SPORTS
FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 2017
1B
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Multiple college basketball teams
in Barcelona during van attack
Ambush happened right outside Oregon State’s hotel, team OK
By ANNE M. PETERSON
Associated Press
Men’s basketball teams
from several U.S. universi-
ties, including Oregon State,
Clemson and Arizona, were
in Barcelona, Spain, when
a van drove into pedestrians
Thursday in a historic district
popular with tourists but
school offi cials said the
players and staff were safe.
Oregon State assistant
coach
Gregg
Gottlieb
posted to Facebook: “We
are all luckily ok. Our hotel/
restaurant is located right on
Las Ramblas. This tragedy
happened right in front of us
as our team just sat down for
pregame meal. Thoughts and
prayers for all those that are
were hurt.”
Spanish police have
confi rmed they are investi-
gating the bloodshed in the
historic Las Ramblas district
as a terror attack. The area
is a popular summer tourist
spot and several of the teams
were staying in the area.
College basketball teams
are allowed to travel interna-
tionally during the summer
once every four years. They
are allowed to practice for
10 days and usually play a
few exhibition games while
abroad.
The trips offer teams a
chance to get a jumpstart
on the season and also give
the players a unique cultural
experience.
Oregon State was staying
in the same hotel as Clemson,
which had been scheduled to
play Thursday night against a
Spanish All-Star team.
See BARCELONA/2B
AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos
Police secure the area close to the scene after a white
van jumped the sidewalk in the historic Las Ramblas
district of Barcelona, Spain, crashing into a summer
crowd of residents and tourists Thursday. According
to witnesses the white van swerved from side to side
as it plowed into tourists and residents.
Oregon Football
Baseball
Freeman’s final flight
MLB working
with union on
pace of play
Average time of game
nearly 10 minutes slower in
2017 at 3 hours, 5 minutes
By JAY COHEN
Associated Press
CHICAGO — Major League Baseball
is having conversations with the players’
association over possible rule changes
designed to speed the pace of play, and
Commissioner Rob Manfred said Thursday
he hopes to reach an agreement instead of
implementing any measures unilaterally.
Manfred also said the Bruce Sher-
man-led ownership group trying to
purchase the Miami Marlins has presented
the league with a fi nancial structure that
would work for fi nalizing the deal, and he
expressed confi dence that a major league
franchise can be successful in the market.
Speaking at the conclusion of the owners
meetings, he also expressed surprise with
veteran umpire Joe West’s reaction to his
suspension for his comments about Texas
Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre.
See MLB/2B
NFL
AP Photo/Timothy J. Gonzalez, File
In this Nov. 26, 2016 fi le photo, Oregon running back Royce Freeman (21) carries during the fi rst half of an NCAA college foot-
ball game against Oregon State in Corvallis. After the trials of last season, Freeman appears to have emerged with two things:
a college degree and a bright outlook.
Oregon senior has bright outlook after grim junior season
In this Oct.
29, 2015
fi le photo,
Oregon’s
Royce Free-
man (21)
celebrates
his touch-
down run
against Ar-
izona State
with Tyrell
Crosby (73)
during the
fi rst half of
an NCAA
college
football
game in
Tempe,
Ariz.
AP Photo/Ross D.
Franklin
By ANNE M. PETERSON
Associated Press
EUGENE — After the trials of
last season, Oregon running back
Royce Freeman appears to have
emerged with two things: a college
degree and a brighter outlook.
The senior, who opted to stay
with the Ducks rather than enter the
NFL draft this spring, heads into the
season with 936 career rushing yards
to go to reach LaMichael James’
Oregon record of 5,082.
“I’m comfortable in my own skin.
I’m a senior, I’ve been here before,
I’ve seen it all, been to a national
championship,” he said. “I feel more
than comfortable being around these
guys and playing beside them —
and that was a huge reason for me
coming back.”
Freeman completed a degree this
summer in general social science
with an emphasis on crime, law
and society, something that was
important in addition to “fi nishing
on a better note than I did last year.”
