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Dems’ losses give way to Texas’ hard-right turn

GOP strength in 2020 opens door to session
passing conservative hot-button measures
By Jeremy Wallace
AUST I N BU RE AU
Abortions were effectively
banned. Teachers were restricted
in how they can teach about race.
And gun rights were greatly ex-
panded.
The reason for the Texas Legis-
lature’s hard-right turn in 2021
can be explained in a number:
nine.
After Democrats came within
nine seats of taking control of the
Texas House in 2018, they mount-
ed a full-court press in 2020 but
made no net gains. Conservative
Republicans in turn focused on
some of the hot-button measures
that are important to the GOP
base, triggering one of the most
conservative legislative sessions
in modern Texas history.
“Elections have consequences,
I get it,” state Sen. Royce West, D-
Dallas, said during a debate over
voting restrictions that Republi-
cans ultimately failed to pass
because of their own tactical mis-
takes. He described the session as
the most conservative since he
was first elected in 1992.
If Democrats had won those
nine seats, conservatives said
none of those priorities would
have had a chance and Democrats
would have been in a stronger po-
sition to push for Medicaid expan-
sion and criminal justice reform
in the wake of George Floyd’s
murder.
“They would be steamrolling
us,” said state Rep. Steve Toth, R-
The Woodlands, who authored a
bill to prevent schools from teach-
ing “critical race theory” in
schools, a move Democrats worry
will prevent teachers from talking
frankly about race relations in
Texas history.
Instead, it was Republicans
Session continues on A11

Property owner puts Key senator

is leaving
people over profits voting bill
in doubt
Democrat vows he’ll
block federal measure,
preserve the filibuster
A S S O CI AT E D P R E S S

WASHINGTON — A key Demo-

cratic senator says he will not vote
for the largest overhaul of U.S.
election law in at least a genera-
tion, leaving no plausible path for-
ward for legislation that his party
and the White House have por-
trayed as crucial for protecting ac-
cess to the ballot.
“Voting and election reform
that is done in a partisan manner
will all but ensure partisan divi-
sions continue to deepen,” Sen.
Joe Manchin of West Virginia
wrote in a home-
state newspaper,
the Charleston Ga-
zette-Mail.
Failure to bring
together both par-
ties on voting legis-
lation would “risk
Manchin further dividing
and destroying the
republic we swore to protect and
defend as elected officials,” Man-
chin wrote
The bill would restrict partisan
Elizabeth Conley / Staff photographer gerrymandering of congressional
Volunteer Justin Taylor fills a trash container on a property purchased by the Third Ward Real Estate Council. districts, strike down hurdles to
voting and bring transparency to a
campaign finance system that al-
Third Ward labor group says no to townhomes, yes to social impact lows wealthy donors to anony-
mously bankroll political causes.
Among dozens of other provi-
Marvin Blackman stood on Third Ward By R.A. Schuetz readying the site to become a park with sions, it would require states to of-
land owned for decades by the National STA F F W R I T ER food trucks, an outdoor market and a pub- fer 15 days of early voting and allow
Alliance of Postal and Federal Employees, lic art display. The corner lot, at the inter- no-excuse absentee balloting.
a union founded in 1913 by Houston’s Hen- Third Ward Real Estate Council. section of Emancipation Avenue and Ea- Democrats have pushed the leg-
ry Mims to combat discrimination in fed- The redevelopment group is one of a gle Street, is its first development, part of a islation as the antidote to a wave of
eral workplaces. small but growing list of Houston investors mission to give Third Ward residents a say restrictive state voting laws sweep-
“God, man,” he said, nodding at a sign that believe social impact should be con- in the development that unfolds there. ing the country, many inspired by
on the lot across the street that advertised sidered alongside profit when developing NAPFE’s Houston chapter had seen former President Donald Trump’s
a gated community of single-family town- property. dues decline and its property taxes rise as false claims of fraud in his 2020
homes “starting at $320k’s” coming soon. “We live here,” said Jason T. Hyman, a membership plunged to just 22 members election loss. Senate Majority
“The area has changed quite a lot.” real estate broker who helped found the from more than 150 in the past decade. It Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.,
Blackman, the union’s president, had Third Ward Real Estate Council. “So received notice from the Harris County has pledged to bring the election
an opportunity to participate in that there’s a different kind of capital. … I al- Appraisal District that its property had bill to a vote the week of June 21,
change. But rather than selling the union ways like to talk about social profit.” been referred to a law firm specializing in testing where senators stand. But
property to a developer, he opted instead In a Third Ward that has seen rising collecting delinquent taxes, the first step without Manchin’s support, the
to strike a deal with the newly created property values — and taxes — the group is Third Ward continues on A9 bill has no chance of ad-
Voting continues on A11

Rice researchers working on

device to help shake off jet lag
By Andrea Leinfelder
STA F F WRIT E R
Jet-lagged travelers have tried
sleeping pills and eye masks.
They’ve avoided naps and, well,
at least contemplated the recom-
mendation to forgo coffee.
Some have even calculated
their light exposure prior to de-
parture, voyaging into the sun or
staying hidden inside based on
how far they’re flying and if
they’re headed east or west.
But in the not-too-distant fu-
ture, these tactics could be re-
placed by a medical device.
Researchers at Rice University
are creating an almond-size sili-
cone implant that would be put
into a person’s arm or abdomen.
This device would have millions
of biologically engineered cells
that, once activated, create
chemicals the body naturally
makes to help regulate sleep cy-
cles.
It’s expected to cut in half the
time spent recovering from jet
lag.
This project is being funded by
the Department of Defense, and
it’s initially envisioned for troops
who need to be alert and well
rested. The technology could al-
so benefit pilots, first responders
and shift workers who switch be-
tween nights and days.
But in the future, researchers
hope this technology could re-
place certain shots and pills.
Someone with diabetes, for in-
stance, could replace insulin
shots with a device that makes in-
sulin as his or her body needs it.
“When we typically think
about medicine, we think about
taking a drug. And it’s difficult to Yi-Chin Lee / Staff photographer
control how that drug is released This bioelectronic carrier at a Rice University laboratory
and how long it lasts in our body,” contains two housings for engineered cells that will produce
Rice continues on A9 chemicals to regulate the body’s circadian clock.

Index
Comics ..........D4 Editorials .....A13 Obituaries ...A12 Texas Inc........B1
Crossword....D3 Horoscope ...D4 Sports..............C1 TV....................D3
Directory .......A2 Lottery ...........A2 Star...................D1 Weather.......A14
A2 | Monday, June 7, 2021 | HoustonChronicle.com | Houston Chronicle HH

CITY | STATE

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HIRING NATIVE PARK PLACES

EVENTS TEXAN A look at the history of
the 55 different stadiums
CarMax and the A Houston group is the Astros have played
Galleria mall will be determined to bring the in over the years —
hosting hiring events city’s oldest Black from the most games
this week. cemetery back to life. to the fewest.
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AROUND THE REGION

SOUTHEAST HOUSTON HARRIS COUNTY

Teen is detained
after younger
child is shot
New Southside Place Man is facing
charge after his
friend is killed
A 17-year-old is ac-
cused of shooting a
13-year-old at a birthday
party in southeast Hous-
mayor won’t slow down A man has been charged
with manslaughter after
authorities believe he shot
his friend while playing
ton on Saturday night, By Ryan Nickerson allowing customers’ files to be with a gun Saturday night,
according to Houston STAFF W R ITER digitally edited. Although it was officials said.
police. a successful business, he was Deputies were dis-
Police said the older Andy Chan never sits still. Ev- working around 80 hours a patched to the 1400 block
teen boy fired several er since he sold his commercial week. of Oxford Meadow, where
shots at the party in the printing business in 2005, he’s One day in 2005, Chan was too they found Felipe Hernan-
5000 block of Reed. dedicated his free time to public busy to go with his children to dez, 45, with a single gun-
After the 13-year-old boy service. Now, he’s the newly see Santa in the park. He came shot wound to his stom-
was hit in the leg, his elected mayor of Southside back home, and his daughter ach. He died at a hospital.
mother took him to a Place, and he’s not looking to was already in bed. The homeowner, Jose
nearby McDonalds to slow down. “I went up to her and asked Olvera, 29, first told law
call for help. Chan won the city’s first con- her, ‘How was it?’ and she said, enforcement that he and
The 17-year-old was tested mayoral election in a de- ‘It was OK, it wasn’t anything Hernandez had been
also shot in the leg, but cade with 87 percent of the elec- that great.’ I laughed and went drinking and looking at
it’s unclear how that torate and 350 total votes, ac- downstairs to heat my dinner. guns when Hernandez
happened, police say. cording to Harris County. He is We’re sitting at the table and my accidentally shot himself.
Witnesses told police also the city’s first Asian Ameri- wife looked at me and goes, ‘She Olvera then allegedly ad-
they saw only the older can mayor, joining the ranks of told you it was OK for your bene- mitted to shooting Hernan-
teen open fire. Officers other groundbreaking Asian fit, but really she was sad you dez when playing with the
say it’s possible he may American elected officials in weren’t able to go.’ It put every- gun and trying to scare
have accidentally shot Texas, including San Marcos’ Da- thing in perspective at that mo- him, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez
himself while running vid Chiu in 2000 — the first Asian Andy Chan ment,” Chan said. said.
away. American mayor in Texas — and Southside Place Mayor Andy Chan put his business on the Olvera appeared in
Police took the 17- Robin Elackatt of Missouri City, Chan won the city’s first market a week later, deciding to probable cause court Sun-
year-old into custody. who was elected mayor in 2020. contested mayoral election in a spend more time with his family day, and a magistrate
Chan looks to continue work- decade with 350 votes. while his wife, a physician, con- ordered that bail be set at
SAN ANTONIO ing on street flooding, upgrading tinued to work. But Chan is not a $25,000. Olvera has post-
the city’s municipal systems, ucation at Texas A&M but then man who can sit still.
Wrong-way and grow relationships with the transferred to Texas Southern While his children attended
ed bail and left the jail.
driver causes surrounding cities. University to be closer to home school, education became his FORT WORTH
I-37 wreck, dies “Asians usually have this ste- and take care of his father. At the gateway into public service. He
Republican wins
reotype of being very quiet, and time, his parents owned a print started volunteering at West Uni-
A 39-year-old man a lot of that is being exposed,” shop on Dowling Street, and he versity Elementary School in vote to succeed
was killed and three
other people were seri-
said Chan. “As we grow in repre- began splitting time between 2005, serving as the school’s ex-boss as mayor
sentation, it shows that we can TSU and his parents’ store. Chan PTO president in 2009. He vol-
ously injured in a head- be involved in the process. We said Texas Southern was the unteered for various roles at Pin Mattie Parker has de-
on crash on Interstate 37 don’t just quietly sit, but we can school that believed in him and Oak Middle School, including clared victory as the next
early Sunday. actually be part of the process motivated him to be a communi- PTO president in 2012, and is mayor of Fort Worth,
San Antonio police and be policymakers as well.” ty leader. currently the HISD District 5 ap- keeping it one of Amer-
said the man was driv- Chan was born in New York, In August 1995, Chan started pointee for the District Advisory ica’s biggest cities with a
ing a gray Ford Focus in but his parents are from Hong Alpha & Omega Graphics and, Committee. He is also on the GOP mayor.
the wrong direction Kong. His father was an art direc- according to Chan, it became West University Shared Deci- The 37-year-old Parker
against southbound tor for the Royal Dutch Shell Oil one of the fastest-growing graph- sion-Making Committee as a won a runoff election
traffic shortly after mid- Company and lived in New York ics companies in Houston. As the community leader and is a vol- Saturday against Deborah
night. until 1971, when the company market started to change to a dig- unteer for Sunday school classes Peoples, a former Demo-
The man crashed into moved its headquarters to Hous- ital frontier, Chan transitioned at St. Luke’s Methodist Church. cratic Party county chair-
a black Ford Explorer in ton. Here Chan began his educa- his enterprise to a complete full- Yet Chan doesn’t consider woman who would have
the 9500 block of I-37, tion, faith and his dedication to service commercial print busi- himself ambitious, at least in the been the city’s first Black
injuring the three peo- public service. ness: A.D. Printing, Inc. The traditional sense of the word. mayor. Peoples conceded
ple inside the SUV: a “A lot of it has to do with my company was one of the first in “I’m a person who believes in defeat, as Parker had more
58-year-old woman, a upbringing,” said Chan about his the South to install a direct digi- setting goals and accomplishing than 53 percent of the
55-year-old man and a public service. “I have deep tal workflow, according to Chan, those goals in a timely and eth- vote.
17-year-old boy. They roots back to church. I grew up ical manner. If I’m ambitious in Parker will succeed her
were transported to first with a Baptist background, that sense, you can say that. But former boss, outgoing
Brooke Army Medical Mayor Betsy Price, a Re-
Center in serious but
but then also in the Houston Chi- “I believe there’s always I’m not a win-at-all-cost type of
publican who is retiring
nese church. I’ve felt very person,” said Chan. “I believe
stable condition, police blessed my entire life. I’ve al-
a way to get things done there’s always a way to get things after 10 years and was the
said. ways felt like I should give back, without the detriment of done without the detriment of longest-serving mayor of
The driver of the the booming city that is
Focus was pronounced
and my parents are a large part someone else.” someone else.”
closing in on 1 million
of that.”
dead at the site of the Chan started his collegiate ed- Andy Chan ryan.nickerson@hcnonline.com residents.
crash, police said. From staff and wire reports

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HOUSTON CHRONICLE • MONDAY, JUNE 7, 2021 • PAGE A3 HH

New center here ready Historic

district
for influx of migrants law gets
court OK
By Dylan McGuinness
STA F F W R I T E R

The Texas Supreme Court has

Haitian migrant Jouseline Metayer talks Saturday about being separated from her partner after crossing the southern border.
It’s part of a growing network of nonprofits scrambling
to meet overwhelming demand for transitional services
Seven-month-old Jayden Yker Me-
tayer struggles to sleep at night without
the comfort of his father’s arms.
The family made a long journey from
Haiti in search of a better life, and the ba-
by’s mother, Jouseline Metayer, was
brought to a Family Transfer Center that
opened last week in Houston to help the
influx of migrants cleared at the border
as they connect with their families or
sponsors in the U.S. and go through the
legal process to seek asylum.
Since the couple wasn’t legally mar-
ried, Customs and Border Enforcement
POLITIFACT
By Olivia P. Tallet
STA F F W R I T ER
didn’t allow the man — who had the con-
tact information for their American
sponsor — to remain with them. The
Houston center is working to reunite the
family or find another sponsor for Jouse-
line and Jayden.
“They are treating us very well here in
Houston, (but) I know that I cannot stay
here forever,” the mother said.
The Houston center is part of a grow-
ing network of nonprofits in Texas and
NATIVE TEXAN
Jon Shapley / Staff photographer
other states that are scrambling to meet
overwhelming demand for transitional
services. About 225 migrants — all fami-
lies with children from Haiti and Venezu-
ela — were brought to Houston late last
week from the Val Verde Border Humani-
tarian Coalition, a nonprofit in Del Rio,
said Carlos Villarreal, a senior leader for
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints.
“We responded to a sort of crisis be-
cause Val Verde was already at capacity
and couldn’t take them,” Villarreal said.
Center continues on A10
upheld Houston’s ordinance
regulating the preservation of
historic districts, after residents
argued it was an illegal zoning
measure.
Two homeowners in the
Heights challenged the law, ar-
guing that it constituted zoning
and therefore required a ballot
measure approved by voters to
take effect. Houston, the largest
city in the country without zon-
ing, requires voter approval to
implement it.
Supreme Court justices de-
clined on Friday to back that ar-
gument, though, affirming low-
er court rulings that the ordi-
nance is not extensive enough to
be considered a zoning regula-
tion, and it does not regulate
how people use properties.
“In sum, the Ordinance does
not regulate the purposes for
which land can be used, lacks
geographic comprehensive-
ness, impacts each site different-
ly in order to preserve and en-
sure the historic character of
building exteriors, and does not
adopt the enforcement and pen-
alty provisions characteristic of
a zoning ordinance,” Justice J.
Brett Busby wrote in the opin-
ion.
Mayor Sylvester Turner ap-
plauded the decision.
“This ruling preserves the
City’s critical power to protect
its past while building its future,”
Turner said in a statement.
“Houston has thrived without
zoning but not without due con-
cern for preserving its history.
The City is grateful that the
Court’s ruling will empower it to
continue to pursue both goals.”
Houston adopted the ordi-
nance in 1995, allowing the city
to establish historic districts and
requiring owners there to get ap-
proval to modify, redevelop or
raze properties. If a city board
declined a property owner’s ap-
plication, though, the owner
could wait 90 days and get a

