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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 27, 2018)
B2 SPORTS East Oregonian BMCC: Softball adds seven new players Continued from Page B1 first baseman — “While only playing for three years, Maddie is develop- ing into a fine pitcher and power hitter.” Dalke was named sec- ond team all-conference as a junior at South Medford High School. Hannah Meyers (Rathdrum, Idaho), out- fielder — “Hannah brings a speed component to our lineup that we haven’t had in a while. She’s a lefty slap hitter that covers a lot of ground in the outfield.” Jessie Wiest (Bend), pitcher/first baseman — “Jessie is a solid person with some excellent soft- ball skills. She will be a pitcher our team will rely on for many innings.” Josey Hawkins (LaP- ine), pitcher — “Josey brings a solid bat and glove in addition to her pitching skills. She will be another pitcher we rely on next season.” Hawkins was all-con- ference in both her soph- omore and junior years at LaPine High School. The Timberwolves kick off their 2019 softball sea- son on March 1 in a 1 p.m. home game against Everett College. Contributed by Portland Diamond Project An artist’s rendering of a ballpark in Northwest Portland, as seen from the Willamette River. The Portland Diamond Project is trying to bring Major League Baseball to Oregon, but will have to work with the state’s industrial land use rules to make the dream a reality. Ballpark: Oregon’s rules could hamper development of Willamette River plan Continued from Page B1 diversity of our city. It’s one of the central tenets of how we approach land use in this state.” Industrial land grows even more precious along waterways, such as the Willamette River, because it’s even harder to replace. Because of its river- front location, Termi- nal 2 actually has extra special zoning protec- tion — something called a prime industrial over- lay. City council members approved that two years ago, and it just took effect this past summer. That doesn’t mean this property can’t be rezoned, just that it could be an incredibly arduous process. Portland Diamond Proj- ect leaders are now in the process of starting negoti- ations with the city and the Port over precisely how to build a stadium at Termi- nal 2. Planners and people more familiar with the land-use process are less optimistic, at least about the timing. Rezoning Ter- minal 2 would require the approval of the city plan- ning commission, the Portland City Council and the Metro regional coun- cil. Opponents would get multiple opportunities to appeal along the way. “Just the land use action, preparing all the papers and such to get it through the city, could be a year. Then a year to review it, then appeals, then the rest of the process,” Wax said. “I could see four to five years.” That’s four to five years before construction even starts. But there is another, faster way. Imagine a sce- nario in which city and regional leaders decide everything about a sta- dium deal makes sense — say, the Diamond Proj- ect proves to them that a ballpark really can get built with minimal pub- lic money and that there’s a team out there ready to start playing in Portland the moment a new stadium opens. In a case like that, base- ball proponents and city leaders could go directly to the Oregon Legisla- ture. Lawmakers don’t use it often, but they have the power to essentially step in and decide local land- use issues with the legisla- tive version of one swing of the bat. Armstrong, the Port- land planner, can’t remem- ber the last time that hap- pened in Portland. But it occurred just a few years ago in Washington County when legislators signed off on a “grand bargain” that