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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 15, 2016)
12A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2016 CONTACT US FOLLOW US facebook.com/ DailyAstorianSports Gary Henley | Sports Reporter ghenley@dailyastorian.com Hitting camp coming soon Loggers land three on all-state team The Daily Astorian Astoria baseball will be hold- ing a hitting camp Wednesday, Dec. 28, with proceeds going to the Astoria Baseball Foundation. The one-day camp takes place from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the batting cage at Aiken Field. Astoria High School staff, alumni and current players will direct the camp, which is for advanced 10-year-olds, through eighth-graders. Cost is $40. Participants should bring a bat and dress for an unheated cage. Respond by leaving a message at 503-325- 8834, with name and age of player who will attend. Sign-up and pay between 9:30 and 9:55 a.m. the day of the camp. SPORTS IN BRIEF The Daily Astorian The Daily Astorian/File Photo Knappa senior Andrew Goozee capped his final year of football with a selection to the 2A all-state team. Three Knappa Loggers were included on this year’s Class 2A all- state football team, announced last week. Senior Andrew Goozee was a first-team selection at linebacker, and a second-team running back. Junior Reece Hunt was selected as Game IT’S SIMPLE is on FOR SEATTLE NBA players pleased about proposed deal Seattle to host 2017 WNBA All-Star Game By TIM REYNOLDS and JON KRAWCZYNSKI Associated Press Associated Press NEW YORK — Sue Bird is thrilled for a chance to show off Seattle. The Emerald City will host the WNBA All-Star Game next year for the first time, the league announced Wednesday. “I’m really excited as a player who’s been here her whole career,” Bird said in a phone inter- view with The Associated Press. “Really excited for the fans and for the city. This is a franchise that’s seen it all: No. 1 picks, champion- ships, missed playoff runs, disap- pointing playoff runs. It’s time to see an All-Star Game.” The game will take place on July 22. The league didn’t have an All- Star Game last season because of the Olympics. The midseason showcase has been held out west only twice, both times in Phoenix, most recently in 2014. NBC to launch all-Olympic channel Associated Press NEW YORK — NBC is bring- ing year-round Olympic program- ming to the United States. After years of trying, the U.S and International Olympic Com- mittees have agreed with NBC on a package that will offer year- round Olympic programming, focused on U.S. athletes, the par- ties announced Thursday. NBC will launch a new U.S. television network branded “Olympic Chan- nel: Home of Team USA” in the second half of 2017. That channel will comple- ment the IOC’s Olympic Chan- nel, which launched on a world- wide digital platform after the Rio Games. SCOREBOARD AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll walks the sideline prior to the start of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa, Fla. Seattle can wrap up its third NFC West title in the past four seasons with a win over the listless Los Angeles Rams tonight. Beat the Rams, clinch NFC West UP NEXT: SEAHAWKS • Los Angeles Rams (4-9) at Seattle Seahawks (8-4-1) • Today, 5:25 p.m. TV: NBC By TIM BOOTH Associated Press S EATTLE — For all of their wild inconsistency this season, the path is straight- forward for the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle can wrap up its third NFC West title in the past four seasons with a win over the list- less Los Angeles Rams on Thurs- day night. At this point, the Seahawks clinching the division title is a for- mality, holding a three-game lead over Arizona with three games remaining. The Rams can only dream of that kind of success after another lost season that culminated with this week’s decision to fire coach Jeff Fisher. “We realize that there’s a lot at stake with every one of these games, as it has always been,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. “But now you know you have a chance to make some noise in your division.” The more important task for Seattle is trying to regain control AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea Los Angeles Rams quarter- back Jared Goff. of the No. 2 seed in the NFC and a coveted first-round bye in the playoffs. The Seahawks (8-4-1) are a half-game behind Detroit in the NFC standings, but face a far eas- ier schedule than the Lions over the final three weeks. While Seattle closes with Los Angeles, Arizona and San Fran- cisco, the Lions finish off the sea- son at the New York Giants, at Dallas and home for Green Bay. While the immediate focus is taking care of the division, there is a decent chance if Seattle can fin- ish 3-0 it will end up with a bye. “Owning the division has been something for a long time first off, it’s the first thing that you get a shot at and we want to focus at what’s closest at hand,” Carroll said. “Also, when you win the divi- sion, you play a playoff game at home. This is such a decisive advantage, we feel, to play here.” While Seattle is all but assured of a fifth straight playoff appear- ance, the Rams (4-9) are without direction after the decision to fire Fisher. The hype that surrounded the Rams’ return to Los Angeles has been replaced by apathy after four straight losses and just one win since Oct. 2. Couple Fisher’s firing with the short week and there’s no telling how motivated — or indifferent — the Rams will be even with a three-game win streak over the Seahawks. “The players are just super resilient,” interim Los Angeles coach John Fassel said. “I antici- pate they’ll go out there and put it all on the line for themselves, the team and coach Fisher.” PREP SCHEDULE TODAY Girls Basketball — Warrenton at Clatskanie, 7:30 p.m.; Knappa at Verno- nia, 6 p.m.; Ilwaco at Raymond, 7 p.m. Boys Basketball — Warrenton at Clatskanie, 6 p.m.; Knappa at Vernonia, 8 p.m. Seaside Holiday Classic