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» SEE MORE ONLINE AT WWW.REDDEERADVOCATE.COM OLYMPICS ◆ B3
LOCAL ◆ B4 SCOREBOARD ◆ B5 Monday, July 30, 2012
Greg Meachem, Sports Editor, 403-314-4363 Sports line 403-343-2244 Fax 403-341-6560 sports@reddeeradvocate.com
Canada wins first medal THE CANADIAN PRESS
HUSTON STREET
STREET EXTENDED All-Star closer Huston Street and the San Diego Padres have agreed to a $14 million, two-year contract through 2014. The deal announced Sunday includes $7 million salaries for each of the next two seasons and a $7 million team option for 2015. Street is making $7.5 million this year in the final guaranteed season of a $22 million, three-year contract he agreed to with Colorado in January 2010. He could have exercised a $9 million option for 2013, which San Diego in turn could have declined for a $500,000 buyout. Street, who turns 29 Thursday, is 2-0 with an 0.91 ERA and has converted all 17 save opportunities in his first season with the Padres.
Today
● Senior men’s baseball: Lacombe at Gary Moe Volkswagon, doubleheader starting at 6:30 p.m., Great Chief Park 1; The Hideout at North Star Sports, 6:30 p.m., Great Chief Park 2.
LONDON — Canada won’t have to wait an entire week for its first medal of the London Olympics, and you could hear the relief in Mark Tewksbury’s voice. Canada’s chef de mission was on hand to watch Emilie Heymans and Jennifer Abel win bronze in the women’s three-metre synchronized diving event Sunday, putting Canada on the board on just the second day of full competition. It was a historic medal for Heymans, who became the first female diver and first Canadian summer Olympian in history to win a medal in four straight Olympic Games. The result takes some of the pressure off a Canadian Olympic team looking for a fast start in London and a top-12 finish overall. Canada didn’t win a medal until the eighth day of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and had just one medal through the first seven days of the 2004 Athens Games. “A medal, I think, just adds that extra little bit of energy,” Tewksbury said at a news conference Sunday. “It takes a little bit of pressure off and it adds a little bit of excitement. “And everybody gets to see it. We can actually have a medal in the Ca-
Photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Canadian bronze medalists Jennifer Abel, left, and Emilie Heymans pose with their medals after the three-metre Synchronized Springboard final at the Aquatics Centre during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Sunday. nadian part of the Olympic village and see what they look like and hold it in out hands. And it becomes very, very real when that happens. “Can you tell I’m excited?” he added with a laugh. Assistant chef de mission Sylvie Bernier, who led Canada’s contingent in Beijing, called the medal “an incredible boost.” “I told Mark that I was jealous I waited seven days in Beijing so we’re really, really happy that
it happened on the second day,” she said. Bernier, a former Olympic diving champion, was happy to be on hand to see Heymans make Olympic history. “Sixteen years at the top, that is quite impressive,” she said. Heymans, who is also competing in the individual three-metre springboard event in London, will decide her future following the Games. The 30-year-old native of St. Lambert, Que., said she might dive one more
year. “I couldn’t have ever imagined diving in four Games, or being in this position at 30,” Heymans said. While Heymans is no stranger to the podium, Abel won her first medal after making her Olympic debut at Beijing four years ago. The 20-yearold from Laval, Que., also won a silver with Heymans in the event at last year’s world championships. “I’m really happy right now. . . I don’t feel
it, but I know that I am,” Abel said. “Because the beginning of the year we were really nervous for that moment, I think it takes time to just calm down and just realize it.” World champions Minxia Wu and He Zi of China led from start to finish to take the gold with an overall score of 346.20. Americans Kelci Bryant and Abigail Johnston captured silver with 321.90 while Heymans and Abel recorded 316.80 points. The pair’s fifth dive kept them on the podium after Italy fumbled its fourth dive. Meanwhile, the weather dampened tennis competition, postponing Milos Raonic’s Olympic debut to Sunday. Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., was set to face Japan’s Tatsuma Ito in men’s firstround action. Aleksandra Wozniak of Laval Que., had her singles women’s match postponed, as did the men’s doubles pair of Vancover’s Vasek Pospisil and Toronto’s Daniel Nestor. In singles play, Pospisil hung tough with fifthranked David Ferrer of Spain but fell 6-4, 6-4. In the pool, Brittany MacLean of Toronto was the first Canadian to make a swimming final, finishing seventh in the women’s 400-metre freestyle.
Please see OLY on Page B6
Nothing boring about Piercy victory PLAYER WHO CALLED HOST COURSE ‘BORING’ IS ‘EXCITED’ TO WIN CANADIAN OPEN
Tuesday
● Senior men’s baseball: Printing Place at Sylvan Lake, 6:30 p.m., Great Chief Park 2. ● Sunburst baseball: St. Albert at Red Deer Stags, 7:30 p.m., Great Chief Park 1.
