SPORTS
East Oregonian
Page 2B
Thursday, March 8, 2018
NFL
Seattle trades Michael Bennett to Philadelphia
Seahawks get receiver,
fifth-round pick in return
Michael Bennett file
• Age: 32
• Ninth NFL season (4 with
Tampa Bay, 5 with Seattle)
• 2018 cap hit: $6.65 million
By ROB MAADDI
Associated Press
The Super Bowl champion
Philadelphia Eagles bolstered
their formidable pass rush with
another
top-level
defensive
lineman.
The Eagles acquired three-
time Pro Bowl defensive end
Michael Bennett from the Seattle
Seahawks on Wednesday, three
people familiar with the trade told
The Associated Press. The deal
won’t be officially announced
until the NFL’s league year opens
next Wednesday. The people
spoke on condition of anonymity
because they weren’t authorized
to release the trade information.
Seattle gets wide receiver
Marcus Johnson and a fifth-round
Career with Seattle
• 62 games
• 39.0 sacks
• 131 tackles • 11 fumbles
• 1 Super Bowl ring
AP Photo/Ben Margot
In this Oct. 22, 2015, file photo, Seattle Seahawks defensive end
Michael Bennett (72) reacts after sacking San Francisco 49ers
quarterback Colin Kaepernick in Santa Clara, Calif.
pick, while Philadelphia also
receives a seventh-round pick.
Bennett had 8 ½ sacks last
season and 54 in his nine-year
career. The 32-year-old Bennett
has three years remaining on his
contract, with a base salary of
just $1.65 million in 2018. That
number jumps to $6 million in
2019 and $7.5 million in 2020.
The Eagles will have to make
roster moves to accommodate
Bennett because they already are
over the salary cap. Defensive end
Vinny Curry is a likely candidate
to be traded or released. Curry
started 19 games this season,
including playoffs, had three
sacks and has three years left on a
five-year, $47 million deal.
Bennett joins a deep front
unit that includes Fletcher Cox,
Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett,
Chris Long and Tim Jernigan.
He probably won’t face double-
teaming as much and could thrive
in defensive coordinator Jim
Schwartz’s aggressive system.
The outspoken Bennett has
been heavily involved in social
activism and fits in nicely in Phil-
adelphia’s locker room with Long
and safety Malcolm Jenkins, who
are leaders in those areas.
Seattle could be moving on
from another defensive star.
Cornerback Richard Sherman
also is reportedly on the trading
block.
Johnson, a second-year player,
has five catches for 45 yards in 10
career games. He was signed as
an undrafted free agent in 2016 by
the Eagles out of the University of
Texas.
Pro Soccer
Six new MLS coaches mark new season, new expectations
By ANNE M. PETERSON
AP Sports Writer
Los Angeles FC coach
Bob Bradley’s victory over
Seattle in the team’s Major
League Soccer debut was the
second time he’d guided an
expansion franchise to victory
in its opener. The first was 20
years ago, when he was coach
of the Chicago Fire.
Bradley, while not new
to MLS overall, is among
a group of six coaches
embarking on their first
season with new teams. Last
season was historic for its
turnover.
Jay Heaps was let go by
New England in September.
It followed the dismissals of
Pablo Mastroeni from Colo-
rado, and Dominic Kinnear
from San Jose. Curt Onalfo
from the Galaxy and Jeff
Cassar from Real Salt Lake
were replaced during the
season.
In the offseason, the
Timbers abruptly parted
ways with Caleb Porter. The
Montreal Impact let go of
Mauro Biello.
A primer on the league’s
new coaches, and how they
fared after opening weekend:
BOB BRADLEY, LAFC:
Bradley, a former coach of the
U.S. men’s national team, is
easily the most high profile of
the newcomers.
Bradley coached the
national team from 2006-11,
winning a CONCACAF Gold
Cup title in 2007 and three
years later became the first
American coach in 80 years
whose team won a World
Cup.
After leaving the U.S.
team, Bradley coached Egypt,
falling just short of qualifying
for the 2014 World Cup, then
led clubs in Norway Stabaek
and France’s Le Havre
before landing with Swansea
in 2016. He was the first
American coach of a Premier
League team, although his
tenure lasted just 11 games.
Bradley also has MLS
experience, leading the
expansion Fire to the MLS
Cup championship in 1998.
He also coached the Metro-
Stars and Chivas USA, the
defunct Los Angeles team.
LAFC opened the season
with a 1-0 victory over the
Sounders in Seattle. Diego
Rossi scored early and Brad-
ley’s club hung on for the win.
REMI
GARDE,
MONTREAL
IMPACT:
Garde was hired as the
Impact’s coach and first
team director of player
personnel in November.
The team dismissed Mauro
Biello after Montreal finished
ninth among the 11 teams in
the Eastern Conference at
11-17-6.
AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File
Los Angeles head coach Bob Bradley walks on the
pitch before Sunday’s MLS match against the Seattle
Sounders in Seattle. Six coaches begin their first full
MLS season with a new team, a league record. Most
notable is Bradley, who won his debut with LAFC.
