Page 2B
SPORTS
East Oregonian
Saturday, December 24, 2016
Sports lost several titans in 2016
NFL
New York
Giants’
Odell
Beckham
(13) is
sent flying
after a hit
by Phil-
adelphia
Eagles’
Leodis
McKel-
vin (21)
Thursday,
in Phila-
delphia.
By FRED LIEF
Associated Press
Mighty sequoias fell in
sports in 2016, transforma-
tional figures who reshaped
the games and the culture
— from Muhammad Ali to
Gordie Howe, from Arnold
Palmer to Pat Summitt.
And there was loss much
too soon. The famous poem
“To an Athlete Dying Young”
tells of a runner and his town,
and how “shoulder-high we
bring you home.” So it was
with the Miami Marlins
and 24-year-old pitcher
Jose Fernandez , killed in a
boating accident.
Along the way, other lives
lit up sports across the years:
Baseball said goodbye to
Ralph Branca , Monte Irvin
and Joe Garagiola. Basketball
lost Jim McMillian, Dwayne
“Pearl” Washington , and the
fierce Nate Thurmond. Gone
in boxing was relentless
Aaron Pryor. In football, it
was Buddy Ryan , Dennis
Byrd and Dennis Green .
Hockey
mourned
Andy Bathgate and skiing
remembered
big-talking
Bill Johnson. Soccer is now
without the great Johan
Cruyff and former FIFA
President Joao Havelange ,
who died at 100. On televi-
sion, tennis and the NBA are
diminished with the loss of
Bud Collins and Craig Sager.
———
Muhammad Ali, 74
On that last ride, the hearse
windshield was covered with
so many flowers the driver
could barely see the road let
alone the throngs lining the
streets. Muhammad Ali was
back where it all began, in
Louisville, Kentucky, where
he launched a career that
would shake sports like no
athlete before or after him.
He was a three-time heavy-
weight champion , an auda-
cious mix of speed, dazzle
and brute force — the stark
counterpoint years later to the
shuffling man with a whisper
slowed by Parkinson’s.
His fights with Joe Frazier
were an epic trilogy. He
proclaimed himself The
Greatest. He did it with wit
and guile, boasts and taunts, in
prose and rhyme, and always
with a wink. He understood
the marketplace and the show-
manship that go with ticket
sales. Ali fought everywhere
and said they would know
him in an Asian rice paddy.
He lost prime years,
refusing military induction.
He spoke up when that was
not in fashion. He changed
his religion and his name.
He became a flash point for a
country on edge.
Time softened the rancor.
By the end, he was a national
monument. At the 1996
Atlanta Olympics, he stood,
shakily, with torch in hand at
the cauldron.
“The man who has no
imagination,” he once said,
“has no wings.”
AP Photo/
Michael Perez
Giants a good lesson
for playoff hopefuls
By TERESA M. WALKER
AP Pro Football Writer
AP Photo/John Rooney, File
In this May 25, 1965, file photo, heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali stands over
fallen challenger Sonny Liston, shouting and gesturing shortly after dropping Liston
with a short hard right to the jaw, in Lewiston, Maine.
AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File
This April 5, 2007, file photo, shows Arnold Palmer ac-
knowledging the crowd after hitting the ceremonial
first tee shot at the 2007 Masters in Augusta, Ga.
Gordie Howe, 88
He was as elemental to the
game as ice.
Gordie Howe came out of the
hard Saskatchewan prairie and
presided over his sport for five
decades. He was Mr. Hockey.
Even Wayne Gretzky
acknowledged the preemi-
nence of No. 9 of the Detroit
Red Wings, and it was no coin-
cidence Gretzky wore No. 99.
Howe joined the NHL
just after World War II, and
before he was done finished
with 801 goals and 1,850
points. He led the Red Wings
to four Stanley Cups and was
MVP six times.
He was a player with
vision, presence and tough-
ness. Sticks and checks and
fists were the flip side to his
majesty on the ice.
