D2 EZ M2 THE WASHINGTON POST.FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11 , 2020
The Dallas Mavericks released
J.J. Barea, turning loose the last
piece of the franchise’s 2011
championship team to give the
36-year-old guard a chance to
continue his playing career.BASEBALL
T he Philadelphia Phillies
hired Dave Dombrowski as
president of baseball operations,
according to two people familiar
with the decision. The people
spoke to the Associated Press on
the condition of anonymity
because the team hadn’t
announced the move.
Dombrowski, 64, has led
baseball operations for four
franchises over more than three
decades, taking a trio of teams to
the World Series....
Infielder Nate Lowe was
traded from the American
League champion Tampa Bay
Rays to the Texas Rangers for
minor league catcher/outfielder
Heriberto Hernandez. Tampa
Bay also acquired minor league
infielder Osleivis Basabe and
minor league outfielder
Alexander Ovalles, and Texas
obtained minor league first
baseman Jake Guenther and a
player to be named....
The Pittsburgh Pirates took
right-hander Jose Soriano from
the Los Angeles Angels with the
first of 18 picks in the major
league phase of the winter
meetings draft of players not
protected on 40-man rosters.SOCCER
Paolo Rossi, who led Italy to
the 1982 World Cup title and
later worked as a commentator
in his home country, died at 64.
R ossi’s wife, Federica
Cappelletti, said he died in her
arms at the hospital....
Napoli and Real Sociedad
both advanced from a tightly
contested Europa League group
after a 1-1 dr aw, with Willian
José netting a crucial equalizer
for the Spanish team in the
90th minute in Naples.
The result meant Napoli
finished on top of Group F, while
Sociedad edged ahead of AZ
Alkmaar into second. Alkmaar
would have advanced with a win
but lost, 2-1, at already
eliminated Rijelka in Croatia.
U.S. forward Tim Weah
scored his first goal for Lille in
his first start this season, a 3-2
loss at Glasgow Celtic.FIGURE SKATING
The U.S. pair of Tarah Kayne
and Danny O’Shea, who won
the national championship in
2016 and were bronze medalists
at this year’s event, announced
the end of their partnership....
The European championships
were canceled for the first time
in more than 70 years. The
International Skating Union said
it could not hold the event,
scheduled for Jan. 25-31 in the
Croatian capital of Zagreb,
because of the pandemic.MISC.
Alex Olmedo, who won the
Wimbledon and Australian
Championships singles titles in
1959 and was inducted into the
International Tennis Hall of
Fame in 1987, died Wednesday at- Citing Olmedo’s son, the Hall
of Fame said that Olmedo died of
brain cancer....
Formula One champion Lewis
Hamilton recovered from the
coronavirus and will race at the
season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand
Prix this weekend on Yas Island,
the Mercedes team said....
Stewards at Santa Anita
dismissed complaints filed by
the California Horse Racing
Board involving the postrace
drug tests of Triple Crown
winner Justify and another
horse in 2018. Both were trained
by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert.
— From news services
and staff reports
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Latest cancellations
idle two ranked teams
Okl ahoma, No. 11 in the
College Football Playoff
rankings, will not visit West
Virginia on Saturday after the
Mountaineers, citing
coronavirus cases and contact
tracing, halted football activities.
Mountaineers Athletic
Director Shane Lyons said the
game will not be rescheduled.
The next game for the Sooners
instead will be the Big 12 title
game against No. 7 Iowa State in
Arlington, Tex., on Dec. 19....
The game between No. 20
Texas and Kansas that was
pushed back to Saturday because
of c oronavirus issues within the
Jayhawks’ program was canceled
because of an outbreak among
the Longhorns....
Washington’s game at Oregon
on Saturday was canceled
because of coronavirus cases in
the Huskies’ program....
Miami (Ohio) at Bowling
Green was canceled because of
cases among the RedHawks....
Boston College is opting out of
playing in a bowl game.
Coach Jeff Hafley said that he
spoke with his players and the
team decided to end its season.
The Eagles managed to make it
through the entire season with
just one positive coronavirus
test, but Hafley said the season
was a strain on the players....
