MLB=
Major League Baseball sent teams a draft of new protocols to help
minimize the spread of the coronavirus when baseball returns. The
guidelines are extensive, including a ban on spitting, high-fiving,
fist-bumping and the practice of touching one’s face to give
signals to teammates. Mascots would be eliminated, as would the
traditional pre-game lineup exchange between managers. Players
would arrive to the stadium in their uniforms, discouraged from
using on-site showers, saunas, steam rooms and pools. On the road,
team personnel would not be allowed to eat at restaurants. The new
protocols have not yet been reviewed by the players’ union and are
still subject to negotiations.
SOCCER=
The German Bundesliga became the first major soccer league to
return to the field after a hiatus that lasted over two months due
to the coronavirus. The league, which last played games on March
11, kicked off in empty stadiums across the European country, with
the premier matchup of the day had Borussia Dortmund defeating
Schalke 4-0. Normally home to a raucous atmosphere, Dortmund’s
81,000-seat stadium was eerily quiet throughout what the locals
have dubbed a “ghost game” – an example for countless other
top-tier sports leagues around the world as the sporting world
attempts to gradually inch closer to normalcy. Erling Haaland
scored the Bundesliga’s first goal since the COVID-19 outbreak and
then celebrated alone, mindful of league regulations to minimize
unnecessary contact between players. The rules also prohibited
hugging and hand-shaking after the game, and the balls used were
routinely sanitized.
NFL=
The league is proposing new resolutions to incentivize teams to
hire people of color as head coach or general manager, according to
NFL.com’s Jim Trotter. The proposed change, which will be brought
before the 32 team owners in a virtual meeting on Tuesday, would
boost a team’s draft position the year after a minority hire. If a
team hires a minority head coach, its third-round draft pick
between his first and second season would be elevated by six slots
overall. For a general manager or top personnel executive of color,
the third-round pick would jump 10 spots. If a minority head coach
or general manager is still in place after two seasons, the team
would receive an additional five-slot boost to its fourth-round
pick before his third season.
Redskins wide receiver Cody Latimer was arrested early Saturday
morning in Douglas County, Colorado after reports of shots fired
indoors at an apartment building. Latimer, 27, was booked on felony
charges of assault in the second degree, menacing and illegal
discharge of a firearm and misdemeanor charges of prohibited use of
a weapon and reckless endangerment. According to the police report,
one witness in the building heard arguing before the gunshot. No
one was shot, but there was one person at the scene with other
injuries.
A pair of cornerbacks – Seattle’s Quinton Dunbar and the Giants’
DeAndre Baker – have surrendered themselves to police after
warrants were issued for their arrest Thursday in connection to an
armed robbery. The pair is alleged to have committed the
premeditated armed robbery in Miramar, Florida after multiple
witnesses identified them as holding up a party. Dunbar and Baker
are expected to appear in court on Sunday.
Former Chicago Bears CEO Michael McCaskey has died after a lengthy
battle with cancer. He was 76. McCaskey became president and CEO of
the Bears in 1983 following the death of grandfather George Halas,
a founding father of the NFL and the franchise. He succeeded Ed
McCaskey as chairman in 1999 and remained in that role until
brother George McCaskey took over in 2011. The Bears made 12
playoff appearances and captured their lone Super Bowl title during
Michael McCaskey’s tenure leading the franchise.
Former Washington Redskins star Dexter Manley is hospitalized and
receiving oxygen to treat breathing issues related to the
coronavirus, two of his children told The Washington Post. Daughter
Dalis Manley said the former defensive end tested positive for the
coronavirus May 2 and has steadily run a temperature between 101
and 104 degrees. Manley helped Washington win two Super Bowl titles
in nine seasons with the team.
UFC=
Alistair Overeem defeated Walt Harris in the second round of UFC’s
Fight Night main event, ending what was an emotional return for the
heavyweight fighter known as The Big Ticket. Harris was a slight
favorite and the sentimental choice as he entered the octagon for
the first time since his 19-year-old daughter, Aniah Blanchard, was
killed in Alabama.
BROADCASTING=
Phyllis George, the former Miss America who became a female
sportscasting pioneer on CBS’s “The NFL Today” and served as the
first lady of Kentucky, has died. She was 70. A family spokeswoman
said George died Thursday at a Lexington, Kentucky, hospital after
a long fight with a blood disorder. Miss America in 1971, George
joined Brent Musburger and Irv Cross in 1975 on “The NFL Today.”
Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder later was added to the cast.
HORSE RACING=
The 145th Preakness Stakes, originally to take place this weekend,
has been rescheduled for Oct. 3. Maryland Governor Larry Hogan
revealed the new date for the historic race on NBC, which also had
a hand in the decision because it televises the race. The Kentucky
Derby has already been rescheduled for Sept. 5, while the Belmont
Stakes have yet to announce a make-up date.
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TTWN Media Networks Inc.
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