Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 2016)
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2016 SPORTS Griffey elected to Hall with highest percentage Elaine Thompson/AP Photo Seattle Mariners’ Ken Griffey Jr. smiles from beneath a pile of teammates who mobbed him after he scored the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees in Seattle in 1995. Griffey topped the pre- vious high percentage of 98.84, set when Tom Seaver appeared on 425 of 430 bal- lots in 1992. The identities of the three writers who did not vote for Griffey was not im- mediately known. “I can’t be upset,” he said. “It’s just an honor to be elect- ed, and to have the highest per- FHQWDJHLVGH¿QLWHO\DVKRFN´ A player needs to appear on 75 percent of ballots to gain election. Jeff Bagwell missed by 15 votes and Tim Raines by 23. Trevor Hoff- man, second on the career saves list and appearing on WKH EDOORW IRU WKH ¿UVW WLPH was 34 short. Fishermen host games Friday, Saturday The Daily Astorian ESTACADA — Two bits of good news this week for the Astoria boys basketball team: A 58-50 win at Estaca- da Tuesday, and news that starter Justin Fruiht does not have a fractured knee cap, and will return in two to three weeks, Astoria coach Kevin Goin said. Fruiht injured his knee vs. Sandy in the finale of the Vince Dulcich Tourna- ment. In the meantime, Derek Jarrett scored a game-high 23 points in Tuesday’s win, which included a pair of dunks to close out the con- test. Ryan Palek added 10 points and Ole Englund scored eight for Astoria, which led 20-8 after one quarter. Tied 31-31 at halftime, the Fishermen outscored the Rangers 12-6 in the third pe- riod. Astoria continues non- league play Friday, when the Fishermen host North Marion for a girls-boys doubleheader, with the tip-off at 5:30 p.m. The action continues Sat- urday, when Astoria hosts a doubleheader with Stayton, beginning at 4:30 p.m. SCOREBOARD PREP SCHEDULE TODAY Boys Basketball —Ilwaco at Raymond, 7 p.m. Swimming — Astoria at Tilla- mook, 4 p.m. FRIDAY Girls Basketball — North Mar- ion at Astoria, 5:30 p.m.; Seaside at Newport, 5:30 p.m.; De La Salle at Warrenton, 6 p.m.; Vernonia at Knappa, 6 p.m.; Jewell at Country Christian, 5:30 p.m.; Ilwaco at Ta- coma Baptist, 7 p.m. Boys Basketball — North Mar- ion at Astoria, 7:15 p.m.; Seaside at Newport, 7:15 p.m.; De La Salle at Warrenton, 7:45 p.m.; Vernonia at Knappa, 8 p.m.; Jewell at Coun- try Christian, 7 p.m.; Ilwaco at Ta- coma Baptist, 7 p.m. Wrestling — Seaside Pac Rim, 3:30 p.m. SATURDAY Girls Basketball — Stayton at Astoria, 5:30 p.m.; Warrenton at Riverdale, 4 p.m. Boys Basketball — Stayton at Astoria, 7 p.m.; Warrenton at Riv- erdale, 5:45 p.m. Swimming — Seaside at The Dalles Invite, 10 a.m. Wrestling — Seaside Pac Rim, 10 a.m. BOYS BASKETBALL Astoria 58, Estacada 50 AST (58): Derek Jarrett 23, Palek 10, Englund 8, Strange 5, Fremstad 5, Arnsdorf 4, Gohl 3. EST (50): Sam Blankenship 11, McDaniel 10, Albrecht 9, Kirch- hofer 8, Smith 6, Sittner 6. Astoria 20 11 12 15—58 Estacada 8 23 6 13—50 OES 46, Warrenton 37 OES (46): Ian Holzman 13, Zack Halsey 13, Olander 11, Lamb 7, Spindel 2. WAR (37): Christian Holt 13, Co- chran 9, Knight 8, Little 4, Wilson 3, Alcobendas. OR Episcopal 4 13 18 11—46 Warrenton 7 6 14 10—37 Elder Griffey beams about son entering Hall of Fame atop Seattle’s famed Space Needle hours after his elec- tion. The backward hat was SEATTLE — For a mo- ment, forget about what Ken a signature of Griffey as Griffey Jr. was as a profes- PXFKDVKLVVPLOHWKHÀDZ- less swing and the highlight sional. Ken Griffey Sr. remem- catches. The elder Griffey bers a time when his son was said the family was hoping to a kid, before he became The JHWWKHFDOORQKLVVRQ¶V¿UVW Kid, running around the Cin- year of eligibility; the highest cinnati Reds clubhouse with vote percentage was a shock. the sons of other players like “I’m just a proud