Family was paramount,
and when he left the NHL at
45 to join the renegade WHA,
nothing gave him more
pleasure than to play beside
sons Mark and Marty. This
Methuselah with a slap shot
came back to the NHL at 52.
“He was,” former Flyers
captain Bobby Clarke said,
“the ultimate professional
hockey player.”
———
Arnold Palmer, 87
His was a life well played.
When golfers today look
around at the big prize money,
the television coverage, the
sponsorships and the place
golf holds in the sports conver-
sation, they can take a 3-iron
from their bag, hold it aloft
and thank Arnold Palmer.
“He was The King of our
sport and always will be,”
Jack Nicklaus said.
Palmer never much cared
for the regal honorific. His
roots were in western Penn-
sylvania, and with sinewy
wrists, a whip of a swing, a
swaggering glint in his eye
he carried an entire sport into
a new age. Palmer and TV
came along at the same time.
“If it wasn’t for Arnold,
golf wouldn’t be as popular as
it is today,” Tiger Woods said.
Palmer won seven majors
and 62 PGA tournaments,
and his rivalry with Nicklaus
gave golf its juice.
Palmer had a daring
game, gambler’s instinct and
a connection to the gallery
that liberated golf from its
country-club enclaves.
———
Pat Summitt, 64
When she was 38 and
deep into a pregnancy Pat
Summitt insisted on making a
recruiting trip to Pennsylvania.
The timing was off for the
Tennessee basketball coach.
Her water broke while she
was making her recruiting
pitch. A frantic ride to the airport
followed, although Summitt
was the calmest one around.
The plane was prepared to
stop in Virginia. But Summitt,
who bleeds Volunteer orange,
wouldn’t hear of it. Her child
would be born in Tennessee.
And so he was.
Her stare could crack steel.
Her authority was unchal-
lenged. She coached 38 years
at Tennessee and became the
first NCAA coach to reach
1,000 wins. Her showdowns
with UConn counterpart
Geno Auriemma became the
sport’s signature rivalry.
She moved women’s
basketball into big-time
arenas. Her coaching — and
her life — was cut short by
early onset dementia. But
when the conversation turns
to the game’s greatest coaches
— man or woman — Pat
Summitt’s name is part of it.
———
Jose Fernandez, 24
Maybe it’s best to
remember the succession of
batters flailing at his pitches;
his Cuban grandmother in
the stands; the exuberance
of him pounding the dugout
railing, the pure and simple
joy of baseball.
But other images are just
as indelible: his No. 16 carved
into the pitching mound dirt
in his honor; the trumpet’s
haunting notes of “Take Me
Out to the Ball Game.”
Jose Fernandez fled Cuba
by boat at age 15, making a
successful escape on his fourth
attempt. But as the sea proved
a starting point to stardom, so it
was the finish. On a September
night after a game, Fernandez
and two friends died when
their boat crashed at high
speed into rocks near Miami
Beach. The medical examiner
would rule alcohol and cocaine
were in his system.
Fernandez was twice
an All-Star for the Miami
Marlins and had a 38-17
record in four seasons. He
was NL Rookie of the Year in
2013, with a future possibly
pointed to Cooperstown.
“Sadly,” Marlins owner
Jeffrey Loria said, “the brightest
lights are often the ones that
extinguish the fastest.”
The New York Giants
have given teams chasing
playoff berths a fresh
reminder to take nobody for
granted, especially division
rivals.
As a result, the Dallas
Cowboys’ only challenge
now as the NFC East
champs and the NFC’s top
seed is handling the final
two regular-season games
before a first-round bye.
The Giants only had
to beat Philadelphia on
Thursday night to clinch
at least a wild-card berth,
yet Eli Manning was
intercepted three times in
a 24-19 loss . That started
a big celebration by the
Cowboys’ faithful, with
Dallas now assured of
staying in Texas throughout
the postseason.
