Category: Sports

Commissioner Rob Manfred says baseball season in jeopardy

Commissioner Rob Manfred says baseball season in jeopardy
By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says there might be no major league games this year after a breakdown in talks between teams and the players’ union on how to split up money in a season delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. The league also revealed several players have tested positive for COVID-19. Two days after union head Tony Clark declared additional negotiations futile, Deputy Commissioner Dan Halem sent a seven-page letter to players’ association chief negotiator Bruce Meyer asking the union whether it will waive the threat of legal action and tell MLB to announce a spring training report date and a regular-season schedule.

NASCAR wants 30,000 fans at All-Star race in Tennessee

NASCAR wants 30,000 fans at All-Star race in Tennessee
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR is set to allow up to 30,000 fans at the track in Bristol next month when it moves the All-Star race out of Charlotte Motor Speedway for just the second time in the history of the race. NASCAR is set to allow up to 30,000 fans at the track next month when it moves the All-Star race out of Charlotte Motor Speedway for just the second time in the history of the race. The race was originally scheduled for May 16 at Charlotte. It has been held at the track every year since its inception in 1985. The 1986 race was run at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Robert Morris leaves NEC for Horizon League

Robert Morris leaves NEC for Horizon League
MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (AP) — Robert Morris is leaving the Northeast Conference to join the Horizon League. The school says it will become the 12th member of the Horizon League on July 1. Robert Morris, located in Pittsburgh’s western suburbs, will join the league in 10 sports, including men’s and women’s basketball as well as soccer and track and field. The Colonials have become an NEC power in men’s and women’s basketball in recent years. The men’s program has reached the NCAA tournament four times in the last 11 years while the women’s program has won the NEC’s automatic bid seven times in the last 14 seasons.

A safe return for golf as Berger wins Colonial in a playoff

A safe return for golf as Berger wins Colonial in a playoff
By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — The PGA Tour completed a safe and successful return to competition, and so did Daniel Berger. He made a 10-foot birdie putt on the final hole and then won the Charles Schwab Challenge by saving par behind the 17th hole in a playoff. Collin Morikawa, who missed a 6-foot putt in regulation for the win, missed a 3-foot par putt in the playoff. Commissioner Jay Monahan called it a phenomenal return because all 487 coronavirus tests at Colonial came back negative. And it was a good show, even though i t was a quiet one with no fans.

Denny Hamlin wins on a long day at Homestead

Denny Hamlin wins on a long day at Homestead
By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer
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.

TV money gives NFL leg up if fans can’t fill teams’ coffers

TV money gives NFL leg up if fans can’t fill teams’ coffers
By SCHUYLER DIXON AP Pro Football Writer
DALLAS (AP) — The NFL’s television contracts give America’s most popular sport an advantage of other major pro leagues. It’s safe to say more than half of the NFL’s $15 billion in revenue comes from TV money that all 32 teams share equally. NFL owners could lose billions collectively with limited capacities in stadiums or no fans at all. But the league is well-positioned financially because of TV deals approaching $10 billion for a full 2020 season. Fitch Ratings recently affirmed its “A-plus” credit mark in part because of the NFL’s media deals.

Schauffele leads Colonial over host of stars in tour return

Schauffele leads Colonial over host of stars in tour return
By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — The PGA Tour has returned after three months because of the pandemic, and it hasn’t 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. That sets up what should by a dynamic Sunday with no spectators allowed on the course.

Kyle Busch wins trucks race at Homestead

Kyle Busch wins trucks race at Homestead
By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer
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.

Earnhardt Jr. returns; Burton wins Xfinity race at Homestead

Earnhardt returns; Burton wins Xfinity race at Homestead
By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer
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. Burton, Gragson and Austin Cindric were three-wide going into that last lap, and it was Burton who wound up winning what turned into a wild finish. Cindric got second and Gragson finished third, two spots ahead of Earnhardt — part of his car’s JR Motorsports ownership.

Baseball players say talks futile, tell MLB to order return

Baseball players say talks futile, tell MLB to order return
By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball appears headed to its shortest season since the 1870s. Baseball players told the commissioner’s office additional talks to start the season during the coronavirus pandemic are futile and said owners should order a return to work. The union’s action could lead to a season of about 50 games rather than the 82 initially proposed by MLB. This all also could spark lengthy litigation over money and a renewal of the sport’s labor wars.