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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (July 26, 2016)
Page 2B SPORTS East Oregonian Tuesday, July 26, 2016 Olympics IOC stops short of complete ban on Russians The Olympics rings are seen on a fence in front of the Russian Olympic Commit- tee build- ing in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, July 24, 2016. By GRAHAM DUNBAR AND STEPHEN WILSON Associated Press LAUSANNE, Switzer- land — Olympic leaders stopped short Sunday of imposing a complete ban on Russia from the Rio de Janeiro Games, leaving individual global sports federations to decide which athletes should be cleared to compete. The decision, announced after a three-hour meeting of the International Olympic Committee’s executive board, came just 12 days before the Aug. 5 opening of the games. “We had to balance the collective responsibility and the individual justice to which every human being and athlete is entitled to,” IOC President Thomas Bach said. The IOC rejected calls from the World Anti-Doping Agency and many other anti- doping bodies to exclude the entire Russian Olympic team following allegations of state-sponsored cheating. Russia’s track and ield athletes have already been banned by the IAAF, the sport’s governing body, a decision that was upheld AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin Thursday by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and was accepted by the IOC again on Sunday. Calls for a complete ban on Russia intensiied after Richard McLaren, a Cana- dian lawyer commissioned by WADA, issued a report Monday accusing Russia’s sports ministry of overseeing a vast doping program of its Olympic athletes. McLaren’s investigation, based heavily on evidence from former Moscow doping lab director Grigory Rodchenkov, afirmed alle- gations of brazen manipula- tion of Russian urine samples at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, but also found that state-backed doping had involved 28 summer and winter sports from 2011 to 2015. But the IOC board, meeting via teleconference, decided against the ultimate sanction, in line with Bach’s recent statements stressing the need to take individual justice into account. “An athlete should not suffer and should not be sanctioned for a system in which he was not impli- cated,” Bach told reporters on a conference call after Sunday’s meeting. Back acknowledged the decision “might not please everybody.” “This is not about expec- tations,” he said. “This is about doing justice to clean athletes all over the world.” Russian Olympic Committee president Alex- ander Zhukov presented his case to the IOC board at the beginning of Sunday’s meeting, promising full cooperation with investiga- tions and guaranteeing “a complete and comprehensive restructuring of the Russian HILLCLIMB: Hopes to return in 2017 Continued from 1B good, the promoter did a good job of getting it nice and wet which made for a lot of traction.” Shipman, a 29-year-old rider from Cottonwood, California, has been racing motorcycles since the age of ive and only started hillclimbing when he was 17-years-old. “I saw an event in California and thought it’d be fun to try out and now here we are 10 years later ... got started and now I can’t stop,” he said. In the Open Pro class, the NAHA top class with bikes ranging from 700cc engines up to 1000cc engines, Shipman battled throughout the day with rider Logan Mead out of Concord, California, whom he has battled atop the points standings leaderboard all season long. Shipman successfully climbed the hill in 16.896 seconds on his irst ride, setting the bar as the fast time, but Meade soon cleared that mark with a 15.812 climb on his third ride to set the bar. In the inal round, Shipman stepped up to the challenge cleared the hill once again with ease on his way to the new fast time with a 15.600 time. Mead gave everything he had to go at Shipman’s time in his inal turn but ultimately missed the mark by one tenth of a second with a time of 15.7 seconds. Only seven of the 23 riders competing in the Open Pro classes cleared the hill on Sunday. the sport for several years when Calvin served a four year term in the U.S. Marine Corps, but the pair is back in full swing with the sport since Calvin’s service ended one year ago. Kelly also said that he is hoping to get in contact with the ranch owner where the event was held about possibly letting the Peter- son’s to continue to use the hill for practice. ——— Staff photo by Eric Singer Logan Mead of Concord, California begins his ascent at the Nitro in the Blues hillclimb Sunday in Pendleton. Staff photo by Eric Singer Casey Curtin of Valley Springs, California ascends the hill at the Nitro in the Blues Sunday in Pendleton. ——— LOCALS ENJOY THE RIDE Hermiston natives and father-son duo Kelly and Calvin Peterson also compete on the NAHA circuit and enjoyed the weekend at their “home” hill — for the most part. The lone disappoint- ment for the Kelly team was a blown head gasket on their bike which kept Calvin out of