SPORTS
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2015
Sports shorts
Oregon’s Freeman taking lead
College Football
EOU men ranked
4th in preseason
Cross Country poll
LA GRANDE — After
a stellar 2014 campaign
that featured a fourthplace
¿ nish at the NA,A National
Championships, the Eastern
Oregon University men’s
cross
country
team was
ranked No.
4 in the
Cascade
Collegiate
Conference (CCC) Coaches
Preseason Poll.
EOU bade farewell to ¿ ve
seniors last season, including
a pair of AllAmericans in
Damion Flores and Lucas
Updike. Pendleton High
School graduate Tyler
Zyph is a junior with the
Mountaineers.
By a unanimous vote,
Southern Oregon was picked
to defend its title.
The EOU women were
picked to ¿ nish ¿ fth coming
off an eighthplace ¿ nish in
2014, with NW Christian
picked to repeat as champs.
RB works to be
Oregon’s next star
By ANNE M. PETERSON
Associated Press
EUGENE — Just a soph
omore, Oregon running back
Royce Freeman is already
assuming a leadership role on the
Ducks’ offense.
That’s only natural consid
ering he’s the top returning
rusher on a team known for its
dynamic running backs — a
legacy that includes such stars as
Jonathan Stewart and LaMichael
James. Freeman will likely carry
AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi, File
Oregon running back Royce Freeman,
front, scores past a Florida State de-
fender during the 2015 Rose Bowl.
the load on the ground while
Oregon adjusts this season to
a new quarterback — whoever
that may be.
³Now that , know more within
the offense, , expect more out of
myself, both performancewise
and leadershipwise,´ he said.
³,t’s just something ,’m progres
sively working on.´
Freeman is focusing on
himself while Oregon’s quarter
back competition plays out. The
leading candidates to replace
Marcus Mariota, Oregon’s
recordbreaking
Heisman
Trophy winner, are Jeff Lockie
and newcomer Vernon Adams.
Lockie was Mariota’s backup
“It’s quitting time
and he wants to
do pop quizzes
about football at
like 12:30 or 1 in
the morning. I’m
exhausted.”
— Kenny Bell
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
rookie wide receiver and
training camp roommate
of QB Jameis Winston.
Bell spoke to the media
about what it is like to
live with the rookie QB.
Bell added that Winston
does not snore, and that
Winston’s work ethic
has pushed him to work
harder outside of the
team activities.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1944 — Robert Hamilton
upsets Byron Nelson in the
¿ nal round 1 up to win the
PGA championship.
2000 — Tiger Woods
wins the PGA Championship
in a playoff over Bob May,
becoming the ¿ rst player
since Ben Hogan in 1953 to
win three majors in one year.
He’s the ¿ rst player to repeat
as PGA champion since
Denny Shute in 1937.
2012 — ,n a historic
change at one of the world’s
most exclusive golf clubs,
Augusta National invites
former Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice and South
Carolina ¿ nancier Darla
Moore to become the ¿ rst
female members since the
club was founded in 1932.
Contact us at 541-966-0838 or
sports@eastoregonian.com
last season and is the most
familiar with the Ducks’ offense.
Adams’ transfer to Oregon for
his ¿ nal year of eligibility was
delayed until he ¿ nished a math
class needed to wrap up his
degree at Eastern Washington,
where he was a repeat Big Sky
Conference offensive player of
the year.
³, feel like every team has a
new identity, the players who
are out there de¿ ne it,´ Freeman
said. “We’re going to see what
this team’s identity is.´
A year ago at this time,
Freeman was generating buzz
in fall camp — but his talents
See DUCKS/2B
OUR VIEWS
MLB
Bullpen crumbles again Let’s
talk
pigskin
Pistorius’ release
date pushed back
JOHANNESBURG
(AP) — South Africa’s
Department of Justice says
it is putting Oscar Pistorius’
release from prison on hold
until his case is reviewed
again by a parole board.
Department
FACES spokesman
Mthunzi
Mhaga says
Pistorius’
release will
have to be
reviewed again
Pistorius
because he was
approved to be
moved to house arrest too
early.
Mthunzi says Pistorius
should have served 10
months of his sentence
before being considered for
release. He was approved for
parole in June, eight months
into his sentence.
Pistorius was due to
be moved to house arrest
on Friday after serving 10
months of his ¿ veyear
sentence for manslaughter
for killing girlfriend Reeva
Steenkamp in 2013.
1B
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T
AP Photo/Ron Jenkins
Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Joe Beimel looks down after giving up three straight home runs to the
Texas Rangers during the seventh inning of Wednesday’s game in Arlington, Texas. Mariners pitchers
have combined for a 5.62 ERA in over 16 games in the month of August, their worst month of the
season.