father, Tony Perez and Pete Rose. just glad everything went the And, of course, wearing right way,” Griffey said. “He his dad’s hat backward in or- did the things that he was der to see. supposed to do the right way “You’re talking about a and that is what is most im- kid 7, 8, 9 years old and his portant to me.” thinking was, ‘I can’t see The two Griffey’s will to catch the ball, I got to be linked as father-and-son do something to make this SURIHVVLRQDOVDQGVSHFL¿FDO- KDW ¿W¶ 6R KH MXVW WXUQHG ly the time they spent with it around backward and the Mariners in the same he got used to doing that,” lineup in the 1990-91 sea- Ken Griffey Sr. recalled on sons before the elder Griffey Wednesday after his son was retired. When they were in elected to baseball’s Hall of the lineup together, father Fame. “He would come in all typically batted second and the time and turn it around son third. They homered backward just to play catch. back-to-back in September And that’s what was the fun- 1990 at Angels Stadium off ny part. A lot of people didn’t Kirk McCaskill. understand it. ... He never For the older Griffey, be- disrespected the game. This ing in the lineup together was was a game he knew and he special — and a little odd the loved and he enjoyed play- ¿UVWWLPH ing.” ³,W¶V WKH ¿UVW WLPH , HYHU The younger Griffey heard me being in the batter’s took his place in the Hall box and hearing somebody along with Mike Piazza on holler out ‘Let’s go dad!’ and Wednesday. Griffey will he’s the hitter behind me,” go to Cooperstown with Griffey said. “That was a the highest vote percentage strange feeling. I had to step at 99.3, getting 437 of 440 out of the batter’s box and ballots. That bettered Tom get myself back in order to Seaver’s 98.84 in 1992. think about what I’ve got to *ULIIH\¶V1RZDVÀ\- do, which is try to get a base ing high, too, on a banner hit.” By TIM BOOTH AP Sports Writer By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK — Ken Griffey Jr. was considered Mr. Clean during 22 years in the major leagues, untainted by accusations of drug use as he climbed the home-run list during the height of the Ste- roids Era. He nearly made a clean sweep in Hall of Fame vot- ing. Griffey received 437 of YRWHVLQKLV¿UVWDSSHDU- ance on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America bal- lot, a record 99.3 percent. “It’s real simple,” he ex- plained after Wednesday’s announcement. “I’ve always said that I’ve got to look my kids in the eyes and you want to play fair.” Mike Piazza, the top of- fensive catcher in baseball history, was elected, too, and will be inducted along with Griffey in Cooperstown on July 24. Among the many muscled sluggers whose ac- complishments were ques- tioned during a time when chemists preyed on clubhous- es, Piazza was made to wait until his fourth appearance on the ballot. After falling 28 votes shy last year, he was selected on 365 (83 percent). He wouldn’t say whether he was upset about being sul- lied by suspicions. “That’s the freedom we have,” Piazza maintained. “You can say these things, and that’s the country we live in.” 7A Knappa 70, Neah-Kah-Nie 61 KNA (70): Dale Takalo 37, Weir- up 18, Severson 8, Miller 5, Rubus 2, Engblom, Eltagonde, Geisler, Hendrickson, Hunt, Goodman. NKN (61): Max Halverson 20, Croman 10, Hooley 10, Spliethof 6, Champ 5, May 4, Davidson 2, Kelly 2, Holm 2. Knappa 14 16 25 13—70 Neah-Kah-Nie 12 16 10 23—61 Livingstone 59, Jewell 36 LA (59): Pierce Kroschel 22, Magee 11, O’Dell 8, Hermus 6, Halvorsen 5, Castorena 4, Men- doza 3. JWL (36): Sean Hinson 14, Silva 8, Murray 4, Stahly 4, Ritchie 2, Meehan 2, Lyon 2, Munk. Livingstone 21 14 21 3—59 Jewell 6 9 2 19—36 GIRLS BASKETBALL OES 43, Warrenton 31 OES (43): Rachael Haugh 13, Harms 10, Schlendorf 6, Lowell 4, Dellit 4, Garner 4, Sipowicz 1, Aaron 1. WAR (31): Sophia Thomas 7, Landree Miethe 7, Little 5, King 5, K.Blodgett 4, Bussert 