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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs agreed to a one-year contract with former New York Giants cornerback Antonio Hamilton, the first deal made by the Super Bowl champions since the start of free agency earlier in the week. Kansas City entered the market desperate for help in the defensive backfield after losing Kendall Fuller, Morris Claiborne and Bashaud Breeland to free agency. Fuller and Breeland in particular were crucial to a defensive turnaround under new coordinator Steve Spagnuolo that helped deliver the Chiefs their first Super Bowl title since 1970.

UNDATED (AP) — Dayton breakout star Obi Toppin is the lone unanimous first-team choice to The Associated Press men’s college basketball All-America team. Toppin is joined on the first team by Iowa’s Luka Garza, Marquette’s Markus Howard, Myles Powell of Seton Hall and Payton Pritchard of Oregon. Toppin is Dayton’s first first-team AP All-American after averaging 20 points and seven rebounds per game.

The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast with Jim Field.

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The cash-strapped Kansas City Chiefs were quiet on the first day of NFL free agency with their biggest move Wednesday a restructuring of defensive end Frank Clark’s contract in an effort to alleviate some of their financial misery. Similar moves could be made in the coming days, potentially for wide receiver Sammy Watkins and offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif as the Super Bowl champions try to free up the resources to bolster their defense in free agency. The only deal the Chiefs have reached in free agency so far is a two-year contract with backup quarterback Chad Henne.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have placed the nonexclusive franchise tag on Chris Jones. That raises the possibility that the Pro Bowl defensive tackle will remain with the Super Bowl champions for at least one more season. The nonexclusive tag means Jones must be offered a one-year contract for no less than the average of the top five salary cap hits at defensive tackle for the previous five years. It also means that if Jones signs an offer sheet from another team, the Chiefs can match that offer or let him go and receive two first-round picks as compensation.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Drake Relays that had been scheduled for April in Des Moines have been indefinitely postponed because of the virus outbreak. Drake University said Wednesday that organizers made the decision to protect the “health, safety and well-being” of participants and fans amid concerns about the coronavirus. The track and field event was scheduled for April 22-25, primarily at Drake Stadium. The postponement includes related activities, such as the Beautiful Bulldog Contest, Grand Blue Mile and Drake Road Races. Organizers said they would work with local, state and national officials to reschedule the event when it’s safe for all participants.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas has finished the season No. 1 in The Associated Press college basketball poll, receiving 63 of 65 first-place votes from a national media panel. Gonzaga was second and Dayton third with Florida State and Baylor rounding out the top five. It’s the fourth time since the inception of the men’s poll for the 1946-47 season that the Jayhawks finished on top. The AP poll is typically released before the NCAA Tournament settles the national champion. The tournament was canceled this year amid the coronavirus pandemic.

UNDATED (AP) — The cancellation of the NCAA Tournament due to the coronavirus will deprive college basketball fans of what could have been some marquee matchups. Another duel between Seton Hall’s Myles Powell and Marquette’s Markus Howard could have been epic. Arizona State’s Danny Hurley facing Duke and Coach K could have been a fun chess match to watch. A senior point guard duel between Michigan State’s Cassius Winston and Oregon’s Payton Pritchard will never happen.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Organizers have announced they have indefinitely postponed the Drake Relays that had been scheduled for April in Des Moines. In a statement, Drake University said Wednesday that officials made the decision to protect the “health, safety and well-being” of participants and fans amid concerns about the coronavirus. The event was scheduled for April 22-25, primarily at Drake Stadium.

The postponement includes related activities, such as the Beautiful Bulldog Contest, Grand Blue Mile and Drake Road Races. Organizers said they would work with local, state and national officials to reschedule the event when it’s safe for all participants.

Cardinals Fans,

This week, Major League Baseball announced that the opening of the 2020 season will be delayed due to the CDC’s latest guidelines, which restrict events of more than 50 people for a matter of weeks. We are supportive of this decision as the health and safety of our fans, players, and staff is our highest priority. The situation is fluid. It evolves by the hour, and unfortunately we don’t have a date we can circle on the calendar for Opening Day yet.

What we do know is that MLB will continue to share updates regarding plans for the 2020 schedule in the days and weeks ahead, and we will share news as it becomes available, along with news specific to Busch Stadium and other events.

MLB has a variety of contingency plans, and we will remain flexible with the hope of resuming normal operations as soon as possible. When the season does begin, MLB will be committed to playing as many games as possible.

Below, is a list of topics we anticipate our fans have questions about, along with what we know at this time.

Ticketing Questions: We are working through our approach to handling ticket issues, and we will communicate details to fans soon. We appreciate your patience and understanding in the meantime.

The MLB London Series: MLB continues to monitor the situation, but has not made a decision to delay or cancel the event at this time.

Status of Major and Minor League Players: Most of our major league players have returned home, with a few remaining in camp who live nearby. Our minor league players were sent home after spring training operations were suspended on Friday. Before players left, they were provided at-home training information as well as guidelines about prevention, good hygiene, and the latest travel recommendations. We will communicate with them on a regular basis to ensure their health and wellness during this time. Also, we will honor our daily allowance for minor league players.

Coronavirus Task Force: We have established an internal task force to address all aspects of this situation and its impact on the organization, our fans and the community.

Front Office Staffing: Starting this week, the St. Louis Cardinals have implemented a telework policy—requiring all front office employees to work from home, with the exception of those employees whose responsibilities require them to be present at the stadium.

Seasonal Staff: This is an important issue impacting not only the St. Louis Cardinals, but all professional sports teams. Cancelled games can hurt game day and seasonal staff particularly hard, and we are concerned about them. Yesterday, MLB announced that each of the 30 teams will be contributing $1 million into a fund that will help this group of employees. More details will follow on how the Cardinals will be administering this fund, and how others might be able to contribute to it as well.

Coronavirus Prevention Guidelines: We hope our fans stay educated on how to prevent exposure and transmission of the Coronavirus. Here is a helpful link from the CDC’s website about ways to protect yourself.

See also this helpful article from MLB.com, What fans need to know about the Coronavirus.

In closing, we want to thank you for your ongoing support of our team and our city as we work through this unprecedented situation. We can’t wait for the moment we are back at Busch Stadium together.

Stay safe, and we will be in touch.

Sincerely,

Bill DeWitt III
President, St. Louis Cardinals

The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’ men’s college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Mar. 17, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and last week’s ranking:

Others receiving votes: Stephen F Austin 78, ETSU 66, Providence 63, Michigan 62, Utah St. 36, Saint Mary’s (Cal) 33, Penn St. 21, Arizona 7, Rutgers 6, Richmond 6, Southern Cal 4, New Mexico St. 4, Texas Tech 3, UCLA 2, Vermont 2, Purdue 1, Belmont 1, Liberty 1, Utah 1.

The Iowa High School Athletic Association and Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released sites for track and field’s co-ed 2020 State Qualifying Meets late Tuesday.

The meets are currently set for Thursday, May 14 in all classes for both boys and girls. The IHSAA and IGHSAU announced a suspension of spring activities on Monday, March 16 that currently extends through April 12.

Qualifiers from these meets would advance to the 2020 Iowa High School Track and Field Championships, currently set for May 21-23 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

There will be no more than 24 qualifiers in any event in any classification. For more information, please review the 2020 track and field manual.