Rangers hit three home runs in 7th to down M’s
Associated Press
ARL,NGTON, Texas — Joe
Beimel personi¿ ed the Seattle
Mariners’ recently besieged bullpen
in Wednesday afternoon’s 72 loss
at the Texas Rangers.
A onerun game got away
quickly when Beimel allowed four
of the ¿ ve batters he faced to score.
The rally began with a hit batter and
ended with backtobacktoback
home runs by Mitch Moreland,
Mike Napoli and Elvis Andrus, the
¿ rst homer coming on an 02 pitch.
Beimel said afterward that he has
been fatigued for the last week or so.
Texas
Seattle
7
2
He thinks there is a knot in his back
and felt on Wednesday like he was
“throwing through mud.´
“, thought ,’d be able to kind of
¿ ght through it,´ he said.
His ¿ ve most recent appearances
consist of 1 23 innings, 10 earned
runs on eight hits plus three walks
and a hit batter.
Mike Montgomery (4) gave
up three runs in the ¿ rst inning and
then shut out Texas over his ¿ nal
¿ ve innings.
Mark Trumbo hit his 15th homer
this season, his sixth since joining
the Mariners. ,t was his ¿ fth career
homer off Derek Holland (11), his
most off any pitcher.
Seattle
manager
Lloyd
McClendon said he’s concerned
with Beimel because he has been
elevating his pitches but didn’t want
to say more until he learns Beimel’s
health situation.
The Mariners came to Texas
following a threegame series in
See MARINERS/2B
Little League Baseball
Not another Mo’ne at this year’s LLWS
Tournament begins today
By ROB MAADDI
Associated Press
PH,LADELPH,A — Mo’ne Davis was
the talk of the sports world and beyond after
becoming the ¿ rst female to win a game in the
Little League World Series. Her success has
inspired other girls to pursue baseball, though
no girls will be playing for the championship
at Williamsport when the 1team tournament
starts Thursday.
“Females playing in the world series is
a matter of luck,´ said Stephen D. .eener,
chief executive of Little League. Many teams
compete for each of the spots and participation
from girls is still relatively low.
Davis and her Taney Dragons won the
MidAtlantic Regional last year and the teen
ager captivated fans with her performance on
the mound. She tossed a twohitter with eight
strikeouts to help Philadelphia beat Nashville
40 in the series opener for both teams,
becoming the only girl to get a shutout in series
history.
That thrust Davis into the national spotlight
and she became an overnight celebrity.
Davis appeared on the cover of Sports
,llustrated and was named The Associated
Press Female Athlete of the Year. She wrote
a book, starred in a Spike Leedirected car
commercial, became the subject of a Disney
See LLWS/2B
AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File
In this Aug. 15, 2014, fi le photo, Pennsylvania’s Mo’ne
Davis delivers in the fi rst inning against Tennessee during
a baseball game at the Little League World Series tourna-
ment in South Williamsport, Pa.
alking has never been
a problem for me.
A Little League
baseball coach once called
me Matt ,nterrupt for an
entire season because he
couldn’t get me to stop
À apping my lips long
enough to get a word in
edgewise.
, was the reason the
whole
school bus
had to ride
in silence,
because ,
wouldn’t
pipe down
during a
railroad
Matt
crossing.
Entrup
,’m the
Football
one you’re
shushing at
the movie theater.
So when , was informed
that Wednesday we would
be recording our ¿ rst EO
Pigskin Pickers podcast
of the season, my reaction
was naturally terse and
unprintable.
There’s something
about the presence of a
microphone that just doesn’t
sit well with me — and
yes , realize the irony in
that statement coming
from a guy who makes his
living shoving a recorder in
front of people’s faces and
then peppering them with
questions they’ve had no
chance to prepare for.
,’ve done live radio, once.
And there’s a good reason
for that.
Thankfully Hermiston
Herald sports reporter Sam
Barbee was on hand to add
another voice to the podcast,
and we ¿ gured we’d take
pity on the newest edition
to the East Oregonian sports
team and let Eric Singer at
least get to know the teams
before we ask him to break
them down. He served as
moderator.
Despite my reticence, the
end result wasn’t too bad.
Mike & Mike it is not, but
, de¿ nitely think we could
have done worse.
The ¿ nished product
won’t be online until Friday,
but here’s a preview of what
you’ll hear if you search it
out on EastOregonian.com/
podcast, iTunes or Stitcher.
The most obvious
storyline on the gridiron this
season is how Hermiston
follows up its championship
season.
The Bulldogs lost
12 allstate players to
graduation during the
offseason. Some of them
made the list on offense
and defense, and nine of
them were on the ¿ rst
team. Hardest hit was the
offensive line, where all ¿ ve
starters and three allstate
performers must be replaced
(the defensive line isn’t in
much better shape). Then
there’s the question of who’s
going to win the starting
See PIGSKIN/2B