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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 11, 2019)
SPORTS Tuesday, June 11, 2019 Baseball: Henrichs is headed to BMCC Continued from Page B1 Henrichs’ perfect game came on April 9 against Umatilla. He struck out 12 as the Knights cruised to a 26-0 victory “I just got rolling in the zone,” Henrichs said. “I knew I had a no-hit- ter going, but as soon as I struck out the last guy, I thought, ‘I just threw a per- fect game.’” It wasn’t as easy as he makes it sound. “Actually, my first two pitches in the final inning were in the dirt,” Henrichs said. “(Catcher) Matthew (Moreno) called time and told me to settle down. I struck out that kid, then the next and the next. It was surreal.” Henrichs tossed a no-hit- ter May 3 against Burns, striking out seven in a 10-0 victory. “I had a one-hitter last year,” he said. “To get both in one season is amazing.” Getting started Henrich’s first baseball was a Wiffle ball. He was 3 years old. “We had the Wiffle ball and a plastic bat,” Randy Henrichs said. “We got it around Christmastime. We had a big living room and he would hit that ball in the house. I would throw the ball overhand and he would hit it nine times out of 10. When he was 4, he was breaking lamps and we were both getting in trouble.” Zack’s first competitive baseball game was T-ball. He was 5. “He could hit that thing in the outfield,” Randy said. “Every time he hit the ball, he would round all the bases and slide into home. Then they would make him go back to first base.” The future Henrichs, 18, who played every infield posi- tion except first base his senior year, will take his game to Blue Mountain Community College, where he was an early signee last fall. “Wherever the team needs me, and it puts us in a position to win, I’m all about it,” he said. “It will help prepare me for college. When I get a position, I will know what I am doing. I won’t be playing all over the field, which will be dif- ferent than high school.” One position he likely won’t play at BMCC is pitcher. “I’ll miss pitching,” he said. “Your mindset is dif- ferent — you have to think about the batters and where you are going to throw the ball every time.” Henrichs said one reason he chose BMCC because it was close to home and his family can watch him play. “For them to be able to watch me play was huge in the decision,” he said. “Ever since I was young, my mom (Shelby) and I have lived with my grand- parents (Randy and Marie Henrichs).” Randy Henrichs is ready to settle in as a spectator. “He had a lot of other offers,” Randy said. “But he really liked the coach and the players. That’s import- ant to Zack.” Nadal wins 12th French Open for 18th Slam title By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer PARIS — For a few, fleet- ing moments Sunday, Rafael Nadal found his French Open supremacy seemingly threat- ened by Dominic Thiem, a younger, talented opponent challenging him in the final for the second consecutive year. A poor game from Nadal allowed Thiem to break him and even things at a set apiece. That development brought fans to their feet in Court Philippe Chatrier, roaring and clapping and, above all, won- dering: Was this, now, a real contest? Could Thiem push Nadal more? Could Thiem make this surge last? Would Nadal falter? That the questions arose at all was significant. The answers arrived swiftly. Nadal reasserted himself, as he usually does at Roland Garros, by grabbing 16 of the next 17 points and 12 of the remaining 14 games, pulling away to beat Thiem 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 for his record-extend- ing 12th championship at the French Open. “He stepped on me,” Thiem said. “The num- bers are crazy. He won it 12 times.” No one in tennis ever has won any major tourna- ment that frequently. Then again, no one ever has been as suited for success on any of the sport’s surfaces as this 33-year-old Spaniard is on red clay: Nadal is 93-2 for his career at Roland Garros, win- ning four in a row from 2005- 08, five in a row from 2010- 14, and now three in a row. “I can’t explain my emo- tions,” said the No. 2-seeded Nadal, who dropped to his back after the final point, get- ting that rust-colored dirt all over his neon yellow shirt, then wiped away tears during the trophy ceremony. Looking at the bigger pic- ture, he is now up to 18 Grand Slam trophies, moving within two of Roger Federer’s men’s record of 20. Nadal, however, did not want to entertain any discus- sion of a pursuit of Federer. “I am not very worried about this stuff,” Nadal said. “You can’t be frustrated all the time because the neigh- bor has a bigger house than you or a bigger TV or better garden.” Thiem, a 25-year-old Aus- trian who was seeded No. 4 and upset No. 1 Novak Djokovic in a draining, rain-interrupted semifinal played over two days, was eyeing his first major title in this rematch of the 2018 final in Paris. But again, he couldn’t solve Nadal. “First thing that I want to say is congrats to Dom- inic. I feel sorry, because he deserves it here, too,” Nadal said. “He has an unbelievable intensity.” So, of course, does Nadal. This had been, by his lofty standards, a rough sea- son, from the most lopsided Grand Slam final loss of his career — against Djokovic at the Australian Open — to entering May without a title for the first year since 2004. Injuries, as often is the case with Nadal, were a problem, including