APS high schools will have sports this fall, athletic director says

Atlanta Public Schools’ plan to conduct virtual learning this fall won’t keep the city’s 11 high schools from having sports, APS Athletic Director Jasper Jewell said Friday evening.

“As it stands, we’re still on,” Jewell said. “We’re going to hold practices after school hours just as if they were still in class. They’re still enrolled and still getting grades, so they will still be eligible by GHSA standards.”

In anticipating the possibility of virtual classes, Jewell has worked with the district’s director of transportation to have activity buses lined up to transport student athletes to and from their schools for practices. He’s also planning to have pre- or post-practice meals available for athletes.

Atlanta’s sports teams started summer conditioning June 15 and have had few COVID-related interruptions, Jewell said. Ten APS schools play football. The first date teams can hold mandatory practices is July 27.

For the other fall sports, it’s Aug. 1.

Braves intrasquad game to be televised Monday evening

In an example of sports networks’ current thirst for live programming, a Braves intrasquad game will be televised Monday.

Fox Sports Southeast will show Braves vs. Braves beginning at 7 p.m., the first extended telecast of the team in action since the coronavirus pandemic shut down spring training in March.

The 90-minute telecast will be hosted by Jerome Jurenovich and Paul Byrd from the Fox Sports South/ Southeast studios in Midtown Atlanta, with Kelly Crull reporting from Truist Park. The plan isn’t for a traditional game broadcast, but for Jurenovich and Byrd to discuss the action and the upcoming season as viewers look in on the intrasquad scrimmage.

Fox Sports Southeast also will televise two Braves exhibition games against the Miami Marlins on July 21 (7 p.m.) and July 22 (4 p.m.) at Truist Park. Chip Caray and Jeff Francoeur will call those games.

Yankees closer Chapman tests positive for COVID-19

Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman has tested positive for the coronavirus and is experiencing mild symptoms.

New York manager Aaron Boone said Saturday that Chapman “overall is doing well” but “will not be here for the foreseeable future.”

The AL East champions are scheduled to start the virus-delayed season July 23 at Washington.

Chapman threw a bullpen session Tuesday, and Boone wouldn’t comment on whether the left-hander had been at Yankee Stadium since.