As part of a $22 million, court-to-dome renovation, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame replaced the static plaques honoring inductees with touch screens that display videos and career highlights. Another exhibit allows visitors to put their hands inside an impression of Kevin Durant’s, to compare sizes.

That was before a pandemic turned hands-on into “Hands Off!”&nbsp;

Now, for the museum’s planned reopening on July 1, visitors will touch the touch screens with a stylus, and the players’ hand prints will be covered by plexiglass.

“You can look, but you can’t put your hand in it,” hall President John Doleva said. “For obvious reasons.”

As the world attempts to reopen from the coronavirus shutdown, every restaurant, retail shop and other public amenity is looking for ways to return to business while still keeping its staff and customers safe. But for the Springfield, Massachusetts, basketball shrine and other sports museums, there is an added challenge: managing social distancing and other health protocols while preserving the interactive features they have long leaned upon to help bring once-dusty archives to life.

“It’s a much more engaging experience, and you can really only do that through touch,” Doleva said. “It’s a different world, but we want to be one of the first places people think about visiting. We’re investing in all the protocols to make sure our museum is safe.”

When it reopens — a date that has been pushed back two months to July 1 — the basketball hall will hand out styluses with a rubber tip to every visitor to diminish the chance of spreading the virus from their hands. On Center Court, where fans can shoot at hoops resembling James Naismith’s original peach basket or dunk on rims of different heights, a staff member will hand out the basketballs and sanitize them after each use.

The World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, Florida, has been handing out styluses since it reopened on May 18. At the International Tennis Hall of Fame, the plan is to keep the “touch” in touch screen but clean them frequently — once an hour, if not more. Among the other changes: A theater with a hologram of Roger Federer will now be limited to two people at a time, instead of eight.&nbsp;

“In the short term, we’ll obviously have to adapt to if and how fans can interact with those,” said Todd Martin, a former pro tennis player and the hall’s CEO. “There’s infinite challenges and imposed limitations on our businesses.”

For now, a room where visitors could sit and watch the Tennis Channel will be closed. Wands that provide audio tours will no longer be handed out, and guided tours will also be canceled. The Newport, Rhode Island, hall also has public grass courts; those have reopened, but players can no longer rent or store rackets and they will have to bring their own water, too.

“We’re going to be letting 20 people in a 12,000 square-foot museum at one time. That’s just astounding math,” Martin said. “It does demonstrate the gravity of the operational challenge.”

Museum consultant Jim Richardson said exhibitors are making many of the same changes as other businesses — screening visitors, cleaning more frequently, making masks available, cutting capacity to allow for social distancing and adding plexiglass dividers and hand sanitizing stations.&nbsp;

Some interactive displays will need to be closed for now. But halls of fame can’t abandon hands-on exhibits entirely.

“Research has shown that museums that include physical interaction as well as information and objects make it easier for people to learn and retain information,” said Richardson, whose company, MuseumNext, works with exhibitors to keep up with the latest museum trends. “These playful interactives also spark creative thinking, especially for children.”&nbsp;

Instead, curators may need to make interactives less touchy-feely, like moving audio tours from rented headsets to visitors’ phones; games that might previously have been hands-on could be simulated with virtual reality, motion-capture cameras.&nbsp;

“There’s a lot of possibilities beyond touch screens for interactives in museums,” Richardson said.

Some changes could turn out to be improvements and become permanent, such as&nbsp;<a href="https://baseballhall.org/connectsafeathome" target="_blank">exhibits that were posted online during the shutdown</a>. But halls are also leery of making drastic changes while there’s still hope a COVID-19 vaccine could return things to something resembling normal.

“We’re not going to rebuild our museum because of this period of time that we’re in now,” Martin said.

The tennis hall is planning to reopen on June 18, but like other businesses it is dependent on local guidelines and how well the state is doing at managing the outbreak. In Canton, Ohio, where the state has given permission for museums to return, the Pro Football Hall of Fame reopened this week after shutting down for almost three months.&nbsp;

Richardson, who is based in England, said some museums that have come back have seen visits recover quickly.

“People are eager to get out and experience all the things that they’ve missed during shelter in place,” he said. “And visiting museums is part of that.”

The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, is tentatively scheduled to reopen on June 26. The International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York, is also hoping to reopen by the end of June.

“We all want to go back in time,” boxing hall executive director Ed Brophy said. “It’s a struggle, but that doesn’t stop us. ... We’re going to deliver the punch.”

As part of a $22 million, court-to-dome renovation, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame replaced the static plaques honoring inductees with touch screens that display videos and career highlights. Another exhibit allows visitors to put their hands inside an impression of Kevin Durant’s, to compare sizes.That was before a pandemic turned hands-on into “Hands Off!”&nbsp;Now, for the museum’s planned reopening on July 1, visitors will touch the touch screens with a stylus, and the players’ hand prints will be covered by plexiglass.“You can look, but you can’t put your hand in it,” hall President John Doleva said. “For obvious reasons.”As the world attempts to reopen from the coronavirus shutdown, every restaurant, retail shop and other public amenity is looking for ways to return to business while still keeping its staff and customers safe. But for the Springfield, Massachusetts, basketball shrine and other sports museums, there is an added challenge: managing social distancing and other health protocols while preserving the interactive features they have long leaned upon to help bring once-dusty archives to life.“It’s a much more engaging experience, and you can really only do that through touch,” Doleva said. “It’s a different world, but we want to be one of the first places people think about visiting. We’re investing in all the protocols to make sure our museum is safe.”When it reopens — a date that has been pushed back two months to July 1 — the basketball hall will hand out styluses with a rubber tip to every visitor to diminish the chance of spreading the virus from their hands. On Center Court, where fans can shoot at hoops resembling James Naismith’s original peach basket or dunk on rims of different heights, a staff member will hand out the basketballs and sanitize them after each use.The World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, Florida, has been handing out styluses since it reopened on May 18. At the International Tennis Hall of Fame, the plan is to keep the “touch” in touch screen but clean them frequently — once an hour, if not more. Among the other changes: A theater with a hologram of Roger Federer will now be limited to two people at a time, instead of eight.&nbsp;“In the short term, we’ll obviously have to adapt to if and how fans can interact with those,” said Todd Martin, a former pro tennis player and the hall’s CEO. “There’s infinite challenges and imposed limitations on our businesses.”For now, a room where visitors could sit and watch the Tennis Channel will be closed. Wands that provide audio tours will no longer be handed out, and guided tours will also be canceled. The Newport, Rhode Island, hall also has public grass courts; those have reopened, but players can no longer rent or store rackets and they will have to bring their own water, too.“We’re going to be letting 20 people in a 12,000 square-foot museum at one time. That’s just astounding math,” Martin said. “It does demonstrate the gravity of the operational challenge.”Museum consultant Jim Richardson said exhibitors are making many of the same changes as other businesses — screening visitors, cleaning more frequently, making masks available, cutting capacity to allow for social distancing and adding plexiglass dividers and hand sanitizing stations.&nbsp;Some interactive displays will need to be closed for now. But halls of fame can’t abandon hands-on exhibits entirely.“Research has shown that museums that include physical interaction as well as information and objects make it easier for people to learn and retain information,” said Richardson, whose company, MuseumNext, works with exhibitors to keep up with the latest museum trends. “These playful interactives also spark creative thinking, especially for children.”&nbsp;Instead, curators may need to make interactives less touchy-feely, like moving audio tours from rented headsets to visitors’ phones; games that might previously have been hands-on could be simulated with virtual reality, motion-capture cameras.&nbsp;“There’s a lot of possibilities beyond touch screens for interactives in museums,” Richardson said.Some changes could turn out to be improvements and become permanent, such as&nbsp;<a href="https://baseballhall.org/connectsafeathome" target="_blank">exhibits that were posted online during the shutdown</a>. But halls are also leery of making drastic changes while there’s still hope a COVID-19 vaccine could return things to something resembling normal.“We’re not going to rebuild our museum because of this period of time that we’re in now,” Martin said.The tennis hall is planning to reopen on June 18, but like other businesses it is dependent on local guidelines and how well the state is doing at managing the outbreak. In Canton, Ohio, where the state has given permission for museums to return, the Pro Football Hall of Fame reopened this week after shutting down for almost three months.&nbsp;Richardson, who is based in England, said some museums that have come back have seen visits recover quickly.“People are eager to get out and experience all the things that they’ve missed during shelter in place,” he said. “And visiting museums is part of that.”The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, is tentatively scheduled to reopen on June 26. The International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York, is also hoping to reopen by the end of June.“We all want to go back in time,” boxing hall executive director Ed Brophy said. “It’s a struggle, but that doesn’t stop us. ... We’re going to deliver the punch.”

Hands Off! Halls of fame adapt to coronavirus concerns

DYERSVILLE, Iowa (AP) — Spurred by a voice telling him, “If you build it, he will come,” the Iowa farmer played by Kevin Costner dutifully carved a baseball field out of his cornfield and then watched as Shoeless Joe Jackson and his Chicago White Sox teammates strode out of the stalks and onto the Field of Dreams.

Major League Baseball is building another field a few hundred yards down a corn-lined path from the famous movie site in eastern Iowa but unlike the original, it’s unclear whether teams will show up for a game this time as the league and its layers struggle to agree on plans for a coronavirus-shortened season.

The owners of the Field of Dreams and residents of the farming community of Dyersville desperately hope so, saying that after months of isolation and loss caused by the virus, not only their area but the entire country could use a boost like seeing the scheduled Aug. 13 game between the New York Yankees and White Sox go ahead as planned.

