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Pony baseball

Washington Hyundai opened its season Monday night with a 16-6 victory over Ace Sporting Goods in the Washington Pony League.

Jonah Williamson and Ty Wheeler each scored three runs for Washington Hyundai, and Lincoln Johnson was the winning pitcher.

Logan Hatfield belted a triple and Lucas Burt had three hits, including a double, for Ace.

Wizards’ Bertrans to sit out NBA restart

Washington Wizards forward Davis Bertans will skip the Disney-based resumption of the NBA season, making him the first known example of a healthy, eligible player sitting out.

Bertans can become an unrestricted free agent this offseason and is expected to command a big contract as one of the league’s top 3-point shooters.

The 6-10, 225-pound forward from Latvia was averaging 3.7 made 3s per game, tied for fourth in the NBA when play was suspended because of the coronavirus outbreak. He was shooting 42.4% from beyond the arc.

The 27-year-old was averaging 15.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists as a reserve for Washington.

The league intends to resume its season in late July with 22 of 30 teams playing eight games apiece in a “bubble” set up at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports complex near Orlando, Florida, before the playoffs begin there in mid-August.

The Wizards, according to a rules memo distributed to teams and obtained by the AP, will be allowed to sign a replacement player for Bertans as early as Tuesday. Bertans would be classified as an “excused player,” which means he forfeits salary but is not subject to any disciplinary action from the league for choosing not to play.

Top field, no fans for Travelers

The tournament director for this week’s Travelers Championship golf tournament had an idea. How about filling the natural amphitheater around the 18th green at TPC River Highlands with giant video boards showing fans watching the event and cheering from home.

“We started there. We wanted a Zoom wall with like 5,000 people,” Nathan Grube said. “We looked at the renderings, the tech. Let’s just say, that was not feasible.”

The tournament also considered setting up a VIP viewing area so that its top donors could come and watch from a safe social distance.

In the end, Grube said officials decided to keep it as a TV-only event. There will be no Zoom boards, no hospitality tents, no VIPs, not even players’ wives or children in Cromwell for the third PGA Tour event to be held during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Travelers will be the first held in its regular time and place on the schedule.

The Travelers will have one of its best fields since the Connecticut event was founded as the Insurance City Open in 1952. The top five players in the world ranking – Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson – will be there.

ESPYS focus on hope during pandemic

No red carpet, no nattily dressed athletes, no house band or monologue poking fun at the past year’s top athletes and moments.

This was a different version of The ESPYS.

The focus of Sunday night’s show on ESPN was hope and inspiration in the time of coronavirus.

NFL quarterback Russell Wilson, along with soccer star Megan Rapinoe and WNBA star Sue Bird, hosted the pre-produced show remotely from their respective homes in Seattle. Each wore Black Lives Matter T-shirts to open the show.

“This is the time we’ve got to have their backs,” Rapinoe said of Black athletes. Later in the show, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Olympic gold-medal skier Lindsey Vonn were among those calling on white athletes to listen, learn and act.

Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers received the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage for sparking a national conversation about mental health. Two years ago, he wrote an online essay detailing his struggles with mental health, including having a panic attack during a game. As a result, other athletes and fans began sharing details of their own mental health challenges and sharing resources on how to get help.

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