Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals have signed all six of their draft picks, including first-rounder Asa Lacy, along with seven undrafted free agents that together give the rebuilding franchise one of the best incoming crops of first-year players in the majors. The club announced the 13 signings on Tuesday with Lacy being the headliner. The big, rangy left-hander out of Texas A&M was widely considered the top college arm in the draft, yet he slid to the Royals at the fourth overall pick.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals have signed first-round draft pick Jordan Walker for $2.9 million, which comes just under the slot value for the 21st overall pick. Walker is a power-hitting third baseman picked out of high school. The Cardinals continued Tuesday to bring their selections from the first-year player draft under contract. The Cardinals already signed their second-round pick, East Carolina outfielder Alec Burleson; third-round pick Levi Prater, a left-hander from Oklahoma; and fifth-round pick L.J. Jones, an outfielder from Long Beach State.
CHICAGO (AP) — Former Kansas State guard Brian Patrick is headed to DePaul as a graduate transfer. Patrick will be eligible to play immediately after spending two years at Kansas State and last season at Purdue Fort Wayne. He played in 49 games as a backup at Kansas State before transferring, and averaged 11.1 points for Purdue Fort Wayne after sitting out a year. DePaul went 16-16 overall and finished last in the Big East at 3-15.
UNDATED (AP) — College baseball players who had their seasons end abruptly in March are finding it challenging to stay sharp. That's largely because the coronavirus pandemic has forced most summer leagues to shut down. That leaves the players to their own devices to get in workouts and do baseball drills. Even if they do play summer ball, the season will be short. Clemson coach Monte Lee says he's worried about players being overzealous when they return to campus for fall practices. Lee said he plans to have his players ramp up slowly because their routines have been disrupted.
Update on the latest sports
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SPORTS
More positive tests in baseball
UNDATED (AP) — All-Star outfielder Charlie Blackmon of the Colorado Rockies has become the first Major League Baseball player identified as having tested positive for the coronavirus. A person familiar with Blackmon's situation confirmed the test result to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because there was no official announcement.
The Denver Post first reported Blackmon's condition, saying Tuesday that three Rockies players had tested positive. The Post reported Blackmon tested positive last week after workouts at Coors Field in Denver. The newspaper said the Rockies then closed the ballpark, following MLB protocol.
The Philadelphia Phillies have said seven players have tested positive for the virus without identifying any of them. A person familiar with the situation tells The Associated Press that several players and staff members of the Toronto Blue Jays have tested positive. Seattle Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said a few players have tested positive for COVID-19. Dipoto said they have all been asymptomatic.
And Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila says one player and one staff member have tested positive for COVID-19. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has imposed a 60-game season that will begin either July 23 or 24. It remains unclear where the Blue Jays plan to hold their training camp and play home games this summer.
In other developments related to the COVID-19 pandemic:
—The return of Indiana Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon has been delayed after he tested positive for the coronavirus. And Sacramento Kings forward Jabari Parker announced he has been dealing with the virus as well. Both say they expect to be with their teams when the season resumes in Central Florida next month. All 22 NBA teams that will be part of the resumed season began mandated testing Tuesday.
— The New York City Marathon scheduled for Nov. 1 has been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. New York Road Runners announced the cancellation of the world's largest marathon Wednesday after coordinating with the mayor's office and deciding the race posed too many health and safety concerns for runners, volunteers, spectators and others. Last year's marathon included a world record 53,640 finishers. Entrants for the 2020 race will be offered a full refund of their entry fee or a guaranteed entry to either the 2021, 2022 or 2023 marathon. The 2021 New York City Marathon is scheduled for Nov. 7.
— The caddies for Graeme McDowell and Brooks Koepka (KEHP'-kuh) have tested positive for the coronavirus, and both major champions have decided to withdraw from the Travelers Championship. Both say they are withdrawing to protect the rest of the field. McDowell says it feels like the snowball is getting bigger. This is the PGA Tour's third week back after being shut down for three months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The first week came off without a hitch. Nick Watney last week became the first player to test positive.
— A person with knowledge of the situation says All-Star forward Nikola Jokic (NEE'-koh-lah YOH'-kich) of the Denver Nuggets has tested positive for the coronavirus and is quarantining in his native Serbia. Jokic is expected to be back in Denver long before the team leaves for the Disney complex for the restart of the NBA season next month.
— The return of Indiana Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon has been delayed after he tested positive for the coronavirus. Brogdon issued a statement through the team, saying he was in quarantine, feeling well and expects to rejoin his teammates in Orlando for the resumption of the season next month. Brogdon used the March stoppage of play to recover from a leg and hip muscle injury that kept him out of games and recently told reporters he was ready to play.
— Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore will open Thursday for wagering on simulcast horse races. Fans will be required to wear masks, maintain social distancing and follow safety protocols to avoid the spread of COVID-19. Pimlico is scheduled to host the Preakness on Oct. 3.
— The Berlin Marathon has been canceled following months of uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Organizers say "after extensive examination and various discussions" they were not able to find a later date. Authorities in Germany have blocked the hosting of major events through October.
— The University of Connecticut has decided to eliminate four athletic teams as it deals with an expected budget deficit driven by issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. UConn's president told the Board of Trustees today the school will reduce the number of sports it supports from 24 to 20, eliminating its men's cross country, men's swimming and diving, men's tennis and women's rowing teams after the 2020-21 academic year.
