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8A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, AUGUST 11, 2017 CONTACT US FOLLOW US facebook.com/ DailyAstorianSports Gary Henley | Sports Reporter ghenley@dailyastorian.com Los Angeles poised to take another step toward 2028 Olympic Games Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles appears poised to take another step toward bringing the 2028 Olympics to the city, despite questions about future costs. The City Council is expected today to endorse doc- uments at the heart of its plan to stage the Summer Olympics for the third time since 1932. The contract outlines Los Ange- les’ financial responsibility in hosting the games, although a budget for the proposed 2028 Games has not been completed. The vote will take place less than two weeks after the city announced an agreement with international Olympic lead- ers ceding the 2024 Games to rival Paris, while opening the way for Los Angeles to host the 2028 Games. Los Angeles City Coun- cil President Herb Wesson has called the agreement a “win- win-win scenario.” The deal comes with mil- lions of dollars of financial sweeteners for accepting the later date. However, the extra four years pose challenges for Los Angeles from maintain- ing public interest to rewriting deals for stadiums, arenas and housing that were all hooked to 2024. City analysts have recom- mended the council approve the contract, which faces an Aug. 18 deadline, but also emphasized a revised budget for 2028 could take months to complete. “There are inherent risks to hosting such major events so far into the future,” city ana- lysts noted in a report on the agreement. LA will need to recast finan- cial guarantees approved by the city and state to cover poten- tial shortfalls connected with the 2024 bid. Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation last Septem- ber that puts California taxpay- ers on the hook for up to $250 million if Los Angeles was awarded the 2024 Games and they ran over budget. The city had matched the amount. Those reserve costs would apparently go up for 2028. And city analysts say the question of state support might not be resolved until 2018, though leg- islative leaders have expressed support. The Olympics have a noto- rious history of runaway costs, but city officials have argued their plan will stay in the black by relying on the region’s many existing stadiums and are- nas, including the Los Ange- les Memorial Coliseum and the Staples Center. State analysts AP Photo/Jae C. Hong Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the venue proposed for Olympic opening and closing ceremonies and track and field events. stands in Los Angeles. previously concluded the 2024 plan carried relatively low risk, because it avoided major new construction projects. The 2028 plan is expected to remain largely unchanged, without building any new, per- manent venues. The U.S. Olympic Commit- tee board of directors must also approve the deal. The International Olympic Committee vote is scheduled for September, in Lima, Peru. AP Photo/Gus Ruelas Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott, shown here in July, has been suspended for six games un- der the NFL’s personal conduct policy following the league’s yearlong investigation into the running back’s domestic violence case out of Ohio. AP Photo/Elaine Thompson Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Edwin Diaz looks out from the dugout after being removed during the ninth in- ning against the Los Angeles Angels during a baseball game Thursday in Seattle. Diaz gave up three runs in the inning and the Angels won 6-3. Trout comes through in 9th as Angels get past Mariners By TIM BOOTH Associated Press SEATTLE — Mike Trout provided the capper to a miserable night for the Seattle Mariners. Trout looped a three-run double just inside the left-field line with two outs in the ninth inning, and the Los Ange- les Angels cooled off the Mariners with a 6-3 victory on Thursday night. Trout’s bases-clearing hit off Seat- tle closer Edwin Diaz (2-5) came after the Mariners staged a three-run rally of their own in the eighth inning to tie the game at 3-all. And it all seemed secondary for the Mariners compared to the concern over the health of lefty James Paxton, who left in the seventh inning with a strained pectoral muscle. Paxton is hopeful it’s a minor injury, but will have an MRI on Friday that should provide the Mariners more clarity how long they could be without their ace in the middle of the playoff chase. “It hurts. He’s been our guy. He’s been awesome. He really has,” Seat- tle manager Scott Servais said. “Don’t want to get too far ahead of it but fin- gers crossed that he doesn’t miss too much time.” The Angels took advantage of major control problems in the ninth from Diaz, who walked three batters, including Cameron Maybin on a 3-2 pitch to bring Trout to the plate. The reigning MVP pulled a 1-1 breaking ball and just kept it fair and clearing the bases. “There were a couple walks, so I was assuming I’d take a strike,” Trout said. “I was looking for a pitch to hit. But I was kind of undecided on the first pitch, so I just wanted to see one. After that, I saw the