APRIL 4, 2015
HERMISTONHERALD.COM
A8 SATURDAY,
Showing respect
R
espect.
It’s a simple
word — just two
syllables — and a simple
concept. One way it’s
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Webster is “a feeling
or understanding that
someone or something is
important, serious, etc.,
and should be treated in
an appropriate way.”
That aspect of respect
is the kind I’m talking
about here. It’s a part of
sports, and we hear it
all the time: respect for
the game, respect for the
umpire, respect for an
opponent, for the fans, for
the coaches.
Sports and respect go
together like rain forest
and, well, rain.
They’re inseparable.
One doesn’t come
without the other. They’re
symbiotic. Respect is to
sports as Kurt Cobain was
to Nirvana: synonymous.
So what I saw on
a particular day at a
particular game recently
stuck with me. It was a
complete lack of respect.
Now, I’ve been on
teams that didn’t respect
the coach, and, let me tell
you, each of those teams
were bad. We lost (way)
more games than we won,
and it made playing on
those teams miserable for
me. I always respected
coaches. Most of it was
because I played for my
dad for so long that the
line between coach and
parent blurred for me a
bit. Most of the time, I
couldn’t say anything
back to my coach because
I was going to eat dinner
with him later, and I
would hear about it. But
I was also told to respect
those in authority because
they’re in authority. There
isn’t any other reason of
which to speak. That’s it,
and that’s all.
So when I saw a total
lack of respect, I was
disheartened. I was upset.
I was even a little angry.
I saw players turn
their backs when being
instructed by a coach. I
saw them consciously
ignore instruction and
continue to do things
their own way. I saw
players completely
ignoring assistant
coaches. I saw players
not paying attention, then
talking back to the coach
when they were called
out.
It was upsetting to me.
It was blatant disrespect
for the game and their
coach. There was a part
of me that wanted to do
something about it, to
say something about it.
But I can’t. I’m just a
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things, and my actions
only hurt in those kinds
SAM BARBEE
FROM THE SIDELINES
Sports reporter
of situations.
But that’s how
strongly I felt. I can only
imagine what the coach
feels like being walked
all over in front of a
crowd. I wouldn’t handle
it with the same patience
and grace that I saw.
I’m not saying I was
always perfect because I
wasn’t. There were a few
times that I was terrible.
But I learned, and by
the time I was in high
school, it was second
nature. I still have a hard
time second-guessing
coaching decisions, even
when I am the odd man
out. That’s not something
I do. I, the player, play,
and the coach coaches.
I didn’t see that
this day. I saw players
thinking they were
coaches and telling the
coach how they thought
things should be handled.
I heard players telling
the coach outright that a
bad decision was made.
These are things that
are unacceptable on any
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time.
This column
may come off as a
condemnation. It’s not
intended for that purpose
at all, but I want it to
be known that I wasn’t
happy with what I saw
and heard. I’m a pretty
easy-going guy. I don’t
get wrapped up in stuff
like this very often, and
usually I can understand
why certain situations are
the way they are.
But this was
inexcusable,
unacceptable and
(unfortunately)
unavoidable. I’m
intentionally mentioning
zero details because
those aren’t important.
I’m not in the business of
dragging names through
mud.
But respect is a matter
of the highest order
when on teams. Teams
aren’t democracies.
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players have no voice,
no authority, no rights,
to be frank. Teams are
oligarchies and maybe
even dictatorships. There
is one voice, one leader,
one who commands
respect for no other
reason than that person
is the head coach. I hope
things get cleared up
soon because the coach
deserves better.
— Sam Barbee is the
sports reporter for the
Hermiston Herald. He
can be reached at sbar-
bee@hermistonherald.
com
GO SEE IT
Saturday, April 4
Golf
Hermiston girls @ Redmond Tournament, 8 a.m.
Lacrosse
Hermiston @ Sisters, 12 p.m.
Track
Echo @ Sherman County, 11 a.m.
