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SPORTS WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2015 Sports shorts Under Armour to sponsor NBA Draft Combine in 2016 NEW YORK (AP) — Under Armour signed a multiyear deal Monday to sponsor the NBA’s draft combine. Financial terms weren’t disclosed. The athletic gear maker said it will begin out¿ tting athletes at the combine in 2018. The NBA draft combine brings together college basketball players every year to take physical tests, give interviews and compete in games ahead of the NBA draft. The Baltimore-based company said it will also sell combine apparel for fans. It’s been a partner of the league since 2011. Shares of Under Armour Inc. rose $1.03 to $98.96 in afternoon trading. NFL Draft stays in Chicago for 2016 SCHAUMBURG, Ill. (AP) — The NFL draft is returning to the Windy City for the second straight year after a long run at Radio City Music Hall in New York. The location has not been ¿ nali]ed, but it will be near Grant Park and run from April 28-30. FACES “We’re thrilled. They have earned it,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday Goodell at the owners’ meetings. “The success that we’ve had last year set a new bar for the draft.” The league also announced plans to create a selection process for future draft sites. There was no commitment made to Chicago beyond 2016, but the NFL says it will be considered for future drafts. “The NFL draft is world-class event, and I’m proud they picked a world-class city like the city of Chicago,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel said. “Fighting doesn’t work in football. You get ejected from the game. So it shouldn’t be an issue.” — Marvin Lewis Cincinnati Bengals head coach following a joint practice in Cincinnati with the New York Gi- ants. Much scrutiny was given to this practice af- ter a joint practice witht the Texans and Redskins earlier this summer resulted in three seperate scuffl es throughout the practice. THIS DATE IN SPORTS 1994 — Major league baseball players strike in the sport’s eighth work stoppage since 1972. 2000 — Evander Holy- ¿ eld scores a 12-round unan- imous decision over John Rui] in Las 9egas to win the vacant WBA heavyweight title. 2008 — Michael Phelps wins the 200-meter freestyle for his third gold medal at the Beijing Games. It’s his ninth career gold, matching the record total of Mark Spit], Carl Lewis, Soviet gymnast Larysa Latynina and Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi. 2012 — The U.S. men’s basketball team ¿ ghts off another challenge from Spain, pulling away in the ¿ nal minute for a 107-100 victory. Contact us at 541-966-0838 or sports@eastoregonian.com FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS 1B NFL Jets QB punched by teammate, out 6-10 weeks By DENNIS WASZAK JR. Associated Press FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Geno Smith’s hopes for a breakout season with the New York Jets took a major blow — to the jaw. The quarterback will be sidelined at least 6-10 weeks with a broken jaw after being punched by teammate Ikemefuna Enemkpali in the locker room Tuesday morning. Smith, entering his third season, will require surgery to repair the injuries. He hadn’t yet undergone the procedure as of late Tuesday afternoon. Coach Todd Bowles made the stunning announcement in an impromptu news conference before training camp practice was scheduled to start. Enemkpali (EN-um- PAL-ee), an outside line- backer in his second season, was immediately released See JETS/2B AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith sits on the bench during the fi rst half of a game against the Buffalo Bills on October 26, 2014 in East Rutherford. Geno Smith’s hopes for a breakout season with the New York Jets took a major blow _ to the jaw. The quarterback will be sidelined at least 6-10 weeks with a broken jaw after being punched by teammate Ikemefuna Enemkpali in the locker room Tuesday morning. SEAHAWKS Okung walks alone in search Jeanpierre, Nowak battle of extension with Seahawks for No.1 on depth chart With Unger traded, former backups trying to win job 9eteran says no thanks to agents By TIM BOOTH Associated Press By CURTIS CRABTREE Associated Press RENTON, Wash. — Russell Okung is often asked to go it alone. It’s the nature of his position as the Seattle Seahawks’ left tackle. So perhaps it should Bettina Hansen/The Seattle Times via AP be no surprise that Okung Seattle Seahawks tackle Russell Okung teach- is venturing out on his es a kid a drill during training camp Tuesday in own when it comes to Renton, Wa. handling the details of his reins of my life and make information I made my football future. the decisions as well.” decision and sometimes Okung, the ¿ rst draft Okung ¿ rst wrote the general assumption is pick made by Pete Carroll about his decision in The I won’t have any counsel and John Schneider in Players’ Tribune before at all. I have plenty 2010, is entering the the start of training camp. counsel that are backing ¿ nal season of his rookie And while he’s trying me and people that have contract. And instead of to keep it from being a background in negotia- relying on an agent to a lingering topic, it’s a tion.” handle any future contract reality Okung is facing. The decision to handle negotiations, whether “It’s been kind of a his own negotiations with the Seahawks or year and a half in the falls in line with Okung’s another franchise, Okung making and I’ve been general interest in busi- is going to handle the thinking about it and ness outside of football. proceedings himself. really trying to learn He’s been an active “I wasn’t necessarily more about the decision participant in NFL-spon- the ¿ rst guy to do it and and try and get educated sored business seminars I hope I’m not the last from every standpoint I during the offseason. either. I do want this to possibly could,” Okung This past offseason, be memorable,” Okung said. “I want to know Okung began working