
I Dig Sports
Fan struck by foul ball in Chicago out of hospital

CHICAGO -- The woman struck by a foul ball during Monday night's game at Guaranteed Rate Field was treated at a nearby hospital and released Tuesday morning, according to a Chicago White Sox spokesman.
The unidentified woman was sitting in the stands just past the White Sox dugout down the third base line and was struck by a hard liner in the fourth inning off the bat of Chicago's Eloy Jimenez. She was bleeding around the head area, and was covered with a towel. She walked up toward the concourse with assistance of stadium personnel.
She then was taken to Mercy Hospital and Medical Center.
"She came back here with her friend and picked up her car this morning," said Scott Reifert, the White Sox's senior vice president of communications.
"We've left a couple of messages for her -- we always reach out -- and we haven't heard back."
Reifert said he had no information about the nature of the treatment and it will be up to the woman whether or not her name is made public.
The incident was just the latest scary moment to raise the issue of fan safety. Last month, a liner off the bat of the Cubs' Albert Almora Jr. struck a young girl in the stands at Houston's Minute Maid Park.
Almora reacted emotionally and had to be consoled by teammates and stadium personnel after breaking down on the field. Jimenez reacted Monday night by putting his hands on his helmet after the fan was struck.
The protective netting at Guaranteed Rate Field extends to the end of the dugout, which is the level of protection mandated by major league baseball. There has been some talk that it should be extended farther down the line.
"I think as an industry, probably all of baseball is gonna continue to take a look at it," Reifert said. "We really do every year.
"Obviously, the security and safety of our fans is important. I think we made the steps we did around baseball to address that."
Reifert said the White Sox are willing to work with fans who are concerned about safety.
"There are a lot of seats behind netting, so for people coming with young kids or if it's an important concern of theirs, they should absolutely ask at the ticket windows and we will accommodate them as best we can with seats that they know are gonna be protected," he said.

Atlanta Braves third baseman Josh Donaldson was given a one-game suspension following a skirmish with Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Joe Musgrove and catcher Elias Diaz on Monday.
Donaldson appealed the ruling and was in the lineup Tuesday night against the Pirates, hitting a solo home run in the second inning.
With two outs in the first inning of the game in Atlanta, Musgrove grazed Donaldson's jersey with a pitch. As Donaldson headed to first base, he exchanged words with Musgrove and then took a few steps toward the mound before Diaz intervened. Donaldson shoved Diaz. That prompted players from both dugouts and bullpens to spill onto the field. No punches were thrown and the field was quickly cleared.
Donaldson and Musgrove were both ejected, and Pirates manager Clint Hurdle was ejected by plate umpire Brian Gorman for arguing the decision to toss Musgrove.
Braves recall Minter, put him back in closer's mix

ATLANTA -- A.J. Minter is back with the Atlanta Braves after a five-week stay at Triple-A Gwinnett, getting a chance to reclaim the job he lost as closer.
Atlanta recalled Minter on Tuesday to add another arm to its uncertain bullpen and placed starter Kevin Gausman on the injured list with plantar fasciitis.
Manager Brian Snitker said Minter improved his changeup and fastball command and added versatility by pitching multiple innings a couple of times in the minors. Luke Jackson remains the closer despite five blown saves in 14 chances.
Snitker said he planned to use Minter in a late-inning role. Minter went 0-4 with a 9.82 ERA and three saves in four opportunities, a span of 15 games, before he was sent down.
"He needed to back off the throttle a little bit, I think, at the time we sent him out," Snitker said. "We knew it was going to be good for him."
In nine games with Gwinnett, Minter was 0-1 with a 2.53 ERA. Minter missed most of spring training with left shoulder inflammation and returned from the injured list on April 4.
"He's a young player who doesn't have a whole lot to fall back on," Snitker said. "I think spring training was important for him, and he missed it. He just never really got caught up -- the arm strength, the whole thing. He throws hard, but he is a feel guy with his mechanics and all that. I think it was good. Hopefully. We'll see."
The Braves opened the season planning to use Minter as a left-handed closing option and Arodys Vizcaino from the right side. Vizcaino's season ended in April because of right shoulder inflammation, and he was traded to Seattle the following month.
The Braves' bullpen has a 4.26 ERA with 118 walks allowed in 243 innings.
Gausman began spring training as the team's No. 2 starter, but he went 2-5 with a 6.21 ERA in 13 starts.
Snitker said he didn't know yet who will take Gausman's spot in the rotation.

