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UNDATED (AP) — A person familiar with the discussions told The Associated Press the NFL plans to consider the NFL Players Association’s recommendation to cancel the preseason though the league prefers to cut the schedule in half. The NFL decided Wednesday to cut its preseason from four games to two. The union’s board of player representatives voted Thursday to ask the league to cancel the entire preseason schedule, according to two people who were part of that conversation. The four people spoke on condition of anonymity because the league and the union haven’t reached an agreement.
CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Indians are reviewing their contentious nickname. The team released a statement on Friday night saying it is committed to “making a positive impact in our community and embrace our responsibility to advance social justice and equality.” The club said it plans to review a nickname it has had since 1905. The move mirrors one by the NFL’s Washington Redskins, who Friday said they are embarking on a “thorough review” of their name. In 2018, the Indians removed their Chief Wahoo logo from caps and jersey worn by the team. The red-faced mascot, however, remains on some team merchandise.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Nationals showed up to training camp hoping to follow manager Dave Martinez’s mantra on the way to winning the World Series: go 1-0 every day. Baseball’s defending champions got camp underway with 57 healthy bodies and a 2020 first-round pick on the way. Martinez learned depth catcher Welington Castillo was joining Ryan Zimmerman and pitcher Joe Ross in opting out of the 60-game major league season. But aces Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg looked sharp on the first day of workouts, and there’s plenty of hope ahead as long as the Nationals can remember all the protocols in place.
NEW YORK(AP) — New Yankees ace Gerrit Cole is busy on and off the field this week. Cole and his wife, Amy, celebrated the birth of their first child on Tuesday. Cole has been working out at Yankee Stadium. After a near-miss in the World Series last year with Houston, the All-Star right-hander is hoping to help pitch the Yankees to their first championship since 2009. He signed to a $324 million, nine-year contract that set a record as the highest for a pitcher. Cole says the delay caused by the pandemic might benefit the Yankees because it allowed many to heal. The Yankees open on July 23 at Washington.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Coaches gave air high-fives, players bumped elbows in greeting and most of the Los Angeles Dodgers were masked men when they gathered to restart spring training. Players arrived and departed Dodger Stadium at staggered times. They worked in groups divided between pitchers and position players while maintaining a safe distance. Clayton Kershaw says he trusts his teammates to take precautions when they’re away from the ballpark in order to complete the shortened 60-game season. Testing has shown an increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in California.
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