“For both baseball and the general public, what a match made in heaven that would be for this year,” said Keith Rahe, now a tourism official but who previously farmed a half mile from the Field of Dreams and vividly remembers the scorching summer of 1988 when the movie was filmed. “Just to have something to feel good about -- how do you measure that?”

Major League Baseball announced plans for the game nearly a year ago, making it the latest regular-season game held at irregular locations, from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, for a July 4th celebration, to annual games at Bowman Stadium, a minor league ballpark in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, the town where the Little League World Series is played. As Commissioner Rob Manfred said in announcing the game, “We look forward to celebrating the movie’s enduring message of how baseball brings people together at this special cornfield in Iowa.”&nbsp;

But more than two months after the league’s scheduled opener in March, no games have been played and no one knows for sure if there will be a season, much less a contest in a cornfield.

That has people like Dyersville Mayor Jim Heavens a little down, not only because of the missed economic boost for his city of 4,000 but because of the chance the game offered to show the world his town. Heavens notes the bustling community, bracketed by a grain elevator and the twin brick towers of the Basilica of St. Francis Xavier, is overwhelmingly Catholic, proudly frugal and always ready for some baseball -- though in describing Dyersville he quips that after 25 years there, “I’m fairly new in town.”

Heavens said a game at the Field of Dreams, officially within city limits but a few miles from downtown through farmland and past silver-domed silos, is just what baseball needs.

“Small town Iowa, baseball is still a big thing here,” he said. “It’s kind of like we’re right in the middle of Americana, in the middle of an Iowa cornfield and what better place to play baseball?”

The region is quintessential Midwest, with narrow roads cutting a circuitous path through fields of corn and soybeans that stretch over undulating hills, interrupted only by weathered barns and tidy farm houses. The farmland is among the most valuable in the nation, and much of the grain grown there is hauled only 25 miles east to the Mississippi River, where it’s carried on barges to points south.

The anticipated matchup, officially a home game for the White Sox 180 miles west of Chicago, was expected to be a $9 million economic windfall for Dyersville and nearby Dubuque with plans for four days of concerts, exhibits and other events. The twilight game was supposed to be played before 8,000 people and under lights erected solely for the event, and while the field will remain the rest is supposed to be removed.

The Field of Dreams site is open to visitors, who at no charge can run the bases and see if they can smack a ball into cornstalks that now stand about a foot tall. They also can sit on wooden planks where actor James Earl Jones playing a baseball-loving author watched Ray Liotta as Jackson, a real-life player who was banned from the game because of his role in the World Series-fixing Black Sox Scandal.

Lately, visitors also have been able to gaze across the corn at towering light stands and see the deep green of a professional-quality outfield.

Jeremiah and Janci Bronson celebrated their 15th anniversary by driving with their three young children more than two hours from Ames, Iowa, to the Field of Dreams. Their plans to attend an Elton John concert in Des Moines were thwarted when the coronavirus forced postponement of the show, so they instead drove to Dyersville to tour the farmhouse that overlooks the field and hit balls from home plate.

“James Earl Jones says in the movie that baseball is constant and this is an unchanging part of our childhood,” said Jeremiah Bronson, who intends to return if the MLB game is held, regardless of if he can get a ticket. “This is going to be here after we’re gone. This is going to be here for our kids to bring their kids to.”

For Go the Distance Baseball, the company that now owns the Field of Dreams site and plans to build a complex of youth baseball and softball fields, the talk of playing a game began five years ago. Now, after an excruciating waiting game through the spring, a decision will have to come soon as the planned gameday approaches.

“These are uncharted waters for everybody,” said Roman Weinberg, the company’s director of operations. “We’re all in this together and we understand that. We understand the best choice for Major League Baseball in 2020 comes first.”

DYERSVILLE, Iowa (AP) — Spurred by a voice telling him, “If you build it, he will come,” the Iowa farmer played by Kevin Costner dutifully carved a baseball field out of his cornfield and then watched as Shoeless Joe Jackson and his Chicago White Sox teammates strode out of the stalks and onto the Field of Dreams.Major League Baseball is building another field a few hundred yards down a corn-lined path from the famous movie site in eastern Iowa but unlike the original, it’s unclear whether teams will show up for a game this time as the league and its layers struggle to agree on plans for a coronavirus-shortened season.The owners of the Field of Dreams and residents of the farming community of Dyersville desperately hope so, saying that after months of isolation and loss caused by the virus, not only their area but the entire country could use a boost like seeing the scheduled Aug. 13 game between the New York Yankees and White Sox go ahead as planned.“For both baseball and the general public, what a match made in heaven that would be for this year,” said Keith Rahe, now a tourism official but who previously farmed a half mile from the Field of Dreams and vividly remembers the scorching summer of 1988 when the movie was filmed. “Just to have something to feel good about -- how do you measure that?”<figure>
 <img src="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABAAAAAJCAAAAAAeQfPuAAAAC0lEQVQYGWMYrAAAAJkAAWzZLOIAAAAASUVORK5CIIA=" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://img.youtube.com/vi/N_4WXjHdQ_o/maxresdefault.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Major League Baseball announced plans for the game nearly a year ago, making it the latest regular-season game held at irregular locations, from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, for a July 4th celebration, to annual games at Bowman Stadium, a minor league ballpark in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, the town where the Little League World Series is played. As Commissioner Rob Manfred said in announcing the game, “We look forward to celebrating the movie’s enduring message of how baseball brings people together at this special cornfield in Iowa.”&nbsp;But more than two months after the league’s scheduled opener in March, no games have been played and no one knows for sure if there will be a season, much less a contest in a cornfield.That has people like Dyersville Mayor Jim Heavens a little down, not only because of the missed economic boost for his city of 4,000 but because of the chance the game offered to show the world his town. Heavens notes the bustling community, bracketed by a grain elevator and the twin brick towers of the Basilica of St. Francis Xavier, is overwhelmingly Catholic, proudly frugal and always ready for some baseball -- though in describing Dyersville he quips that after 25 years there, “I’m fairly new in town.”Heavens said a game at the Field of Dreams, officially within city limits but a few miles from downtown through farmland and past silver-domed silos, is just what baseball needs.“Small town Iowa, baseball is still a big thing here,” he said. “It’s kind of like we’re right in the middle of Americana, in the middle of an Iowa cornfield and what better place to play baseball?”The region is quintessential Midwest, with narrow roads cutting a circuitous path through fields of corn and soybeans that stretch over undulating hills, interrupted only by weathered barns and tidy farm houses. The farmland is among the most valuable in the nation, and much of the grain grown there is hauled only 25 miles east to the Mississippi River, where it’s carried on barges to points south.The anticipated matchup, officially a home game for the White Sox 180 miles west of Chicago, was expected to be a $9 million economic windfall for Dyersville and nearby Dubuque with plans for four days of concerts, exhibits and other events. The twilight game was supposed to be played before 8,000 people and under lights erected solely for the event, and while the field will remain the rest is supposed to be removed.The Field of Dreams site is open to visitors, who at no charge can run the bases and see if they can smack a ball into cornstalks that now stand about a foot tall. They also can sit on wooden planks where actor James Earl Jones playing a baseball-loving author watched Ray Liotta as Jackson, a real-life player who was banned from the game because of his role in the World Series-fixing Black Sox Scandal.Lately, visitors also have been able to gaze across the corn at towering light stands and see the deep green of a professional-quality outfield.Jeremiah and Janci Bronson celebrated their 15th anniversary by driving with their three young children more than two hours from Ames, Iowa, to the Field of Dreams. Their plans to attend an Elton John concert in Des Moines were thwarted when the coronavirus forced postponement of the show, so they instead drove to Dyersville to tour the farmhouse that overlooks the field and hit balls from home plate.“James Earl Jones says in the movie that baseball is constant and this is an unchanging part of our childhood,” said Jeremiah Bronson, who intends to return if the MLB game is held, regardless of if he can get a ticket. “This is going to be here after we’re gone. This is going to be here for our kids to bring their kids to.”For Go the Distance Baseball, the company that now owns the Field of Dreams site and plans to build a complex of youth baseball and softball fields, the talk of playing a game began five years ago. Now, after an excruciating waiting game through the spring, a decision will have to come soon as the planned gameday approaches.“These are uncharted waters for everybody,” said Roman Weinberg, the company’s director of operations. “We’re all in this together and we understand that. We understand the best choice for Major League Baseball in 2020 comes first.”

Baseball plans game at Field of Dreams, but will they come?

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — The start was even more quiet than usual for a Thursday morning on the PGA Tour, only the silence never left over the next 12 hours as golf was back to business at the Charles Schwab Challenge.

Sung Kang made a hole-in-one on the 13th hole and didn’t realize it until he was 50 yards from the green.

“I’m like, ‘Wow, it’s in the hole.’ It wasn’t really crazy. Nobody was really up there, only a few people out there just clapping a little bit,” Kang said. “I still appreciated it, though.”

Phil Mickelson made a birdie and instinctively pinched the brim of his cap to acknowledge a crowd that wasn’t there.

Ryan Palmer, a Colonial member who raised money for COVID-19 relief efforts during the shutdown, was chosen to hit the first official shot on the PGA Tour in three months. Those gathered around the first tee could barely hear him announced. The starter was wearing a mask, and his voice competed with the hum of a generator behind the ninth green.