Filibuster gives minority
power, not full control
By Louis Jacobson
P O L I T I FACT
The claim: “The filibus-
ter, if it does not get reform-
ed, still means that maybe
30 percent of the population
potentially controls the ma-
jority of Senate seats.” —
former President Barack
Obama.
PolitiFact rating: Half
True. In the Senate’s cur-
rent makeup, senators repre-
senting 29 percent to 39
percent of the U.S. pop-
ulation would be sufficient
to mount a filibuster and
block a vote on legislation,
in a sense controlling what
can be passed in the cham-
ber.
However, an alliance of
states with a combined pop-
ulation that small couldn’t
secure a majority of seats in
the chamber, unless you
ignore today’s strong parti-
san leanings in most states.
Discussion
Obama has repeatedly
criticized the filibuster since
leaving office. At the eulogy
for John Lewis, the civil
rights activist and congress-
man from Georgia who died
in 2020, Obama called the
filibuster a “Jim Crow relic.”
In particular, Obama said
that states with a small per-
centage of the population
could control “the majority
of Senate seats.” Given to-
day’s partisan tendencies in
each state, controlling an
actual majority of seats
About PolitiFact
PolitiFact is a fact-checking project to help you sort out fact
from fiction in politics. Truth-O-Meter ratings are determined by
a panel of three editors. The burden of proof is on the speaker,
and PolitiFact rates statements based on the information known
at the time the statement is made.
would not be feasible for
that small a percentage.
However, a small percentage
of the population could
control enough seats to suc-
cessfully wield the filibuster,
which effectively gives them
control over whether a ma-
jority can pass legislation.
The Constitution gives
each state two senators,
regardless of population, so
Wyoming and Vermont have
the same representation in
the chamber as California
and Texas, which have more
than 30 times as many peo-
ple.
The largest 15 states have
66 percent of the nation’s
population but just 30 seats
in the Senate, according to a
recent analysis by The Wash-
ington Post.
While the article’s conclu-
sion is generally consistent
with Obama’s point, it
doesn’t have anything to do
with the filibuster or the
60-vote threshold to end
one. Rather, the article
looked at representation
throughout the entire cham-
ber.
More importantly, the
PolitiFact continues on A7
A line at the border
doesn’t always divide
Glance at a map of
North America, and
you’ll notice a precise
dark line designating a
nearly 2,000-mile
border dividing two
nations, Mexico and JOE
the United States. HOLLEY
Residents in the vicin-
ity of that line, on both sides,
know the map misleads. In real
life, the demarcation is actually a
watercolor stroke smudging into
the paper, spreading in both
directions. Border life merges,
and has for centuries.
I got to thinking about lines
and smudges and international
borders during a lively conversa-
Pearland vet recalls experience
at post-WWII Japanese prison
By Yvette Orozco
STA F F W R I T ER
Mario Saladino doesn’t tell war
stories often.
The youngest of three sons born
to an Italian American family from
Queens, N.Y., Saladino was 19
when he was sent to Ikebukuro, Ja-
pan, to help oversee the opera-
tions of the Sugamo prison that
held accused Japanese war crimi-
nals awaiting trial and execution.
If he’s asked, the now 93-year-
old Pearland resident might brag
about his older brothers’ service:
Joseph, a radio operator who flew
48 bombing missions over Germa-
ny in a Martin Marauder B-26, and
Anthony, a Marine sergeant and
machine gunner who earned two
Purple Hearts.
But when the focus turns to
him, Saladino recounts his experi-
ence with matter-of fact clarity, ca-
sually and politely rejecting flat-
tery.
tion a few evenings ago
with my friend Lloyd, a
third-generation rancher
whose 10,000-acre spread
borders the Rio Grande
between Del Rio and Big
Bend National Park. Lloyd
— a pseudonym for reasons
that will soon become clear
— is a living, breathing symbol of
the complexities and contra-
dictions of the U.S./Mexico bor-
der, complexities and contra-
dictions that rarely make their
way into public policy.
A Weller whiskey aficionado
and boisterous storyteller, Lloyd
is a big, bluff former college
Holley continues on A7
Mario Saladino was stationed at Sugamo prison, where
Japanese war criminals were held during post-war trials.
“If you earned an honor, it was
given to you, but we didn’t com-
pete,” he said “We were all there
for the same purpose: to end the
war, that was all.”
waiver to proceed with the de-
sired changes, a gaping loophole
that rendered the ordinance
toothless.
The city revamped the ordi-
nance in 2010 under then-Mayor
Annise Parker, ending the waiv-
ers and making the regulations
more enforceable. It allows only
for modifications that are com-
patible with the area’s architec-
ture, as defined by the Houston
Archaeological and Historical
Commission. Some backers of
the ordinance since have argued
the board does not uniformly
apply its rules.
The city has designated 20
neighborhoods as historic pres-
ervation districts, including
three pockets of the Heights, Old
Sixth Ward, Westmoreland, Ger-
mantown and others.
dylan.mcguinness@chron.com
Steve Gonzales / Staff photographer
Saladino was 14 when his family
moved to the Houston area, but,
before leaving New York City, he
had enrolled in a vocational high
Veteran continues on A8

Normandy commemorates sacrifices of D-Day
By Sylvie Corbet
A S S OC I AT E D P RE SS
COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER,
France — When the sun ris-
es over Omaha Beach, re-
vealing vast stretches of
wet sand extending toward
distant cliffs, one starts to
grasp the immensity of the
task faced by Allied sol-
diers June 6, 1944, landing
on the Nazi-occupied Nor-
mandy shore.
The 77th anniversary of
D-Day was marked Sunday
with several events to com-
memorate the decisive as-
sault that led to the libera-
tion of France and Western
Europe from Nazi control
and to honor those who
fell.
“These are the men who
enabled liberty to regain a
foothold on the European
continent, and who in the
days and weeks that fol-
lowed lifted the shackles of
tyranny, hedgerow by Nor-
mandy hedgerow, mile by
bloody mile,” Britain’s am-
bassador to France, Lord
Edward Llewellyn, said at
the inauguration of a new
British monument to D-
Day’s heroes.
On D-Day, more than
150,000 Allied troops land-
ed on beaches code-
named Omaha, Utah, Ju-
no, Sword and Gold. They
were carried by 7,000
boats. On Sunday, the
beaches stood vast and
nearly empty as the sun
emerged, exactly 77 years
since the dawn invasion.
For the second year in a
row, anniversary com-
memorations were
marked by virus travel re-
strictions that prevented
veterans or families of fall-
en soldiers from the U.S.,
Britain, Canada and other
Allied countries from mak-
ing the trip to France. Only
a few officials were al-
lowed exceptions.
At the newly built British
Normandy Memorial near
the village of Ver-sur-Mer,
bagpipes played memorial
tunes and warplanes
zipped overhead, trailing
red-white-and-blue
smoke.
Socially distanced par-
ticipants stood in awe at
the solemnity and serenity
Pope voices ‘pain’ over Indigenous deaths, doesn’t apologize
By Frances D’Emilio
A S S OC I AT E D PRE SS
VATICAN CITY — Pope
Francis on Sunday ex-
pressed his pain over the
discovery in Canada of the
remains of 215 Indigenous
students of church-run resi-
dential schools and pressed
religious and political au-
thorities to shed light on
“this sad affair.” But he
didn’t offer the apology
sought by the Canadian
prime minister.
Francis, in remarks to
faithful gathered in St. Pe-
BRIEFS
CALIFORNIA
Baby Lilibet born
to Prince Harry
and Meghan
Prince Harry and Megh-
an may have stepped away
from their royal duties —
but family appeared to be
top of mind in naming
their second child, Lilibet
“Lili” Diana Mountbatten-
Windsor, who was born
Friday in California.
The name pays tribute
to both Harry’s grand-
mother, Queen Elizabeth
II, whose family nickname
is Lilibet, and his late
mother, Princess Diana.
“Thank you for your
continued kindness and
support during this very
special time for our fami-
ly,” Harry and Meghan,
also known as the Duke
and Duchess of Sussex,
wrote in a statement that
accompanied the birth
NATION| WORLD HOUSTON CHRONICLE • MONDAY, JUNE 7, 2021 • PAGE A4 HH
World War II reenactors gather on Omaha Beach in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, France, on Sunday, the 77th
anniversary of D-Day, the assault that helped bring an end to World War II.
of the site, providing a
spectacular and poignant
view over Gold Beach and
the English Channel.
The monument pays
tribute to those under Brit-
ish command who died on
D-Day and during the Bat-
tle of Normandy.
A text carved on the wall
states: “They died so that
Europe might be free.”
Visitors stood to salute
the more than 22,000 men
and women, mostly British
soldiers, whose names are
etched on the monument’s
stone columns. Giant
screens showed D-Day vet-
erans gathered simulta-
neously at Britain’s Nation-
al Memorial Arboretum to
watch the Normandy event
remotely.
Britain’s Prince Charles,
speaking via video link, ex-
pressed regret that he
couldn’t attend in person.
On June 6, 1944, “in the
heart of the mist that en-
veloped the Normandy
Coast … was a lightning
bolt of freedom,” French
Defense Minister Florence
Parly told those at the cere-
mony. “France does not
ter’s Square, also called on
the authorities to foster
healing but made no refer-
ence to Prime Minister Jus-
tin Trudeau’s insistence
two days earlier that the
Vatican apologize and take
responsibility.
From the 19th century
until the 1970s, more than
150,000 Indigenous chil-
dren were forced to attend
state-funded Christian
schools, the majority of
them run by Roman Catho-
lic missionary congrega-
tions, in a campaign to as-
similate them into Canadi-
announcement Sunday.
The baby is “more than
we could have ever imag-
ined, and we remain grate-
ful for the love and prayers
we’ve felt from across the
globe,” they continued.
The baby girl was born
at 11:40 a.m. at the Santa
Barbara Cottage Hospital
in Santa Barbara, Calif.,
and weighed in at 7
pounds, 11 ounces, a
spokesperson for the cou-
ple said. The child is
eighth in line to the British
throne.
SRI LANKA
Death toll from
floods, mudslides
increases to 14
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka —
The death toll from floods
and mudslides following
heavy rains in Sri Lanka
rose to 14 with another two
missing, officials said Sun-
day.
Ten districts on the
D-Day veteran Joe Cattini pretends to fire a gun after arriving by landing craft at
England’s Portsmouth Historic Dockyard during a D-Day commemoration.
forget. France is forever
grateful.”
Charles Shay, a Penob-
scot Native American who
landed as a U.S. army med-
ic on June 6, 1944, and now
calls Normandy home, was
the only surviving D-Day
veteran at the Ver-sur-Mer
ceremony.
an society.
The Canadian govern-
ment has admitted that
physical and sexual abuse
was rampant in the schools,
with students beaten for
speaking their native lan-
guages.
Ground-penetrating ra-
dar was used to confirm the
remains of the children at
the Kamloops Indian Resi-
dential School in Kam-
loops, British Columbia,
last month. The school was
Canada’s largest such facil-
ity and was operated by the
Catholic Church between
Ishara S. Kodikara / AFP via Getty Images
Sri Lankan army personnel distribute food to flood
victims after heavy monsoon rains in Kelaniya, on
the outskirts of Colombo on Sunday.
Indian Ocean island have
been under heavy rainfall
since last Thursday, in-
cluding the capital Colom-
bo and suburbs where
many houses, paddy fields
and roads have been inun-
dated.
Ten people have died in
floods while another four
lost their lives in mud-
Another veteran of the
Battle of Normandy, Brit-
ish Capt. David Myl-
chreest, was also present.
He landed with his team in
Normandy on June 12,
1944, to replace officers
who had died in the first
days of the fight.
Shay later in the day
1890 and 1969.
“I am following with pain
the news that arrives from
Canada about the upsetting
discovery of the remains of
215 children,” Francis said
in his customary Sunday
noon remarks to the public.
“I join with the Canadian
bishops and the entire
Catholic Church in Canada
in expressing my closeness
to the Canadian people
traumatized by the shock-
ing news,” Francis said.
”This sad discovery adds
to the awareness of the sor-
rows and sufferings of the
slides, according to the
government’s Disaster
Management Center.
Among them was a family
of four who died when a
mound of earth crashed
onto their house in Kegalle
district, about 53 miles
east of Colombo.
Two others remain
missing.
David Vincent / Associated Press
Finnbarr Webster / Getty Images
took part in a commemora-
tion at the American Cem-
etery in Colleville-sur-Mer,
on a bluff overlooking
Omaha Beach, in the pres-
ence of officials from the
U.S., Canada, Britain, Ger-
many and other allied
countries.
The cemetery contains
past,” he added.
Trudeau on Friday blast-
ed the church for being “si-
lent” and “not stepping up”
and called on it to formally
apologize and to make
amends for its prominent
role in his nation’s former
system of church-run Indig-
enous residential schools.
He noted that when he
met with Francis at the Vat-
ican in 2017, he had asked
him to “move forward on
apologizing” and on mak-
ing records available. But,
Trudeau said, “we’re still
seeing resistance from the
Sri Lanka’s navy said it
had deployed 33 teams to
flooded areas, which so far
have rescued 66 people
stranded by the flood-
waters.
The Disaster Manage-
ment Center said the ex-
treme weather has affect-
ed some 245,000 people,
and over 4,300 remain
displaced in emergency
shelters. More than 800
houses have been dam-
aged.
AFGHANISTAN
11 civilians killed
when minivan hit
by roadside bomb
KABUL, Afghanistan — A
minivan carrying civilian
passengers in northwest
Afghanistan was hit by a
roadside bomb, leaving at
least 11 passengers dead,
including three children,
an Afghan official said
Sunday.
The minivan fell into a
9,380 graves, most of them
for servicemen who lost
their lives in the D-Day
landings and ensuing oper-
ations. An additional 1,557
names are inscribed on the
Walls of the Missing.
Denis van den Brink, a
World War II expert work-
ing for the town of Caren-
tan, site of a strategic battle
near Utah Beach, acknowl-
edged that the “big loss,
the big absence is all the
veterans who couldn’t
travel.”
“That really hurts us
very much because they
are all around 95, 100 years
old, and we hope they’re
going to last forever. But,
you know … ” he said.
“At least we remain in a
certain spirit of commem-
oration, which is the most
important,” he said.
Over the anniversary
weekend, many local resi-
dents have come out to vis-
it the monuments marking
the key moments of the
fight and to show their
gratitude to the soldiers.
French World War II his-
tory enthusiasts, and a few
travelers from neighboring
European countries, could
also be seen in jeeps and
military vehicles on the
small roads of Normandy.
Some reenactors came
to Omaha Beach in the ear-
ly hours of the day to pay
tribute to those who fell
that day, bringing flowers
and American flags.
On D-Day, 4,414 Allied
troops lost their lives —
2,501 of them Americans.
More than 5,000 were
wounded. On the German
side, several thousand
were killed or wounded.
Normandy has more
than 20 military cemeter-
ies holding mostly Ameri-
can, German, French, Brit-
ish, Canadian and Polish
troops who took part in the
historic battle.
Dignitaries stressed the
importance of keeping D-
Day’s legacy alive for fu-
ture generations.
“In the face of the
threats of today, we should
act together and show uni-
ty,” said Parly, the French
defense minister, “so that
the peace and freedom
last.”
church, possibly from the
church in Canada.”
Chief Rosanne Casimir of
the Tk’emlups te Secwe-
pemc First Nation in British
Columbia has said her na-
tion wants a public apology
from the Catholic Church.
The Missionary Oblates of
Mary Immaculate, which
ran nearly half of Canada’s
residential schools, has yet
to release any records
about the Kamloops
school, she said.
Francis’ comments
spoke of healing but not of
apology.
valley with the shock of
the explosion Saturday,
said Badghis provincial
Gov. Hesamuddin Shams,
adding that rescuers were
still searching for bodies in
the valley.
No one immediately
claimed responsibility for
the attack, but the pro-
vincial government accus-
es the Taliban of placing
the bomb to target securi-
ty forces. There was no
immediate response from
the Taliban.
Large swathes of war-
ravaged Afghanistan are
littered with bombs and
land mines. Many were
planted by insurgents to
target government military
convoys, but they often kill
civilians instead.
The United Nations has
repeatedly demanded
both government forces
and the Taliban take more
precautions to protect
civilians.
From wire reports
HH Houston Chronicle | HoustonChronicle.com | Monday, June 7, 2021 | A5
 CORONAVIRUS HOUSTON CHRONICLE • MONDAY, JUNE 7, 2021 • PAGE A6 HH

States rebound, pass record spending plans

By David A. Lieb
A S S O C I AT E D PRE SS
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Just a
year ago, the financial future
looked bleak for state govern-
ments as governors and lawmak-
ers scrambled to cut spending
amid the coronavirus recession
that was projected to pummel rev-
enue.
They laid off state workers,
threatened big cuts to schools and
warned about canceling or scaling
back building projects, among
other steps.
Today, many of those same
states are flush with cash, and law-
makers are passing budgets with
record spending. Money is pour-
ing into schools, social programs
and infrastructure. At the same
time, many states are socking
away billions of dollars in savings.
“It’s definitely safe to say that
states are in a much better fiscal
situation than they anticipated,”
said Erica MacKellar, a fiscal ana-
lyst with the National Conference
of State Legislatures.
Spending plans for the budget
year that begins July1are up10 per-
cent or more in states spanning
from Florida and Maryland to Col-
orado, Utah and Washington.
In Oklahoma, pandemic uncer-
tainties last year prompted law-
makers to trim $1.3 billion from
their anticipated general revenue.
That resulted in across-the-board
cuts for public education and most
state services.
This year, the new budget is up
nearly 18 percent. That includes
money to reduce class sizes in kin-
dergarten and first grade, funding
for a new children’s behavioral
health center and new incentives
for businesses to make movies in
Oklahoma. The Republican-led
Legislature even set aside money
to cut individual and corporate in-
come tax rates and expand tax
credits for a school choice pro-
gram.
“Last year: shaky foundation.
This year: solid foundation,” said
Republican state Sen. Roger
Thompson, chairman of the
chamber’s budget-writing com-
mittee.
Many states experienced a simi-
State Sen. Bob Rankin, a Republican, says he fears Colorado will overcommit itself to recurring
costs that it won’t be able to keep up with after this year’s record-breaking revenue gain.
lar turnaround. Fiscal analysts cite
a variety of reasons.
The federal government poured
billions of dollars into state coffers
through a series of pandemic relief
packages. Federal aid also sent bil-
lions more to U.S. households and
businesses that, in turn, pumped
money into the economy.
State finances also fared better
than feared. Consumer spending
rebounded to shore up sales tax
revenue, and state income taxes
were bolstered by a strong stock
market and high-wage earners
who kept working remotely while
others were laid off.
The result is that states now face
“a very promising fiscal and eco-
nomic outlook over the next cou-
ple of years,” said Justin Theal, a
state fiscal research officer at The
Pew Charitable Trusts.
A recent Pew report found that
after an initial sharp plunge in tax
revenue, 29 states recovered to
take in as much or more during the
peak pandemic period of March
2020 through February 2021 than
they did during the same 12
months before the pandemic be-
gan.
Idaho, Utah, Colorado and
South Carolina posted some of the
biggest revenue gains along with
South Dakota, which was one of
the few states never to shut down.
The Pew report also noted modest
revenue gains for some states that
imposed more aggressive corona-
virus precautions on their econo-
my, including California, Massa-
chusetts and New York.
The $212 billion budget enacted
earlier this year in New York is up
almost 10 percent over the previ-
ous one. Federal COVID-19 relief
provided the bulk of that growth.
But state spending alone still is up
by 3.8 percent in the new budget,
according to Democratic Gov. An-
drew Cuomo’s administration.
New York’s bigger budget in-
cludes a mixture of ongoing and
one-time spending, including a
$1.4 billion boost in basic aid for
schools and a $1.3 billion plan to
overhaul Penn Station.
Florida’s record $101.5 billion
budget is up roughly 11 percent,
with bonuses for teachers, police
and firefighters, and new con-
struction projects at schools and
colleges. Lawmakers decided they
had money to spare, expanding
sales tax breaks for school and
hurricane supplies and creating a
new tax-free week to buy museum
David Zalubowski / Associated Press
and concert tickets and recre-
ational gear for camping, fishing
and surfing.
Florida is among several states
that amplified their 2021-22 bud-
gets with at least part of their share
of a $195 billion state aid package
from the recent American Rescue
Plan Act signed by President Joe Bi-
den.
Shortly after that plan passed,
Moody’s Investors Service upgrad-
ed the outlook for states from neg-
ative to stable, citing stronger state
finances and continued federal
aid. It said the new federal aid
equaled nearly16 percent of states’
own revenue for the 2019 fiscal
year.
Many Republicans in Congress
had criticized the Biden relief plan
as excessive, especially in the
amount of money going to state
governments. Many states already
had been seeing better-than-ex-
pected tax revenue even before
the plan was signed into law in
March.
Some states, such as Colorado,
are waiting until later to decide
how to use the latest COVID-19 re-
lief funds because they have until
the end of 2024 to spend it.
Even without the latest federal
aid, Colorado’s budget for the fis-
cal year starting July 1 is up more
than 12 percent from the previous
one, which had been pared back
because of pandemic concerns.
Sen. Bob Rankin, a Republican
member of the Legislature’s Joint
Budget Committee, said he is con-
cerned about how that additional
$3.8 billion of federal aid will be
spent.
“I’m afraid that we are spending
money and making commitments
that we will not be able to sustain
once that one-time federal money
goes away,” Rankin said.
In many states, lawmakers are
devoting federal COVID-19 relief
money to one-time purposes, such
as additional aid to workers, ex-
panded access to high-speed inter-
net or replenishing depleted un-
employment trust funds.
Missouri is among the states
that has yet to decide what to do
with the latest federal aid. The gen-
eral revenue portion of its budget
has rebounded from a fiscal 2021
cut to exceed pre-pandemic levels.
And Missouri is on pace to shatter
a record set in 1998 for its largest
end-of-year cash balance.
“Revenues have performed
much, much better than I would
have ever anticipated during a
pandemic,” said state Budget Di-
rector Dan Haug.
He said he thinks Missouri
would have been able to weather
the pandemic without this year’s
Biden relief package.
Lawmakers in Maryland used
words like “stunning” and
“unique” to describe how federal
aid helped reshape their budget
situation. The state’s record $52.4
billion budget for its new fiscal
year provides bonuses to state
workers, boosts payments to the
poor, builds parks and play-
grounds in every county, and still
sets aside about $2 billion for sav-
ings.
“After spending almost the en-
tire part of last year in sleepless
nights trying to figure out what in
the world we were going to do, to
find yourselves in that position
was pretty amazing,” said Demo-
cratic state Sen. Guy Guzzone,
chairman of the Senate Budget
and Taxation Committee.