said. “If you remember each perspective whether on an executive MBA anything, remember I’m open, that side or this from the University of Seattle won a Super Bowl side, or even from the Miami. He’s also been and remember I did this. front of¿ ces perspective, forthright in meeting That I wanted to take the too. Once I had all that See OKUNG/2B RENTON, Wash. — Acquiring Jimmy Graham this season came with the reali]ation that the Seattle Seahawks would need a new starting center for the ¿ rst time since 2009. Seattle traded Max Unger to New Orleans in exchange for Graham this offseason and the search for his replacement is one of the more heated battles of training camp. Lemuel Jeanpierre and Drew Nowak have been splitting ¿ rst-team reps on a daily basis for the majority of the ¿ rst two weeks of camp. “It’s still very competi- tive,” head coach Pete Carroll said. “Drew is a little bit ahead right now. (Jeanpierre) is ahead in all of the assign- ments and all that stuff. Drew looks really good physically. We’re just going to keep working it and see what happens.” Jeanpierre had been Unger’s backup for the last four seasons and was re-signed to compete for the starting job. Nowak, a former defensive lineman, began taking snaps at center during OTAs and has taken a slight lead over Jeanpierre as the team prepares for the preseason opener on Friday. “I just think we’re kind of creating as much competition as we can with it,” offensive line coach Tom Cable said. “(Nowak) has been in the ¿ rst huddle a little more the last couple days, but that will even out.” Jeanpierre was placed on injured reserve and released with an injury settlement after injuring his neck at the end of the preseason last year. He returned to the team midseason and started three games in place of Unger down the stretch. He’s played in 53 games for Seattle with 11 starts over the last four seasons. Despite getting one of his ¿ rst opportunities to start in his career, Jeanpierre has been instructing Nowak and rookie Kristjan Sokoli — another defensive line to offensive line convert — regularly during practices. “I’m trying to help them out. I’m wanting to bring them along. I want them to be at my level of knowledge,” Jeanpierre said. “If I compete and I win, whoever I compete against I want them to be at their best. That’s how you want it. If I win, when I win, it was at their best. It wasn’t a À uke.” See CENTER/2B Mariners use extra-inning magic in victory over Orioles By JOSH LIEBESKIND Associated Press SEATTLE — Austin Jackson hit a bases-loaded single in the 10th inning to give the Seattle Mariners a 6-5 victory over the Balti- more Orioles on Tuesday night, marking the ¿ rst time since baseball expanded to 30 clubs that all 15 home teams won on the same day. Nelson Cru] and Mark Trumbo homered for the Mariners. Cru] extended his hitting streak to a career-high 21 games, matching Troy Tulowit]ki for the longest streak in the majors this season, but exited before the seventh with neck spasms. Jackson’s single off reliever T.J. McFarland (0-2) down the right-¿ eld line scored Logan Morrison from third and ¿ nished off the major league schedule for the night. The last time home teams went undefeated on a day with more than one game was an 8-0 record on Aug. 28, 2008 — although road squads were 7-0 on April, 2, 2013, according to STATS. Ari]ona and Tampa Bay AP Photo/Elaine Thompson Seattle Mariners’ Nelson Cruz, right, rounds the bases on a home run past Baltimore Orioles short- stop J.J. Hardy in the fi rst inning of Tuesday’s game in Seattle. joined the majors in 1998, bringing the total to 30 teams. STATS said previously the best performance by home teams had been 11-0, accomplished six times — three in the 1800s. The most recent occasion was Sept. 16, 1989. Morrison led off the 10th with a bloop double down the left-¿ eld line. Brad Miller followed with a single that put runners at the corners. Fernando Rodney (5-4) pitched a perfect inning for the win. Adam Jones and Chris Davis hit back-to-back homers to tie the game in the eighth. Jones’ two-run shot chased reliever Tom Wilhelmsen. Davis greeted Joe Beimel with a towering drive to right that made it 5-all. Seattle had a 4-2 lead after the ¿ rst thanks to two homers. Cru] hit a solo shot with two outs and Trumbo added a three-run drive later in the inning. Kyle Seager added another run for Seattle with a second-inning sacri¿ ce À y to score Miller, who doubled leading off the inning and moved to third on Jackson’s single. The Orioles took a 2-0 lead in the top of the ¿ rst on a two-run single by Jonathan Schoop. Baltimore loaded the bases with two outs before Schoop’s hit, but Mariners starter Taijuan Walker quickly rebounded and later retired 11 straight. Walker allowed two runs in six innings. He struck out six and walked one. Chris Tillman gave up ¿ ve runs and eight hits over 2 1-3 innings in an unusu- ally rough outing against the Mariners. The former Seattle second-round draft pick entered 6-0 with a 2.09 ERA in seven career appearances against his former club. Tillman was struck on the back of his right arm by a line drive off the bat of Robinson Cano in the ¿ rst inning. After a brief delay and a few warmup pitches, Tillman was cleared by a trainer to continue. TRAINER’S ROOM Mariners: LHP Charlie Furbush (biceps) is not quite ready to begin a rehab assignment and will throw another bullpen Saturday with the team in Boston. The reliever has no struc- tural damage, but does feel a slight pinching sensation when he throws. Orioles: RHP Cha] Roe is expected to get a cortisone shot for his shoulder inÀ am- mation, but is still on track to return from the disabled list Aug. 25, manager Buck Showalter said. UP NEXT Mariners: RHP Hisashi Iwakuma pitches Wednesday afternoon against Baltimore as the Mariners close out a six-game homestand. Orioles: Baltimore wraps up a nine-game road swing, sending Kevin Gausman to the mound looking to improve his 2-3 record and 4.56 ERA.