expanded the urban growth boundary and set urban and rural reserves in the county. “This was a legal pro- cess that was going to take several more years, so they waved their magic wand as legislators,” said Ed Sullivan, a longtime land use attorney in the Port- land region. “To me, that’s a dangerous precedent because it makes it easy — if you’ve got a sticky issue, you just go to the Legisla- ture instead of through our planning process. But you could do that in the base- ball case.” That prospect has the potential to create an unusual political alliance between environmentalists and industrial businesses. Industry officials, such as Ellen Wax, worry that the loss of Terminal 2 could mean fewer future jobs. Environmentalists, such as Bob Sallinger, fear rezon- ing Terminal 2 will mean Portland leaders will feel pressured to find replace- ment industrial land, and that they’ll target undevel- oped and ecologically sig- nificant space elsewhere, such as West Hayden Island in North Portland. “Our fear is that in the race to get a baseball sta- dium, the other issues that are at play will get ignored,” Sallinger said. “We are concerned that the Legislature could step in for that and that this grand vision could override the actual implications of this decision.” Sallinger isn’t anti-base- ball. He grew up a Boston Red Sox fan, which used to be just as frustrating as trying to save the planet. Now he’s a happier fan and hoping the prospect of baseball in Oregon might provoke a broader debate. He sees this conversa- tion as an opportunity for a broader conversation about whether the land-use policies that make indus- trial land so precious — and a stadium so hard to build here — are outdated. Thursday, December 27, 2018 Serena voted AP Female Athlete of the Year By BRIAN MAHONEY Associated Press She showed up in Paris wearing a black catsuit, a reminder that nobody can command the Grand Slam stage quite like Serena Williams. She reached the finals at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, proving again how well she can play no matter how little she practices. Williams didn’t win those or any other tournaments, which in every other situa- tion might have made for a forgettable year. In 2018, it was a remark- able one. Her rapid return to tennis after a health scare follow- ing childbirth was a victory in itself, and for that, Wil- liams was voted The Asso- ciated Press Female Athlete of the Year for the fifth time. Williams received 93 points in balloting by U.S. editors and news direc- tors announced Wednes- day, while gymnast Sim- one Biles was second with 68. Notre Dame basketball player Arike Ogunbowale was third, while Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim and swimmer Katie Ledecky, the 2017 winner, rounded out the top five. All of those players won a title or titles in 2018, while Williams had to settle for just coming close a couple of times. Now 37 and a new mother facing some players who weren’t even born when she turned pro in 1995, Williams isn’t the same person who ruthlessly ran her way to 23 Grand Slam singles titles — the last of which came at the 2017 Australian Open when she was pregnant. “I’m still waiting to get to be the Serena that I was, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be that, physically, emotionally, mentally. But I’m on my way,” Williams said on the eve of the U.S. Open final. “I feel like I still have a ways to go. Once I get there, I’ll be able to play even hope- fully better.” The Male Athlete of the Year will be announced Thursday. The women’s award has been won more only by AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File In this Sept. 6, 2018, file