3, Morrill, Schenbeck, Dyer, M.Blodgett, Di- ego, Hunt. OR Episcopal 12 11 14 6—43 Warrenton 4 7 8 12—31 Neah-Kah-Nie 48, Knappa 14 KNA (14): Paris Vanderburg 8, Corder 3, Vandergriff 2, McMahan 1, Miethe, Strain, Inman, Truax. NKN (48): Alaina Holm 14, Scull 13, Romig 10, Lambert 6, Clifford 2, Sherman 2, Dunn 1. Knappa 5 3 2 4—14 Neah-Kah-Nie 19 11 6 12—48 Livingstone 39, Jewell 27 LA (39): Emillie Hathaway 20, Forshee 13, Beaver 2, Clute 2, Hasslen 2. JWL (27): Gabi Morales 11, Guil- len 10, A.Littlepage 3, Kaczenski 3, Olvera, Haddock, H.Littlepage. Livingstone 10 11 12 6—39 Jewell 7 8 8 4—27 Total ballots dropped by 109 from last year after writ- ers who have not been active for 10 years were eliminat- ed under a rules change by the Hall’s board of direc- tors. With a younger average electorate, Roger Clemens rose to 45 percent and Barry Bonds to 44 percent, both up from about 37 percent last year. Clemens has denied using performance-enhanc- ing drugs, and Bonds said he never knowingly took any banned substances. “They were Hall of Fam- ers before all this stuff start- ed,” Griffey said. Mark McGwire, who admitted using steroids, re- ceived 12 percent in his 10th DQG¿QDOEDOORWDSSHDUDQFH Half of baseball’s top 10 home run hitters are not in the Hall: Bonds (762), Alex Rodriguez (654), Jim Thome (612), Sammy Sosa (609) and McGwire (583). Rodri- guez, who served a yearlong drug suspension in 2014, re- PDLQV DFWLYH 7KRPH¶V ¿UVW appearance on the ballot will be in 2018. Griffey believes drug-test- ing, which began in baseball in 2003, should eliminate the possibility of stigma for the current generation of players. “There won’t be any ques- tions and you’ll know from here on out,” he said. NFC Playoff Picture: Every team KDVDÀDZEXWDOVRUHDVRQVIRUKRSH By ARNIE STAPLETON AP Pro Football Writer Carolina didn’t make it to the playoffs perfect, and maybe that’s a good thing as they rest and recalibrate for the playoffs. Arizona fended off Seattle, which came storming back from a stumbling start. The Vikings overtook the Packers in the North but Green Bay reached the playoffs once again, and the Redskins capi- talized on a bad division and a good quarterback decision to re- turn to the postseason party. Each of the half-dozen NFC teams still standing have rea- son to believe they’ll put their ¿QJHUSULQWV RQ WKH /RPEDUGL Trophy next month. But each DOVRKDVDPDMRUÀDZWKDWFRXOG derail those dreams. The NFC gets going Sunday when the Seahawks (10-6) vis- it the Vikings (11-5). Then, the Redskins (9-7) host the Packers (10-6). The Panthers (15-1) and Car- dinals (13-3) each earned a bye. Here’s a look at the biggest strength and weakness of each of the six NFC playoff teams: Seattle Sea- hawks quarter- back Russell Wilson (3) throws as Ari- zona Cardinals cornerback Jerraud Powers (25) looks on during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, in Glendale, Ariz. Ross D. Franklin AP Photo cords for yards (4,671) and TDs (35). Larry Fitzgerald and John Brown surpassed 1,000-yards receiving and Fitzgerald’s 109 catches broke the franchise mark he set a decade ago. Rookie Da- vid Johnson has a team-high 13 TDs and is a big-play threat as both a runner and receiver. • Why they won’t: Protect- ing their passer and pressur- ing the other QB. If Arizona can’t run, the O-line could be overwhelmed by the pass rush. Pressuring the opposing quar- terback, especially without a blitz, has been a problem. The mid-season addition of Dwight Freeney helps, but he’s not an every-down disruptive force. • ”It brings some guys down to earth and get back to work.” Palmer on the Cardinals’ 36-6 loss to Seattle last week. • ”We’re excited about the opportunity to play those guys again in our house. They em- barrassed us the last time we played them.” — wide receiver Mike Wallace, on facing the Se- ahawks again. 