Hometown Broadcasting Sports Tuesday 5/19/20
19 May 2020 Sports
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has expressed doubt about when sports would return.
On Monday, he had a statement that provides some hope for sports fans. Newsom said professional sports could return in California by the first week of June, but without fans.
Considering how many teams call California home, that’s significant. It also is big news for the three NFL teams in California that are still hopeful to start their season on time.
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Philip Rivers is on a one-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts, but they’re not looking at it as a short-term relationship.
In an interesting tidbit from Colts coach Frank Reich during a conference call with reporters on Monday, he said Rivers planned to play for more than one year and the Colts want him as their quarterback beyond 2020 too.
The Colts still have some backup plans for 2021, but they weren’t overpaying for Rivers’ eventual replacement.
The Colts drafted Washington quarterback Jacob Eason in the fourth round, but mid-round picks at quarterback rarely work out. If Eason pans out for the Colts that’s a nice bonus, but they’re not depending on it.
They’re depending on Rivers playing at a high level for at least a couple years.
That’s risky. Rivers was very good in 2018 and his numbers dropped dramatically in 2019 as he turned 38 years old. His passer rating dropped from 105.5 to 88.5. He looked like a quarterback closer to retirement than a return to the Pro Bowl.
Maybe Rivers can bounce back with the Colts. They have one of the best offensive lines in football and drafted a couple of skill-position playmakers in the second round with USC receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor. And if Rivers is in an irreversible decline, the Colts are only contractually on the hook for one year.
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Former Major League Baseball manager Art Howe is doing much better after a bout with coronavirus. Howe was released from the hospital Sunday, and is resting at his home, according to ESPN.
The 73-year-old Howe originally tested positive for the virus May 3. His symptoms worsened last week, causing Howe to go to the hospital. He spent a couple days in the intensive care unit before he was released.
While Howe was released from the hospital, he still needs to follow self quarantining protocols. He’s been instructed to remain at his home for the next week or two, according to ESPN.
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The University of Kentucky cheerleading team has fired its entire coaching staff after an investigation uncovered incidents of hazing, public nudity and excessive alcohol use among cheerleaders.
The university announced the news on Monday in a detailed release. Head coach Jomo Thompson and assistants Ben Head, Spencer Clan and Kelsey LaCroix were all fired.
The school also cited “lax oversight and poor judgment” by adviser T. Lynn Williamson, who resigned after the the investigation started following four decades with the team. Williamson had been barred from having contact with members of the team. A call from a family member in February prompted the investigation which revealed a party atmosphere at a team retreat at Lake Cumberland in Kentucky.
Kentucky has the nation’s most prominent college cheerleading program, laying claim to 24 of the last 35 national championships.
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The USGA announced plans on Monday to carry on with the U.S. Open this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The tournament will go on without fans in attendance or its traditional sectional qualifying. The USGA will instead create exemptions, which are still being finalized.
The event is scheduled to take place starting Sept. 17 at Winged Foot in Mamaroneck, N.Y.
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The U.S. Open might feel more like a closed shop this year. The COVID-19 pandemic, which already has postponed the U.S. Open from June to September, has forced the USGA to do away with qualifying for the first time since 1924. The USGA did not announce Monday how other players would become exempt. The field presumably will be smaller because of the later date, though the USGA did not mention the field size in its April 6 announcement that the U.S. Open was moving to Sept. 17-20 at Winged Foot, in Mamaroneck, New York, just north of New York City.
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