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Midwest Sports Headlines: 7/31/20

Sports

July 31st, 2020 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says he will make policy changes after an investigation report detailed racial bias against Black players in his program and bullying behavior by some of his assistants. University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld says the critical report by an outside law firm shows the “climate and culture must and will change within our football program.” Ferentz apologized to former Black players at a news conference and promised to build on changes made in recent weeks to improve their experience. But he said he would retain all of his current assistants, including his son, offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz.

DETROIT (AP) — Trevor Rosenthal pitched a scoreless ninth for his first save since 2017 and the Kansas City Royals beat Detroit 5-3, overcoming Miguel Cabrera’s first multihomer game since 2016. Once a standout closer for St. Louis, Rosenthal has struggled with his health and his effectiveness in recent years, finishing 2019 with a 13.50 ERA in 22 appearances with the Nationals and Tigers. When he retired JaCoby Jones on a grounder to end the game, he gave his glove a little celebratory tap. The Royals have scored 25 of their 31 runs this year in the first five innings, but this time their offense came through late, with a run in the seventh and two in the eighth.

UNDATED (AP) — The Southeastern Conference will play only league games in 2020 to deal with potential COVID-19 disruptions. The decision pushes major college football closer to a siloed regular season in which none of the power conferences cross paths. The SEC’s university presidents agreed upon a 10-game schedule that eliminated all nonconference opponents and is scheduled to begin Sept. 26. The SEC championship game, originally scheduled for Dec. 5, will be pushed back to Dec. 19. The Big Ten and Pac-12 will also play only conference games. The ACC announced plans for an 11-game schedule with one nonconference game.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Jamiro Monteiro and Sergio Santos scored two minutes apart midway through the first half, Santos added a second goal just before halftime and the Philadelphia Union reached the semifinals of the MLS is Back tournament with a 3-1 win over Sporting Kansas City. Philadelphia’s perfect run in the tournament continued thanks to its first-half scoring blitz. The Union had two wins and a draw in the group stage then beat New England in the round of 16. Philadelphia will face either New York City FC or Portland in the semifinals.