FOUR-PAGE PULLOUT
A5
S PORTS
THE BULLETIN • THUrsday, May 6, 2021
bendbulletin.com/sports
NBA
Blazers to allow
10% fan capacity
The Portland Trail Blaz-
ers have received permis-
sion from the state to allow
10% fan capacity at the
Moda Center for their four
remaining regular-season
home games.
Fans will be allowed to
return to the Moda Center
for the first time in nearly
14 months when the Blaz-
ers face the Los Angeles
Lakers on Friday night.
According to a source,
tickets will be offered to
season-ticket holders
based on tenure, along
with players’ family mem-
bers and sponsors. Some
tickets also will be available
to the general public.
The total number of
tickets available would
be about 1,900. Moda
holds 19,393 for basketball
games. Capacity could in-
crease to as much as 20%
(3,800 fans) for home play-
off games, a source said.
The news came the
same day that Portland
Trail Blazers stars Damian
Lillard and CJ McCollum
had expressed annoyance
that the team seemingly
would not be allowed to
have fans this season be-
cause of the COVID-19
pandemic.
Lillard tweeted out a
rhetorical question Tues-
day, asking, “So, we gone
be the only damn team
in the whole league with
no fans.”
Then McCollum chimed
in with: “Wonder why we
got a better record on the
road.”
The Blazers (36-29) are
16-16 at the Moda Center
and 20-13 on the road.
Of the 30 NBA teams,
27 have already had fans
at games. Oklahoma City
has opted out of possibly
allowing fans. The Bulls will
be allowing fans this week.
—The Oregonian
COLLEGE GOLF
UO, OSU men’s golf
earn NCAA bids
The Oregon and Or-
egon State men’s golf
teams earned NCAA re-
gional bids Wednesday.
The Ducks earned their
14th consecutive NCAA
regional bid and will play
in the Cle Elum (Wash.)
Regional on May 17-19
at Tumble Creek Golf &
Country Club.
The Beavers will be
playing in the Albuquer-
que (N.M.) Regional on
May 17-19 at the Cham-
pionship Course. Oregon
State earned its second
straight regional bid —
the 2020 postseason was
canceled because of the
COVID-19 pandemic —
and is seeking its first
national tournament ap-
pearance since 2010.
The top five teams and
the low individual not on
a qualifying team at each
of the six regionals will ad-
vance to the NCAA Cham-
pionships, which run May
28-June 2 at Grayhawk
Golf Club in Scottsdale,
Ariz.
“We’re excited to make
it to NCAAs again,” Oregon
coach Casey Martin said in
a news release. “I love the
location of the regional
we were placed at. We are
familiar with the course
and will work hard to be
ready.”
The Ducks are coming
off a fifth-place finish at
the Pac-12 Champion-
ships. Oregon finished the
season with four top-five
finishes, including back-
to-back runner-ups at the
Bandon Dunes Champi-
onship and Duck Invita-
tional in March.
This is the fifth time the
Beavers have advanced
to postseason play under
coach Jon Reehoorn.
—The Register-Guard
PREP BASEBALL | MOUNTAIN VIEW 3, SUMMIT 2 (12 INNINGS)
Mountain View wins thriller
Photos by Dean Guernsey/Bulletin
The Mountain View Cougars rally around Chase Terry, third from left, after he drove in the winning run to defeat Summit 3-2 in 12 innings at Mountain View High
School Tuesday night.
Terry gets the winning hit for Cougars
in 12-inning victory over rival Storm
BY BRIAN RATHBONE • The Bulletin
W
hile walking away from the baseball field Tuesday
night, a pair of Summit players were stopped by a fan
wearing a Mountain View baseball cap.
“We love playing you guys,” the fan told the players.
And why would he not?
Two weeks after Summit rallied to beat Mountain View —
the Cougars’ only loss of the season entering Tuesday’s game —
the two teams on the opposite sides of Bend were once again in
a battle on the baseball diamond.
This time, however, it was Mountain View who rallied from a
two-run deficit to secure a 3-2 victory in a 12-inning marathon,
putting an end to the Storm’s six-game winning streak.
“It was a grind, it was a battle,” said Mountain View coach
Ryan Johnson after the victory. “It is a lot of heart, and we told the
guys that one of you is going to come up with a situation, expect
it to be you, and be ready for it. Finally got it done at the end.”
See Baseball / A6
Mountain View’s Aaron Platner slings a pitch against Summit on Tuesday night at
Mountain View High School.
PRO GOLF
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Super league resurfaces as
McIlroy puts stock in legacy
NCAA aims
for less contact
in preseason
practices
BY DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Rory
McIlroy returned to the site of his
first PGA Tour victory and made
it clear Wednesday that he is more
interested in creating his place in
history than chasing Saudi-backed
money in a proposed super league.
Justin Thomas wasn’t far behind
in that line of thinking.
The topic occupying most of the
chatter at Quail Hollow Club ahead
of the Wells Fargo Championship is
renewed efforts by a “Super League
Golf” to attract top players for a
concept of team golf played around
the world for massive riches.
The Daily Telegraph in London
reported the league is prepared to
offer fees ranging from $30 million
to $50 million to marquee players,
including Dustin Johnson and Jus-
tin Rose, to join a new circuit that
would begin playing as early as Sep-
tember 2022.
“He has listened to their presen-
tation, like all the other top players.
No commitment whatsoever,” John-
son’s manager, David Winkle, said
in a text.
The Telegraph said Phil Mick-
elson, who at age 50 is No. 115 in
the world ranking, is being offered
twice that much as the “de facto
BY RALPH D. RUSSO
AP College Football Writer
McIlroy referenced the failed
attempt to create a European Su-
per League in football, in which 12
clubs were founding members. The
backlash was so strong that nine
clubs — including all six from En-
gland — announced they would
withdraw.
The NCAA football oversight commit-
tee is preparing to recommend changes to
preseason camp that will include fewer fully
padded practices and the elimination of
some old-school collision drills.
The latest move to scale back contact in
practice comes in response to a five-year
study involving six major college football
teams that found more head impact expo-
sure and concussions happened in presea-
son practice than during games.
The committee’s initial proposal called for
at least nine of a team’s 25 preseason prac-
tices to be run with players wearing helmets
but no other pads, and no more than eight
fully-padded, full-contact practices. That
proposal went out to NCAA membership
for feedback two weeks ago.
The committee is scheduled to meet again
Thursday. West Virginia athletic director
Shane Lyons, the chairman of the commit-
tee, said the plan is to hand over a final rec-
ommendation for a new preseason model
for the Division I Council to consider at its
May 19 meeting.
If passed, the new model would go into
effect this year.
See Golf / A7
See Football / A6
Matt Slocum/AP
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, waits to putt on the 18th green during the sec-
ond round of the Masters golf tournament on April 9 in Augusta, Georgia.
leader of the rebels.”
McIlroy, who turned 32 on Tues-
day, was the first player to publicly
oppose the new league more than a
year ago. He has been elected chair-
man of the Player Advisory Coun-
cil, meaning he will be the first for-
eign-born player to join the PGA
Tour’s board of directors.