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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 7, 2017)
10A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, AUGUST 7, 2017 CONTACT US FOLLOW US facebook.com/ DailyAstorianSports Gary Henley | Sports Reporter ghenley@dailyastorian.com SPORTS IN BRIEF Astoria High School practices start Monday The Daily Astorian Practice starts Monday for the Astoria boys soccer team, while the Fishermen will hold their annual Alumni Soccer Game Tuesday. Astoria has practices sched- uled for Monday and Wednesday (6 p.m., Volunteer Field in War- renton) and Thursday (4 p.m., CMH Field), and the Alumni Game takes place at 7 p.m. Tues- day at CMH Field. Practices for Astoria girls soc- cer are scheduled for 6:30 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday at CMH Field. The North Coast Soccer Camp is Friday through Sunday at Vol- unteer Field. Astoria cross country practices are scheduled for 9 a.m., Monday, Wednesday and Friday at Astoria High School. A “Commitment Camp” for the Astoria football team will run Monday through Thursday at Astoria High School, 5 to 6:30 p.m. each day. Fishermen football will hold their annual “Midnight Madness” practice Monday, Aug. 14, the first official day of fall sports practices. The fall sports parent meeting starts at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Astoria High auditorium. Warrenton High sports meeting The Daily Astorian Sean Meagher/The Oregonian Portland Timbers’ Diego Valeri celebrates following his strike that netted his team their second goal of an MLS soccer match against the Los Angeles Galaxy in Portland Sunday. The Timbers head to Canada this Saturday to face off with Toronto FC. All-Star Valeri strikes as Timbers beat Galaxy 3-1 Kickoff moved up due to warm temperatures Associated Press Warrenton High School will hold its annual Parent/Athlete Night at 6 p.m. Thursday in the WHS gymnasium. All athletes who are planning to participate in any of the offered sports during the 2017-18 school year are invited, along with their parents. For more information, contact Warrenton Athletic Director Rob- ert Hoepfl at 503-861-3317. Mariners, Royals split doubleheader Cruz homered twice in first game Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Rookie Jakob Junis pitched eight sharp innings and the Kansas City Royals beat the Seattle Mariners 9-1 to split their doubleheader Sunday. Nelson Cruz homered twice and drove in four runs as the Mar- iners held off the Royals 8-7 in the first game. Whit Merrifield homered in both games for the Royals. Junis (4-2), who was added to Kansas City’s roster as the extra 26th man for the twinbill, allowed one run. He retired his final 19 bat- ters after giving up an RBI double to Danny Espinosa in the second inning. Junis walked none and struck out a career-high seven. Melky Cabrera hit a three-run homer off Erasmo Ramirez (4-4) during a four-run third inning. It was Cabrera’s first home run since the Royals acquired him in a July 30 trade with the Chicago White Sox. Cabrera also had an RBI double. Eric Hosmer homered and drove in three runs for the Royals. Seattle pitchers have allowed an AL-high 172 home runs. Lorenzo Cain got six hits in the doubleheader, scored three runs, drove two and stole a base for the Royals. Cruz, Danny Valencia and Kyle Seager homered in the first two innings as the Mariners took a 7-0 lead off Danny Duffy (7-7) in the opener. PORTLAND — Diego Valeri scored a spectacular 30-yard goal in the 33rd minute to lead the Portland Timbers to a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday. Valeri, who played Wednesday in the MLS All-Star Game against Real Madrid, created space for himself when receiving a pass from Roy Miller. After taking a few strides toward goal, he unleashed a kick that flew beyond the reach of Los Angeles goalkeeper Brian Rowe for his team-leading 12th goal of the season. “It’s always nice to score a nice goal,” Valeri said. “When you execute what you are thinking, it’s always nice.” Said Rowe, “By the time I took a step he had already hit it and it was coming back.” The game got off to a frantic start, with two goals and one goal disallowed thanks to the newly implemented Video Assistant Referee in the first 10 minutes. UP NEXT: TIMBERS • Portland Timbers (9-8-7) at Toronto FC (12-3-8) • Saturday, 3 p.m. TV: RTNW Timbers defender and captain Liam Ridgewell, who missed the last eight games because of a quad injury, started the action in the 5th minute when he headed a bouncing corner kick into the roof of the net for his sec- ond of the season. “It’s been a long road back. It’s nice,” Ridgewell said of returning. “My boy said just before I went out, ‘Go and score a goal’. So did my mom. So, hopefully they can stay a lit- tle longer and keep saying it.” A minute after Ridgewell scored, Joao Pedro threaded a pass behind the Portland defense for Emmanuel Boateng to race onto and slip a shot under Timbers goalkeeper Jake Gleeson to tie the score. It was Boateng’s third goal. In the 10th minute, it appeared Los Ange- les took the lead after Gyasi Zardes collected a floating header from Boateng just in front of the net and knocked it in. But referee Drew Fischer consulted with the VAR and