photo, Serena Williams celebrates after defeating Anastasija Sevastova, of Latvia, during the semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York. Babe Didrikson Zaharias, whose six wins included one for track and five for golf. Williams’ previous times winning the AP honor, in 2002, 2009, 2013 and 2015, were because of her dominance. This one was about her perseverance. Williams developed blood clots after giving birth to daughter Alexis Olym- pia Ohanian Jr. on Sept. 1, 2017, and four surgeries would follow. She returned to the WTA Tour in March and played in just a pair of events before the French Open, where she competed in a skin-tight, full-length black catsuit. She said the outfit — worn partly for health rea- sons because of the clots — made her feel like a superhero, but her game was rarely in superstar shape. She had to withdraw in Paris because of a right pectoral injury and didn’t play again until Wimbledon, where she lost to Angelique Kerber in the final. Williams came up short again in New York, where her loss to Naomi Osaka in the final will be remembered best for her outburst toward chair umpire Carlos Ramos, who had penalized Wil- liams for receiving coaching and later penalized her an entire game for calling him a “thief” while arguing. That loss leaves her one major title shy of Margaret Court’s record as she starts play next year in a WTA Tour that will look different in part because of new rules coming about after issues involving Williams. Players returning to the tour may use a “special ranking” for up to three years from the birth of a child, and the exemption can be used for seedings at big events. Also, the tour says players can wear leg- gings or compression shorts at its tournaments without a skirt over them. Williams insists she is still driven to play and win as much if not more than before she was a mother. That drive is the focus of a Nike ad showing her in action. “Getting this far, crazy,” it says. “Stopping now, crazier.” Williams won’t. “I’m still on the way up,” she said. “There’s still much more that I plan on doing.” The rest of the top five: Simone Biles, gymnas- tics. The American won four golds and six medals overall in the world championships in Qatar, giving her 20 in her career to tie Russia’s Svet- lana Khorkina for the most by a female gymnast. Ariwke Ogunbowale, women’s basketball. She hit one jumper to knock off pre- viously unbeaten Connecti- cut in the Final Four, then a 3-pointer in the champion- ship game to lift Notre Dame over Mississippi State. Chloe Kim, snowboard- ing. At 17, the Californian won the halfpipe Olympic gold medal in South Korea, where her parents were from before they immigrated to the United States. Katie Ledecky, swim- ming. The 21-year-old U.S. Olympian tuned up for the 2020 Games in Tokyo by winning five medals in the city at the Pan Pacific Championships. SCOREBOARD LOCAL SLATE Thursday, Dec. 27 Boys Basketball Heppner vs. Tri-Cities Prep (at Irrigon), 1:30 p.m. Mac-Hi vs. Liberty Christian (at Irrigon), 4:30 p.m. Trinity Lutheran at Irrigon, 7:30 p.m. Pendleton at Bend, 7:45 p.m. Girls Basketball Heppner vs. Mac-Hi (at Irrigon), noon Pendleton vs. La Salle Prep (at Bend), 4:15 p.m. Liberty Christian at Irrigon, 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 28 Boys Basketball Ione vs. Nixyaawii (at Echo), 1:30 p.m. Heppner vs. Liberty Christian (at Irri- gon), 3 p.m. Pine Eagle at Echo, 4:30 p.m. Mac-Hi vs. Trinity Lutheran (at Irrigon), 4:30 p.m. Weston-McEwen vs. Prairie City (at Pend- leton Convention Center), 4:30 p.m. Pilot Rock at Regis, 7:30 p.m. Riverside at Columbia-Burbank (WA), 7:30 p.m. Tri-Cities Prep at Irrigon, 7:30 p.m. Pendleton at Oregon