Quiet as it was, Colonial came to a standstill at 8:46 a.m. when everyone on the course honored a moment of silence for the death of George Floyd and the outrage it has sparked worldwide on racial injustice.

“I think just being out here is successful, to be honest with you, getting started,” Palmer said. “I don’t see anything holding us back moving forward. I think today was the biggest day, just getting this first day off. People are going to watch golf back home and be interested to watch it tomorrow, and that’s a great thing.”

Justin Rose and Harold Varner shared the lead at 7-under 63, with Justin Thomas among those a stroke back. Tom Lehman, a 61-year-old former champion at Colonial, got in on the act with a 65.

Conditions were ripe for good scores with no cheers.

“It kind of feels like a competitive practice round,” said Rose, who won at Colonial two years ago. “But obviously, I think we all know what’s on the line. We all know what we’re playing for. We all know the competition this week especially, the field is incredible. Obviously, we miss the fans. They definitely provide a ton of energy and atmosphere.”

Golf is the second major sport in the U.S., behind motor sports, to resume a schedule shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the safety measures are coronavirus tests for every player, caddie and essential personnel. Of the 487 tests at Colonial, the results were all negative.

“We’re all taking risks playing golf, obviously,” Palmer said. “Being back out here, everybody leaves the club, they’re going out to dinner and doing things, so everybody is taking that risk to be here. Everybody is pretty confident that we’re going to all be safe. I think everything has been done the right way.”

The top three players in the world — Rory McIlroy (68, Jon Rahm (69) and Brooks Koepka (68) — played in the same group, and they had the largest following late in the afternoon. There were 14 people outside the ropes behind the 10th green — six involved in the broadcast (radio and TV, four writers, two photographers, one coach and one trainer.

The telecast began with an apology. Right when Golf Channel came on the air, Rahm chipped in for birdie on the par-3 eighth and someone — it could have been inside or outside the ropes — was heard to say, “Pretty (expletive) good, there.”&nbsp;

“Well, we were hoping for better audio with no fans,” CBS anchor Jim Nantz said.

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan gave the opening group a thumbs-up after the players hit their drives, and he returned to the tee box alone at 8:46 a.m.&nbsp;

That starting time was listed on the tee sheet without any players. The tour is keeping that empty all four rounds for a moment of silence. It’s a tribute to Floyd, who was handcuffed while a white police officer pressed his knee to the back of the black man’s neck for 8 minutes, 46 seconds. Floyd died after pleading for air.

Varner is one of four players of black heritage with full PGA Tour status, and he delivered the strongest words last week in a&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/HV3_Golf/status/1267537008425123846" target="_blank">social media</a>&nbsp;post. He also sat down with Monahan for a 10-minute&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pgatour.com/video/2020/06/05/a-thoughtful-conversation-with-commissioner-monahan-and-varner-i.html" target="_blank">video&nbsp;</a>on what golf can do.

And then he found himself atop the leaderboard with a round so clean he putted for birdie on every hole.

“If I’m thinking about winning a golf tournament right now, I’ve probably lost it,” Varner said. “Yeah, I know what’s going on, but when I’m on the golf course, I’m trying to play well. The reason I have a platform is because I’m really good at golf. I just need to focus on that.”

For so long, the only sounds came from the click of contact with the golf ball, the squeak of brakes on carts belonging to broadcast crews, course workers and rules official. And then came a strange noise — cheering.

A house behind the 16th tee set up a grandstand, while another home erected at two-story hospitality tent with views of a small section of the 15th fairway. They chanted names of players and let out a few roars. Behind the second tee, a few fans watched from behind a chain fence along a public road.

Jordan Spieth, who opened with a 65, was reminded of what to expect before he did a shot.

“I was pulling in when Mickelson was on 4 tee, and when I didn’t see anybody there — and it was a tournament round day, it wasn’t a practice round day — I’m like, ‘This is certainly weird,’” Spieth said. “I’m just really happy to be playing golf and being able to be competitive again and to be able to finish our season.”

It was only one round. Fans will be kept away from the first five tournaments as the tour takes a conservative return to golf, hopeful of no setbacks in the sport from a spike in the new coronavirus.

Monahan, asked Thursday morning what would constitute a successful tournament, said, “Getting to next week.”

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — The start was even more quiet than usual for a Thursday morning on the PGA Tour, only the silence never left over the next 12 hours as golf was back to business at the Charles Schwab Challenge.Sung Kang made a hole-in-one on the 13th hole and didn’t realize it until he was 50 yards from the green.“I’m like, ‘Wow, it’s in the hole.’ It wasn’t really crazy. Nobody was really up there, only a few people out there just clapping a little bit,” Kang said. “I still appreciated it, though.”Phil Mickelson made a birdie and instinctively pinched the brim of his cap to acknowledge a crowd that wasn’t there.Ryan Palmer, a Colonial member who raised money for COVID-19 relief efforts during the shutdown, was chosen to hit the first official shot on the PGA Tour in three months. Those gathered around the first tee could barely hear him announced. The starter was wearing a mask, and his voice competed with the hum of a generator behind the ninth green.Quiet as it was, Colonial came to a standstill at 8:46 a.m. when everyone on the course honored a moment of silence for the death of George Floyd and the outrage it has sparked worldwide on racial injustice.It was a most unusual round of golf.But it was golf.“I think just being out here is successful, to be honest with you, getting started,” Palmer said. “I don’t see anything holding us back moving forward. I think today was the biggest day, just getting this first day off. People are going to watch golf back home and be interested to watch it tomorrow, and that’s a great thing.”Justin Rose and Harold Varner shared the lead at 7-under 63, with Justin Thomas among those a stroke back. Tom Lehman, a 61-year-old former champion at Colonial, got in on the act with a 65.Conditions were ripe for good scores with no cheers.“It kind of feels like a competitive practice round,” said Rose, who won at Colonial two years ago. “But obviously, I think we all know what’s on the line. We all know what we’re playing for. We all know the competition this week especially, the field is incredible. Obviously, we miss the fans. They definitely provide a ton of energy and atmosphere.”Golf is the second major sport in the U.S., behind motor sports, to resume a schedule shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the safety measures are coronavirus tests for every player, caddie and essential personnel. Of the 487 tests at Colonial, the results were all negative.“We’re all taking risks playing golf, obviously,” Palmer said. “Being back out here, everybody leaves the club, they’re going out to dinner and doing things, so everybody is taking that risk to be here. Everybody is pretty confident that we’re going to all be safe. I think everything has been done the right way.”The top three players in the world — Rory McIlroy (68, Jon Rahm (69) and Brooks Koepka (68) — played in the same group, and they had the largest following late in the afternoon. There were 14 people outside the ropes behind the 10th green — six involved in the broadcast (radio and TV, four writers, two photographers, one coach and one trainer.The telecast began with an apology. Right when Golf Channel came on the air, Rahm chipped in for birdie on the par-3 eighth and someone — it could have been inside or outside the ropes — was heard to say, “Pretty (expletive) good, there.”&nbsp;“Well, we were hoping for better audio with no fans,” CBS anchor Jim Nantz said.PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan gave the opening group a thumbs-up after the players hit their drives, and he returned to the tee box alone at 8:46 a.m.&nbsp;That starting time was listed on the tee sheet without any players. The tour is keeping that empty all four rounds for a moment of silence. It’s a tribute to Floyd, who was handcuffed while a white police officer pressed his knee to the back of the black man’s neck for 8 minutes, 46 seconds. Floyd died after pleading for air.Varner is one of four players of black heritage with full PGA Tour status, and he delivered the strongest words last week in a&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/HV3_Golf/status/1267537008425123846" target="_blank">social media</a>&nbsp;post. He also sat down with Monahan for a 10-minute&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pgatour.com/video/2020/06/05/a-thoughtful-conversation-with-commissioner-monahan-and-varner-i.html" target="_blank">video&nbsp;</a>on what golf can do.And then he found himself atop the leaderboard with a round so clean he putted for birdie on every hole.“If I’m thinking about winning a golf tournament right now, I’ve probably lost it,” Varner said. “Yeah, I know what’s going on, but when I’m on the golf course, I’m trying to play well. The reason I have a platform is because I’m really good at golf. I just need to focus on that.”For so long, the only sounds came from the click of contact with the golf ball, the squeak of brakes on carts belonging to broadcast crews, course workers and rules official. And then came a strange noise — cheering.A house behind the 16th tee set up a grandstand, while another home erected at two-story hospitality tent with views of a small section of the 15th fairway. They chanted names of players and let out a few roars. Behind the second tee, a few fans watched from behind a chain fence along a public road.Jordan Spieth, who opened with a 65, was reminded of what to expect before he did a shot.“I was pulling in when Mickelson was on 4 tee, and when I didn’t see anybody there — and it was a tournament round day, it wasn’t a practice round day — I’m like, ‘This is certainly weird,’” Spieth said. “I’m just really happy to be playing golf and being able to be competitive again and to be able to finish our season.”It was only one round. Fans will be kept away from the first five tournaments as the tour takes a conservative return to golf, hopeful of no setbacks in the sport from a spike in the new coronavirus.Monahan, asked Thursday morning what would constitute a successful tournament, said, “Getting to next week.”

