Archives for February 2021

The Latest: Charleston Southern pauses athletics

The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:

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Charleston Southern has paused all athletic activities for the week due to contact tracing and positive cases of COVID-19, ending the men’s basketball program’s long-shot chance of making the NCAA Tournament.

The pause will affect 11 teams, which can return to practice on Monday but can’t compete until next Thursday. The Buccaneers’ final men’s basketball regular-season game on Wednesday was canceled.

The Buccaneers have won only three games and would’ve been the 11th seed in the Big South Tournament. They were scheduled to play at No. 6 Gardner-Webb in the first round Saturday, but after the school announced the pause the conference updated the tournament format to a 10-team event featuring two first-round games instead of three. Gardner-Webb will move to the quarterfinal round to play at the No. 3 seed on Monday.

CSU’s women’s basketball series at USC Upstate scheduled for Thursday and Friday also has been postponed. The Big South is working with the school to reschedule that series, as well as impacted conference competition in volleyball, women’s soccer and women’s tennis.

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The PGA Championship will cap attendance at 10,000 spectators per round when it plays The Ocean Course in May.

The PGA of America announced the decision Tuesday. The move to play with limited spectator capacity due to coronavirus concerns was made in coordination with the state of South Carolina, area medical authorities, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There were an estimated 30,000 people per day when Rory McIlroy won the 2012 event on Kiawah Island. PGA of America president Jim Richerson said organizers hoped to open the event to the same sellout crowds as nine years ago, but was grateful to have golf fans on hand for this one, unlike the 2020 tournament. Collin Morikawa won the event at TPC Harding Park in front of no spectators.

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More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Playing tag is no kids’ game for NFL teams

NFL teams could begin playing tag on Tuesday, and it’s no kids’ game for the 32 teams.

Applying franchise and even transition tags to players can have major ramifications on a team’s present and future. That was never more of a consideration than this year, with the salary cap decreasing for now by $18 million. That’s the first time the cap has gone down, which is due to lost revenues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It has always gone up,” says Bill Polian, a Pro Football Hall of Fame executive. “So have the expectations of the players and agents. This is the first time this is not happening. That is a sea change.”

While this mini-tidal wave likely is only for the upcoming season — the league’s broadcast deals should be solidified soon and will bolster future caps — it certainly could have a significant impact.

Consider the Super Bowl champs. The Buccaneers don’t relish losing the likes of linebackers Shaq Barrett and Lavonte David, wide receiver Chris Godwin, running back Leonard Fournette, tight end Rob Gronkowski or defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

Look for one of them, probably sackmaster Barrett or dynamic pass catcher Godwin, to get tagged for a one-year, guaranteed contract. Barrett was a franchise player in 2020 and would get about $19 million if tagged again. Godwin would get nearly $16 million.

Bucs coach Bruce Arians said after winning the NFL title that the team would find ways to keep key players. It will take some financial imagination.

“I’m very, very confident,” Arians said. “I have all the trust in the world in (GM Jason Licht) and what he will do. There will be dollars involved, but I think this group is so close that sometimes dollars don’t matter. But we’re going to do everything we can to get the dollars right, too.”

The biggest name — if not the best player — who might wind up tagged is Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. His ankle injury early last season muddled the picture in Dallas, but the team insists Prescott is the guy, even if it means a second straight franchise player designation — at nearly $38 million.

Polian, now an analyst for SiriusXM NFL Radio, notes that the higher-end players rarely reach total freedom.

“The ‘A’ players don’t get to free agency,” he says. “So what is out there on the market, even in this untoward year, are going to be ‘B’ players looking for ‘A’ players’ money.”

Others positions and who could wind up tagged:

RUNNING BACK

Aaron Jones, Packers — Tagging runners sometimes seems wise because long-term contracts at such a punishingly physical position aren’t attractive for teams. Jones is a very attractive guy for the Packers because of his versatility, production, age (26) and strong relationship with MVP Aaron Rodgers. Green Bay doesn’t have much cap room, though, and the franchise tag will be approximately $11 million.

WIDE RECEIVER

Kenny Golladay, Lions — The $15.81 million cost as of now isn’t prohibitive for this team. Golladay is a genuine No. 1 wideout and would get plenty of attention on the open market. New QB Jared Goff had a talented group of targets in Los Angeles and sure could benefit from Golladay sticking around.

Allen Robinson, Bears — When healthy, Robinson is a stud. Like Golladay, he would be coveted as a free agent, and he’s in his prime at 27. The uncertain quarterback situation in Chicago makes it likely Robinson leaves if he doesn’t get tagged.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN

Yannick Ngakoue and Matt Judon, Ravens — A pair of solid, sometimes dynamic defenders, and one of them probably will leave. Judon was tagged in 2020, so he would be due at least $20 million for next season.