— The University of Northern Colorado will discontinue the men's and women's tennis programs as part of a cost-saving effort due to budget shortfalls created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The school located in Greeley, Colorado, will now sponsor 17 intercollegiate athletic programs, including nine women's sports.
NBA RESTART-SOCIAL ISSUES
NBA, NBPA say sparking social change will be goal of restart
NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association said Wednesday that dealing with racial matters will be a shared goal during the resumed season.
The league and union announced they will "take collective action to combat systemic racism and promote social justice" when the season restarts at the Disney complex near Orlando, Florida next month. Specific plans have not been finalized.
NFL-REDSKINS-MARSHALL
Redskins removing ex-owner Marshall from Ring of Fame
UNDATED (AP) — The Washington Redskins are removing former owner George Preston Marshall from their Ring of Fame and striking all references to him on their website.
It's the latest move to cut ties with the legacy of the team's racist founder, a segregationist who refused to integrate by signing Black players until "forced to do so" in 1962, more than a decade after much of the rest of the NFL.
Marshall owned the franchise from its inception in 1932 and moved the team from Boston to Washington several years later. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963 and died in 1969.
Current owner Dan Snyder has faced renewed calls to change the name of the team.
PGA-TRAVELERS-KOEPKAS
Brooks Koepka felt like he was doing everything by the book.
UNDATED (AP) — He took his COVID-19 test when he arrived in Connecticut for the Travelers Championship and waited until he received the result (negative) before going to watch his brother, Chase, earn a spot in the field through Monday qualifying.
Both withdrew before the tournament even began after Koepka's caddie tested positive for the coronavirus, even though subsequent tests on the players came back negative. Each cited the need to be safe, not only for themselves but the other players and caddies at the TPC River Highland.
NHL-HALL OF FAME
Iginla headlines 2020 Hall class as 4th Black player elected
UNDATED (AP) — Jarome Iginla (juh-ROHM' ih-GIHN'-luh) headlines the Hockey Hall of Fame's class of 2020 after being elected Wednesday in his first year of eligibility.
Iginla will be the fourth Black player inducted after Grant Fuhr, women's hockey pioneer Angela James and Willie O'Ree. Iginla and Fuhr are the only Black NHL players enshrined for their on-ice accomplishments, while O'Ree was chosen in the builder category in 2018 for breaking the league's color barrier 60 years earlier.
The longtime Calgary Flames captain was the first Black player to lead the NHL in goals and points and was the first Black athlete in any sport to win a gold medal in the Winter Olympics. A first-generation Canadian whose father is Nigerian and mother is American, Iginla owns arguably the biggest assist in Canada's history of international hockey. He passed the puck to Sidney Crosby for Crosby's "golden goal" at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
BROWN-DROPPING SPORTS
Brown U. students claim fraud, want cut sports restored
Lawyers for a group of Brown University athletes whose sports have been targeted for elimination are accusing the Ivy League school of fraud for working secretly on a plan to cut the programs without telling the players their varsity careers were in jeopardy.
In a letter to Brown President Christina Paxson, attorney Jeffrey Kessler said the school made a "purposeful choice to conceal critical information" that cost the athletes the chance to enroll at or transfer to a different school.
Brown announced last month that as part of a plan to redirect resources to its more successful programs it would eliminate 11 varsity sports and promote coed and women's sailing to varsity status, bringing the school's total from 38 teams to 29. After a backlash over the disparate effect the cuts would have on minority students, the school backed down and agreed to keep men's track and cross-country.
MICHIGAN-TRANSFERS
Michigan announces Smith, Brown joining basketball program
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan officially announced that Mike Smith and Chaundee Brown are joining the basketball program as transfers.
The school says both players have been admitted. Smith has immediate eligibility, and Michigan is assessing the potential for an NCAA waiver for Brown. The 5-foot-11 Smith comes to Michigan from Columbia, where he averaged 22.8 points a game last season.
The 6-foot-5 Brown averaged 12.1 points for Wake Forest. Brown said in April he was entering his name into the NBA draft as well as the NCAA transfer portal.
TOKYO-SPONSORS
Tokyo Olympics must firm up $3.3 billion in sponsor income
TOKYO (AP) — Local Japanese sponsors have chipped in a record $3.3 billion to support the postponed Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. That's almost 60% of the income for the privately funded operating budget.
Sponsors will be asked to sign up again with the games delayed for a year.
A poll published earlier this month by Japanese broadcasters NHK said two-thirds are undecided about extending for another year. Organizers say they will begin the negotiation process in earnest next month.
The Japanese newspaper Asahi reported this week that organizers could be asking for "for more sponsor fees payments." This could face opposition with many companies struggling with the pandemic and a loss of revenue.
MASCOTS UNMUZZLED
Phillie Phanatic, Mr Met, MLB mascots now permitted in parks
UNDATED (AP ) — The popular Phillie Phanatic, Mr. Met and Mariner Moose mascots are getting a reprieve.
Major League Baseball has reversed a policy it issued last month that banned mascots from ballparks while trying to restrict access and limit contact exposure. MLB now says mascots are welcome, but they're not permitted on the field.
Dave Raymond, the first person to portray the Phanatic in Philadelphia in the late 1970s, says mascots can still pull off plenty of routines to entertain fans watching at home. MLB will start the virus-delayed season next month in stadiums without fans.