Sunday, April 5
No events scheduled
Monday, April 6
Golf
Hermiston @ Pendleton @ Wildhorse, 12 p.m.
Tuesday, April 7
Track
Hermiston @ The Dalles, 3:30 p.m.
Softball
Hermiston @ Madison, 4 p.m.
Umatilla @ Irrigon, 4 p.m.
Echo vs. Weston-McEwen, 4:30 p.m.
Tennis
Umatilla vs. Ione, 3:30 p.m.
Baseball
Umatilla @ Irrigon, 4 p.m.
Wednesday, April 8
Boys Tennis
Hermiston vs. The Dalles, 4 p.m.
Girls Tennis
Hermiston @ The Dalles, 4 p.m.
SPORTS
PREP SOFTBALL • PREP BASEBALL • SCHEDULE
Hermiston softball splits with Reynolds
Betz, Drotzmann
pace Bulldogs in
6-1 win
BY SAM BARBEE
HERMISTON HERALD
Abi Drotzmann was an-
gry.
Head coach Kylee Lete
moved her from her usual
third spot in the order down
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her she was thinking too
much and wanted to get her
a good at-bat. Drotzmann
responded by sending an
0-1 fastball over the left
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shot, lifting Hermiston to
a 6-1 win over Reynolds
to salvage a split Friday
evening at Rocky Heights
Elementary School. The
win snapped a three-game
losing streak for Hermiston
(3-5). Reynolds took the
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“(Coach Lete) was like,
‘Maybe you should get
mad more often,’ ” Drot-
zmann said after the eve-
ning win. “I was like, ‘I’m
still mad.’... She moved
me down because I put too
much pressure on myself
being at three.”
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was all Hermiston would
need. Tayor Betz was
near-unhittable in the cir-
cle. The righty went the dis-
tance, allowing one earned
run on six hits and striking
SAM BARBEE PHOTO
Hermiston’s Bobbi Hoffbauer bends to try to lay a bunt down during Hermiston’s 6-1 win over
the Reynolds Raiders Friday at Rocky Heights Elementary School.
out three.
Betz relied on her dev-
astating change-up to keep
the Raiders’ hitters off bal-
ance all night. She threw
mostly change-ups in her
complete-game win.
“Taylor threw the ball
well,” Lete said. “She
stepped up really well in
this game, and her change-
up looked great. It’s a nice
go-to pitch for her, and it’s
her best pitch.”
The win also demon-
strates a mental toughness
Lete said was missing the
past few seasons. After
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Hermiston came out loose
and scored early in the sec-
ond. Drotzmann said Lete
kept her team in the dugout
between games to work out
why they lost.
“When we’re ahead,
we’re having more fun,”
Drotzmann said. “It’s hard
— we need to work on that.
We’ve always been like
that. If we get down, we get
down on ourselves, and it’s
hard to come back out of
it. That’s something we’re
working on.”
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inning, Ashley Moser sin-
gled, and Mikayla Kopacz
then reached base. Ellery
Jones got on base on an er-
ror, plating Moser and set-
ting up Drotzmann’s three-
run bomb.
SEE SOFTBALL/A9
Vale sweeps Umatilla
baseball in league opener
BY SAM BARBEE
HERMISTON HERALD
The Umatilla baseball team knew
it would have its hands full against
the Vale Vikings, and the blue-and-
orange-clad Vikings gave the black-
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Vale ended up sweeping Umatilla
Friday 5-1 and 8-1, but it was how
his team played that had Umatilla
head coach Corleone “Booter” Lew-
is smiling after the games were over,
although his team is now 0-5 to start
the season.
“I’m liking the things I’m seeing,”
he said. “We can play catch. We’re re-
ally consistent. I can throw my pitcher
out there, and I feel like they’ll last all
seven.”
Josh Dever almost went all seven
innings in the 8-1 second leg, but he
pitched well. The right-hander went
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Diego Soto relieved Dever in the
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lowed a two-RBI single, but was
otherwise effective from the mound,
putting an aggressive Vale offense
SAM BARBEE PHOTO
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Umatilla’s 8-1 loss to Vale on Friday in Umatilla.
off-balance.
them cleanly.