ABC will be the new home of
SEC football on Saturday
afternoons — and occasionally in
prime time — starting in 2024,
in a 10-year deal with the
powerhouse conference
announced Thursday.
The numerous platforms
available to ESPN, the broadcast
network’s partner under the
Disney corporate umbrella, will
provide significant scheduling
flexibility that should benefit all
parties, executives declared.
CBS has broadcast a high-
profile Saturday afternoon SEC
game since 1996, along with the
conference championship game
and o ther m atchups, and will
continue to do so through 2023.
— Des Bieler
Vincent Davis rushed for a
career-best 247 yards and a score
as Pittsburgh (6-5, 5-5 ACC)
earned a 34-20 win over G eorgia
Tech (3 -7, 3-6) in Atlanta....
Frank Gore Jr. rushed for
111 yards and a touchdown as
Southern Mississippi (3-7, 2-4
Conference USA) handed Florida
Atlantic (6-3, 4-2) a 45-31 loss in
Hattiesburg, Miss....
Arkansas State coach Blake
Anderson resigned to take over
at Utah State, a person familiar
with the decision told the
Associated Press. The person
spoke on the condition of
anonymity because the
agreement to coach the Aggies
was being finalized.
PRO BASKETBALL
Paul George wants to retire
with the Los Angeles Clippers,
and he took a step in that
direction by signing a multiyear
contract extension.
The six-time all-star could
have become a free agent after
the upcoming season. Instead,
the team locked down his
services, ensuring George will
remain not far from where he
grew up in Palmdale, Calif.
Terms of the deal were not
disclosed, but ESPN reported
that George’s contract was
extended for four years at
$190 million, in addition to the
$35.4 million guaranteed him
for the 2020-21 season....
T he Indiana Pacers could
open this season without
forward T.J. Warren, their top
scorer from last season. The
team said Warren has plantar
fasciitis in his right foot and will
be listed as week-to-week....
TELEVISION AND RADIO
NBA PRESEASON
8 p.m. Houston at Chicago » NBA TV
10:30 p.m. Sacramento at Portland » ESPN
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
4:30 p.m. St. John’s at Seton Hall » CBS Sports Network
5 p.m. Appalachian State at Charlotte » ESPNU
7 p.m. Omaha at Kansas » ESPN2
7 p.m. Nebraska at Creighton » Big Ten Network
7 p.m. Villanova at Georgetown » Fox Sports 1, WTEM (980 AM)
7 p.m. Iona at Fairfield » ESPNU
9 p.m. Iowa State at Iowa » Big Ten Network
9:30 p.m. Marquette at UCLA » Pac-12 Network
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
3 p.m. Rutgers at Wisconsin » Big Ten Network
7 p.m. Washington State at Washington » Pac-12 Network
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
7 p.m. Arizona State at Arizona » ESPN
10 p.m. Nevada at San Jose State » CBS Sports Network
AUTO RACING
8 a.m. Formula One: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, practice » ESPN2
GOLF
11 a.m. PGA Tour: QBE Shootout, first round » Golf Channel
3 p.m. U .S. Women’s Open, second round » Golf Channel
2 a.m. (Sat.) European Tour: World Tour Championship, third round » Golf Channel
SOCCER
3 p.m. English Premier League: West Ham United at Leeds United »
NBC Sports Network
3 p.m. French Ligue 1: Angers SCO at Saint-Etienne » beIN Sports
DIGEST
Clary coached him at the club
level.
Both are season ticket holders
for Nashville SC, which entered
MLS this year.
“Soccer was the window into
my friend network,” Yawn said.
“Some of my best friends then
and now are through soccer. It’s
the great connector.”
Clary organized ticket stubs
from the first 22 finals in two
frames as if they were players in
formation. “I’m saving the rest
for reserve players,” he said.
Yawn said he has misplaced two.
Both said their most memora-
ble final was the first one. In New
England’s cold, rain and wind,
United recovered from a two-
goal deficit in the second half
before winning on Eddie Pope’s
sudden-death header off a corner
kick.
Clary and Yawn were behind
that net.