slide pop up and hit a double.” The surging Mariners were com- ing off a 6-3 road trip to move into the second wild-card spot in the American League and used the long ball to rally in the eighth inning after getting noth- ing going against Angels starter Tyler AP Photo/Elaine Thompson Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout swings for a three-run double against the Seattle Mariners during the ninth inning of the baseball game. UP NEXT: MARINERS • Los Angeles Angels (58-58) at Seattle Mariners (59-57) • Tonight, 7:10 p.m. TV: RTNW Skaggs. Making his second start since coming off the disabled list, Skaggs pitched shutout ball into the seven, allowing five hits and striking out five. But the Mariners got to reliever Bud Norris in the eighth. Jean Segura hit his seventh home run of the sea- son and the duo of Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz continued to come through for the Mariners. Cano drove a two-out double off Norris (2-5) and Cruz followed with his 27th homer of the season and fifth in the past five games to pull Seattle even. That was it for the Mariners and after Trout came through Cam Bed- rosian pitched the ninth for his fourth save. “He’s the best player in the game. You wouldn’t want anybody else up,” Skaggs said of Trout. “He put the team on his back. Very simple. It’s a plea- sure playing with him.” C.J. Cron hit a solo homer in the second inning and Andrelton Simmons added a two-run shot in the fourth, both off of Paxton. It was the first hom- ers allowed by Paxton since June 27 against Philadelphia and the first time he allowed multiple homers in a game since June 1, 2016. Paxton had tied a franchise record by winning his previous seven starts dating to July 2, when he beat the Angels. But he was not sharp in his attempt at No. 8 and could be headed to the disabled list for the second time this season. “I don’t think it’s anything too seri- ous, but obviously don’t want to miss time right now,” Paxton said. “Hope- fully it’s nothing big.” Injury woes The latest injury to Paxton only adds to a season of setbacks among Seattle’s starting rotation. Drew Smyly never pitched for the Mariners this sea- son. Hisashi Iwakuma has been out since early May with shoulder trou- bles, Felix Hernandez is in his second stint on the disabled list and Paxton could be joining him. Dallas RB Elliott suspended 6 games in domestic case Off-field issues trouble Cowboys star By SCHUYLER DIXON Associated Press Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott was sus- pended for six games Friday after a yearlong NFL inves- tigation of his domestic vio- lence case in Ohio. The 2016 NFL rushing leader was suspended despite prosecutors in Columbus, Ohio, deciding a year ago not to pursue the case involving Elliott’s girlfriend at the time in the same city where Elliott starred for Ohio State. The league said there was “substantial and persuasive evidence” that Elliott had physical confrontations last summer with his then-girl- friend, Tiffany Thompson. Elliott will be eligible to return to the active roster on Oct. 23. Elliott has three days to appeal the ruling. One of his agents didn’t immedi- ately respond to a request for comment. The NFL Players Asso- ciation said it was review- ing the decision and had been in touch with Elliott’s representatives. The league revised its personal conduct policy in 2014 following sharp criti- cism of a case involving for- mer Baltimore running back Ray Rice. The policy gave Commissioner Roger Good- ell authority to suspend play- ers for at least six games in domestic cases, with or with- out a conviction. In a letter to Elliott informing him of the league’s decision, NFL special coun- sel for conduct Todd Jones said advisers brought in by the league “were of the view that there is substantial and persuasive evidence support- ing a finding that (Elliott) engaged in physical violence against Ms. Thompson on multiple occasions during the week of July 16, 2016.” The Ohio case was the first in a series of off-field incidents involving Elliott in his first year after the Cow- boys made him the fourth overall pick in the 2016 draft. He finished with 1,631 yards rushing in helping the Cow- boys to the best record in the NFC at 13-3 before a divi- sional playoff loss to Green Bay. First US woman to summit K-2 in Pakistan says she is ‘proud’ Associated Press ISLAMABAD — The first American woman to scale Pakistan’s dangerous K-2 summit says it was a “proud moment” when she hoisted the U.S. and Paki- stani flags at the top of the mountain. The 52-year-old Vanessa O’Brien achieved her moun- taineering feat on July 28. K-2 is the world’s sec- ond-highest mountain, at 28,251 feet or 8,610 meters. For mountain climbers, it is also considered particularly difficult, after Mount Everest O’Brien said Friday she hopes her achievement will promote people-to-peo- ple contacts between the two countries. She says her 12-member team of interna- tional climbers was grateful to Islamabad for facilitating their endeavor. It was O’Brien’s third attempt at conquering K2, after being unsuccessful in 2015 and 2016 when an avalanche buried all of her equipment and strong winds forced her team to return to base camp.