The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast with Jim Field.

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NEW YORK (AP) — New York Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley says he is cleared for all physical activity after missing most of last season with a groin and core muscle injury. Mosley said during a video conference call that he is confident he will be good to go when training camp begins. Mosley was one of the Jets’ biggest offseason additions last year when he signed a five-year, $85 million deal. He had a strong debut with New York in the regular-season opener but injured his groin late in the game. Mosley ended up missing all but two games with the injury.

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball’s amateur draft began with the first of a pandemic-shortened five rounds. Arizona State slugger Spencer Torkelson was taken with the No. 1 overall pick by the Detroit Tigers. The Baltimore Orioles selected Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad at No. 2., Minnesota right-hander Max Meyer was third and went to Miami. Texas A&M lefty Asa Lacy was No. 4 to Kansas City. Vanderbilt shortstop Austin Martin went to Toronto to round out the first five picks.

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) — Martin Truex Jr. cruised down the stretch and won his first NASCAR Cup race of the season on Wednesday night in the first race under the lights at Martinsville Speedway. Truex won the Martinsville grandfather clock on the paperclip-shaped track at just 0.526 miles. He won for the first time with new crew chief Jason Small. Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano made it a 2-3-4 finish for Team Penske. The race started shortly after NASCAR issued a ban of the Confederate flag. Bubba Wallace had called for NASCAR to ban the flag and finished 11th.

UNDATED (AP) — U.S. Soccer’s board of directors has voted to repeal a 2017 policy that required national team players to stand during the national anthem, a rule adopted after Megan Rapinoe kneeled in support of Colin Kaepernick. The board made the decision during a conference call. Rapinoe took a knee during the anthem at a pair of national team matches in 2016. She said she wanted to express solidarity with Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who silently took a knee during the national anthem before NFL games to raise awareness of police brutality and racial injustice.

UNDATED (AP) — Any cheering at the Memorial might sound different from mask-wearing fans. The Memorial on July 16-19 is scheduled to be the first PGA Tour event with spectators, and the tournament hosted by Jack Nicklaus is starting to develop plans. Tournament badges are sold out because only about 8,000 fans will be allowed. Spectators will park their own cars — no more shuttles — and have their temperature taken upon arrival, along with a CDC health questionnaire. Anyone with a temperature 100 degrees or higher will be asked to stay at home.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – One hundred seven University of Iowa student-athletes have been named to the 2020 Spring Academic All-Big Ten team, the conference office announced Wednesday. The list includes student-athletes from baseball (11), men’s golf (1), women’s golf (4), rowing (16), softball (11), men’s tennis (5), women’s tennis (6), men’s track and field (23), and women’s track and field (30).

The totals for men’s (23) and women’s (30) track and field and softball (11) are school records, while baseball’s 11 selections are one shy of a program record set in 2011.

A total of 2,054 students competing in spring and at-large sports were honored, including 178 in baseball, 140 in softball, 261 in women’s rowing, 75 in men’s and 84 in women’s golf, 127 in men’s and 152 in women’s lacrosse, 73 in men’s and 73 in women’s tennis, 266 in men’s and 369 in women’s track and field and 78 in men’s (representing fencing, rifle and pistol, rowing and volleyball) and 178 in women’s (representing bowling, fencing, ice hockey, lightweight rowing, rifle and pistol, sand volleyball, synchronized swimming and water polo) at-large sports.

Forty-six student-athletes carried a perfect grade point average, including Iowa’s Stephanie Herzog (women’s golf), Marissa Mueller (women’s track and field), Maria Gorham (women’s track and field), and Konnor Sommer (men’s track and field).

To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, students must be on a varsity team, as verified by being on the official squad list as of May 1 for spring sports, who have been enrolled fulltime at the institution for a minimum of 12 months and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.

Atlantic native Gratt Reed was honored from the Track and Field team. Reed is a sophomore political science major.

Admission:

• Free Will Donation will be set up at each facility to help offset program costs.

Seating:

• Fans are encouraged to bring their own chairs. Schools will have limited bleachers use, if any, & some schools will reserve bleacher space for the teams not playing.

Concessions: 

• Concessions will not be offered per Dept. of Education & Dept. of Public Health guidelines. Coolers are allowed to be brought in. They must be limited to use by a single household.

Restrooms:

• Restrooms will be available with limited occupancy. Abide by signage for restroom use.