With a swing and silence, PGA Tour gets back to business

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AUDIO: Eagle Radio Sports for Thursday

Tigers draft Arizona State slugger Torkelson with No. 1 pick

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball's amateur draft began with the first of a pandemic-shortened five rounds. Arizona State slugger Spencer Torkelson was taken with the No. 1 overall pick by the Detroit Tigers. The Baltimore Orioles selected Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad at No. 2. Minnesota right-hander Max Meyer was third and went to Miami. Texas A&amp;M lefty Asa Lacy was No. 4 to Kansas City. Vanderbilt shortstop Austin Martin went to Toronto to round out the first five picks.

— The Chicago Cubs selected hometown shortstop Ed Howard in the first round of the Major League Baseball amateur draft. The 18-year-old Howard was a prep star at Mount Carmel High School on Chicago's South Side. He also started for the 2014 Jackie Robinson West Little League team that advanced to the finals of the Little League World Series. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Howard went No. 16 overall, becoming the first Illinois high school position player to go in the first round since Jayson Werth in 1997.

— Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says there is a "100%" chance of big league ball this year. Major League Baseball will make another proposal to start the pandemic-delayed season in empty ballparks, but Manfred vowed to unilaterally order opening day if an agreement is not reached. The players' association made its second proposal Tuesday, asking for an 89-game regular season and 100% of prorated salaries. MLB's plan a day earlier was for a 76-game season, would guarantee 50% of prorated salaries and hinge 25% in additional money on the postseason's completion.

— The Coca-Cola Co. has ended its sponsorship of Major League Baseball after three seasons but will continue to support 16 MLB teams at the local level. PepsiCo Inc. sponsored MLB from 1997-2016.

NASCAR bans Confederate flag from its races and properties

UNDATED (AP) — NASCAR has banned the Confederate flag from all events and properties. NASCAR says the Confederate flag runs contrary to their commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, competitors and the industry.

NASCAR banned the Confederate flag from its races and properties on Wednesday, formally distancing itself from what for many is a symbol of slavery and racism that had been a familiar sight at stock car events for more than 70 years.

The move comes amid social unrest around the globe following the death in police custody of George Floyd, an unarmed black man in Minneapolis. Protests have roiled the nation for days and Confederate monuments are being taken down across the South — the traditional fan base for NASCAR.

Bubba Wallace, NASCAR's lone black driver, called this week for the banishment of the Confederate flag and said there was "no place" for them in the sport. At long last, NASCAR obliged.

Former chairman Brian France tired in 2015 to ban the flying of Confederate flags at race tracks, a proposal too broad to enforce and one that angered NASCAR's core Southern-based fan base.

Truex ends 2020 winless skid with victory at Martinsville

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) — Martin Truex Jr. cruised down the stretch and won his first NASCAR Cup race of the season on Wednesday night in the first race under the lights at Martinsville Speedway.

Truex, the 2017 Cup champion, has been one of NASCAR's biggest winners over the last three years, but failed to find victory lane for Joe Gibbs Racing over the first 10 races of this season.

Tick tock. The time ran out on the losing streak.

Truex won the Martinsville grandfather clock on the paperclip-shaped track at just 0.526 miles. He won for the first time with new crew chief Jason Small.

Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, who has two wins this season, and Joey Logano made it a 2-3-4 finish for Team Penske.

US Soccer repeals rule that banned kneeling during anthem

UNDATED (AP) — U.S. Soccer's board of directors has voted to repeal a 2017 policy that required national team players to stand during the national anthem, a rule adopted after Megan Rapinoe kneeled in support of Colin Kaepernick. The board made the decision during a conference call. Rapinoe took a knee during the anthem at a pair of national team matches in 2016. She said she wanted to express solidarity with Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who silently took a knee during the national anthem before NFL games to raise awareness of police brutality and racial injustice.

The U.S. Soccer Athletes' Council, which includes current national team players Alex Morgan and Ali Krieger, as well as former players like Landon Donovan, called on U.S. Soccer to also apologize for the policy to foster a "positive relationship to exist going forward."

The U.S. Women's National Team Players Association also called for an apology from U.S. Soccer and a plan to substantively address racial inequality.

Williamson attorney: allegations of ineligibility 'baseless'

UNDATED (AP) — Attorneys for NBA rookie Zion Williamson's former marketing agent are continuing their legal push to examine whether the former Duke All-American accepted improper benefits before playing for the Blue Devils. In a court filing Tuesday in the North Carolina case, Prime Sports-Ford attorneys continued to argue that last summer's No. 1 overall NBA draft pick didn't meet the definition of a student-athlete because he was "ineligible/permanently ineligible" to play college sports.

The argument about Williamson's eligibility is center of the legal fight over Williamson's endorsement potential.

Williamson's lawsuit stated that Prime Sports violated the state's sports agent law, both by failing to include disclaimers about the loss of eligibility when signing a contract and the fact neither Prime Sports nor Ford were registered with the state.

Women sue USA Swimming over sexual abuse by coaches

UNDATED (AP) — Six women have filed civil lawsuits against USA Swimming, its local associations in California and three now-banned coaches claiming the national governing body failed to protect them from abuse by those coaches. Debra Grodensky, Suzette Moran and Tracy Palmero, along with three other women who remain anonymous, filed three lawsuits this month. Among individuals named in the suits are former U.S. Olympic and national team coach Mitch Ivey, former U.S. national team director Everett Uchiyama and former coach Andrew King.

The suits allege that USA Swimming was aware of the predatory behavior but refused to address it, creating a culture of abuse that exposed dozens of underage swimmers to sexual abuse and harassment.

The lawsuits are believed to be the first major filings under a new California law that allows sexual abuse victims to confront in court their abusers and the organizations that protected predators. Assembly Bill 218, which went into effect on Jan. 1, created a three-year window to file past claims that had expired under the statute of limitations.

Jets' Mosley 'cleared for everything' after core injury

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley says he is cleared for all physical activity after missing most of last season with a groin and core muscle injury. Mosley says during a video conference call that he is confident he will be good to go when training camp begin. Mosley was one of the Jets' biggest offseason additions last year when he signed a five-year, $85 million deal. He had a strong debut with New York in the regular-season opener but injured his groin late in the game. Mosley ended up missing all but two games with the injury.

— Green Bay's Christian Kirksey believes his history with his new defensive coordinator will help the veteran linebacker make a smooth transition as he switches teams for the first time. Kirksey signed with the Packers in March after spending his first six NFL seasons in Cleveland. Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine was the Browns' head coach in 2014-15. Kirksey is counting on his comfort level with Pettine to help as the 27-year-old enters a critical stage of his career. Injuries have caused Kirksey to play a total of nine games over the last two seasons.

IOC could allow stronger protests by athletes at Olympics

GENEVA (AP) — During a global wave of demonstrations against racism, the IOC says it's opening talks that could let athletes make stronger protests at the Olympic Games.

Only five months ago the Olympic body strengthened its ban on political statements by specifying that gestures such as taking a knee or raising a fist on a medal podium remain prohibited.

The Olympic body's public stance eased slightly Wednesday when its president Thomas Bach said the in-house athlete committee would "explore different ways" how opinions could be expressed. Bach says he opposes what he calls "potentially divisive demonstrations."

Rights groups, athletes ask NCAA to move tourney from Idaho

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Groups that advocate for civil rights and women's rights have joined notable athletes in asking the NCAA to move the first and second rounds of the 2021 men's basketball tournament out of Idaho after the state passed a law banning transgender women from competing in women's sports.

A letter sent and signed by a list of professional athletes including Megan Rapinoe, Billie Jean King, Jason Collins and Sue Bird calls for the NCAA to move the games set to be held next March at Boise State University.

The Idaho law applies to all sports teams sponsored by public schools, colleges and universities. A girls' or women's team will not be open to transgender students who identify as female.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A statue of former Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson has been removed from the spot where it stood outside the team's stadium for nearly 25 years.

A team statement says it was concerned about possible attempts to take it down. The team didn't say where the statue would be relocated.

Richardson announced in 2017 that he was putting the team up for sale after a Sports Illustrated report, citing unidentified sources, said he made sexually suggestive comments to women and directed a racial slur at an African American team scout.

Aerial video showed a huge crane lifting the statue from its pedestal to a flatbed tractor-trailer.

UNDATED (AP) — Major League Soccer is set to resume its season with a tournament starting July 8 in Florida.

The league suspended play on March 12 because of the coronavirus outbreak after its teams had played just two games.

The league's 26 teams will be divided into six groups for the opening round of the tournament played without fans at ESPN's Wide World of Sports complex at Walt Disney World. Sixteen teams will advance to the knockout round, with the winner earning a spot in the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League.

Following the tournament, teams will resume the season in their home markets.

UNDATED (AP) — Brooks Koepka feels so strongly against a Ryder Cup without fans that he could see a scenario where some players protested by not playing. Would he be one of them? Koepka says that's possible. Rory McIlroy is convinced it won't come to that. McIlroy says he's fairly certain the Sept. 25-27 matches at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin will have fans. The PGA of America is proceeding with an adjusted qualifying system for the U.S. team. Because golf was shut down for three months, the qualifying will be extended by one week. Steve Stricker now gets six captain's picks for his U.S. Ryder Cup team.

Those three months wiped out three majors from the qualifying period. It all depends on whether the Ryder Cup is played as scheduled. A decision is expected by the end of the month.

Players lost nine events that offered qualifying points.

The change also means Justin Thomas and Tiger Woods are now outside the automatic qualifiers although qualifying is just over 60% completed.

Golf passes initial test with no positive results from virus

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Very little about the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial resembles the opening round of The Players Championship on March 12, the last professional golf played before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down golf and most everything else.

