SPORTS
THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 2017
1B
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Blue Mountain hires new men’s basketball coach
Centennial High’s
Osa Esene takes
over Timberwolves
East Oregonian
With the men’s basketball
program in need of a fresh start,
Blue Mountain Community College
went west to fi nd its newest coach.
The school announced on
Wednesday that it hired Osadonor
“Osa” Esene, the varsity
boys basketball coach
at Class 6A Centennial
High School located in
Gresham, to take over as
men’s basketball coach for
the Timberwolves. Esene
fi lls the vacancy left by
Gavin Burt who resigned
in April after one season.
At Centennial, Esene Esene
took over a squad that went
7-17 in 2013-14 and turned them
into one that went 40-38 overall
and three playoff appearances.
This past season, Esene’s
Eagles went 16-10 overall
and 7-7 in the Mt. Hood
Conference, the school’s
best fi nish since putting up
17 wins in 2008-09.
“I’m looking forward
to getting to know the
guys and developing a
rapport with the returning
players,” Esene said in a
press release. “This is my
fi rst collegiate coaching experience,
so I’m excited to recruit. I’m hoping
my personal experience as a player
will relate well with athletes.”
Aside from his work at Centennial,
Esene’s basketball roots run deep,
most recently founding and operating
Ball Out PDX, LLC, an AAU youth
basketball program based in Portland,
as well as coaching at the All in One
Basketball academy in Portland.
He played basketball collegiately
at Grays Harbor College in Aber-
deen, Washington, also an NWAC
program, and then transferred to the
University of Hawaii at Hilo where
he earned Pac West Conference
Player of the Year in 2004-2005 and
Division II All-American honors.
After college, he played profession-
ally from 2004-2009 in Germany
for the Ludenscheid Baskets.
“Osa brings vast playing experi-
ence to the program, and we all look
forward to working with him in
the Athletic Department,” BMCC
Athletic Director Brett Bryan said
in a press release.
BMCC has compiled a 31-76
overall record and a 12-46 mark in
the NWAC East Region over the
past four seasons, including a 5-21
overall mark this past season.
MLB
Mariners rally late to defeat Tigers
Detroit’s Verlander
loses perfect game
in sixth inning
By JIM HOEHN
Associated Press
SEATTLE — Jarrod
Dyson’s bunt single broke
up Justin Verlander’s bid
for a perfect game in the
sixth inning
Wednesday
night and
sparked
the Seattle
Detroit
Mariners
to a 7-5
comeback
win
over
the Detroit
Seattle
Tigers.
Nelson
Cruz had
three RBIs
and Mitch
Haniger homered as Seattle
overcame a 4-0 defi cit with
three runs in the sixth and
four in the seventh.
Verlander retired his fi rst
16 batters but didn’t make it
through the sixth. With one
out, the speedy Dyson gave
the Mariners their fi rst base-
runner, beating out a drag
bunt between the mound
and fi rst that Verlander was
unable to reach.
Mike Zunino walked and
Jean Segura, just activated
from the disabled list,
5
7
AP Photo/Ted S. Warren
Seattle Mariners’ Robinson Cano hits a two-run double against the Detroit Tigers during the seventh inning of a
baseball game, Wednesday, June 21, 2017, in Seattle.
followed with a broken-bat
single to load the bases.
Ben Gamel lined a single
to make it 4-1. Robinson
Cano struck out looking,
but Cruz followed with a
two-run double to left fi eld,
chasing Verlander after 110
pitches.
MARINERS SHAKE
UP ROSTER
The Seattle Mariners have
called up Andrew Moore,
one of their top pitching
prospects in the minors.
Seattle
made
the
surprising move Wednesday,
selecting the 23-year-old
right-hander from Triple-A
Tacoma. Moore is scheduled
to start Thursday at home
against Detroit, Mariners
manager Scott Servais said.
“He’s been on our radar
since day one, a high draft
pick,” Servais said. “We
really liked what we saw
in spring training, so we’re
going to give him a shot.”
Christian Bergman, who
has started eight games for
Seattle due to injuries in the
rotation, was optioned to
Tacoma while right-hander
Tyler Cloyd was designated
for assignment.
The
Mariners
also
activated shortstop Jean
Segura off the disabled list
Wednesday and optioned
infi elder Tyler Smith to
Tacoma. Segura was in
the lineup for Wednesday
night’s game against Detroit,
batting fi rst.
Moore began the year
at Double-A Arkansas. He
quickly earned a promotion
to Triple-A, and was 3-1
with a 3.19 ERA and 44
strikeouts in eight starts at
Tacoma.
Moore will slot into a
Seattle rotation that is still
in fl ux with Felix Hernandez
returning Friday from the
disabled list, Hisashi Iwaku-
ma’s return from injury
requiring at least one more
rehab start and the continued
struggles of veteran Yovani
Gallardo.
Gallardo, 3-7 with a 6.30
ERA in 14 starts this season,
will move to the bullpen.
Gallardo, has started 281 of
his 284 major league appear-
ances and has not pitched in
relief since his rookie season
in Milwaukee in 2007.
