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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 3, 2019)
B2 SPORTS East Oregonian BRIEFLY Pendleton Parks & Rec offering youth gymnastics Pendleton Parks and Recreation is offering a gymnastics program for children ages 15 months to 7 years old. The program will meet Mondays from Jan. 7-March 4 at the gymnas- tics studio in the Vert Lit- tle Theater. Times will vary based on level. Four levels are offered: partners in play, partners in tumbling, tiny tumblers, and tumblers. The first two levels are interactive parent-child levels, while the other two are independent. Cost is $63-$71 depend- ing on level. For more information about times and skill levels, call 541- 276-8100 or go to www. pendletonparksandrec. com. Try your luck in the Parks & Rec cornhole league Pendleton Parks and Recreation has a cornhole doubles league that will meet Thursdays from Jan. 24-April 11 at the Helen McCune Gym at the Pend- leton Rec Center. Teams will play two matches each night. Each match is best of three games. Teams will consist of two players, with one pos- sible alternate. Cost is $40 per team and is for ages 16 and older. For more information, call 541-276-8100 or go to www.pendletonparksan- drec.com. Bucks: Teams begin new league next Friday Continued from Page B1 preseason tuneup on Tues- day, Jan. 8. Porter says he’s not sure what to expect from the new teams they’ll face in league play. “I do know this, though: it doesn’t matter what the other teams do; if you exe- cute your game plan, you leave it up to the other team to stop it,” he said. “That’s our goal.” For Pendleton boys coach Zach Dong, even more uncertainty lies ahead. This season is Dong’s first as the Bucks’ head coach, and he says the team is still getting used to his style and expectations. “We’re slowly but surely making progress, but we’re nowhere near where we want to be,” he said. “My goal is to win the league.” Dong says his team is “talented offensively,” but has been spending recent practices polishing their defensive game. He wants to hold every team in the IMC to 10 points or less per quarter. The Bucks, ranked No. 1 in the IMC, have already faced one league opponent this preseason — they beat No. 6-ranked Ridgeview 82-63 at the Summit Hol- iday Tournament on Sat- urday. Senior guard Tyler Newsom sunk a record nine 3-pointers at the game. “He’s a quiet leader,” Dong said of Newsom. “Offensively, everything goes through Tyler. It’s no secret. He’ll help us in the league.” Last year, the Bucks lost a league championship game to Hermiston, fol- lowed by a playoff loss to Thurston. “I’m not sure what to expect this year,” Dong said of the IMC. “It’ll be full of surprises.” Pendleton (7-4) rounds out the preseason when they host La Grande on Tuesday. They’ll start league play on Friday, Jan. 11, at Hood River Valley (5-4). ‘I’M NOT SURE WHAT TO EXPECT THIS YEAR,’ DONG SAID OF THE IMC. ‘IT’LL BE FULL OF SURPRISES.’ Dawgs: Big games on tap for this weekend Continued from Page B1 with strep throat. “It’s time to get busy with some games,” Arstein said. “We’ve been work- ing hard, but Cole is out with an ankle injury and is not cleared to play. He is one of our most consistent players. This really chal- lenges our depth. Hope- fully we can get him back soon. Until then, we work with what we have. We will compete for 32 minutes.” After battling Richland, Hermiston will hit the road to play at Kamiakin on Saturday. The Braves (5-4, 2-3), led by 6-8 Kyson Rose’s 11.6 points a game, are averaging 56 points a game, while the Bulldogs are at 68. “They are young (three seniors), but they are a solid team,” Arstein said. “Kamiakin is going to be a tough matchup. We have played them before, and it’s a tough place to play.” MCC Girls Basketball The Hermiston girls’ games will be the oppo- site of the boys. Richland (5-5, 2-4) is in the mid- dle of the pack with the