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The Spokesman-Review

Baseball

Blacks in baseball at 8.4 percent

Only 8.4 percent of major league players last season were black, the lowest level in at least two decades.

As recently as 1995, 19 percent of big leaguers were black, according to Richard Lapchick, director of the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports. Nine percent were black in both 2004 and 2005, and the current figure is the lowest since at least the mid-1980s, he said.

Just 3 percent of pitchers were blacks in 2006, Lapchick said. Lapchick gave baseball a B-plus for racial diversity, the same as last year.

Cleveland pitcher C.C. Sabathia said this month that baseball must do more to promote in inner cities.

“It’s not just a problem – it’s a crisis,” he said.

Baseball

Lidle’s wife has first pitch

Cory Lidle’s wife and son will throw out the ceremonial first pitch Monday on opening day at Yankee Stadium.

The 34-year-old Lidle was killed in a plane crash Oct. 11 in New York after finishing last season with the Yankees. The pitcher’s wife, Melanie, and son, Christopher, will take part in pregame activities before New York opens the season against Tampa Bay.

Yankees manager Joe Torre thinks it will be emotional.

“You realize how fragile life is,” Torre said. “I say goodbye to everyone at the end of the year, you’re assuming you’ll see them next year. It’s tough stuff when you lose someone so young so quickly.”

Football

Trufant added to KC roster

The Kansas City Brigade of the Arena Football League signed former Spokane Shock defensive specialist Isaiah Trufant from the practice squad Thursday.

Former Shock head coach Chris Siegfried is the Brigade’s offensive coordinator. Trufant joins ex-Shock teammates Charles Frederick and Ed Ta’amu on the Kansas City roster. Frederick was recently named the AFL rookie of the month and Ta’amu is on the injured reserve list.

Trufant played on the Shock last season with several ex-Eastern Washington players, including receiver/defensive backs Anthony Griffin and Raul Vijil, lineman Kurt Sigler and defensive back Jesse Hendrix.