B2
SPORTS
East Oregonian
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Myers: Nationals will air on FS1
Continued from Page B1
AP Photo/Ted S. Warren
Seattle Seahawks defensive tackles Earl Mitchell (75) and Al Woods (72) work with de-
fensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr., left, during training camp Thursday in Renton, Wash.
Seahawks enter camp with
questions about the defensive line
By CURTIS CRABTREE
Associated Press
RENTON, Wash. — For
a second straight year, the
Seahawks enter training
camp with questions about
their defensive line.
The issue a year ago was
how the team was going to
generate a pass rush follow-
ing the departures of Michael
Bennett and Cliff Avril.
Frank Clark and Jarran Reed
combined to fill that void by
racking up a combined 23.5
sacks. In the process, Reed
became just the third defen-
sive tackle in franchise his-
tory to post double-digit
sacks, after Cortez Kennedy
and John Randle.
Now Clark is in Kansas
City following an offseason
trade, and Reed is set to miss
the first six games of the sea-
son after being suspended for
a violation of the NFL’s per-
sonal conduct policy because
of an alleged domestic vio-
lence incident in April 2017.
“Whenever we lose some-
body, you know, it’s the next
guy up and that’s what this
situation will call for,” coach
Pete Carroll said. “He’ll work
with us all through camp and
all that and then he’ll have to
leave. But in the meantime,
it’s a competitive opportu-
nity for other guys who we
are going to watch unfold.”
Key free agent acquisition
Ezekiel Ansah isn’t expected
to practice until the latter
stages of training camp as
he continues to rehab from
shoulder surgery.
“His shoulder is healed,
it’s solid,” Carroll said. “They
did all of the retesting again,
just in the last couple days,
to ensure that. He’s got a lit-
tle bit of soreness in the lift-
ing coming back, but really
nothing to hold him back. It’s
just a matter of keep getting
stronger and making sure it’s
really secure before we go.”
Beyond Ansah, the Sea-
hawks lack a proven pass
rush from the end position.
Cassius Marsh — a former
Seattle fourth-round pick —
compiled 5.5 sacks last year
with San Francisco.
Ansah had 14.5 sacks in
2015 and 12 sacks in 2017 for
the Lions. Seattle signed him
in May. The need for pass
rush help was glaring prior to
Ansah’s addition and is again
in the spotlight because of
Reed’s suspension.
The Seahawks will need
younger players such as
Quinton Jefferson, Rasheem
Green, Jacob Martin and
first-round pick L.J. Collier
to step up and fill the void.
“It’s a big loss but then
again it’s a big opportunity
for our other guys, even
myself,” Jefferson said. “I’ve
got a lot more on my plate
out there and I’m expected
to do a lot more. It’s fun.
Guys are going to have to
step up. It should still be a
fun year. I don’t expect any
drop-off because I’m confi-
dent in the guys we’re going
to have out there.
the year — at the Seattle Inter-
national Raceway’s North-
west Nationals.
“Racing is a family,”
Myers said. “We’re all friends
in the drag racing community.
We all know each other. Over
the years, I got asked to drive
for other people a lot, but I just
didn’t. I made a good specta-
tor. Larry kept saying, ‘Come
drive my car, come drive my
car.’ He reached out to me one
more time last year and said
‘God dangit, drive my car,’
and we put together a deal.”
With associate sponsor-
ships at Lucas Oil and Protect
the Harvest, the help of his pit
crew, and the undying support
of his wife Tina Orton, Myers
has competed in four hot rod
races so far this year. He qual-
ified 12th place in Las Vegas
— his comeback race —
ninth in following race, then
went on to take home eighth
and sixth-place finishes,
“We’ve gotten better every
race, substantially,” Myers
said.
The birth of a racer
Myers was born in The
Dalles, but was raised in
Hermiston. His father Bill
drove race cars, and that’s
what gave Myers his need for
speed.
“I grew up sitting in my
mom’s lap watching (my dad)
race,” Myers recalled. “I’ve
been around it for a while.”
Myers spent his early years
racing along the back roads of
Hermiston. He would even-
tually race in local circuits
before taking his skills to the
national level. He said his
father and his mother Syl-
via would attend all of his
races, but they won’t be able
to attend next weekend’s big
competition.
“I wish my parents could
By BRETT KANE
East Oregonian
SAN BERNARDINO,
Calif. — Pendleton’s 12U
Little League All-Stars soft-
ball team spent most of their
state and West Regional runs
untested, but on Thursday,
they finally met their match.
The team suffered a 9-2
loss to Northern California
during a West Regional tour-
nament in San Bernardino,
California, ending their
streak.