Leonard Williams, Giants — The 2015 first-round pick by the Jets has found a home and his game with the other New York team. The Giants have professed their strong desire to keep Williams. Coming off his best year, he could get tagged a second straight time.

LINEBACKERS

Haason Reddick, Cardinals — This is a difficult one because Reddick was mediocre in his previous seasons before being moved outside and flourishing. Was it an aberration or is Reddick the real thing for Arizona? Paying him about $14.5 million for one season to find out might be worth it.

Pittsburgh Steelers

LB Bud Dupree, Steelers — Pittsburgh’s tag went to Dupree last year and he would cost $19 million in ’21 for a team so cash strapped it is pondering not bringing back Ben Roethlisberger for one more season. Dupree figures to move on.

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More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Filly becomes 5th fatality this year at Golden Gate Fields

ALBANY, Calif. (AP) — A 3-year-old filly died Tuesday during training at Golden Gate Fields, making it the fifth thoroughbred fatality at the Northern California racetrack this year.

Okoye’s death was listed as an accident on the California Horse Racing Board’s website. She was trained by Isidro Tamayo and finished fourth in her most recent race on Feb. 5. She was winless in five career starts and had earnings of $16,080.

A 4-year-old gelding and a 5-year-old mare died in training incidents last weekend at the track.

The gelding named Sweet Boy died suddenly on Saturday, according to the CHRB.

Sweet Boy was trained and co-owned by Timothy Bellasis. The gelding had four wins in eight career starts and earnings of $43,971. Sweet Boy had not raced since Feb. 28, 2020, when he won at Golden Gate.

My Three Kids died Sunday, according to the racing board. The mare was trained by Andreas Psarras. She had one win in 14 career starts and earnings of $14,908. She finished second in her last race on Feb. 6 at Golden Gate.

Two other thoroughbreds have died at Golden Gate this year. Both were trained by Blaine Wright. Munny’s death did not occur during racing or training, while Staredown died during training, according to the racing board website.

Golden Gate suspended racing in November for over a month as the result of a widespread COVID-19 outbreak. The track’s winter-spring meet began Jan. 15 and runs through May 13. The public is not allowed at the races.

The track is owned by 1/ST Racing, formerly known as The Stronach Group, whose holdings include Santa Anita, Gulfstream in Florida, and Pimlico in Maryland, among others.

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More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Shaw back with Brews; Kennedy, Lamb, Teheran find new teams

With spring training in full swing, third baseman Travis Shaw returned to the Milwaukee Brewers while former All-Star third baseman Jake Lamb and pitchers Ian Kennedy and Julio Teheran found new teams.

Shaw signed a minor league contract with the Brewers on Tuesday, giving them one more option for their unsettled situation at third base. Shaw was invited to spring training.

“I think he fits into a need that we have,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “He has an opportunity to earn something. That’s how it was presented to Travis, and I think that’s what excited him about the opportunity.”

Kennedy, 36, signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers, and will be in major league spring training with a chance to be compete for a spot in their bullpen.

Lamb signed a $1 million, one-year contract with the Atlanta Braves that is not guaranteed. The signing adds another veteran bat to an already deep competition for bench spots in spring training.

The 30-year-old Teheran got a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers and will report to big league camp.

Teheran was 0-4 with a 10.05 ERA last season with the Los Angeles Angels. He’d made at least 30 starts for seven straight years before last season was shortened by the coronavirus pandemic.

An All-Star in 2014 and 2016 for the Braves, Teheran’s ERA was under 4.00 in both 2018 and 2019 with Atlanta.

If added to the 40-man roster, Shaw would get a one-year contract paying $1.5 million while in the major leagues and $250,000 while in the minors.

Shaw, who turns 31 on April 16, last played for the Brewers from 2017-19. That three-year stint included some notable highs and lows.

“The Brewers have seen me at my absolute best and they’ve also seen me in my absolute worst in 2019,” Shaw said from the Brewers’ spring-training site in Phoenix. “So the fact that they reached out and were open to a reunion meant a lot to me.”

When the Brewers declined to offer him a contract after the 2019 season, Shaw spent 2020 with the Toronto Blue Jays and hit .239 with a .306 on-base percentage, six homers, 17 RBIs and a .717 OPS in 50 games.

The Brewers enter spring training without a clear-cut starting third baseman.

Luis Urías and Orlando Arcia are each working out at both shortstop and third base this spring. Urías was at third base for 30 of his 41 appearances last season, while Arcia was almost exclusively a shortstop.

