Friday Sports in Brief – Miami Herald
TENNIS
MADRID (AP) — Rafael Nadal pulled out of the U.S. Open on Friday and said he will not play tennis again this year because of a nagging foot injury.
The Spaniard sat out both Wimbledon and the Olympics because of fatigue after losing to Novak Djokovic in the French Open semifinals.
“I have to announce that unfortunately I must put an end to the 2021 season,” Nadal wrote in Spanish on social media. “I have been suffering much more than I should with my foot and I need to take some time off to find a solution to this problem.”
Nadal has won 20 Grand Slam singles titles, tied with Djokovic and Roger Federer.
MLB
NEW YORK (AP) — There will be more major league magic at the Field of Dreams site when the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs travel to Dyersville, Iowa, for a game next season.
The Reds and Cubs will play a regular-season game on Aug. 11, 2022, at a temporary venue built next to the site where the iconic 1989 baseball movie “Field of Dreams” was filmed.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — One month after leading the Milwaukee Bucks to their first NBA title in half a century, Giannis Antetokounmpo is teaming up with the city’s other major pro sports franchise by joining the Milwaukee Brewers’ ownership group.
Antetokounmpo modeled a Brewers jersey with No. 34, the same number he wears on the basketball court.
Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio and Antetokounmpo said they finalized this agreement in May. Antetokounmpo said he and the team kept it quiet at the time because they didn’t want to distract the Bucks’ playoff run and the early part of the Brewers’ season.
NFL
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona Cardinals 11-time Pro Bowl receiver Larry Fitzgerald says he currently doesn’t have the desire to play an 18th NFL season, though he left the possibility open that he might resume his career.
In an interview on SiriusXM Radio with Jim Gray on Mad Dog Sports Radio — set to air Friday afternoon — Fitzgerald said he’s currently focused on being a radio broadcaster.
The 37-year-old has put together 17 of the most consistent and productive seasons for a wide receiver in NFL history.
NBA
MIAMI (AP) — The Miami Heat announced Friday that all employees must be in the process of becoming fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Sept. 1.
Exemptions will be available for those awaiting a second dose of a two-shot vaccine or those with “a qualifying medical condition or a sincerely held religious belief,” the team said. Employees who have not met vaccination requirements by that date will not be allowed at work, and if they remain noncompliant eventually will be considered to have resigned.
NHL
WASHINGTON (AP) — Henrik Lundqvist, one of the greatest goaltenders of his generation, announced his retirement Friday less than nine months after heart surgery.
The 39-year-old Swede starred for years for the New York Rangers, where he piled up 459 wins along with a a 2.43 goals-against average and 64 shutouts in 15 seasons.
He is sixth in NHL history in wins, seventh in saves (23,509), eighth in games played (887), ninth in starts (871), ninth in time on ice (51,816:51) and 17th in shutouts, accorinding to the NHL.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Oregon and Oregon State became the first Power Five schools to announce they will require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for people over the age of 12 to attend football games.
In its announcement Friday, Oregon said the decision was made with public health authorities and “peer institutions in the state.”
The Oregon football team opens its season at 54,000-seat Autzen Stadium in Eugene on Sept. 4 against Fresno State. Oregon State begins its home schedule at Reser Stadium on Sept. 11 against Hawaii.
Earlier in the day, Hawaii became the first major college football school to say it would have no fans in attendance for its opening sports events of the season because of a recent COVID-19 surge. Hawaii’s first home football game is Sept. 5 against Portland State.
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Auburn football coach Bryan Harsin said Friday that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is isolating at home.
Harsin said in a statement that he tested positive on Thursday but wasn’t experiencing symptoms.
The first-year Tigers coach said he will participate remotely in meetings and practices. Assistant head coach Jeff Schmedding, who works with linebackers, will take over as interim coach for in-person duties.
Auburn opens the season Sept. 4 against Akron.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Texas A&M basketball coach Buzz Williams has been suspended for two games and the team has been placed on two years of probation for multiple NCAA rules violations, the NCAA announced Friday.
The violations include Williams having impermissible contact in July 2019 with a prospect. Additionally, an unnamed assistant coach observed and held tryouts with a prospect during an unofficial visit. That assistant was found to have conducted multiple supervised workouts off campus with team members and a prospect that were not allowed because of the pandemic.
The school suspended that assistant from June 2020 through the 2020-21 season.
COLLEGE ATHLETICS
HONOLULU (AP) — Sports teams at the University of Hawaii will open the fall season with no fans in the stands at home contests.
Honolulu officials notified the university that fans won’t be allowed at season-opening events due to the state’s current surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitals being overwhelmed, the university said in a statement Friday.
A decision to host fans will be reevaluated in coming weeks, the statement said.
SPORTS BUSINESS
Major League Baseball is ending a 70-year relationship with trading card company Topps after signing a new partnership with a rival company.
The loss of the MLB partnership immediately scuttled a deal announced earlier this year that would have made Topps a publicly traded company.
The special-purpose acquisition company Mudrick Capital Acquisition Corporation II said Friday that its agreement to merge with Topps to take the company public was terminated by mutual agreement after it found out that MLB and the league’s players’ union would not be renewing their respective agreements with The Topps Co. when they come up for renewal at the end of 2025 and 2022, respectively.