Northern
California
jumped out to a four-run lead
in the top of the first inning,
from which Pendleton could
never recover.
Their opponents swiftly
took advantage of three hits
and one walk off Pendle-
ton’s Kendall Murphy. The
team would swipe seven runs
from her over 4 2/3 innings.
Madaline Schumacher threw
1 1/3 innings of relief. She
would fan three batters, but
it wasn’t enough to contain
Northern California.
Murphy got Pendleton on
the board in the bottom of the
second. Her fly ball to cen-
ter field was good enough to
get her to first base, and Josie
Jenness to home.
Pendleton’s second and
final run of the day came in
the bottom of the fifth when
Schumacher scored on a
catcher’s error after one pitch.
The rally, however, fell
too short, as Northern Cali-
fornia had already driven in
three straight runs in the top
of the same inning.
Schumacher’s
single
helped her lead the Pendle-
ton All-Stars with a 1-for-3
showing at the plate. Mela-
nie Boatman and Lea Wilson
each hit 2-or-3.
Pendleton outhit North-
ern California 8-4, but tallied
three times the errors at 9-3.
Seahawks: No need for an agent,
Wagner negotiates on his own
Continued from Page B1
NFL Network first
reported the deal and said
it’s for $54 million with
$40 million guaranteed.
The contract makes Wag-
ner the highest-paid mid-
dle linebacker in the NFL
in average annual value,
surpassing the $85 million
five-year deal signed by
C.J. Mosley with the New
York Jets in the offseason.
The 29-year-old is rep-
resented himself in negoti-
ations, bypassing an agent
for the first time in his
career. He did have a tar-
get for the kind of contract
he’s seeking after Mosley’s
deal averaged $17 million
per season. Mosley’s deal
reset the entire market and
put Seattle in the difficult
position of having to match
or exceed.
It wasn’t easy and Wag-
ner appeared to be getting
slightly more annoyed as
training camp arrived and
a new deal wasn’t in place.
Wagner watched the first
day of camp wearing a
sweatshirt inside out and
without his team jersey.
But he was on the field
in uniform and with his hel-
met on day two — although
not participating — and by
the end of the day had his
new contract done.
“I’m really excited to
have this done, excited that
I get to be a Seahawk for a
long, long time. Like I’ve
always said, I want to play
my entire career here, and
I feel like today is a step
toward that,” Wagner said
in a statement. “It feels
amazing being here. I’ve
watched people stay, I’ve
watched people go, and
to have the trust from the
organization to continue
to let me lead this team,
lead the defense, it’s a great
feeling. I’m excited to get
back to work.”
Wagner was a sec-
ond-round pick by the Sea-
hawks in 2012. He instantly
became a starter and argu-
ably the most consis-
tent piece of its standout
defense earlier this decade.
Wagner is a four-time first-
team All-Pro, a five-time
Pro Bowl selection and is
regarded with Carolina’s
Luke Kuechly as the pre-
mier middle linebackers in
the league.
Last season, Wag-
ner had 138 tackles, two
forced fumbles and the
first interception return for
a touchdown in his career.
He’s one of three players
remaining on the Seahawks
roster from its Super Bowl
champion team.
Wagner opted not to
holdout in search of a new
contract. He made the deci-
sion in the offseason to be
in attendance but not par-
ticipate in any of the off-
season workouts in order to
protect his health.
He saw last year both
sides of what can happen in
with two players entering
the final year of their deals.
Earl Thomas held out
last year, appeared to create
friction with the front office
and left in free agency fol-
lowing an injury that ended
his season early. Mean-
while, K.J. Wright showed
up for the offseason pro-
gram before the start of last
season, missed significant
time with a knee injury, but
was still rewarded with a
new deal.
Wagner toed the line
between the two options,
remained an influence
voice for Seattle’s young
players and ended up get-
ting rewarded.
Setting the record
Most drag race records are
broken by 1/1000s of a second,
Myers said. In 2004, he broke
his by 2/10s. He accepted his
Top Alcohol Dragster tro-
phy, and stepped out of the
spotlight.
The achievement earned
him a cover story in an issue of
National Dragster magazine
and a world championship
ring, courtesy of the NHRA,
presented in Hollywood.
But, why would he leave at
the height of his powers?
The NHRA altered the
rules for injected nitro-burn-
ing combinations after his
win. First implemented in
2005, the new regulations
now give drivers a maximum
of 95 percent nitro to fuel
their cars with, instead of 100
percent.
And as the rules changed,
so did Myers’ walk of life. He
spent the last 15 years main-
taining his businesses in the
Hermiston area. For a while,
he had no intentions of return-
ing to the cockpit.