4. REDSKINS: • Why they’ll hoist the Lom- bardi: Believe it or not, Kirk Cousins. The fourth-year QB is playing the best football of his career at the most opportune time — heading into the play- 1. PANTHERS: offs and heading into free agen- • Why they’ll hoist the Lom- cy. He led the NFL in comple- bardi: Cam Newton. The Pan- tion percentage at 69.8, ranked thers scored more points than ¿IWK LQ SDVVHU UDWLQJ DW any team in the league this sea- set a franchise mark with 4,166 son behind the versatile New- passing yards, and threw for 23 ton, a leading MVP candidate. TDs and only 3 INTs over the +HEHFDPHWKH¿UVW1)/TXDU- last 10 games. terback to throw for 35 touch- • Why they won’t: This team downs and run for 10 scores in LVÀDZHGLQDQXPEHURIZD\V WKHEHVWVHDVRQRIKLV¿YH\HDU including a suspect running career. 3. VIKINGS: • Why they won’t: Health. • Why they’ll host the Lom- game and a shaky defense. And The Panthers are struggling in bardi: Defense. With 14 sacks, if Washington beats Green Bay recent weeks with their pass seven takeaways and two touch- in the wild-card round, it would rush and lost starting cornerback downs over a three-game win- EHWKH¿UVWYLFWRU\DOOVHDVRQIRU Charles Tillman for the season ning streak to close the regular the Redskins against a team that in Week 17 to a torn ACL. Till- season and win the NFC North, ¿QLVKHGDERYH • ”He’s been a great leader man is the second cornerback to this group is in a groove. It’ll be suffer a season-ending injury in even better if nose tackle Linval for us on offense. He’s exactly the last week. Joseph, who missed four of the what we need right now. We’re ´:H¿QGRXUHGJHLQSOD\- ODVW¿YHJDPHVZLWKDWRHLQMXU\ JRLQJ WR NHHS ¿JKWLQJ EHKLQG him.” — tight end Jordan Reed, ing in front of our home crowd. returns to the lineup. Everything feels just right. We • Why they won’t: Iffy of- speaking about Cousins. don’t have to travel to a hostile fense. Teddy Bridgewater is environment.” — Newton on 17-11 as a starter but he passed 5. PACKERS: KDYLQJ KRPH¿HOG DGYDQWDJH for 250 yards just four times this • Why they’ll host the Lom- and playing in a stadium where season. If they fall behind quick- bardi: No one wants to face they have won 11 in a row. O\WKHLUUXQ¿UVWIRUPXODIHDWXU- Aaron Rodgers in the playoffs. ing Adrian Peterson implodes When healthy, the offensive and protecting Bridgewater be- line is capable of opening holes 2. CARDINALS: • Why they’ll hoist the hind a so-so O-line gets harder. for bullish running back Eddie Lombardi: NFL’s best offense. Exhibit A: their 38-7 home loss Lacy. The defense and special teams have been strengths for Carson Palmer set franchise re- to Seattle a month ago. most of the year. • Why they won’t: The of- fense has been searching for consistency all season, especial- ly since they were exposed by the Denver Broncos on Nov. 1, sending them tumbling through D¿QLVKDIWHUDVWDUW7KH FKDQFHVRI¿QGLQJD¿[IRUWKHLU big-play woes after 17 weeks are slim and injuries have rav- aged their O-line. • ”We’re 16 games in, so you kind of are who you are, but ZH¶YHJRWWR¿QGDZD\WRSXW it all together for four quarters.” — Rodgers. 6: SEAHAWKS: • Why they’ll hoist the Lom- bardi: Russell Wilson is hot and Marshawn Lynch is back from abdominal surgery. The two- time defending NFC champs know what it takes to win in the playoffs even if they have to hit the road to do it. They’ve won six of seven, including all three road games. Wilson has 24 TD passes and one interception in that streak. • Why they won’t: St. Lou- is showed the blueprint for stopping the Seahawks with its Week 16 win in Seattle. The Rams hounded him, dominat- ed the line of scrimmage and disrupted the entire Seahawks RIIHQVH6HDWWOHIDFHVDGLI¿FXOW road at Minnesota in frigid con- ditions and, if it wins, at Caro- lina, both for early West Coast starts. ´7KHVHJX\VDUHFRQ¿GHQW that we can go wherever we got to go,” coach Pete Carroll. AP NFL website: http:// pro32.ap.org/dailyastorian