Bulldogs (4-5, 2-3), while the Braves (9-0, 5-0) are ranked No. 2 among 3A schools. Kamiakin is led by But- ler-bound Oumou Toure, who is averaging a confer- ence-high 20.56 points a game. The Braves also have a wealth of experience with four-year starter Alexa Hazel (11.78 points), Rylie Clark and 5-11 Symone Brown (11 points), and sophomore Regan Clark adding 11.6 points a game. “I don’t want that to end,” Kamiakin coach Lane Schumacher said of losing his talented group of seniors at the end of the season. “You can’t com- pletely concentrate on Oumou because we have so many other players who can score. That has been nice to have.” Schumacher is con- cerned with with trying to contain Hermiston’s 6-4 center Jordan Thomas, who is averaging 15 points a game. “She is putting up points and causing teams some problems,” Schumacher said. “We aren’t near as big, and she’s bigger than what we are used to. We have to try to make things happen on the defensive end. We have to get down the floor and not let them set up.” If the Bulldogs can’t get the ball inside, sopho- more Jazlyn Romero loves to the launch from beyond the arc. She’s averaging 11.6 points a game. Kaylee Young and Jayden Ray also can hit the 3, and sopho- more Kendall Dowdy adds a presence inside. “I’m glad they are in the league,” Schumacher said. “They have always been competitive.” Thursday, January 3, 2019 Mariners sign Japanese lefty Yusei Kikuchi to four-year deal By TIM BOOTH Associated Press SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners have signed Japa- nese left-handed pitcher Yusei Kikuchi to a four-year deal just ahead of the deadline for him to sign with a major league club or be forced to return to Japan for another season. Seattle made the sign- ing official on Wednesday after word first surfaced of an agreement late on New Year’s Eve. Kikuchi was one of the few starter options remaining on the market and he will be joining a team with a long his- tory of success with Japanese players. “Yusei’s combination of Kyodo News via AP, File In this Sept. 28, 2018, file photo, Japan’s Seibu Lions Yusei Kikuchi pitches during a game in Tokorozawa, northwest of Tokyo. character, talent, experience and relative age made him a primary target in our roster building plans,” Seattle gen- eral manager Jerry Dipoto said. “He is an exciting young pitcher with the ability to impact the Mariners, both in the present and future.” Kikuchi was posted by the Seibu Lions of Nippon Profes- sional Baseball in Japan in early December. Under new posting rules, he had until Wednesday afternoon Seattle time to sign with a major league team or be forced to return to Japan for the 2019 season. Kikuchi was 14-4 with a 3.08 ERA for Seibu last sea- son. He was 16-6 with a 1.97 ERA a year earlier. His fast- ball sits in the low-to-mid 90s and he has an array of off- speed pitches. Dipoto was open at the winter meetings in Las Vegas about his interest in Kikuchi and about how a deal struc- tured in the right way could still fit in the Mariners’ rebuild- ing plans. Seattle is undergo- ing an extensive makeover this offseason in the hopes of acquiring prospects now with an ultimate goal of being able to contend in a couple of years. Kikuchi will turn 28 during the 2019 season. With the trade of James Paxton this offseason, Kikuchi will slot high in Seat- tle’s rotation alongside Marco Gonzales, Mike Leake, Wade LeBlanc, Felix Hernandez and likely a couple of young prospects. Betting: Sports books rarely lose money Continued from Page B1 a Seahawks bettor to win his or her wager. Minne- sota backers would win if the Vikings win, or even if they lose as long as it’s by 3 points or fewer. A final margin of exactly 4 points for Seattle is considered a push, meaning the bets are refunded. You can also do a money line bet that does not involve a point spread. Instead, sim- ply choose the team you think will win. Oddsmak- ers set this