Players return to a new set of rules, starting with mandatory tests for the coronavirus when they first arrive and having their temperatures taken before they can get to the parking lot.

But Wednesday's activity was not a good start. Players and caddies exchanged clubs (players are supposed to handle the clubs themselves). Caddies were not wiping down the flagsticks or bunker rakes after use. Social distancing felt more like a guideline.

Players and caddies were among the essential personnel who were tested for the virus when they arrived, and Commissioner Jay Monahan said no one has tested positive.

LONDON (AP) — Roger Federer will miss whatever remains of the coronavirus-impacted 2020 tennis season because of a setback in his recovery from surgery on his right knee.

The 20-time major champion had arthroscopic surgery on his knee in February. Federer posted a statement on Twitter to say he needed an "additional quick arthroscopic procedure" and will take his time to return to 100% fitness.

The 38-year-old Federer had initially planned to be sidelined for at least four months but has barely missed any elite tennis since his surgery because the tour has been suspended amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Two-time Wimbledon champ added to exhibition lineup

UNDATED (AP) — Petra Kvitova (kuh-VIHT'-oh-vuh) will play at a tennis exhibition event next month in Berlin and Tommy Haas will come out of retirement to join in.

Organizers added the two-time Wimbledon champion to play against a women's lineup of Elina Svitolina, Kiki Bertens, Julia Goerges and Andrea Petkovic.

Haas hasn't played since 2017 and is tournament director of the Indian Wells event. He was added to a men's tournament alongside Dominic 8, Alexander Zverev, Nick Kyrgios and Jannik Sinner.

One more player is still to be announced for each of the men's and women's events.

Organizers plan to play on grass from July 13-15 and then on hard courts from July 17-19. No fans are expected to be able to attend amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Stacey Allaster US Open's 1st female tournament director

NEW YORK (AP) — Stacey Allaster is taking over as the U.S. Open's tournament director. Allaster is the first woman to hold that job at the American Grand Slam tennis tournament. She is a former CEO of the WTA women's tour and has worked at the U.S. Tennis Association since 2016. Allaster pushed for changes at the Open such as the serve clock and warmup clock and lobbied for coaching to be allowed during matches. The USTA announced this week it had eliminated 110 positions from its national staff and is expected to decide as soon as next week whether to hold the U.S. Open.

Portland Trail Blazers founder Harry Glickman dead at 96

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Harry Glickman, the founder of the Portland Trail Blazers and general manager of the franchise's only NBA title-winning team in 1977, has died. He was 96. The team announced Glickman's death; no cause was given. Portland was granted an expansion franchise in 1970. Glickman was part of the original ownership team that paid the league's $3.7 million expansion fee. Glickman held several positions with the franchise, including general manager, before he retired in 1994.

All-Star outfielder Claudell Washington dies at age 65

UNDATED (AP) — Two-time All-Star outfielder Claudell Washington has died at age 65. Washington had been battling prostate cancer. He played with seven teams in a major league career that started as a 19-year-old in Oakland with the Athletics. He finished with 1,884 hits, 164 home runs and 312 stolen bases. Washington made the All-Star Game in 1975 with the A's and in 1984 with the Atlanta Braves during his 17-year career.

