Wisconsin Sports Headlines – 3/14/2020

The Latest Sports Headlines: 

 

>>Bucks Forward Giannis Donates $100K to Fiserv Forum Staff

(Milwaukee, WI)  — Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokumnpo is donating 100-thousand dollars to the Fiserv Forum staff that has been affected by the cancelation of N-B-A games and events at the arena. The Greek Freak announced on Twitter on Friday that during this tough time,” I want to help the people that make my life, my family’s lives and my teammates’ lives easier. It’s bigger than basketball! We can get through this together!”  The N-B-A season was suspended this week as a response to the coronavirus pandemic. Bucks President Peter Feigin said in a statement, “Decisions about the status of the remaining 2020 regular season is currently being determined. We thank our fans for their patience during this time and will continue to closely consult with the NBA, and city and state health officials to provide you with updates.” Some of the events postponed at Fiserv Forum include concerts by Blake Shelton, Michael Buble’ and Dan + Shay.  Milwaukee has the best record in the N-B-A at 53-and-12. There were ten home games remaining in the regular season.

 

>>NFL Moves Ahead With Start Of New League Year

(New York, NY)  — The National Football League is moving ahead with the start of a new league year next Wednesday.  The Collective Bargaining Agreement vote is still set for tonight (Saturday) just before midnight eastern time, with the franchise tag deadline pushed back to Monday.  The period for teams to negotiate with free agents is also scheduled to officially begin Monday afternoon. Green Bay released tight end Jimmy Graham this week to clear salary cap space.

 

>>NFL Draft Still Set to Begin April 23rd

(Green Bay, WI)  — The N-F-L is the only professional sport not affected by the COVID-19 outbreak in the U-S  so far. The 2020 N-F-L Draft is still scheduled to begin April 23rd in Las Vegas. The Green Bay Packers have ten picks heading into the draft.  The Packers have the 30th overall pick in the first round and one each in the second through fifth rounds. Green Bay has three sixth rounders and two seventh-round selections.  The Pack was not awarded any compensatory picks this season due to multiple free-agent signings last spring. The Packers won the N-F-C North in 2019 and made it to the N-F-C Championship where they lost to the San Francisco 49ers.

 

>>Cactus League Season Abruptly Ends For Milwaukee Brewers

(Phoenix, AZ)  — And then all the anticipation for another Major League Baseball season has suddenly ended. The Cactus League spring training season for the Milwaukee Brewers was called off  Thursday. The Brew Crew was supposed to play the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks in split-squad games, but Major League Baseball abruptly canceled the rest of spring training.  For now, the start of the 2020 regular season has been pushed back at least two weeks – meaning the Brewers won’t be hosting the Chicago Cubs at Miller Park March 26th.

 

>>Brewers Issue Statement on Suspended Season

(Phoenix, AZ)  — Some members of the Milwaukee Brewers are heading home after Major League Baseball announced Friday that players were allowed to leaving Spring Training sites in Florida and Arizona.  All Grapefruit and Cactus League games were cancelled Thursday and Opening Day is postponed for at least two weeks. M-L-B gave players the option of remaining in Arizona, returning to Wisconsin or to their offseason homes. Guys who remain in Arizona will have access to on-field and training facilities at American Family Fields of Phoenix. The Brewers released a statement Friday, saying, “The health and safety of our fans, players, employees and game-day staff is our top priority. We fully support the measures taken by Major League Baseball regarding cancellation of Spring Training games and delaying the season’s start.”  The team said,”these are unprecedented times and circumstances may change by the hour, so we thank you for your patience and we wish you and yours the best of health during this difficult time.”

 

>>Wisconsin Women’s Hockey Won’t Repeat as National Champions

(Madison, WI)  — The Wisconsin women’s hockey team will not have a chance to defend its national title this season due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Badgers were scheduled to play Clarkson today in the N-C-A-A quarterfinals. Second-ranked U-W fell to Ohio State 1-0 in last weekend’s W-C-H-A championship game in Minneapolis.  The Buckeyes and Golden Gophers were supposed to play another quarterfinal game this afternoon. Badgers coach Mark Johnson says most of his players were in tears when they learned the Frozen Four was cancelled. He says he feels horrible for the seniors who won’t get another opportunity – but adds “sometimes you have to take a step back and look at the big picture.”  Wisconsin senior forward Abby Roque was the W-C-H-A player of the year and one of three finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award.