Warriors’ Curry: Wiggins handled ‘responsibilities’ with vaccine

Stephen Curry, the Golden State Warriors star who’s been outspoken about public health during the COVID-19 pandemic, held his tongue while teammate Andrew Wiggins voiced his concern over the vaccine.

Wiggins stood to miss all 41 Warriors home games if he opted against getting vaccinated, but he put those concerns to rest this week as coach Steve Kerr said Sunday that Wiggins had gotten his shot.

Wiggins was in the starting lineup for the Warriors’ preseason opener Monday night, alongside Curry, who weighed in on the subject for the first time since the news of Wiggins’ vaccination. Wiggins declined to speak until after the game.

“Obviously I think it’s great he’s available,” Curry said after shootaround Monday. “Whatever process he went through to get to that decision, he’ll be able to speak on that. We’re excited to have him. It’s a good sign he’s handling his responsibilities as a part of the team. Whatever the process was is for him to explain.”

MLB

The major league batting average dropped to .244 this season, its lowest since the year of the pitcher in 1968, though offense picked up markedly following baseball’s midseason crackdown on grip-enhancing substances for pitchers.

MLB’s stricter enforcement had the desired impact, ending a run of 12 consecutive full seasons in which strikeouts had set records annually.

From opening day through June 2, the last day before the crackdown, batters hit .236 with a .395 slugging percentage, a .707 OPS and an average of 4.36 runs per team each game. From June 3 through the end of the regular season, the average rose to .248 with a .419 slugging percentage, a .738 OPS and an average of 4.62 runs.

Winter Olympics

When the International Olympic Committee awarded Beijing the 2008 Summer Olympics, it promised the Games could improve human rights and civil liberties in China.

There is no such lofty talk this time with Beijing’s 2022 Winter Olympics — the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Games — opening in just four months on Feb. 4.

Instead, there are some calls for governments to boycott the Games with 3,000 athletes, sponsors and broadcasters being lobbied by rights groups representing minorities across China.

NFL

Jacksonville Jaguars coach Urban Meyer apologized to his family, his team and owner Shad Khan for actions he called “just stupid.”

A video surfaced Saturday night showing a woman dancing close to Meyer’s lap, a clip that quickly went viral and made headlines across the country. Another video appears to show Meyer touching the woman’s behind.

Meyer called a team meeting and vowed to “own it,” the motto he uses daily and has plastered all around the Jaguars facility.