Kennedy will be in major league spring training with a chance to be compete for a spot in the Rangers’ bullpen.

New Rangers general manager Chris Young, a former teammate of Kennedy’s in Kansas City, said he right-hander brings a veteran presence after playing for four different teams over 14 big league seasons.

“He has to earn the spot, and he’s perfectly comfortable that,” Young said.

Kennedy spent the past five seasons with Kansas City, where he made the transition from starter to reliever the past two years. He had his only 30 MLB saves in 2019, but was limited to one start and 14 relief appearances last season because of a left calf injury. Young and Kennedy were with the Royals together in 2016 and 2017.

Lamb, a 2017 All-Star with the Arizona Diamondbacks, was with the Braves for their first full-squad workout and will compete for a bench spot. He could provide insurance for Austin Riley, who is expected to start at third base, but he was signed for his left-handed bat as a pinch-hitter.

Manager Brian Snitker hopes Lamb can produce off the bench the way Matt Joyce in 2019 and Eric Hinske from 2010-12 were effective with their left-handed swings.

“You get late in a game and you need a double-switch, he can be a very valuable asset much like Matt Joyce did a couple years ago,” Snitker said. “He can be a left-handed bullet on the bench.”

HOME OF THE BRAVES

Due to ongoing coronavirus protocols, the Braves took their seats at safe distances apart outdoors for Snitker’s address over the public address system rather than using their auditorium with theatre seating at their still-new CoolToday complex.

“We did our best,” Snitker said. “We had to adjust, like I told the guys. … It’s a shame we’ve got that beautiful auditorium in there that we build that we’re not able to use.” Snitker said the makeshift arrangement “worked really well” for his pep talk.

WALKER’S NUMBER

As soon as Taijuan Walker joined the New York Mets, he learned someone already his number — Mr. Met.

A day after the Mets finalized his $23 million, three-year contract, Walker said he was aced out of his preferred jersey number by the rotund mascot with the baseball-shaped head.

He wanted 00. “And, of course, this year, Mr. Met is 00. So I just went back to wearing 99,” he said.

Walker wore 99 with the Diamondbacks but had to switch to 00 with Toronto because Hyun Jin Ryu wears 99.

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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Mexican president says Mexico doing better than US on virus

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Tuesday that his country is doing better than the United States in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, even though Mexico’s per capita death rate is probably higher and the country has vaccinated less than 1% of its population.

López Obrador said Tuesday that comparing countries is in “bad taste,” but went on to say “the most powerful nation on earth, our neighbor, did worse than us.”

The Mexican government’s “estimated” death toll from COVID-19 is now about 201,000. The United States death toll is around 500,000, but its population is 2.6 times larger.

Moreover, estimates of excess deaths in Mexico since the start of the pandemic suggest the COVID-19 toll is now well above 220,000. Mexico has administered about 1.7 million vaccine doses, while the U.S. has given 64 million shots.

López Obrador blamed rich countries for “hoarding” vaccines, calling that “totally unfair,” and said “the U.N. has to intervene.”

López Obrador has demanded the United States vaccinate the millions of Mexicans living in the U.S. with or without legal documents; Mexico says its consulates in the United States have even been registered as vaccination centers.

But a photo circulated on social media showed a sign posted last week outside one Mexico City vaccination center stating “No Foreigners Will be Vaccinated.”

Presidential spokesman Jesús Ramírez said that was a mistake, and promised everyone over 60, foreigners and Mexicans alike, would have access to vaccines.

“That was a photo of one center, and that message was corrected,” Ramírez said.

But Dr. Ruy López Ridaura, the country’s director of disease prevention and control, said the exclusion of foreigners apparently occurred at other sites in the opening weeks of the vaccination effort.

“There may have been some confusion at some operating sites,” López Ridaura said. “It was a communication problem. … The orders are totally clear now, foreigners will also receive their vaccinations.”

López Obrador invited Argentine President Alberto Fernández onstage at his daily morning press conference Tuesday, and the Argentine leader proposed that vaccine companies be forced to cede intellectual property rights and allow anyone to manufacture their shots.

“The idea is to propose at the G20 the need to declare COVID-19 vaccines as ‘global goods,’ so that they cede their intellectual property rights and all countries can freely produce them,” Fernández said.

Mexico is trying to beef up its supply of Pfizer vaccines with Russian and Chinese shots, and late Monday the country received its first shipment of 200,000 doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccines.

Mexico has had over 2 million test-confirmed coronavirus cases, but the low level of testing means the real number is probably several times that amount.

Archives for February 2021

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