Garde coached Lyon from
2011-12 through 2013-14,
winning the French Cup in
his first season. He was hired
by last-place Aston Villa in
November 2015 and left the
following March with the
club still last and headed to
relegation.
Garde was a midfielder
and defender for Lyon (1987-
93), Strasbourg (1993-96)
and Arsenal (1996-99).
He lost his opener against
Canadian rival Vancouver 2-1
at BC Place last weekend.
BRAD
FRIEDEL,
REVOLUTION: The former
U.S. national team goalkeeper
was hired as coach of the
New England Revolution in
November, replacing Heaps.
Friedel made 82 appear-
ances for the United States
over 13 years and was on
the national team’s roster for
three World Cups, starting
for the American team that
advanced to the quarterfinals
in 2002.
His club career was high-
lighted by 17 Premier League
seasons, including stints with
the Blackburn, Liverpool,
Aston Villa and Tottenham.
Friedel most recently served
as head coach of the U.S.
under-19 national team and
was a Fox analyst.
The Revolution lost its
opener 2-1 to the Philadelphia
Union.w
ANTHONY HUDSON,
COLORADO
RAPIDS:
Hudson was hired by the
Rapids in late November after
three seasons coaching New
Zealand’s national team.
A Seattle native, Hudson
was 9-11-7 as the national
team coach. He also led New
Zealand to an appearance
in the Confederations Cup
last summer, becoming the
youngest coach to lead a team
in the tournament.
Colorado finished 9-19-6
last season, second-to-last
in the Western Conference.
The Rapids parted ways with
Mastroeni in August and
assistant Steve Cooke served
as interim coach.
Hudson makes his MLS
coaching debut with the
Rapids on Saturday against
the Revolution.
GIOVANNI SAVARESE,
PORTLAND TIMBERS:
Savarese replaces Porter, who
posted a 68-50-52 record and
won the MLS Cup champi-
onship in 2015. The Timbers
finished atop the Western
Conference last season.
Savarese, a former forward
from Venezuela, comes to the
Timbers from the New York
Cosmos of the second-tier
North American Soccer
League, where he had been
coach since 2012. He led
the Cosmos to three Soccer
Bowl championships in five
seasons.
“With Gio it was — I hate
to use the proverbial cliche,
‘check the boxes’ — but the
off-the-field,
on-the-field
philosophy, the way he
thinks about the game, it was
pretty seamless,” team owner
Merritt Paulson said about
Saverese’s fit in Portland.
Savarese’s debut as head
coach was spoiled by the
Galaxy, which downed the
Timbers 2-1 in Los Angeles
last weekend.
MIKAEL
STAHRE,
SAN
JOSE
EARTH-
QUAKES: Stahre was hired
in late November to replace
Kinnear, who was fired in
June. Chris Leitch, the team’s
technical director, served as
interim coach.
Stahre, who is from Stock-
holm, coached for 11 years
in Europe, most recently as
head coach for a season with
Hacken in Sweden’s top
division, where he posted a
14-6-10 record.
Stahre won his opener
3-2 over Minnesota United,
surviving a scare after Loons
forward Kevin Molino scored
twice in the final 10 minutes.
“I enjoyed every second,”
Stahre said of his debut.
“Maybe not the last 10
minutes, but it was a good
atmosphere for sure.”
MARINERS: Suzuki to help with outfield woes as injuries continue to pile up
Continued from 1B
seasons in Japan. Suzuki
appeared in 136 games last
year for the Miami Marlins
and hit .255 with a .318
on-base percentage.
“I still have things that
I want to do and I want to
accomplish,” Suzuki said.
“I’m really thinking about
this year and what the Seattle
Mariners need, what I can do
to help. Everything that I’ve
gained, everything that I’ve
done in my career, I want to
just give it all right here in
Seattle.”
Mariners
general
manager Jerry Dipoto said
discussions about Suzuki’s
return intensified about a
week ago, when the club’s
injury situation became a
greater concern.
“It did not take very long
to put a deal together that
brought Ichiro back home,”
Dipoto said, adding that
Suzuki’s presence will help
a young outfield and veteran
Dee Gordon, who is playing
center field for the first time.
“It’s huge for our club and
our ability to step forward,”
Dipoto said.
Projected left fielder Ben
Gamel is sidelined for at
least a month with a strained
oblique muscle, Right fielder
Mitch Haniger is dealing
with a hand injury that has
limited his activity for a
couple of weeks, and Guill-
ermo Heredia is still in the
final stages of recovery from
offseason shoulder surgery.
Suzuki underwent a phys-
ical in Seattle on Monday.
His return is similar to the
Mariners’ reunion with Ken
Griffey Jr. in 2009 that was
AP Photo/Matt York
Seattle Mariners’ Ichiro Suzuki arrives after signing a
contract to a news conference at the teams’ spring train-
ing baseball complex on Wednesday in Peoria, Ariz. Su-
zuki signed a one year deal in his return to the Mariners.
good for one year but had an
ugly conclusion.
Seattle has significant
concerns about depth in the
outfield. Other options were
available, including free
agents Jose Bautista, Carlos
Gonzalez and Jon Jay.