Today’s Schedule Girls 10 am-Astoria vs. Cottage Grove 1:00-South Whidbey vs. Newport 4:00-Elma vs. Crook County 7:00-Sisters vs. Seaside Boys 11:30-Cottage Grove vs. Astoria 2:30-Newport vs. Montesano 5:30-Elma vs. Madras 8:30-Sisters vs. Seaside FRIDAY Girls Basketball — Astoria JV2 at Jewell, 5 p.m.; Life Christian at Ilwaco, 5:45 p.m. Boys Basketball — Life Christian at Ilwaco, 7 p.m. SATURDAY Girls Basketball — Jefferson at War- renton, Noon Boys Basketball — Jefferson at War- renton, 4:30 p.m. Wrestling — Warrenton at Nestucca Tournament, 9 a.m.; Knappa at Wahkia- kum Meet, TBA a second-team offensive and defensive lineman, and junior Mason Hoover was a second-team defensive back. The Offensive Players of the Year were seniors Dylan Grogan of Stan- field and Bishop Mitchell of Ken- nedy; Defensive Players of the Year were seniors Eric Gustin of Regis and Kevin Murray of Heppner. Coach of the Year was Davy Salas of Stanfield. Reports: Leavitt to lead Ducks defense Associated Press EUGENE — Colorado defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt is joining new head coach Willie Taggart’s staff at Oregon, according to reports. FoxSports.com first reported Wednesday that Leavitt, a former head coach at South Florida like Taggart, would be the Ducks’ defensive coor- dinator. Oregon would not confirm the report, which cited anonymous sources. But Leavitt posted to Twitter Wednesday evening: “I love CU, play- ers, Boulder and all alum! Been great to me! Couldn’t pass up opportunity for family! South Champs! Been a great ride!!” Leavitt has spent the past two sea- sons with the Buffaloes. This season Colorado is ranked 17th nationally for total defense, allowing an average of 328.3 yards per game, and 18th for scoring defense, allowing 20.5 yards per game. The No. 11 Buffaloes (10-3) will play Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 29. It is Colorado’s first bowl game since 2007. “Surprised by the announcement, but thankful for what @CoachJim- Leavitt has done for the program. Good luck in the future coach,” Col- orado quarterback Sefo Liufau posted on Twitter. Leavitt also spent four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers under coach Jim Harbaugh. Leavitt was the first head coach at South Florida, from 1997-2009. Taggart, who spent the past four seasons at South Florida, was hired last week to take over the Ducks fol- lowing a disappointing 4-8 season and the dismissal of coach Mark Helfrich. Taggart and Leavitt share a connec- tion to Harbaugh. As a player Taggart was recruited to Western Kentucky by Harbaugh, whose father Jack was coach of the Hilltoppers. Later Tag- gart was an assistant under Harbaugh at Stanford. Leavitt will have his work cut out for him at Oregon. Former Michi- gan coach Brady Hoke attempted to install a new 4-3 defensive scheme and the Ducks finished the season ranked 126th out of the 128 FBS- level teams for total defense, allowing opponents an average of 528.4 yards per game. Oregon allowed an average of 41.4 points per game, ranked 125th nationally. When Oregon President Michael Schill introduced Taggart at a news conference last Thursday, he said his only advice to the new coach was to “go find a great defensive coordinator.” MIAMI — Washington Wiz- ards guard John Wall didn’t even need to see the details of the ten- tative collective bargaining agree- ment between the NBA and its players before drawing his conclusion. “It’s a lot better than having a lockout,” Wall said. Such was the sentiment around much of the NBA on Wednes- day night, when it was announced that the sides reached an agree- ment in principle on a new labor deal. All that remains before at least six more years of guaran- teed NBA labor peace are ratifi- cation votes by owners and play- ers, which are likely to be no more than formalities. Basic details include increases in values of rookie-scale contracts and exceptions, with a 45 per- cent increase in minimum salaries across the board in the first year of the new agreement. The rookie deals will be proportionate to the salary cap, either rising or falling as that does. The average salary is expected to hit $8.5 million next season and rise to $10 million by 2020-21. There’s never been more money in basketball, and neither side wanted that disrupted. So on Wednesday, one day before the deadline for either side to opt out of the current deal, negotiations were wrapped up and the sort of strife that caused some seasons to be shortened in the past was avoided without drama or fanfare. It was announced simply, in a short statement. And then 10 games went on as scheduled, just as they will now for years to come. “The game is going great for both the owners and players,” Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade said. “We talked about hav- ing a real partnership in the last labor negotiations. These are defi- nitely signs that things are going in the right direction.” Three people briefed on the terms said the proposed deal is for seven seasons, with an opt- out possible after six. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because neither side released spe- cific details. If the deal is ratified, the season will start a week earlier, presea- son games would be capped at six and one of the most dreaded ele- ments of the schedule — the four- games-in-five-days stretches — may be eliminated. The deadline for opting out is now Jan. 13, with the NBA saying that’s “in order to give both sides enough time to review the terms of the agreement and vote to ratify.” “I think all players wanted to shorten the preseason,” Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry said. Most players who were in games on Wednesday didn’t find out until afterward about the announcement from the NBA and National Basketball Players Asso- ciation. Many were not surprised that an arrangement was reached, although some said they expected the sides might have to extend the opt-out deadline to continue working toward a deal.
