TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015
Sports shorts
Tiger arrives for
mystery Masters
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) —
Tiger Woods arrived later
than usual Monday for a
Masters that is different from
all the others he has played.
No one was sure what to
expect from him.
Woods offered a quick
glimpse that it could be just
about anything. He hooked
his tee shot so far left that
it nearly went into the ninth
fairway. And then he hit
a shot to about 6 feet and
rolled in the putt for birdie.
“I felt like I had to get
my game into a spot where
I felt I could compete to win
a golf tournament and it’s
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after playing 11 holes. He
played the front nine with
Mark O’Meara, then the
10th and 18th holes before
darkness.
More relevant than any
of his shots — including his
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— was the atmosphere.
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practice at Augusta National
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of the year.
NFL, Peterson
to meet Tuesday
Minnesota Vikings
running back Adrian
Peterson will meet Tuesday
with the NFL to discuss his
playing status, according to
a person with
of
FACES knowledge
the situation.
The
person spoke
Monday to The
Associated
Press on
condition of
Peterson
anonymity
because
of the sensitivity of the
information.
Peterson was suspended
under the league’s personal
conduct policy through at
least April 15 due to the
child abuse case involving
his young son, a punishment
he appealed. Commissioner
Roger Goodell has said
he planned to meet with
Peterson before the
anticipated expiration date
of the suspension to assess
the six-time Pro Bowl pick’s
status.
When the punishment
was announced Nov. 18,
Goodell ordered Peterson
to attend a counseling
and treatment program
in conjunction with the
suspension.
Once Peterson’s playing
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still the glaring matter of his
disinterest in continuing his
career in Minnesota.
Dogra said two weeks
ago that the 30-year-old
Peterson wants to play
elsewhere, but the Vikings
have said repeatedly they
want Peterson back.
”It’s not typical.
Just fi gured he
could use a bit
of support. It’s
always good to
know someone is
in your corner.”
SPORTS
1B
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Mariners christen Opening Day with win
By TIM BOOTH
AP Sports Writer
SEATTLE — For all the attention
paid to what the Seattle Mariners did
to improve their offense in the off-
season, their foundation remains the
pitching.
And there’s
BASEBALL
no better pitcher
to build around
than Felix Her-
nandez, especial-
Seattle
ly on opening day
when Seattle’s
ace is still unde-
feated.
“It’s a great
challenge,” Her-
LA Angels
nandez
said.
“You’ve got a lot
of eyes on you
and you’ve got to do good.”
Hernandez struck out 10 and
allowed only two hits over seven
innings, Seth Smith had three ex-
tra-base hits and two RBIs in his Se-
attle debut and the Mariners beat the
Los Angeles Angels 4-1 on Monday.
Hernandez (1-0) improved to
6-0 in opening day starts, only two
of them at home. Taking the mound
before a sellout crowd waving yel-
low “K’’ towels in his honor, he lift-
ed Seattle to its ninth straight win on
4
1
AP Photo/Ted S. Warren
A large U.S. fl ag is displayed at Safeco Field as the Seattle Mariners and the Los Angeles Angels stand
on the baselines before their opening day game Monday in Seattle.
opening day.
The victory to begin the most an-
ticipated season in Seattle in years
was exactly to the Mariners’ blue-
print: dominant starting pitching, a
handful of key hits throughout the
lineup and stellar work out of the
bullpen capped by an uneventful
ninth inning and Fernando Rodney’s
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“It’s always nice to win at home.
I’m glad opening day is over. We
BEDEVILED
can get back to a sense of normal-
cy around here because it is a very
hectic day,” Seattle manager Lloyd
McClendon said. “But when you
See MARINERS/3B
MISSION
AP Photo/David J. Phillip
Duke players celebrate with the trophy after their 68-63 victory over Wisconsin
in the NCAA Final Four championship game Monday in Indianapolis.
Duke wins fifth NCAA title
The seniors at Duke have only experi-
enced one loss here since their freshman
year, a 90-74 defeat against Miami in Janu-
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — All those ary that snapped a 41-game home winning
noisy Cameron Crazies got to celebrate one streak. The Blue Devils have won 48 of 49
more win at Duke’s Cameron Indoor Sta- home games during the past three seasons.
And while the national title game was
dium.
