SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2016
1B
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HERMISTON
MLB
‘Just a guy from Hermiston’ &DQR¶V
homer
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Former
Irrigon
boy’s
bas-
ketball
coach
Mitch
Thomp-
son is
now a
gradu-
ate as-
sistant
for the
Oregon
State
Uni-
versity
men’s
bas-
ketball
program
in Cor-
vallis.
Mariners erase
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Associated Press
Staff photo
by E.J. Harris
SEATTLE — Robinson Cano
hit a three-run homer to cap a
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the Seattle Mariners overcame a
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Red Sox 5-4 on
Tuesday night.
Cano capped
the comeback
Boston
with his 24th
homer to right
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acquired Red
Sox
reliever
Fernando Abad
Seattle
(1-5).
The Mariners
had just three
hits off starter
David Price through seven innings
and trailed 4-0. Price was struck in
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line drive in the sixth, though,
and struggled after. Mike Zunino
opened the eighth with a home run
to left off Price, and then Leonys
Martin, Sardinas and Guillermo
Heredia followed with consecutive
singles to chase Price.
Matt Barnes struck out pinch-
See MARINERS/2B
4
5
Mitch Th ompson living a dream as a grad assistant at Oregon State
with real experience with some
of the best and brightest coaches
and players in all of college sports.
A graduate assistant for a Divi- Some of the best coaches in
sion I college sports team is one of Division I basketball and football
the most-coveted positions in the all started their careers as graduate
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coaching ranks.
6XUHLW¶VQRWDOXFUDWLYHSRVLWLRQ basektball coach Sean Miller
EXWLW¶VRQHWKDWRIIHUVSHRSOHDIRRW (Wisconsin, 1992-93), Ohio State
in the door to the coaching ranks football coach Urban Meyer (Ohio
By ERIC SINGER
East Oregonian
State, 1986) and Alabama football
coach Nick Saban (Kent State,
1973-74).
Hermiston
native
Mitch
Thompson considers himself to
be a lucky guy, nowadays, as
he currently holds one of those
coveted positions as a graduate
assistant for the Oregon State
8QLYHUVLW\ PHQ¶V EDVNHWEDOO
program.
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Beaver fan and a Pac-12 fan my
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a way.”
Oregon State associate head
coach Kerry Rupp says that
See THOMPSON/2B
PENDLETON
Christensen leads windy Senior Open
Joe Minn-
iti disap-
pears in a
cloud of
sand while
hitting out
of the bun-
ker on the
No. 9 hole
at Wild-
horse Golf
Course
during
the fi rst
round of
the Senior
Oregon
Open Invi-
tational on
Tuesday in
Mission.
Idaho amateur
shoots 69 to open
at Wildhorse
By MATT ENTRUP
East Oregonian
MISSION — Amateur
Bob Christensen claimed
the lead during a blustery
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Oregon Open Invitational
on Tuesday.
Christensen took advan-
tage of his early tee time
and shot a three-under 72
at Wildhorse Resort and
Casino. By the time the
Idaho golfer was signing
his scorecard, a steady
wind from west had picked
up and helped assure his
score would not be bested
by any of the players in the
afternoon section, which all
failed to break par.
Six players are two shots
back at 71 in a group that
includes past champions
Jeff Coston and Todd Erwin.
Afternoon winds rose to
30 mph, and past champion
Don Beis handled it the
same way as many of the
golfers — humor.
“I shot my age,” laughed
the 78-year-old PGA profes-
sional from Seattle. “The
wind was very, very hard.
Staff photo by
Matt Entrup
For some reason I thought
the wind really affected the
EDOO,¶YHSOD\HGLQDORWRI
hard wind, but there were
some shots where the wind
really took the ball.”
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struggling as more than
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above 80.
Washington
amateur
Ron Mertz was tied for
178th, but like Beis was
happy to be in attendance.
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EXW DW OHDVW ,¶P RQ D JROI
course,” he said.
Also shooting 71 on
Tuesday were professionals
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question remains
offensive line
NFL
Joe Carranza and Mark Steve Lucas.
Keating, and amateurs Jack
Play continues today at
Schneider and Joe Vaughn. 7:30 a.m.
