There would have been a lot of close MLB rivalry games this week if not for the coronavirus pandemic, with five interleague series matching teams from the same city or state. All of those rivals will still get to play this year. The Associated Press looks at some of the sporting events that had been scheduled the week of July 6-12:
Bryson DeChambeau pounded protein shakes and lifted iron to transform his body, adding 40 pounds of mass, and changed his game to put a premium on power. The plan is working. With jaw-dropping drives and some clutch putts, DeChambeau won the Rocket Mortgage Classic by three strokes Sunday for his first victory of the season and sixth overall. He became the first PGA Tour player since 2004 to lead a tournament in driving distance, along with shots gained off the tee and putting.
Coastal Carolina already had one of the smaller athletic budgets in the Football Bowl Subdivision, and that was before a 15% spending cut was ordered because of projected declines in state funding and student fees stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. Facing the prospect of having to pay for testing of returning athletes and staff for the virus this summer, athletic director Matt Hogue went to work finding a way to defray costs. His 19-sport program includes about 450 athletes, and with individual tests currently costing about $100, testing could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars by the end of the 2020-21 academic year. Hogue found help from a local health care company — a longtime sponsor of Coastal Carolina athletics — that will provide free tests, at least while athletes are coming back to campus this summer.
Oregon and Oregon State have agreed to drop the name ``Civil War’’ for their rivalry games. The move Friday was made after discussions between officials at both schools and current and former student-athletes. Oregon State President Ed Ray said the Civil War name ``represents a connection to a war fought to perpetuate slavery.’’
The deals are done. The NBA is coming back. The season will resume on July 30 at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports complex in Florida. Here are 10 things to know about the restarted season:
Forget about those halcyon first few days of spring training, when arranging for the right tee time on the right golf course is often more challenging than the work on the field. When major leaguers report next week for spring training 2.0 — or perhaps more accurately, baseball’s first summer camp — time will be one precious commodity with about three weeks to go before opening day.
Athlon Sports has announced its 2020 preseason All-Mountain West team and the Nevada Wolf Pack football squad is well represented on the list with 10 selections. Those earning first team honors include junior defensive end Dom Peterson and sophomore kicker Brandon Talton. Junior wide receiver Romeo Doubs was the Pack’s lone second team selection. The Wolf Pack had five student-athletes placed on the third team with junior running back Toa Taua, senior wide receiver Elijah Cooks and senior offensive lineman Nate Brown representing the offense and senior linebacker Lawson Hall and senior defensive back EJ Muhammad representing the defense.
Tiz the Law has been good and lucky, two ingredients essential to success in horse racing. He’s been dominant, too. He raced to a 3 3/4-length victory Saturday in the Belmont Stakes to open the rescheduled Triple Crown. His five wins in six career starts have been by an average margin of 19 1/4 lengths. His only loss came at Churchill Downs in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes last year, when he finished third on a sloppy track.
Last Monday, Cindy Plummer, Jordan McKinney and Russell Fecht raced from the school board meeting straight to McDougal fields. They joined most of the cast and characters of the 11th Judicial Court, the Lovelock Paiute Tribe and others.
An email from baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred to union head Tony Clark led to a balk in the drawn-out talks to start the pandemic-delayed season, which now won’t begin by July 19. The executive committee of the players’ association was set to vote and reject Major League Baseball’s latest offer for a 60-game season on Sunday. “I really believe we are fighting over an impossibility on games,” Manfred said in the email, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press. “The earliest we will be ready for players to report is a week from Monday, given the need to relocate teams from Florida. That leaves 66 days to play 60 games. Realistically, that is the outside of the envelope now.”
The Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA) and One Nevada Credit Union awarded $20,000 in scholarship funds to Nevada student-athletes for the NIAA / One Nevada Top Ten Student-Athletes of the Year Awards. The student-athletes of the year awards are presented to the top students who excel in sports, maintain a high academic status, and volunteer in their community.
Terri Kracaw claimed first place in the first flight of the Winnemucca Ladies Golf Club Pro’s Posse tournament held Tuesday, June 6 at Winnemucca Municipal Golf Course. Kracaw shot a net score 71 to win the flight.
After being named a CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree last month, Nevada junior right-handed pitcher Julia Jensen has been selected to the 2020 Academic All-America Division I Softball Third Team.
Lovelock’s Alec Childs took home the IMCA Feature win at the Ty Scott Memorial on Friday night at Winnemucca Regional Raceway in Winnemucca. A handful of Lovelock racers took part in the IMCA race.
The lights are out. Treadmills and barbells gather dust. For years the PCHS weight room has been a hub of activity, but it’s quiet for now. “The kids are anxiously awaiting its reopening,” said Mike Brooks, Pershing’s athletic director, football and wrestling coach. “As of now, there’s no date set for that — hopefully sooner rather than later.”