Marist College to drop mascot’s name: Shooter

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. » Mass shootings across the nation have prompted Marist College in New York to drop Shooter as the nickname for its sports mascot.

The Poughkeepsie Journal reports that Marist College came up with a new name for the costumed mascot for its Red Foxes men’s and women’s basketball teams after last month’s mass shooting at a country music concert in Las Vegas.

The school’s athletics department settled on Frankie, a nod to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was born in nearby Hyde Park.

The private college in Poughkeepsie, north of New York City, debuted the new nickname during last weekend’s season openers for both teams.

The original Shooter nickname was used for years and referred to shooting baskets, not guns. NEW YORK » The bat Lou Gehrig used to hit his last two home runs, in an exhibition game in 1939, is being auctioned off again.

Once owned by actor Kurt Russell’s family, the bat is part of a Yankees Legends offering by Heritage Auctions. The entire collection is from one owner and has mostly of Yankees-related memorabilia, including a bat used by Roger Maris in the 1961 season when he hit a then-record 61 homer. There’s also a glove used by Mickey Mantle in 1965 and signed baseballs from various Yankees championship teams.

The online auction opened Tuesday and closes on Dec. 10 at 11 p.m. EST. The collection, which can be viewed on Heritage’s website , also includes a Babe Ruth bat from his rookie season with the Boston Red Sox in 1915, and a bat used by Jackie Robinson during his 1949 National League MVP season.