Update on the latest in sports:MLB-AMATEUR DRAFTTigers draft Arizona State slugger Torkelson with No. 1 pickNEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball's amateur draft began with the first of a pandemic-shortened five rounds. Arizona State slugger Spencer Torkelson was taken with the No. 1 overall pick by the Detroit Tigers. The Baltimore Orioles selected Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad at No. 2. Minnesota right-hander Max Meyer was third and went to Miami. Texas A&amp;M lefty Asa Lacy was No. 4 to Kansas City. Vanderbilt shortstop Austin Martin went to Toronto to round out the first five picks.In other MLB news:— The Chicago Cubs selected hometown shortstop Ed Howard in the first round of the Major League Baseball amateur draft. The 18-year-old Howard was a prep star at Mount Carmel High School on Chicago's South Side. He also started for the 2014 Jackie Robinson West Little League team that advanced to the finals of the Little League World Series. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Howard went No. 16 overall, becoming the first Illinois high school position player to go in the first round since Jayson Werth in 1997.— Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says there is a "100%" chance of big league ball this year. Major League Baseball will make another proposal to start the pandemic-delayed season in empty ballparks, but Manfred vowed to unilaterally order opening day if an agreement is not reached. The players' association made its second proposal Tuesday, asking for an 89-game regular season and 100% of prorated salaries. MLB's plan a day earlier was for a 76-game season, would guarantee 50% of prorated salaries and hinge 25% in additional money on the postseason's completion.— The Coca-Cola Co. has ended its sponsorship of Major League Baseball after three seasons but will continue to support 16 MLB teams at the local level. PepsiCo Inc. sponsored MLB from 1997-2016.NASCAR-CONFEDERATE FLAG BANNEDNASCAR bans Confederate flag from its races and propertiesUNDATED (AP) — NASCAR has banned the Confederate flag from all events and properties. NASCAR says the Confederate flag runs contrary to their commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, competitors and the industry.NASCAR banned the Confederate flag from its races and properties on Wednesday, formally distancing itself from what for many is a symbol of slavery and racism that had been a familiar sight at stock car events for more than 70 years.The move comes amid social unrest around the globe following the death in police custody of George Floyd, an unarmed black man in Minneapolis. Protests have roiled the nation for days and Confederate monuments are being taken down across the South — the traditional fan base for NASCAR.Bubba Wallace, NASCAR's lone black driver, called this week for the banishment of the Confederate flag and said there was "no place" for them in the sport. At long last, NASCAR obliged.Former chairman Brian France tired in 2015 to ban the flying of Confederate flags at race tracks, a proposal too broad to enforce and one that angered NASCAR's core Southern-based fan base.NASCAR-MARTINSVILLE-TRUEXTruex ends 2020 winless skid with victory at MartinsvilleMARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) — Martin Truex Jr. cruised down the stretch and won his first NASCAR Cup race of the season on Wednesday night in the first race under the lights at Martinsville Speedway.Truex, the 2017 Cup champion, has been one of NASCAR's biggest winners over the last three years, but failed to find victory lane for Joe Gibbs Racing over the first 10 races of this season.Tick tock. The time ran out on the losing streak.Truex won the Martinsville grandfather clock on the paperclip-shaped track at just 0.526 miles. He won for the first time with new crew chief Jason Small.Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, who has two wins this season, and Joey Logano made it a 2-3-4 finish for Team Penske.US SOCCER-ANTHEMUS Soccer repeals rule that banned kneeling during anthemUNDATED (AP) — U.S. Soccer's board of directors has voted to repeal a 2017 policy that required national team players to stand during the national anthem, a rule adopted after Megan Rapinoe kneeled in support of Colin Kaepernick. The board made the decision during a conference call. Rapinoe took a knee during the anthem at a pair of national team matches in 2016. She said she wanted to express solidarity with Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who silently took a knee during the national anthem before NFL games to raise awareness of police brutality and racial injustice.The U.S. Soccer Athletes' Council, which includes current national team players Alex Morgan and Ali Krieger, as well as former players like Landon Donovan, called on U.S. Soccer to also apologize for the policy to foster a "positive relationship to exist going forward."The U.S. Women's National Team Players Association also called for an apology from U.S. Soccer and a plan to substantively address racial inequality.ZION WILLIAMSON-LEGAL WOES CONTINUEWilliamson attorney: allegations of ineligibility 'baseless'UNDATED (AP) — Attorneys for NBA rookie Zion Williamson's former marketing agent are continuing their legal push to examine whether the former Duke All-American accepted improper benefits before playing for the Blue Devils. In a court filing Tuesday in the North Carolina case, Prime Sports-Ford attorneys continued to argue that last summer's No. 1 overall NBA draft pick didn't meet the definition of a student-athlete because he was "ineligible/permanently ineligible" to play college sports.The argument about Williamson's eligibility is center of the legal fight over Williamson's endorsement potential.Williamson's lawsuit stated that Prime Sports violated the state's sports agent law, both by failing to include disclaimers about the loss of eligibility when signing a contract and the fact neither Prime Sports nor Ford were registered with the state.US SWIMMING-LAWSUITWomen sue USA Swimming over sexual abuse by coachesUNDATED (AP) — Six women have filed civil lawsuits against USA Swimming, its local associations in California and three now-banned coaches claiming the national governing body failed to protect them from abuse by those coaches. Debra Grodensky, Suzette Moran and Tracy Palmero, along with three other women who remain anonymous, filed three lawsuits this month. Among individuals named in the suits are former U.S. Olympic and national team coach Mitch Ivey, former U.S. national team director Everett Uchiyama and former coach Andrew King.The suits allege that USA Swimming was aware of the predatory behavior but refused to address it, creating a culture of abuse that exposed dozens of underage swimmers to sexual abuse and harassment.The lawsuits are believed to be the first major filings under a new California law that allows sexual abuse victims to confront in court their abusers and the organizations that protected predators. Assembly Bill 218, which went into effect on Jan. 1, created a three-year window to file past claims that had expired under the statute of limitations.NFL-MOSLEYJets' Mosley 'cleared for everything' after core injuryNEW YORK (AP) — New York Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley says he is cleared for all physical activity after missing most of last season with a groin and core muscle injury. Mosley says during a video conference call that he is confident he will be good to go when training camp begin. Mosley was one of the Jets' biggest offseason additions last year when he signed a five-year, $85 million deal. He had a strong debut with New York in the regular-season opener but injured his groin late in the game. Mosley ended up missing all but two games with the injury.Elsewhere in the NFL:— Green Bay's Christian Kirksey believes his history with his new defensive coordinator will help the veteran linebacker make a smooth transition as he switches teams for the first time. Kirksey signed with the Packers in March after spending his first six NFL seasons in Cleveland. Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine was the Browns' head coach in 2014-15. Kirksey is counting on his comfort level with Pettine to help as the 27-year-old enters a critical stage of his career. Injuries have caused Kirksey to play a total of nine games over the last two seasons.IOC-ATHLETE PROTESTIOC could allow stronger protests by athletes at OlympicsGENEVA (AP) — During a global wave of demonstrations against racism, the IOC says it's opening talks that could let athletes make stronger protests at the Olympic Games.Only five months ago the Olympic body strengthened its ban on political statements by specifying that gestures such as taking a knee or raising a fist on a medal podium remain prohibited.The Olympic body's public stance eased slightly Wednesday when its president Thomas Bach said the in-house athlete committee would "explore different ways" how opinions could be expressed. Bach says he opposes what he calls "potentially divisive demonstrations."NCAA TOURNAMENT-IDAHORights groups, athletes ask NCAA to move tourney from IdahoBOISE, Idaho (AP) — Groups that advocate for civil rights and women's rights have joined notable athletes in asking the NCAA to move the first and second rounds of the 2021 men's basketball tournament out of Idaho after the state passed a law banning transgender women from competing in women's sports.A letter sent and signed by a list of professional athletes including Megan Rapinoe, Billie Jean King, Jason Collins and Sue Bird calls for the NCAA to move the games set to be held next March at Boise State University.The Idaho law applies to all sports teams sponsored by public schools, colleges and universities. A girls' or women's team will not be open to transgender students who identify as female.NFL-PANTHERS-RICHARDSON STATUECHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A statue of former Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson has been removed from the spot where it stood outside the team's stadium for nearly 25 years.A team statement says it was concerned about possible attempts to take it down. The team didn't say where the statue would be relocated.Richardson announced in 2017 that he was putting the team up for sale after a Sports Illustrated report, citing unidentified sources, said he made sexually suggestive comments to women and directed a racial slur at an African American team scout.Aerial video showed a huge crane lifting the statue from its pedestal to a flatbed tractor-trailer.MLS TOURNAMENTMLS to resume with tournamentUNDATED (AP) — Major League Soccer is set to resume its season with a tournament starting July 8 in Florida.The league suspended play on March 12 because of the coronavirus outbreak after its teams had played just two games.The league's 26 teams will be divided into six groups for the opening round of the tournament played without fans at ESPN's Wide World of Sports complex at Walt Disney World. Sixteen teams will advance to the knockout round, with the winner earning a spot in the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League.Following the tournament, teams will resume the season in their home markets.GOLF-RYDER CUPQualifying extended for Ryder CupUNDATED (AP) — Brooks Koepka feels so strongly against a Ryder Cup without fans that he could see a scenario where some players protested by not playing. Would he be one of them? Koepka says that's possible. Rory McIlroy is convinced it won't come to that. McIlroy says he's fairly certain the Sept. 25-27 matches at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin will have fans. The PGA of America is proceeding with an adjusted qualifying system for the U.S. team. Because golf was shut down for three months, the qualifying will be extended by one week. Steve Stricker now gets six captain's picks for his U.S. Ryder Cup team.Those three months wiped out three majors from the qualifying period. It all depends on whether the Ryder Cup is played as scheduled. A decision is expected by the end of the month.Players lost nine events that offered qualifying points.The change also means Justin Thomas and Tiger Woods are now outside the automatic qualifiers although qualifying is just over 60% completed.GOLF-COLONIALGolf passes initial test with no positive results from virusFORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Very little about the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial resembles the opening round of The Players Championship on March 12, the last professional golf played before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down golf and most everything else.Players return to a new set of rules, starting with mandatory tests for the coronavirus when they first arrive and having their temperatures taken before they can get to the parking lot.But Wednesday's activity was not a good start. Players and caddies exchanged clubs (players are supposed to handle the clubs themselves). Caddies were not wiping down the flagsticks or bunker rakes after use. Social distancing felt more like a guideline.Players and caddies were among the essential personnel who were tested for the virus when they arrived, and Commissioner Jay Monahan said no one has tested positive.TENNIS-FEDERERFederer won't return this yearLONDON (AP) — Roger Federer will miss whatever remains of the coronavirus-impacted 2020 tennis season because of a setback in his recovery from surgery on his right knee.The 20-time major champion had arthroscopic surgery on his knee in February. Federer posted a statement on Twitter to say he needed an "additional quick arthroscopic procedure" and will take his time to return to 100% fitness.The 38-year-old Federer had initially planned to be sidelined for at least four months but has barely missed any elite tennis since his surgery because the tour has been suspended amid the coronavirus pandemic.TENNIS-KVITOVATwo-time Wimbledon champ added to exhibition lineupUNDATED (AP) — Petra Kvitova (kuh-VIHT'-oh-vuh) will play at a tennis exhibition event next month in Berlin and Tommy Haas will come out of retirement to join in.Organizers added the two-time Wimbledon champion to play against a women's lineup of Elina Svitolina, Kiki Bertens, Julia Goerges and Andrea Petkovic.Haas hasn't played since 2017 and is tournament director of the Indian Wells event. He was added to a men's tournament alongside Dominic 8, Alexander Zverev, Nick Kyrgios and Jannik Sinner.One more player is still to be announced for each of the men's and women's events.Organizers plan to play on grass from July 13-15 and then on hard courts from July 17-19. No fans are expected to be able to attend amid the coronavirus pandemic.TENNIS-US OPENStacey Allaster US Open's 1st female tournament directorNEW YORK (AP) — Stacey Allaster is taking over as the U.S. Open's tournament director. Allaster is the first woman to hold that job at the American Grand Slam tennis tournament. She is a former CEO of the WTA women's tour and has worked at the U.S. Tennis Association since 2016. Allaster pushed for changes at the Open such as the serve clock and warmup clock and lobbied for coaching to be allowed during matches. The USTA announced this week it had eliminated 110 positions from its national staff and is expected to decide as soon as next week whether to hold the U.S. Open.OBIT-GLICKMANPortland Trail Blazers founder Harry Glickman dead at 96PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Harry Glickman, the founder of the Portland Trail Blazers and general manager of the franchise's only NBA title-winning team in 1977, has died. He was 96. The team announced Glickman's death; no cause was given. Portland was granted an expansion franchise in 1970. Glickman was part of the original ownership team that paid the league's $3.7 million expansion fee. Glickman held several positions with the franchise, including general manager, before he retired in 1994.OBIT-WASHINGTONAll-Star outfielder Claudell Washington dies at age 65UNDATED (AP) — Two-time All-Star outfielder Claudell Washington has died at age 65. Washington had been battling prostate cancer. He played with seven teams in a major league career that started as a 19-year-old in Oakland with the Athletics. He finished with 1,884 hits, 164 home runs and 312 stolen bases. Washington made the All-Star Game in 1975 with the A's and in 1984 with the Atlanta Braves during his 17-year career.

Thursday Sports Headlines

The Aggies ace was in the discussion to go No. 1 overall, but surpassed fellow pitcher Jeff Granger (No. 5 by the Royals in 1993) as the highest-drafted player in school history. Has a three-quarters delivery and terrific repertoire led by an overpowering mid- to upper-90s fastball, to go along with a hard slider, solid curveball and good changeup. Was third in Division I last year by allowing opponents to hit just .162.

KANSAS CITY -- Are the Royals getting the next Blake Snell? Clayton Kershaw? Al Leiter?

Those are just some of the comparisons to left-hander Asa Lacy, whom the Royals took with the No. 4 pick in the MLB Draft on Wednesday night. Lacy, a 21-year-old out of Texas A&amp;M University, was considered by MLB Pipeline to be the top left-hander in the Draft.

•&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/draft/tracker/" target="_blank">Draft Tracker: Complete pick-by-pick coverage</a>

Lacy becomes the highest-drafted player out of Texas A&amp;M -- the highest previously was left-hander Jeff Granger, taken by the Royals at No. 5 in 1993.

The Royals also&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/royals/news/royals-pick-nick-loftin-32nd-in-2020-draft" target="_blank">selected Baylor shortstop Nick Loftin at No. 32</a>&nbsp;in the Competitive Balance Round A.

•&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/draft/2020" target="_blank">2020 Draft Central</a>

Most mock drafts had Lacy going at either No. 2 or No. 3. Many observers thought Kansas City then might take outfielder Zac Veen, but the Royals couldn’t pass on Lacy when he fell to them.

More coverage ¬--These 2020 Draft picks have familiar namesCubs get 'winner' in hometown pick Howard'Told you so': Prediction comes true in 7 years laterMLB development alum among top Draft picksQuizzes

General manager Dayton Moore said in a Zoom call late Wednesday night that the Royals were prepared to take a position player at No. 4. But the scouting department, led by assistant general manager Lonnie Goldberg, received some intel earlier Wednesday that Lacy and third baseman/outfielder Austin Martin could both possibly fall to No. 4.

“We made the advance decision,” Goldberg said, “that if that scenario happened, we would take Asa Lacy. ... There just aren’t that many [people] on this earth with his kind of talent.

“We were thrilled. It’s not like we went to bed last night thinking Asa Lacy would be there at No. 4. No way.”

