INSIDE: CLASSIFIEDS, MARKET RECAP & WEATHER
B
S PORTS
THE BULLETIN • SUNDAY, JUNE 27, 2021
COLLEGE
WORLD SERIES
NC State’s season
ended by COVID-19
OMAHA, Neb. — North
Carolina State baseball
players who were one win
away from playing for a
national championship
reacted with anger and
confusion to their team’s
removal from the College
World Series because of
COVID-19 protocols.
“Words can’t describe
this feeling,” right fielder
Devonte Brown tweeted.
“An opportunity of a life-
time just snatched away
in the blink of an eye.”
Vanderbilt advanced
to the CWS finals after
the NCAA announced
early Saturday that the
Wolfpack would not be
allowed to continue in the
tournament. The Com-
modores will meet Texas
or Mississippi State in the
best-of-three finals start-
ing Monday.
NC State had only 13
players available during
its 3-1 loss to the Com-
modores on Friday. The
teams had been sched-
uled to meet again Satur-
day in a winner-take-all
Bracket 1 final. The NCAA
Division I Baseball Com-
mittee declared that
game a no-contest.
“This decision was
made based on the rec-
ommendation of the
Championship Medical
Team and the Douglas
County Health Depart-
ment,” the NCAA said in
a statement. “As a result,
Vanderbilt will advance to
the CWS Finals.” ”
Douglas County Health
Department spokes-
man Phil Rooney said
the health department
did not recommend NC
State’s removal but told
the NCAA the department
would support whatever
decision the NCAA made.
“This is a heartbreaking
situation and I’m gutted
for everyone involved
and for all those that were
captivated by the heart
and fight of this team,”
coach Elliott Avent said.
bendbulletin.com/sports
NBA COMMENTARY
A case against the Blazers hiring Chauncey Billups
BY JOHN CANZANO
The Oregonian
T
Carlos Osorio/AP file
Former Detroit Pistons Chauncey Billups is introduced during a game
against the Denver Nuggets in 2016 in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Billups
was reportedly in discussions with the Portland Trail Blazers on Satur-
day to become the team’s next coach, but a deal had yet to be finalized.
he hire should have
been Becky Hammon.
Or even Ime Udoka. No
brainers, those two. Or maybe
the Trail Blazers’ head coaching
job should have gone to some
other qualified candidate.
If general manager Neil Ol-
shey weren’t busy orchestrating
the most pathetic hiring cha-
rade in state history, we might
all get to wake up intoxicated
by a decent sports develop-
ment today.
Instead, we’re stuck digesting
an old rape case.
Chauncey Billups is report-
edly lined up to be Portland’s
next NBA head coach. Try
that on. The NBA franchise
that could have gone with a
homegrown talent or been the
first-ever to hire a woman as
its head coach instead opted
to hand the keys to a guy who
once settled a sex-assault case
out of court.
Larger sports markets won’t
understand the angst here.
Fans in other cities won’t eas-
ily relate. But you and I get it.
The Billups era already feels
doomed.
The franchise looked past a
line of candidates who would
have probably offered to sum-
mit Mount Hood barefoot. It
came up instead with a tone-
deaf misfire of a hire who will
arrive with a pile of questions.
Where’s owner Jody Allen
on this one? How about All-
Star guard Damian Lillard?
I believed the report that Al-
len wanted to give Hammon
strong consideration. Figured
it was a done deal. I’ve ap-
plauded Lillard for his leader-
ship. In the end I’m wonder-
ing if Olshey really is running
the franchise unchecked these
days.
Olshey wanted Billups so
badly that he put on blinders
weeks ago and raced toward
the outcome without consider-
ing the collateral damage.
He didn’t bother to inter-
view some other qualified can-
didates, including the home-
grown Udoka. Didn’t fit his
desired outcome.
It’s petty, disappointing,
self-serving stuff. But that’s es-
sentially a summary of the Ol-
shey era, folks.
See Blazers / B3
TOKYO OLYMPICS
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— Associated Press
TOUR DE FRANCE
Surf Ranch founder and 11-time world champion surfer Kelly Slater does
a slashing turn off a wave during the Jeep Surf Ranch Pro on June 20.
1st stage filled
with crashes
LANDERNEAU, France
— The mass return of Tour
de France fans coincided
with chaos and crashes
while world champion Ju-
lian Alaphilippe avoided
most of the carnage to
win the opening stage
with a punchy attack on
Saturday.
