***Invite you to read my 1-Man’s Opinion Column on Memorial Day***

……………….(Baseball)…………….

MLB-Union….Owners will make a new financial proposal how to play 3-months of shortened season…Reportedly will ask played to defer some of salary owed into 2021-and-2022…rather than take full paychecks for 82-game schedule….May revise ideas of ‘revenue sharing’ with players and just ask them to take another 15%-cut in pay for as long as fans are barred from attending games….Fans could be allowed back in games in August or September.

MLB…Owners and Union turned in response to 67-page Health Handbook League put out a week ago…Players asking for further testing and additional access to some training facilities for injury treatment.

Scott Boras…Lead player agent says MLB must reopen this season to save its Media contracts….says if there is no baseball-players having to sit out a full year will be at great ‘injury risk’ especially pitchers with high priced guaranteed contracts.

State Department….Informs MLB that ‘foreign born’ players will be allowed to return to the US in June-serve quarantine-then rejoin teams in time for reopening of spring training….Decision handed down early Sunday morning.

NY Mets…Announce when spring training reopens-they will have 50-players report to Port St-Lucie sight in Florida…not Citi Field in New York.

Tampa Bay…1st team  to open facilities…20-Rays players on staggered scheduling allowed in Tropicana Field on Monday.

Arizona..Diamondbacks open Chase Field to limited players on workout schedule on Monday in Phoenix.

Angels…Drawing heavy criticism for laying off virtually their entire scouting staff and minor league baseball execs as part of June 1st cost-cutting measures.

Milwaukee-Giants-Phillies-Blue Jays guarantee baseball and front office staff full salaries thru October 1st.

Cubs-Pirates…began furloughs-layoffs of front office employees…this past weekend.

Orioles…Release 37-lower minor league players from contracts…may operate this year with less than 5-minor league affiliates.

Yankees..P-James Paxton-recovering from back surgery-cleared full spring training workouts in June.

NYMets..P-Noah Syndegaard says he will go to court to fight lawsuit from landlord of condo in Tribeca area of NY….Syndegaard signed lease to rent condo then pandemic hit…he offered 50,000 to buyout of least…Landlord suing for 250,000.

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…………………..(Football)…………………..

(Roster Moves)

NY Jets..Sign FA-QB-Joe Flacco-ex Denver Broncos

Seattle..QB-Russell Wilson wants team to consider FA-WR-Antonio Brown.

Seattle..Seahawks-waiting for NFL to make decision on reinstatement of suspended WR-Josh Gordon

Arizona..Makes contact with unsigned FA-DE-Everson Griffen-ex Vikings.

Miami..Puts young QB-Josh Rosen on NFL trading block.

Jets..Breakoff contract talks with unhappy CB-Jamal Adams..has 2-years left on contract…Jets refuse put him on trading block.

Chiefs…Say they will open contract extension talks with QB-Patrick Mahomes-shooting for more than (35M) Russell Wilson makes in Seattle…Also up for contract extensions QBs-Deshaun Watson-Houston…Dak Prescott-Dallas.

Atlanta..FA-RB-Devonta Freeman says he will not sign veterans minimum contract (1.1M) with any team….has (5,987Y-43TD) in 5-years in NFL.

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(NFL)

Las Vegas…Alleigent Stadium will open on July 31st as planned…Finishing touches continue despite 16-workers testing positive for Covid-virus.

NFL…Senior VP-Troy Vincent says league has plans to open season with full stadiums…has drawn up plans for half stadium…and plans to push back start of games till October if necessary.

Ryan Leaf…Former Chargers QB-jailed over weekend on Domestic abuse incident in Palm Springs..was held on 5,000-bond….Has battled drug abuse issues in past.

Fritz Pollard Alliance…John Wooten-1st President…Praises NFL for expansion of hiring practices to involve virtually all front office jobs for interviews of minorities.

NFL Owners…Will vote on 5-different rule changes on Tuesday:
..Adding 8th official as ‘Sky Judge’ in booth.
..Change onside kick rule..allow team try 4th-15 play to keep ball
..Allow teams bring 3-players back from Injured Reserve List
..Add Defenseless Player Rule for KR-Punt Return men also

NFL Owners…Table any proposal for expanding overtime rule for full 15 minutes to lessen impact of coin toss.

