Sports briefs
MLB, union reach agreement
Players agreed to a deal with Major League Baseball that would preserve service time in the event this season is canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, but left open details of what a configured schedule would look like.
As part of the agreement approved by the union Thursday night, players will not challenge the loss of their salaries if no games are played.
Management will advance $170 million in salary payments over the first 60 days of the original schedule, and that money does not have to be returned if the season is canceled. Player salaries this year are expected to total roughly $4 billion.
Management was given the right to cut the amateur draft in both 2020 and 2021, and to freeze the values of signing bonus money at 2019 levels.
Details were divulged to the Associated Press by people familiar with the agreement who spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcement was made.
Teams approved the 17-page agreement Friday, the person said.
Opening day was to have been Thursday, but was pushed back to mid-May at the earliest because of the virus outbreak. The spring training schedule was cut short on March 12 because on the pandemic, and it remains unclear when and if baseball can resume.
Cowboys get Zuerlein
The Dallas Cowboys are going to let two proven kickers go at it in the offseason for a change.
The Cowboys and kicker Greg Zuerlein agreed Friday on a $7.5 million, three-year contract, with $2.3 million guaranteed.
The deal with Zuerlein comes just a few days after the Cowboys re-signed Kai Forbath, who made all 10 kicks last season after replacing the shaky Brett Maher.
“Greg the Leg” had issues similar to Maher in the last of eight seasons with the Rams in 2019. Zuerlein was strong from 50-plus yards but struggled on shorter kicks.
The 32-year-old’s accuracy has tailed off in the two seasons since connecting on a career-best 38 field goals in 40 tries in 2017, when Los Angeles reached the Super Bowl.
ESPN’s Burke tests positive
ESPN NBA broadcaster Doris Burke, a Curt Gowdy Award recipient by the Basketball Hall of Fame for excellence in her field, has revealed that she tested positive for the coronavirus.
Burke made the announcement Friday on an ESPN podcast hosted by NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski.
Burke says she started feeling extreme fatigue on March 11, the day the NBA was shut down once it was learned that Utah center Rudy Gobert tested positive. Burke was assigned the Denver-Dallas game on that date for ESPN and fought through her symptoms to work that night.
She said she had a three-day period of such deep fatigue that she couldn’t remain out of bed for more than five minutes at a time. She was eventually tested and received the results on Wednesday – eight days after being swabbed.
By then, she was feeling better and said on the podcast that she was appreciative of the health-care workers who saw her. “I’m so incredibly thankful to be feeling well,” Burke said.
Arkansas’ Jones declares for draft
Arkansas guard Mason Jones has declared for the NBA draft.
Jones made the announcement on social media Friday, and the University of Arkansas confirmed the decision with a congratulatory statement.
Jones, a 6-5 junior, was the Associated Press’ co-SEC Player of the Year. He averaged 22.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists this season.