“The entire game, you just
jumped up and down to try to
stay warm. You never took your
hands out of your pockets,” Clary
said. “It was miserable, but the
level of misery made it more
memorable.”
Next on Clary’s list of top
finals: David Beckham’s 2012
farewell with the Galaxy and
Seattle last year because of the
atmosphere in the city and inside
the sold-out stadium. From a
spectating standpoint, the worst
experiences were bitter cold in
Toronto and Kansas City.
The pair will prepare for rain
and mild temperatures Saturday
— not that conditions would ever
dissuade them.
“When we first started doing
it, we thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be
cool to do this every year?’ ” Yawn
said. “Eight or 10 years into it, we
thought, ‘Let’s see how long we
can keep this going.’ ”
[email protected]Sewell, a Hendersonville native.
His parents didn’t plan to attend,
so the tickets ended up with
them.
Before families entered the
picture, several annual soccer
journeys included side trips:
Alas ka following an MLS Cup in
the Los Angeles area, Big Bend
National Park after a game in
Texas and London following a
final in Foxborough.
They have attended World
Cups in the United States (1994),
South Korea (2002) and Ger-
many (2006).
Clary’s soccer passion sprout-
ed in childhood. He was a mem-
ber of Hendersonville High’s
1986 state championship team.
In 2007, he published a soccer
trivia book.
Yawn is a native of Tupelo,
Miss., where “soccer wasn’t the
most popular sport,” he said with
a laugh. His family moved to
Hendersonville when he was 13.Clary and Yawn have secured
tickets through networks of
friends with season tickets, tem-
porary memberships in support-
ers’ groups and direct outreach to
teams. They have never gone
through ticket brokers or resell-
ing sites, Clary said, and except
for once or twice, they haven’t
received free tickets.
Not knowing the location until
one to two weeks before the game
also has caused headaches. Last
year, they scrambled to arrange
travel to Seattle after Atlanta,
positioned to host the title game,
lost in the Eastern Conference
final. A 250-mile drive became
all-day travel.
“You had to ask yourself: Is it
really worth it?” Clary said.
Tickets in soccer-mad Seattle
were hard to find, even for a
game in a 69,000-seat stadium.
Clary and Yawn had a connec-
tion, though: Toronto backup
goalkeeper Caleb Patterson-scrambled to attend, even though
they were not fans of either team.
“We’re soccer fans,” Clary said.
“There was almost nothing in
[U.S.] pro soccer between 1985
and ’96. We needed to support
Major League Soccer by going to
the championship game.”
The group did it again the
following year in Washington,
but as time passed, only Clary
and Yawn kept attending. Over
the years, others have joined
them, but only they can claim the
streak.
“We can ’t stop now,” said Clary,- “When we made this pledge,
we had no idea what it meant. We
never have the conversation: ‘Are
we not going to go next year?’ We
start talking about it in July or
August. It’s assumed we’re go-
ing.”
The streak has continued, even
though both married and had
children. Yawn also moved
around the country for work,
including a few years in the D.C.
area.
In 2007, while on a two-month
work assignment in England,
Clary flew to Washington to join
his friend for the final between
the Houston Dynamo and New
England Revolution.
For the first 16 years, tickets
were not hard to come by because
the venue was preselected and
rarely did the team in the host
city advance to the final. With the
destination chosen up to a year in
advance, the duo could plan the
trip at low costs.
In 2012, however, MLS began
awarding the game to the finalist
with the most regular season
points. Demand for tickets
soared and the supply dropped as
more teams moved from large,
multipurpose venues into small
stadiums designed for soccer.
MLS FROM D1Rain, sleet or pandemic can’t stop MLS fans’ streak
NATHAN MORGAN FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
Jamie Clary, the mayor of Hendersonville, Tenn., has tickets from
every MLS Cup. He has a p air of digital ones for Saturday’s game.ASSOCIATED PRESS
Amy Olson got back to under
par with one swing, an 8-iron for
a hole-in-one on her seventh hole
Thursday, and kept right on going
until she had a 4-under-par 67
and a one-shot lead in the U.S.
Women’s Open.
