Update on the latest sports
APCOLLEGE BASKETBALL-COVID
Baylor season on pause
UNDATED (AP) — One of the two favorites to win the NCAA men’s basketball title has seen its season put on pause.
No. 2 Baylor has had its season interrupted again because of COVID-19 protocols, with the Big 12 Conference postponing the Bears’ next two scheduled games.
The 17-0 Bears have matched the best start in school history and were supposed to host TCU on Saturday and play at No. 9 Oklahoma next Wednesday.
Neither the conference or Baylor provided specifics, saying only that the postponements were in accordance with the league’s interruption guidelines for men’s basketball. That would indicate that the Bears wouldn’t have the required six scholarship players for the games, either because of positive tests or contact tracing.
NFL-GOODELL
Goodell: Many lessons learned in 2020 will carry forward
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Commissioner Roger Goodell says the NFL will carry forward the lessons learned from 2020.
In his annual state of the league news conference Thursday, Goodell said topics for future discussion range from battling the pandemic to minority coaching hires to scheduling to the NFL’s working relationship with the players’ union. As for what changes from the pandemic season are worth keeping in a post-COVID-19 world, Goodell said virtual sessions “are going to be a part of our life for a long time” because coaches and players were able to remotely work through the playbooks in 2020.
Goodell said he feels strongly about the value of training camp and preseason games. NFL Players Association President J.C. Tretter of the Cleveland Browns is advocating getting rid of the offseason and OTAs permanently.
Goodell said the league will look into tweaking the rules for teams that hire new coaches as a way to ensure more diversity in the coaching ranks.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SPORTS
NHL revises virus protocols with 40 players on COVID-19 list
UNDATED (AP) — With COVID-19 problems cropping up and four teams currently idled, the NHL has revised its virus protocols in a bid to keep the shortened season on track.
Glass panels have been removed from behind benches for better air flow. Players and coaches are not allowed at the arena until 1 hour and 45 minutes before the game unless they’re getting treatment for injuries and all meetings must be virtual. The 31 teams were also told to space out locker rooms more to provide 6 feet between people.
The moves were made as the NHL sees some concerning trends, including 40 players on the COVID-19 unavailable list. In the first three weeks of the season, about 90 players have appeared on the list, which can include a positive test result unconfirmed or confirmed, symptomatic isolation, high risk close contact or quarantine for travel purposes.
In other virus-related sports news:
— The Cleveland Cavaliers have been given the OK to increase attendance at home games. The team received a letter from the state of Ohio, which granted a second variance and will allow the Cavs to have 2,720 fans inside 19,000-seat Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The change takes effect immediately.
— The Australian Open tournament director expects the year’s first tennis major to start as scheduled next week. This despite 160 players being among the 507 people forced back into isolation after a hotel quarantine worker tested positive for COVID-19. All matches in all six warmup events were postponed after the state government announced the latest coronavirus case.
— Wimbledon organizers are planning for a reduced-capacity crowd at this year’s Grand Slam tournament, though other options remain. The All England Club has previously announced that the tournament would go ahead with or without fans. It was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic.
— Thursday’s women’s basketball game between No. 17 Indiana and Rutgers was postponed because of COVID-19 healthy and safety issues within the Scarlet Knights’ program. The schools issued a statement saying they had mutually agreed to scrub the game after consulting with university medical officials and Big Ten representatives.
— The Canisius (kuh-NEE’-shuhs) College athletic department has announced Thursday that the Golden Griffin women’s basketball program will not complete the remainder of the season due to health and safety concerns. The school is a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
MLB-NEWS
Indians unaware of Callaway’s inappropriate behavior
UNDATED (AP) — Cleveland Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said the team was unaware of former pitching coach Mickey Callaway’s inappropriate behavior toward women while he was with the club. Antonetti said he became “distraught and disturbed” in learning about Callaway’s actions, which were reported by The Athletic on Monday night. Callaway has said any relationship was consensual.
In other MLB news:
— The White Sox have agreed to a minor league contract with veteran catcher Jonathan Lucroy (LOO’-kroy), giving them another option behind Yasmani Grandal (yahs-MAH’-nee grahn-DAHL’). A person familiar with the situation confirmed Chicago’s deal to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the move was pending a physical. The 34-year-old Lucroy appeared in one game with Boston last season after batting .232 with eight homers and 36 RBIs in 101 games with the Angels and Cubs in 2019.
— First baseman Ji-Man Choi and the Rays have argued their salary arbitration case. The 29-year-old asked for a raise to $2.45 million, and the Rays argued for $1.85 million. Choi hit .230 with three homers and 16 RBIs last year, then batted .240 with two homers and four RBIs as the Rays advanced to the World Series and lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
—Veteran reliever Nick Vincent has agreed to a minor league contract with the Rangers that includes an invitation to big league spring training. The 34-year-old right-hander went 1-2 with three saves and a 4.43 ERA in 21 appearances for the Marlins last season.
— The average Major League Baseball salary dropped for an unprecedented third straight year, even before the shortened season caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The players association said Thursday the 2020 average would have been $3.89 million if a full season had been played. That was down 4.2% from the 2019 average and represented a 5.2% decrease from the record average of just under $4.1 million in 2017.
NHL-BLUE JACKETS-MERZLIKINS
Merzlikins on shelf
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Columbus Blue Jackets have placed goaltender Elvis Merzlikins (murz-LEE’-kihns) on injured reserve.
The team said Merzlikins suffered an unspecified upper-body injury in practice Wednesday and is day-to-day.
Merzlikins is part of a goalie rotation with Joonas Korpisalo (YOH’-nuhs kohr-pih-SAH’-loh) and has gone 2-2-1 with a 2.76 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage.
Matiss Kivlenieks was moved to the roster as a second goaltender from the club’s taxi squad,
SUPER BOWL-CHIEFS FANS-NATIVE IMAGERY
Chiefs under pressure to ditch the tomahawk chop celebration
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Pressure is mounting for the Super Bowl-bound Kansas City Chiefs to end the popular tradition of fans breaking into a “war chant” while making a chopping hand motion designed to mimic the Native American tomahawk.
A coalition of Native American groups has put up billboards in Kansas City to protest the Tomahawk Chop and Chiefs’ name. It’s also planning a protest outside Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, site of Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Chiefs made some changes in the fall, barring headdresses and war paint and making a subtle change to the chop.
TENNIS-OBIT-TRABERT
Tony Trabert dies at 90
UNDATED (AP) — Tennis Hall of Famer Tony Trabert (TRAY’-burt) has died. His death Wednesday night at his home in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, was confirmed by his daughter.
Trabert was a five-time Grand Slam singles champion and former No. 1 player who went on to successful careers as a Davis Cup captain, broadcaster and executive. Trabert won three of the four major singles titles in 1955, including Wimbledon and the U.S. Nationals.
Trabert was 90 years old.