Interestingly, the Royals were perhaps even more stunned that Loftin fell to No. 32. The Royals had rated Loftin a high first-rounder, so high that if Lacy hadn’t fallen to No. 4, they might have taken Loftin over Martin at No. 4.

Lacy, who was drafted by the Indians in the 31st round in 2017 but opted to go to college, had a 0.75 ERA as a junior this season and struck out 46 batters in 24 innings before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the season. Opponents hit just .111 against him in four starts.

As a sophomore, Lacy ranked third in the NCAA with a .162 opponents' batting average, and he was selected to the 2019 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team.

“We had ranked him the No. 1 pitcher in the Draft,” Goldberg said. “We have a long history with him going back to his sophomore year [in high school] and Team USA. For us to be able to add him into the mix with the group we have ... he’s a kid with four plus pitches with an incredible compete level. He’s an animal on the field.

“He’s got no-hit stuff each time he goes out there. His coming to us is a perfect fit.”

Lacy immediately sent a text message to the Royals after being drafted, saying, “This is exactly where I want to be.”

1,580<a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1270869392025440262">7:04 PM - Jun 10, 2020</a><a href="https://support.twitter.com/articles/20175256">Twitter Ads info and privacy</a>177 people are talking about this

Scouts have raved about Lacy’s fastball, which has a good downhill plane and can reach the upper 90s. Lacy also possesses a curveball and a hard slider in the low-to-mid 80s. His changeup grades above average.

There has been some belief among scouts that Lacy, whose nickname was "Ace" at Texas A&amp;M, can even get better once he learns to harness his stuff.

“He doesn’t even have to have great command to get hitters out,” Goldberg said.

Lacy will join a young crop of impressive Royals pitching prospects that includes Brady Singer (<a href="https://www.mlb.com/prospects/royals/" target="_blank">No. 2 per MLB Pipeline</a>, Daniel Lynch (No. 3, Jackson Kowar (No. 4) and Kris Bubic (No. 6).

The slot bonus money for the No. 4 pick is $6,664,000.

The Draft continues on Thursday with Rounds 2-5. The MLB Network preview show begins at 3 p.m. CT, with live coverage on MLB Network and ESPN2 beginning at 4 p.m. CT. Go to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/draft/2020" target="_blank">MLB.com/Draft</a>&nbsp;

The Aggies ace was in the discussion to go No. 1 overall, but surpassed fellow pitcher Jeff Granger (No. 5 by the Royals in 1993) as the highest-drafted player in school history. Has a three-quarters delivery and terrific repertoire led by an overpowering mid- to upper-90s fastball, to go along with a hard slider, solid curveball and good changeup. Was third in Division I last year by allowing opponents to hit just .162.KANSAS CITY -- Are the Royals getting the next Blake Snell? Clayton Kershaw? Al Leiter?Those are just some of the comparisons to left-hander Asa Lacy, whom the Royals took with the No. 4 pick in the MLB Draft on Wednesday night. Lacy, a 21-year-old out of Texas A&amp;M University, was considered by MLB Pipeline to be the top left-hander in the Draft.•&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/draft/tracker/" target="_blank">Draft Tracker: Complete pick-by-pick coverage</a>Lacy becomes the highest-drafted player out of Texas A&amp;M -- the highest previously was left-hander Jeff Granger, taken by the Royals at No. 5 in 1993.The Royals also&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/royals/news/royals-pick-nick-loftin-32nd-in-2020-draft" target="_blank">selected Baylor shortstop Nick Loftin at No. 32</a>&nbsp;in the Competitive Balance Round A.•&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/draft/2020" target="_blank">2020 Draft Central</a><figure>
 <img src="https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/ar_16:9,g_auto,q_auto:good,w_1024,c_fill,f_jpg,dpr_3.0/mlb/q5zymboejob4zbbbcq5u" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Moore, Goldberg on Royals' Draft</h2>Most mock drafts had Lacy going at either No. 2 or No. 3. Many observers thought Kansas City then might take outfielder Zac Veen, but the Royals couldn’t pass on Lacy when he fell to them.<figure>
 <img src="https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_1x1/t_w640/mlb/xxad1jcizyvqlbv17wzk.jpg" alt="" />
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 </figure><ol>
 <li>•&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/draft/tracker">Draft Tracker</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/2020-mlb-draft-day-1-complete-coverage?t=mlb-draft-coverage">Pick-by-pick analysis</a></li><li>•&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/draft/2020/order">Draft order</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/draft/2020">Draft Central</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/prospects/2020/draft/">Top 200 prospects</a></li><li>•&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/2020-mlb-draft-best-players-available?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage">Best players available on Day 2 of Draft</a></li><li>•&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/2020-mlb-draft-first-round-storylines?t=mlb-draft-coverage">7 key storylines from Day 1 of Draft</a></li><li>•&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/tigers-2020-draft?t=mlb-draft-coverage">Tigers take ASU's Torkelson No. 1</a></li><li>•&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/orioles-2020-draft?t=mlb-draft-coverage">Kjerstad goes from Arkansas to Baltimore at No. 2</a></li><li>•&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/marlins-2020-draft?t=mlb-draft-coverage">Marlins select Meyer with third pick</a></li><li>•&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/royals-2020-draft?t=mlb-draft-coverage">Lefty Lacy selected by Royals with fourth pick</a></li><li>•&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/blue-jays-2020-draft?t=mlb-draft-coverage">Blue Jays add Vandy SS Martin at No. 5</a></li><li>•&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/2020-mlb-draft-bonus-slots?t=mlb-draft-coverage">Pools &amp; bonus values</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/topic/mlb-draft">Video</a></li>
 </ol>More coverage ¬--These 2020 Draft picks have familiar namesCubs get 'winner' in hometown pick Howard'Told you so': Prediction comes true in 7 years laterMLB development alum among top Draft picksQuizzesGeneral manager Dayton Moore said in a Zoom call late Wednesday night that the Royals were prepared to take a position player at No. 4. But the scouting department, led by assistant general manager Lonnie Goldberg, received some intel earlier Wednesday that Lacy and third baseman/outfielder Austin Martin could both possibly fall to No. 4.“We made the advance decision,” Goldberg said, “that if that scenario happened, we would take Asa Lacy. ... There just aren’t that many [people] on this earth with his kind of talent.“We were thrilled. It’s not like we went to bed last night thinking Asa Lacy would be there at No. 4. No way.”Interestingly, the Royals were perhaps even more stunned that Loftin fell to No. 32. The Royals had rated Loftin a high first-rounder, so high that if Lacy hadn’t fallen to No. 4, they might have taken Loftin over Martin at No. 4.Lacy, who was drafted by the Indians in the 31st round in 2017 but opted to go to college, had a 0.75 ERA as a junior this season and struck out 46 batters in 24 innings before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the season. Opponents hit just .111 against him in four starts.As a sophomore, Lacy ranked third in the NCAA with a .162 opponents' batting average, and he was selected to the 2019 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team.“We had ranked him the No. 1 pitcher in the Draft,” Goldberg said. “We have a long history with him going back to his sophomore year [in high school] and Team USA. For us to be able to add him into the mix with the group we have ... he’s a kid with four plus pitches with an incredible compete level. He’s an animal on the field.“He’s got no-hit stuff each time he goes out there. His coming to us is a perfect fit.”Lacy immediately sent a text message to the Royals after being drafted, saying, “This is exactly where I want to be.”<figure>
 <img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EaMI-S-WkAIMKhp?format=jpg&amp;name=small" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>1,580<a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1270869392025440262">7:04 PM - Jun 10, 2020</a><a href="https://support.twitter.com/articles/20175256">Twitter Ads info and privacy</a>177 people are talking about thisScouts have raved about Lacy’s fastball, which has a good downhill plane and can reach the upper 90s. Lacy also possesses a curveball and a hard slider in the low-to-mid 80s. His changeup grades above average.There has been some belief among scouts that Lacy, whose nickname was "Ace" at Texas A&amp;M, can even get better once he learns to harness his stuff.“He doesn’t even have to have great command to get hitters out,” Goldberg said.Lacy will join a young crop of impressive Royals pitching prospects that includes Brady Singer (<a href="https://www.mlb.com/prospects/royals/" target="_blank">No. 2 per MLB Pipeline</a>, Daniel Lynch (No. 3, Jackson Kowar (No. 4) and Kris Bubic (No. 6).The slot bonus money for the No. 4 pick is $6,664,000.The Draft continues on Thursday with Rounds 2-5. The MLB Network preview show begins at 3 p.m. CT, with live coverage on MLB Network and ESPN2 beginning at 4 p.m. CT. Go to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/draft/2020" target="_blank">MLB.com/Draft</a>&nbsp;

Royals tab Texas A&M's Asa Lacy with No. 1 pick

NEW YORK (AP) — Spencer Torkelson slugged his way through college, bashing baseballs all around the country with eye-popping power.

All those impressive drives made the decision easy for the Detroit Tigers, who selected the Arizona State star with the No. 1 pick in the Major League Baseball amateur draft Wednesday night.

But while Torkelson was long considered the favorite to go first overall, the surprise came when he was announced as a third baseman by Commissioner Rob Manfred. Detroit plans to move Torkelson to the hot corner from first base, where he played for the Sun Devils.