Both managers were tossed from the Texas Rangers-Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park Tuesday night.
Red Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi was initially thrown out after grounding out in the fifth inning. After he was thrown out at first, Benintendi appeared to have directed a comment to home plate umpire Angel Hernandez. Benintendi was then ejected by first base umpire Vic Carapazza
Benintendi's manager, Alex Cora, came out to argue the ejection and was also tossed by Carapazza.
After he was ejected, Benintendi continued to deliver invective to the umpires from the dugout.
The ejections were the first two of the season for the Red Sox, who trailed the Rangers at the time.
A half-inning later, Rangers manager Chris Woodward stormed from the dugout after an overturned call at second base. Asdrubal Cabrera was initially called safe trying to stretch a single into a double, but second base umpire Jordan Baker changed his ruling.
Woodward went straight for Hernandez, who let him rant for a bit before issuing the ejection.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Vincent Picard heads Agadir seeding; Taiwo Mati presents major African challenge

A third round exit in Italy when beaten by China’s Zeng Beixun but otherwise this year, Vincent Picard has always reached the latter stages. Most notably he won in Poland; he was a semi-finalist in both Bahrain and on home soil in France, a quarter-finalist in the Czech Republic.
He is listed ahead of Slovakia’s Filip Delincak and Adam Klajber, both are players who have yet to make their mark on the international scene; Algeria’s Abdelbasset Chaichi, bronze medallist last year on home soil at the African Youth Games, completes the top four names.
Impressive in Algiers but the name to note in the African challenge for honours is that of Nigeria’s Taiwo Mati; in the junior boys’ singles event he is the no.7 seed, behind Azzeddine Lazazi, like Abdelbasset Chaichi from Algeria. However, most significantly he is the top seed in the cadet boys’ singles competition.
Earlier this year in April, he excelled at the Ghana Junior and Cadet Open as well as at the African Youth, Junior and Cadet Championships. In both tournaments he won the cadet boys’ singles title.
He is listed ahead of Slovakia’s Jakub Goldir and Saudi Arabia’s Khalid Alshareif, both players who this year have advanced to ITTF World Junior Circuit cadet boys’ singles semi-finals; Jakub Goldir in Bahrain, Khalid Alshareif in Ghana. The Czech Republic’s Matya Lebeda completes the top four names, his most noteworthy performance being a quarter-final finish last year in Estonia.
Play commences with the team events, the individual events commence on Friday 14th June.
France, India and Japan challengers but focus on hosts

Lilian Bardet and Dorian Zheng occupy the top seeded spot in the junior boys’ team event ahead of India’s Manush Utpalbhai Shah and Raegan Alberquerque; in the junior boys’ singles competition Manush Utpalbhai Shah is the top seed, followed by Lilian Bardet and Dorian Zheng, Raegan Alberquerque is the no.7 seed.
All are players who have enjoyed notable success on the ITTF World Junior Circuit; last year Manush Utpalbhai Shah was the junior boys’ singles runner up in Jordan, Raegan Alburquerque in Egypt. Notably, this year in Bahrain, Lilian Bardet was the runner up, Dorian Zheng a semi-finalist.
However, the names that attract the attention are those of the host nation’s Zeng Beixun, Quan Kaiyuan and Gao Yang. They form the third seeded combination in the junior boys’ team event ahead of the Japanese formation comprising Hayata Suzuki, Ryoichi Yoshiyama and Takeru Kashiwa.
Impressively, three months ago in March in Italy, Zeng Beixun was the junior boys’ singles runner up, Gao Yang a quarter-finalist; more significantly, one month later Quan Kaiyuan won in Belgium. In the junior boys’ singles competition Zeng Beixun is the no.4 seed ahead of Takeru Kashiwa and colleague Horoto Shinozuka; Quan Kaiyuan is the no.8 seed, Gao Yang is much further down the order. He is the no.21 seed. Notably last year Takeru Kashiwa was a semi-finalist in Hungary; Hiroto Shinozuka, a quarter-finalist in Hong Kong.
Eyes focused on the host nation in the junior boys’ team and junior boys’ singles events, it is very much the same in the cadet boys’ team and cadet boys’ singles competitions.
Currently listed in top spot on the cadet boys’ world rankings, Chen Yuanyu joins forces with Chen Yaxuan and Shen Feng in the cadet boys’ team event, a competition in which the trio occupies the second seeded position behind Hong Kong’s Yiu Kwan To and Yu Nok.
Meanwhile, in the cadet boys’ singles Chen Yuanyu heads the list being followed by Iran’s Navid Shams, Hong Kong’s Yiu Kwan To and India’s Payas Jain.
Play commences with the team events; the team events begin on Friday 14th June.
A special tournament for two names on first day duty

