Guv tells U.S. Open to serve it up

The U.S. Open just got another green light.

One day after the United States Tennis Association said it would hold the Grand Slam tournament as scheduled as long as the government said it could, Governor Andrew Cuomo gave the proposal a thumbs up.

“The @usopen will be held in Queens, NY, without fans from August 31 to September 13,” Cuomo tweeted on Tuesday. “The USTA will take extraordinary precautions to protect players and staff, including robust testing, additional cleaning, extra locker room space, and dedicated housing & transportation.”

The tournament will go on as scheduled, but not as it has in the past. Players around the world have remained undecided about whether they would be willing to make the trip to the U.S.'s former epicenter of the coronavirus.

VEGAS TO HOST PRO BOWL

The NFL announced Tuesday that the 2021 Pro Bowl will be played at the new Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday, Jan. 31 — one week before the Super Bowl in Tampa.

● The EA Sports Madden cover release usually carries some suspense, but Lamar Jackson let it slip a few months ago that he had been approached about appearing on this year's game cover. On Tuesday, EA Sports made it official: The Ravens quarterback will, indeed, be on the cover of “Madden NFL 21.”

SABRES FIRE GM

The Buffalo Sabres fired general manager Jason Botterill on Tuesday in a dramatic change-of-course three weeks after co-owner Kim Pegula said his job was secure.

DALE JR. TO ENTER HALL

Dale Earnhardt Jr., the longtime fan favorite and two-time Daytona 500 winner, will join his famous, late father in NASCAR's Hall of Fame after being selected as one of three members of the 2021 class. The other inductees are Red Farmer and the late Mike Stefanik. Earnhardt's grandfather, Ralph, was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1997 and was selected as one of the 50 greatest drivers in NASCAR history in 1998.