Cohen agrees to purchase Mets

Billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen has agreed to buy the Mets from the Wilpon and Katz families.

The team announced the agreement. The deal is subject to the approval of Major League Baseball owners. Sportico reported Cohen will own 95% of the team, with the rest staying with the Wilpon and Katz families. The deal reportedly values the franchise at about $2.4 billion.

Former major-league star Alex Rodriguez and fiancee Jennifer Lopez also attempted to buy the team, but they dropped out of the bidding last month.

Horse racing

HORSE INJURED IN DERBY RETIRED » Honor A. P. has been retired because of an injury suffered in the Kentucky Derby, where he finished fourth.

The 3-year-old colt will stand at stud for next year’s breeding season at Lane’s End Farm in Versailles, Kentucky.

Honor A. P. had two wins in six career starts and earnings of $532,200, according to Equibase. Trained by John Shirreffs, Honor A. P. rallied to win the Santa Anita Derby on June 6, beating Authentic, the colt that went on to win the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5. Honor A. P. was the 7-1 second choice in the Kentucky Derby.

College football

AIR FORCE WILL PLAY ARMY, NAVY » The Air Force Falcons will play two football games this season against fellow service academies Army and Navy.

The Falcons’ abbreviated schedule includes hosting Navy on Oct. 3 and a trip to West Point, New York, to face Army on Nov. 7. The military academies compete annually for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, which goes to the academy with the best record in the roundrobin competition.

The school announced only Air Force Academy cadets would be permitted to attend the game at Falcon Stadium due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They will social distance and wear masks. The base remains closed to the public.

VA. TECH COACH OK WITH POSTPONEMENT » Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente said he takes the impact of the coronavirus pandemic personally and that he supports team medical experts who say it was the “exact right call” to postpone the Hokies’ scheduled upcoming game against Virginia.

The Hokies pulled out of their season-opener against Virginia on sEPT. 11, the week before the scheduled matchup with their instate rival, because of a COVID-19 outbreak within the football team. Team doctors suggested “it wasn’t even close” if the team could play, Fuente said on a Zoom call. No makeup date has been announced.

“Our kids were incredibly disappointed,” Fuente said. “I know they’ve taken, they and I probably, quite a bit of flack from it, but the bottom line is it was the exact right call.”

Coaches typically take the blame for poor on-field performances by their team, and Fuente seems to be trying to do that in this situation — or at least defending his players as they try to stay virus-free while on campus with a Virginia Tech student body that returned Aug. 24.