Bergman was 4-4 with
a 5.44 ERA in nine appear-
ances for the Mariners.
Track & Field
Grunewald ready to race at nationals in middle of chemo
US outdoor finals
begin today
By PAT GRAHAM
Associated Press
Carlos Gonzalez/Star Tribune via AP, File
In this May 8, 2017, fi le photo, Gabriele Grunewald trains
at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn. Grunewald is
two weeks into chemotherapy to treat cancer that’s
gone from her salivary gland to her liver.
SACRAMENTO, Calif.
— Middle-distance runner
Gabriele Grunewald has only
missed one day of training
since beginning chemo-
therapy this month.
At times, it’s left her
extremely fatigued. Never
has it zapped her competi-
tiveness.
Grunewald just wrapped
up the fi rst round of treat-
ment for cancer that’s spread
from her salivary gland to her
liver. It wasn’t about to keep
her from taking the starting
line for the 1,500 meters
Thursday at the U.S. track
and fi eld championships.
Her expectations remain
the same as ever — to be in
the chase on the fi nal lap.
“Though it would take
quite an effort to make the
fi nal, I don’t think it is impos-
sible,” Grunewald said . “If I
feel good, I hope to mix it up.
There’s also a chance I feel
lousy, in which case I hope
I can just enjoy being out on
the track as a competitor for a
few minutes. Either way, I’ll
be happy to be out there.”
The
30-year-old
Grunewald
postponed
chemotherapy a few weeks
in order to go after the qual-
ifying standard of 4 minutes,
9.50 seconds necessary for
nationals. She fell just short,
but was recently added when
the fi eld didn’t fi ll up and her
time was among the fastest.
“My goal is to have a
positive experience, overall,
and celebrate the journey
I’ve completed to get to
the starting line,” said
Grunewald, the 2014 U.S.
indoor 3,000 champion, who
lives in Minnesota.
Grunewald was diagnosed
in 2009 with adenoid cystic
carcinoma, a form of cancer
in her salivary gland. It spread
to her liver last August and
returned again this spring.
She started chemotherapy
June 6. This was a scheduled
off week from her treatments,
before the second round
begins on June 27.
“I wouldn’t say the
training and racing in the
midst of my treatment has
been easy by any means, but
I have defi nitely benefi ted
from getting out the door
every day and having races
on my schedule,” Grunewald
said. “Staying connected
to the sport has been very
important to me throughout
this tough year of my life.”
She’s partnering with
USA Track and Field along
See TRACK/2B
Sports shorts
Blackhawks’ Hossa to miss
next season with skin disorder
CHICAGO (AP) — Blackhawks winger
Marian Hossa will miss the entire 2017-18 NHL
season because of a progressive skin disorder.
The team announced the news on
Wednesday. The 38-year-old
veteran says severe side effects
associated with medication to treat
the skin disorder has made playing
hockey next season impossible.
Hossa says he has privately
been undergoing treatment for the
Hossa
last few years under the supervi-
sion of Chicago’s medical staff.
Dr. Michael Terry said the team strongly
supports Hossa’s decision not to play and is the
appropriate approach to “keep him functional and
healthy in the short term and throughout his life.”
Hossa, a 19-year veteran, has only missed
46 games over the past six seasons. He had 45
points last season.
“I mentioned it and
said I’d be willing to
move over to third
base to accommodate
Matt, who’s been pretty
spectacular for us ... We
got to keep Matt’s bat
in the lineup, and I’ll do
anything to win.“
— Freddie Freeman
Atlanta Braves All-Star fi rst base-
man said he is willing to switch to
third base when he returns from
the disabled list. Atlanta traded
for Matt Adams to fi ll in for Free-
man, and Adams has hit .296
with 10 homers in 29 games.
Fleury headlines Golden Knights’
expansion draft selections
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Vegas Golden
Knights fi nally have some players to put on the
desert ice this fall.
Stanley Cup-winning goalie Marc-Andre
Fleury, defensemen Marc Methot
and Alexei Emelin, 30-goal
scorer Jonathan Marchessault and
veteran forwards David Perron
and James Neal are among the
veterans selected in the NHL
expansion draft Wednesday night.
Golden Knights owner Bill
Fleury
Foley and general manager
George McPhee announced their choices
during the NHL’s annual postseason awards
show at T-Mobile Arena, where Vegas will
begin play in the fall.
The three-time Cup winner lost his starting
job with the Penguins, but he’ll get to start over
in the desert with two years on his contract.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1937 — Joe Louis knocks
out Jim Braddock in the eighth
round at Chicago’s Comiskey
Park to win the world heavy-
weight title, which he would
hold for 11 years.
1994 — The Houston
Rockets, led by Hakeem
Olajuwon, win their fi rst NBA
title, beating New York 90-84 in
Game 7 of the fi nals. Olajuwon
gets 25 points, 10 rebounds,
seven assists and three blocks.
2007 — For the fi rst time,
Americans are taken with
the top two picks in the NHL
draft. Chicago selects Patrick
Kane with the fi rst pick.
Philadelphia then selects left
wing James van Riemsdyk.
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