MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins have had “a few” players in their organization test positive for COVID-19 recently. President of baseball operations Derek Falvey said Thursday that each player was “doing well” in self-isolation at home. Falvey declined to specify the exact number or whether the players were major leaguers or minor leaguers. Major league camps are set to reopen next week, mostly at home stadiums.
NEW YORK (AP) — It has back-up plans, but the NFL still plans to hold training camps on time beginning in late July. The announcement came on the same day the league canceled the Hall of Fame game that kicks off the preseason. The Aug. 6 exhibition game in Canton, Ohio, between the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers will be played on Aug. 5, 2021, with the same teams. Enshrinements for 20 men scheduled for this year now will occur on Aug. 7, 2021, with the 2021 inductees going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame the next day.
CHARLOTTE (AP) — Panthers coach Matt Rhule says he's considering kneeling alongside his players during the national anthem this season in support of the movement against racial injustice. The first-year coach from Baylor has told players he will support them if they express their views. Rhule says he will confer with his players before making any decision on whether to kneel during the anthem. Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien has said he plans to kneel with his players.
LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — After waiting for 30 years for Liverpool to be the champion of England, soccer fans couldn’t help but put aside some pandemic precautions. They showed up in the thousands to watch fireworks that started to explode at twilight. Liverpool’s squad realized they had won it all while watching television. It happened when second-place Manchester City lost 2-1 at Chelsea and left Liverpool 23 points in front. With seven games to go, Liverpool cannot be caught.
CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — Mackenzie Hughes shot a career-low 60 and led by three shots after the first round of the Travelers Championship. The 29-year-old Canadian flirted with 59 on Thursday as the PGA Tour tried to switch its focus back to golf amid growing concerns about the coronavirus. TPC River Highlands, near Hartford, Connecticut, is no stranger to low scores. Hughes was bogey-free and made a 30-foot putt on his second-to-last hole to get to 10 under. But he left a 40-foot birdie try short to settle for 60. It was good enough for a three-shot lead over Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele (ZAN’-dur SHAWF’-lee) and Viktor Hovland.