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SPORTS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2017 1B FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS NFL Katie Ledecky swims to AP Female Athlete of the Year By BETH HARRIS Associated Press AP Photo/Ron Jenkins Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner, left, and safety Earl Thomas (29) stop Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) center from advancing the ball in the fi rst half of Sunday’s game in Arlington, Texas. Seahawks show resolve Seattle’s playoff hopes remain alive heading to fi nal week By TIM BOOTH Associated Press SEATTLE — All the built-in excuses were there for the Seattle Seahawks if they fell short. Too many injuries. Too much inconsistency. Those factors still may end up being the story of Seattle’s season if it’s unable to fi nd a way into the playoffs for a sixth straight year. But the chances at the postseason were extended into Week 17 by winning at Dallas on Sunday. And while it wasn’t pretty, the 21-12 win over the Cowboys may be one of the more gratifying wins of Pete Carroll’s tenure after the Seahawks lost two straight, including a 35-point whipping by the Rams a week earlier. If there was a question about Seattle’s resolve, it seemed to be answered in Dallas. “I thought it couldn’t have been more obvious,” Carroll said during his weekly radio show on KIRO-AM on Tuesday. “They were really disappointed in what had shown the last couple of weeks.” Seattle (9-6) still needs help to fi nd its way into the playoffs. The Seahawks must beat or tie Arizona at home on Sunday and have Atlanta lose at home to Carolina for Seattle to squeak into the playoffs. Atlanta has the tiebreaker over Seattle because of a head-to-head victory in November. Even if Seattle doesn’t end up getting the help it needs, the win in Dallas at least made Week 17 relevant and continued a streak during Carroll’s tenure of every home game since 2010 having some signifi cance. Whether it was early or late in the season, the Seahawks have never played a game at CenturyLink Field since 2010 that did not carry some See SEAHAWKS/3B AP Photo/Ron Jenkins Seattle Seahawks’ Jimmy Graham (88) congratulates Doug Baldwin (89) on his touchdown catch in the second half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday in Arlington, Texas. Katie Ledecky got her start in swimming because she just wanted to make friends. Her brother was eager to join a team at a pool near their house and as a 6-year-old, she tagged along. By summer’s end, the Ledecky siblings had made 100 friends ranging in age from 6 to 18. Some of them remain good friends with Katie, who went on to become the Ledecky world’s best swimmer in the post-Michael Phelps era. She earned fi ve golds and a silver at this year’s world championships in Budapest, maintaining the upward trajec- tory she fi rst established as a surprise gold medalist at the 2012 London Olympics. Her dominant performance in Hungary earned Ledecky Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year honors. In balloting by U.S. editors and news directors announced Tuesday, Ledecky received 351 points, edging out Serena Williams with 343. Williams won the Australian Open for her Open era-record 23rd Grand Slam tennis title . Olympic track star Allyson Felix fi nished third in voting, with 248 points. Last year, Ledecky was second to gymnast Simone Biles in the balloting. The AP Male Athlete of the Year will be announced Wednesday. Ledecky is the eighth female swimmer to win and the fi rst since Amy Van Dyken in 1996. Among the others is 1969 winner Debbie Meyer. See LEDECKY/3B NFL Fifty years later, Ice Bowl still brings chills Wind chill in 1967 game was minus-48 By TIM DAHLBERG Associated Press The penultimate day of 1967 was as beautiful as it gets in Green Bay in late December. Chilly, yes, but the Dallas Cowboys enjoyed the sunshine as they practiced at Lambeau Field for their New Year’s Eve game against the Green Bay Packers. “You could work up a sweat,” said Dan Reeves, then a running back for Dallas. “You just knew the next day was going to be a great day for football.” It was sure looking that way for everyone who loved the NFL. Bart Starr was under center for the Packers, and the Cowboys countered with Don Meredith and Bob Hayes, the 1964 Olympic 100-meter gold medalist. The Cowboys and Packers were meeting for the second straight year for the NFL championship, with the winner going to Super Bowl No. 2 (the NFL had yet to get around to Roman numerals) against the champions of the American Football League. That night, opposing coaches Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry got together with NFL offi cials and other team members at the Oneida Country Club for a dinner. The mood was upbeat for a league still trying to digest the merger with the AFL and turn the Super Bowl into a must-see game. Things were not so cheerful the next morning, when the wakeup call at the Holiday Inn sent startled players to their windows to see what it was all about. “Good morning,” the operator said. “It’s 7:30 a.m. and 17 below zero.” It’s one of the defi ning games of the NFL, a contest See ICE BOWL/3B AP Photo/File In this Dec. 31, 1967, fi le photo, Green Bay quarterback Bart Starr calls signals in bitter cold as he led the Packers to a win over the Dallas Cowboys in Green Bay, Wisc. Fifty years later, players from still shiver from memories of the cold of a game that would become known as the Ice Bowl. Sports shorts Recently released, former Steelers LB Harrison signs with Patriots (AP) — Former Pittsburgh Steelers star James Harrison has signed with the New England Patriots. The Patriots announced the move Tuesday, three days after Harrison’s unceremonious departure from Pittsburgh. Harrison, who is the Steelers’ career leader in sacks, piling up 80½ during his 14 seasons with the Steelers and 82½ during his career, briefl y retired in September 2014 following a forgettable 2013 season in Cincinnati but returned when the Harrison Steelers ran into injury trouble. But Harrison’s playing time dipped signifi cantly this season — he has just one sack. He was active in just fi ve games despite being injury-free and with the Steelers turning more toward Bud Dupree and rookie T.J. Watt. The Patriots have been thin at defensive end and outside linebacker all season. “Because we’re rich as hell, and we don’t need it all, and other people need it. Then, you’re an (expletive) if you don’t give it. Pretty simple.“ — Gregg Popovich San Antonio Spurs head coach when asked on Tuesday why charitable work is a priority to him. Popovich has been involved with numerous charities during his time in San Antonio such as the San Antonio Food Bank. Suns stun Grizzlies 99-97 on Chandler’s last-second dunk PHOENIX (AP) — Tyson Chandler dunked Dragan Bender’s inbounds pass from the opposite sideline with 0.4 seconds remaining to give the Phoenix Suns a 99-97 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night. Bender threw a perfect pass and Chandler jumped over a defender to slam it down, though the play was reviewed by offi cials to see if there was offensive basket interference. After replay review, the basket counted, and Kobi Simmons missed the Grizzlies’ last attempt to tie at the buzzer. Devin Booker scored 32 points in his return from a three-week injury absence before fouling out in the fi nal minute, but the Suns needed one fi nal play after Jarell Martin slammed in a rebound with 0.6 seconds remaining to tie it at 97. THIS DATE IN SPORTS 1987 — Steve Largent of the Seattle Seahawks becomes the NFL’s all-time reception leader in the Seahawks’ 41-20 loss to Kansas City. Largent’s six catches gives him 752, surpassing the 750 by San Diego’s Charlie Joiner. Gayle Sierens announcing the game for NBC becomes the fi rst female play-by-play announcer in NFL history. 1999 — Joe Sakic scores his 1,000th career point on a second-period assist, helping the Colorado Avalanche to a 5-1 win over the St. Louis Blues. Contact us at 541-966-0838 or sports@eastoregonian.com