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.