Iowa, is counting on his comfort level with Pettine to help as the 27-year-old enters a critical stage of his career. Injuries have caused Kirksey to play a total of nine games over the last two seasons.

NEW YORK (AP) — Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says there is a “100%” chance of big league ball this year. Major League Baseball will make another proposal to start the pandemic-delayed season in empty ballparks, but Manfred vowed to unilaterally order opening day if an agreement is not reached. The players’ association made its second proposal Tuesday, asking for an 89-game regular season and 100% of prorated salaries. MLB’s plan a day earlier was for a 76-game season, would guarantee 50% of prorated salaries and hinge 25% in additional money on the postseason’s completion.

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball’s amateur draft began with the first of a pandemic-shortened five rounds. Arizona State slugger Spencer Torkelson was taken with the No. 1 overall pick by the Detroit Tigers. The Baltimore Orioles selected Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad at No. 2. Minnesota right-hander Max Meyer was third and went to Miami. Texas A&M lefty Asa Lacy was No. 4 to Kansas City. Vanderbilt shortstop Austin Martin went to Toronto to round out the first five picks.

CHICGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs selected hometown shortstop Ed Howard in the first round of the Major League Baseball amateur draft. The 18-year-old Howard was a prep star at Mount Carmel High School on Chicago’s South Side. He also started for the 2014 Jackie Robinson West Little League team that advanced to the finals of the Little League World Series. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Howard went No. 16 overall, becoming the first Illinois high school position player to go in the first round since Jayson Werth in 1997.

UNDATED(AP) — Six women have filed civil lawsuits against USA Swimming, its local associations in California and three now-banned coaches claiming the national governing body failed to protect them from abuse by those coaches. Debra Grodensky, Suzette Moran and Tracy Palmero, along with three other women who remain anonymous, filed three lawsuits this month. Among individuals named in the suits are former U.S. Olympic and national team coach Mitch Ivey, former U.S. national team director Everett Uchiyama and former coach Andrew King.

UNDATED (AP) — NASCAR has banned the Confederate flag from all events and properties. NASCAR says the Confederate flag “runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and our industry.” Former chairman Brian France in 2015 tried to ban the flying of Confederate flags at racetracks, a proposal too broad to enforce and one that angered NASCAR’s core Southern-based fan base. Bubba Wallace, the lone black driver in the series, had called for the ban. He says it has been a stressful couple of weeks.

UNDATED (AP) — Two-time All-Star outfielder Claudell Washington has died at age 65. Washington had been battling prostate cancer. He played with seven teams in a major league career that started as a 19-year-old in Oakland with the Athletics. He finished with 1,884 hits, 164 home runs and 312 stolen bases. Washington made the All-Star Game in 1975 with the A’s and in 1984 with the Atlanta Braves during his 17-year career.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — NASCAR is set to allow fans back at the track for races this month at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. NASCAR will allow up to 1,000 Florida service members, representing the Homestead Air Reserve Base and U.S. Southern Command in Doral, to attend the Cup Series race Sunday as honorary guests and view the race from the grandstands. Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama will allow up to 5,000 guests in the frontstretch grandstands/towers for the June 21 Cup race. There will be limited motorhome/camping spots available outside the track.

CANTON, Ohio (AP) — The Pro Football Hall of Fame will reopen Wednesday after nearly a three-month closure caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The hall closed on March 16, but permission has been granted by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine for museums, science centers and zoos to open. There will be several health and safety guidelines in place for visitors and workers at the Canton shrine. All employees must wear face coverings and visitors are encouraged to do so as well.

