Money will be the motivation to return but if anyone tells you they know what's going to happen or when the season will start, they are just guessing. Flexibility remains the best option for Major League Baseball right now.

Major League Baseball is reportedly considering a plan of restarting spring training in early June with the season starting in early July.

While the focus of the sports world is on the possible relaunch of the major-league season, minor-league teams cling to the hope of competing in 2020 while girding for the increasing likelihood that the season will be dormant.

The quality of the games, which include a handful of former big-league players, isn’t great. But it’s real, live baseball being broadcast by ESPN. Beyond the joy of watching baseball, these games provide a glimpse of what Mariners games and other MLB matchups might look like if/when they return.

Taylor, 31, led after each round in his second PGA Tour victory.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ernie Els has made it clear he will not be returning as International captain for the Presidents Cup next year. Tiger Woods was a little more vague. Woods, captain of the U.S. team that won at Royal Melbourne for the eighth straight time, says he spoke with Els while boarding the […]

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The bookies had Patrick Reed at 40-1 odds going into the Mexico Championship, which should have come down before he even hit a shot. More accusations of cheating, this time from Brooks Koepka during a town hall show on Sirius XM. And then former CBS analyst Peter Kostis weighed in during […]

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — All that 84-year-old Mary Ann Wakfield needed to do to win a new car was sink a putt across the entire length of the court at the University of Mississippi’s basketball stadium. Wakfield did just that during a promotional segment at Saturday’s game between Ole Miss men’s basketball team and Alabama. […]

The British Open is returning to Royal Troon in 2023 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first Open on the western Scottish links and to stoke memories of Henrik Stenson’s magnificent duel he won against Phil Mickelson. Some 25 miles (40 kilometers) to the south, President Donald Trump’s course at Turnberry will have to […]

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Augusta National on Friday postponed the Masters, another massive hit to the spring sports calendar from the new coronavirus that already is responsible for the loss of March Madness and the delay of opening day baseball. So much for that annual rite of spring and the first week in […]

Under normal circumstances, this would be a perfect time to sneak in a round or two (or four), but of course, that’s impossible. All courses in the state have been shut down by virtue of Gov. Inslee’s shelter-at-home order March 23.

For every fist pump from Tiger Woods, there are images of Greg Norman’s lonely walk across Hogan Bridge as he loses the last of his six-shot lead and heads for more heartache at the Masters. Jack Nicklaus had his famous charge on the back nine. Ed Sneed infamously lost a three-shot lead with bogeys on […]

Any course planning to reopen must comply to guidelines developed by the governor's office. The most notable will be the limit of two people per group instead of threesomes or foursomes in groups. The only exception: If all the people are from the same household, a foursome is acceptable.

Folks were teeming with joy Tuesday at Bellevue Golf Course, which booked out within minutes of Gov. Jay Inslee's announcement last week that it was OK to play golf after a two-month shutdown because of the coronavirus pandemic.

About 14,800 initial unemployment claims by bartenders were filed from March 8 through April 25, which closely matches the number of people estimated to work as bartenders in Washington in the second quarter of 2020.

Throughout Friday, on this page, we’ll be posting updates from Seattle Times journalists and others on the pandemic and its effects on the Seattle area, the Pacific Northwest and the world.

Gov. Kate Brown announced earlier this week that some outdoor recreation activities can resume as the coronavirus pandemic continues.

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Byron Mallott, who served as Alaska’s lieutenant governor as part of a “unity ticket” with former Gov. Bill Walker, died Friday. He was 77. Walker called Mallott’s death a “huge shock.” He said they maintained a relationship after leaving office in 2018 and that his last communication with Mallott was about […]

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Supreme Court rules an effort to recall Gov. Mike Dunleavy can move forward.

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Supreme Court ruled Friday that an effort aimed at recalling Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy from office can proceed, a movement initially fueled by public outrage over spending cuts he’d proposed. The court had previously allowed the Recall Dunleavy campaign to proceed with a second signature-gathering phase while it heard […]

Five TSA employees nationwide have died of COVID-19, and 516 employees have tested positive, including seven at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Three more people have died from COVID-19, bringing the death total to at least 124 in Oregon, state officials said. The Oregon Health Authority said Friday that another 75 cases were confirmed, and that 3,032 Oregonians have tested positive for the coronavirus. The three newly-reported deaths include an 80-year-old woman and […]

More than 750 immigration detainees at more than 40 detention facilities around the country have tested positive for the disease, a number that activists say may be an undercount given a paucity of testing at some facilities.

