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SPORTS BRIEFING

Gehrig calls it a career

“I haven’t been a bit of good to the team since the season started.” — New York Yankees’ Lou Gehrig, after benching himself against the Detroit Tigers at Briggs Stadium on May 2, 1939, ending his streak of 2,130 consecutive games played. Gehrig never played again. Babe Dahlgren took his place at first base and homered and doubled in the Yankees’ 22-2 win in front of 11,379 fans.

Peterson goes to W&J

SEBRING — Sebring senior quarterback Zane Peterson will continue his academic and football careers at Washington & Jefferson College, an NCAA Division III program in Washington, Pa.

Nurse hits hole-in-one

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (AP) — An emergency room nurse who played golf after Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer reopened courses made a hole-in-one.

“I don’t know if I deserved to get this because of what I do. It’s mostly pure luck, but it was nice. Certainly something to enjoy with all that is going on,” Kelly Spitz told the Battle Creek Enquirer.

Spitz, who works at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, had the ace Tuesday at Cedar Creek Golf Club in Battle Creek. She has only played a few rounds of golf.

“I was just excited to hit a good shot,” Spitz said. “So when I saw it hit the green I was super excited. Then it kept rolling and rolling and then it disappeared.”

Golf was banned as nonessential during the coronavirus outbreak until Whitmer lifted the prohibition last week.

Indians reliever suspended

CLEVELAND (AP) — Whenever the Cleveland Indians finally get to start their season they won’t have reliever Emmanuel Clase.

The hard-throwing right-hander was suspended 80 games by Major League Baseball on Friday for testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing drug.

Clase was the biggest acquisition by Cleveland in the big offseason trade that sent two-time Cy Young winner Corey Kluber to the Texas Rangers. The commissioner’s office said the 22-year-old Clase tested positive for Boldenone, an anabolic steroid.

Clase was expected to have a major role at the back end of the Indians’ bullpen this season.

His suspension will not begin until the start of the 2020 regular season, which has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If the season doesn’t cover 80 games, MLB and the players’ association are still working out if any carry over will apply for 2021.

Stepping up to the plate

CHICAGO (AP) – The maker of Louisville Slugger baseball bats for Wilson Sporting Goods is producing non-medical masks to help benefit food banks.

Louisville-based Hillerich & Bradsby Co. says in a release its Maskonic masks are reusable, water repellent and treated with a bactericide that lasts for up to 10 washes. Inspired by its Bionic gloves line, company president and CEO John Hillerich said, “this was a natural progression, particularly in a time of global crisis.” He cited the need for protective equipment in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and added that H&B has channeled its production and supply chain toward making masks for the public.

Maskonic will sell the masks online.

at www.maskonic.com and www.bionicgloves.com with free shipping. Partial proceeds from sales will go to Feeding America food banks. The 164-year-old company is also shipping masks to its employees.

Fenway Park messages

BOSTON (AP) – Red Sox fans can still have their messages posted on the scoreboard at Fenway Park — even though the ballpark is closed and no games are taking place.

For a $50 donation to the team’s charity, fans can have a message posted on the 40-by-100 foot center field video board. For $100, they can have a message and a picture. The team will take a picture and send a picture of the scoreboard bearing the message.

The money will go to the Red Sox Foundation, which has been maintaining operations and programming during the coronavirus crisis to ensure consistent and necessary support and resources to hundreds of other non-profits and youth throughout New England.

Former Athletic dies from virus

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics say former minor leaguer Miguel Marte has died of complications from COVID-19. The A’s announced Friday that Marte died this week.

Marte, a first baseman, catcher and right fielder from the Dominican Republic, was 30. He played in the Oakland farm system from 2008-12, going as far as Class A.

In other team news, the A’s have decided to pay all employees through May.

Relief for track athletes

(AP) – Athletes in track and field can apply for money from a $500,000 fund to help them get through the coronavirus pandemic.

World Athletics and the International Athletics Foundation have launched the fund to help athletes who have lost income because competitions are suspended.

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe says the fund will try “to help as many athletes as possible.”

It’s unclear when or if the track season can begin. Diamond League meets and the Olympics have been postponed. Coe says the fund was the idea of 1,500-meter world record holder Hicham El Guerrouj. The Moroccan runner will be part of the team examining applications from athletes.

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