$ERXWVWXGHQWVÀRFNHGWRWKH%OXH being played in Indy, the Crazies did their
best to conjure up any sort of
Devils’ famously loud arena Mon-
home-court advantage. They held
day night to watch their school beat
their hands skyward and whooshed
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with every free throw. They chant-
Tournament title.
ed Grayson Allen’s name after he
They cheered, they rushed the
scored six straight points and drew
court, they treated it like a home
Duke
a foul midway through the second
game — even though the game was
half.
played some 600 miles away in In-
And when Final Four Most
dianapolis.
Outstanding Player Tyus Jones hit
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the go-ahead 3-pointer with about
omore Zach Gorwitz wore a Shane
Wisconsin
4 minutes left, the Crazies went,
Battier jersey while running up the
well, crazy — with the noise lev-
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el approaching that of a visit from
ward and let out a scream. He calls
North Carolina.
it “unbelievable” and “history” and
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says “it’s a blessing ... to be a part of it.”
The students then made their way across had poured onto the court and hugged,
campus for a controlled, school-sanctioned danced and screamed for well over a min-
ute.
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They are certainly used to walking out of
See DUKE/3B
Cameron with a smile.
By JOEDY MCCREARY
AP Sports Writer
68
63
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Heppner freshman Sophie Grant chips her ball
out of a bunker on the 12th green during the Wild-
horse Invite Monday in Mission.
Bucks, Mustangs
win at Wildhorse
ment was looming large
after he shot a tourna-
ment-low 71 to lead the
MISSION — For most Bucks to a team title.
“It’s nice to win on
of the teams in attendance,
Monday’s Wildhorse In- your home course but we
vitational was one of have stuff to improve on.
WKHLU ¿UVW IHZ WRXUQDPHQW We have state coming up
in a month or so,” he said.
rounds of the golf season.
But even though it “It’s going to start hitting
fell early on the calendar, fast. This is only our third
where the Pendleton-host- tournament but we feel
ed round at Wildhorse like we’re in midseason
Golf Course came in their already.”
Pendleton’s girls were
preparations for the post-
season was a matter of led by Haley Greb, who
was one stroke off the lead
perspective.
For Pendleton’s Reilly
See GOLF/3B
Hegarty, the state tourna-
By MATT ENTRUP
East Oregonian
— “Bald Vinny”
Leader of Yankee Stadium
“Bleacher Creatures” on
cheering for Yankee and
admitted steroid user
Alex Rodriguez.
Depleted Trail Blazers tangled up by Nets
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
NEW YORK — Brook
Lopez dominated twin
brother Robin and the
short-handed
Portland
frontcourt with 32 points
and nine rebounds, and the
Brooklyn Nets beat the Trail
Blazers 106-96 on Monday
night in the only game on
the NBA schedule.
The Trail Blazers left La-
Marcus Aldridge and others
home for the makeup of a
game that was postponed
by weather on Jan. 26 and
couldn’t stop Brook Lopez,
who has won the last two
Eastern Conference player
1963 — Jack Nicklaus,
23, becomes the youngest
golfer to win the Masters,
beating Tony Lema by a
stroke.
2003 — Syracuse wins
the NCAA tournament with
an 81-78 victory over Kan-
sas. Freshman Carmelo
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10 rebounds and seven as-
sists. Gerry McNamara hits
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Contact us at 541-966-0838 or
sports@eastoregonian.com
By BRIAN MAHONEY
AP Basketball Writer
Basketball
Brooklyn
106
Portland
96
of the week awards. He shot
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Deron Williams added
24 points and 10 assists for
the Nets, who strengthened
their hold on seventh place
in the Eastern Conference
by winning for the ninth
time in 11 games. Thaddeus
Young scored 20 points.
Damian Lillard scored
36 points for the Trail Blaz-
ers, who had won two in a
row. Meyers Leonard had
17 points and 15 rebounds,
while Robin Lopez had
just eight points and seven
boards.
Besides Aldridge, Port-
land was without forward
Nicolas Batum and backup
center Chris Kaman. With a
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after the game Monday,
Blazers coach Terry Stotts
opted to let the players stay
behind and rest some inju-
ries before they host Minne-
sota on Wednesday.
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cit to six in the fourth quar-
See BLAZERS/3B
AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek
Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez moves around his
twin brother, Trail Blazer Robin Lopez on Monday.