Oregon daily emerald., May 10, 2005, Image 9

Oregon Daily Emerald
Thesday, May 10, 2005
“I think he wants to be the first one to hit a home
run, cross home plate, and collect his salary check,
pension and social security all at the same time. ”
Surf Dawgs manager Terry Kennedy about 46-year-old Rickey Henders
■ In my opinion
CLAYTON JONES
SEVENTH INNING STRETCH
To the MLB :
Thanks for
major league
compassion
As most Major League Baseball fans know,
players and managers wore pink armbands
and ribbons on Mother’s Day to promote
breast cancer awareness.
What most people don’t know is that it was
the finale of a week-long program called the
“Strikeout Challenge.” The program joined
the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Founda
tion with Major League Baseball and its clubs
to create awareness about breast cancer and
the importance of early detection and to raise
money for breast cancer research.
Fans and players made monetary pledges
per strikeout during the week. Going into
Sunday’s games, there had been 1,173 strike
outs. Major League Baseball charities also
committed $50,000 to the program as part of
the challenge, and pink lineup cards and
bases printed with the pink ribbon logo will
be sold at auctions to raise additional funds
for the foundation.
When I was watching baseball Sunday and
saw the pink armbands, 1 thought it was good
for baseball to promote breast cancer aware
ness, but 1 had no idea how much that gesture
would mean to me in a mere few hours.
Later that day, I called my mother to wish
her a happy Mother’s Day. A short while later,
1 received a call from her, and she told me
something a son never wants to hear.
Cancer.
She has breast cancer.
And I lost it.
She calmed me down by telling me the
cancer was caught early, and afterward 1 went
online to find out more about what Major
League Baseball is doing for cancer research
and awareness. 1 found the “Strikeout
Challenge” and more statistics about breast
cancer.
I was hit with all kinds of information, but
it was the story of Dodger outfielder Milton
Bradley that really hit home for me.
Bradley’s mother, Charlena Rector, is a
breast cancer survivor. She was diagnosed in
September 2002, and Bradley told MLB.com
that he was shaken when he first heard of
her diagnosis.
“It’s always scary, because when you talk
about cancer, you talk about dying,” he said.
“It’s something we need to make people
aware of and make sure they get tested and
treated early. ”
One of the first thoughts that ran through
my head when my mom told me about her di
agnosis was that cancer equals death. But
Bradley’s quote made me think differently.
To Major League Baseball, along with the
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, I
have just one word to say: Thanks.
claytonjones@dailyemerald.com
■ Duck lacrosse
Emerald
Oregon’s Kate Fleming, left, seen here earlier in the season, scored three goals and had three assists against St. Mary’s on Friday, leading the Ducks to a
fifth-place finish in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Conference tournament.
Ducks take 5th at first season's end
After falling to UC Davis 7-6 in the first round of the MSPF
tournament, Oregon beat St. Mary's 16-12 in its final game
BY STEFANIE LOH
DAILY EMERALD FREELANCE REPORTER
The Oregon women’s lacrosse team closed
out its inaugural season with a 16-12 win
against St. Mary’s at the Mountain Pacific Sports
Federation championship tournament on Friday.
The win marked the third time this season
the Ducks have beaten the Gaels. However,
this time victory was only bittersweet because
it came on the heels of a heartbreakingly close
7-6 loss to UC Davis in the opening round of
tournament play.
“It was a valiant fight between two teams,”
Oregon head coach Jen Larsen said after the
game against UC Davis. “We just made a few
too many errors. ”
Still, the Ducks made the Aggies work for
their win Thursday, never allowing Davis to pull
ahead by more than a single goal until the final
minutes of the game.
Eventually, a free position shot off the
cross by Davis midfielder Katie McGovern
made the difference in the game with ten
minutes left to play. McGovern’s goal gave
the Aggies a 7-5 lead against the Ducks. Ore
gon scored again five minutes later, but as a
result of some missed opportunities it never
found the final goal to tie the game.
“We were fortunate to have a lot of opportuni
ties, including a couple of eight-meter shots in
the last 20 seconds; that could have made a dif
ference," Larsen said. “Unfortunately, it’s always
hard when you’re a goal behind, and we didn’t
quite capitalize on those opportunities. ”
Davis went on to lose to Denver, 10-8, in the
third-place game.
Oregon’s Friday win against St. Mary’s gave
the Ducks a fifth-place finish in the MPSF tour
nament standings.
Freshman midfielder Kate Fleming and at
tacker Jana Bradley each contributed three goals
in the victory. Fleming also had three assists,
LACROSSE, page 12
■ Men s track and field
Decathlon title streak stops at four
Junior Andy Young captured second place and Cody Fleming
took fourth at the Pac-10 decathlon championships on Sunday
BY BRIAN SMITH
SPORTS REPORTER
Andy Young nearly secured Oregon its fifth
straight Pacific-10 Conference decathlon title
but fell just short with a second-place finish at
the Pac-10 decathlon championships in Los
Angeles on Sunday.
Oregon’s streak dated back to 2001
when Santiago Lorenzo took home the title
with a point total of 7,617. Billy Papas won
in 2002, followed by Lorenzo’s second title
in three years.
In 2004, then-freshman pole vaulter
Tommy Skipper competed in the decathlon
for the first time as a Duck and took home
the title, finishing 105 points higher than
runner-up Joshua Kinnaman of Arizona
State and 89 points higher than the
decathlon automatic standard.
While Young’s second-place finish didn’t
extend the streak, it did keep alive an even
longer tradition of Ducks finishing the event in
the top two. This streak has lasted for six
years, coinciding with current Duck decathlon
mentor Bill Lawson's tenure at the University.
For the third straight season, Young scored
team points in the Pac-10 meet. His 7,165 score
this season was second to last year’s personal
best of 7,372.
The Newberg native came into Sunday
in third place, trailing Arizona’s Robert
Arnold and eventual winner Darion Powell
of Washington State.
TRACK, page 12