Wisconsin Sports Headlines – 5/29/2020

The Latest Sports Headlines: 

>>New Cowboys Coach Waiting Out Pandemic At GB Home

(Green Bay, WI)  —  The Dallas Cowboys’ new head coach is working remotely – and long distance – from his home in Green Bay.  Mike McCarthy is waiting out the pandemic saying he’s eager to return to the team’s headquarters in Frisco, Texas.  McCarthy hasn’t been there in more than a month.  His team has been holding virtual meetings like most of the rest of the league while it follows the NFL coronavirus guidelines.  McCarthy replaced Jason Garrett in the offseason.

 

>>Brewers To Pay Minor League Players Weekly Stipend Through June

(Milwaukee, WI)  —  The Milwaukee Brewers plan to pay their minor-league players the 400-dollar weekly stipend through the month of June.  League sources say the team could choose to continue the stipend payments beyond June, but that will be influenced by whether Major League Baseball and the players’ union can come to an agreement on holding a shortened 2020 season.  The Oakland A’s notified their minor-league players earlier this week that their stipends will end May 31st.

 

>>2 Pro Bowls – And Bakhtiari Is Still Underrated

(Green Bay, WI)  —  Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari has been named to two Pro Bowls – yet has still been placed on S-I-dot-com’s All-Decade Underrated team.  Bakhtiari’s footwork and pass-blocking ability are rated some of the best in the N-F-L and he’s currently nearing the end of a four-year, 46-million-dollar contract with the Packers.  He’ll likely get another big payday because the man who protects quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ blind side will only be 29 years old when the current deal ends.

 

>>Only 4 Big Ten Schools Announce Dates For Student-Athlete Campus Workouts

(Rosemont, IL)  —  The NCAA is allowing football and basketball players to begin working out on campus in June.  Only four Big Ten football programs have announced specific dates when players will be permitted on campus.  Nebraska will allow voluntary workouts June 1st, Illinois June 3rd, and Iowa and Ohio State June 8th.  Wisconsin has not set a specific date.  A U-W statement says they’re still in the process of determining when allowing athletes back on campus would be appropriate amid the COVID-19 pandemic.  U-W Athletics is working with medical officials and to explore plans to welcome student-athletes back on a limited basis and with health and safety as the highest priority.  Big Ten programs are also waiting for the conference to either lift or extend its ban on organized team activities.

 

>>Wisconsin Senate Leader Says He’s Talked With Pro Sports Teams

(Madison, WI)  —  The leader of the Wisconsin Senate says he’s been talking with the state’s pro sports teams about what needs to happen to get some games played this year.  Republican Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald tells reporters he’s talked with representatives for the Bucks, the Brewers and the Packers.  Fitzgerald says there are big questions that need to be answered and he wants to make sure he is ready when or if the Wisconsin state government needs to act.

 

>>Basketball Hall Of Fame Ceremony Put Off Until 2021

(Springfield, MA)  —  The chairman of the Basketball Hall of Fame says the ceremony for Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan and five others will be delayed until next year due to the coronavirus pandemic.  Hall chairman Jerry Colangelo tells ESPN the enshrinement ceremony will be held in the spring of 2021.  It was supposed to be held in late August in Springfield, Massachusetts.

 

>>MLB Players To Make Counter-Proposal Including More Games

(Undated)  —  Major League Baseball players appear likely to propose increasing the number of games to be played this year while continuing their demand for prorated salaries.  They called MLB’s offer a “non-starter” Wednesday because it included massive pay cuts for the game’s best players.  It isn’t clear when the players’ union will officially respond to this week’s offer – or when a counter-offer might be presented.