Amateurs Kent Brown
———
Senior Oregon Open Invitational
and Craig Larson were tied
Wildhorse Resort and Casino
for eighth at even par.
6,640 yards, Par 72
&KULVWHQVHQ¶V ORZ VFRUH a-amateur
Round 1
a-Bob Christensen
69
-3
helped his foursome to a
Joe Carranza
71
-1
three-shot lead in the team
Jeff Coston
71
-1
Todd Erwin
71
-1
portion of the tournament,
Mark Keating
71
-1
which wraps up today. Pro
a-Jack Schneider
71
-1
a-Joe
Vaughan
71
-1
Mike DeLong and amateurs
a-Kent Brown
72
E
Joe Stumph and Mike Kirk
a-Craig Larson
72
E
a-Brad Carey
73
+1
combined with Christensen
Tom Carey
73
+1
Ray Comella
73
+1
to shoot 18-under.
a-Michael Jackson
73
+1
In second at 15-under
a-Brad Karns
73
+1
a-John Kelley
73
+1
is the team of pro Roger
a-John Latousek
73
+1
Wallace and amateurs Dave
Gordon Tolbert
73
+1
a-George White
73
+1
Cottington, John Kelley and
AP Photo/Elaine Thompson
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) gives
directions inside a huddle during the team’s NFL foot-
ball training camp on Saturday in Renton, Wash.
Team remains confi dent in group,
hopeful minor changes help
By TIM BOOTH
Associated Press
RENTON, Wash. — The
way general manager John
Schneider and coach Pete
Carroll have structured the
Seattle Seahawks roster
and how salaries are spread
around created one position
group in particular that
stands as the biggest question
surrounding one of the favor-
ites in the NFC.
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is the biggest unknown on a
team with most of its ques-
tions answered less than a
week into training camp.
There remain a few injury
questions and some possible
changes to the depth chart,
but no position appears to be
more of a pressing concern
than the unproven nature
See SEAHAWKS/2B
Sports shorts
Straily tosses quality start as
Reds defeat Cardinals 7-5
CINCINNATI — Dan Straily set a new
career mark on Tuesday evening, as he tossed
his 13th quality start of the season
his Cincinnati Reds took down
FACES as
the St. Louis Cardinals 7-5.
Straily toppled his previous
career high of 12 quality starts
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one walk while striking out four
batters over six innings. He earned
a no-decision in the effort.
Straily
The Reds (43-62) have now
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re-discovered his groove over the last month
of play. Since July 1, Straily is 2-1 with a 2.52
ERA with 27 strikeouts to just 11 walks.
He has lowered his season ERA from 4.38 to
3.80 in that same span.
“Right now we’re more
concerned with Tre
Mason’s well-being
than we are his football
career. We’re going to
continue to try to reach
him to see where he’s
at.“
— Jeff Fisher
St. Louis Rams head coach
speaking his concern with third-
year running back Tre Mason as
Mason has yet to show up to the
team’s training camp. Team
offi cials have contacted Mason’s
family and his agent, but have no
answers on his whereabouts.
Cishek out as Seattle’s closer
SEATTLE (AP) Edwin Diaz will take over
as the Seattle Mariners closer just two months
removed from Double-A, replacing struggling
Steve Cishek.
Manager Scott Servais
FACES announced
the decision Tuesday.
Cishek blew a three-run lead
Sunday in a loss to the Cubs then
allowed a tiebreaking homer to
Mookie Betts in the ninth inning
of a loss against Boston on
Monday night.
Cishek
Diaz was promoted from
Jackson on June 4 and has a 1.80 ERA in 24
appearances. The 22-year-old struck out 49
and walked seven over 25 innings and held
opponents scoreless in 20 of his appearances.
Diaz says he likes “to pitch under pressure”
and promised to “do the same job I do in the
seventh or eighth, get three outs.”
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1949 — The National
Basketball Association is
formed by the merger of the
National Basketball League
and the Basketball Associa-
tion of America.
1996 — Andre Agassi,
the Dream Team and the
86 ZRPHQ¶V PHWHU
relay team win Olympic gold
medals, while the American
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silver. With Carl Lewis idled
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Leroy Burrell injured, the
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E\ &DQDGD ² WKH ¿UVW WLPH
the U.S. lost the event at the
Olympics.
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