LONDON (AP) — Roger Federer will miss whatever remains of the coronavirus-impacted 2020 tennis season because of a setback in his recovery from surgery on his right knee. The 20-time major champion had arthroscopic surgery on his knee in February. Federer posted a statement on Twitter to say he needed an “additional quick arthroscopic procedure” and will take his time to return to 100% fitness. The 38-year-old Federer had initially planned to be sidelined for at least four months but has barely missed any elite tennis since his surgery because the tour has been suspended amid the coronavirus pandemic.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The Chicago Bears are ending their offseason program early. Coach Matt Nagy said nine weeks are enough and he wants his players to focus on training without having to worry about video conferences four days a week. The team will hold its final virtual meeting on Thursday — a week and a half ahead of schedule. With Halas Hall unavailable because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bears have been conducting two-hour video meetings Monday through Thursday. Veterans will be off after Thursday until training camp, though rookies will still be required to meet.

ATLANTA (AP) — Running back Todd Gurley has passed his physical, clearing the final hurdle for his return to Georgia with the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons say Gurley passed his physical on Monday in Atlanta. Gurley’s $6 million, one-year deal with Atlanta was made official on April 6. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the NFL didn’t allow players to report to their new teams immediately for physicals.

NEW YORK (AP) — Baseball players have moved toward teams but remained far apart economically in their latest proposal for starting the pandemic-delayed season, adamant they receive full prorated salaries while offering to cut the regular season to 89. The proposal by the players’ association, given to Major League Baseball Tuesday evening without a negotiating session, was detailed to The Associated Press by a pair of people familiar with the negotiations. They spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcements were authorized. MLB did not appear to view the proposal as productive but made no comment. MLB has said that absent an agreement it could go ahead with a shorter schedule of perhaps 50 games.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-BASEBALL

New MLB plan calls for 76-game season

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball is making another try to start the coronavirus-delayed season in early July. The proposal calls for a 76-game regular season, expanding the playoffs from 10 teams to as many as 16 and allowing players to earn about 75% of their prorated salaries. Players have refused cuts beyond what they agreed to in March shortly after the pandemic began, part of baseball’s again acrimonious labor relations. The arduous negotiations have jeopardized plans to hold opening day around the Fourth of July in ballparks without fans and provide entertainment to a public still emerging from months of quarantine. MLB says it can’t afford to play in ballparks without fans, and in May the owners proposed an 82-game schedule. The union countered with a 114-game schedule at prorated pay that would extend the regular season by a month through October.

Major League Baseball is talking about having as many as 16 teams in the playoffs this year if the season is able to start after a long delay caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The 16 teams would be a big increase over the 10 clubs that have made the postseason in recent years. In fact, it would mean more than half of the 30 clubs get into the playoffs. That’s been more common in the other major sports, but would represent a huge change for baseball. MLB presented that plan in its latest proposal to players in an effort to start a shortened season.

NEW YORK (AP) — Over the years, baseball’s amateur draft has featured big hits, bad calls and even back-to-back home runs. Now, it’s about to enter the next phase of an ongoing development — same as all those young prospects who get picked every year. This year’s event, which begins Wednesday night, was slashed from 40 rounds to five because of the coronavirus pandemic. And with more permanent changes possibly coming, including a new home on the horizon, the June draft that began in 1965 might never look the same.

NFL-FACILITIES-RETURN PLAN

NFL sends plan to teams for return to facilities

UNDATED (AP) — The NFL and the players’ union have sent a planner to the 32 teams outlining procedures for the full reopening of their practice facilities. A memo written by Commissioner Roger Goodell and approved by the NFL Players Association describes protocols focusing on screening, testing, and infection prevention and treatment for COVID-19, including response for new infections. Also included are instructions on proper facility access, cleaning and disinfecting; physical distancing; hygiene, health education and medical services. There are instructions on food preparation; supplies; and team travel. No timetable has been set for the return of most players to team complexes. Only players rehabilitating injuries have been allowed to enter the buildings.

UNDATED (AP) — College football is scheduled to kick off in less than three months. There are plenty of reasons to be hopeful that games will be played Labor Day weekend. Universities across the country are taking the first cautious, detailed steps toward playing football in a pandemic. They are trying to build virus-free bubbles around their teams as players begin voluntary workouts. Thousands of athletes will be tested for COVID-19, though not all. Some players are back at it this week. Others will wait a few more weeks.