Notable names stand out, two in particular; the names of Chinese Taipei’s Chuang Chih-Yuan and China’s Sun Yingsha.
Chuang Chih-Yuan is one of two players who has finished in runners up spot in the men’s singles event at an ITTF World Tour tournament in Japan, the other is the host nation’s Maharu Yoshimura.
Four years ago in Kobe Maharu Yoshimura was beaten in the final by China’s Xu Xin, in 2004 Chuang Chih-Yuan suffered at the hands of Chen Qi, also from China; but it is the result of 2002 that had a major bearing on the career of Chuang Chih-Yuan. He was beaten in the final by Kalinikos Kreanga of Greece, it was a defeat from which he learned, at the end of year Grand Finals in Stockholm he secured the men’s singles title, the player he beat in the final, a certain Kalinikos Kreanga.
At the time the success was quite an upset, Kalinikos Kreanga at nine years the senior being the player with the experience, now 17 years later, 38 years of age, very much Chuang Chih-Yuan is the player with the experience.
Meanwhile, for Sun Yingsha, the 2017 ITTF World Tour Japan Open represented a milestone; it is to this date her one and only such women’s singles success on the ITTF World Tour. She beat colleague Chen Meng to seal the title before the following week reaching the final on home soil in China where Ding Ning halted progress.
For Chuang Chih-Yuan and Sun Yingsha the ITTF World Tour Japan Open has been special; for whom could it be special this year?


HOLLY, Mich. – The Must See Racing Sprint Car Series presented by Engine Pro will be part of a unique double bill this weekend as ‘The World’s Fastest Short Track Cars’ invade Lake Erie Speedway for the first time.
Must See Racing will team up with the Race of Champions Asphalt Modified Tour for co-headlining features at the three-eighths-mile Pennsylvania oval on Saturday, June 15.
Originally slated to be deeper into the series’ championship sojourn, the Lake Erie stop will now be the second Must See Racing event of the year, after weather-related and other scheduling issues shuffled the look of the winged 410ci asphalt sprint car tour’s season calendar.
Saturday’s appearance by Must See Racing marks the first sprint car event at the facility since the mid-2000s, when the Hoosier Outlaw Sprint Series took to Lake Erie for a mid-season stop.
“Jim (Hanks, Must See Racing president) and I worked together for quite a while to make this happen, and we’ve been very eager to get to this point and see this show play out,” said track operations manager A.J. Moore. “All of us with Lake Erie Speedway think this double-bill will definitely bring an extra level of excitement to the summer event that we’ve held with the Race of Champions modifieds which wasn’t there before. It’ll be one heck of a show and a very unique ticket for the fans.
“We’re extremely excited for our inaugural appearance at Lake Erie Speedway and we’re looking forward to adding Lake Erie to the list of venues we’ve competed at over the course of our 10 years,” added Hanks. “Our drivers are eager to compete there, and we hope to be able to put on both a show of speed and wheel-to-wheel racing for our fans.”
Four-time defending Must See Racing champion Jimmy McCune leads the series’ cast of characters into Lake Erie, sitting atop the point standing by six markers over his nephew, Anthony McCune.
Charlie Schultz is chasing the two McCunes, ranked third in points despite a rough opening race at Anderson (Ind.) Speedway in May, with Tom Jewell and Joe Liguori filling out the top five.
All five of those drivers are expected to be in attendance at Lake Erie, as well as National Sprint Car Hall of Famer Jeff Bloom, Michigan Motorsports Hall of Famer Jason Blonde, NASCAR modified ace Bobby Santos III, Canadian title contender Ryan Litt, as well as rookies Bobby Komisarski and Brenden Torok.
In addition to the Must See Racing sprint cars and the Race of Champions modifieds, the Race of Champions Four Cylinder Dash Series and Race of Champions TQ midgets will also be on the racing card.
Pit gates open at Lake Erie on Saturday at 11 a.m., with hot laps kicking off at 3:30 p.m., qualifying at 5 p.m., heat races at 6 p.m. and features rolling off at 7 p.m. following opening ceremonies.
Brittany Force Has Big Plans For Father’s Day Weekend