“I felt like the stars had
aligned,” Myers said. “You
have to be serious about these
cars, because you could die in
one. If I didn’t feel like we had
the team, parts, knowledge,
and ability to win, I wouldn’t
do it.”
New wheels
Myers spent the major-
ity of his racing career driv-
ing his own cars, but for his
comeback, he’s driving one of
Miersch’s.
Weighing in at 2,000
pounds and with a 7,000
horsepower engine, the
car can accelerate from
0 to 280 mph in roughly
five seconds. It spans 300
inches — 25 feet — from
wheelbase to wheelbase.
“These nitro cars shake the
earth,” Myers said. “You can’t
breathe, and your eyes start to
burn. It’s a spectacle. Every-
one should see it at least once
in their lives.”
With a new set of wheels
in tow, Myers’ return to the
world of racing has been met
with success. And there’s
plenty of science that goes
into every finish, whether it’s
the humidity, temperature, or
elevation. Every bit of data is
crucial in calculating the next
win.
“The cooler it is (outside),
the faster the car runs,” Myers
said. “The hotter the air, the
less oxygen there is. We rely
a lot on the weather. I expect
Seattle to be right close to
80 degrees. Being where the
track is located, at sea level,
surrounded by trees, we
oughtta haul ass.”
On Tuesday, Myers is host-
ing a sendoff in the Nookie’s
parking lot before he departs
for the Northwest Nationals.
The event will feature live
music, food, beer, and a few
local hot rods, including the
vehicle Myers will drive in
Seattle.
And after that, it’s off to
the races.
Qualifying for the Seat-
tle-hosted showdown begins
on Friday and Saturday
morning, with one-round
eliminations taking place on
Saturday evening and Sun-
day. The race is set to air on
FS1 a week later.
Myers has more races
to attend in Indianapo-
lis and Brainerd, Minne-
sota. Although his deal only
entails 10 races, a second
retirement isn’t in the books
just yet.
“Once you get nitro in
your blood, you’ll never get
rid of it,” Myers said. “It’s
part of the fiber of who I am.”
SCOREBOARD
BASEBALL
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Pendleton 12U All-Stars dethroned
at West Regional tournament
be at the race,” Myers said.
“It’ll be what I miss the most.”
East
W
L
Pct
GB
New York
66
37
.641
—
Tampa Bay
59
47
.557
8½
Boston
58
47
.552
9
Toronto
39
66
.371
28
Baltimore
33
69
.324
32½
Central
W
L
Pct
GB
Minnesota
63
40
.612
—
Cleveland
61
42
.592
2
Chicago
45
56
.446
17
Kansas City
39
66
.371
25
Detroit
30
68
.306
30½
West
W
L
Pct
GB
Houston
66
38
.635
—
Oakland
58
46
.558
8
Los Angeles
54
50
.519
12
Texas
52
51
.505
13½
Seattle
43
63
.406
24
———
Friday’s Games
Tampa Bay 3, Toronto 1
Boston 10, N.Y. Yankees 5
Minnesota 6, Chicago White Sox 2
Cleveland 8, Kansas City 3
Detroit at Seattle, 7:10 p.m.
Saturday’s Games
Tampa Bay (Kittredge 1-0) at Toronto
(Borucki 0-1), 12:07 p.m.
N.Y. Yankees (Sabathia 5-5) at Boston
(Rodriguez 12-4), 1:05 p.m.
Detroit (Alexander 0-0) at Seattle (Gon-
zales 11-8), 1:10 p.m.
Minnesota (Perez 8-3) at Chicago White
Sox (Nova 5-9), 4:10 p.m.
Cleveland (Clevinger 4-2) at Kansas City
(Sparkman 3-6), 4:15 p.m.
Houston (Cole 11-5) at St. Louis (Ponce
de Leon 1-0), 4:15 p.m.
Baltimore (Brooks 2-4) at L.A. Angels
(TBD), 6:07 p.m.
Texas (Sampson 6-7) at Oakland (Bailey
8-7), 6:07 p.m.
Sunday’s Games
Tampa Bay at Toronto, 10:07 a.m.
Minnesota at Chicago White Sox,
11:10 a.m.
Cleveland at Kansas City, 11:15 a.m.
Houston at St. Louis, 11:15 a.m.
Baltimore at L.A. Angels, 1:07 p.m.
Texas at Oakland, 1:07 p.m.
Detroit at Seattle, 1:10 p.m.
