Pull up a chair and listen to Vin Scully give a message of hope and optimism  —  We are surrounded by a cacophony of chaos, our lives filled with words of warning and dread and doom.  —  I need a sound of spring.  This being the formerly opening week of the postponed baseball season …

IOC member says that 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be postponed due to coronavirus pandemic  —  Veteran International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound told USA TODAY Sports Monday afternoon that the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games are going to be postponed, likely to 2021, with the details to be worked out in the next four weeks.

Red Sox Acquire Jhonny Pereda From Cubs To Complete Travis Lakins Trade  —  The Red Sox announced Monday that they've acquired minor league catcher Jhonny Pereda from the Cubs as the player to be named later in the January trade that sent righty Travis Lakins from Boston to Chicago.

Blue Jays president says 4 weeks of spring training needed before season  —  TORONTO — With no sign of when training camps can resume, Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro says he thinks Major League Baseball would need at least a month of workouts and exhibition games before regular-season play can begin.

NFL plans to stage its draft next month in a studio setting rather than Las Vegas  —  Las Vegas is off for next month's NFL draft.  No celebrations along the Strip.  No boats navigating players across the Bellagio Hotel fountain to the stage.  All that was scuttled in reaction to the coronavirus outbreak.

How the Bucs got Tom Brady to leave the New England Patriots for Tampa Bay  —  The behind-the-scenes story of the Buccaneers landing the greatest NFL free agent of all time.  —  Updated Yesterday  —  TAMPA — It was last Wednesday evening, the first day of the new league year, when the Bucs called Tom Brady.

Leo Mazzone recalls readying Braves pitchers for shortened 1995 season  —  Major League Baseball's opening day would've been five days from Saturday.  Instead, baseball - like the rest of the world - sits stuck in a waiting pattern due to the coronavirus outbreak.  —  Eventually, baseball does hope to begin a truncated season.

Yankees' Aaron Judge says rib improving, also had collapsed lung  —  New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge told reporters Friday that his fractured rib is improving, and he also disclosed that he suffered a partially collapsed lung.  —  Two weeks ago, manager Aaron Boone said a fractured rib revealed …

Eugenio Suárez, injured Cincinnati Reds making progress during novel coronavirus hiatus  —  In a typical spring training, this is usually one of the busier times for managers in camp with Opening Day a few days away.  Rosters are being finalized.  Regular starters are playing full games.