Another COVID side effect: More kids in summer school

By Carolyn Thompson
A S S OC I AT E D PRE SS
With her three teenagers vacci-
nated against COVID-19, Aja Pur-
nell-Mitchell left it up to them to
decide whether to go back to
school during summer break.
The decision was unanimous:
summer school.
“Getting them back into it,
helping them socialize back with
their friends, maybe meet some
new people, and, of course, pick
up the things that they lacked on
Zoom,” the Durham County, N.C.,
mother said, ticking off her hopes
for the session ahead, which will
be the first time her children have
been in the classroom since the
outbreak took hold in the spring
of 2020.
Across the U.S., more children
than ever before could be in class-
rooms for summer school this
year to make up for lost learning
during the outbreak, which
caused monumental disruptions
in education. School districts na-
tionwide are expanding their
summer programs and offering
bonuses to get teachers to take
part.
Under the most recent federal
pandemic relief package, the Bi-
den administration is requiring
states to devote some of the bil-
lions of dollars to summer pro-
grams.
The U.S. Education Depart-
ment said it is too early to know
how many students will sign up.
But the number is all but certain
to exceed the estimated 3.3 mil-
lion who went to mandatory or
optional summer school in 2019,
before the pandemic.
In Montgomery, Ala., for exam-
ple, more than 12,000 of the
school system’s 28,000 students
signed up before the June 1 dead-
line. Typically about 2,500 go to
summer school. Philadelphia had
enrolled 14,700 by Friday and was
Aja Purnell-Mitchell said her three teens — Kyla, 13, from left, Kyra, 15, and Cartier, 14 — decided to
go to summer school once they were vaccinated. They haven’t been in a classroom since spring 2020.
expecting more for the mostly in-
person programs, up from the
9,300 students in last summer’s
all-virtual sessions.
“It’s an understatement to say
the needs are greater this year,”
said Kalman Hettleman, an edu-
cation policy analyst in Maryland.
Hettleman worries most about
the reading skills of disadvan-
taged younger students who were
falling behind even before CO-
VID-19 closed schools and were
likely to encounter technological
hurdles afterward.
“It’s not realistic to think that
summer school, no matter how
good and intense, will close all
the gaps because many of these
kids had gaps before the pandem-
ic,” said Hettleman, who wants to
see sessions mandatory for low-
performing students in Balti-
more. “But it will help, and it will
at least give them a fighting
chance if there are intense inter-
ventions during the regular
school year.”
Las Vegas high school fresh-
man Taylor Dennington never
thought she would be in summer
school, but there she was starting
this past week — along with plenty
of friends — after a year of remote
learning.
“This year was such an unmoti-
vating school year,” she said.
“It got to the point where I
wasn’t doing ANY work, I was just
going to class,” Dennington, who
is taking biology and math, said in
a text exchange. “I learn better in
school than online. Being in a
classroom where a teacher is
present is so much better than
waiting hours for an email back
from your teacher.“
In North Carolina, Purnell-
Mitchell’s children will have ac-
cess to five or six weeks of full-day
programs that include academics
and activities like sports or music.
Districts also will provide trans-
portation and meals, thanks to
Gerry Broome / Associated Press
the influx of federal spending.
Under a unanimously passed
North Carolina law, the nearly 1 in
4 students deemed to be in dan-
ger of falling behind — about
200,000 students statewide — are
being given priority for summer
school, with extra slots open to
others who want them. Some dis-
tricts are inviting all of their stu-
dents.
School systems must devote
some of the federal funding to
deal with COVID-19’s dispropor-
tionate effect on students from
poor families, those whose first
language is not English, members
of minority groups and those who
are homeless or in foster care.
The expanded programs
around the country have greatly
increased the need not only for
teachers but for bus drivers, cus-
todians and cafeteria employees.
Some North Carolina teachers
will get a $1,200 bonus. There are
also bonuses for teachers in cer-
tain grades whose students show
improvement in reading and
math.
Elsewhere, a district in Ander-
son, S.C., has nearly doubled
teachers’ summer school pay to
$60 an hour. Teachers and nurses
in Spring Branch, Texas, are get-
ting raises of up to 20 percent. In
Mississippi, the Starkville Oktib-
beha school system raised teach-
ers’ hourly pay by $10, to $35, for
the summer.
Connecticut is promising
$4,500 stipends to 500 college
students who work at K-12 sum-
mer programs.
New York City, the nation’s
largest school district, with over 1
million youngsters, is offering
summer school to all students,
not just those falling behind.
“Our kids have been through
so much,“ Mayor Bill de Blasio
said in announcing the plans,
“and they need our support as we
build a recovery for all of us.”
Philadelphia and San Diego are
among others to announce dis-
trictwide eligibility. Chicago
plans to vastly expand its pro-
grams.
Purnell-Mitchell said her chil-
dren had different reasons for
wanting to go to school this sum-
mer. Her older daughter, Kyra
Mitchell, who has autism, missed
the one-on-one interaction with
teachers that helps her learn,
while Kyla Mitchell did well re-
motely but wasn’t able to make
new friends and socialize. Her
son, Cartier Mitchell, said he had
had enough time off and was
ready to go back.
“I think it’s going to give them
some of the milestone markers
that they might have missed and
give them a better outlook for go-
ing into the doors” in the fall, Pur-
nell-MItchell said, “instead of
feeling like they’ve lost a year and
a half of knowing what they’re do-
ing.”

Coronavirus at a glance
173,197,589 33,362,153 2,953,238 3,726,022 597,624 50,639 Source: WHO,
CDC,
Johns
Confirmed cases Confirmed cases Confirmed cases Deaths Deaths Deaths Hopkins
University
worldwide in U.S. in Texas worldwide in U.S. in Texas
 HH Houston Chronicle | HoustonChronicle.com | Monday, June 7, 2021 | A7
CITY | STATE

POLITIFACT HOLLEY see that every piece of

vegetation that has man-
got deported.
As Lloyd tells the story,
From page A3 From page A3 aged to survive in such he looked Ephraim in the
forbidding terrain is eye and demanded the
analysis ignores which football star who scored a armed with formidable truth. “If you’re a wife-
party currently holds the tryout with the Houston thorns. Almost every crea- beater,” he told him, “I’ll
smallest states’ Senate Oilers in the late 1970s. ture, no matter how small, find out. The Border Pa-
seats. In reality, those 35 He’s also a husband and either bites or stings. trol’ll be out here quick as
smaller states have se- father and a local elected Still, they come. Not I can call ’em.”
lected a mix of Repub- official. A Trump support- long ago, a half-dozen or “No, no,” Ephraim
lican and Democratic er — “Trump made me a so young men showed up. pleaded. “It was just an
senators, so these states lot of money,” he says — He could tell by their ac- argument, a little misun-
would not be likely to he’s fluent in Spanish. cents they weren’t Mex- derstanding. We couldn’t
form a unified coalition. Although he knows and ican. By their clothes, he make the police under-
But there are ways to respects his neighbors guessed they were Central stand.”
look at the question of across the river, he sup- American, city-dwellers He gave Lloyd phone
whether senators from a ports a border wall, not most likely. numbers for his now-
bloc of smaller states for the rugged Big Bend “Can you guys lay tile?” former wife and their
could effectively use the region where he’s lived all he asked. “Pour concrete? grown daughters. They
filibuster to steer the his life but through flat, Fix fences?” Joe Holley / Contributor attested to his good char-
Senate for one party. One easy-to-cross farmland in Each question elicited a In rugged West Texas, crossing the Rio Grande is a acter. Lloyd was satisfied
way is to ask: What is the the Rio Grande Valley and shake of the head. Some- comparatively minor challenge for migrants. that Ephraim was a good
smallest share of the U.S. across the New Mexico/ thing about them — maybe man. Unlike the Central
population whose sena- Arizona desert portion of their tattoos — made him a Border Patrol officer — with a group trudging Americans, he could lay
tors could block leg- the border. uneasy. He gave them popped up from a stand of through the desert with a tile, pour concrete, repair
islation by mounting a Like other Big Bend- water and food and sent tall cane where he had coyote they had paid to fences. He ended up stay-
successful filibuster, once area ranchers, including them along. been hiding. He called guide them. Older than ing at the ranch for three
you factor in the prevail- his nearest neighbor 20 A man and woman them back and arrested most in the group and out months.
ing party affiliation? miles to the east, he’s showed up at Lloyd’s door them. of shape, he fell behind On a day when the
For that analysis, Pol- accustomed to undocu- on a cold, dark night last Lloyd was enraged. shortly after their guide checkpoint was closed,
itiFact used the current mented travelers knocking winter. “My wife is sick,” “You chicken-sh—!” he got them into Texas. He Ephraim managed to
partisan breakdown of on his door. He tells me the man said, a worried yelled. “She’s sick. They watched Border Patrol make his way to Austin.
the Senate. The results they’ve become even look on his face, his voice were headed back!” agents apprehend them Friends drove him to Or-
could change if seats flip more numerous since Joe shaky. “Can you help me Lloyd has cameras situ- all. Desperate, with no lando, Fla., where his
in the next election, or if Biden was elected presi- get her to a doctor?” ated near the house and at idea where he was, he daughters lived. He found
partisan trends in some dent. They have never Lloyd could tell she was various locations around waved his arms and a job. He’s still there today.
states evolve. caused problems. seriously ill, maybe with the sprawling ranch. One yelled. He wanted to be He and Lloyd stay in
PolitiFact looked at the Lloyd’s clifftop ranch COVID-19, maybe some- day he was in Del Rio arrested too, but no one touch.
smallest 21 states that house, built of native thing else. He also knew when a camera activated a heard his cries. Borders blend, Lloyd
currently have two sena- stone and commanding he couldn’t get them to signal on his smartphone. Ephraim’s feet were a tells me, taking a swig
tors from the same party stunning mountain views town without passing the Calling up the camera bubbly mass of painful from his nearly empty
— 21 because that’s the of Mexico’s Maderas del Border Patrol checkpoint. image, he saw a gray- blisters. Lloyd treated bottle of Weller’s Special
minimum number of Carmen, is 30 miles off the He decided to load them haired man, shirtless and them, found him some Reserve. So does whiskey.
states that would allow nearest paved road. To get into his truck and take obviously addled. He was clean clothes and told him And people.
one party to prevail in a anywhere near the house them along a gravel road staggering around in cir- to stay around the house
filibuster, and the same and nearby casitas, un- to the crossing at Boquil- cles. for a few days until he B B B
party because in the six documented immigrants las, the Mexican village Lloyd called to him on recuperated.
states with mixed delega- headed north must tra- across from the national his phone. The man, who Ephraim admitted he Dear Reader:
tions, the senators’ votes verse rugged, rocky peaks park. He knew there was a must have thought God was returning to the U.S., Bumping up against a
would likely cancel each and steep-walled gorges. If clinic there. was speaking to him, that he had worked in book deadline, I’m taking
other out. (PolitiFact it’s summer, a relentless A couple of hours later looked up toward the sky. Atlanta for several years some time off. I’ll be back,
counted the Senate’s two Chihuahuan Desert sun is he dropped off the couple “Stay right there,” Lloyd operating a ditch-digging so please keep the ideas
independent members, a punishing reminder that at river’s edge. They wad- told him. “I’ll be there in a machine for a cable com- and suggestions coming.
Angus King of Maine and if they run out of water, ed into the water, cold and couple of hours.” pany. He and his wife got
Bernie Sanders of Ver- they’re in big trouble. waist-deep. Suddenly, a His name was Ephraim. into a little argument, he djholley10@gmail.com
mont, as Democrats, Looking around, they’ll national park ranger — not He told Lloyd he had been said. The police came. He twitter.com/holleynews
since they caucus with
the Democrats.)
The 21 smallest states
that have two Republican
senators account for 29
percent of the U.S. pop-
ulation. So, by them-
selves, these states could
muster 42 votes to sus-
tain a filibuster, thereby
overruling the 71 percent
of the population repre-
sented by the other 58
senators.
The 21 smallest states
with two Democratic
senators account for 39
percent of the U.S. pop-
ulation, meaning that
Democrats from these
states could mount a
filibuster that thwarts
senators representing the
remaining 61 percent of
the population.
So Obama’s remark is a
reasonable assessment of
how much muscle a frac-
tion of states can flex in
order to block legislation
in the Senate.
But Obama’s claim that
“30 percent of the pop-
ulation potentially con-
trols the majority of Sen-
ate seats” overreaches. In
the Senate’s current
makeup, 29 percent to 39
percent of the population
could control 42 seats —
but not a majority of
seats in the 100-seat
chamber.
In reality, neither par-
ty today can muster an
actual majority, 51 seats,
using just states that have
unified partisan control
of their Senate delega-
tion.
Adding Texas and Cali-
fornia to the previous
tally, the 22 states that
currently have two Re-
publican senators repre-
sent 38 percent of the
population, and the 22
states with two Demo-
cratic senators represent
51 percent of the pop-
ulation. (The other six
states have mixed repre-
sentation.)
These groupings of
states produce only 44
seats for either party —
not a majority.
In the big picture,
however, Obama has a
legitimate point, said
Josh Ryan, a Utah State
University political scien-
tist and specialist in Con-
gress.
“Essentially a very
small population of the
country gets to veto leg-
islation preferred by a
large majority,” Ryan
said. “They don’t get to
control the Senate, but
they get to control what
passes the Senate.”
A8 | Monday, June 7, 2021 | HoustonChronicle.com | Houston Chronicle HH
CITY | STATE
Mario Saladino holds a photo of himself at the age of 18, when he was an
anti-aircraft instructor in World War II.
VETERAN
From page A3
school for aviation, where
he learned aircraft mechan-
ics.
His brothers had been
overseas since the start of
the war, and Saladino was
eager to join the effort.
“I was the youngest, and I
wanted to volunteer but my
parents would not allow it,”
he said. “Since (our family)
already had two men fight-
ing, they didn’t want to put
me in action at that time.”
Saladino enlisted in the
Texas State Guard while still
a student at La Porte High
School. The Guard was re-
cruiting students to help the
war effort on the home
front.
“A lot of people don’t real-
ize that when they drafted
our defenses from the state
of Texas, they asked all the
school kids,16 years and old-
er, if they would join the
Guard to help protect Hous-
ton and any area that had no
protection,” he said.
That experience allowed
Saladino to enter Officer
Candidate School after grad-
uating, where he trained as
an engineer and would
work as an instructor. After
that, he enlisted in the Army
and was immediately sent to
the Pacific with the Army
Corps of Engineers.
He was 19 when he ar-
rived in Yokohama, Japan,
and was assigned as a sup-
ply engineer sergeant to
help rebuild Sugamo prison
in Ikebukuro, a district near
Tokyo.
The prison had been built
by the Japanese in the 1890s
and was used for political
prisoners through the
1930s, but according to Sala-
dino, it wasn’t equipped for
its post-World War II mis-
sion to hold war criminals as
they stood trial in Tokyo be-
fore the International Mili-
tary Tribunal for the Far
East, the Nuremberg of the
Pacific, and awaited sen-
tencing, and for many, exe-
cution by hanging.
“It was the most modern
prison they had, but believe
me, it was very, very poorly
built,” he said. “I purchased
the material and equipment
they needed to rebuild that
prison. We built big gallows
in the basement, I forget
how many gallows we had,
but that’s what I eventually
ended up doing.”
Most of the Americans
stationed at the prison were
too young to have seen com-
bat during the war, but
found themselves responsi-
ble for keeping watch on
elite Japanese officials fac-
ing penalties for some of the
worst atrocities at events
like the Rape of Nanking and
the Bataan Death March.
Most of the American ser-
vicemen stationed at Suga-
mo never attended trials or
witnessed hangings, but
they watched the proceed-
ings on the periphery.
“When the trials took
place, special guards would
come to our prison and take
Steve Gonzales / Staff photographer
over, and they would take
the prisoners on trial that
day to Tokyo, and return
them that night after the tri-
al,” Saladino said. “The exe-
cutions were closed, and the
only people allowed to be
there were members of
their family, and the family
could recover the bodies,
but there was no fanfare at
all.”
“The only time we knew
they were going to execute
somebody,” Saladino con-
tinued, “was when the exec-
utor showed up. The prison-
ers would be hanged in the
evening, and afterwards,
the body would be placed
on the hanging block, so
whoever wanted the body
could pick them up the next
day.”
Being stationed in post-
war Japan was complicated
for many Americans work-
ing at the prison, said Sala-
dino.
“Some of us also had rela-
tives killed at Pearl Harbor,
so it was difficult when you
were working with people
who were supposed to be
your enemies, but who were
your friends and allies,” he
said.
During his time in the Pa-
cific, Saladino developed
empathy for the Japanese ci-
vilians who had been re-
cruited for labor in the after-
math of the war. They
worked as interpreters or as
laborers charged with the
task of removing the dead
bodies off the streets.
“A lot of them were in po-
sitions they didn’t want to
be in, but they didn’t have a
choice,” he said. “They were
just like civilians in the U.S.
being told what to do in the
war effort. The difference
was that the U.S. provided
places to live while they
worked. The Japanese civil-
ians were living in the
streets.”
In his two years overseas,
Saladino saw the impact of
the war on impoverished
Japanese communities.
Saladino was discharged
in 1947, returned to Houston
and began a career in con-
struction. His employer, Bil-
lon Construction, would
eventually send him to New
Mexico to work on an ex-
pansion project at the Los A-
lamos nuclear plant. While
in New Mexico, he met and
married Berniece Carlson,
and the couple returned to
Houston in the early1950s to
start a family.
Sugamo prison was de-
molished in 1971, and a sky-
scraper was eventually built
on the site, where a small
engraved stone marked its
past.
Saladino keeps photos of
his brothers and himself tak-
en during their service in a
safe place. Both brothers
have passed, and the photos
are his only record of their
experience.
According to his niece,
Pasadena resident Carrie
McBroom, military service
was never a topic of discus-
sion among the Saladino
brothers.
The only visible remnant
of the war, aside from the
vintage photos, were the lin-
gering effects of the shrap-
nel still embedded in her un-
cle Anthony’s legs and back.
“They just didn’t sit
around and talk about their
experiences,” McBroom
said. “They just carried
within themselves. My dad
( Joseph Saladino Sr.) never
discussed his military ca-
reer. He was very quiet. We
did research after he passed
and that’s how we learned
what we know now. My un-
cle Tony’s daughters didn’t
even know he had two Pur-
ple Hearts, or that he had
been the only survivor in his
squad and almost buried
alive at Okinawa, and it took
some research before they
could find that out. The war
was just never, ever men-
tioned.”
McBroom’s brother, Joe
Saladino Jr., only recently
learned about his uncle
Mario’s connection to Suga-
mo.
“It wasn’t until he talked
about Tokyo Rose and Tojo
did I realize the historical
significance,” he said. “Each
brother in their own experi-
ences witnessed history.”
Saladino Jr., who served
in the Air Force during the
Vietnam era, doesn’t be-
lieve younger generations
are interested in the experi-
ences of his father and un-
cles, or his own.
“ I’m not sure we would
be where we are as a coun-
try if it wasn’t for the sacri-
fices that people like my fa-
ther and my uncles made,
and the families of so many
lives lost,” he said. “The only
way you can understand
where you are is to under-
stand where you came
from, and I don’t think
younger people understand
that.”
Mario Saladino, whose
wife Berniece, passed away
in 2015 after 66 years of mar-
riage, isn’t offended if peo-
ple today don’t ask about his
time at Sugamo prison or
the lessons he learned in
war.
“Why feel sorry for us
when this has been going on
forever?” he said. “It’s a cy-
cle that will be repeated.
Look at last month, with Is-
rael and the bombardment
(the escalation of the Israeli
and Palestinian conflict).”
“The thing is,” Saladino
continued, “is that we don’t
learn from it and so we keep
making the same mistakes
over and over.”
Years ago, Saladino was
part of a group of WWII vet-
erans recognized at the El-
lington Field Joint Reserve
Base. While he deflects
praise directed at him, Sala-
dino said he doesn’t take it
for granted either.
“It makes you proud to
know you were part of it,
and it flatters you to be
called a hero, but you know,
we’re not heroes, we’re just
people,” he said. “We did
what we had to do when we
had to do it, that’s all. Some-
body had to do it.”
yorozco@hcnonline.com