competition in the Open Pro races on Sunday. Kelly Peterson, a 54-year-old rider, scaled the hill twice in his races on Friday and said he liked what he felt going up it. “I was really impressed with the hill,” Kelly said. “The dirt stayed together well.” Kelly, who has been hillclimbing for more than 35 years, fell out of sync with BACK FOR MORE? With the Nitro in the Blues being the irst hillclimbing event in Oregon since the 1980s, there was no guar- antee going into the weekend that it would be more than a one-year thing. However, after the weekend passed, it’s obvious that it could become a staple in Pendleton for years to come. “I think we set the stage to come roaring back next year in a much bigger and better way,” said Dillon on Sunday. The Petersons are hopeful for the event to come back, but believes there could be some improvements. “I think they could adver- tise it a little more,” Kelly Peterson said. “And I’m not sure some people knew exactly where to go ... they were hoping for more than 1,000 bikers to show up and I think they only got around 500 from the Bike Week stuff.” ——— Contact Eric Singer at esinger@eastoregonian. com or (541) 966-0839. Follow him on Twitter @ ByEricSinger. anti-doping system.” While deciding against an outright ban, the IOC said it was imposing tough eligi- bility conditions, including barring entry for the Rio Games of any Russian athlete who has ever been sanctioned for doping. The IOC said it would accept the entry only of those Russian athletes who meet certain conditions set out for the 28 international federations to apply. The federations “should carry out an individual analysis of each athlete’s anti-doping record, taking in account only reliable adequate international tests ... in order to ensure a level playing ield,” the IOC said. The committee asked the federations to examine the information and names of athletes and sports impli- cated in the McLaren report. Any of those implicated should not be allowed into the games, it said. The IOC said the feder- ations would have to apply their own rules if they want to ban an entire Russian team from their events in Rio, as the IAAF has already done for track and ield. Russian entries must be examined and upheld by an expert from the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the IOC said. Russian athletes who are cleared for the games will be subjected to a “rigorous additional out-of-competi- tion testing program.” The IOC also reiterated its “serious concerns” about the weaknesses in the ight against doping, and called on WADA to “fully review their anti-doping systems.” The IOC said it would propose measures for more transpar- ency and independence. The decision for the IOC was loaded with geopolitical ramiications. Never has a country been kicked out of the Olympics for doping violations. And Vladimir Putin’s Russia is a sports powerhouse, a huge country seeking to reafirm its status on the world stage, and a major player in the Olympic movement. Putin, citing the U.S. and Soviet-led boycotts of the 1980 and 1984 Games, said the Olympic movement “could once again ind itself on the brink of a division.” And former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev wrote an open letter to Bach on Friday to plead against a blanket ban. NFL Seahawks extend GM the inal year of his deal with Seattle. The Seahawks NEW YORK — The have gone to the playoffs Seattle Seahawks have ive times in six seasons extended the contract of under Schneider, winning one Super Bowl general manager and appearing in John Schneider. another. Team owner Paul Details were not Allen announced announced. the deal on Twitter Schneider was on Sunday night, hired one week saying “(at) after coach Pete Seahawks extend Carroll, and the top GM John Schneider pair reconstructed Schneider, key the roster together. architect of our roster.... Congrats!” The Seahawks After two 7-9 seasons to later conirmed the hiring begin their tenure, Seattle from their oficial account. has won at least 10 games Schneider was entering in four straight seasons. Associated Press SOFTBALL: Continued from 1B frames, giving up just three hits and two walks the rest of the way to go with ive total strikeouts. After facing that irst inning deicit, Oregon battled back with ive of their own in the bottom of the frame on the heels of solid hitting and numerous defensive miscues by Alaska. Duchek put her team’s irst run on the board with and RBI single to left ield to score Wilson followed by Lilenthal scoring one batter later on a passed ball. Then, Alaska committed three-straight errors in the inield, with one allowing Duchek to score, but ultimately set up Jaden Samp for a two-RBI single which was ripped into centerield to tie the game at 5-5. After Duchek’s homer in the second inning, Oregon kept its foot on the gas as they scored at least one run in the remaining three innings all while keeping the Alaska offense quiet. It was also a much-im- proved game from Oregon defensively, going from a combined 12 errors in the irst two