Baseball players have told Major League Baseball that additional talks to start the season during the coronavirus pandemic are futile. They said owners should order a return to work, which likely would spark lengthy litigation and the sport's return to labor wars.
The union's action could lead to a season of about 50 games rather than the 82 initially proposed by MLB. The Major League Baseball Players Association could respond by filing a grievance that would be heard by arbitrator Mark Irvings.
Players and MLB agreed to a deal March 26 calling for prorated salaries. That deal gave baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred the right to start the season provided there were no travel restrictions and games could be played before fans in regular-season ballparks. It called for "good faith" negotiations to play in empty ballparks or neutral sites. MLB made three economic offers, the last on Friday, and the union proposed two. The sides remain far apart on how much players should get of the $4 billion in salaries they originally were set to earn: MLB has offered to guarantee $1.27 billion and increase the total to $1.45 billion if the postseason is completed. Players want $2.25 billion. Players insist they should not have to accept additional cuts. A unilateral decision to start play could mean the playoffs would remain at 10 teams and not expand to 16, as both sides have proposed.
NASCAR
Denny Hamlin held off Chase Elliott in front of up to 1,000 fans for his record-tying third NASCAR Cup Series victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Former drivers Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle are the other three-time winners. Hamlin opened the season with a victory in the Daytona 500 and won at Darlington last month. At Homestead, he led 137 of 267 laps on the 1 1/2-mile track in Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 11 Toyota, finishing 0.895 ahead of Elliott.
GOLF
The PGA Tour returned after three months and Commissioner Jay Monahan felt every bit a winner as Daniel Berger at Colonial. There were no positive tests from the 487 administered at the Charles Schwab Challenge to players, caddies and key personnel. There were no fans, either. Monahan called it a phenomenal return, mainly because it was a healthy won. Berger won in a sudden-death playoff when Collin Morikawa missed a 3-foot putt. Morikawa says just because it was a good return doesn't mean players can ignore that the COVID-19 pandemic remains a threat.
NFL
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield plans to kneel during the national anthem this season to support protests of social injustice, police brutality and racism. In answering a post from a fan on his Instagram account Saturday that pleaded with him not to kneel, Mayfield responded: "Pull your head out. I absolutely am." Mayfield has been outspoken recently about the need for more understanding and justice in the nation following the killing of George Floyd, a black man, while in police custody in Minneapolis. On Friday, Houston Texans coach Bill O'Brien said he would kneel with his players if they chose to do so during the anthem. Earlier this week, while not going as far as O'Brien, new Browns coach Kevin Stefanski made it clear he would back his players in any peaceful demonstrations.
SOCCER
U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone has apologized for the federation's lack of leadership in the fight against racism. Parlow Cone on Saturday discussed the federation's decision to repeal a policy that required players to stand during the national anthem. The rule had been adopted by U.S. Soccer in 2017 when national team player Megan Rapinoe kneeled during the anthem in support of Colin Kaepernick's protests of police brutality and racial injustice. It was repealed this week during a special meeting called by Parlow Cone. On Saturday, she apologized to African Americans and other minorities "for us not being leaders in this fight."
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter is the target of a criminal investigation in Switzerland for suspected mismanagement of a $1 million payment from soccer funds. Blatter has been notified by Swiss federal prosecutors he is an "accused person" over a loan FIFA gave in 2010 to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association, according to a document seen by The Associated Press. The payment came from a FIFA account on April 13, 2010, and was interest-free, unsecured and later waived as a kind of gift, according to the document. The 84-year-old Blatter has denied any wrongdoing during decades of financial scandals linked to soccer's world governing body, though he was banned from the presidency and risks being brought to trial in his home country. It is the latest allegation in Swiss and American federal investigations tying FIFA to irregular payments benefiting Jack Warner, its former vice president from Trinidad who is fighting extradition to the United States.
CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
An Arizona Coyotes staff member has tested positive for COVID-19 and is isolated at home in the Phoenix area. The teams say the staffer is asymptomatic and feeling well. The team says all other staff members or players involved in phase 2 of the NHL's testing protocol have tested negative as teams prepare to start voluntary small-group workouts on Monday. NHL mandatory training camps can open July 10, pending an agreement to returning to play later this summer.
In other virus-related sports news:
Timing favors the NFL over other major pro sports leagues in trying to figure out how to keep the coronavirus pandemic from wrecking the 2020 season. America's most popular sport has another big advantage if the games are played: TV money. While NFL owners could lose billions collectively with limited capacities in stadiums or no fans at all, the league is well positioned financially because of lucrative media contracts approaching $10 billion in a full 2020 season. Fitch Ratings recently affirmed its "A-plus" credit mark for the NFL and its properties in part because of the league's media deals. Fitch says the NFL estimates each team's media revenue at $250 million per season. The number gets bigger later in the contract, and each deal is set to expire in the next two years. So, it's safe to say more than half of the league's $15 billion in annual revenue comes from the TV deals shared equally among all 32 teams — unlike Major League Baseball, the NBA and NHL.
Ash Barty has joined the ranks of high-profile players expressing concern over the staging of the U.S. Open while there's still so much uncertainty around the coronavirus pandemic. The women's No. 1 hasn't had the chance yet to defend her French Open title because all elite tennis competition is shuttered. She's still awaiting clarity on the U.S. Open, which is scheduled to start Aug. 31. Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have aired reservations about the potential restrictions on players and other changes being considered. Barty says "I understand the tournaments are eager to run but keeping everyone safe has to be the priority."
Major League Baseball and the affiliated minor leagues are shut down but an independent circuit is set to open on July 3 with some fans in the seats. The American Association says six teams will play in three hubs, at least at the start of the season. Minnesota's St. Paul Saints will play home games at Sioux Falls Stadium along with South Dakota's Sioux Falls Canaries. Manitoba's Winnipeg Goldeyes will be based at Newman Outdoor Field with North Dakota's Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks. The Chicago Dogs will play home games at the Ballpark Commons with the Milwaukee Milkmen.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
A Drake University student who was accidentally shot in the head by a basketball player alleges in a lawsuit that a coach instructed the player to lie to police. The Des Moines Register reports that Nathaniel Miller Jr. filed the lawsuit this week against the university, Bulldogs forward Tremell Murphy and the managers of the off-campus property near the university where the shooting happened during a party last August. It alleges that an unidentified coach showed up before officers arrived and told Murphy to deny any involvement. The lawsuit also alleges that proper medical care for the victim was delayed because of the misdirection from witnesses The university disputed the lawsuit's claims in a statement Friday. According to police reports, Murphy initially told officers that Miller, a Texas resident who was 19 at the time of the shooting, had fallen on a wet floor and hit his head. Murphy pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts of making false reports to law enforcement and discharging a firearm within city limits. He was fined, given a suspended 30-day jail sentence and placed on probation. The senior forward was also suspended from the basketball team for five games following the charges.
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