Update on the latest sports

NHL-RANGERS-QUINN FIRED

New York Rangers fire coach Dave Quinn, 3 assistants

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Rangers fired coach David Quinn and three assistant coaches Wednesday after missing the playoffs with one of the NHL’s up-and-coming young teams.

The move is the first major one from new general manager Chris Drury, who took over last week after the organization fired popular president John Davidson and general manager Jeff Gorton. Drury said the Rangers will begin our search for a new head coach immediately.

Assistant coaches Jacques Martin, David Oliver, Greg Brown were also fired. Goaltending coach Benoit Allaire was retained.

The Rangers made the expanded playoffs in the 2019-20 COVID season but were swept in the play-in round by the Carolina Hurricanes in three games.

NFL-2021 SCHEDULE

Bucs to kick off season vs Cowboys

UNDATED (AP) — Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will begin their quest to repeat as Super Bowl champions when they kick off the 2021 season against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night, Sept. 9.

The season will open on the same field where the Buccaneers became the first team to win a Super Bowl at home.

The game could see the return of Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 5 of last season. The Cowboys have missed the playoffs the past two seasons.

Other highlights from opening weekend include Matthew Stafford playing his first game for the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night against the Chicago Bears with SoFi Stadium welcoming fans for the first time.

Most teams are expected to be at full capacity following a season played before limited crowds because of COVID-19.

The Las Vegas Raiders host the Baltimore Ravens in the first Monday night game.

The NFL also announced it will return to London in October for its first games in the city since the outbreak of the coronavirus. The Atlanta Falcons will play the New York Jets on Oct. 10, and the Jacksonville Jaguars face the Miami Dolphins a week later. The NFL says it is ready to return to London following a successful rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine in Britain.

The full NFL schedule will be released Wednesday night.

MLB-SCHEDULE

Short-handed Padres visit Rockies

UNDATED (AP) — The Padres are shorthanded heading into Wednesday’s doubleheader against Colorado at Coors Field. San Diego shortstop Fernando Tatis (tah-TEES’) Jr. and outfielder Wil Myers have tested positive for COVID-19, and first baseman Eric Hosmer is out for contact tracing, along with utility players Jurickson Profar and Jorge Mateo. Hosmer and Myers were removed last night in the middle of an 8-1 win over the Rockies, leaving San Diego scrambling for replacements.

Yu Darvish and Blake Snell are slated to start for the Padres in the doubleheader. Snell looks to bounce back from walking six in 4 2/3 innings against San Francisco. The 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner hasn’t lasted more than 5 1/3 innings in any of his seven starts for the Padres since being acquired from Tampa Bay.

In other highlights of Wednesday’s schedule:

— Gerrit Cole pitches for the Yankees at rival Tampa Bay, but it’s unclear which New York staff members will be available. Third base coach Phil Nevin and first base coach Reggie Willits are away from the team after positive COVID-19 tests. Following a 3-1 win in the series opener last night, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said another staff member tested positive as well, but did not provide further details. All three coaches mentioned are fully vaccinated. Several coaches missed the game due to contact tracing, but Boone said the tracing did not include any players.

— Former Mets ace Matt Harvey will face New York today for the first time since unceremoniously splitting with the team in a 2018 trade to Cincinnati. Harvey, now with the Orioles, returned to Citi Field with the Reds later that season but did not pitch. “Harvey Day” was once appointment viewing in Queens, with fans wearing Batman attire to support the right-hander known as the Dark Knight. Injuries and various malfeasance — including a day in 2017 when Harvey failed to show up for a game — brought a rapid end to his prime.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL-MILWAUKEE-BALDWIN JR

Top-five recruit Baldwin Jr. to play for father at Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Patrick Baldwin Jr., one of the nation’s top recruits in his class, says he will play college basketball for his father at Milwaukee.

The 6-foot-9 forward is rated as the nation’s No. 4 senior prospect according to composite rankings of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports. An ankle injury caused him to miss most of his senior season at Hamilton High School in Sussex, Wisconsin.

Baldwin chose the Horizon League program over Duke and Georgetown. He announced his decision Wednesday at a news conference at his high school.

His decision is a huge victory for his father, who has posted a 47-70 record in four seasons as Milwaukee’s coach The Panthers went 10-12 this past season and lost in the Horizon League Tournament semifinals.

NCAA-HOME RUN RECORD

Nevada’s Bosetti homers in NCAA-record 9th straight game

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Nevada’s Tyler Bosetti has homered in nine consecutive games, breaking an NCAA Division I record that stood for 30 years.

Bosetti homered to right-center field in his first at-bat Tuesday against Arizona State. It was the 11th homer in 10 games for the senior third baseman, who was at a loss to explain the feat.

Georgia Tech’s Andy Bruce homered in eight straight games in 1991 and Duke’s Ryan Jackson matched the feat three years later.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-SPORTS

Georgia Tech to allow full capacity for football

UNDATED (AP) — Georgia Tech will allow full capacity at 55,000-seat Bobby Dodd Stadium and on-campus tailgating for the 2021 football season.

Athletic director Todd Stanbury cites increased vaccinations, declining COVID-19 rates and updated guidance from health officials for the change. Georgia Tech allowed about 20% capacity and banned on-campus tailgating during the 2020 season. The Yellow Jackets are set to play six home games this fall, beginning with the Sept. 4 season opener against Northern Illinois.

Georgia Tech joins baseball’s Atlanta Braves, the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United in announcing the return to 100% capacity at their respective facilities.

In other pandemic-related developments:

— A full-page newspaper ad in Japan says Japanese will be “killed by politics” because the government is forcing them to endure the pandemic without vaccines. More than 300,000 people have signed a petition calling for the Tokyo Olympics to be canceled. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is vowing to hold a safe Tokyo Olympics even as hospitals struggle to find beds for the sick and dying in parts of Japan and many Japanese desperately wait for vaccinations. Frustration is mounting over Suga’s request that people cooperate while he pushes to hold the Olympics in just over two months.

— Players at the French Open will be allowed a daily one-hour window outside their social-distancing bubble. Tournament director Guy Forget says players will have the chance to get out for a jog or enjoy some fresh air. Forget says players are “extremely aware of the danger” caused by the coronavirus pandemic and won’t be put under surveillance during their stay in the French capital. The traditional French Open schedule has been disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic for the second year in a row. First-round matches were initially scheduled to start on May 23 but will now get underway on May 30.