deter- mined Zardes knocked the ball in with his hand, nullifying the goal and earning Zardes a yellow card. It marked the second time a goal has been disallowed after video review since the technology was implemented this weekend. “I think (VAR) helped, obviously, in that moment,” Portland coach Caleb Porter said. “Going down 2-1 versus staying at 1-1, that was a key moment in the match.” Said Los Angeles coach Sigi Schmid: “We’re disappointed and Portland was obvi- ously the better team in the first half, supe- rior to us at that time point. But goals change games. The goal that gets disallowed — I mean it’s the correct reasoning, but it’s a goal that we should have just headed in.” Portland added an insurance goal in the 53rd minute. Fanendo Adi charged toward goal, then backheeled the ball into the path of teammate Alvas Powell, who ripped a shot from a tight angle past Rowe for his first of the season. Tomlinson steals the show at Hall of Fame ceremony Davis, Warner among inductees By BARRY WILNER Associated Press CANTON, Ohio — As he so often did on the field, LaDainian Tomlin- son stole the show. With a powerful speech calling for “Team America” to be a place for inclusion and opportunity, the great running back of the San Diego Char- gers was inducted into the Pro Foot- ball Hall of Fame on Saturday night. The 2017 roster of entrants into the shrine was deeply impressive: fel- low running back Terrell Davis; quar- terback Kurt Warner; defensive end Jason Taylor; safety Kenny Easley; placekicker Morten Andersen; and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. All spoke eloquently, with bursts of humor and heartwarming stories. But Tomlinson’s words resonated so strongly that he drew several stand- ing ovations not only from the crowd of 13,400, but from his now-fellow Gold Jackets. “Football is a microcosm of Amer- ica,” Tomlinson said. “All races, reli- gions and creeds, living, playing, competing side by side. When you’re part of a team, you understand your teammates — their strengths and weaknesses — and work together toward the same goal, to win a championship. “Let’s not choose to be against one another. Let’s choose to be for one another. … I pray we dedicate our- selves to being the best team we can be, working and living together, rep- AP Photo/David Richard LaDainian Tomlinson delivers his speech at the Pro Football Hall of Fame inductions Saturday in Canton, Ohio. resenting the highest ideals of man- kind. Leading the way for all nations to follow.” Tomlinson and Taylor were elected in their first year of eligibil- ity. Taylor’s emotional speech during which he had to pause several times to compose himself was another highlight. A third-round draft pick from Akron — just down the road from the Hall of Fame — Taylor’s 139 1/2 career sacks helped him make the All-Decade Team of the 2000s. He also was the NFL’s Man of the Year in 2007. “I honestly can’t believe I am here,” said Taylor, who kissed the shaved head atop his bust when it was unveiled. “In 1992 I was at the Uni- versity of Akron, just 20 miles away. It took 20 years to travel 20 miles to put on this jacket. It was worth every step.” The longest wait, 24 years, was by Easley, chosen for enshrine- ment by the seniors committee. The hard-hitting safety for the Seahawks and a member of the 1980s All-De- cade Team played only seven seasons and 89 games. But what an impact he made as an intimidator and ballhawk. The 1981 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Easley was the league’s top overall defender in 1984 when he had a league-leading 10 intercep- tions, a career high. “I thank you for welcoming me into your exclusive club,” he said. Andersen, the league’s career scoring leader, joined Jan Stenerud as the only placekickers in Canton. A native of Denmark who knew nothing of American football when he came to this country as a teen- ager, Andersen played an incredi- ble 25 pro seasons, a league record. A member of the NFL’s 1980s and ’90s All-Decade Teams, he played 382 total games, scored 2,544 points (565 field goals, 849 extra points) and is the all-time scoring leader for both New Orleans and Atlanta. “Good evening, Canton, Ohio,” he began. “Good morning Denmark. “My story isn’t only about my love for my country of Denmark and its people, but also my deep apprecia- tion and respect for what I discovered here in the United States of America.” It took Warner years to get dis- covered by the NFL. By way of the Arena Football League, NFL Europe — and stocking shelves at a grocery store in between football jobs — Warner stepped in when Trent Green tore up his knee in a 1999 preseason game. He went on to win two NFL MVP awards and one league title, reinvigo- rating moribund Rams and then Car- dinals franchises along the way. “People say Hollywood couldn’t have written it any better,” Warner noted. “After this, they don’t have a chance.” Davis had a similar story. A sixth- round draft pick after a nondescript career at Long Beach State and Geor- gia, his mercurial NFL stay (seven years, five of them spectacular) had been something of a hindrance for entry into the hall. But he was the cat- alyst for the NFL titles Denver won in 1997 and ’98 with another Hall of Famer, John Elway, at quarterback.