a bad right knee. “Mentally, I lost a little bit (of) energy, because I had too many issues in a row,” Nadal said, tapping his right fingers on his temple. “When you are constantly hit in the face,” he said in Spanish, “you end up being hurt.” He started to right himself by taking the Italian Open title on clay last month. “It was very important for him to win in Rome. It was like he realized that he was getting back on the good level, on the right path,” said Nad- al’s coach, 1998 French Open champion Carlos Moya, “and gaining a lot of confidence.” East Oregonian Tony Parker says he’s retiring from NBA after 18 seasons By STEVE REED Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Four-time NBA champion Tony Park- er’s impressive career is over. Parker announced Monday he’s retiring from basketball after 18 seasons in the NBA. The 37-year-old guard said on Twitter it was an emo- tional decision. “It’s with a lot of emo- tion that I retire from bas- ketball, it was an incred- ible journey!” Parker tweeted. “Even in my wildest dreams, I never thought I would live all those unbelievable moments with the NBA and the French National Team. Thank you for everything!” Parker played 17 sea- sons for the San Anto- nio Spurs and made the postseason every year of his career before joining the Charlotte Hornets last season and missing the playoffs. He was selected to the All-Star team six times and was named second-team All-NBA three times. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said he’s loved Parker for a long time and praised him for an “amaz- ing career.” “It has been a blessing to be with him since he was 19 years old,” Popo- vich said on a USA Bas- ketball conference call Monday. “I have watched him develop as a player and human being and as a business man.” Parker started 1,151 regular-season games and averaged 15.5 points and 5.6 assists per game. He also played in 226 play- offs games, averaging 17.9 points and 5.1 assists. He won NBA titles with the Spurs in 2003, 2005, Parker 2007 and 2014. He was named NBA Finals MVP in 2007. Parker had one year left on his contract with the Hornets but was not a major part of Charlotte’s rotation late last season. He hinted after the sea- son that he might be done playing, so the retirement announcement did not come as a surprise. Hornets general man- ager Mitch Kupchak con- gratulated Parker on a “remarkable career.” “His impact on the game of basketball and the path he laid out for international stars have no equal,” Kupchak said in a statement. “I’m grate- ful for the year he spent with us here in Charlotte and we wish him the best as he moves on to the next chapter of his life.” Hornets coach James Borrego said Parker is a Hall of Famer. “I have never known the NBA without Tony as a part of it and I’ll truly miss him,” Borrego said. “Tony’s leadership, his presence and his dedica- tion to winning made an impact on shaping me and I’ll always be appre- ciative of him. I know our organization in Char- lotte is grateful for what he brought to us in our year together. I wish him nothing but the best as he moves on to retirement.” A member of the French National team, Parker was the FIBA Europe Player of the year in 2013 and 2014 and the league’s top scorer in 2011 and 2013. We’re all part of Umatilla County history. SHARE YOUR PHOTOS The East Oregonian is proud to announce its partnership with Athena Public Library, City of Echo, Milton-Freewater Area Historical Society, Pendleton Round-up, Tamástslikt Cultural Institute, Umatilla County Historical Society and our readers on a new pictorial history book, “Umatilla County Memories: The Early Years.” YOU’RE INVITED We are excited to invite you, our readers, to participate in this unique project. Please bring your photos to one of our scanning sessions listed here — and be sure to check SCANNING SESSIONS our submission guidelines. Photos will be scanned on-site and given right back to you. In order to keep things speedy, please fill out our simple photo submission form Saturday, June 22 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Tribal images only prior to the session. Forms can be downloaded at Umatilla.PictorialBook.com. Tamástslikt Cultural Institute Please plan to fill out one form for each photo you’d like to submit. 47106 Wildhorse Boulevard, Pendleton Download submission forms and pre-order at Sunday, June 23 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. Echo Bank Building and Historical Museum Umatilla.PictorialBook.com 230 W. Main Street, Echo Monday, June 24 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. Athena Public Library 418 E. Main Street, Athena Wednesday, June 26 10 a.m. – noon Umatilla County Historical Society Heritage Station Museum 108 SW Frazer, Pendleton Thursday, June 27 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. Milton-Freewater Area Historical Society and Frazier Farmstead Museum 1403 Chestnut Street, Milton-Freewater SUBMISSION GUIDELINES General interest photos, such as: commerce, industry, transportation, rural life, public service, etc. Photos taken between the 1800s and 1939. Photos only — preferably original (no newspaper clippings or photocopies). Photos taken in Umatilla County. Limit 10 photos per family. No appointment necessary. If you’re a private collector, call 360-723-5800 to set up an appointment. Not all photos submitted or used in ads will appear in the final book. B3