The Frenchman was
involved in the first pileup
caused by a fan that took
down a large part of the
peloton but he remained
on his bike. He surged
ahead of the main pack in
the final steep climb lead-
ing to the finish in Land-
erneau, crossing the line
with an eight-second lead
over Michael Matthews.
Last year’s runner-up, Pri-
moz Roglic, took third.
The Tour got underway
from the western port city
of Brest in a festive atmo-
sphere .
The first big spill was
caused by a fan who
brandished a cardboard
sign and leaned into the
path of veteran rider Tony
Martin.
The second pileup
involved dozens of com-
petitors — including four-
time Tour champion Chris
Froome — riding at full
speed near the finish.
Thanks to the time
bonus, Alaphilippe has a
12-second lead on Mat-
thews in the general clas-
sification, with Roglic in
third, two seconds further
back. Pogacar is in sixth
place, 18 seconds behind
Alaphilippe.
— Associated Press
Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times
BY ELLIOTT ALMOND
The Mercury News
EMOORE, Calif. — An
L
overheated day in the Central
Valley found the greatest surfer
in history walking barefoot around a
sprawling facility that manufactures a
perfectly sculpted wave.
Kelly Slater, 49, was in his element at the
Jeep Surf Ranch Pro, the last competition
before the Summer Games in Japan.
An unexpected turn of events has led to the pos-
sibility that the 11-time world champion will en-
ter a new arena next month in Tokyo, a twist that
could draw more attention to an outdoor adven-
ture sport making an Olympic debut.
Slater is on standby after injuries to Ameri-
ca’s two qualifiers this year left an opening for the
team’s famous alternate.
A lot has to happen before Slater can paddle for
gold at Tsurigasaki Beach in Chiba, Japan. But his
presence would add a celebrity vibe to the waves.
“I don’t want to make it that way,” Slater said.
“But if that is what it is I’ll take my spot.”
Surfing was a niche sport for Slater’s generation
well before Olympic officials saw the need to at-
tract X Games crowds to energize flagging view-
ership.
“Not to minimalize it, it is more for kids in the
future,” Slater said of the Olympics.
Slater failed to qualify by the slightest margins in
the 2019 World Surf League finale in Hawaii. Now
his status depends on the recoveries of Olympic
qualifiers Kolohoe Andino and John John Florence.
Andino has resumed training at a surf break
near his San Clemente home while still recovering
from two ankle sprains.
Florence, a two-time world champion from Ha-
waii, injured his left knee in early May during a
competition in Australia. Florence had surgery to
repair the damage and needs recovery to go well to
compete in Japan.
Slater saw Florence on a paddleboard on the
North Shore of Oahu last week with a brace on
the injured knee. He said Florence was not kicking
with his left leg “so it makes me think he is in pain
or really, really protecting it just to be careful.”
Slater and others worry about long-term dam-
age if Florence tries to surf the small waves of Ja-
pan 12 weeks after the injury.
See Slater / B3
MLB COMMENTARY
Sticky stuff should just be the start for baseball
BY TIM DAHLBERG
AP Sports Columnist
The four Cubs pitchers were
checked one by one as they left
the mound Thursday night,
and all passed inspection.
Getting a grip on the baseball
didn’t seem to be an issue at
Dodger Stadium, where the
visiting hurlers combined to
throw the seventh no-hitter of
the season in the major leagues.
Somehow, they managed
to do it without hitting even
one batter, laying to rest — for
one night, at least — one of the
lamest excuses offered up by
pitchers desperate to keep put-
ting sticky stuff on the ball. The
idea that professional pitch-
ers can’t control where the ball
goes without super glue on it is
about as preposterous as saying
teams can’t get three outs in an
inning without using a shift.
The same night in Florida,
Boston pitchers took a no-hit-
ter of their own into the eighth
inning in a game the Red Sox
would lose 1-0 to Tampa Bay.
Professional hitters on both
teams combined for a grand to-
tal of six hits while striking out
19 times.
And on Friday, Phillies
pitcher Aaron Nola tied a ma-
jor league record set 51 years
ago by Tom Seaver by striking
out 10 Mets in a row.
Not even a week into Rob
Manfred’s crackdown on cheat-
ing pitchers, it’s pretty much
business as usual across the big
leagues.
See MLB / B3
Chris O’Meara/AP
Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Darwinzon Hernandez has his equipment
checked for foreign substances by umpires Mark Ripperger (90) and
Tom Hallion after being taken out of the game against the Tampa Bay
Rays on Thursday in St. Petersburg, Florida.