UNDATED (AP) — Iowa football players returned to campus to prepare for voluntary workouts iamid an uproar. Former players over the past several days alleged systemic racism and other mistreatment in the program. The team’s strength coach, Chris Doyle, has been placed on administrative leave and coach Kirk Ferentz’s leadership was called into question. About two dozen current players took to social media to voice messages of unity. None complained directly about his treatment.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska says receiver JD Spielman has put his name into the transfer portal. Spielman is the first player to put together three straight 800-yard receiving seasons for the Cornhuskers and leaves No. 3 in career receptions and yards. Nebraska coach Scott Frost announced in March that Spielman had left the team to deal with an unspecified health matter and probably would miss all of spring practice. Spielman would have been a senior in eligibility this fall. It was unclear if he’s on track to graduate this summer, which would make him immediately eligible at his next school. He is the son of Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa football strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle denies any “unethical behavior or bias” based on race after being accused by several former players of contributing to what they allege is systemic racism in the program. Doyle was placed on administrative leave Saturday. The move was made by coach Kirk Ferentz in what he called “a defining moment” for Iowa’s football program. Several black former players posted on social media Friday night about issues they saw in the football program and attributed many to Doyle. The 51-year-old assistant coach issued a statement Sunday on Twitter in which he disputes the claims.

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay is turning its basketball program over to Will Ryan. He’s the son of former Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan. Athletic director Charles Guthrie announced Sunday that the school and Ryan have agreed to a deal in principle. The two sides are still working out final contract details. The 41-year-old Ryan comes to Green Bay after posting a 14-13 record in his lone season as the head coach at Division II program Wheeling (West Virginia). He previously worked as an assistant at Ohio (2014-19) and North Dakota State (2007-14).

HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) — Kevin Harvick picked up his second victory since NASCAR resumed its schedule, outpacing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. inside Atlanta Motor Speedway. Harvick moved into sole possession of 12th place on the career victories list with 51, passing Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson. Three of those triumphs have come at Atlanta Motor Speedway, including in 2001 and 2018. Seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson finished seventh in what was likely his final Cup race in Atlanta.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Former Cincinnati Bengals defensive back and five-time All-Pro Ken Riley has died at 72. Drafted by the Bengals in 1969, Riley had 65 career interceptions for 596 yards and five touchdowns in a 15-year career with the Bengals. He also recovered 18 fumbles, and his interception total ranks fifth in NFL history. He later became head coach and athletic director at Florida A&M.

ATLANTA (AP) — Former Atlanta Falcons and St. Louis Cardinals defensive end John Zook has died in his native Kansas after a long battle with cancer. Zook teamed with Hall of Famer Claude Humphrey to give the Falcons a dynamic combination at defensive end from 1969-75. Zook never missed a game during his tenure with the Falcons, starting 97 of 98 contests. He made his only Pro Bowl appearance in 1973, joining Humphrey in the all-star game.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Former University of Florida and NFL wide receiver Reche Caldwell was fatally shot Saturday night in his hometown. Caldwell’s mother confirmed her son’s death to the Tampa Bay Times, saying police told her they believe her son was ambushed outside his home in a possible robbery attempt. Caldwell was drafted by San Diego in the second round in 2002. He had 152 catches for 1,851 yards and 11 touchdowns in six NFL seasons.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa football strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle has been placed on administrative leave after several black former players posted on social media about what they described as systemic racism in the program.Head coach Kirk Ferentz made the announcement Saturday night, calling it “a defining moment” for Iowa’s football program in a video posted on the team’s Twitter account. Dozens of former players took to social media to detail the troubling issues they allege they saw and experienced while playing at Iowa. The 51-year-old Doyle has been Iowa’s strength and conditioning coach since 1999, when Ferentz took over the football program.