N.Y. Yankees at Boston, 4:05 p.m.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
East
W
L
Pct
GB
Atlanta
61 43 .587
—
Washington
55 48 .534
5½
Philadelphia
54 49 .524
6½
New York
48 55 .466 12½
Miami
39 62 .386 20½
Central
W
L
Pct
GB
St. Louis
55 47 .539
—
Chicago
55 48 .534
½
Milwaukee
55 50 .524
1½
Cincinnati
46 55 .455
8½
Pittsburgh
46 57 .447
9½
West
W
L
Pct
GB
Los Angeles
68 37 .648
—
San Francisco 52 51 .505
15
Arizona
52 52 .500 15½
Colorado
49 55 .471 18½
San Diego
48 54 .471 18½
———
Friday’s Games
Colorado 12, Cincinnati 2
Atlanta 9, Philadelphia 2
L.A. Dodgers 4, Washington 2
Miami 3, Arizona 2
N.Y. Mets 6, Pittsburgh 3
Milwaukee 3, Chicago Cubs 2
Saturday’s Games
L.A. Dodgers (Kershaw 8-2) at Washing-
ton (TBD), 1:05 p.m.
Arizona (Young 3-0) at Miami (Yama-
moto 4-1), 3:10 p.m.
Atlanta (Fried 10-4) at Philadelphia (Eflin
7-10), 4:05 p.m.
Chicago Cubs (Lester 9-6) at Milwaukee
(Anderson 5-2), 4:10 p.m.
Colorado (Gonzalez 0-2) at Cincinnati
(DeSclafani 5-5), 4:10 p.m.
Pittsburgh (Williams 3-3) at N.Y. Mets
(Matz 5-6), 4:10 p.m.
Houston (Cole 11-5) at St. Louis (Ponce
de Leon 1-0), 4:15 p.m.
San Francisco (Anderson 3-2) at San
Diego (TBD), 5:40 p.m.
Sunday’s Games
Atlanta at Philadelphia, 10:05 a.m.
Arizona at Miami, 10:10 a.m.
Colorado at Cincinnati, 10:10 a.m.
Pittsburgh at N.Y. Mets, 10:10 a.m.
L.A. Dodgers at Washington, 10:35 a.m.
Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee, 11:10 a.m.
Houston at St. Louis, 11:15 a.m.
San Francisco at San Diego, 1:10 p.m.
CYCLING
TOUR DE FRANCE RESULTS
Friday
19th Stage
At Tignes, France
A 78.3-mile ride from Saint-Mi-
chel-De-Maurienne to Tignes
No winner, stage stopped because of a
hail storm and mudslides.
Riders’ overall placings were based
on their time at the top of the highest
mountain pass — the Iseran, at 2,770
meters (9,090 feet) above sea level.
Overall Standings
(After 19 stages)
1. Egan Bernal, Colombia, Ineos, 78:00:42
2. Julian Alaphilippe, France, Deceun-
inck-QuickStep, :48 behind.
3. Geraint Thomas, Britain, Ineos, 1:16.
4. Steven Kruijswijk, Netherlands, Jum-
bo-Visma, 1:28.
5. Emanuel Buchmann, Germany,
Bora-Hansgrohe, 1:55.
6. Mikel Landa, Spain, Movistar, 4:35.
7. Rigoberto Uran, Colombia, EF Educa-
tion First, 5:14.
8. Nairo Quintana, Colombia, Movis-
tar, 5:17.
9. Alejandro Valverde, Spain, Movis-
tar, 6:25.
10. Richie Porte, Australia, Trek-Sega-
fredo, 6:28.
11. Warren Barguil, France, Arkea-Sam-
sic, 7:03.
12. Guillaume Martin, France,
Wanty-Gobert, 16:18.
13. David Gaudu, France, Groupama-FDJ,
20:45.
14. Fabio Aru, Italy, UAE Team Emirates,
23:14.
15. Roman Kreuziger, Czech Republic,
Dimension Data, 26:10.
16. Romain Bardet, France, AG2R La
Mondiale, 26:26.
17. Alexey Lutsenko, Kazakhstan, Astana
Pro Team, 40:17.
18. Sebastien Reichenbach, Switzerland,
Groupama-FDJ, 40:45.
19. Dan Martin, Ireland, UAE Team Emir-
ates, 42:37.
20. George Bennett, Australia, Team
Jumbo-Visma, 44:27.
Also
66. Ben King, United States, Dimension
Data, 2:02:21.
76. Joey Rosskopf, United States, CCC,
2:21:18.
132. Chad Haga, United States, Sunweb,
3:36:05.
NR. Thibaut Pinot, France, Groupa-
ma-FDJ, withdrew.
We Hear You!
You deserve total audiological care.
Professional. Experienced. Local.
Renata Anderson, MA
Pam Wagenaar,
Administrative Assistant
2237 SW Court, Pendleton
541-276-5053
www.renataanderson.com