“It shows the amount of respect they have for me as an athlete,” a smiling Torkelson said on the MLB Network broadcast. “I’ll take it and run with it. I like to label myself as a baseball player, and you give me a bat, a ball and a glove, and you know what? I’m just going to want to win.”&nbsp;

Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad went No. 2 to Baltimore, which took Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman with the top pick a year ago.&nbsp;

Shortened dramatically because of the coronavirus, the draft gave fans the closest thing they’ve had to a live big league baseball event since spring training was stopped in March. It came as owners and players continue contentious labor negotiations aimed at starting an abbreviated, pandemic-delayed season this summer — likely with no crowds in ballparks.

Not long before the first pick, Manfred said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/0f9ecf4c40e64c956ca4d98e5874f398">there is a “100%” chance</a>&nbsp;MLB will play ball this year.

After having the worst record in the majors last season, Detroit opened the draft for the second time in three years. The Tigers took Auburn right-hander Casey Mize in 2018, and now they’ve got a powerful bat that could anchor their lineup for years to go along with an arm they hope is a future ace.

With power to all fields and a great eye at the plate, the 6-foot-1, 220-pound Torkelson established himself as college baseball’s top slugger after going undrafted out of high school. He hit 54 home runs at Arizona State, two shy of the school record set by Bob Horner — who was drafted No. 1 overall in 1978.

Torkelson likely would have obliterated that mark if his college season hadn’t been halted after just 17 games because of the pandemic. The Petaluma, California, native hit .340 with six homers and 11 RBIs this year.&nbsp;

As the top overall pick, the slot value for his signing bonus is $8,415,300.

“We know he can play first. But our scouts strongly feel that he can play third base, and that’s our intent at this point,” Detroit general manager Al Avila said on the ESPN broadcast. “He’s exactly the type of player we hoped would be there for us to get with the top pick. Obviously, he’s one of the most productive hitters in college history.”

This year’s draft originally was scheduled to take place for the first time in Omaha, Nebraska, as a lead-in to the College World Series. Instead, the COVID-19 outbreak caused MLB to make some drastic changes, including holding the draft remotely — much like the NFL did in April — and shaving it from three days with 40 rounds to only two days and five rounds.&nbsp;

Manfred announced the first-round selections as usual from a podium at MLB Network studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. He also addressed racial injustice and the recent protests that have occurred all over the country and the world.&nbsp;

Executives from all 30 teams held up signs at the beginning of the broadcast that read: “Black Lives Matter. United For Change.”

The shortened — and in some cases even canceled — college and high school baseball seasons presented unique challenges for big league scouting departments, which had to rely more on video of prospects instead of attending games to help with their evaluations.&nbsp;

Perhaps that contributed to a record seven straight college players being selected to begin the draft.&nbsp;

After Torkelson and Kjerstad were picked, Miami took Minnesota right-hander Max Meyer; Kansas City selected Texas A&amp;M lefty Asa Lacy; Toronto went with Vanderbilt shortstop Austin Martin; Seattle chose Georgia righty Emerson Hancock; and Pittsburgh picked New Mexico State shortstop Nick Gonzales.

Tennessee high school outfielder Robert Hassell ended the run on college players, going No. 8 to San Diego.&nbsp;

“We’ve seen the trend in this direction over the last number of years,” Milwaukee scouting director Tod Johnson said after the Brewers took UCLA outfielder Garrett Mitchell at No. 20. “Those three years of development that players get when they go to college tells us a lot about them. It helps to make these decisions with more information. We have more of a statistical record for college players against quality competition.&nbsp;

“All those factors I think have trended toward moving toward a more college-heavy draft.”

Florida high school outfielder Zac Veen was chosen by Colorado with the ninth pick, followed by the Los Angeles Angels selecting Louisville lefty Reid Detmers to round out the top 10.

Tampa Bay took Arizona State shortstop Alika Williams — a college teammate of Torkelson’s — with the final pick of the first night at No. 37 overall.

Rounds 2-5 will be held Thursday, for a total of 160 players selected.&nbsp;

Torkelson became the fourth Arizona State player selected first overall, most of any school. He joined Horner, left-hander Floyd Bannister (1976) and outfielder Rick Monday, who was the top pick in baseball’s inaugural June amateur draft in 1965.

Houston will have to wait until pick No. 72 before it makes its first selection after being stripped of its first- and second-round selections by Manfred as part of the team’s punishment for breaking rules against using electronics to steal signs during games.&nbsp;

NEW YORK (AP) — Spencer Torkelson slugged his way through college, bashing baseballs all around the country with eye-popping power.All those impressive drives made the decision easy for the Detroit Tigers, who selected the Arizona State star with the No. 1 pick in the Major League Baseball amateur draft Wednesday night.But while Torkelson was long considered the favorite to go first overall, the surprise came when he was announced as a third baseman by Commissioner Rob Manfred. Detroit plans to move Torkelson to the hot corner from first base, where he played for the Sun Devils.“It shows the amount of respect they have for me as an athlete,” a smiling Torkelson said on the MLB Network broadcast. “I’ll take it and run with it. I like to label myself as a baseball player, and you give me a bat, a ball and a glove, and you know what? I’m just going to want to win.”&nbsp;Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad went No. 2 to Baltimore, which took Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman with the top pick a year ago.&nbsp;Shortened dramatically because of the coronavirus, the draft gave fans the closest thing they’ve had to a live big league baseball event since spring training was stopped in March. It came as owners and players continue contentious labor negotiations aimed at starting an abbreviated, pandemic-delayed season this summer — likely with no crowds in ballparks.Not long before the first pick, Manfred said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/0f9ecf4c40e64c956ca4d98e5874f398">there is a “100%” chance</a>&nbsp;MLB will play ball this year.After having the worst record in the majors last season, Detroit opened the draft for the second time in three years. The Tigers took Auburn right-hander Casey Mize in 2018, and now they’ve got a powerful bat that could anchor their lineup for years to go along with an arm they hope is a future ace.With power to all fields and a great eye at the plate, the 6-foot-1, 220-pound Torkelson established himself as college baseball’s top slugger after going undrafted out of high school. He hit 54 home runs at Arizona State, two shy of the school record set by Bob Horner — who was drafted No. 1 overall in 1978.Torkelson likely would have obliterated that mark if his college season hadn’t been halted after just 17 games because of the pandemic. The Petaluma, California, native hit .340 with six homers and 11 RBIs this year.&nbsp;As the top overall pick, the slot value for his signing bonus is $8,415,300.“We know he can play first. But our scouts strongly feel that he can play third base, and that’s our intent at this point,” Detroit general manager Al Avila said on the ESPN broadcast. “He’s exactly the type of player we hoped would be there for us to get with the top pick. Obviously, he’s one of the most productive hitters in college history.”This year’s draft originally was scheduled to take place for the first time in Omaha, Nebraska, as a lead-in to the College World Series. Instead, the COVID-19 outbreak caused MLB to make some drastic changes, including holding the draft remotely — much like the NFL did in April — and shaving it from three days with 40 rounds to only two days and five rounds.&nbsp;Manfred announced the first-round selections as usual from a podium at MLB Network studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. He also addressed racial injustice and the recent protests that have occurred all over the country and the world.&nbsp;Executives from all 30 teams held up signs at the beginning of the broadcast that read: “Black Lives Matter. United For Change.”The shortened — and in some cases even canceled — college and high school baseball seasons presented unique challenges for big league scouting departments, which had to rely more on video of prospects instead of attending games to help with their evaluations.&nbsp;Perhaps that contributed to a record seven straight college players being selected to begin the draft.&nbsp;After Torkelson and Kjerstad were picked, Miami took Minnesota right-hander Max Meyer; Kansas City selected Texas A&amp;M lefty Asa Lacy; Toronto went with Vanderbilt shortstop Austin Martin; Seattle chose Georgia righty Emerson Hancock; and Pittsburgh picked New Mexico State shortstop Nick Gonzales.Tennessee high school outfielder Robert Hassell ended the run on college players, going No. 8 to San Diego.&nbsp;“We’ve seen the trend in this direction over the last number of years,” Milwaukee scouting director Tod Johnson said after the Brewers took UCLA outfielder Garrett Mitchell at No. 20. “Those three years of development that players get when they go to college tells us a lot about them. It helps to make these decisions with more information. We have more of a statistical record for college players against quality competition.&nbsp;“All those factors I think have trended toward moving toward a more college-heavy draft.”Florida high school outfielder Zac Veen was chosen by Colorado with the ninth pick, followed by the Los Angeles Angels selecting Louisville lefty Reid Detmers to round out the top 10.Tampa Bay took Arizona State shortstop Alika Williams — a college teammate of Torkelson’s — with the final pick of the first night at No. 37 overall.Rounds 2-5 will be held Thursday, for a total of 160 players selected.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/afs-prod/media/39d80be168a84237ac6abbb666938f0c/1000.jpeg" alt="MLB Draft 2020" />
 <figcaption>MLB Draft 2020</figcaption>
 </figure>Torkelson became the fourth Arizona State player selected first overall, most of any school. He joined Horner, left-hander Floyd Bannister (1976) and outfielder Rick Monday, who was the top pick in baseball’s inaugural June amateur draft in 1965.Houston will have to wait until pick No. 72 before it makes its first selection after being stripped of its first- and second-round selections by Manfred as part of the team’s punishment for breaking rules against using electronics to steal signs during games.&nbsp;Boston lost its second-round pick for violating rules against in-game use of video to identify pitch signals.Undrafted players need to wait until Sunday before they can sign with major league teams, who can offer signing bonuses only up to $20,000 as agreed upon by Major League Baseball and the players’ association.&nbsp;