Update on the latest sports
APMLB-NEWS
Proposed MLB changes mulled
UNDATED (AP) — Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred says banning or limiting defensive shifts would be an effort to restore Major League Baseball to how it was played before offense was suffocated by analytics.
Speaking before the All-Star Game in Denver to the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, Manfred said seven-inning doubleheaders and starting extra innings with runners on second base likely will be dropped after this season. He said extending the DH to the NL could be possible.
Manfred said MLB was considering having umpires explain video review decisions to fans at ballparks over the public-address system, similar to the procedure in the NFL.
On other issues:
— Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred wouldn’t say whether he would rule out any events in Texas if a law is adopted changing election laws in the state. The All-Star Game was awarded to Atlanta and what then was called SunTrust Park in May 2019. Manfred moved it to Denver because of a Georgia voting law that critics say will negatively affect communities of color. His decision generally was denounced by conservatives and praised by liberals.
—Manfred was unhappy with flippant comments made by Dodgers president Stan Kasten that followed the start of the sport’s investigation of domestic violence allegations against Los Angeles pitcher Trevor Bauer. Bauer was placed on administrative leave by MLB on July 2, three days after an allegation of assault was made by a woman against Bauer. Manfred says of Kasten’s remark: “I don’t think it was a helpful comment given all we’re trying to achieve in this area.”
— Manfred says the fate of the Athletics in Oakland will be determined in the next few months. A’s owners have proposed a new ballpark in the Howard Terminal area of Oakland, and Manfred said if the stadium project is not approved, the team would move forward with either a move to Las Vegas or a wider relocation search.
OLYMPICS-NEWS
First lady to attend Olympics opening
UNDATED (AP) — Jill Biden will attend the opening ceremony of the summer Olympic games in Tokyo. The White House announced the trip Tuesday, even as the city has entered a new state of emergency over a rise in coronavirus cases.
Biden will attend the opening ceremony on July 23, but President Joe Biden isn’t going. That’s a shift from the last time she attended, in 2010, when she and her husband led the U.S. delegation to the Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada. This year the competition will be held with no fans in the stands, after a state of emergency was declared in Tokyo.
In other Olympic news:
— Three-time world champion Peter Sagan has withdrawn from the Olympic road race, a day after minor surgery to treat an infection in his knee. During a crash in the third stage of the Tour de France, Sagan got a deep gash on his knee that later became infected.
— Olympic champion gymnast Oleg Verniaiev says he will miss the Tokyo Games because he has been banned following a failed drug test. The Ukrainian gymnast says in an Instagram post that he tested positive for the banned substance meldonium and was banned after a ruling by the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation. Verniaiev denies wrongdoing and says he will appeal the ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
— Roger Federer says he won’t participate in the Tokyo Olympics after having a setback with his knee. Federer had said before Wimbledon that he would make a decision about going to the Summer Games after the Grand Slam tournament ended. The 39-year-old from Switzerland lost in the quarterfinals at the All England Club last week to Hubert Hurkacz.
NHL-NEWS
Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne retiring after 15 seasons
UNDATED (AP) — Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne (PEH’-kuh RIH’-nuh) is retiring after 15 seasons. The 38-year-old Rinne announced his decision Tuesday. The Finland native says he’s been on an incredible journey, with the Predators taking him to more places than he could imagine. Rinne says this decision wasn’t easy but the right one at the right time.
The 2018 Vezina Trophy winner made his last start on May 10 in Nashville’s regular-season finale. He won his 60th career shutout, which tied him with Tom Barrasso for No. 19 in NHL history with his 369th victory.
Elsewhere in the NHL:
— Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois has confirmed that star forward Nikita Kucherov played in the Stanley Cup Final with a non-displaced rib fracture. Kucherov was hurt on a cross-check during Game 6 of the conference final against the New York Islanders. Star defenseman Victor Hedman played the entire postseason with a torn meniscus, which occurred March 30. He was scheduled to undergo a procedure Tuesday with an expected downtime of three to four weeks.
— Dominique Ducharme has been hired as the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens after leading the club on a playoff run all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. The Canadiens have announced that Ducharme has agreed to a three-year contract extension through the 2023-24 season. The 48-year-old was promoted to the role of interim head coach on Feb. 24 after the struggling Canadiens fired former head coach Claude Julien.
— The Minnesota Wild are buying out the contracts of veteran stars Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. Each has four years left on it. They signed identical $98 million, 13-year deals in 2012. Parise and Suter are now being bought out together. The buyouts will combine to cost the Wild almost $15 million against the salary cap in 2023-24 and 2024-25 for Parise and Suter not to play for them. Each player will become an unrestricted free agent July 28.
NFL-OBIT-GIBBS
Former Broncos offensive line coach Alex Gibbs dead at 80
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The Denver Broncos say innovative offensive line coach Alex Gibbs has died at 80 following complications from a stroke.
Gibbs was known for his zone-blocking scheme that powered the Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowl victories in the late 1990s. The no-nonsense Gibbs had three stints with the Broncos. He also worked for the Raiders, Falcons, Chargers, Colts, Texans and Chiefs while building a reputation as one of the best assistant coaches in the NFL.
