UNDATED (AP) — NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has raised the possibility of not being able to complete the regular season. He tells NBCSN all options remain on the table and the league needs a clearer picture on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Bettman says the ideal scenario would be to complete the season to determine playoff seedings. But he says “that may not be possible.” He also raised the possibility of having games played at neutral sites.
UNDATED (AP) — The Canadian Football League is the latest sports league to postpone play because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CFL, which was scheduled to kick off the regular season on June 11, announced Tuesday that the season won’t start before the beginning of July. Commissioner Randy Ambrosie says the CFL is will meet the challenge with “pragmatism and hope.”
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Duke freshman Cassius Stanley is entering the NBA draft. The 6-foot-6 guard announced his decision Tuesday after averaging 12.6 points and 4.9 rebounds for the Blue Devils. In a statement, Stanley says he believed the Blue Devils could have attained his goal of reaching the Final Four and contending for a national championship. But he noted that “the NBA values youth” in his decision to enter the draft. Stanley joins sophomore point guard Tre Jones as early entrees to the NBA draft from Duke.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton and Carl Edwards are among the new nominees for NASCAR’s next Hall of Fame class. Janet Guthrie returns as a nominee in the Landmark category after a one-year absence. The voting structure was changed for this year. There are three ballots: one for Modern candidates, one for Pioneer candidates and one for Landmark candidates. Two entries from the 10 Modern candidates will be elected, along with one entry apiece from the five-candidate Pioneer and Landmark categories.
UNDATED (AP) — They are cities defined by iconic sporting events. When Augusta comes up, one instantly thinks of the Masters. If Omaha is mentioned, it’s often in the same breath with the College World Series. Same for Louisville and the Kentucky Derby. For those cities and others such as Williamsport, Oklahoma City and Cheyenne, the shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic is an especially wrenching blow. Augusta was supposed to host golf's first major championship this week. But the Masters has been put off until at least November, dealing the Georgia city a huge financial blow. Others are facing the same predicament.
NEW YORK (AP) — Mark Hamilton got a World Series ring after playing nearly half a season with the St. Louis Cardinals when they won the 2011 championship. The 35-year-old Hamilton is now about to enter a different lineup. He's set to graduate medical school in New York this week. The next stop for the rookie doctor will be joining the front-line fight against the coronavirus pandemic in one of the world’s hardest-hit areas. Hamilton says he's prepared and ready for whatever the job will be. Hamilton played 47 games in the majors, mostly as a pinch hitter and fill-in first baseman.
BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) — Obi Toppin of Dayton won the John R. Wooden Award as the nation’s outstanding college basketball player. Toppin, along with Saddiq Bey of Villanova, Luka Garza of Iowa, Myles Powell of Seton Hall and Peyton Pritchard of Oregon, also earned positional awards from the Basketball Hall of Fame. The winners were announced on ESPN's “SportsCenter” broadcast. They are usually honored at the College Basketball Awards in Los Angeles, but the ceremony was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. The awards named for some of college basketball's greatest players were decided by their namesakes and fan voting.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Ohio State assistant Carrie Banks is the new women's basketball coach at Omaha. Athletic director Trev Alberts announced her hiring Tuesday. Banks was an assistant and recruiting coordinator four seasons with the Buckeyes. She replaces Brittany Lange, who was fired last month after seven seasons. Banks worked primarily with the post players at Ohio State and landed a top-five recruiting class in 2019. The Buckeyes won Big Ten regular-season championships twice and the conference tournament once during her time in Columbus. Banks previously was an assistant at Northwestern, South Florida and Detroit Mercy. She graduated from Detroit Mercy in 2000.