SPORTS DIGEST || Lazzari commits to Notre Dame College

Lazzari commits to Notre Dame College

CORTLAND

Lakeview baseball player Clay Lazzari will continue his athletic career at Notre Dame College, the school announced on Thursday.

The right-handed pitcher will make his commitment official with the Division II Falcons by signing his National Letter of Intent on Nov. 14.

Penguins donate $350,000 to victims

PITTSBURGH

The Pittsburgh Penguins have donated nearly $350,000 to the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh to benefit the victims of last month’s synagogue massacre.

The Penguins on Thursday presented $348,705 to the federation and representatives of the Tree of Life Synagogue.

The team launched the “Stronger Than Hate” fundraising campaign after the Oct. 27 shooting that killed 11 congregants. They auctioned off signed jerseys, sold “Stronger Than Hate” patches, had a blood drive and a text-to-donate program.

The team says it also will be donating $200,000 to the city’s newly-created trust fund to honor the police, fire, medics and public safety personnel who responded to the shooting, especially the six officers who were wounded.

The patches are still on sale and the jersey auction continues until Nov. 13.

Shooting near their facility horrifies Rams

THOUSAND OAKS, CALIF.

The Los Angeles Rams are reacting with horror and sadness after a mass shooting occurred near their training complex.

The Rams train in Thousand Oaks about five miles north of the Borderline Bar and Grill, where Marine combat veteran Ian David Long opened fire Wednesday night. He killed 12 people on college night at the country music bar before apparently killing himself.

The Rams currently believe no one connected to their organization was at the bar, but coach Sean McVay and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips both described a somber mood in the Rams’ locker room Thursday before practice.

The team will hold a moment of silence before its home game against Seattle on Sunday, and the Rams may organize additional tributes to the victims, McVay said.

The Rams built their training complex in 2016 on a corner of the campus of Cal Lutheran University, which had students at the bar during the shooting.

Ex-Lions, PSU player Triplett dead at 92

DETROIT

Wally Triplett, the trailblazing running back who was one of the first African-Americans drafted by an NFL team, has died. He was 92.

The Detroit Lions and Penn State announced Triplett’s death Thursday. Triplett was the third African-American selected in the 1949 draft, but he was the first of those draftees to play in a regular-season game. He played in 24 games for the Lions and Chicago Cardinals.

Triplett was also the first African-American to start for Penn State, and in 1948, he and teammate Dennie Hoggard became the first African-Americans to play in the Cotton Bowl.

Report alleges PSG sorted players by race

PARIS

According to a report from the Mediapart news website, Paris Saint-Germain scouts have been required for years to list ethnic origins of potential recruits.

Mediapart and French TV program “Envoye Special” have reported that a young black player regarded as one of France’s most promising players was overlooked by PSG because of his skin color.

Following an investigation based on the “Football Leaks” documents, Mediapart said “only one black player was recruited between 2013 and 2018 by PSG’s provincial scouting network.”

Mediapart has reported up until this year, scouts were asked by PSG to mention the origin of potential young recruits according to four categories: “Francais” (French), “Maghrebin” (North African), “Antillais” (West Indian), and “Afrique noire” (Black African).

Staff/wire reports