MLS Is BACK
The ” MLS is Back ” Tournament begins today near Orlando, Florida.
The opening match tonight will pit Orlando City against Inter Miami.
The Nashville-Chicago game has been postponed.
The opening match in the tournament for Toronto FC against D.C. United has been moved to Sunday morning at 9 am.
The match was originally scheduled for Friday night
TFC had to delay their arrival to Orlando by 3 days in order to complete pre-travel coronavirus testing.
The club arrived in Florida Monday evening
Meanwhile, the Vancouver Whitecaps will be missing 5 players for the tournament.
There are a variety of factors for the 5 players not being available ranging from medication to travel to simply electing not to participate.
The withdrawals leave Vancouver with just 23 players for their tournament opener July 15th against the San Jose Earthquakes.
Ryder Cup To Postponed
The PGA of America is expected to announce today that the Ryder Cup will not be held this year and will move to a date in 2021.
The event was slated for September 25th-27th in Wisconsin.
Reports also suggest the Presidents Cup will also be pushed to 2022.
The events thrive on fans and most players felt it was better to wait a year than to stage those competitions without fans.
NHLPA Executive Board Approves CBA
The National Hockey League Players Association announced last night that their executive board has approved the tentative Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The Agreement will now be sent to the membership for a ratification vote.
The players vote tomorrow and the voting will conclude on Friday when the decision will be announced.
The Memorandum must also be ratified by the NHL’s board of governors
Blackhawks Remain Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League say they will continue to use their team name because it honours a Native American leader who has been an inspiration to generations.
The Blackhawks name and logo symbolizes, Black Hawk of Illinois’ Sac & Fox Nation, whose leadership and life has inspired generations of Native Americans, veterans and the public, the NHL team said in a statement yesterday.
Under renewed pressure to change their name, the NFL's Washington Redskins announced a thorough review of the issue.
In baseball, the Cleveland Indians are examining the issue, while the Atlanta Braves declined.
Eskimos Sponsor Issues Edict
A major sponsor of the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League, Belairdirect , says they will cut ties with the club if they don't change their team name in the “near future,”
The Eskimos released a statement last week saying they will increase their engagement with Inuit communities to assess their views on the team's name.
Last week, the owner of Washington's NFL team, Dan Snyder, said the team would review their name after pressure from fans and sponsors while the MLB's Cleveland Indians are also reviewing their team name.
Jays Hold Workouts
The Toronto Blue Jays resumed training at Rogers Centre yesterday with a pair of workout sessions.
There is continued uncertainty about the Blue Jays present and future plans in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A scheduled conference call with manager Charlie Montoyo was postponed yesterday and media access to the stadium was bumped until Thursday.
The Blue Jays' 60-game schedule was released Monday, but the team doesn't know where it will play home games this season.
MLB Notes
The San Francisco Giants have suspended their Major League Baseball workouts at Oracle Park pending the results of COVID-19 tests from last weekend,
The news follows the Chicago Cubs reportedly pushing back their workouts as they waited for test results from Sunday,
On Monday, the defending champion Washington Nationals and reigning American League champion Houston Astros called off training camp practices after not receiving test results from Friday.
The St. Louis Cardinals also scrubbed their scheduled workout for similar reasons.
Curling Revisions
Curling Canada's return-to-play guidelines include changes to sweeping rules, on-ice player positioning and pre-game handshakes.
From hub cities to reworked Olympic qualifying, Curling Canada is looking at all scenarios for sport's return
The lengthy document, which is on their website, covers topics including game play, building cleanliness, food and beverage plans, customer awareness, financial planning, insurance and national championships.
The most notable alteration will be the use of one sweeper during games, no sweeping the opposition's stone behind the tee-line and new markings on ice for non-throwing team members to be stationed.
Also, the traditional handshake will likely be replaced by a wave or broom tapping