“Bringing him in, what
he can do on the field, still
think he’s got plenty left in
the tank there,” Mariners
manager Scott Servais said.
“What he adds in the club-
house I think is very, very
valuable.”
Suzuki is slated to play
left field and will need a few
days of workouts and batting
practice before he plays in a
game, Servais said.
Suzuki had 2,533 hits
with the Mariners, including
262 in 2004 when he set the
big league season record.
His trade to New York
during the 2012 season was
a stunning conclusion to
his time in Seattle, but gave
Suzuki the chance to play in
the postseason for the first
time since his rookie season.
Suzuki reunites with
former Yankees teammates
Robinson Cano and David
Phelps, and he played
with Gordon and Phelps
in Miami. Third baseman
Kyle Seager, pitcher Felix
Hernandez and hitting coach
Edgar Martinez were Suzu-
ki’s teammates in Seattle
before he was traded.
On Wednesday, a stall
in the Mariners’ spring
training clubhouse awaited
Suzuki, situated between
journeyman outfielder Kirk
Niewenhuis and starting
shortstop Jean Segura. The
team shop at the Peoria
Sports Complex was already
stocked with shirts and
jerseys bearing Suzuki’s No.
51. ore merchandise was en
route.
BEAVERS: Now play Southern California in quarterfinals on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Continued from 1B
this is a championship-level
conference and a great
environment. They beat us in
overtime. It was a heck of a
game.”
Washington made a
strong NCAA Tournament
push with consecutive wins
over Arizona and Arizona
State in early February.
But the Huskies fell away
from the NCAA bubble
with a stretch of four losses
in five games, including a
double-overtime setback at
Oregon State.
Washington won two of
its final three games, but
needed a strong run in the
Pac-12 tournament to have
any NCAA shot.
The third meeting of the
season became a defensive
battle, neither team able to
find much operating room.
Oregon State made 8 of
23 shots in the first half,
including 1 for 7 from the
3-point arc. Washington was
slightly better, going 11 for
29 and 2 for 9 from 3 to lead
29-25.
Halftime
adjustments
freed up both offenses
early before the defenses
controlled the game again.
Oregon State went nearly 6
minutes without scoring, but
Washington couldn’t stretch
its lead. Then the Huskies
had a stretch when it went
1 for 9 and the Beavers
capitalized, going on a 10-2
run to go up 55-51.
BIG PICTURE
Washington likely fell
short in its NCAA Tourna-
ment bid, but still won 20
games and had its biggest
turnaround since 1937-38
in its first season under
Hopkins.
“New coaching staff,
new system, there is a lot
going on,” Hopkins said.
“These guys went out there
and made the plays that they
had to make. We’ve beaten
some really, really good
teams this year. Part of what
we’re trying to build is a
standard of excellence.”
Oregon State found a
way to grind out a victory
and enhance its chances
of playing in a postseason
tournament.
TINKLE’S ANKLE
Tres Tinkle came down
on someone’s foot early and
spent the rest of the game
limping. The coach’s son
tweaked the ankle again on
a foul with 21 seconds, but
made those two free throws
and two more.
Tinkle ended up playing
43 minutes, finishing with
12 points and 10 rebounds.
“I haven’t had a chance
to talk to him,” Wayne
Tinkle said. “I had a brief
conversation with our doc,
but he’s got no choice, he’s
got to play tomorrow. That
comes from mom, not me.”
UP NEXT
Washington is likely
headed to a smaller post-
season tournament.
Oregon State faces No. 2
seed USC.
Ducks hang on
in OT to beat
Cougars 64-62
LAS VEGAS (AP) —
Payton Pritchard scored on
a runner late in overtime and
Kenny Wooten had a pair of
blocked shots in the final 13
seconds, lifting Oregon to
a 64-62 victory over Wash-
ington State in the opening
round of the of the Pac-12
tournament on Wednesday
night.
Washington
State
(12-19) led by three, but
Troy Brown scored on a
hard drive and Pritchard put
Oregon (21-11) up 63-62
on his runner. After Wooten
blocked Malachi Flynn’s
drive, Pritchard missed two
free throws and Brown was
fouled after grabbing an
offensive rebound.
Brown made 1 of 2 to give
the Ducks a final chance, but
Wooten swooped in to erase
Milan Acquaah’s drive just
before the buzzer sounded.
Oregon moves on to play
No. 3 seed Utah in Thurs-
day’s quarterfinals.
Pritchard and MiKyle
McIntosh had 18 points
each to help Oregon rally
from a dismal first half.
Flynn had 22 points and
Robert Franks added 16 for
Washington State.
Oregon had a 20-win
regular season and a winning
record in the Pac-12, yet
still is considered a fringe
NCAA Tournament bubble
team.
The Ducks need a good
run in the conference tour-
nament, possibly all the way
to the title game.
The first step there was
the second game against
Washington State in six
days. The Cougars won that
game 78-76 behind a superb
all-around game by Flynn.
Oregon’s push didn’t get
off to a very good start. The
Ducks missed their first six
shots and didn’t score in the
opening 5:15.
UP NEXT
Oregon will play No. 3
seed Utah in Thursday’s
quarterfinals.