money line ratio based on bets of $100, essentially telling gam- blers how much they would win by betting $100 on an underdog, or how much they’d need to put up to win $100 on a favorite. For a heavily favored team, say the Boston Red Sox putting their best pitcher against a weak oppo- nent with a poor pitcher, that could involve putting up $350 of you own money to win just $100, a wager that would be listed in sports books as minus-350. Big underdogs pay off well, but only if that team wins the game. A bet on a team with a money line of plus- 410 would give you a $410 profit on a $100 bet. Another popular option is the over/under, also known as the total. Oddsmakers set a number for the total num- ber of points scored by both teams combined, say 52 1/2 points between the Chiefs and Raiders. Gamblers bet whether the combined final score will exceed that num- ber or fall short. Teasers Don’t like the number offered by the point spread or the over/under? Change it. Bookmakers offer the opportunity to increase or lessen the odds, called “teas- ing” it, by a particular num- ber, usually about 6 points, though other amounts are available. It must be applied to combined wagers on two or more games, or at least two bets on the same game. For instance, if the New York Giants are favored by 3 points over the Wash- ington Redskins, and the Los Angeles Chargers are favored over the Baltimore Ravens by 2 points, a gam- bler using a 6-point teaser can lower the line on the Giants game to have the Giants as a 3-point underdog instead of a 3-point favor- ite (getting 3 points instead of giving 3), and the Char- gers as a 4-point underdog instead of a 2-point favor- ite (getting 4 points instead of giving 2). Lines can be adjusted upward or down- ward, and they can involve multiple games. In a single game, a bettor can lower or increase the point spread and the under/over total on the same game. The catch here is that ALL bets in a teaser must win; if even one does not, the entire betting ticket is a loser. That’s why they call it a “teaser,” because it can seem so simple to manipu- late the odds to where you want them, and yet there is a decent chance of losing the whole thing. Parlays This is one of the places gamblers can get crazy. To boost the payoff on a bet, gamblers can string together a series of bets on multi- ple games, or multiple bets within the same game. This is called a parlay. It is a way to potentially win a lot of money for a small bet. But these bets are frequently losers. They are among the highest earning bets for sports books, because, as is the case with teasers, every one of the bets in a parlay has to win, or else the whole ticket is a loser. Hang around gamblers long enough and you’ll inevitably hear a story about how someone missed a big parlay payout thanks to a tiny margin on a single game. Props There are also tons of other things to bet on, includ- ing so-called proposition or “prop” bets on things that might happen during games. You could bet on whether Kansas City Chiefs quar- terback Patrick Mahomes or New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will have more passing yards or touchdowns in a particular game or set of games. You can bet on whether a par- ticular team will be leading after the first quarter or at halftime, whether there will be a safety or whether any field goals will be missed. There are also futures bets, which are wagers on things that won’t happen for a while. You can bet on the winner of a partic- ular sport’s championship before the season starts or at any point during the season and predict whether a team will win more or less than a predetermined number of games. Similarly, you can also gamble on who will be voted most valuable player in the NFL or Major League Baseball. Bottom line Sound easy? It isn’t. Sports books rarely lose money. Almost no one expected the Miami Dolphins to beat the Patriots on Dec. 9, a game