FROM THE COVER
THIRD WARD
From page A1
toward foreclosure.
Blackman could guess how the
story would unfold. He imagined
an investor snapping up the prop-
erty at auction and putting town-
homes in its place, something
happening across the neighbor-
hood. In addition to working for
more than a century to combat
discrimination in federal work-
places, the postal union had also
served as a social space in Third
Ward — Blackman hated to imag-
ine what would become of it after
an auction.
So, when the Third Ward Real
Estate Council approached him
about buying the property and us-
ing it for something neighbors
could enjoy, Blackman and the
rest of the union’s executive board
agreed to the deal.
Similar efforts have played out
east of downtown. In Fifth Ward,
developer Christopher Senegal
purchased a group of 18 homes in
2020 with the promise not to raise
their rents. And Midway pur-
chased 150 acres along the Buffalo
Bayou and committed to making
15 percent of the apartments on
that site available at below-market
rates (although some are calling
for even greater affordability).
On a recent Saturday, Black-
man seemed heartened by the
two dozen people who took time
out of their weekends to clear
away the outdoor deck and wood-
en benches in preparation of the
site’s next life. “It’s time to let
someone else do something good
with it.”
Land without controls
Townhomes, said Kevin Riles,
interim director of Prairie View
A&M University’s master’s pro-
gram in community develop-
ment, have come to be seen as
“monuments of gentrification.”
“It’s not anything to do with the
people who live in the proper-
ties,” he was quick to explain. “It’s
just that there’s no restrictions
preventing them.”
In Houston, where there is no
zoning, neighborhoods can only
control how development unfolds
if there is a communitywide
agreement dictating how land can
be used. These deed restrictions
usually protect against lots being
subdivided into townhouses,
which can quickly drive up the
value of land. But nearly all com-
munities protected by deed re-
strictions in the early 20th centu-
ry also excluded minorities, push-
ing Black and Hispanic residents
into neighborhoods without re-
strictions that placed controls on
development.
As a result, said Riles, there’s a
RICE
From page A1
said Jacob Robinson, associate
professor of electrical and com-
puter engineering at Rice. “With
electronics we can turn things on
and off very quickly. On demand.
Multiple times a day. Multiple
times a minute.”
It’s like a living pharmacy that
can be controlled by electronics,
tailoring drug production to each
person’s needs.
The Rice researchers are part
of a nationwide team being led by
Northwestern University. They
are receiving $33 million from
the DOD’s Defense Advanced Re-
search Projects Agency.
DARPA invests in break-
through technologies for nation-
al security. In conjunction with
this project, it also announced
funding for an implantable de-
vice that produces and releases
melatonin and a swallowed de-
vice that produces compounds to
kill foodborne pathogens.
“While jet lag and traveler’s di-
arrhea are inconveniences for an
average traveler, they are critical
challenges to operational readi-
ness for a warfighter,” DARPA
said in its description of the fund-
ing opportunity, “and can be the
difference between mission suc-
cess or failure.”
Decades in the making
DARPA announced its selected
researchers last month. But Rob-
inson and Omid Veiseh, an assis-
tant professor of bioengineering
at Rice, had previously spent a
decade on research related to
their project.
Robinson is leading the team
creating the device’s electronics.
Veiseh is leading the team creat-
ing the engineered cells.
Jet lag occurs when someone
quickly travels across multiple
time zones, such as a flight from
Houston to London. This causes
the body’s internal clock, its cir-
cadian rhythms that tell the body
when to stay awake and when to
Rather than selling his union’s property to a developer, Marvin Blackman struck a deal with the Third Ward Real Estate Council.
desire from people living in such
neighborhoods to enter what he
called “informal deed restric-
tions,” such as the postal union’s.
“At the end of the day, real es-
tate is still a transaction, and you
still have to make money,” he said.
“But if you can find a way to work
with the community, that’s impor-
tant.”
‘A big incubator’
While volunteers cleaned up
what will become a food truck
park, Chrystal Beasley stood near-
by, talking to passersby about the
project and passing out small live
oaks and elms for them to take
home. Beasley is president of the
local neighborhood club, Wash-
ington Terrace Civic Association,
and said she supported the deci-
sion to turn the postal union’s
headquarters into a park for food
trucks and vendors.
As an environmental engineer,
she was worried about the impact
of turning land into townhomes,
which take up more of a lot’s foot-
print with concrete and tend to
displace full-grown trees. She also
believed in giving more business-
es a chance to participate in the
area’s economic growth. “I think
we’re headed in the right direc-
Prior to receiving DARPA funding, Rice University professor Jacob Robinson, left, and assistant
professor Omid Veiseh, right, spent the past decade on research related to their project.
sleep, to not match the new time
zone. A person experiencing jet
lag might have trouble falling
asleep. They might wake up earli-
er than desired and could be
drowsy during the day. They
might also experience stomach
issues, such as a reduced appe-
tite or constipation.
The medical device could help
alleviate these symptoms. Here’s
how it works: The implant has ti-
ny blue and orange lights, and
the cells are programmed to be
turned on when the blue light is
on and to be turned off when the
orange light is on.
When the cells are on, they
create natural chemicals that
turn on hormones to help regu-
late the body’s circadian rhythm.
Higher levels of the orexin A hor-
mone, for instance, generally oc-
cur as someone is waking up.
Higher levels of GLP-1, on the oth-
HH
tion,” she said.
Behind her, helping move the
remnants of a discarded art proj-
ect into a dumpster, was Hyman,
who helped found the Third Ward
Real Estate Council.
Before starting the council, he
helped the city of Houston budget
for and build affordable housing
while pursuing a master’s in ur-
ban planning at Texas Southern
University, then worked for Bank
of America as a portfolio manager
underwriting loans for energy
companies. During it all, he day-
dreamed and journaled about
what Third Ward, which remind-
ed him of where he grew up in Chi-
cago, could look like — an empty
lot that could be a car wash, a spot
where a restaurant could bring in
fresh food.
Eventually, he quit his job at
Bank of America to found a bro-
kerage and began outlining a vi-
sion for the neighborhood with
urban planners at Texas Southern
and the University of Texas. He in-
vited neighbors to an interest
meeting about the plan and
formed the nonprofit Third Ward
Real Estate Council out of the core
group of local residents, including
an architect and the owner of a
construction company, interested
er hand, reduce appetite and
hunger around the time someone
is preparing for bed.
Overcoming jet lag generally
requires one day for every hour
the clock is shifted. Traveling
from Houston to London is a six-
hour time difference, so it would
take a Houstonian six days to ac-
climate to London time.
With this new device activat-
ing hormones and helping the
body recognize the appropriate
time of day, a Houstonian in Lon-
don could feel acclimated in just
three days.
Overcoming saltwater
But first, the device must sur-
vive inside the human body.
Its electronics need to be pro-
tected from the body’s saltwater.
But the biologically engineered
cells require nutrients from the
body to survive, so they can’t be
Houston Chronicle | HoustonChronicle.com | Monday, June 7, 2021 |
in carrying it out.
The park fit into their plan, Hy-
man explained, because it created
economic opportunity for a wide
range of people — the food and
merchandise companies getting
their start, as well as their employ-
ees. As more retail opportunities
open up along Emancipation Ave-
nue, the businesses may have
room to grow into brick-and-mor-
tars.
“I look at this project as pretty
much a big incubator,” he said.
Community benefit
But one of the problems of de-
veloping real estate with the com-
munity in mind is not everyone in
the community agrees. Charles
and Nedra Siverane, who have
lived across the street from the
former postal union for 21 years,
stood in their front yard, listening
to the rumble of the generator
powering Rosalyn’s Hot Chicken,
which was providing free meals to
the volunteers.
They were concerned about
the traffic and parking issues that
could come with businesses A few
blocks away, on the other side of
Texas 288, Turkey Leg Hut’s suc-
cess has drawn fans from across
the state, as well as complaints
Yi-Chin Lee / Staff photographer
in the same enclosed housing.
As such, the cells are sur-
rounded by a plastic mesh that al-
lows nutrients to enter this part
of the device. This mesh also
keeps out immune cells that
might try to attack the bioengi-
neered cells, and it allows the
chemicals created by these cells
to exit the device and move
throughout the body.
Another obstacle presented by
the body’s saltwater is that it
blocks radio waves that would
normally be used for communi-
cation. It’s the same reason why
submarines have to surface be-
fore transmitting messages.
To remedy this, Robinson’s lab
and Rice University electrical en-
gineer Kaiyuan Yang have devel-
oped a method that uses a wear-
able device, such as an armband,
to create magnetic fields that
turn the implant on and send or
A9
Elizabeth Conley / Staff photographer
from neighbors.
“At least if you had townhomes,
there wouldn’t be as much traf-
fic,” Nedra Siverane said.
Upon hearing the concern, Hy-
man sighed.
“We’re thinking about all those
things,” he said, adding that he’s
talking with the Southeast Man-
agement District about its plans
for parking along Emancipation
Avenue and that the food trucks
would be closed by 9 or 10 p.m. to
alleviate noise concerns.
He said he knew the project
may not please everybody, but
pointed out that the council’s
long-term success depended on
how favorably its work was re-
ceived by the community. Black-
man entrusted Third Ward Real
Estate Council with his nonprof-
it’s land because he thought it
would create opportunities for
new business owners. In the fu-
ture, property owners will be able
to judge the project’s impact on
the community when weighing
whether they should sell to the
council.
“These things come back
around,” Hyman said.
rebecca.schuetz@chron.com
twitter.com/raschuetz
retrieve data.
This system would send a mes-
sage to the user’s smartphone
asking if the person wants it to
deliver the recommended dose —
pressing “yes” would tell the
armband to turn on the cells.
The implanted device does not
have a battery, so the armband
will be required to provide pow-
er. And because the implant can
only receive signals from a few
centimeters away, a hacker
would need to be literally on top
of the wearer (and have their own
armband-like transmitter) to talk
to the device.
The implant can also be per-
manently deactivated by sending
a signal for the engineered cells
to kill themselves.
‘Implantable pharmacy’
Researchers at Carnegie Mel-
lon and Northwestern universi-
ties are working on the external
control systems that would tell
the device when to turn on and
off. They are also working on
electrical techniques that would
provide extra oxygen for the en-
gineered cells.
“It’s like an implantable phar-
macy on a chip that never runs
out,” Northwestern Engineer-
ing’s Jonathan Rivnay, principal
investigator of the project, said in
a news release. “ … No need to
carry drugs, no need to inject
therapeutics and — depending on
how long we can make the device
last — no need to refill the de-
vice.”
Ultimately, Veiseh credited
DARPA’s funding and logistical
resources for coordinating activ-
ities across different teams and
disciplines. Animal testing
should begin next year, and hu-
man clinical trials could start in
roughly three years.
“We can actually take some-
thing like this that might sound
science fiction,” he said, “and
really turn it into reality just so
much faster.”
andrea.leinfelder@chron.com
twitter.com/a_leinfelder
A10 | Monday, June 7, 2021 | HoustonChronicle.com | Houston Chronicle
CITY | STATE
Carlos Villarreal, a senior leader for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, divides toiletry and personal items to be given to arriving migrants Saturday.
CENTER
From page A3
The coalition regularly
served around 100 people in
a busy month, but that num-
ber spiked to 2,000 in
March, said Tiffany Burrow,
director of operations at the
center in Del Rio. It dipped
again for April and May, but
then jumped again last
week, when they received
over 1,000.
“That’s when we got a tre-
mendous amount,” she
said. “That’s where the Fam-
ily Transfer Center in Hous-
ton did a magnificent job of
coming to our aid and offer-
ing up their facility.”
The Border Patrol en-
countered 50,016 people ar-
riving as family units at the
southwest border in April,
according to the latest avail-
able statistics. The number
represent a big jump from
only 738 coming as families
during the same month in
2020, but it’s less than the
62,313 in the same month of
2019.
Villarreal said the church,
headquartered in Utah, se-
lected Houston to open the
center because it is a large
transportation hub and a re-
gion where there are about
70,000 members of The
Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, a large
pool of volunteers to run the
center.
Most of the migrants who
took respite in Houston
spent just one night or less
at the center, located near
the George Bush Interconti-
nental Airport. The 500-
person capacity center fea-
tures a kitchen, bathrooms,
dining tables and a large
area for cots.
The facility also has 24/7
HH
Myrna Villarreal, who is married to Carlos Villarreal, sorts clothing Saturday.
The Family Transfer Center opened last week here for an influx of migrants.
in-house EMS service and a
triage tent to isolate and
treat COVID-19 cases. Villar-
real said that migrants are
monitored for body temper-
ature and symptoms upon
arrival, but no one has been
sick or diagnosed with the
virus.
Volunteers help migrants
connect with relatives in the
U.S. and make travel ar-
rangements. The center
shuttles them to the airport
or bus station.
“Families were excited
about getting closer to their
destination in Houston,”
Burrow said. “A lot of the
families were going to the
East Coast and they really
were grateful to have two in-
ternational airports… and
many more options to get to
their destinations.”
A few migrant families,
especially those with more
complicated situation,
planned to spend several
nights as workers attempted
to locate families and spon-
sors.
Similar to Metayer, Valle-
rie Stephanie Lamour is at
the Houston center with her
7-year-old twins, Abisay Ste-
phan Lopez Lamour and
Neftali Elias Lopez Lamour.
In these cases, families
were composed of women
with their children who
were separated by the gov-
ernment from their hus-
bands and don’t know
where to go now.
“My husband had the
phone number of the peo-
ple who were going to help
us here,” Metayer said.
Metayer said she went
from Haiti to Chile and, after
an unsuccessful attempt to
obtain residency and a year
without a job, she and her
husband Ramson Fleurestil
decided to initiate a long trip
to the U.S. with the baby.
They crossed Peru, Colom-
bia and the Darien Gap for-
est to Panama before reach-
ing Central America.
The family crossed the
Suchiate River from Guate-
mala to Mexico arriving at
the border city of Tapachula
in the Mexican state of Chia-
pas. From there, just as
many migrants do, they
took a three- day nonstop
bus to Ciudad Acuña, a
small city at the border
where they crossed the Rio
Grande towards Del Rio.
“We crossed the river at
about 4 p.m.,” Metayer said.
“Some people there told us
to hurry up because the wa-
ters rose after four and that
the river drags people who
end up drowning.”
The mother said that her
husband carried the child
mounted on his neck.
She said that already on
the U.S. side of the border,
they saw Cuban migrants
who told them to run to
evade authorities. Instead,
they decided to surrender to
Border Patrol. She says that
Custom and Border Protec-
Jon Shapley / Staff photographer
tion officers treated them
well, but ended up separat-
ing them when they learned
that they were not legally
married.
“The officer said that
here in America my hus-
band is not my husband but
my boyfriend,” said Me-
tayer. “But they don’t under-
stand that in Haiti many cou-
ples don’t marry with pa-
pers… I don’t know where
my husband is or where to
go,” she said, quietly crying.
According to Burrow and
Villarreal, cases like them
arriving at respites are the
exception rather than the
rule. They say that the vast
majority arrives with ar-
rangements previously
made with relatives in the
U.S. who are ready to pay for
their trips to their destina-
tions.
The costs related to the
Family Transfer Center in
Houston is paid by Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints and donations from
partners and the public,
said Villarreal. Among orga-
nizations partnering in this
effort are Catholic Charities,
The National Association of
Christian Churches, YMCA
International Services, Tex-
as Adventist Community
Services, Houston Re-
sponds, and The Houston
Food Bank. The respite is lo-
cated in the headquarters of
the NACC, a disaster relief
nonprofit that ran a shelter
for unaccompanied girls for
two weeks in April.
“This initiative to help mi-
grants is not a federally im-
posed solution,” said Doug
Andersen, spokesman for
the church in Salt Lake City,
who is in Houston for the 10
a.m. Monday announce-
ment of the center. “This is
not a top down solution.
This community has seen a
problem and that’s how we
are responding to it. This is a
community solution.”
olivia.tallet@chron.com
Twitter.com/oliviaptallet

