Independent American Association baseball to start July 3

ST. PAUL, Minn. — While Major League Baseball and the affiliated minor leagues are shut down, an independent circuit is set to open on July 3 with some fans in the

seats.

The American Association said Friday its six teams will play in three hubs due to the new Coronavirus, at least at the start of the season.

Minnesota’s St. Paul Saints will play home games at Sioux Falls Stadium along with South Dakota’s Sioux Falls

Canaries. Manitoba’s Winnipeg Goldeyes will be based at Newman Outdoor Field along with North Dakota’s Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks. The Chicago Dogs will play home games at the Ballpark Commons along with the Milwaukee Milkmen.

All three home teams are

in position to sell about 25% to 33% of their ballpark’s capacities.

A 60-game regular season is envisioned through Sept. 10, and the top two teams will meet in a best-of-five championship series. Teams will allow limited capacities of spectators, if allowed.

Each team will play 42 games in its hub, including 30 home games. A displaced team would return to its regular home ballpark if government restrictions in place during the pandemic are relaxed.

Six teams will not operate this season: Cleburne Railroaders in Texas, Gary SouthShore RailCats in Indiana, Kansas City T-Bones, Lincoln Saltdogs in Nebraska, Sioux City Explorers in Iowa and Texas AirHogs in Prairie.

Unidentified Boston Bruin tests positive for virus

The Boston Bruins say one of their players has tested positive for COVID-19.

General manager Don Sweeney says the unidentified player had not been a part of informal workouts with his teammates.

The Bruins say the player was tested as a requirement to enter the team’s practice facility and came up positive. The player has not shown any COVID-19 symptoms.

The Bruins say the player has since tested negative twice for the disease.

6 Houston athletes test positive for COVID-19 with symptoms

HOUSTON — The University of Houston is suspending all voluntary workouts for its athletes after six tested positive for COVID-19 with symptoms.

Houston announced it was shutting down workouts due to “an abundance of caution” and an increase of positive tests in the greater Houston area over the last week.

The school said the athletes, who were not identified, have been placed in isolation and medical staff is conducting contact-tracing procedures.

Schools around the country have begun bringing athletes back to campus this month for voluntary workouts. Athletes are being tested for COVID-19 and Coronavirus antibodies and given physical screenings through examines and questionnaires. There is no national standardized testing protocol for athletes.

Positive tests results had been expected and quickly have become fairly common as schools bring athletes back. Arkansas State announced seven athletes test positive. Alabama has had at least five. Clemson reported three athletes testing positive among 169 tests on students and coaches. UCF, Houston’s American Athletic Conference rival, reported three positives from its first 60 tests.

F1 races canceled

Formula One races in Azerbaijan, Singapore and Japan have been canceled because of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Organizers say the long lead times required to construct street circuits in Singapore and Azerbaijan made it impossible to host those races during a period of uncertainty.

The Japanese Grand Prix in October was canceled because of ongoing travel restrictions.