NEWS – WKTY

NBA

Asterisk on the NBA title? Coaches, players say not a chance

July 2, 2020 Associated Press

The 2020 NBA champion, if one is crowned, will have emerged as the ultimate winner from a season that lasted more than a full year from start to finish. A season that saw political unrest between the NBA and China, the deaths of David Stern and Kobe Bryant,racial issues across the nation and, if that […]

NEWS

Health director concerned about Loggers games, other large gatherings, as virus surges in La Crosse

July 2, 2020 Rick Solem

Playing sports in a viral pandemic is something the billion-dollar industry at the pro level is having a difficult time figuring out. The NBA wants to play in a bubble. Baseball will be regionally. Neither with fans. In fact, neither sport may get going at all. At the college level, virus outbreaks are sending large […]

BUCKS

Giannis: 2020 NBA title ‘toughest championship you could ever win’

July 1, 2020 Rick Solem

Some say the 2020 NBA championship should come with an asterisk. While that may be true, given the circumstances with COVID-19 and the long layoff from the last regular-season games, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo argues that perhaps that asterisk should represent how much more difficult attaining the title will be. “I feel like a […]

MLB

Cards replace Yanks as White Sox opponent at Field of Dreams

July 1, 2020 Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals have replaced the New York Yankees as the opponent for the Chicago White Sox in the Field of Dreams game on Aug. 13 at Dyersville, Iowa. The schedule change caused by the new coronavirus pandemic meant the White Sox no longer play the Yankees this season. The […]

NEWS

Packers sign 1st-round pick Love, 2nd-round choice Dillon

July 1, 2020 Associated Press

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — The Green Bay Packers said Wednesday they have signed Utah State quarterback Jordan Love and Boston College running back A.J. Dillon, their top two draft picks. Green Bay gave the Miami Dolphins a fourth-round draft choice to move up four spots in the first round and take Love 26th overall […]

COLLEGE

University of Minnesota: 7 students test COVID-19 positive

July 1, 2020 Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The University of Minnesota said Tuesday that seven athletes from “multiple sports” have tested positive for the coronavirus. The Gopher Athletics Department conducted 170 COVID-19 tests during June, and seven athletes tested positive. The school said students who test positive are entered into a protocol and asked to self-isolate. Those students will […]

MLB

Roster shuffle: Plans change in MLB because of health issues

July 1, 2020 Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — A small group of players, including Nationals slugger Ryan Zimmerman and Rockies outfielder Ian Desmond, have announced they plan to sit out this season. The Minnesota Twins have shuffled their on-field staff to protect the health of some of their older coaches. As the sport lurches toward a late July start during […]

MLB

Baseball’s minor leagues cancel 2020 seasons

June 30, 2020 Associated Press

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Baseball’s minor leagues canceled their seasons on Tuesday after Major League Baseball decided not to provide any players to its affiliated teams amid the coronavirus pandemic. The National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, the minor league governing body, made the long-expected announcement. The Professional Baseball Agreement between the majors and […]

NASCAR

Column: NASCAR rolls on, through crisis and controversy

June 30, 2020 Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The one thing NASCAR has always gotten right is its ability to keep the wheels turning. In crisis or coronavirus, the show finds its way to a race track and keeps plugging along. That has never been in doubt, at least not since 2001 when Dale Earnhardt died in a crash […]

MLB

‘A dark past’: MVPs say time to pull Landis name off plaques

June 30, 2020 Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Something still bothers Barry Larkin about his Most Valuable Player award. The other name engraved on the trophy: Kenesaw Mountain Landis. “Why is it on there?” said Larkin, the Black shortstop voted National League MVP in 1995 with the Cincinnati Reds. “I was always aware of his name and what that […]