Five division titles
remain up for grabs with
two weeks left in the season.
Dallas can help out
the Giants, the only team
to beat the Cowboys all
season, by defeating Detroit
on Monday night, which
would clinch a wild-card
berth for New York. The
Giants also clinch a spot if
Green Bay, Tampa Bay or
Atlanta loses.
New England, AFC
East title in hand, needs
a little help this week to
claim home-field advantage
throughout the AFC play-
offs. The Patriots first must
beat the Jets, then wait to
see if the Colts can win in
Oakland. The Raiders can
win the AFC West title and
grab their own first-round
bye by beating the Colts
with Denver beating Kansas
City on Sunday night.
Seattle is trying to earn
the NFC’s other first-round
bye. The NFC West champs
must beat Arizona and also
need Atlanta to lose or
tie and then wait to see if
Detroit can win in Dallas on
Monday night.
Three division titles
have been clinched, with
eight playoff berths still up
for grabs, and the Pittsburgh
Steelers can wrap up the
AFC North title by beating
Baltimore on Christmas.
The Houston Texans will
know before kicking off
Saturday night if a victory
over Cincinnati will give
them their second straight
AFC South championship.
They need Tennessee to
lose to Jacksonville earlier
Saturday to avoid playing
the Titans on Jan. 1 for the
division title.
Atlanta heads to Caro-
lina trying to clinch both a
playoff berth and the NFC
South title, needing both
a win and a New Orleans
victory over Tampa Bay
to win the division. If they
don’t get that, the Falcons
could still clinch at least a
wild card this weekend.
Green Bay needs a win
over Minnesota and help
to clinch a playoff berth
Saturday. But the Packers
only need to win their final
two games to take the NFC
North title.
The Lions are trying to
hang on in that division, and
they can clinch the crown
Monday night if Green Bay
loses to Minnesota. The
Lions could have a playoff
berth in hand if Washington
and Tampa Bay already
have lost and Atlanta wins
at Carolina. If not, the
Saints beating Tampa Bay
can allow Detroit to clinch
at least a wild-card spot
with a win or a tie in Dallas.
Kansas City already
squandered one chance to
clinch a playoff berth. Now
the Chiefs can assure them-
selves of at least an AFC
wild card by beating Denver
on Christmas night, putting
the Broncos on the verge of
elimination. The Chiefs also
can clinch a spot if Baltimore
loses earlier Sunday.
The Miami Dolphins
need a win, with Denver
losing or tying. The
Dolphins also can leave
Buffalo with a tie and clinch
if Baltimore, Denver and
Houston lose, or with losses
by Baltimore, Denver and
Tennessee.
Jameis Winston and the
Buccaneers also can clinch
a playoff berth by beating
New Orleans, combined
with losses by Green Bay,
Detroit and Washington.
TOP PLAYS: Jenkins’ buzzer-beater for national title comes in second
the game and 2-0 lead in the series
. The Penguins would take the
Stanley Cup in six games.
Continued from 1B
wrapped all over him — catches
the game-winning pass from
Hunter Wells, giving Youngstown
State a win over Eastern
Washington in the FCS national
semifinals. Rader was deemed
to be in control of the ball, even
while pinning it against the body
of Eastern Washington linebacker
Ketner Kupp.
4
. For you, Jose.
Dee Gordon of the Miami
Marlins hit one home run in
2016. It was of the you-cannot-
make-this-up variety — and
it will forever live in Marlins
lore. It was the first at-bat for
the Marlins after the death of
ace pitcher Jose Fernandez in a
boating accident. Gordon, a lefty
hitter, started on the right side of
the plate as part of his Fernandez
tribute. After moving back to
the left side, he hit a ball farther
than he ever has, while wearing
a “Fernandez 16” jersey . Even
some of the New York Mets were
in tears, and the Mets tweeted out
“BiggerThanBaseball.”
8
. Simone’s splash.
