Wayne Byers Show – Morning – Jun 30

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MLB-

WASHINGTON (AP) — The reigning World Series champion Washington Nationals will be without at least two holdovers from last year’s team. Longtime infielder Ryan Zimmerman and pitcher Joe Ross are opting out of playing as Major League Baseball tries to get back amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

General manager Mike Rizzo says the team supports Zimmerman and Ross deciding not to play the 60-game season that’s set to start in late July.

Zimmerman says his family situation factored into his decision. His mother is at high risk for the coronavirus because of multiple sclerosis, and he has three young children including a newborn. The 35-year-old says the decision doesn’t mean he’s retiring.

In other MLB news:

— Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Mike Leake is opting out of the 2020 season due to concerns about the coronavirus. Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen did not elaborate on Leake’s decision during a Zoom call, but the pitcher’s agent issued a statement saying he made a personal decision not to play during the pandemic. Hazen also said two players on Arizona’s 60-man roster tested positive for COVID-19, as did another player not in Arizona.

— Colorado Rockies outfielder Ian Desmond plans to sit out this season to be with his family and help grow youth baseball in his hometown in Florida. The 34-year-old Desmond wrote on Instagram that the “COVID-19 pandemic has made this baseball season one that is a risk I am not comfortable taking.” But the biracial slugger also mentioned a myriad of issues within baseball, including racism, sexism, homophobia and socioeconomic concerns. Desmond hit .255 with 20 homers in 140 games last season.

— The premier of Ontario says Major League Baseball is close to winning approval to play in Toronto amid the coronavirus pandemic. Ontario Premier Doug Ford says city, provincial and federal authorities “kind of gave their approval,” but the Toronto Blue Jays are waiting for a letter of support from the federal government. He also says Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s chief medical officer, requires a few tweaks to the plan. MLB requires an exemption, as anyone entering Canada for nonessential reasons must self-isolate for 14 days, and the U.S.-Canada border remains closed to nonessential travel until at least July 21.

NEW YORK (AP) — Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie and center DeAndre Jordan say they have tested positive for the coronavirus. Dinwiddie told The Athletic he is experiencing symptoms and it is unclear if he can play when the NBA season resumes.

His absence would be a significant blow to the Nets. He has played well this season with Kyrie Irving out of the lineup because of injuries. Dinwiddie says he tested negative for the virus multiple times after returning to New York and took part in a couple practices. But he has since tested positive and says he has a fever and chest soreness. Jordan is also a starter. At least six Nets players have tested positive. The previous four were in March, with Kevin Durant saying he was among them.

Dinwiddie is averaging 20.6 points for the Nets, who have a half-game lead over Orlando for seventh place in the Eastern Conference. They are set to face the Magic on July 31 in their first game back.

PGA-WATNEY RECOVERS

Monday marked the 10th day of self-isolation for Nick Watney, the minimum required for PGA Tour players who test positive for the new coronavirus.

He said he is feeling good except for some minor fatigue, perhaps brought on by a major case of boredom, and except for the distinction of becoming the first of what now is five players and two caddies who have tested positive since the PGA Tour returned amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

He lost his sense of smell, a sensation he described as “gnarly,” but said that is coming back. And perhaps the strangest sensation is being at a golf resort without playing golf. He remains in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, as the PGA Tour has moved on to Connecticut, and now Detroit this week, and then two weeks in Ohio. The show goes on.

Three more players tested positive during the Travelers Championship — Cameron Champ before the tournament started, Denny McCarthy after his first round and Dylan Frittelli after he missed the cut. Two caddies tested positive, which caused a chain-reaction of withdrawals. Harris English tested positive Monday at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit.

MLB

— No. 3 overall draft pick Max Meyer, a right-hander from the University of Minnesota, has agreed to terms with the Marlins and is expected to be added to the 60-man roster this week. Meyer has chance to pitch in the majors this year. Right-handed reliever Nick Vincent, an eight-year veteran who pitched for the Giants and Phillies last year, also agreed to terms with the Marlins and will join the 60-man roster.