The man, who was taken into custody on Wednesday night, is in "critical, but medically stable" condition at an Everett hospital.

One of the hottest debates in the coronavirus pandemic is whether the malaria drugs promoted as possible treatments by President Donald Trump really work. But Americans don’t seem overly eager to help answer the question. Enrollment in several clinical trials of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine — including two by the University of Washington — has been […]

While this year’s Mother’s Day weekend promises warm weather, Seattle officials are restricting hours in city parks out of fears that large crowds hoping to enjoy the sun could further spread the novel coronavirus. A recent report shows the COVID-19 transmission rate in Western Washington may be steadily increasing, suggesting that the number of virus cases […]

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska will receive $50 million in federal coronavirus aid for fisheries, the U.S. Department of Commerce has announced, about half what state officials had expected. Alaska is home to large stocks of pollock, an inexpensive fish used in fast-food sandwiches and fish sticks, and landed 58% of the nation’s seafood by […]

A hamstring injury kept Megan Rapinoe on the sidelines of the United States' semifinal win over England. But it didn't stop her from pouring off the bench with the other substitutes to congratulate their teammates.

As the U.S. women's national soccer team played Japan for the World Cup trophy in Vancouver, Rose Lavelle was 140 miles south eating pizza in Seattle. Four years on, Lavelle is in position to help the United States win another championship.

The USWNT is on the verge of winning another Women's World Cup, and they've gotten to the final with a brash confidence that they shouldn't need to apologize for. If you're offended, the operative phrase is: "Wah, wah, wah."

NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — A substitute teacher at a Massachusetts high school has been fired for smoking marijuana in class and leading a discussion about the drug, the school’s principal said. The teacher was fired Monday from North Attleborough High School after students reported the incident to officials, according to a statement from Principal […]

The new rules prohibit marijuana products featuring “a name, design or brand” that is similar to something you’d see in a candy or toy shop. But they aren’t as sweeping as the emergency ban swiftly approved in late 2018 that resulted in a backlash from businesses.

Very bad reviews have been a siren call for people who believe they know how to salvage an irretrievably weird movie, at least for themselves: by doing drugs first. It was unclear, on balance, whether getting high made "Cats" better, or much, much worse.

Companies have unleashed hundreds of CBD pet health products accompanied by glowing customer testimonials claiming the cannabis derivative produced calmer, quieter and pain-free dogs and cats. But some of these products are all bark and no bite. “You’d be astounded by the analysis we’ve seen of products on the shelf with virtually no CBD in […]

NEW YORK (AP) — A year ago, marijuana legalization looked like it was on a roll in the Northeast — it had already passed in three of the region’s states and was a priority for governors in three more, including the populous New York. Now, after legislative efforts stalled and a vaping sickness stirred new […]

Eight of the cases have been confirmed in King County, four in Snohomish County, three in Spokane County and two in Kitsap County.

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Marijuana shops in Alaska will be among the first nationally where onsite use would be permitted. Alaska’s legal marijuana industry hit the milestone Thursday as regulators approved the first retail stores in the state that will be allowed to have customers smoke or consume marijuana products on site. Some cities in […]

State lawmakers in both parties are pushing to open the cannabis industry to out-of-state investors, a move that would align Washington state with the rest of the West Coast.

House Bill 2870 would require the Liquor and Cannabis Board to prioritize applicants who represent communities disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs.

The Marijuana Social Equity Program would allow the Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) to issue forfeited, canceled, and revoked retail licenses to applicants in communities disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs.

Pot shops and many, if not most, liquor stores in this state are considered “essential businesses” and can stay open under Gov. Jay Inslee’s stay-at-home order.

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Here are selected photographs as the nation and the world deal with a COVID-19 pandemic that has affected nearly every corner of the planet.

Explore the news of the day with these images from our country and around the world.

Sounders players learned Thursday that soccer will not resume until at least May due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19. Here's how Stefan Frei and others are adapting to life without soccer.