On a perfect day, the scores
made it perfectly clear that
Champions Golf Club in Houston
was primed to provide a stern
test.
Olson, a prolific winner at
North Dakota State but still win-
less in seven years on the LPGA
Tour, was among only 11 players
who broke 70 on the Cypress
Creek and Jackrabbit courses. For
the first time, two courses are
being used for the opening
rounds because of the limited
daylight after the premier event
in women’s golf was postponed to
December.
Out of 156 players, only 36 were
at par or better.
“We had absolutely perfect
weat her today, and 4 under is
leading,” Champions member
Stacy Lewis said after a 72. “I
don’t think scores are going any-
where.”
Moriya Jutanugarn managed
to keep bogeys off her card on theJackrabbit course for a 68, leav-
ing her tied with former Women’s
British Open champion Hinako
Shibuno (Cypress Creek) and A
Lim Kim (Jackrabbit).
Sophia Popov was among the
group at 69. She figured it would
be a long shot to be in the U.S.
Women’s Open this year when the
USGA had to scrap qualifying
because of the coronavirus pan-
demic. And then when golf re-
sumed, Popov earned a spot in the
Women’s British Open and won at
Royal Troon.
And now she’s already in the
mix at the U.S. Women’s Open,
along with so many others. Asked
whether she had come down
from the cloud of her surprise
major victory, Popov smiled and
said, “Am I down yet?”
“I’m trying not to come down
off of it. I quite like it,” she said.
“But yeah, I think it took me a
couple weeks, but after that it was
back to reality. You’ve got to
grind. You’ve got to practice.
You’ve got to do everything the
same way you did before. Just
now you have a lot more events to
play and better events to play.”
None of the top five in the
world ranking broke par. Jin
Young Ko opened with a 73, while
Sei Young Kim had a 72 in whatcould be a battle for No. 1 this
week. Nelly Korda, playing for the
first time in two months because
of back pain, had only one birdie
in her round of 73. Danielle Kang
didn’t make any birdies and shot
a 72.
The starting times for the sec-
ond round were moved up a little
more than an hour because of
rain and wind in the forecast,
which figures to make the courses
even tougher.
For one round, the Jackrabbit
course was about a stroke easier.
Cypress Creek will be used on the
weekend.
Most enjoyable for Olson was
watching her 8-iron in flight on
the par-3 16h hole and tracking it
all the way into the hole, her
second ace in competition on the
LPGA Tour.
“I had 141 to the flag, and the
pin was on the right side of the
green with the wind kind of com-
ing from the right,” she said. “So I
hit a fade to try to hold the wind,
and it landed two paces short of
the flag, had some good spin on it
and just trickled in. We saw the
whole thing, which was fun.”
l EUROPEAN TOUR: French
golfer Victor Perez shot a 5-under
67 to take a one-stroke lead after
the first round of the season-end-ing World Tour Championship in
Dubai, with Tommy Fleetwood
making the best start of the lead-
ing contenders for the Race to
Dubai title on the European Tour.
Fleetwood, who is No. 2 in the
Race to Dubai rankings behind
Patrick Reed, rolled in a birdie on
the last hole for a 69 and was two
shots behind Perez at Jumeirah
Golf Estates.
Reed also birdied No. 18 after
an approach to four feet and had
a bogey-free 70.
The fight to be crowned Eu-
rope’s No. 1 golfer in the 2020
season is wide open, with any of
the leading 60 players in the
standings mathematically in with
a chance of becoming champion
because there are so many points
at stake in Dubai.
Perez started the week at No. 6
in the standings, and his impres-
sive first round, during which he
made long birdie putts on Nos. 11,
14 and 17, leaves him as the
projected No. 1.
Collin Morikawa, the PGA
Championship winner, was at
even par. He is third in the stand-
ings and — like Reed — looking to
become the first American to win
what was formerly known as the
Order of Merit title on the Euro-
pean Tour.GOLF ROUNDUPOlson aces U.S. Women’s Open startJAMIE SQUIRE/GETTY IMAGES
Amy Olson tees off on the ninth hole, two holes after she made a h ole-in-one Thursday. She is 4 u nder and leads by a shot in Houston.