— Left-handed hitting catcher Tyler Soderstrom has agreed to a minor league contract with the Oakland Athletics that includes a $3.3 million signing bonus. Sodorstrom was selected 26th, which had a slot value of $2,653,400. Oakland also finalized a deal with fifth-round selection pitcher Stevie Emanuels. Soderstrom has been added to the club’s 60-player pool for workouts ahead of the season. The 18-year-old from Turlock High batted .450 as a junior in 2019.

— The A’s also added three non-drafted free agents: right-hander Garrett Acton out of Illinois, catcher Cooper Uhl from Loyola Marymount and outfielder D.J. Lee of the University of Richmond.

— A person familiar with the deals says the Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to terms with free agent forward Jordan Bell on a two-year contract and signed forward Dean Wade to a multiyear deal. The 6-foot-8 Bell was a second-round pick in 2017. He spent his first two seasons with Golden State. Wade played in 12 games for Cleveland last season.

— John Wall will not join the Washington Wizards for the resumption of the NBA season this summer, ending the chances of the five-time All-Star guard playing his first game since 2018.General manager Tommy Sheppard effectively ruled out Wall returning this season when he said Monday the 29-year-old wouldn’t be part of the Wizards’ traveling party to Central Florida. Among the factors in the decision was a cap of 35 people per team in the quarantined bubble at Walt Disney World. The COVID-19 pandemic also hindered Wall’s progress in his rehab from multiple surgeries.

ZANARDI INJURED

Second surgery for Zanardi

SIENA, Italy (AP) — Italian auto racing champion turned Paralympic gold medalist Alex Zanardi has undergone a second brain surgery. It comes 10 days after an emergency operation following a crash on his handbike.

The latest surgery lasted 2½ hours. Zanardi was then returned to the intensive care unit in a medically induced coma at the Santa Maria alle Scotte Hospital in Siena. The hospital says in a medical bulletin, “His condition remains stable from a cardio-respiratory and metabolic viewpoint, grave from a neurological viewpoint.”

The 53-year-old Zanardi lost both of his legs in an auto racing crash nearly 20 years ago.

KAEPERNICK-NETFLIX

Netflix to dramatize Kaepernick’s path to activism

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Colin Kaepernick is joining with Emmy-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay on a Netflix miniseries about the teenage roots of the former NFL player’s activism.

Neftlix says the limited series, titled “Colin in Black & White,” will examine Kaepernick’s high school years. In 2016, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback began kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial inequality. His actions drew both support and criticism, with President Donald Trump among his detractors. Kaepernick became a free agent in 2017 but went unsigned.

Writing on the six-episode series was completed in May, Casting details and a release date were not immediately announced for “Colin in Black & White.”

F1-PROTESTS

F1 drivers discuss whether to take a knee at season opener

LONDON (AP) — Formula One drivers will discuss taking a knee at the opening race of the delayed season in Austria on Sunday.

McLaren driver Lando Norris says it will be discussed following the drivers’ briefing with the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association on Friday.

Six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has been vocal about the Black Lives Matter movement and F1′s diversity issues.

Black Lives Matter has been supported by soccer players in Germany, Italy and England taking a knee before and during games.

BROADCASTS-DISCRIMINATION

Soccer players’ union points to racial bias in broadcasts

LONDON (AP) — The soccer players’ union in England believes racial bias is evident during broadcasts of matches based on the language used by commentators in European leagues.

The study conducted by Danish research firm RunRepeat in association with the Professional Footballers’ Association found 63% of praise regarding a player’s intelligence was aimed at those with lighter skin, while 63% of criticism for a player’s intelligence was aimed at those with darker skin tones.

The study looked at 80 matches in the Premier League as well as the top divisions in Italy, Spain and France this season.

