Sports News Roundup: Don't feed the mice, minister tells quarantined players; Another big night for new Net James Harden and more

Mets owner Steven Cohen said earlier in the day that he fired Porter following an ESPN report on Monday https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/30737248/ny-mets-gm-jared-porter-acknowledges-sending-explicit-images-female-reporter-worked-chicago-cubs that Porter sent explicit, unsolicited texts and images to the reporter while he was the director of professional scouting for the Chicago Cubs, citing a copy of the text history the publication had obtained. Two more Australian Open players test positive for COVID-19 Two more Australian Open players have tested positive for COVID-19, government officials said on Wednesday, as authorities were at cross-purposes over who would pay for the tournament's quarantine bill.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Don't feed the mice, minister tells quarantined players

Australian Open players have been told not to feed mice at their quarantine hotel in Melbourne after world number 28 Yulia Putintseva complained she could not sleep for the rodents scurrying around her room. The Kazak swapped rooms earlier this week after finding a mouse but said her new room was also infested. She shared a video https://twitter.com/PutintsevaYulia/status/1351544865960546315 of a mouse jumping out from behind a closet on social media.

NBA roundup: Another big night for new Net James Harden

James Harden collected 34 points and 12 assists, Kevin Durant added 30 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 36.8 seconds left, and the Brooklyn Nets outlasted the Milwaukee Bucks for a 125-123 victory Monday night in New York. Harden became the first Net to score at least 30 points in each of his first two games with the team. He also grabbed a key rebound with 38 seconds left when he missed a 3-pointer and got the offensive board. He quickly found Durant, who calmly knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give Brooklyn the lead for good at 125-123.

MLB to investigate ex-Mets GM Porter over inappropriate text messages

Major League Baseball (MLB) plans to investigate former New York Mets general manager Jared Porter for sending unsolicited, inappropriate text messages to a female reporter, a source with knowledge of the situation told Reuters on Tuesday. Mets owner Steven Cohen said earlier in the day that he fired Porter following an ESPN report on Monday https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/30737248/ny-mets-gm-jared-porter-acknowledges-sending-explicit-images-female-reporter-worked-chicago-cubs that Porter sent explicit, unsolicited texts and images to the reporter while he was the director of professional scouting for the Chicago Cubs, citing a copy of the text history the publication had obtained.

Two more Australian Open players test positive for COVID-19 Two more Australian Open players have tested positive for COVID-19, government officials said on Wednesday, as authorities were at cross-purposes over who would pay for the tournament's quarantine bill. Victoria state police minister Lisa Neville said two players and a non-playing Australian Open participant comprised three new infections reported on Wednesday.

Report: Eagles interviewing Colts OC Nick Sirianni The Philadelphia Eagles are meeting Tuesday with Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni about their head coaching vacancy, ESPN reported. Sirianni, 39, has held that position for the last three seasons with the Colts following five seasons as an assistant with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers (2013-17) and four with the Kansas City Chiefs (2009-12).

Sarah Thomas to be first woman to officiate Super Bowl Sarah Thomas will make history again next month as the first woman to officiate a Super Bowl. The NFL on Tuesday announced the officiating crew for Super Bowl LV on Feb. 7 in Tampa, Fla.

NHL roundup: Isles earn late 1-0 win over Bruins Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored with 4:09 remaining in the game and Semyon Varlamov recorded his second shutout of the season to lift the New York Islanders to a 1-0 victory over the Boston Bruins on Monday at Uniondale, N.Y. Varlamov made 27 saves in his return after being injured in warmups prior to the team's 5-0 setback against the New York Rangers on Saturday. He stopped all 24 shots he faced in a 4-0 win over the Rangers in the season opener on Thursday.

Locked down players should get preferential treatment: Vallverdu Tennis coach Daniel Vallverdu says players who have been locked down in their hotel rooms for 14 days ahead of the Australian Open should get preferential treatment from organizers such as prime practice times and matches scheduled in the cooler hours of the day. More than 70 players are confined to their rooms and unable to train for the Feb. 8-21 Grand Slam after passengers on three charter flights carrying them to Melbourne tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Sorenstam opens up about accepting Medal of Freedom from Trump Retired Swedish golfer Annika Sorenstam on Tuesday opened up about her decision to accept the Presidential Medal of Freedom a day after the deadly siege of the U.S. Capitol in early January by a mob seeking to overturn Donald Trump's election loss. In the wake of the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters, many questioned whether the ceremony to award the nation's highest civilian honor should have even taken place or if the recipients should have attended.

McIlroy hoping for 'close to normal' Ryder Cup Rory McIlroy said he is hopeful that a near-capacity crowd will be able to attend the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin in September. McIlroy said organizers had made the right call by deciding not to stage the event without fans last year during the COVID-19 pandemic.