10A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, AUGUST 7, 2017
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Gary Henley | Sports Reporter
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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.