In world and national news…

(AP)  Top officials in the White House were aware in early 2019 of classified intelligence indicating Russia was secretly offering bounties to the Taliban for the deaths of Americans, a full year earlier than has been previously reported. That’s according to U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the intelligence. The officials say the assessment was included in at least one of President Donald Trump’s written daily intelligence briefings at the time. Then-national security adviser John Bolton told colleagues he briefed Trump on the intelligence assessment in March 2019. The White House says Trump still hasn’t been briefed on the intelligence assessments because they haven’t been fully verified. Russia denies offering bounties.

HONG KONG (AP) — China has approved a contentious national security law that will allow authorities to crack down on subversive and secessionist activity in Hong Kong. Hong Kong’s sole representative on the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress confirmed the law had been passed. The law has sparked fears that it will be used to curb opposition voices in the semi-autonomous territory. Hong Kong’s leader says it will only target a small minority of lawbreakers. Passage of the law is seen by many as the boldest move yet to erase the legal firewall between the territory and mainland China’s authoritarian Communist Party system.

NILAND, Calif. (AP) — A wind-driven wildfire has destroyed about 20 homes and forced evacuations as it tore through the rural town of Niland in the Southern California desert near the Salton Sea. Imperial County spokeswoman Linsey Dale says damage assessments are continuing Monday but the current estimate is 20 homes destroyed and 130 people displaced. The American Red Cross is working to shelter them. The fire erupted Sunday evening and spread in the very small and poor agricultural community about 100 miles from San Diego. Every local fire truck and firefighting team responded and firefighting help also came from elsewhere.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — After a weeklong wait, Kentucky Democrats are about to find out who their U.S. Senate nominee will be. Rivals Charles Booker and Amy McGrath are competing to challenge Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in the fall. The lead switched back and forth between McGrath and Booker as results trickled in since the state’s June 23 primary election. Most voters cast mail-in absentee ballots amid the coronavirus pandemic, and it took election officials all week to count and record the votes. County clerks had a Tuesday deadline to submit vote totals to the secretary of state’s office.

ROME (AP) — Vatican prosecutors have ordered the seizure of documents and computers from the administrative offices of St. Peter’s Basilica in an apparently new investigation into financial irregularities in the Holy See.The Vatican said Tuesday that Pope Francis also named a special commissioner to run the basilica, reorganize its offices, update its statutes to comply with new Vatican norms on procurement contracts and to “clarify its administration.” The special commissioner is Bishop Mario Giordana, who previously conducted an investigation into financial irregularities within the management of the Sistine Chapel Choir. The Vatican said his appointment and the seizures were based on a report from the Vatican’s auditor general, but it didn’t identify the report’s findings.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Low-cost carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle says it has cancelled its 97 outstanding orders for planes from U.S. manufacturer Boeing. Norwegian said in a statement it had terminated the purchase agreements of five 787 Dreamliners and 92 737 MAX aircraft. The Oslo-based company also said it had filed a legal claim seeking the return of payments made for the aircraft. It is also seeking compensation for losses it claims it incurred from the global grounding of the 737 Max planes as well as engine issues on the 787. Talks with Boeing have “not led to an agreement with a reasonable compensation,” the carrier said in the statement.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif are scheduled to address a U.N. Security Council meeting on the implementation of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. The Trump administration pulled out of the deal as tensions between the two countries escalated. A key issue at Tuesday’s long-scheduled council meeting is expected to be U.S. opposition to the lifting of a U.N. arms embargo on Iran in October. The meeting comes a day after Iran issued an arrest warrant for President Donald Trump and dozens of others for alleged involvement in the killing of an Iranian general.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Taliban spokesman says that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called the Taliban’s chief peace negotiator amid a roiling controversy in Washington over the Russian bounty scandal. There is much debate about when President Donald Trump was told of U.S. intelligence that Russia was paying the Taliban to kill U.S. and NATO soldiers in Afghanistan. It was not known if the bounty scandal came up in the Pompeo video call, which took place late on Monday. The call was meant to press the insurgents on reducing violence in Afghanistan and moving a U.S.-Taliban peace deal forward.