FROM THE COVER
SESSION
From page A1
driving the steamroller and
pushing a conservative
agenda that they believe
voters made clear they
backed.
“The door was opened
by the voters,” said Rep.
Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler. “We
tried to walk as many of
those priorities through
that door as we could.”
Dems swing and miss
Democrats have longed
believed that demographic
changes will eventually
bring them back to power
in Texas, which has been
controlled by Republicans
for nearly two decades.
Their hopes were raised
after the 2018 midterm
elections, when Texas
Democrats rode a “blue
wave” driven in part by op-
position to then-President
Donald Trump. Democrats
flipped 12 GOP-held seats in
the House that year. But de-
spite drawing national at-
tention, spending a lot of
money and generating
large turnout in urban and
suburban areas, Demo-
crats weren’t able to build
on those gains last fall. That
left Republicans in control
of the Texas House for the
10th consecutive Legisla-
tive session.
“In my view, Democrats
had record in-state spend-
ing, record out-of-state
spending, record turnout
and they came up with
nothing in the state,”
Schaefer said. “So Republi-
cans view that as an expec-
tation from voters that Re-
publican priorities will be
priorities.”
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick
struck a similar theme after
last November’s elections,
vowing to push an agenda
this year that “reflects the
principles and values of the
Texas conservative majori-
ty.”
Patrick on Wednesday
hammered home that
point during a talk radio in-
terview with Mark Davis on
President Joe Biden last week used the 100th anniversary of the race massacre in
Tulsa, Okla., to make a plea for legislation to protect the right to vote.
VOTING
From page A1
vancing. Republicans are
united against it.
In appearances on two
Sunday news shows, Man-
chin stressed his reasons
for opposing the bill, in-
cluding his view that it is too
broad.
“I think it’s the wrong
piece of legislation to bring
our country together and
unite our country, and I’m
not supporting that be-
cause I think it would divide
us further,” Manchin said.
He also said he believes Re-
publicans will see the need
for a bipartisan deal.
“And if they think they’re
going to win by subverting
and oppressing people
from voting, they’re going
to lose. I assure you they
will lose,” he said.
Manchin said lawmakers
should instead focus their
energies on revitalizing the
landmark Voting Rights
Act, which was weakened
by a Supreme Court deci-
sion in 2013. Republican
Sen. Lisa Murkowski of
Alaska has joined him in
calling for that approach.
Manchin’s opposition to
the broader elections bill is
just the latest challenge fac-
ing Democrats as they de-
bate how to deliver their
House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, who was elected with bipartisan support in January, has proved
more receptive to passing conservative priorities than predecessors Dennis Bonnen and Joe Straus.
660 AM in Dallas.
“They lost the election,
we won,” Patrick said in ex-
plaining his take-no-pris-
oners approach with Dem-
ocrats.
Democrats have count-
ered that if Republicans are
so confident they repre-
sent the majority of Texas
voters, why did they seek
to pass severe voting re-
strictions that they say tar-
get Black and Latino vot-
ers?
Still, there was no mis-
taking the hard-right turn
by the Legislature this year.
One after the other, Re-
publicans passed bills se-
verely restricting abortion,
allowing permitless carry
of handguns, requiring
professional sports teams
to play the national anthem
and threatening cities with
penalties for “defunding
the police” — all issues that
poll extremely well among
Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images
promises to voters. Man-
chin reiterated that he
would not vote to “weaken
or eliminate the filibuster,”
a route that many Demo-
crats see as the only realistic
path forward. The filibuster
rule requires 60 votes to
pass most bills, and in to-
day’s Senate, which is split
50-50, that means many of
the Democrats’ biggest pri-
orities, from voting rights to
gun control, are dead on ar-
rival.
Manchin and Sen. Kyr-
sten Sinema, D-Ariz., have
frustrated their party by
their defense of the filibus-
ter. But they aren’t alone,
with as many as 10 Demo-
cratic senators also reluc-
tant to change the rules.
President Joe Biden last
week used the 100th anni-
versary of the race massa-
cre in Tulsa, Okla., to make
a plea for legislation to pro-
tect the right to vote, which
comes as Republican-led
legislatures in Texas and
other states pass or propose
new restrictions making it
tougher to cast ballots. Bi-
den also seemed to call out
Manchin and Sinema for
stalling action on voting
measures, though he has
not said he wants to end the
filibuster.
Biden said the right to
vote was “precious” and
must be protected, and he
GOP primary voters.
“It’s happening because
Republicans have control,”
West said. “And they are
wielding their power un-
apologetically.”
Patrick changes rules
With just 13 of 31 Senate
seats, Democrats had little
power to stop anything the
Republicans were deter-
mined to pass.
Senate Democrats had
even picked up one addi-
tional seat last year to get to
13, which would have given
them the ability to stop de-
bates on most of Patrick’s
priorities. But Patrick re-
sponded by pushing Re-
publican senators to
change the rules at the start
of the session to require 14
senators to block a bill in-
stead of 13.
Democrats are in the mi-
nority in the House too,
holding 67 of the 150 seats.
pledged that June would be
a “month of action” on Cap-
itol Hill. “We’re not giving
up,” Biden said. “I’m going
to fight like heck with every
tool at my disposal for its
passage.”
Senate Minority Leader
Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has
promised to block the elec-
tions bill, which he charac-
terizes as undue govern-
ment overreach into state
election systems. He said
no GOP senators support it.
Manchin also wrote, “I
believe that partisan voting
legislation will destroy the
already weakening binds of
our democracy, and for that
reason, I will vote against
the For the People Act. Fur-
thermore, I will not vote to
weaken or eliminate the fili-
buster.”
In March, House Demo-
crats passed the voting bill
by a near party-line 220-210
vote. The legislation has
been a priority for Demo-
crats since they won their
House majority in 2018. But
it has taken on added ur-
gency in the wake of Presi-
dent Donald Trump’s false
claims about the 2020 elec-
tion, which incited the Jan.
6 insurrection at the Capi-
tol.
Manchin was inter-
viewed Sunday on “Fox
News Sunday” and “Face
the Nation” on CBS.
HH Houston Chronicle | HoustonChronicle.com | Monday, June 7, 2021 |
Bob Daemmrich / CapitolPressPhoto
But House rules allow Dem-
ocrats more procedural
maneuvers to slow or even
kill the legislation, as they
were able to do with a dra-
matic late-night walkout
that killed — for now — a
highly controversial GOP
package of voting restric-
tions. They also helped
stop legislation aimed at
barring hormone therapy
and other medical proce-
dures for transgender chil-
dren. Another bill pushed
heavily by the Republicans
Party of Texas to bar cities
and counties from hiring
lobbyists also failed — the
third consecutive session
that idea hasn’t made it.
Republicans have had
the majority in the House
and Senate since 2003. But
over the last 10 years, the
margins have been de-
creasing with each election
cycle. In 2015 there were
just 11 Democrats in the Sen-
ate and 52 in the House.
Republicans say they
were not trying to jam pri-
orities through out of fear
Democrats were getting
closer and could flip the
House in the future.
“That wasn’t something
I was thinking about at all,”
said state Rep. Briscoe
Cain, R-Deer Park.
The reason that anti-
abortion and pro-guns bills
got through this year as op-
posed to previous years
was due to the leadership,
Toth said.
The Woodlands Republi-
can said bills such as the
“heartbeat” bill — banning
abortion at six weeks,
when a fetal heartbeat has
been detected — had long
been pushed by conserva-
tives in the Texas House but
didn’t get traction.
“Now I think you have a
speaker who would like to
move some conservative
A11
legislation,” Toth said. “I
think that is why the dam
broke now.”
New speaker’s leanings
When former Speaker
Joe Straus, a moderate,
presided over the House,
leaders blocked many of
the most extreme anti-
abortion bills and the idea
of permitless carry. Many
of those ideas never made
it out of committees, let
alone to the governor’s
desk. Straus stepped down
in 2019.
Beaumont Republican
Dade Phelan, who was
elected with bipartisan
support in January, has
proved more receptive to
passing such conservative
priorities.
“It’s fun for the first
time,” said Toth, a social
conservative.
Despite being frustrated
by the Democrats’ minori-
ty status, state Sen. Borris
Miles, D-Houston, went so
far as to thank Senate Re-
publicans for what they
were doing this session,
particularly in trying to im-
pose voting restrictions
aimed at suppressing the
Black and Latino vote.
By going too far with
their agenda, Republicans
are generating more anger
and frustration from Black
and Hispanic communities
that already are voting at
higher rates with each elec-
tion cycle. Going after their
voting rights will only fire
up more people to get out
to vote. Look no further
than Georgia, where the
once-red state backed
Democrat Joe Biden and
elected two Democratic
senators after a controver-
sial purge of voters two
years earlier.
As Miles said back in
April when the Senate first
passed the voter restric-
tions that died in late May,
“I want to thank you sin-
cerely because what you
are doing here tonight is
kicking a bear.”
jeremy.wallace@chron.com
twitter.com/jeremyswallace
A12 | Monday, June 7, 2021 | HoustonChronicle.com | Houston Chronicle HH

OBITUARIES

CLARENCE WILLIAMS III: 1939-2021

‘Mod Squad’ star led lengthy career in TV, film

By Anita Gates
N EW YO RK T IME S
Clarence Williams III, the
reflectively intense actor who
starred as Linc Hayes, the
young, hip undercover police
officer with the perfect Afro and
a way with the word “solid” on
ABC’s “The Mod Squad,” died
Friday in Los Angeles. He was
81.
The cause was colon cancer,
his manager, Allan Mindel, said.
“The Mod Squad,” which ran
from 1968 to 1973, was one of the
first of its kind — a prime-time
network series that focused on
members of the hippie genera-
tion at the same time that it
exploited them.
The show had two ad tag-
lines. One was “First they got
busted; then they got badges,”
which summarized the show’s
backstory: three hippies in trou-
ble with the law who then
joined the police force as plain-
clothes cops with built-in dis-
guises — their youth and their
counterculture personas. The
second tagline — “One Black,
one white, one blonde” — re-
ferred to the cast: Williams,
Michael Cole and Peggy Lipton.
Aaron Spelling, the show’s
producer, never liked Linc’s
Afro, Williams recalled in an
NPR interview in 1999, so the
style was toned down. A bit. For
a while. Then, each week, he
said, “we’d tease it out a little bit
more.”
Clarence Williams III was
born to a show-business family
in Manhattan on Aug. 21, 1939.
His father, Clarence Jr., known
as Clay, was a musician. His
mother is omitted from his
biographies. Asked about her
Sunday, a family member de-
clined to give her name and
described her as “largely ab-
sent.”
His paternal grandparents,
who raised him, were Clarence
Williams, a jazz and blues com-
poser and pianist, and Eva (Tay-
lor) Williams, an actress and
singer who also worked at jobs
outside show business.
Although “The Mod Squad”
made Williams a symbol of the
Vietnam War generation, he
actually served in the military
just before that era. He was a
paratrooper in the 101st Air-
borne Division in the late 1950s.
His interest in acting began
when he visited a Harlem
YMCA, where his sister was
working, and dropped in to
watch a play’s run-through. By
the end of the evening, he had
been cast in the production.
He began his acting career on
Broadway, where his grandfa-
ther had appeared as early as
1908. The younger Williams
appeared in three plays, in-
cluding “Slow Dance on the
Killing Ground” (1964), for
which he received a Tony Award
nomination and a Theater World
Award.
He owed his screen career to
Bill Cosby, then a rising star.
Cosby saw him on the New York
stage and recommended him to
Spelling, who was casting “The
Mod Squad” at the time.
After the series ended, Wil-
liams dropped out of sight for a
while, expressing disappoint-
Jason Kempin / Tribune News Service file photo
Clarence Williams III attends the Los Angeles premiere of “The
Butler” in 2013. He is perhaps best known for his role as Linc on
“The Mod Squad.” Williams died Friday of colon cancer at 81.
ment in the kinds of roles avail-
able to Black men. He returned
to Broadway, appearing as an
African head of state, with Mag-
gie Smith, in the Tom Stoppard
drama “Night and Day” (1979).
Beginning in the 1980s, he
had a busy film career. He
played Prince’s abusive father in
“Purple Rain” (1984) and Wesley
Snipes’ heroin-addicted father
in “Sugar Hill” (1993). He was a
crazed blackmailer in John Fran-
kenheimer’s “52 Pick-Up” (1986)
and a storytelling mortician in
“Tales From the Hood” (1995).
He had small roles in the blax-
ploitation parody “I’m Gonna
Git You Sucka” (1988) and in
Norman Mailer’s “Tough Guys
Don’t Dance” (1987).
Television brought Williams
new opportunities too. He was a
leader of the Attica prison riots
in HBO’s “Against the Wall”
(1994); a segregationist gover-
nor’s manservant in the mini-
series “George Wallace” (1997);
Muhammad Ali’s father in “Ali:
An American Hero” (2000); and
a retired CIA operative in 10
“Mystery Woman” movies
(2003-07). He did guest appear-
ances on close to 40 series, from
“Hill Street Blues” to “Empire.”
His other film roles included a
much-too-loyal aide-de-camp in
“The General’s Daughter”
(1999), a glowering criminal who
is set on fire in “Reindeer
Games” (2000), an old-school
crime lord in “American Gang-
ster” (2007) and a White House
servant’s older mentor in Lee
Daniels’ “The Butler” (2013). His
last film was “American Night-
mares” (2018), a horror comedy.
In 1967, Williams married
Gloria Foster, a stage actress
who appeared twice on “The
Mod Squad” and later played
the Oracle in “The Matrix.” They
divorced in 1984.
Williams is survived by his
daughter, Jamey Phillips, and his
sister, Sondra Pugh.
He often contended that he
didn’t take being a role model
that seriously.
“All of this is escapism, fanta-
sy,” he told TV Guide in 1970,
early in the run of “The Mod
Squad.” “This is what the box is
about.”
In the same interview,
though, he recalled being happi-
ly mobbed by young Black fans
at a basketball game and ac-
knowledged, “It’s kind of nice
for kids to see a reflection of
themselves.”