Hoopfest (Bend) Girls Basketball Ione vs. Nixyaawii (at Echo), noon Heppner vs. Nyssa (at Irrigon), noon Mac-Hi vs. Liberty Christian (at Irrigon), 3 p.m. Pine Eagle at Echo, 3 p.m. Weston-McEwen vs. Prairie City (at Pend- leton Convention Center), 3 p.m. Pendleton at Summit, 5:45 p.m. Tri-Cities Prep at Irrigon, 6 p.m. Pilot Rock at Regis, 6 p.m. Riverside at Columbia-Burbank (WA), 6 p.m. Girls Wrestling Hermiston at Hanford, 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 29 Boys Basketball Ione vs. Pine Eagle (at Echo), 1:30 p.m Nixyaawii at Echo, 4:30 p.m. White Salmon (WA) at Riverside, 4:30 p.m. Weston-McEwen at Les Schwab Invita- tional (at Pendleton Convention Cen- ter), 7 p.m. Pilot Rock at Regis Holiday Tournament Pendleton at Oregon Hoopfest (Bend) Girls Basketball Pendleton vs. Hockinson, WA (at Mt. View High School), 11:30 a.m. Ione vs. Pine Eagle (at Echo), noon Weston-McEwen vs. Condon/Wheeler (at Pendleton Convention Center), noon Nixyaawii at Echo, 3 p.m. White Salmon (WA) at Riverside, 3 p.m. Pilot Rock at Regis Holiday Tournament NFL AMERICAN CONFERENCE East y-New England Miami Buffalo N.Y. Jets W 10 7 5 4 L 5 8 10 11 T 0 0 0 0 Pct .667 .467 .333 .267 PF 398 302 227 330 PA 322 391 357 403 South W L x-Houston 10 5 Indianapolis 9 6 Tennessee 9 6 Jacksonville 5 10 PF 382 400 293 242 PA 313 327 270 296 North W L T Pct PF Baltimore 9 6 0 .600 363 Pittsburgh 8 6 1 .567 412 Cleveland 7 7 1 .500 335 Cincinnati 6 9 0 .400 355 PA 263 347 366 439 West x-Kansas City x-L.A. Chargers Denver Oakland PF 530 405 320 287 PA 418 320 326 432 NATIONAL CONFERENCE East W L T Pct y-Dallas 9 6 0 .600 Philadelphia 8 7 0 .533 Washington 7 8 0 .467 N.Y. Giants 5 10 0 .333 PF 303 343 281 334 PA 289 348 335 376 South W L y-New Orleans 13 2 Atlanta 6 9 Carolina 6 9 Tampa Bay 5 10 PF 490 380 343 364 PA 320 391 368 430 PF 397 350 376 293 PA 273 317 369 360 W 11 11 6 4 North W L y-Chicago 11 4 Minnesota 8 6 Green Bay 6 8 Detroit 5 10 T 0 0 0 0 L 4 4 9 11 T 0 1 1 0 Pct .667 .600 .600 .333 T 0 0 0 0 T 0 0 0 0 Pct .733 .733 .400 .267 Pct .867 .400 .400 .333 Pct .733 .567 .433 .333 West W L T Pct PF PA y-L.A. Rams 12 3 0 .800 479 352 x-Seattle 9 6 0 .600 401 323 San Francisco 4 11 0 .267 310 387 Arizona 3 12 0 .200 201 398 x-clinched playoff spot< y-clinched division< ——— Sunday’s Games Miami at Buffalo, 10 a.m. Atlanta at Tampa Bay, 10 a.m. Jacksonville at Houston, 10 a.m. Dallas at N.Y. Giants, 10 a.m. Detroit at Green Bay, 10 a.m. N.Y. Jets at New England, 10 a.m. Carolina at New Orleans, 10 a.m. Arizona at Seattle, 1:25 p.m. L.A. Chargers at Denver, 1:25 p.m. Oakland at Kansas City, 1:25 p.m. San Francisco at L.A. Rams, 1:25 p.m. Philadelphia at Washington, 1:25 p.m. Chicago at Minnesota, 1:25 p.m. Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, 1:25 p.m. Cleveland at Baltimore, 1:25 p.m. Indianapolis at Tennessee, 5:20 p.m. NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic W L Toronto 26 10 Philadelphia 22 13 Boston 20 13 Brooklyn 17 19 New York 9 26 Southeast W L Charlotte 16 17 Miami 16 17 Orlando 14 19 Pct .722 .629 .606 .472 .257 Pct .485 .485 .424 GB — 3½ 4½ 9 16½ GB — — 2 Washington 13 22 .371 4 Atlanta 9 24 .273 7 Central W L Pct GB Milwaukee 23 10 .697 — Indiana 23 12 .657 1 Detroit 16 16 .500 6½ Chicago 9 26 .257 15 Cleveland 8 27 .229 16 WESTERN CONFERENCE Southwest W L Pct GB Houston 18 15 .545 — San Antonio 19 16 .543 — Memphis 18 16 .529 ½ Dallas 16 17 .485 2 New Orleans 15 20 .429 4 Northwest W L Pct GB Denver 21 11 .656 — Oklahoma City 21 12 .636 ½ Portland 19 15 .559 3 Utah 17 18 .486 5½ Minnesota 16 18 .471 6 Pacific W L Pct GB Golden State 23 12 .657 — L.A. Lakers 20 14 .588 2½ L.A. Clippers 19 14 .576 3 Sacramento 18 15 .545 4 Phoenix 9 26 .257 14 ——— Tuesday’s Games Milwaukee 109, New York 95 Houston 113, Oklahoma City 109 Boston 121, Philadelphia 114, OT L.A. Lakers 127, Golden State 101 Utah 117, Portland 96 Wednesday’s Games Detroit 106, Washington 95 Phoenix 122, Orlando 120, OT Brooklyn 134, Charlotte 132, 2OT Indiana 129, Atlanta 121 Toronto 106, Miami 104 Memphis 95, Cleveland 87 Minnesota 119, Chicago 94 Dallas 122, New Orleans 119 San Antonio 111, Denver 103 Thursday’s Games Boston at Houston, 5 p.m. New York at Milwaukee, 5 p.m. L.A. Lakers at Sacramento, 7 p.m. Philadelphia at Utah, 7:30 p.m. Portland at Golden State, 7:30 p.m. Friday’s Games Brooklyn at Charlotte, 4 p.m. Chicago at Washington, 4 p.m. Detroit at Indiana, 4 p.m. Toronto at Orlando, 4 p.m. Atlanta at Minnesota, 5 p.m. Cleveland at Miami, 5 p.m. Dallas at New Orleans, 5 p.m. Oklahoma City at Phoenix, 6 p.m. San Antonio at Denver, 6 p.m. L.A. Clippers at L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m. Saturday’s Games Brooklyn at Milwaukee, 2 p.m. Charlotte at Washington, 4 p.m. Houston at New Orleans, 4 p.m. Cleveland at Atlanta, 4:30 p.m. Boston at Memphis, 5 p.m. New York at Utah, 5 p.m. Denver at Phoenix, 6 p.m. Golden State at Portland, 7 p.m. San Antonio at L.A. Clippers, 7:30 p.m. NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic GP W L OT Pts Tampa Bay 37 28 7 2 58 Toronto 37 25 10 2 52 Buffalo 37 21 11 5 47 Boston 37 20 13 4 44 Montreal 37 19 13 5 43 Florida 35 15 14 6 36 Detroit 38 15 17 6 36 Ottawa 37 15 18 4 34 Metropolitan GP W L OT Pts Washington 35 22 10 3 47 Columbus 36 21 12 3 45 Pittsburgh 36 18 12 6 42 N.Y. Islanders 35 18 13 4 40 N.Y. Rangers 35 15 14 6 36 Carolina 35 15 15 5 35 Philadelphia 35 15 16 4 34 New Jersey 35 12 16 7 31 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central GP W L OT Pts Winnipeg 36 24 10 2 50 Nashville 37 22 13 2 46 Colorado 37 19 12 6 44 Dallas 37 18 16 3 39 Minnesota 35 17 15 3 37 St. Louis 34 14 16 4 32 Chicago 39 13 20 6 32 Pacific GP W L OT Pts Calgary 37 22 12 3 47 San Jose 38 19 12 7 45 Vegas 39 20 15 4 44 Anaheim 38 19 14 5 43 Edmonton 36 18 15 3 39 Vancouver 39 17 18 4 38 Arizona 36 16 18 2 34 Los Angeles 37 14 20 3 31 GF 154 140 111 105 115 115 109 118 GF 129 117 119 101 102 90 104 102 GA 106 103 105 96 117 125 126 144 GA 103 109 110 98 115 103 125 125 GF 128 111 129 99 103 96 111 GF 127 124 117 95 102 117 93 86 GA 101 95 115 102 99 114 145 GA 103 115 112 109 111 125 101 112 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. Top three teams in each division and two wild cards per conference advance to playoffs. Thursday’s Games New Jersey at Boston, 4 p.m. Columbus at N.Y. Rangers, 4 p.m. Detroit at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m. Carolina at Washington, 4 p.m. Philadelphia at Tampa Bay, 4:30 p.m. Buffalo at St. Louis, 5 p.m. Calgary at Winnipeg, 5 p.m. Dallas at Nashville, 5 p.m. Minnesota at Chicago, 5:30 p.m. Vancouver at Edmonton, 6 p.m. Colorado at Vegas, 7 p.m. Anaheim at San Jose, 7:30 p.m. Arizona at Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m. Friday’s Games Montreal at Florida, 4 p.m. Toronto at Columbus, 4 p.m. Ottawa at N.Y. Islanders, 4 p.m. Saturday’s Games Carolina at New Jersey, 10 a.m. San Jose at Edmonton, 1 p.m. Minnesota at Winnipeg, 1 p.m. Vegas at Los Angeles, 1 p.m. Boston at Buffalo, 4 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Toronto, 4 p.m. Montreal at Tampa Bay, 4 p.m. Philadelphia at Florida, 4 p.m. Washington at Ottawa, 4 p.m. Pittsburgh at St. Louis, 5 p.m. Detroit at Dallas, 5 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Nashville, 5 p.m. Chicago at Colorado, 6 p.m. Arizona at Anaheim, 7 p.m. Vancouver at Calgary, 7 p.m.