BY THE CANADIAN PRESS
Thursday
● Senior men’s baseball: Lacombe at North Star Sports, 6:30 p.m., Great Chief Park 2. ● Sunburst baseball: Parkland at Red Deer Riggers, 7:30 p.m., Great Chief Park 1. ● Women’s rugby: Calgary Hornets at Red Deer Titans, 8 p.m., Titans Park.
Saturday
● Golf: Central Alberta Men’s Amateur at Red Deer Golf and Country Club.
Sunday
● Golf: Central Alberta Men’s Amateur at Red Deer Golf and Country Club.
Monday
● Golf: Central Alberta Men’s Amateur at Red Deer Golf and Country Club.
SUNDAY SCORES
Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS
Scott Piercy holds the Canadian Open Championship Trophy after final round play at the 2012 Canadian Open at the Hamilton Golf and County Club in Hamilton, Ont., on Sunday.
Detroit
4 Toronto 1
Mets
5 Arizona
1
T. Bay
2 Angels
0
Cinc.
7 Colorado 2
Cubs
4 St. Louis 2
Wash.
11 Milw.
10
Minn.
5 Clev.
1
Houston
9 Pitts.
5
Atlanta
6 Phila.
2
Balt.
6 Oakland 1
Miami
5 S. Diego 4
Dodgers
4 San Fran. 0
Seattle
7 K. City
6
Texas
2 W. Sox
0
Boston
3 Yankees 2
Please see OPEN on Page B6
Tigers get one back in series finale BY THE CANADIAN PRESS
MLB
HAMILTON, Ont. — As it turns out, there is nothing boring about a victory at golf’s third-oldest championship. Or a cheque for US$936,000. Or a trip to the Masters. Scott Piercy learned to love Hamilton Golf and Country Club just a little bit more Sunday while pulling off a comeback victory at the RBC Canadian Open. The man who entered the weekend bemoaning the “boring golf” he was forced to play on a classic layout ended up being all smiles when the trophy was presented. “At the end of the week if the score is good, it is exciting,” said Piercy. “So I’m pretty excited.” The Las Vegas native closed with a 3-under 67 to edge William McGirt (69) and Robert Garrigus (70) by a shot. Those men spent the final day locked in a see-saw battle and each of them found their name atop the leaderboard at one point. It became a three-way tie when Piercy chipped in for birdie from off the 15th green and a playoff looked likely as he played mistake-free the rest of the way. His competitors weren’t so fortunate. Garrigus dropped back with a three-putt bogey on No. 16 while McGirt missed the chance to force a playoff with a lost shot at the final hole. He
found a greenside bunker and was unable to get up and down. Piercy watched it unfold from the scorer’s tent and embraced his caddie when a birdie try from Garrigus came up short. “I’ve been playing good for a while now,” said Piercy. “(To win) you need a couple of good breaks here or there and just play solid. I’m kind of speechless, to be honest. I’m really excited to be the champion.” Piercy’s winning score of 17-under 263 matched the tournament scoring record established by Johnny Palmer at Winnipeg’s St. Charles Country Club in 1952. His harsh-sounding assessment of Hamilton earlier in the week was intended to be nothing more than an expression of personal preference. One of the PGA Tour’s long hitters, Piercy prefers to hammer his driver on every hole — something the tight, tree-lined layout simply wouldn’t allow. This has tended to be a course that favours methodical players — Bob Tway won here in 2003 and Jim Furyk came out on top in 2006 — but persistent rain turned it into a bomber’s paradise. Garrigus is as long as they come off the tee and entered the final round with a one-shot lead on McGirt.
Detroit 4 Blue Jays 1 TORONTO — Home runs continue to be a problem for Toronto Blue Jays left-hander Brett Cecil. This time it was a three-run shot by Jhonny Peralta in the second inning Sunday as the Detroit Tigers defeated the Blue Jays 4-1 to avoid a threegame sweep. Peralta also hit a solo homer against reliever Joel Carreno in the ninth to back Doug Fister’s eight strong innings. Cecil (2-4) has allowed nine home runs in his eight starts since returning from the minors. Peralta sabotaged a decent outing in which he allowed four hits, three walks and three runs while striking out seven in 6 2-3 innings. “I’m not going to change any-
thing,” Cecil said. “I don’t care how they get the runs. It doesn’t matter as long as I keep my team in it.” The victory snapped Detroit’s three-game losing slide, with the last two coming in Toronto, and ended the Blue Jays’ three-game winning streak. “I thought Brett did his job keeping us in the game, particularly after the three-run homer in the second, he settled down,” Toronto manager John Farrell said. “I think overall in the series we pitched very well.” The Blue Jays finished the six-game homestand at 3-3. They now travel to Seattle, Oakland and Tampa Bay for 10 games that might go a long way to deciding whether they will remain a contender for a wild card spot in the American League.
Please see JAYS on Page B6
Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS
Toronto Blue Jays’ Anthony Gose steals second as Detroit Tigers’ Omar Infante receives the ball during fifth inning MLB action in Toronto on Sunday.