tournament games to just two on Sunday. Oregon inishes 2-1 in their pool and will now enjoy an off day on Monday as they await the inal games of pool play to be inished up, and will soon ind out their spot in the single elimination bracket, with play starting on Tuesday. HALL OF FAME: Griffey caps speech with signature backwards hat Continued from 1B an afirmation of sorts for his clean performance during baseball’s so-called Steroids Era. A 13-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove Award winner in center ield, Griffey hit 630 home runs, sixth all-time, and drove in 1,836 runs. He also was the American League MVP in 1997, drove in at least 100 runs in eight seasons, and won seven Silver Slugger Awards. Griffey, who fell just three votes shy of being the irst unanimous selection, hit 417 of his 630 homers and won all 10 of his Gold Gloves with the Seattle Mariners. He played the irst 11 seasons of his career with the Mariners and led them to the playoffs for the irst two times in franchise history. “Thirteen years with the Seattle Mariners, from the day I got drafted, Seattle, Washington, has been a big part of my life,” Griffey said, punctuating the end of his speech by putting a baseball cap on backward as he did throughout his career. “I’m going to leave you with one thing. In 22 years I learned that one team will treat you the best, and that’s your irst team. I’m damn proud to be a Seattle Mariner.” Dubbed “The Natural” for his effortless excellence at the plate and in center ield, Griffey avoided the Hall of Fame until his special weekend because he wanted his irst walk through the front doors of the stately building on Main Street to be with his kids, whom he singled out one by one in his 20-minute speech. “There are two miscon- ceptions about me — I didn’t work hard and everything I did I made look easy,” Griffey said. “Just because I made it look easy doesn’t mean that it was. You don’t become a Hall of Famer by not working, but working day in and day out.” Griffey’s mom, Birdie, and his father, former Cincinnati Reds star Ken Sr., both cancer survivors and integral to his rise to stardom, were front and center in the irst row. AP Photo/Mike Groll National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Mike Piazza, left, and Ken Griffey Jr. hold their plaques after an in- duction ceremony at the Clark Sports Center on Sun- day, July 24, 2016, in Cooperstown, N.Y. “To my dad, who taught me how to play this game and to my mom, the strongest woman I know,” Junior said. “To have to be mom and dad, she was our biggest fan and our biggest critic. She’s the only woman I know that lives in one house and runs ive others.” Selected in the draft by the Dodgers after Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda, a close friend of Piazza’a father, Vince, put in a good word, Piazza struggled. He briely quit the game while in the minor leagues, returned and persevered despite a heavy workload as he switched from irst base to catcher and teammates criticized his erratic play. Mom and dad were fore- most on his mind, too. “Dad always dreamed of playing in the major leagues,” said Piazza, just the second Hall of Famer depicted on his plaque wearing a Mets cap, after Tom Seaver in 1992. “He could not follow that dream because of the realities of life. My father’s faith in me, often greater than my own, is the single most important factor of me being inducted into this Hall of Fame. Thank you dad. We made it, dad. The race is over. Now it’s time to smell the roses.” Piazza played 16 years with the Dodgers, Marlins, Mets, Padres and Athletics and hit 427 home runs, including a major league record 396 as a catcher. A 12-time All-Star, Piazza won 10 Silver Slugger Awards and inished in the top ive of his league’s MVP voting four times. Perhaps even more impressive, Piazza, a .308 career hitter, posted six seasons with at least 30 home runs, 100 RBIs and a .300 batting average (all other catchers in baseball history combined have posted nine such seasons). Though the Dodgers gave him his start, Piazza found a home in New York when he was traded to the Mets in May 1998. Three years later, he became a hero to the home- town fans with perhaps the most notable home run of his career. His two-run shot in the eighth inning at Shea Stadium lifted the Mets to a 3-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves in the irst sporting event played in New York after the 9/11 terror attacks. Piazza paid tribute to that moment. “To witness the darkest evil of the human heart ... will be forever burned in my soul,” Piazza said. “But from tragedy and sorrow came bravery, love, compassion, character and eventual healing. “Many of you give me praise for the two-run home run in the irst game back on Sept. 21st, but the true praise belongs to police, ire- ighters, irst responders that knew that they were going to die, but went forward anyway. I pray that we never forget their sacriice.” Attendance was estimated at around 50,000 by the Hall of Fame, tying 1999 for second-most all time.