in which New England was favored by 7 1/2 points. But an improvi- sational pass and running sequence that saw Miami players toss the ball to one another en route to the goal line led to a game winning touchdown as time expired. It happens, folks, a lot more than one might think. Big favorites inexplica- bly lose. Underdogs with seemingly no shot rise up unexpectedly (the Buffalo Bills were 17-point under- dogs against the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 23, yet won the game 27-6.) Games that appear set for high-scoring shootouts end as low-scor- ing affairs. A star quarter- back or running back gets injured early in a game and never returns. What starts out as fun can easily become a problem for some people. Help is avail- able for those with a gam- bling problem, or who fear they might be in danger of developing one, by calling 1-800-GAMBLER. SCOREBOARD LOCAL SLATE Thursday, Jan. 3 Boys Basketball Umatilla vs. Blanchet Catholic (at Salem), 11:30 a.m. Girls Basketball Umatilla at Salem Academy Tourney Boys Wrestling Redmond at Pendleton, 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 4 Boys Basketball Pilot Rock at Union, 6 p.m. Weston-McEwen at Stanfield, 6 p.m. Condon/Wheeler at Ione, 7:30 p.m. Echo at Mitchell/Spray, 7:30 p.m. Joseph at Helix, 7:30 p.m. Powder Valley at Nixyaawii, 7:30 p.m. Riverside at Nyssa, 7:30 p.m. Irrigon at Vale, 7:30 p.m. Richland at Hermiston, 7:30 p.m. Umatilla at Salem Academy Tourney Girls Basketball Richland at Hermiston, 5:45 p.m. Condon/Wheeler at Ione, 6 p.m. Echo at Mitchell/Spray, 6 p.m. Joseph at Helix, 6 p.m. Powder Valley at Nixyaawii, 6 p.m. Irrigon at Vale, 6 p.m. Pilot Rock at Union, 7:30 p.m. Weston-McEwen at Stanfield, 7:30 p.m. Boys Wrestling Hermiston at Gut Check Invite (Seattle) Saturday, Jan. 5 Boys Basketball Mac-Hi at Baker, 3 p.m. Stanfield at Knappa, 3:30 p.m. Heppner at Weston-McEwen, 4 p.m. Enterprise at Pilot Rock, 4 p.m. Columbia Basin at Blue Mountain, 4 p.m. Ione at Echo, 5:30 p.m. Helix at Elgin, 5:30 p.m. Wallowa at Nixyaawii, 5:30 p.m. Hermiston at Kamiakin, 7:30 p.m. Girls Basketball Stanfield at Knappa, 2 p.m. Columbia Basin at Blue Mountain, 2 p.m. Ione at Echo, 4 p.m. Helix at Elgin, 4 p.m. Wallowa at Nixyaawii, 4 p.m. Baker at Mac-Hi, 4:30 p.m. Enterprise at Pilot Rock, 5:30 p.m. Heppner at Weston-McEwen, 5:30 p.m. Hermiston at Kamiakin, 5:45 p.m. Boys Wrestling Hermiston at Gut Check Invite (Seattle) 2018-19 Bowl Glance Monday, Jan. 7 CFB CHAMPIONSHIP Santa Clara, Calif. Clemson (14-0) vs. Alabama (14-0), 8 p.m. (ESPN) Saturday, Jan. 19 East-West Shrine Classic At St. Petersburg, Fla. East vs. West, 3 p.m. (NFLN) NFLPA Collegiate Bowl At Pasadena, Calif. American vs. National, TBA (NFLN) Saturday, Jan. 26 Senior Bowl At Mobile, Ala. North vs. South, 2:30 p.m. (NFLN) NFL PLAYOFF GLANCE Wild-card Playoffs Saturday, Jan. 5 Indianapolis at Houston, 1:35 p.m. (ESPN) Seattle at Dallas, 5:15 p.m. (FOX) Sunday, Jan. 6 L.A. Chargers at Baltimore, 10:05 a.m. (CBS) Philadelphia at Chicago, 1:40 p.m. (NBC) Divisional Playoffs Saturday, Jan. 12 Baltimore/Los Angeles Chargers/India- napolis at Kansas City, 1:35 p.m. (NBC) Chicago/Dallas/Seattle at L.A. Rams, 5:15 p.m. (FOX) Sunday, Jan. 13 Houston/Baltimore/Los Angeles Char- gers at New England, 10:05 a.m. (CBS) Dallas/Seattle/Philadelphia at New Orle- ans, 1:40 p.m. (FOX) NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic W L Toronto 28 11 Philadelphia 25 14 Boston 22 15 Brooklyn 18 21 New York 9 29 Southeast W L Miami 18 18 Charlotte 18 19 Orlando 17 20 Washington 15 23 Atlanta 11 26 Central W L Milwaukee 26 10 Indiana 25 12 Detroit 17 19 Chicago 10 28 Cleveland 8 30 WESTERN CONFERENCE Southwest W L Houston 21 15 San Antonio 21 17 Memphis 18 19 Dallas 18 19 New Orleans 17 22 Northwest W L Denver 24 11 Oklahoma City 23 13 Portland 22 16 Pct .718 .641 .595 .462 .237 Pct .500 .486 .459 .395 .297 Pct .722 .676 .472 .263 .211 GB — 3 