BRISTOL, Tenn. – It’s Father’s Day Weekend and there’s no place Brittany Force would rather be then Bristol Dragway for this weekend’s 19th annual NHRA Thunder Nationals.
The former Top Fuel world champion has always held the picturesque track in high regard and with her legendary father, 16-time Funny Car world champ John Force, joining her in Thunder Valley, Brittany Force is planning something special during the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series race.
That includes her second victory of the season in her 11,000-horsepower Advance Auto Parts dragster, but Brittany Force also has something else up her sleeve for her father over the course of the weekend at the fan-favorite track. Her first win at Bristol Dragway would certainly be meaningful as well, especially if she can share the winner’s circle with her father for the first time.
“It’s my favorite racetrack on the circuit,” said Brittany Force, who has nine Top Fuel wins. “Thunder Valley, there’s nothing like it and it’s always special because it falls on Father’s Day. My dad doesn’t know, but I have something special for him, just a gift I want to give him to let him know how much I appreciate him and everything he’s done for me and everything he’s taught me. I think he’s going to be blown away by it. It’s going to be pretty cool.”
Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel) and Ron Capps (Funny Car) were last year’s winners of the event. It is the 11th of 24 events this year, and with a Friday night Primetime qualifying session starting at 7:30 p.m., Brittany Force will have a chance to start the weekend in impressive fashion.
She has already recorded three No. 1 qualifiers this season, picking up a win in Houston, advancing to three final rounds and running a race-best 3.690 seconds at 332.67 mph last weekend in Topeka. With Bristol coming in the midst of a rigorous four-race stretch, Brittany Force wants her team to get back on the winning track, and Thunder Valley would be the ideal location. Brittany and John Force both recorded No. 1 qualifiers in Houston to become the first father-daughter combo to do so in NHRA history, and with John Force a win away from 150 in his career, they hope to pull it off the double-win in Bristol.
“I’m excited to get there,” said Brittany Force, who is currently third in Top Fuel points. “I’ve never won the race, but our team is turning the corner. We’ve been struggling the last couple of races, but first round last weekend in Topeka we put a 3.69 on the board. I definitely feel like we’re finding our footing moving to the next few races. I have all the faith in this team and I know we’ll get it figured out and get things turned around.”
Led by crew chief David Grubnic, the team has displayed its potential all season. But to win in Bristol, Brittany Force will likely have to get past points leader and defending world champion Steve Torrence, who has won five straight races heading into Bristol. Stopping his torrid pace won’t be easy, especially as Brittany Force also has to deal with the likes of Doug Kalitta, Leah Pritchett, Antron Brown and Clay Millican, but recent changes paid off last weekend in Topeka and Brittany Force is confident her team can continue moving forward in Thunder Valley.
“David Grubnic has made changes because we’ll be coming into the hot races and need to get this car figured out,” Brittany Force said. “I’m very hopeful. We want to go rounds and get this Advance Auto Parts team in the winner’s circle. Really, it’s working on that tune-up, finding our car in the heat, getting our car down, making consistent runs and going out on race day and winning the thing. We’ve made some big moves, big changes and it’s finally starting to show.”