Oregon daily emerald., July 16, 1996, Page 9, Image 9

Emerald
TUESDAY
July 16,1996
MARK MCTYRE/Emeratd
Second baseman Angel Espada was the offensive spark that the Eugene Emeralds needed Monday night as they beat the Yakima Bears.
Espada had two hits, two stolen bases and scored two runs in the 5-4 victory.
Ems close in on division lead with 5-4 win
■ EMERALDS:
Eugene’s
aggressive play
leads to one-run
victory over
Yakima
.jt/. jit .
By Chris Hansen
Sports Reporter
Even though the game time tem
perature was 20 degrees cooler than
the 99 degrees that opened Sunday
night’s 17-4 scorching of the Yaki
ma Bears, the Eugene Emeralds
were still too hot to handle.
Displaying the fundamentals of
baseball, the Ems used timely hit
ting, good pitching, and aggressive
play to squeak out a 5-4 victory
against the Bears to take the four
game series, extend to a three-game
win streak and improve to 17-10
overall. Yakima, meanwhile,
dropped to 10-17, tied for last place
in the Northwest League’s North di
vision.
Ems starter P.K. Koehler pitched
five strong innings, striking out sev
en while giving up only two runs,
including getting himself out of two
separate jams with runners in scor
ing position and no outs.
In both the fourth and fifth in
nings, Koehler gave up consecutive
singles to the first two batters. He
was able to strike out the next three
batters, all swinging, to get out of
the fourth, and was helped by third
baseman Brian Rust’s heads up
double play to get out of the fifth.
“The first three innings I didn’t
feel good at all,” said Koehler. “The
fourth was also a little rough, but in
the fifth it started to come around.
My change-up was working great
for me all night.”
Manager Jim Saul was also
pleased with the performance of
his starter.
"This is the third game he has
gone out and started for us,” Saul
said. “He gave us everything he had
tonight and got us into the sixth in
ning.”
And after battling back-and-forth
all game, it was the Ems aggressive
ness in the sixth inning that sealed
the victory.
Koehler left the game with a 4-2
lead but the Bears battled back,
Turn to EMERALDS, Page 10
Inin alters
no-contest
in drug trial
■ FOOTBALL: Dallas Cowboy Michael
Irvin will stay out of jail after striking
deal in cocaine possession trial
By Jaime Aron
The Associated Press
DALLAS — Dallas Cowboys receiver
Michael Irvin struck a deal Monday in his
cocaine possession trial that keeps him out
of jail but requires him to undergo frequent
drug testing.
Irvin pleaded no contest to second-degree
felony cocaine possession in exchange for
four years’ deferred probation, a $10,000
fine and dismissal of misdemeanor marijua
na possession charges.
The deferred probation means if he stays
out of trouble for four years, the charge is
Turn to FOOTBALL, Page 12
Third base
new home
for Ironmari
■ POSITION CHANGE: Cal Ripken
moves to third in effort to improve
Baltimore’s record
By David Ginsburg
The Associated Press
BALTIMORE — Cal Ripken’s reign as
the Baltimore Orioles’ shortstop is over.
Orioles manager Davey Johnson, in an ef
fort to shake up his slumping team, started
Ripken at third base in Monday night’s
game against Toronto.
The switch ended Ripken’s string of
2,216 consecutive games as Baltimore’s
starting shortstop, a streak that began July
1,1982. Last week, Ripken started his 13th
straight All-Star game at shortstop.
Ripken played that game with a broken
nose, and he jokingly made a reference to
Turn to CHANGE, Page 10
Trail Blazers ditch Strickland, Grant for youthful hopefuls
■ NBA: Trade
brings Rasheed
Wallace and
Mitchell Butler
to Portland from
the Washington
Bullets
By Landon Hall
The Associated Press
PORTLAND — The Portland Trail Blazers finally
moved Rod Strickland, trading the disgruntled
point guard and Harvey Grant to the Washington
Bullets on Monday for Rasheed Wallace and
Mitchell Butler.
Strickland walked out for six games last season
saying he would no longer play for coach P.J. Car
lesimo, but returned to help the Blazers reach the
playoffs. He averaged 18.7 points and 9.6 assists in
67 games.
“Rod’s a talented player and we’ll be weak at this
position until we do something,” Blazers president
and general manager Bob Whitsitt said.
Wallace, a former North Carolina forward select
ed fourth overall in the 1995 draft, averaged 10.1
points and 4.7 rebounds in 65 games.
“To get a quality player like that is very, very im
portant,” Whitsitt said.
Grant averaged 9.3 points as a backup small for
ward last season and Butler averaged 3.9 points as a
backup guard.
Strickland, an eight-year veteran, had wanted out
of Portland since he and Carlesimo had a feud dur
ing camp prior to the 1994-95 season. His walkout
came after the Blazers let the trade deadline slip by
without trading him.
Rumeal Robinson replaced Strickland during the
walkout, averaging 15.3 points and 7.7 assists dur
ing the six games.
Strickland, who played four seasons for the Blaz
ers, has averaged 14.3 points, 7.5 assists and 3.9 re
bounds in his career with New York, San Antonio
and Portland.
Whitsitt said Wallace’s enthusiasm will be wel
come in Portland.
“He’s energetic. He’s excitable. I don’t see that as
a negative,” Whitsitt said. “It’s pretty hard to get a
high lottery pick nowadays without being high up
in the lottery.”
The Blazers (44-38 last season) appear to be fo
cusing on young players.
The team decided last month not to exercise their
option to keep Buck Williams, the 36-year-old pow
er forward who was the last remaining player from
the starting lineup of the Portland teams that made
it to the NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992.
Portland drafted 17-year-old Jermaine O’Neal
with the 17th pick in the first round of this year’s
NBA draft.
The Bullets (39-43 last season) haven’t had a win
ning record for nine years, but they improved their
record by 18 wins last year. Washington will try to
take advantage of Strickland’s considerable play
making skills next year.
“Strickland is an outstanding point guard who is
one of the league’s best perimeter shooters,” said
Bullets head coach Jim Lynam. “He’s the type of
player who makes his teammates better, because of
his ability to penetrate the defense and create.”
Grant returns to the Bullets after playing the last
three seasons for Portland. The twin brother of Or
lando’s Horace Grant averaged 9.3 points and 4.8
rebounds in 76 games for the Blazers. Harvey Grant
was drafted by Washington and played his first five
seasons with the Bullets.
Lynam called him “a versatile wing player who
has shown to be equally effective defending both
Turn to NBA, Page 12