JOHN PATTERSON: 1921-2021

Ex-governor sought to slow desegregation Lane, Robert Virgadamo, Carrie

By Kim Chandler
A S S OC I AT E D PRE SS
Former Alabama Gov.
John Patterson, who en-
tered politics as a reformer
after his father’s assassina-
tion but was criticized for
failing to protect the Free-
dom Riders from angry
white mobs, has died. He
was 99.
He died Friday, his
daughter, Barbara Pat-
terson Scholl, confirmed.
She said funeral arrange-
ments are pending.
“He died very peacefully
at home. His family and
friends were with him,” she
said.
Patterson’s involvement
with state government
spanned a half century,
beginning with his election
as attorney general at 33
after violence in Phenix
City, and later as a judge.
A segregationist as gover-
nor, he drew criticism
when Freedom Riders
were attacked while in
Alabama and Patterson did
nothing to protect them.
He later voiced regret for
what happened. He ended
his political career more
serenely on the Court of
Criminal Appeals, where
he continued to write opin-
ions into his 80s.
Patterson also was in-
volved in the disastrous
Bay of Pigs invasion, help-
ing the CIA get Alabama Air
National Guard members
to train Cuban exiles. Some
Alabama pilots died when
the 1961 invasion of Cuba
failed.
Patterson was born on
his grandparents’ farm in
the tiny Tallapoosa County
community of Goldville,
but finished high school in
Phenix City, where his
father, Albert Patterson,
was a lawyer. After serving
on Gen. Dwight Eisenhow-
er’s staff during World War
II, Patterson returned
home, got his law degree
from the University of
Alabama and went into
practice with his father.
Albert Patterson ran for
attorney general in 1954 on
a platform of cleaning up
the vice and illegal gam-
bling that had turned his
town into “Sin City, U.S.A.”
He won the Democratic
nomination to be the
state’s top prosecutor, but
was gunned down in Phe-
nix City on June 18.
Democratic Party offi-
cials pressured his son to
run for attorney general in
Former Alabama Gov. John Patterson was criticized
for failing to protect the Freedom Riders from angry
white mobs in 1961.
his place. He did and won.
In a 2003 interview,
Patterson told The Associ-
ated Press he had no in-
terest in politics until his
father’s death.
“If he hadn’t been killed,
I never would have run for
public office. Nobody
would have ever heard of
me outside legal circles,”
Patterson said.
As attorney general,
Patterson kept his father’s
campaign promise to clean
up Phenix City. He also
fought civil rights groups in
court. In one case, he got a
restraining order to keep
the NAACP from operating
in Alabama. The restrain-
ing order remained until
1964, when it was lifted by
the U.S. Supreme Court.
Patterson ran for gover-
nor in 1958, beating Wal-
lace in a Democratic prima-
ry that focused largely on
Patterson’s pro-segregation
stand.
Patterson was the only
person to beat Wallace in
an Alabama election.
Four years later, Wallace
successfully claimed the
segregationist banner to
begin his dynasty.
During Patterson’s term,
Alabama launched a $100
million school building
program, increased old age
pensions, returned the
State Docks to profitability,
and enacted a small loan
law to curb loan sharks.
But his term also saw
attacks on the Freedom
Riders who were seeking to
integrate bus waiting
rooms and lunch counters.
Patterson said later he
mistakenly trusted police
in Birmingham and Mont-
gomery to protect the
Freedom Riders, but they
didn’t.
“I regret it, and it was
Horace Cort / Associated Press
bad for my administration,”
Patterson said in 2003.
Patterson said he knew
segregation couldn’t be
maintained under the
Constitution, but he want-
ed to delay its end. He said
he felt Alabamians would
accept integration without
violence if change occurred
slowly.
Exactly 50 years after
the Freedom Riders were
beaten by a white mob in
Montgomery, Patterson
welcomed 10 of them back
to Montgomery on May 20,
2011, for the dedication of a
museum honoring them.
“It took a lot of nerve
and guts to do what they
did,” Patterson said.
During Patterson’s term
as governor, the CIA began
planning for Cuban exiles
to invade Cuba and try to
overthrow Fidel Castro. A
CIA agent approached
Patterson about getting
members of the Alabama
Air National Guard to help
train the exiles. Patterson
agreed after the agent
assured him that President
Eisenhower had approved
the plan.
About 300 Alabamians
helped train Cuban exiles
for the Bay of Pigs invasion,
which was not carried out
until President John Kenne-
dy replaced Eisenhower in
the White House in 1961. On
the third day of the in-
vasion, as it was failing,
Alabama pilots flew the last
bombing mission, and four
died.
Kennedy initially denied
any U.S. involvement in the
invasion, which was a
shock to Patterson, who
knew differently.
Years later, Patterson
disclosed that he had
tipped off Kennedy about
the invasion plans shortly
before the November 1960
presidential election. Pat-
terson, a Kennedy support-
er, flew to New York to tell
Kennedy out of concern
that the Eisenhower admin-
istration would carry out
the invasion just before the
presidential election to
boost Vice President Rich-
ard Nixon’s chances of
beating Kennedy.
Patterson couldn’t seek a
second term in 1962 be-
cause Alabama law then
prohibited consecutive
terms. He tried a comeback
in 1966, but lost to Wallac-
e’s wife, Lurleen. He also
ran unsuccessfully for chief
justice of the Alabama
Supreme Court in 1972.
Patterson, who had been
friends with Wallace before
their bitter 1958 race, even-
tually renewed the friend-
ship and helped Wallace in
his later campaigns for
president and governor. In
1984, Wallace appointed
Patterson to a vacancy on
the Alabama Court of Crim-
inal Appeals.
He won election to a full
six-year term later that year
and was re-elected in 1990.
In January 1997, he had to
retire because the state
constitution prohibits judg-
es from running for anoth-
er term after reaching 70.
Still, Patterson contin-
ued to work for the court
by helping write opinions
because he said he enjoyed
being a judge more than
any office he held.
ROBERT ALAN “BOB” LANE
1948-2021
Robert Alan “Bob” Lane,
73, of Houston, Texas, passed
away May 31, 2021. Born in
Chicago, Illinois, he gradu-
ated with honors from Lane
Tech College Prep and then
enlisted in the Air Force.
After promotion to Sergeant
during his four years on active
duty, Bob was honorably
discharged and began civilian
life in San Antonio. He then
moved to Houston where he
spent 32 years working for
Gulf States Toyota.
Alongside a friend, Bob
founded the Bar-Ditch Cook-
ers BBQ team, competing
across the state and serving
as Head Cook. They won
multiple awards including the
HLSR BBQ 2nd place Ribs.
He made lifelong friends in
CARRIE VIRGADAMO
1934-2021
Carrie Marie Gullo
Virgadamo, 87, devoted wife,
mother, grandmother and
great-grandmother went to be
with the Lord on Thursday,
June 3, 2021. Carrie was born
on January 6, 1934 in Bryan,
TX to Louis and Mary Gullo.
She is a graduate of Reagan
High School. Carrie worked
in banking, was a loving
homemaker and caretaker
for her four grandchildren.
She also enjoyed helping her
husband manage their rental
properties. Carrie was a de-
vout Catholic and a member
of St. Ignatius Loyola Catholic
Church. Carrie is survived by
her daughter, Linda Thrower
(John); grandchildren,
Katherine Bonds (Jonathan),
Elizabeth Peltier (Jacob),
Joe Thrower (Kaitlin), and
Kristianne Culver (Josh);
great-grandsons, Jackson
and Brady Bonds, Hayes and
Wyatt Peltier; and her son-in-
law Mark Walicki.
She was welcomed into
heaven by her beloved
husband of 58 years, Joseph
Virgadamo and daughter,
Marietta Walicki; along with
parents - Louis and Mary
Gullo and sister, Josephene
his time at GST and Bar-
Ditch.
Bob is survived by his wife,
Dora; children Robbin (Paul)
Foster, Allison (Andrew) Fox,
Robert D. (Audrey) Lane;
stepchildren Greg (Maria)
Long, Ginger (Anthony)
Slaughter; 9 grandchildren;
13 great-grandchildren; sister
Barb Duda; brother Rich (Ev-
elyn) Lane; and many nieces,
nephews and cousins. Bob
was preceded in death by his
parents Robert W. Lane and
Grace C. Coorens, and sister
Maggie Henneberry.
A celebration of Bob’s
life will be held at 4pm on
Thursday, June 10, 2021
at Rosehill Beer Garden in
Cypress, Texas.
Lester. Carrie was a devoted
aunt, cousin, and friend to
many.
Visitation will be Tuesday
June 8, 2021 from 5pm-8pm
with Rosary/Vigil 7pm at
Klein Funeral Home at 16131
Champion Forest Dr., Spring,
TX 77379. Funeral Mass
will be at 11am Wednesday,
June 9, 2021 at St. Ignatius
Loyola Catholic Church, 7810
Cypresswood Dr., Spring, TX
77379. Burial will follow at
St. Joseph Cemetery, 8022
Airline Dr., Houston, TX
77037.
 OPINION
HOUSTON CHRONICLE • MONDAY, JUNE 7, 2021 • PAGE A13 HH

EDITORIAL

Straight talk on the voting rights debate

We answer readers’ questions directly to try
to get to the heart of this important issue.
One person’s “election integrity” is still
another person’s “voter suppression” —
even after all the ink spilled in these pages
to clarify the difference.
Today, we try a different format to sup-
plement our editorials on voting: a
straightforward Q&A that strives to answer
lingering questions with plainspoken an-
swers. Many queries are inspired by our
readers.
This is not a finite document. We will
add more questions and answers to this
editorial online as the voting rights debate
continues. Submit queries to view-
points@chron.com, with the subject line
“Voting Question.” We will do our best to
General Ken Paxton, whose political career
hinges on support from President Trump,
who wants very much to find voter fraud —
whether real or perceived. Paxton even
doubled the number of hours his taxpayer-
funded staff has spent looking — alas, with
only piddling results. We’d also venture to
say that if there were real, serious fraud
going on, the first folks to find it would be
the candidates themselves, who monitor
their own elections, just itching to report
anything amiss so they can demand in-
vestigations and recounts.
Q: Surely, there’s some reason Gov.
Greg Abbott declared election integrity
an “emergency” in the 2021 session.
Texas’ overtly racist voter suppression
laws until the moles were sufficiently
whacked out. But that hasn’t stopped
Texas and other states from trying in more
subtle ways that appear neutral. Law-
makers last session tried to ban drive-thru
and 24-hour voting, methods popular with
minority voters. They proposed restricting
the distribution of polling places and vot-
ing machines in counties such as Harris,
which are Democratic strongholds with
many minority voters. They tried to ban
early voting on Sundays until 1 p.m., which
critics said directly targeted Black church-
goers who participate in Souls to the Polls.
Q: Are you saying every Republican
LETTERS
lawmaker who voted for SB7 was rac-
ist?
A: We can’t see into their souls. Is it
racist to vote for a policy that is likely to
hurt a particular racial group? It certainly
isn’t anti-racist. The main goal, though,
seems to be blocking Democrats from
voting, any Democrats. Most “election
fraud” warriors are likely equal opportuni-
ty oppressors. They’d just as soon pass a
bill — and they have — that makes it harder
for a white liberal college student to vote
as one that stymies a Black single mom
working nights. We’d bet most would also
offer that mom a ride to the polls — if she
intended to vote Republican.

State’s grid still isn’t fixed

answer and some will be selected for pub-
lication.
Q: Why is it racist to require a photo
ID to vote? You need an ID to do any-
thing — to drive, to board an airplane.
A: Driving and boarding an airplane are
not fundamental rights enshrined by the
Constitution. There should be as few barri-
ers to voting as possible. Voter ID has been
Texas law since 2018. One reason it was
contested in courts for years is because,
unlike other states, Texas made no effort
to accommodate people who’d have a hard
time getting a driver license or other ID:
the elderly and disabled who don’t drive,
or voters who can’t afford an ID. One more
thing: The kind of fraud that voter ID laws
ostensibly target – voter impersonation – is
virtually nonexistent.
Q: Why would anybody oppose leg-
islation to securing our elections?
A: When we meet someone who oppos-
es secure elections, we’ll let you know.
Everyone wants fraud-free elections we
can trust. And in Texas, that’s what we
have. While ballot access isn’t as free as it
should be, the elections themselves are
secure. The Texas Secretary of State, ap-
pointed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott,
declared the November election in Texas
“safe and secure.” In 15 years of looking for
election fraud among the 94 million votes
cast in Texas elections since 2005, only 174
people ended up prosecuted for it —
.000185 percent of total votes cast.
Q: One case is too much. Just how
much fraud do you think is acceptable?
A: None. No fraud is acceptable. That’s
why we have laws to prevent it or to catch
it and prosecute it — even the minor of-
fenses that make up the bulk of those 174
Texas prosecutions. None, by the way,
were the criminal masterminds we’re told
to fear at the polls. The 33 people who
actually got jail time included felons who
voted before they were eligible, people
who filled out another person’s absentee
ballot, small town politicians falsely regis-
tering voters, and the harshest sentence,
eight years, went to a legal resident from
Mexico who says she didn’t know she
wasn’t eligible to vote when she cast two
votes for Republicans.
Q: You don’t find what you don’t
look for.
A: We’d venture to say that nobody has
looked harder for voter fraud than the
officials here in Texas, including Attorney
A: Election integrity is indeed an emer-
gency — if you’re a Republican lawmaker
who has been priming your political base
for 20 years to believe in widespread voter
fraud. GOP primary voters believed the
hype, and President Trump turned it into
a national crisis. Now GOP voters want
action — or else.
Q: You expect me to believe that in
court cases, and in legislative debates,
the state of Texas and Republican lead-
ers are just lying about voter fraud?
A: Yes. To be fair, though, Texas has
been using the excuse of “voter fraud” for
more than 100 years, ever since it banned
former slaves and Mexican Americans
from voting — and back then it was Demo-
crats discriminating. Just name a voter
suppression tactic and Texas has used it —
poll taxes, literacy tests, all-white prima-
ries — all of them justified by protecting
election integrity. The underhandedness
continues today: A federal judge deter-
mined this year that Texas has for years
been violating the 1993 “Motor Voter” law
that required states to allow driver’s li-
cense applicants to register to vote. Texas’
extensive history of voter suppression is
the reason we should be wary of any bill
restricting voter rights.
Q: What do Republicans have to gain
from lying about voter fraud?
A: The voter fraud narrative is a life raft
for the GOP. Long before Trump, the party
saw the country growing younger and
more diverse and — recognizing that those
groups tend to vote Democratic — some
Republicans wanted to broaden the party’s
appeal while others chose a war of attri-
tion at the ballot box. A few Republicans
have admitted it. In March, Justice Amy
Coney Barrett asked a lawyer for the Arizo-
na Republican Party, Michael Carvin, why
the GOP had an interest in defending the
state’s voting restrictions. Carvin did not
argue fraud or integrity. “Because it puts
us at a competitive disadvantage relative to
Democrats. Politics is a zero sum game,”
he said in oral arguments. Every extra vote
Democrats got by expanding access to the
polls “is the difference between winning
an election 50 to 49 and losing 51 to 50.”
Q: Texas can’t just ban Black people
from the polls anymore. How are to-
day’s Republicans really “blocking
access” or taking away voting rights?
A: It’s true, fortunately, that through the
years, federal courts blocked and banned
Call for accountability article caught my attention. It recalled
the days when my high-school-aged
Regarding “Failure to lead: Legislature
daughter, raised in the United Methodist
in a nutshell,” (A12, June 3): It has been
Church, was seriously considering or-
over two months after the collapse of the
dained ministry. In college, she fell in
Texas electric grid, which left millions
with a Southern Baptist Church and
freezing in the dark and may have killed
abandoned her dream of becoming a
almost 200 Texans, yet we have very few
church leader. In my recent effort to
answers about what happened or how to
write a book about Christianity, I re-
keep it from happening again. In the
searched the basis for women being
aftermath of the storm, our state leaders
excluded from church leadership. The
promised this session would not end
exclusion of women from church leader-
without this problem being fixed. That
ship based on their role in the fall re-
has not happened. Billions over the nor-
quires a biased reading of the biblical
mal costs were billed as ERCOT broke its
text (Genesis 3). It also ignores the first
own rules, yet no investigation occurred
creation story (Genesis 1) in which men
as to why. Worse, as we head into sum-
and women were both created in God’s
mer, the North American Electric Reli-
image. It ignores Paul’s assertion that in
ability Corporation has warned that
Christ there is neither male nor female
Texas may experience yet another ener-
(Galatians 3:28).
gy shortfall. Texans deserve an indepen-
Secularly, women have led scores of
dent investigation into what happened
major nations around the world, except
during Winter Storm Uri and what can
of course, the United States. Any as-
be done to prevent another devastating
sertion that women lack the talent to
blackout. Texans who wish to hold our
lead is nonsense. The unique experienc-
leaders accountable should join our
es of women compared to men should
petition demanding such an investiga-
never be excluded from being heard
tion.
from the pulpit. I would encourage wom-
William King, Houston
en of the Southern Baptist Convention to
stand strong against the misogyny in
Women in leadership their church. If that fails, then we of the
Regarding “SBC will test women’s fight United Methodist Church would welcome
to be ordained,” (A13, June 3): I am a them as leaders in our churches.
committed Christian, so Susan M. Shaw’s John T. James, Houston
Jon Shapley / Staff photographer
Houston police officers Kenneth Bigger, center, and Aaron Day hand out
blankets to those on the street during the winter storm Feb. 16.

You may live a lot longer
David Brooks says scientists are
‘on the verge of a breakthrough’ into
extending Americans’ longevity
beyond the limits we know today.
Phil Mickelson just won the PGA Cham-
pionship at age 50. Tom Brady won the
Super Bowl at 43. Serena Williams is a top
tennis star at 39. Joe Biden entered the
presidency at 78. Last year Bob Dylan
released an excellent album at 79.
Clearly, we’re all learning to adjust our
conception of age. People are living lon-
ger, staying healthier longer and accom-
plishing things late in life that once
seemed possible only at younger ages.
And it’s not just superstars. The fraction
of over-85s in the U.S. classified as disa-
bled dropped by a third between 1982 and
2005, while the share who were institu-
tionalized fell by nearly half.
Researchers distinguish between “chro-
nological age” — how old the calendar
says you are — and “biological age” — how
old your body seems based on measure-
ments of organ functioning and other
markers. It turns out people vary a lot. In
a study of more than 1,000 New Zealand-
ers, the slowest-aging participant aged
only 0.40 biological years for every chro-
nological year, while the fastest aged 2.44
biological years per calendar year. A lot of
this is influenced by genetics, environ-
ment and lifestyle.
As a whole, Americans seem to be
aging more slowly than before. Eileen M.
Crimmins of the University of Southern
California and Morgan E. Levine of Yale
compared how men 60 to 79 years old
aged in 1988 to 1994 and in 2007 to 2010.
They found that in those later years, the
men they studied had a biological age four
years less than the men in the earlier
years, in part because of improvements in
lifestyle and medications. This suggests
that not only are people living longer,
they’re also staying healthier longer.
On one level, greater health and longev-
ity is an old story. In 1900, life expectancy
in the U.S. was about 47 years and now it’s
about 78. But we may also be on the cusp
of something new.
Over the course of the 20th century, we
primarily aided longevity by tackling
disease. In the first half of the century,
vaccines and other innovations prevented
people from dying young of communica-
ble diseases. In the second half, improve-
ments in lifestyle and other medical
breakthroughs prevented many people
from dying in middle age of things like
heart attacks and cancer.
But while these improvements have
made it more likely that people will live to
be 65, after that, aging itself takes an inex-
orable toll. Even if you beat lung cancer or
survive a heart attack, your body’s deteri-
oration will finish you off before too long.
The average 80-year-old suffers from
around five diseases.
That’s why even if we could totally cure
cancer, it would add less than three years
to average life expectancy. A total cure for
heart disease would give us at best two
extra years.
To keep the longevity train rolling it
more and more “senescent” cells, which
secrete inflammatory molecules that can
effectively accelerate aging. In 2011, re-
may not be enough to cure diseases. We searchers removed these cells from mice
may also need to address the underlying
condition of aging itself, which is, after all,
and extended their life spans. Clinical
trials on people began in 2018.
the primary risk factor for late-life decline.
S. Jay Olshansky, a professor of epide-
An era of slow aging could present
some real challenges. There are already
miology and biostatistics at the University
of Illinois Chicago, has helped define
vast health inequalities. A 25-year-old
white man with fewer than 12 years of
aging as “the accumulation of random education has a 61 percent chance of mak-
damage to the building blocks of life — ing it to 65. A 25-year-old white man with
especially to DNA, certain proteins, carbo- 16 years or more of schooling has a 91
hydrates and lipids (fats) — that begins percent chance.
early in life and eventually exceeds the Yet despite the disparities, it’s likely that
body’s self-repair capabilities.” all Americans could be living longer,
The question becomes: Can we in- healthier lives. I imagine an 80-year-old
tervene to slow the aging process? This bounding from bed, biking in the morning
week Olshansky emailed me: “While there and playing softball in the afternoon.
are no documented interventions that We’re all on borrowed time. More time
have been proven safe and effective in is more life, and more of it will be sweet.
slowing aging in humans today, we are on
the verge of a breakthrough.” Brooks is a columnist for the New York
That’s a view shared by Andrew Steele, Times.
author of “Ageless: The New Science of
Getting Older Without Getting Old.” He BIBLE VERSE
describes a series of experimental in-
terventions designed to slow biological God is our refuge and strength, always
processes that are part of aging. ready to help in times of trouble.
For example, as we age, we build up Psalm 46:1
F o u n d e d 1 9 0 1 • A H e a r s t N e w s pa p e r
John C. McKeon, Publisher | john.mckeon@chron.com
Jack Sweeney, Chairman | jack.sweeney@chron.com
Steve Riley, Executive Editor | steve.riley@chron.com
Maria Reeve, Managing Editor/Content | maria.reeve@chron.com
Mark Lorando, Managing Editor/Audience | mark.lorando@chron.com
Lisa Falkenberg, VP / Editor of Opinion | lisa.falkenberg@chron.com
Michael Lindenberger, Deputy Opinion Editor | michael.lindenberger@chron.com
Send letters to the editor:
Viewpoints c/o Houston Chronicle, P.O. Box 4260, Houston, Texas 77210 or viewpoints@chron.com.
We welcome and encourage letters and emails from readers. Letters must include name, address and telephone
numbers for verification purposes only. All letters are subject to editing.
A14 | Monday, June 7, 2021 | HoustonChronicle.com | Houston Chronicle HH