PPE:

• Spectators are encouraged to bring their own hand sanitizer
• Masks are not required, but encouraged for those who wish to wear them

Fan Spectator Expectations:

• • Accept personal responsibility for following public health guidelines
  • Practice safe social distancing (limit groups to single households)
  • Be patient and use common sense
  • Do not use sunflower seeds (prohibited by Dept. of Education & IDPH guidelines)
  • Abide by signage
  • Each school will have a representative to help keep these expectations in order
  • Fans should sit on their dugout side of the field
  • Stay home if you show symptoms or if they have been in contact with someone with a confirmed positive case of COVID-19 in the last 14 days

• Download the varsity bound app to your phone to access team rosters. No paper programs will be provided.

Foul Ball Return:

• Teams will have players help recover foul balls to limit fan exposure.

The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast with Jim Field.

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Baseball players counter … Taiwan baseball trailblazing … Olympic committee on protests

NEW YORK (AP) — A pair of people familiar with the negotiations tell The Associated Press that baseball players moved toward teams but remained far apart on the economics of starting the pandemic-delayed season, adamant they receive full prorated salaries while offering to cut the regular season to 89 games. MLB did not appear to view the proposal as productive but made no comment. Players made their move one day after management cut its proposed schedule from 82 games to 76.

NEW TAIPEI CITY, Taiwan (AP) — The Taiwan baseball league is continuing as a trailblazer for sports resuming after the lockdown in the coronavirus pandemic. An easing of restrictions by the government last weekend allows more fans at the ballparks and allows them to sit closer together while they’re supporting their teams in the Taiwan-based CPBL. Spectators are only required to wear face masks when they’re not in their seats and ball parks can operate up to 50% capacity.

DENVER (AP) — The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee is creating an athlete group that will look into loosening restrictions on protests at the games. CEO Sarah Hirshland tweeted the plans for a new group, which is being formed in response to George Floyd’s death last month. The USOPC put out a statement last week signaling its solidarity with black athletes. But the federation received blowback from several athletes, most notably hammer thrower Gwen Berry. Berry is serving a 12-month probation for raising her fist on the medals stand at the Pan-Am Games last summer.

UNDATED (AP) — The Toronto Raptors have an NBA championship to defend, a very long stay at the Disney complex awaiting them and plenty of unanswered questions on how the restart of the season will work. As the NBA’s lone Canadian team, there’s an added complexity: The U.S. border. The Raptors are still deciding whether to have workouts before going to Disney, and where those workouts would take place.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration has ordered closed a small stock-car track that’s allowed large crowds to gather repeatedly for weekend races well above COVID-19 limits for mass gatherings. Cooper’s health secretary says Ace Speedway in Alamance County is an “imminent hazard” for the virus’ spread and can’t reopen unless it creates a safety plan to keep fans away. Media outlets have reported crowds at the speedway exceeding 2,000 people.

UNDATED (AP) — The familiar scene of Confederate flags waved by fans at NASCAR tracks could soon be a relic of racing’s good ol’ boy roots. Bubba Wallace — the lone black driver in the sport — this week declared it is time for the stock car series with deep ties to the South to ban the flag at its properties and formally distance itself from what for millions is a unwelcome symbol of slavery and racism. The signs are everywhere that NASCAR could do so. The series in 2015 asked fans to “refrain from displaying” the flag at its facilities and events.

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State will face defending Pac-12 champion Oregon in the first round of the Emerald Coast Classic on Friday, Nov. 27 at 8:30 p.m. (CT).

The Cyclones will then play either Illinois or Florida on Sunday, Nov. 29 at either 3 p.m. or 5:30 p.m.

The games, which will be played on the campus of Northwest Florida State College in Niceville, Florida, will be televised on CBS Sports Network.

The Cyclones won the 2015 Emerald Coast Classic, defeating Virginia Tech and Illinois. Monte Morris was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

The NAIA released details this week on a return to play format for Fall sports. The practice start date for all sports has been pushed back to August 15th and the first competition dates will be September 5th for all sports except football which can start games on September 12th. The number of contests allowed for each sport is also being reduced. Check out the full details in the NAIA release below.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The NAIA national office, in partnership with leaders of the association, continues to plan for the fall season. Our work is guided first and foremost by the health and safety of your students. Our second priority is to serve our member institutions as you plan for a return to campus and a successful fall term.
We originally set July 1 as the date we would announce our plans for the fall. After discussions with many of you, we know that institutions and conferences are anxiously awaiting direction from the NAIA. As we have considered options related to fall sports, we have been helped tremendously by input from presidents, athletics directors, conference commissioners and athletic trainers. Your insights and suggestions have been instrumental to the process of establishing policies and guidelines for return to play.
To provide this needed guidance, the Council of Presidents (COP) Executive Committee met yesterday and the following national office recommendations were approved:

1. Return to Play Threshold
The COP Executive Committee approved the use of a threshold system as a guideline for determining return to play. The threshold goal is for about half the participating institutions in each sport to receive clearance from local authorities to return to competition before the season can begin. For example, NAIA football has 95 participating institutions. When half (47) of these programs gain clearance from authorities to play, the NAIA football season will be authorized to begin.
The rationale for this decision is that a significant number of institutions need to participate to offer student-athletes a significant competitive and championship-caliber experience. Additionally, the fewer the number of participating programs, the higher the likelihood for scheduling challenges leading to increased travel costs and missed class time.