NEW YORK (AP) — An analysis by The Associated Press has determined the New York Yankees, Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers would each save more than $100 million as part of management’s proposal when compared to the players’ plan to reopen a season delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. Set to earn $36 million each, Mike Trout and Gerrit Cole would get $25.3 million under the union’s plan and $5.6 million under the teams’ proposal. The Yankees would pay players $155 million under the union’s plan and $48 million under management’s proposal.

UNDATED (AP) — A pair of Florida-based NBA head coaches spoke out Saturday about their hopes that league visibility will be an asset again in the hope for actual social change following the death of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. Miami’s Erik Spoelstra says he doesn’t think anyone is ready to move on, and we shouldn’t. Orlando coach Steve Clifford also seems convinced that the league’s players and coaches will take some sort of action when the season resumes.

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — The IndyCar season began Saturday with five-time season champion Scott Dixon taking the checkered flag at Texas Motor Speedway, his fourth win at the 1 ½-mile, high-banked oval. The 39-year-old New Zealander raced to his 47th career victory and matched A.J. Foyt’s record of 18 seasons with a win. Dixon finished 4.4 seconds ahead of Simon Pagenaud. Defending IndyCar champion and polesitter Josef Newgarden was third.

HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) — The only African American driver in NASCAR’s Cup series is expressing frustration that so many drivers have been reluctant to speak out concerning the outrage over the death of George Floyd. Bubba Wallace said on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s podcast that “a few drivers — a very few — have given their opinion on the day’s matter” and that he appreciates that. But Wallace says, “the silence from the top drivers in our sport is beyond frustrating.” He says, “NASCAR — everybody thinks redneck, Confederate flag, racists,” Wallace says he hates it because he believes that NASCAR can be so much more.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Amanda Nunes earned a dominant unanimous decision victory over featherweight contender Felicia Spencer at UFC 250. Nunes became the first UFC fighter to defend a championship belt while holding titles in two divisions with her one-sided win. Nunes also is the UFC’s long-reigning bantamweight champion. Cody Garbrandt also knocked out Raphael Assunção an instant before the second-round bell in the co-main event at a fan-free gym on the UFC’s corporate campus in Las Vegas. Sean O’Malley opened the pay-per-view portion of the card with a spectacular one-punch knockout of Eddie Wineland for his 12th consecutive victory.

UNDATED (AP) — Major League players have reaffirmed their stance for full prorated pay, leaving a huge gap with teams that could scuttle plans to start the coronavirus-delayed season around the Fourth of July and may leave owners focusing on a schedule as short as 50 games. More than 100 players held a two-hour digital meeting with officials of the MLB Players Association yesterday. Management on Sunday pitched an 82-game schedule that included a sliding scale for prorated salaries, with the richer players receiving a reduced share. The union countered on Tuesday with a 114-game schedule with prorated salaries and no adjusted scale.

UNDATED (AP) — The NBA Board of Governors has approved a 22-team format for restarting the season in late July at the Disney campus near Orlando, Florida. The format calls for each team playing eight games to determine playoff seeding plus the possible utilization of a play-in tournament for the final spot in each conference postseason field. The plan includes the 16 teams that were holding playoff spots when the season was stopped on March 11, plus all other clubs within six games of a postseason berth.

UNDATED (AP) — San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan has praised former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick for trying to bring the issue of racism and police brutality to light with his protests during the national anthem in the 2016 season. Shanahan said, “It’s three years later and there’s still some people not understanding what his message was.” The issues surrounding Kaepernick’s stance have resurfaced this week as many players and teams in the league have been protesting the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Drew Brees is apologizing for comments that he now says were “insensitive and completely missed the mark” when he reiterated his opposition to Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling during the national anthem in 2016. He says his words “lacked awareness and any type of compassion or empathy” and had become “divisive and hurtful.” Those remarks came in an interview with Yahoo and drew sharp criticism from fellow high-profile athletes and others in the wake of George Floyd’s death.