WEATHER

HOUSTON’S SEVEN-DAY FORECAST | Go to AccuWeather.com COASTAL FORECAST

GALVESTON BAY: Wind from
90 92 92 93 92 91 90 the south-southeast at 8-16
78 78 76 76 76 74 74 knots today. Seas 2 feet or less.
Visibility less than 2 miles in a
TODAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY thunderstorm. Tonight: Wind
A stray thunderstorm; Clouds and sun; breezy, Humid with times of Humid with times of Humid with sunshine Humid with clouds and Some sun, a t-storm from the south-southeast at
breezy, humid humid clouds and sun clouds and sun and some clouds sun possible; humid 8-16 knots. Seas 2 feet or less.
Becoming cloudy.
METRO AREA NORTH AMERICA TODAY INTERNATIONAL MATAGORDA SHIP
CHANNEL TO HIGH ISLAND
OUTLOOK Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. Today Tue.
OUT 20 TO 50 MILES: Wind
TODAY: Breezy and humid with 110s Calgary Saskatoon Africa
Vancouver
Cairo 90/67/s 93/71/pc from the south-southeast
a thunderstorm in spots. High 100s Regina
at 10-20 knots today. Seas
87 to 92. Winds south 10-20 Seattle Winnipeg Cape Town 80/58/pc 68/50/s
90s Casablanca 81/66/pc 83/64/pc 1-3 feet. Visibility generally
mph. TONIGHT: Considerable 80s Thunder Bay Dakar 83/74/s 84/75/s unrestricted. Tonight: Wind
clouds. Low 75 to 80. Winds Portland Montreal
70s Johannesburg 57/39/pc 57/41/c from the south-southeast
south-southeast 8-16 mph. Ottawa Lagos 88/76/t 89/76/sh
60s at 8-16 knots. Seas 1-3 feet.
Minneapolis Toronto Boston Asia/Pacific Mostly cloudy.
50s Beijing 84/62/c 88/68/pc
40s Detroit Ho Chi Minh City 90/79/t 90/79/sh
AIR QUALITY 30s Hong Kong 88/80/r 88/81/t
New York Islamabad 103/82/pc 107/82/pc
Today’s forecast for the entire Chicago
20s Jakarta 91/77/pc 91/76/pc
metro area by the TCEQ:
10s San Francisco
Salt Lake City Denver Washington Karachi 95/85/pc 95/85/pc GALVESTON TIDES
0s
Kuala Lumpur 90/76/c 90/76/t Highs Feet Lows Feet
Manila 94/82/t 92/82/t
-0s New Delhi 103/87/pc 105/86/pc 5:12 a.m. 1.4 11:05 a.m. 1.1
Ozone watch -10s Los Angeles Seoul 79/64/pc 84/63/c 1:25 p.m. 1.2 9:33 p.m. -0.1
Phoenix Little Rock Shanghai 89/72/c 86/75/c
Good Unhealthy Atlanta Singapore 88/79/sh 88/79/c
T-storms
Sydney 68/53/pc 67/51/pc
RIVERS, CREEKS AND
Moderate Very unhealthy Rain Dallas
Unhealthy Hazardous Showers
El Paso Taipei 88/76/t 93/79/t BAYOUS
Tokyo 78/68/c 82/69/pc Flood Latest 24-hr.
for sensitive Snow New Orleans
Houston Canada Location stage stage chg.
groups Calgary 57/39/pc 63/45/c
Flurries Hermosillo Chihuahua
Edmonton 60/47/sh 65/51/r Brays Bayou South Main 54 18.33 -0.85
Ice Brazos River Bryan 43 20.85 -1.64
POLLEN AND MOLD Jet stream Monterrey
Miami Montreal
Toronto
92/72/c
86/70/t
89/67/c
83/68/t Hempstead 50 37.92 -3.61
Yesterday’s readings by the Vancouver 61/48/pc 63/49/pc Richmond 48 43.54 +3.73
Houston Health Department: Havana Winnipeg 79/58/pc 86/64/s Buffalo Bayou Piney Point 50 37.19 +0.86
Countpercubicmeterofair Europe Shepherd Dr. 23 8.55 +2.17
Cancún Amsterdam 71/52/pc 73/53/pc
Tree pollen None 0 Mérida
Athens 87/68/s 84/66/pc
Clear Creek Friendswood 12 2.57 -0.93
Guadalajara
Weed pollen Low 6 Anchorage Berlin 81/58/pc 80/58/pc Colorado R. Austin 29 13.69 -0.38
Mexico City Copenhagen 68/54/pc 68/54/pc Bastrop 25 6.70 -8.50
Grass pollen Low 4 Veracruz
Mold spores Medium 10941 Forecasts and
Dublin 66/51/c 67/55/c La Grange 32 19.08 +1.51
Honolulu Acapulco Villahermosa Frankfurt 70/60/sh 72/58/t Columbus 34 25.23 +6.84
Belmopan graphics provided by Geneva 70/59/t 73/57/t
Low Heavy Cold Warm Stationary
AccuWeather, Inc. Istanbul 76/65/c 73/62/pc Wharton 39 23.26 +0.55
front front front
Medium Extremely heavy ©2021 London 72/52/sh 73/54/s Bay City 44 18.62 -1.43
Madrid 90/60/s 94/62/s Greens Bayou Eastex Fwy. 61 40.65 -2.37
Note: No measurements on weekends; Moscow 73/57/pc 73/59/sh
charts in Sunday and Monday papers reflect
Guadalupe R. Hunt 12 7.98 -0.05
forecast ratings from the previous Friday. FOR THE RECORD TEXAS NATIONAL cont. Paris
Prague
76/56/pc
77/56/pc
78/58/pc
77/56/pc
Comfort 26 3.86 -0.11
George Bush Intercontinental Today Tue. Today Tue. Rome 76/61/t 75/60/t Spring Branch 36 3.94 +0.01
Airport through 3 p.m. yest. Abilene 90/74/c 96/75/pc Cleveland 83/69/t 82/69/t Stockholm 77/56/pc 72/52/pc New Braunfels 13 9.94 none
COMFORT INDEX Amarillo 89/67/t 96/67/t Columbus 82/69/t 83/69/t Vienna 79/57/sh 80/60/pc Gonzales 31 16.79 +0.52
The comfort index takes into
Temperature Degrees F Austin 90/76/t 91/75/pc Denver 89/58/pc 93/58/pc Warsaw 77/54/pc 79/57/c Cuero 20 19.91 +0.78
account how the weather will High 89 Beaumont 87/78/t 87/77/t Des Moines 87/68/pc 87/69/pc Zurich 64/58/t 69/57/t
Low 71 Brownsville 93/80/pc 93/80/pc Detroit 81/70/t 83/69/t Victoria 21 24.87 -1.88
feel based on a combination of Latin America
Bryan/College St. 90/79/t 92/78/c Duluth 87/62/pc 81/58/t Dupont 20 26.58 +1.23
factors. A rating of 10 feels very Normal high 91 Bogota 66/50/t 66/50/t
comfortable while a rating of 0
Corpus Christi 90/79/pc 91/79/pc Fairbanks 78/50/pc 62/51/c Buenos Aires 58/55/c 61/58/s Little River Little River 30 12.85 +7.32
Normal low 72 Dallas/Ft. Worth 81/74/t 89/75/t Great Falls 71/47/pc 72/50/c Cameron 30 11.34 -0.06
feels very uncomfortable. Caracas 83/75/t 82/75/t
Record high 105 in 2011 El Paso 98/73/s 98/71/pc Hartford 95/71/s 88/69/t Havana 90/72/t 90/72/t Navasota R. Easterly 19 21.20 -1.07
Today Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. Record low 57 in 1970 Galveston 87/81/t 88/81/pc Honolulu 87/75/pc 86/74/pc Kingston 89/78/t 89/79/t
Kingsville 93/79/pc 93/80/pc Indianapolis 79/69/t 78/68/t Neches River Evadale 19 18.95 -0.08
4 5 5 5 5 5 Precipitation Inches Lima 67/62/s 67/62/s
Pine Island B. Sour Lake 25 19.78 +0.03
Laredo 104/78/pc 104/77/pc Jackson, MS 86/74/t 87/75/t Rio de Janeiro 79/70/pc 80/71/s
24 hours through 3 p.m. yest. 0.24 Longview 83/74/t 89/75/t Juneau 62/44/pc 62/46/s San Juan 86/76/t 84/75/t Sabine River Bon Wier 30 30.96 -0.16
UV TODAY Month to date 5.30 Lubbock 93/66/t 101/71/pc Kansas City 85/68/t 88/70/t San Salvador 86/69/t 85/69/t Deweyville 24 25.33 -0.13
McAllen 96/79/pc 96/79/s Las Vegas 96/70/pc 93/70/s
Values indicate the exposure to Normal month to date 1.06 Midland/Odessa 99/71/c 104/74/s Little Rock 81/69/t 81/71/t
Santiago 70/42/pc 70/44/c Orange 4 2.74 +0.19
the sun’s Ultraviolet rays. Sao Paulo 73/62/c 69/59/t Burkeville 43 31.52 +0.07
Year to date 24.56 San Angelo 96/74/c 99/75/t Los Angeles 70/59/pc 72/58/pc St. Thomas 86/78/t 85/78/t
8 a.m. 10 a.m. Noon 2 p.m. 4 p.m. 6 p.m. Normal year to date 19.45 San Antonio 92/76/t 92/76/pc Memphis 83/72/t 81/72/t San Bernard R. E. Bernard 17 17.38 -1.04
Texarkana 81/74/t 85/75/t Miami 88/79/pc 88/78/pc Mexico E. San. Jac. R. Cleveland 19 8.91 -1.60
1 1 3 4 3 1 Other readings Acapulco 90/77/t 89/79/t
Victoria 90/79/pc 91/78/pc Milwaukee 84/69/t 80/63/t W. San. Jac. R. Conroe 116 100.47 -1.01
Waco 87/75/t 92/76/pc Minneapolis 94/74/pc 93/73/pc Cancun 90/80/pc 89/79/pc
0-2, Low 8-10, Very high Top wind speed 14 mph Guadalajara 89/61/t 93/64/t San Jacinto R. Sheldon 10 2.86 -0.21
Nashville 82/71/t 82/70/t
3-5, Moderate 11+, Extreme High barometer 29.87 in. Guanajuato 84/58/t 85/57/t Sims Bayou Telephone Rd. 30 2.21 -0.52
Low barometer 29.78 in. NATIONAL New Orleans
New York City
90/79/t
89/72/s
90/78/t
86/72/t Mazatlan 90/75/s 90/78/s Trinity River Goodrich 36 28.18 +0.17
6-7, High Today Tue. Merida 99/78/pc 97/76/pc
High dewpoint 75° Oklahoma City 82/68/t 83/72/t
Mexico City 77/57/t 74/59/t Liberty 26 28.12 -0.07
Low dewpoint 69° Albany, NY 91/69/s 84/68/t Orlando 91/74/pc 90/72/pc
Puerto Vallarta 89/70/pc 88/73/s Village Creek Kountze 20 11.92 +2.16
SUN AND MOON Average dewpoint 71°
Albuquerque 91/63/s 90/61/pc Philadelphia 92/74/s 87/72/t
Tampico 90/80/s 91/81/t White Oak B. Heights Blvd. 48 10.29 -0.44
Anchorage 58/50/pc 55/48/r Phoenix 101/74/s 99/75/s
New First Full Last Veracruz 93/80/t 92/79/pc
moon quarter moon quarter High humidity 97% Atlanta 78/69/t 83/70/t Pittsburgh 84/68/t 82/68/t
Low humidity 56% Baltimore 94/72/t 87/71/t Portland, OR 65/48/pc 67/49/pc Middle East TEXAS LAKES
Billings 80/57/s 80/55/t Sacramento 80/51/s 75/49/s Baghdad 104/74/pc 105/75/pc
Birmingham 81/72/t 84/71/t St. Louis 84/71/t 82/71/t Beirut 80/69/s 80/70/s Full Latest Release
Boise 80/52/pc 81/54/pc Salt Lake City 93/70/pc 90/67/s Dubai 108/89/s 103/86/s pool level cfs
June 10 June 17 June 24 July 1 KEY TO CONDITIONS Boston 93/73/s 89/71/t San Diego 66/61/pc 69/61/pc Jerusalem 77/63/s 76/64/s Canyon Dam 909 905.45 102
s-sunny r-rain Buffalo 83/69/t 81/67/t San Francisco 65/53/s 65/53/s Kabul 98/68/s 99/67/s Conroe 201 201.48 1596
Sunset tonight 8:21 p.m. pc-partly cloudy sf-snow flurries Charleston, SC 85/72/t 84/71/pc Santa Fe 89/53/pc 89/53/pc Mecca 108/80/s 108/83/pc
Sunrise Tuesday 6:20 a.m. c-cloudy sn-snow Charlotte 82/69/t 82/69/t Seattle 63/49/pc 66/49/pc Riyadh 115/84/s 112/83/s Houston 41.73 42.59 N.A.
Moonrise today 4:34 a.m. sh-showers i-ice Chicago 83/70/t 84/69/t Tucson 100/67/s 98/67/pc Tehran 95/73/s 93/77/s Lake Travis 681 665.36 0
Moonset today 6:07 p.m. t-thunderstorms Cincinnati 79/69/t 80/68/t Washington, DC 91/75/t 87/73/t Tel Aviv 79/71/s 79/73/s Livingston 131 131.80 N.A.
TEXAS
Monday, June 7, 2021

INC HOUSTON’S
B US IN ESS
I N SI D ER

Legal
Zoom
LEXITAS CEO GARY
BUCKLAND’S BRIEF HAS
BEEN TO GROW THROUGH
ACQUISITIONS

TOMLINSON PANDEMIC TAUGHT ONE FOOD SUPPLIER THE VALUE OF PREPARATION

REAL ESTATE A LOOK AT THE FORECLOSURE AUCTION FRENZY
 TEXASINC.

PHOTO REPORT

Foreclosure auctions resume

A
fter more than a year in which only one foreclosure auction was held in Harris County, the
process restarted last week. Citing health concerns, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo had
been quietly postponing real estate foreclosures through executive orders, shutting down
the facility where those auctions are held and providing relief to struggling homeowners.
As the pandemic has begun to abate, the loosening of restrictions has restarted and hun-
dreds of properties were listed to be auctioned off on June 2, including many homes being foreclosed on
by homeowners associations, which were not impacted by foreclosure moratoriums, as well as commer-
cial properties.
The event drew bidders to a pavilion at the Bayou City Event Center, where they clustered around
auctioneers, trying to hear over the din which addresses were going for what price.

Courtesy
At Tuesday’s auction, 467 properties were
for scheduled for sale, according to
Foreclosure Listing Service.

Godofredo A. Vásquez / Staff photographer

Bidding was fierce at the foreclosure
auction, which included residential and
commercial properties.

Godofredo A. Vásquez / Staff photographer

Godofredo A. Vásquez / Staff photographer Crowds gathered at the bidding event,
Auctioneer Carl Meyers, right, asks for incoming bids during a Harris County foreclosure hoping to catch a real estate deal or learn
auction at the Bayou City Event Center on Tuesday, the first since closing due to the pandemic. the fate of a property they called home.

B2 | Monday, June 7, 2021 | TEXAS INC. | TexasInc.com

 TEXASINC.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT STAFF

Rob Gavin,
Contents
Business editor
rob.gavin@chron.com 4
Jonathan Diamond, R E A L E S TAT E
Deputy business editor Supercharged market not likely to cool off
Jonathan.diamond
@chron.com anytime soon.