5 10 18½ GB — ½ 1½ 4 7½ GB — 1½ 9 17 19 Pct .583 .553 .486 .486 .436 Pct .686 .639 .579 GB — 1 3½ 3½ 5½ GB — 1½ 3½ Utah 18 20 .474 7½ Minnesota 17 21 .447 8½ Pacific W L Pct GB Golden State 25 13 .658 — L.A. Clippers 21 16 .568 3½ L.A. Lakers 21 16 .568 3½ Sacramento 19 18 .514 5½ Phoenix 9 30 .231 16½ Tuesday’s Games Toronto 122, Utah 116 Milwaukee 121, Detroit 98 Denver 115, New York 108 Portland 113, Sacramento 108, OT Philadelphia 119, L.A. Clippers 113 Wednesday’s Games Dallas 122, Charlotte 84 Miami 117, Cleveland 92 Washington 114, Atlanta 98 Brooklyn 126, New Orleans 121 Boston 115, Minnesota 102 Detroit 101, Memphis 94 Orlando 112, Chicago 84 Philadelphia 132, Phoenix 127 Oklahoma City 107, L.A. Lakers, 100 Thursday’s Games Toronto at San Antonio, 5 p.m. Denver at Sacramento, 7 p.m. Houston at Golden State, 7:30 p.m. Friday’s Games Utah at Cleveland, 4:30 p.m. Brooklyn at Memphis, 5 p.m. Dallas at Boston, 5 p.m. Indiana at Chicago, 5 p.m. Orlando at Minnesota, 5 p.m. Washington at Miami, 5 p.m. Atlanta at Milwaukee, 5:30 p.m. L.A. Clippers at Phoenix, 6 p.m. New York at L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m. Oklahoma City at Portland, 7:30 p.m. Saturday’s Games Charlotte at Denver, 2 p.m. Utah at Detroit, 4 p.m. Dallas at Philadelphia, 4:30 p.m. New Orleans at Cleveland, 5 p.m. Memphis at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m. Toronto at Milwaukee, 5:30 p.m. Golden State at Sacramento, 7 p.m. Houston at Portland, 7 p.m. NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic GP W L OT Pts GF GA Tampa Bay 40 31 7 2 64 168 117 Toronto 39 26 11 2 54 144 109 Boston 40 22 14 4 48 114 105 Buffalo 40 21 13 6 48 115 115 Montreal 40 21 14 5 47 128 128 Florida 38 17 15 6 40 124 134 Detroit 42 15 20 7 37 118 145 Ottawa 41 15 21 5 35 129 163 Metropolitan GP W L OT Pts GF GA Washington 38 24 11 3 51 138 112 Pittsburgh 40 22 12 6 50 140 117 Columbus 39 23 13 3 49 129 119 N.Y. Islanders 38 21 13 4 46 114 102 N.Y. Rangers 39 17 15 7 41 113 130 Carolina 38 16 17 5 37 94 109 New Jersey 39 15 17 7 37 117 132 Philadelphia 39 15 19 5 35 111 140 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central GP W L OT Pts GF GA Winnipeg 39 25 12 2 52 134 111 Nashville 41 24 15 2 50 124 104 Dallas 41 21 16 4 46 113 110 Colorado 41 19 14 8 46 138 128 Minnesota 38 18 17 3 39 110 108 Chicago 42 15 21 6 36 121 153 St. Louis 37 15 18 4 34 102 123 Pacific GP W L OT Pts GF GA Calgary 41 25 12 4 54 146 115 Vegas 43 24 15 4 52 130 115 San Jose 42 22 13 7 51 145 133 Anaheim 41 19 15 7 45 102 120 Vancouver 43 20 19 4 44 128 136 Edmonton 40 19 18 3 41 114 127 Arizona 40 17 21 2 36 101 115 Los Angeles 41 16 22 3 35 92 121 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. Top three teams in each division and two wild cards per confer- ence advance to playoffs. Wednesday’s Games Pittsburgh 7, N.Y. Rangers 2 Calgary 5, Detroit 3 Vancouver 4, Ottawa 3, OT Dallas 5, New Jersey 4 Edmonton 3, Arizona 1 San Jose 5, Colorado 4 Thursday’s Games Minnesota at Toronto, 11 a.m. Carolina at Philadelphia, 4 p.m. Florida at Buffalo, 4 p.m. Calgary at Boston, 4 p.m. Chicago vs. N.Y. Islanders at Nassau Vet- erans Memorial Coliseum, 4:30 p.m. Vancouver at Montreal, 4:30 p.m. Washington at St. Louis, 5 p.m. Tampa Bay at Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m. Friday’s Games Winnipeg at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m. Nashville at Detroit, 4:30 p.m. Columbus at Carolina, 4:30 p.m. Washington at Dallas, 5 p.m. New Jersey at Arizona, 6 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Colorado, 6 p.m. Vegas at Anaheim, 7 p.m. Saturday’s Games Calgary at Philadelphia, 10 a.m. Minnesota at Ottawa, 10 a.m. Columbus at Florida, 4 p.m. Vancouver at Toronto, 4 p.m. Nashville at Montreal, 4 p.m. Buffalo at Boston, 4 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at St. Louis, 5 p.m. Edmonton at Los Angeles, 7 p.m. Tampa Bay at San Jose, 8 p.m.