Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 28, 2016)
SPORTS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2016 1B FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS PENDLETON Big leaguer gives back Prep Roundup Staff photo by Kathy Aney Deven Barkley (30), of Nixyaawii, breaks for the basket past Ione’s Colton Hollis during a non-con- ference game Tuesday night in Mission. Eagles outlast Cardinals Nixyaawii wins two against Ione East Oregonian Staff photo by Kathy Aney Dan Straily, who pitches for the Cincinnati Reds, watches Michael Straughan, 11, wind up for a pitch at the prac- tice facility next to Bob White Field in Pendleton during Tuesday’s pitching clinic. MLB ace Dan Straily instructs local youths 34 47 By MATT ENTRUP East Oregonian Holidays can be a stressful time, even for those of us who aren’t major league pitchers with the type of production and team-friendly contract that tops the wish list of general managers across the land. For Cincinnati Reds starter Dan Straily, seeing his name pop up in the rumor mill this time of year has become just another part of the routine. Since his breakout year in 2013 with the Oakland Athletics, the team that drafted him in 2009, Straily has been traded four times and played for three of those teams. So naturally coming off a career year in Cincinnati in which he hit highs for innings pitched (191.1), wins (14) and strikeouts (162) while also posting a career-low ERA (3.76), the 28-year-old right-hander is once again seeing his name mentioned in trade rumors. “It’s just part of the busi- ness, and until I get a phone call telling me I’m not, you know, I’m a Red,” he said during a youth clinic in Pendleton on Tuesday. New York and Seattle are two teams rumored to have inquired about his availability, and although he can never be sure where his future allegiances will lie, Straily is making sure he doesn’t forget his roots. That’s what brought him to Pendleton during this season of giving to teach the MISSION — The Ione Cardinals had pulled within two baskets to end the third quarter in Tuesday’s non-league boys’ basketball game at Nixyaawii, but a quick burst of scoring to start the Boys’ Hoops fi nal frame gave the home team all the momentum it would need to fi nish off Cardinals for a 47-34 win. Ione Nixyaawii (3-3) coach Shane Rivera said a third-quarter lull in which their shots just wouldn’t fall seemed to degrade the Golden Eagles’ confi dence as Ione (1-6) pulled within 26-21, and his message to the team in between Nixyaawii quarters was to just stay confi dent and keep shooting. The team took it to heart, and Noah Enright hit back-to-back three-pointers for his only points in the game, then Chandler Case had a putback to get Nixyaawii back in control in the fourth See EAGLES/2B College Football Staff photos by Kathy Aney ABOVE LEFT: Lane Richards, who played shortstop at Notre Dame, talks to young players during a baseball clinic Tuesday in Pendleton. ABOVE RIGHT: Tommy Lane, who plays baseball for Marshall University, observes a batter during a baseball clinic Tuesday in Pendleton. “It’s pretty cool just for him to come here to Pendleton. I mean it’s pretty small, so to have a big leaguer all the way from Cincinnati come over here, it’s pretty neat.” — Kyle Field, Sunridge Middle School eighth grader and participant in the Buckaroo Booster Fantasy Camp. pitching portion of the Buck- aroo Booster Fantasy Camp. Straily, who lives in Springfi eld during the offseason, accumulated his earliest baseball memories and lessons on the Little League diamonds in Pendleton, and still feels a connection to the community despite having moved away as a high school sophomore. “It’s just one of those things where giving back to the community that I really got my start in just means a lot to me, to not forget where I come from,” he said. “It is still the same system. It’s the same fi elds, they’re in the same places. We didn’t have this kind of (indoor practice) facility, but a lot of the same people are still in place who helped me along my away of coming up as a youngster.” Straily said he owes an extra debt of gratitude to camp organizer Travis Zander, a longtime coach at various levels for Buckaroo baseball. “He’s one of the people in my life that I would say that really helped me develop a work ethic, develop a sense of team at a young age,” Straily said. “And he really just has kind of a special place in my heart, and so when he asks me to come do something he kind of knows that I can’t say no to it.” That must have been a sentiment shared by the rest of the fantasy instructors, because Zander said it took See FANTASY CAMP/2B AP Photo/Denis Poroy Minnesota running back Rodney Smith (1) dives into the end zone for a touchdown past the defense of Washington State linebacker Peyton Pelluer (47) and cornerback Treshon Broughton (16) during the sec- ond half of the Holiday Bowl Tuesday in San Diego. Minnesota upsets WSU By BERNIE WILSON Associated Press SAN DIEGO — After a few days of turmoil and perhaps more to come, the Minnesota Golden Gophers played lights-out in shutting down Luke Falk and the Washington State Cougars to win the Holiday Bowl. Shannon Brooks caught a tipped pass from Mitch Leidner for a 13-yard, go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter and Minnesota, mired in controversy after 10 See HOLIDAY BOWL/2B Sports shorts Buffalo Bills fi re Ryan brothers ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) The Bills have fi red coach Rex Ryan ahead of their last game of the season after he failed to lead Buffalo to the playoffs. Bills offi cials announced Ryan’s fi ring on Twitter on Tuesday, after a Week 16 loss to the Dolphins dropped the Bills to 7-8 and offi cially eliminated the team from playoff contention. The loss extended the NFL’s longest active playoff drought to 17 seasons. Ryan Ryan was 15-16 in two seasons with Buffalo. The Bills also said on Twitter that Ryan’s brother, Rob Ryan, was fi red from his position as an assistant head coach with the respon- sibility to oversee defense. Rob was hired in January to improve a defense that fi nished 19th in the NFL last year. Army rushes past North Texas in OT at Heart of Dallas Bowl “It was an institutional conspiracy.“ — Anna Antseliovich Acting director general of Rus- sia’s national anti-doping agen- cy speaking against Russia’s doping program that included cover-ups of positive tests across dozens of summer and winter Olympic sports. DALLAS (AP) — For Army coach Jeff Monken, there was never really a second thought about what to do on fourth down from the 3 on the opening possession of overtime. Not with the way the triple-option Black Knights dominate running the ball and struggle kicking it. Jordan Asberry took a toss and scored Army’s sixth rushing touchdown in a 38-31 win over North Texas on Tuesday in a rematch at the Heart of Dallas Bowl. “One of our goals is not fl inch and believe no matter what,” said quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw, who ran for 129 yards and a score. “A lot of people say it’s a questionable call. ... We were determined to get it in.” The Black Knights (8-5) fi nished with 480 yards rushing, including 119 yards and two THIS DATE IN SPORTS 1958 — Alan Ameche’s one-yard touchdown run at 8:15 of overtime gives the Baltimore Colts a 23-17 victory over the New York Giants, the fi rst overtime game in NFL championship history. With a national television audience watching, this game is believed to have made the NFL a challenger to baseball as the national pastime. 2008 — The New England Patriots become the NFL’s fi rst team with an 11-5 record to miss the playoffs since Denver in 1985 and the fi rst since the NFL expanded to six playoff teams per conference in 1990. Contact us at 541-966-0838 or sports@eastoregonian.com