Raiders…Sell a record 539M-in PSL season ticket licenses for new stadium…Wound up selling 55,000-season tickets….
Rams..Sold 410M in PSL-nearly reaching goal in LA
Chargers..Sold less than 100M in PSL-only 25% of needed money

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(College Football)

Union-Tribune…Advocates SDSU should consider playing home games in 2021 in Tijuana-soccer stadium if they cannot make land purchase at SDCCU sight.

City Council…Calls special meeting for May 29th-next Friday-to consider changes in purchase agreement for Stadium land made by San Diego State.

Arizona State..Coach Herman Edwards criticizes NFL for floating idea about offering draft picks to teams that hire minorities….”What does that look like nationwide…the NFL has been standard bearer for doing things right….No one wants to be linked to bonus draft pick hire”

SEC…Announces players can report to campus for conditioning on June 8th
Big 12…Will open campus to players on June 15th.
Big 10…Cancels its football media days

UTEP…Star RB-Fred Wendt passes away (96Y)…Miners football start in late 1940s..set school record with (326R-6TYD) in game vs New Mexico State.

Auburn…QB-Caylin Newton transfers in from Howard University…brother of NFL star Cam Newton.

Virginia Tech…Top DB-Jimmy Webb-JUCO All American…transfers out..has had 2-achilles tendon injuries in 18-months.

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…………..(Basketball)………………….

Georgetown…Hoyas coach Pat Ewing taken to hospital in serious condition with Covid-Virus..in ICU

Eddie Sutton…Hall of Fame coach passes away (84Y)…legendary coach Oklahoma State..Arkansas…Creighton…career record (806-328)

Utah Jazz…NBA mourns passing of longtime coach Jerry Sloan (78Y)-Parkinson’s disease…Hall of Fame…took Jazz to NBA finals twice…(1127-682) career record…Played for Chicago Bulls for 11-years..coached Bulls for 3-years…record setting career with Jazz with John Stockton-Karl Malone.

Boston…Celtics not ready to reopen training facilities because of hot-spot outbreaks of virus in that city.

NBA…Asks GMs to fill out survey-how to re-start season”
..Go directly to 18-teams playoff
..Play 5-game regular season games-then playoffs
..Bring teams back for ‘play in-mini series’ to determine final playoff spots.

NBA..confirms negotiations with Orlando-Disney World to use that as single entity spot to house players, teams practice, playoff games.

NBA Union..says owners proposed opening camps June 21st…re-start season July 15th.

Lakers..LeBron James confirmed he worked out with 3-players at a time at his home built basketball court during shutdown.

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……………………(Hockey)…………………

NHL Union….Players Association approves by (29-2) vote to host a 24-team playoff…in 2-hub cities…starting in July…..Must now negotiate health-testing protocols….which cities are chosen as hub sights….when camps would reopen….roster sizes….getting players back into Canada and US.

US Government….Opens borders to ‘foreign born’ athletes…will be allowed to return and be quarantined for 14-days-tested…Allows nearly 20% of NHL players living in Europe to return to US.

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…………(General)…………….

NASCAR…..Charlotte Coca Cola 600-race….Rain delayed night race…Alec Bowman-Martin Truex stormed back into lead and dominated in late stages of race.

NASCAR…Suspended driver Kyle Larson sets track record in World of Outlaws spring car race in Missouri…runs a lap in (9.9) seconds…Larson suspended by NASCAR for racial slurs

PGA….Tiger Woods-Phil Mickelson…Champions for Charity tourney in Florida raises close to 10M-for charity….Woods-Peyton Manning  jump to 3-hole lead on front nine and hold off Mickelson-Tom Brady…Woods hit all 18-fairways…hit all 18-greens……..Woods just missed 25-foot eagle putt….Brady struggled off the tee…but did hit an eagle on the 11th hole to close gap to 1-hole but never able to catch Woods-Manning team.

ESPN…Debuts controversial documentary on the disgraced cycling career of racer Lance Armstrong….Opening segment has Armstrong making obscene gesture to reporters….

Soccer…English Premier League-Watford…2-players test positive for virus returning to camp.

Liga MX…Cancels rest of Clausura season-will not name a champion…Hopeful of starting Apertura summer season in July.

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