UNDATED (AP) — Federal legislation setting guidelines for college athletes to pursue money-making opportunities could be proposed within a month. Ohio Rep. Anthony Gonzalez plans to introduce the bill and says there will be no blanket antitrust exemption for the NCAA. The NCAA announced five weeks ago that it would move forward with a plan to allow athletes to earn money for endorsements, personal appearances and social media content, among other things.

The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association has announced the high school football all-star games this summer have now been cancelled.  In May the WFCA announced the games scheduled for July 18^th in Oshkosh were postponed but left the possibility of playing them at a later date open. The association has decided to cancel the event entirely for this season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  A total of 224 Wisconsin high school players from the class of 2020, along with six head coaches and 36 assistant coaches, had been selected to take part in the game.

When the high school baseball and softball games in the Mississippi Valley Conference get underway June 15th, there won’t be many fans allowed to attend at least to begin with. The conference has announced schools will limit three family members per player to attend. The conference will reevaluate at the end June and possibly allow more fan entry if things go well.

Players will also be required to wear masks while riding in school transportation to away games, but won’t be required to wear them during competition. Parents will have the option of transporting their student athlete to away games.

AMES, Iowa – Former Iowa State head football coach Johnny Majors, the man responsible for turning around ISU football and leading it to its first-ever bowl game, has died. He was 85 years old. In 1971 he led the Cyclones to an 8-3 record and a spot in the Sun Bowl.

At the age of 33, Majors was hired to take over the Iowa State football program prior to the 1968 season. Majors faced a giant rebuilding project, as the Cyclones were a combined 4-15-1 the two seasons prior to his arrival. In 1971, Iowa State raced out to a 5-1 mark and ended the season at 8-3, securing the school’s first-ever postseason appearance by earning a bid to the Sun Bowl.  Majors left Ames following the 1972 season for Pittsburgh winning the 1976 national title with a perfect 12-0 record. He later coached at his alma mater Tennessee for 16 seasons (1977-92) then coached three more seasons at Pittsburgh before retirement.

AMES, Iowa – Yesterday the Iowa State Athletics Department announced its first positive COVID-19 test result.

A part-time student worker notified the department over the weekend of a positive result and the athletics department staff member that worked closely with the student worker has been quarantined. Additionally, four student-athletes from two different sports have experienced symptoms after being in close contact with individuals outside of the athletics department who have been infected by the virus. Those student-athletes are also in quarantine and are awaiting test results.

Athletic Director Jaime Pollard said the positive results were not unexpected and he is confident that the medical professionals will skillfully address the situation.

NEW YORK (AP) — A person with knowledge of the situation says the NBA has told the players association that it will present a 22-team plan for restarting the season to the league’s board of governors today. The person says the 22 teams would play eight games near Orlando to determine playoff seeding before the postseason begins there. The Western Conference would have 13 teams heading to Florida, while the East would be represented by nine teams. The 22 teams are those within six games of a playoff spot at this point.

UNDATED (AP) — A person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press that MLB has rejected the players’ offer for a 114-game regular season with no additional salary cuts. The person added that management did not plan to make a counterproposal. MLB proposed an 82-game schedule last week and further reductions in player salaries as the sport tries to salvage a season delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. Management has told the union it had no interest in extending the season into November due to the potential for a second COVID-19 outbreak.

UNDATED (AP) — Major League Soccer players have approved a new collective bargaining agreement that will allow for the league to return this summer with a tournament in Florida. The sides had agreed to a five-year CBA in February but that had not been ratified when the coronavirus pandemic began. The season was suspended March 12 after just two games because of the pandemic. Details of the Florida tournament were still under consideration, but the league’s 26 teams and limited staff would be sheltered at hotels with games played without fans at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney World.

UNDATED (AP) — Two more Oklahoma State football players have tested positive for COVID-19 since returning to campus for voluntary workouts. That brings the total to three, all athletes. Senior associate athletic director Kevin Klintworth wrote on his Twitter account that of the 150 staff, administrators and athletes tested, three had asymptomatic positives.