The defense, however, let Uma-
Umatilla led after the bottom of the
tilla’s pitchers down. Dever con- ¿UVWZKHQ&RU\/DQGRQWRPDKDZNHG
sistently induced ground balls, but
SEE BASEBALL/A9
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Tigers defeat Riverside in doubleheader
A couple of big innings
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sweep a doubleheader against
Riverside Friday night in
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rates 12-6 in the opener and
plated six in the fourth inning
of the nightcap to complete
the sweep with a 15-5 win in
six innings.
Tony Flores and Ryan Bai-
ley combined for 10 strike-
outs on the mound in the front
end, and Klay Jenson threw
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relief in the nightcap to earn
the win.
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pitchers provided much of the
offense, as well. Bailey was
3-for-4 with four RBIs. Flores
was 1-for-3 with three RBIs,
and four other Tigers drove in
runs.
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ed with an RBI single from
Bailey and continued with
two runs coming off an error.
Then Jason Fitzpatrick drove
in Flores, whose ground ball
allowed two runs to score,
and the rally was capped
when Jenson scored on a wild
pitch.
Riverside came right back,
though, and scored one in the
second and three in the third
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next three innings, however,
highlighted by Bailey’s RBI
double and Jenson’s RBI tri-
ple.
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11 in a doubleheader against
Elgin, which is set to start at
1 p.m.
———
STANFIELD 12,
RIVERSIDE 5
RHS
013
020
0 — 6 8 3
SHS
503
220
X — 12 10 2
E. Castillo, G. Roberts and J. Salgado. T. Flores, R.
Bailey and T. Monkus.
2B: J. Salgado 2 (RHS), R. Bailey (SHS). 3B: K.
Jenson (SHS).
———
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took a little longer to get go-
ing.
Riverside jumped to a 5-2
lead after two innings with a
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the Pirates led 5-3 after three
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a 14-5 lead, and the Tigers
tacked on another in the sixth
to initiate the mercy rule.
Monkus started, going
just one-plus inning. The
sophomore threw 31 pitches
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earned — on just three hits
and walked one. The crafty
lefty Jenson came in, how-
ever, and slammed the door,
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without a run on seven strike-
outs.
Steven Allan, Bailey, Jen-
son, Fitzpatrick and Makiah
Blankenship each had two
RBIs for the Tigers. Jenson
and Blankenship had RBIs
without recording hits.
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in the bottom of the fourth,
Fitzpatrick reached on an er-
ror with one out. Blankenship
then walked, and Fitzpatrick
scored on a wild pitch with
Damian Curiel at the plate to
close the gap to 5-4. Curiel
would be beaned, Monkus
walked and then Bailey de-
livered with a two-out double
to plate Curiel and Blanken-
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at 6-5. Flores then walked to
load the bases, and then Jen-
son, Hunter Barnes and Fitz-
patrick each had RBI bases
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len and Bailey were each put
on, and Monkus stole home
with Bailey at the dish to get
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walked with the bases load-
ed to plate Allan, and Jen-
son scored on a wild pitch
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up 12-5. The Tigers would
get two more that inning,
and Allan’s line-drive RBI
single in the sixth to plate
Monkus put the Tigers up
15-5 and ended the game.
———
STANFIELD 15,
RIVERSIDE 5 (6)
RHS
050
000 — 5 6 4
SHS
111
651 — 15 6 2
J. Salgado, W. Killian, G. Roberts, D. Bingaman and
J. Salgado. T. Monkus, R. Bailey and S. Allan.
2B: G. Roberts (RHS), Abel Rodelo (RHS), R. Bailey
(SHS), H. Barnes (SHS). 3B: G. Roberts (RHS).
SOFTBALL
The Umatilla softball team
was swept by Vale on Friday.
Vale took the opener 5-3
and the nightcap 14-2.
No further details were re-
ported.