2. Start Dates
Based on input from NAIA presidents, AD’s, commissioners, athletics trainers and health care professionals, the COP Executive Committee approved the recommendation of practice and competition start dates for each sport. The practice start date for all sports, will be Saturday, August 15. As a result, from today through August 14, any activities deemed practice by the NAIA are strictly prohibited. (Click here for NAIA definition of practice.)
We know many NAIA campuses may be engaging in conditioning activities now or plan to as we get closer to August 15. These conditioning activities, as long as they are not “practices”, are not restricted and can take place at any time, in keeping with any institutional guidelines.
Beginning on August 15, student-athletes may practice consistent with any health and safety protocols your institution deems necessary. While practices can begin August 15, only individuals identified with your institution can participate in these practices. No scrimmages, exhibitions, or competitions of any kind that involve individuals not identified with your institution may take place prior to the competition start date listed below.
Competition start dates are as follows:
All sports except football: September 5 (providing 3 weeks of practice prior to competition)
Football: September 12 (providing 4 weeks of practice prior to competition)
Please note: these start dates apply to all sports that schedule practices or competitions in the fall, regardless of when the regular season is played.
The rationale behind the selection of these dates is to provide an adequate acclimatization, conditioning and practice period prior to competition for each sport, while minimizing the need for student-athletes to return to campus early. Establishing start dates also creates a more level playing field for all institutions that are able to compete this fall.

3. Maximum Contests Allowed
With the delayed start dates, there are fewer weeks to complete the season. As a result, the COP Executive Committee approved a reduction in the maximum number of contests as follows:
Cross Country: 7 meets, down from 8
Football: 9 games, down from 11
Men’s and Women’s Soccer: 14 games, down from 18
Women’s Volleyball: 22 dates, down from 28

The reductions are proportional to the shortened seasons and are consistent with recent feedback from presidents, athletics directors, and commissioners expressing a desire to reduce regular season costs.

Currently, the NAIA intends to host all fall national championship events as currently scheduled. Obviously we cannot predict what will happen in the next six months, but we are optimistic that the championships will be hosted as planned.

Finally, we know the health and safety of our student-athletes is imperative if we are to host fall sports. The national office and the COP Executive Committee are currently examining various options for health and safety protocols, including testing and screening, and will share decisions related to these areas as soon as they are made.

While our focus is currently on fall sports, we know there are already concerns related to the winter sport season. At this time, there are no planned changes for winter sports. We will begin to evaluate the possible impact of COVID-19 on the winter season and prioritize any decisions that will help our institutions prepare for possible adjustments, if necessary.

We hope this information provides guidance to help you plan accordingly for fall athletics. There is no precedent regarding athletics during a pandemic, so we must all be guided by what is best for the greater good of our members and our student-athletes. The COP Executive Committee is meeting weekly in June and we will continue to share decisions as they are made.

The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast with Jim Field.

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(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission failed to take action on legalizing the betting on E-sports last week after a legal opinion that the state’s gambling law did not allow it. The president of the Iowa Gaming Association, Wes Ehrecke, says the 19-state licensed casinos will work to get state lawmakers to change the law. “We want to go back and visit with a lot of those key legislative leaders and legislators who help support legalizing sports wagering to see if they will include E-sports as another viable option that could be wagered upon,” Ehrecke says.

The Iowa Legislature is back in Des Moines after suspending the session as the coronavirus outbreak took off. He says they will start talks with lawmakers now. “Take the opportunity while they are in session or back to mention what has occurred and at least heighten their awareness to see what might be available — planting the seed at the very least for future opportunities,” Ehrecke says. Ehrecke is not sure lawmakers would have time to take up the issue with all they have going on this year. If not, they would shoot for getting the law change in the next session. He says the goal is to get it passed and authorized.

The I-R-G-C did approve betting on sports games involving E-sports — which is allowed in the gambling law — while direct betting on E-sports is not.