Freeman was the Ducks’ leading
rusher last year with 945 yards in 11
games. He was widely considered
a Heisman candidate going into the
season, but he was held back by
injury.
Oregon was struggling overall,
too. The Ducks fi nished 4-8 overall
and at the bottom of the Pac-12 North
standings at 2-7 — snapping a run
of nine straight winning seasons in
conference play. Three days after the
season ended with a loss to Oregon
State in the Civil War game, the
Ducks fi red coach Mark Helfrich.
Oregon went on to hire charis-
matic coach Willie Taggart, who
spent the previous four years turning
around the program at South Florida.
The Bulls fl ipped from a 2-10 record
See FREEMAN/2B
Lynch gets
chance to win
Broncos QB job
Former fi rst rounder gets
start Saturday against 49ers
By JOSH DUBOW
Associated Press
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Paxton
Lynch now gets his chance to seize the
starting quarterback job for the Denver
Broncos.
Lynch has gotten the bulk of the work
with the fi rst-team
offense this week and
will start Saturday’s
exhibition
game
against the San
Francisco 49ers as
the Broncos look for
either Lynch or last
year’s starter Trevor
Siemian to emerge in
the competition.
Lynch
“We’d like the
decision made by
itself,” Broncos GM John Elway said
Thursday. “We want one of them to take
the reins and take over. That would be
See LYNCH/2B
Sports shorts
Seahawks extend OL Justin Britt
RENTON, Wash. (AP) — The Seattle
Seahawks and center Justin Britt have agreed on
a contract extension that keeps the anchor of the
offensive line in place beyond the 2017 season.
Coach Pete Carroll said Thursday that they
were “really close” to fi nalizing
a deal for Britt and the team
announced later in the day that the
deal was fi nished. It’s believed to
be a three-year deal and takes away
any concern that Britt would leave
after this season when his rookie
contract expires.
Britt
Britt has helped stabilize Seat-
tle’s often changing line. He started
his career at right tackle, moved to left guard and
last year settled at center, where he fl ourished.
Britt started 15 regular-season games and was the
one constant in an otherwise troublesome season
for Seattle’s line.
Britt was a second-round pick in 2014 out of
Missouri.
“But for me, personally, the
street name has always been a
consistent reminder that it is our
job to ensure the Red Sox are
not just multi-cultural, but stand
for as many of the right things
in our community as we can
— particularly in our African-
American community and in
the Dominican community that
has embraced us so fully.“
— John Henry
The Boston Red Sox owner wants the
city of Boston to rename Yawkey Way,
the street that Fenway Park sits on,
because of the racist legacy of former
team owner Tom Yawkey. The Red Sox
were the last MLB team to integrate, 12
years after Jackie Robinson’s debut.
Cleveland Browns submit bid
to host future NFL Draft
BEREA, Ohio (AP) — The Cleveland Browns
are hoping to host the NFL draft in 2019 or 2020.
The team has partnered with
the Pro Football Hall of Fame
and Greater Cleveland Sports
Commission to potentially host the
annual three-day event. The group
delivered its application to league
headquarters in New York last week.
After years at Radio City Music Hall, the draft
has been on the road the past few years, with
stops in Chicago and Philadelphia. The league
will celebrate its 100th season in 2019 and the
Hall of Fame is celebrating its centennial in
Canton the following year.
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam noted the
area’s rich football history make Cleveland and
Canton “the ideal sites for the NFL draft due to
our region’s unmatched passion and respect for
football, as well as our commitment to its future.”
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1995 — Thirteen-year-old
Dominique Moceanu becomes
the youngest to win the National
Gymnastics Championships
senior women’s all-around title
in New Orleans.
2008 — A day after winning
an Olympic gold medal in
Beijing, Rafael Nadal offi -
cially unseats Roger Federer
to become the world’s No. 1
player when the ATP rankings
are released. Federer had been
No. 1 for 235 weeks.
2012 — Tina Charles has
23 points and nine rebounds
to lead the Connecticut Sun to
an 85-74 victory over the New
York Liberty, becoming the
fastest player in WNBA history
to reach 1,000 rebounds.
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