UNDATED (AP) — Wright State is dropping its softball and men’s and women’s tennis programs as part of a plan to cut $2 million from its athletic department budget. The Dayton, Ohio, school is reducing expenditures across the board because of decreases in enrollment and state funding because of the coronavirus pandemic. Wright State will have 11 sports and must be granted a waiver from the NCAA to remain in compliance with Division I requirements.

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union has released the pre-season softball rankings and two area teams are ranked in their class.

In Class 5-A, the Hempstead Mustangs are ranked 10^th. Fort Dodge is the top ranked team. Three other Mississippi Valley teams are in the top 15 with Iowa City High 2^nd, Cedar Rapids Kennedy 4^th, and Cedar Rapids Prairie 13^th.

Dyersville Beckman Catholic is the other KDTH area team ranked. The Blazers are number 10 in the 2-A poll.

The COVID 19 delayed season begins June 15^th.

Here is the link to the complete pre-season poll: https://ighsau.org/upl/downloads/library/softball-2020-preseasonsoftballrankings.pdf

UNDATED (AP) — All 32 NFL teams have been told by Commissioner Roger Goodell to hold training camps at their home facilities this summer because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most NFL teams stay at their training complexes year-round, but Dallas, Pittsburgh, Kansas City and Buffalo are among those that stage training camp elsewhere. Dallas usually trains in Oxnard, California, and Pittsburgh in nearby Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

WASHINGTON (AP) — He snapped up rebounds against taller players and used an overhead motion to whip passes down court. That’s one of the ways NBA Hall of Famer Wes Unseld is being remembered. The former Washington Bullett and Wilt Chamberlain are the only two players to win NBA Rookie of the Year and MVP honors in the same season. Unseld did it in 1969. His family says Unseld had a series of health problems. He was 74.

BOSTON (AP) — Celtics coach Brad Stevens says he supports the decisions of several of his players, including Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Enes Kanter, who have taken part in recent protests following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Stevens says he wrote a letter to his players letting them know he was with them and that he hopes the recent demonstrations around the country can help lead to healing and create sustainable change.

BOSTON (AP) — A former technology executive has pleaded guilty to paying $300,000 to bribe his son’s way into Georgetown University as a tennis recruit — even though the son didn’t play tennis. Federal prosecutors say Peter Dameris pleaded guilty Tuesday in Boston to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. The government will recommend sentence of time served, 21 months of home confinement, a fine of $95,000 and restitution when Dameris is sentenced on Oct. 5.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The commission that promotes uniformity among state laws has taken another step toward crafting legislation allowing compensation for college athletes. A study committee recommended Tuesday that the Uniform Law Commission form a drafting committee to write legislation for states to adopt governing athletes’ ability to profit for use of their names, images and likenesses. The recommendation requires additional commission approval before the drafting committee is formed.

Clarke University assistant men’s basketball coach Charlie Wallrapp has been named the recipient of a prestigious national award.  The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) announced today Wahllrapp was chosen to the Under Armour 30-Under-30 Team, representing 30 of the most outstanding men’s college basketball coaches under the age of 30.

Wallrapp came to Clarke in July of 2018 from Kansas Wesleyan University, where he served as assistant men’s basketball coach.  The Pride finished 16-16 in 2018-19 and went 24-9 overall this past season, including an 18-6 mark in Heart of America Athletic Conference play, and secured the program’s first-ever NAIA national tournament berth.

Dubuque Fighting Saint Aidan Fulp has been honored by the USHL being named the recipient of the Curt Hammer Award.  The Hammer Award is presented to the player in the league distinguishing themselves both on and off the ice by demonstrating outstanding performance skills, pride and determination.

Fulp has an outstanding track-record of off the ice service, participating in countless events with the Fighting Saints during his three seasons with the team.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Update on the latest sports

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Coleman-Lands, lands in Ames

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More details below:

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

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

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

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

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

Wisconsin All Star Game on Hold

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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