Simone Manuel of the
U.S. was trailing by 0.47
seconds halfway through the
women’s 100-meter freestyle gold
medal race at the Rio de Janeiro
Olympics, and a half-second is
quite a bit to make up in such
a race against the world’s best.
But she made it look easy with a
frantic final 50 meters, and made
history — she became the first
African-American woman to win
an individual swimming Olympic
gold , tying Canada’s Penny
Oleksiak for the win.
7
. Super strip, sack, score.
Last season, but still this
year — and still memorable.
Denver’s Von Miller had two
critical strip-sacks of Carolina’s
Cam Newton in Super Bowl 50,
the second one just about sealing
the game. But the first one is the
one that gave the Broncos a 10-0
lead midway through the first
quarter and setting the tone. Malik
Jackson pounced on this ball in the
end zone, and Miller wound up
winning Super Bowl MVP.
AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File
In this April 4, 2016 file photo, Villanova players celebrates after
Kris Jenkins, center, scores a game winning three point basket in
the closing seconds of NCAA Final Four tournament college bas-
ketball championship game in Houston.
6
. Nerves of steel.
On the LPGA Tour, teens
aren’t afraid of the moment.
Lydia Ko, 19, and Brooke
Henderson, 18, went to a playoff to
decide the KPMG Women’s PGA
Championship. And on the first
extra hole, Henderson stood with a
7-iron in her hands, 158 yards from
the hole. She knocked the approach
within 3 feet, made the birdie putt
and captured her first major title .
“Like winning the Stanley Cup,”
the budding Canadian star said.
5
. A skate-off winner.
They made it look so easy.
Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby
won the faceoff in overtime of
Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final
against San Jose, played it back
to Kris Letang, who found Conor
Sheary — who fired the puck
between the legs of oncoming
defender Justin Braun and scored
to give the Penguins a 2-1 win in
3
. A truly “golden” goal.
Imagine the pressure.
Brazil, a soccer-crazed nation,
is hosting the men’s gold-medal
soccer match at the Olympics.
The stadium is packed, and all
the brilliant young star Neymar
needs to do to clinch the perfect
medal is make the final kick
of a penalty-shot tiebreaking
shootout. He found a spot to his
right, started approaching the
ball, stutter-stepped a bit and
then finally delivered the kick
. Germany goalie Timo Horn
guessed wrong, the ball went into
the net and Brazil roared in delight
. Most of the crowd stayed in the
stadium for an hour afterward,
many weeping in joy.
2
. For the title.
Marcus Paige might have
just hit one of the biggest
shots in NCAA men’s basketball
championship game history for
North Carolina, a double-clutched,
acrobatic-leg-kicking 3-pointer
with 4.7 seconds left to pull the
Tar Heels into a tie with Villanova.
And then Kris Jenkins did him one
better. Jenkins took a pass from
Ryan Arcidiacono, leaped and let fly
from well beyond the arc. “Bang,”
Wildcats coach Jay Wright said
softly to himself as the ball was in
flight — and bang was right. Jenkins’
shot went in as time expired, and
Villanova had just beaten the Tar
Heels 77-74 for the national title.
1
. The Block.
All due respect to Kyrie
Irving’s 3-pointer, The Play of
The Finals was offered by King
James. LeBron James’ chasedown
block of Andre Iguodala with 1:51
remaining in Game 7 of the NBA
Finals — a shot that would have
given Golden State the lead — wasn’t
just the defining moment of 2016,
but perhaps the defining moment of
James’ Hall of Fame career as well.
He didn’t do it alone, as J.R. Smith
helped impede Iguodala’s path and
give James the extra split-second
that he needed to get to the rim. But
the enormity of the moment made
the block even bigger: Golden State
had a record-setting 73-win regular
season, the series was tied 3-3,
the total points in that series were
tied at that moment 699-699. After
that block, the Warriors wouldn’t
score again. And James would soon
become a three-time NBA champion.