Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy is recovering from a severe case of COVID-19 that had him quarantined for 30 days. He says he experienced fevers, breathing trouble and an increased heart rate. The symptoms worsened at night, making it difficult to sleep.
Because he didn’t want his wife and young children to catch the virus, Hottovy isolated himself in a spare bedroom at home. Things got so bad that he spent eight hours at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago on the 12th day he was sick.
He finally tested negative about two weeks ago. The Cubs resume workouts Friday for the first time since Major League Baseball shut down camps on March 12.
The St. Louis Cardinals have replaced the New York Yankees as the opponent for the Chicago White Sox in the Field of Dreams game on Aug. 13 at Dyersville, Iowa. This season’s new 60 game schedule meant the White Sox would not be playing the Yankees. The new opponent, first reported by The Des Moines Register, was confirmed to The Associated Press by a person familiar with the arrangements who spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the matchup has not been announced. Major League Baseball hopes to announce its new schedule next week.
The NFL is announcing plans to cut the preseason in half and push the start of exhibition play back a week to give players more time to get in shape. Teams haven’t been able to gather together since last season. The league and the players association have been meeting to find ways to make sure they can have games in a safe environment. The exhibition slate will now begin Aug. 20 instead of Aug. 13. Teams will begin reporting to training camp July 28.
For the first time in almost a century, Mexico has cancelled its professional baseball season. And the Mexico City Marathon, Latin America’s most important, has also been cancelled. The Mexican Baseball League announced the cancellation of the 2020 season Wednesday, the first time in 95 years a whole season had been cancelled. The season was scheduled to start Aug. 7, but the 16 team owners decided that they could not guarantee the safety of fans and players.
The Green Bay Packers have signed each of their two top draft picks: Utah State quarterback Jordan Love and Boston College running back A.J. Dillon. Green Bay gave the Miami Dolphins a fourth-round draft choice to move up four spots in the first round and take Love with the 26th overall selection back in April. The Packers chose Dillon with the 62nd overall pick. Both selections were somewhat surprising because the Packers already have two-time MVP Aaron Rodgers at quarterback and Aaron Jones at running back.
Some NFL players are raising concerns about playing football amid the coronavirus pandemic while others are ignoring advice of medical experts by working out with teammates. JC Tretter, a center on the Cleveland Browns and president of the NFL Players Association, wrote an open letter to players saying they have to fight for “necessary COVID-19 protections.” New Orleans Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins said last week that “football is a nonessential business and so we don’t need to do it.” Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward has asthma so he wants to “take every precaution” if he plays.
Houston’s Thabo Sefolosha is opting out of the NBA’s restart in Orlando. The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity Wednesday because the decision hasn’t been announced. Sefolosha is in his first season with the Rockets. The 36-year-old is a 15-year NBA veteran who has also played for Utah, Atlanta, Oklahoma City and Chicago. The Rockets are schedule to resume the season on July 31 against the Dallas Mavericks.
Webb Simpson is competing on the PGA Tour again after his family had a coronavirus scare. One of Simpson’s daughters tested positive for the virus, leading to him withdrawing from last week’s tournament as a precaution. Simpson says the daughter, along with his wife and other kids, later tested negative. Webb leads the tour in FedEx Cup points and scoring average. He is attempting to become the PGA Tour’s first player with three victories during this pandemic-interrupted year. Chad Campbell has withdrawn from the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit after becoming the sixth PGA Tour player to test positive for the coronavirus.