Brian Rausch,
Assistant business editor
brian.rausch@chron.com
6
Susan Barber,
TOMLINSON
Creative director Food wholesaler has shined in pandemic,
susan.barber@chron.com columnist Chris Tomlinson writes.
Becca Carballo,
Business reporter
becca.carballo@chron.com 8
Amanda Drane ON A ROLL
Retail reporter Legal services firm Lexitas grows quickly by
amanda.drane@chron.com buying up competitors.
Marcy de Luna

11
Business reporter
Marcy.deLuna@chron.com
REAL ESTATE TEXAS INC. Katherine Feser, C O M M E N TA R Y
Real estate reporter
Texas economy approaches normal as COVID-19
COMMUNITY PATIENT MONEY katherine.feser@chron.com
crisis recedes.
FIRST Larry Lawson, a former rocker,
has parlayed his interest in health
James Osborne,
Energy reporter
A Third Ward property owner is james.osborne@chron.com ON THE COVER
care investing into some big pay-
saying no to townhomes. Lexitas CEO Gary Buckland has helmed a buying
days. R.A. Schuetz,
HoustonChronicle spree of 14 companies since 2019. Photo by Gary
HoustonChronicle Business reporter
.com/thirdwardunion Fountain / Contributor.
.com/texasinc rebecca.schuetz@chron.com

Paul Takahashi,
Energy reporter
S TAY I N T O U C H
paul.takahashi@chron.com Get Texas business news updates each weekday
WINNERS & LOSERS
via email. Sign up for the Texas Inc. newsletter at
Gwendolyn Wu,
Business reporter HoustonChronicle.com/TexasInc
gwendolyn.wu@chron.com
REPRINTS
Shelby Webb,
Business reporter To order single, glossy page reprints, contact us
shelby.webb@chron.com at: reprints@chron.com. Provide the total
Chris Tomlinson, number of reprints being requested for a quote.
Columnist
chris.tomlinson@chron.com NEXT WEEK
Ken Ellis,
Designer
ken.ellis@chron.com
Gladys Ramirez, LyondellBasell
Designer CEO Bob Patel,
Winners Winner gladys.ramirez@chron.com who joined the
company in
EXXON ACTIVISTS WEATHERFORD
Nadya Shakoor, 2015, talks about
Engine No. 1 placed three directors Weatherford last week returned to Designer the coming third
rosie.hassan@chron.com chapter of his
— a quarter — on Exxon’s board, the Nasdaq stock market, another tenure: the
candidates promising to change the sign that the oil field services giant is Jeni Heard, embrace of
company’s climate policies. rebounding from the worst oil bust in Director, sustainability.
decades. Market Development
jeni.heard@chron.com

TexasInc.com | TEXAS INC. | Monday, June 7, 2021 | B3


Supercharged housing market likely to persist
By Katherine Feser
STA F F WRIT E R
Houston’s residential real
estate dynamic — rising homes
prices, a low inventory of hous-
es for sale and strong demand —
is reflected in markets across
the U.S. And the picture may
not change anytime soon.
Home prices rose by double-
digits nationally for the third
straight month in April, jumping
13 percent compared with April
2020, according to CoreLogic, a
real estate information firm.
Low interest rates, which
have enabled shoppers to buy
more — or more expensive —
houses, are driving prices to
new highs and further tighten-
ing the market. At the same
time, there are signs that aging
baby boomers who might have
considered downsizing or relo-
cating are opting to stay on the
sidelines.
“As older homeowners be-
come more comfortable with
listing their homes, they are
faced with the reality that if
they sell, they may get a smaller
home for the same price as
what they already have,” Core-
Logic CEO Frank Martell said in
a report. “Rather than decreas-
ing their financial burden and
cashing out equity to support
their retirement, baby boomers
may choose to stay put — which
could exacerbate inventory
challenges.”
In a survey, CoreLogic found
that 72 percent of baby boomers
listed the desire for a new loca-
tion as the main reason for
wanting to buy a new home. But
if baby boomers, who own 54
percent of the nation’s housing
stock, wait to sell, the supply of
move-up houses desired by
B4 | Monday, June 7, 2021 | TEXAS INC. | TexasInc.com
Home prices rose by 13 percent nationally for April compared to April 2020, according to
CoreLogic. Economists say baby boomers are staying in their homes longer.
millennials, those born between
1981 and 1996, is further con-
strained.
Both younger millennials
entering the market and older
millennials seeking to upgrade
cited the need for more space as
the top driver for buying, ac-
cording to CoreLogic.
Values are up in Houston, but
not as much as other Texas
cities, according to CoreLogic.
TEXASINC.
INSIGHT
Elaine Thompson / Associated Press file photo
Home prices rose 5.8 percent
over the year in April in Hous-
ton, compared to an increase of
18.2 percent in Austin, 11.1 per-
cent in Fort Worth, 10.6 percent
in Dallas and 9 percent in San
Antonio.
Houston buyers competing
for a slim supply of houses often
pay a premium to close the
deal. One-third of homebuyers
in April paid more than the list
price, according to the Houston
Association of Realtors. By com-
parison, in April 2020, about 1
in 10 buyers paid above the
asking price.
States with big price gains
include Idaho, up 27.2 percent
over the year in April, and Ari-
zona, up 20.4 percent, accord-
ing to CoreLogic.
Sales of homes at the higher
end of the market are surging
across the country as richer
Americans with the ability to
work from home saw their
wealth rise during the pandem-
ic.
Purchases of high-end homes
jumped 26 percent year over
year in the three months ended
April 30, compared to a 15 per-
cent increase for mid-priced
homes, according to Redfin, a
residential brokerage.
“So far, the economic recov-
ery from the pandemic has
disproportionately benefited
Americans with bigger bank
accounts,” Redfin chief econo-
mist Daryl Fairweather said in a
report. “This means a lot of the
demand for homes is coming
from folks who are well-off,
while many lower-income Amer-
icans sit on the sidelines be-
cause they’ve been priced out of
the housing market due to surg-
ing prices.”
High-end home sales in Hous-
ton rose 43 percent during the
period, versus a 17 percent in-
crease for mid-priced homes,
according to Redfin.
Prices of high-end homes
rose the most in Austin at 24.1
percent, followed by San Diego
at 18 percent and Miami at 17.7
percent, according to Redfin.
The inventory problem is
expected to persist.
“Baby boomers are staying in
their homes longer, slowing the
pace with which existing homes
come on the for-sale market,”
CoreLogic chief economist
Frank Nothaft said. “Owner
occupants today have been in
their homes for a median of 13
years, about 50 percent longer
than the previous generation.”
katherine.feser@chron.com
twitter.com/kfeser
 TEXASINC.

BIZ FEED
Aztec Events, Shaffer Sports sold
after restructuring
Aztec Events & Tents the largest COVID-19 test- ced microchip shortage. the year. Convertibles the population in Texas San Antonio and Houston,
and Shaffer Sports, col- ing and vaccination sites Local buyers paid an went up the next most at is fully vaccinated, trend- which will serve as the
lectively known as Aztec/ in the region. average of 14.6 percent, 25.1 percent ($6,038), ing below the national headquarters of Haztech
Shaffer LLC, has been Shaffer provides hospi- or $3,579, more for a followed by coupes, average of 42 percent, USA LLC.
sold to a consortium of tality structures and tents used car in Houston which rose 22.2 percent according to the Centers Haztech’s services in-
bidders led by Arena to the PGA Tour and other compared to April 2020, ($6,673). for Disease Control and clude on-site doctors,
Events Group plc, a glob- sporting events. according to a study by Prevention. nurses, and paramedics
al provider of turnkey Aztec/Shaffer filed for iSeeCars, a company that Kroger commences including remote access
event solutions, Summit Chapter 11 bankruptcy aggregates listings of Haztech opens its health centers, health and
Investment Management protection in November used cars for sale online. vaccine incentive safety programs, occupa-
LLC and affiliates of 2020. Nationally, used car Kroger will draw win- U.S. HQ in Houston tional health testing, CO-
American General Life Carl Marks Advisors prices have increased ners each week between Haztech, a Canadian VID-19 testing, firefighting -
Insurance Co. advised it through its 16.8 percent, or $3,926, now and July 10. In total, company that provides rescue and emergency
Terms of the trans- restructuring and sale. over the past 12 months. Kroger will give out five $1 medical services and services, primary health-
action were not dis- Houston used-vehicle million checks and 50 health centers, an- care, medevac, security,
closed. prices went up most for “groceries for a year” nounced its expansion safety training and return-
Used vehicle prices prizes valued at $13,000.
Aztec is a Houston- pickup trucks and sports into the United States. to-work injury manage-
based tent and event rise in Houston cars, making them the Registration is available The company will begin ment.
rental provider, provid- Used-car buyers in worst vehicles to buy online through Kroger’s offering its network
ing equipment for events Houston saw double-digit and the best ones to sell, website. health care and technical From staff and wire reports
including the Houston price increases in April as according to iSeeCars. Around 37 percent of safety services to Dallas,
Livestock Show & Rodeo. fewer people traded in The average price for a
The company has provid- their cars for new ones truck rose by $7,383, a
ed tents and services for amid the pandemic-indu- 25.3 percent gain over

Melissa Phillip / Staff file photo

Workers with Aztec Events & Tents install signage at the 18th green skyboxes for
the 2018 Houston Open. Aztec/Shaffer LLC has been sold to a consortium.

TexasInc.com | TEXAS INC. | Monday, June 7, 2021 | B5


TOMLINSON’S TAKE
Food distributor shines during pandemic
Wholesale food distributor
Jake’s Finer Foods is celebrat-
ing 75 years serving Texas res-
taurants and institutions with a
massive sigh of relief following
the COVID-19 lockdowns.
The regional, family owned
company has been competing
with mammoth corporations
like Sysco and U.S. Foods for
decades, but oddly enough, the
pandemic brought out Jake’s
competitive advantage: person-
alized customer service.
“We’re not running scared.
We’re not intimidated by the
growth of the competition,”
B6 | Monday, June 7, 2021 | TEXAS INC. | TexasInc.com
TEXASINC.
said CEO Kevin Ulrich. “There
is a customer out there, and it’s
a growing part of the customer
base, that is really turning away
from the bigness of the corpo-
rations and appreciates the fact
that, that I, as the CEO and one
of the owners of the company, I
CHRIS
know my customers, I know
TOMLINSON
their businesses, and I know
Commentary
their families in many cases.”
Kervin “Jake” Jacob started
Jake’s Finer the business in 1946, selling
Foods president eggs in Houston after coming
Michael Bench, home from World War II. He
left, and CEO soon added breakfast meats
Kevin Ulrich. and started buying other com-
panies, growing into a full-
service food distributor.
Today, Jake’s Finer Foods
employs 200 people at a start-
of-the-art warehouse and 35
workers at a specialist butcher
service called Gourmet Ranch.
The company delivers products
to 2,500 customers from South
Texas to the Hill Country up to
Dallas-Fort Worth and as far
east as western Louisiana.
The food distribution busi-
ness is one of the nation’s most
competitive, with slim margins
that reward scale. Houston-
based Sysco is a global opera-
Steve Gonzales / Staff photographer
tion with 8,500 trucks and 326
distribution centers. U.S. Foods
has 5,300 trucks and 168 ware-
houses.
Jake’s has set itself apart with
specialty and locally sourced
products that track restaurant
industry trends. The company
is using the latest technology to
make ordering from them as
simple as the big wholesalers.
Then came SARS-CoV-2.
“The biggest thing that we
did to protect ourselves was to
make sure our customers were
still operating,” Ulrich said.
Tomlinson continues on B7
 TEXASINC.

PANDEMIC IMPACT

Global food prices surge to highest

levels in nearly a decade
By Megan Durisin
B L OOMBE RG
Global food prices have
surged to the highest level in
almost a decade, heightening
concerns over bulging grocery
bills as economies struggle to
exit the COVID-19 crisis.
A United Nations gauge of
world food costs climbed for a
12th straight month in May, its
longest stretch in a decade.
Higher food costs can accelerate
broader inflation, complicating
central banks’ efforts to provide
more stimulus.
Drought in key Brazilian
growing regions is crippling
crops from corn to coffee, and
vegetable oil production growth
has slowed in Southeast Asia.
That’s boosting costs for live-
stock producers and risks fur-
ther straining global grain stock-
piles that have been depleted by
soaring Chinese demand.
The prolonged gains across
the staple commodities are
trickling through to store
shelves, with countries from
Kenya to Mexico reporting high-
er food costs. The pain could be
particularly pronounced in
some of the poorest import-
dependent nations, which have
limited purchasing power and
social safety nets as they grap-
ple with the pandemic.
“Global food prices rose in
May at their fastest monthly
rate in more than a decade,” the
U.N. Food and Agriculture Orga-
nization said last week.
“A surge in the international
prices of vegetable oils, sugar
and cereals led the increase in
the index.”
The U.N.’s index is treading at
its highest since September 2011,
with last month’s gain of 4.8
percent the largest in more than
10 years.
The surge has also stirred
memories of 2008 and 2011,
when price spikes led to food
riots in more than 30 nations.
The world’s hunger problem
has already reached its worst in
years as the pandemic exacer-
bates food inequalities, com- Steve Gonzales / Staff file photo
pounding extreme weather and Fruits and vegetables are sorted at Houston Cold Storage.
political conflicts. Global food prices have surged amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Tomlinson from page B6
“Our sales team members,
many of them are trained chefs.
They actually went out and
worked in their customer’s
establishment just to keep the
restaurants open.”
Jake’s helped clients switch
table service to groceries or
take-out by providing products
in different sizes and packaging.
Sales staff ensured customers
knew how to apply for the Pay-
check Protection Prpgram and
other government programs.
Ulrich even convinced some
product manufacturers to do-
nate items to help restaurants
stay open.
“While that doesn’t sound
like a good business model, and
it’s certainly not sustainable, it
was the right thing to do at that
time because it kept the cash
flowing and kept the rent being
paid,” he added. “They were
able to pay their employees and
keep the business going.”
Keeping the business going,
isn’t that always the challenge?
Pandemics, hurricanes, floods,
freezes and power outages are
the crises that test businesses.
Getting the entire supply chain
to play the long game rather
than worry about short-term
losses is the difference between
dealing with a computer and a
human.
We have federal, state and
local disaster assistance for the
same reasons. If we didn’t use
the collective financial strength
of the governments we elect to
keep businesses going, our
“We’re not running
scared. We’re not
intimidated by the
growth of the
competition.”
CEO Kevin Ulrich, Jake’s Finer Foods
economy would never grow to
any significant size.
Vaccines have turned the tide
against COVID-19, and busi-
nesses are slowly returning to
normal. But the hospitality
industry is far from recovered
from the pandemic, and the
supply chain remains kinked in
many places.
Ulrich said Jake’s is still hav-
ing trouble sourcing some
meats and seafood, so his team
has been developing new menu
items in Jake’s test kitchen for
customers to adopt. Animal
feed, transportation fuels and
other commodity prices are
rising, which means food costs
are not far behind. Food service
economics will be challenging.
Jake’s is facing the same chal-
lenges finding workers as every
other business. Ulrich said the
answer is creating a workplace
that people appreciate.
“Looking for people in un-
conventional ways and chang-
ing how we recruit and how we
train and how we give the team
members opportunities for
career growth, that’s a big part
of it,” he said. “If you take a
young person, maybe straight
out of high school that is still
finding their own way in the
world, you can help them see
the bigger picture and what the
future can look like.”
Jake’s recently recorded the
company’s largest sales period
ever coming out of the pandem-
ic, Ulrich said. But he under-
stands that the industry is far
from out of the woods. Recent
data show that people have not
yet returned to their old habits,
and it may be months or years
before they do.
Jake’s 75-year history offers a
simple lesson for keeping the
business going: Focus on the
customer and build a resilient
business. So simple to say, yet
so hard to do.
Tomlinson writes commentary
about business, economics and

TexasInc.com | TEXAS INC. | Monday, June 7, 2021 | B7


ON A ROLL
By Danny King
C ORRE S P ONDE NT
H
ouston-based
legal-services and
records-retrieval
specialist Lexitas
has been acquir-
ing companies at such a rapid
pace that even its longtime cus-
tomers have unwittingly used
them when contacting what
they thought was a different
firm.
“I’d ordered from a company
in Corpus Christi,” said Dallas-
based paralegal Marilyn Gui-
chard. “They wrote me back as
Lexitas.”
Formed in 2015 with the
merger of legal-services compa-
nies Depo Texas and America
First, Lexitas, which has more
than 300 employees locally and
more than 900 nationwide,
provides services that include
court reporting, medical record
retrieval, legal-personnel out-
sourcing, process-serving and
registered-agent provision.
More notably, the company
has been on a buying spree.
Lexitas — whose name combines
the Latin words “Lex” (law) and
“Veritas” (truth) — has acquired
14 companies since 2019. The
company does not disclose what
it pays for the businesses it has
purchased.
“We probably turn away as
many companies as we take a
look at,” said Lexitas CEO Gary
Buckland, who added that many
B8 | Monday, June 7, 2021 | TEXAS INC. | TexasInc.com
SPOTLIGHT
Legal services firm
Lexitas fuels
growth by buying
up smaller
competitors
of the acquired companies had
been run by their founders
who’d grown them to an annual
revenue base ranging from $3
million to $30 million. “We try
to honor what they built, and we
look for efficiencies to scale.”
The roll-up shows no sign of
abating. Closely-held Lexitas has
acquired four companies thus
far in 2021, including California-
based Imber Court Reporters
last month and St. Louis-based
Alaris in April. The company
doesn’t disclose its annual reve-
nues, but Buckland estimated
that court reporting and medi-
cal-record retrieval account for
about 70 percent of the compa-
ny’s sales.
As a result of the acquisitions,
the company, which also has
about 2,000 independent con-
tractors, has more than doubled
its headcount in the past year,
and has maintained a com-
pounded annual revenue-
growth rate of 65 percent during
the past five years. In fact, Lex-
itas has made business-publica-
tion Inc.’s list of the 5,000 fast-
est-growing private U.S. compa-
nies for the past six years in a
TEXAS
row, coming in at #2,889 last
year and #1,145 for 2019. Among
Texas-based companies, Lexitas
ranked 145th among the fastest-
growing private companies,
according to Inc.
The rash of acquisitions has
been funded in part by revenue
from a legal-services market that
has fed what Buckland estimates
was a 15 percent annual organic
growth rate for the company
before the pandemic hit. Global
legal services was a $794 billion
market in 2018, and that market
is estimated to grow by more
than 4 percent annual through
2025 largely because of the
expanding legal-process out-
sourcing market, according to
Grand View Research.
Specifically, worldwide law
firms, which spent $5.2 billion
on legal-process outsourcing in
2018, will boost that spending by
about 32 percent a year through
2025, according to the San Fran-
cisco-based market-reseahrch
firm.
Grand View Research also
Lexitas continues on B10
Lexitas CEO Gary Buckland
poses last month in the
company’s production facility
in Houston. Legal services
firm Lexitas has been
growing its business and
adding to its repertoire of
services by acquiring
companies at a rapid pace.
SINC.

Gary Fountain / Contributor

TexasInc.com | TEXAS INC. | Monday, June 7, 2021 | B9


Lexitas from page B8
estimated the global electronic
health records market at about
$27 billion last year and forecast
it to grow by almost 4 percent a
year through 2028.
“Since the cavemen, there
have been legal situations. Liti-
gation is not going to go away.
It’s recession-proof,” said Buck-
land, who himself is not an
attorney. (“Attorneys pay me,”
he joked.)
As for the impact of the pan-
demic, Lexitas’s organic growth
rate slowed to 3 percent last
year because courts were tem-
porarily shut down, but the
company’s expansion into the
medical-records field buoyed its
finances.
“From late March through
June, depositions just weren’t
happening, so you had to really
pivot the business model, and it
took some time for attorneys to
adopt,” said Buckland. “Once
they did, we started to scale
back up.”
With that in mind, Lexitas is
expanding locally, with plans to
add 6,500 square feet of space
to its 50,000-square-foot North-
west Freeway corporate head-
quarters in September.
Meanwhile, the company has
been preparing itself for a post-
COVID-19 world of remote depo-
sitions and virtual document
reviews ever since it was ac-
quired by London-based private
equity firm Apax Partners from
Dallas’ Trinity Hunt Partners in
2019, even if it didn’t know it at
the time.
“Remote depositions, remote
videos and remote document
reviews have bought a total
dynamic change in the legal-
services business that didn’t
exist before COVID,” said Buck-
B10 | Monday, June 7, 2021 | TEXAS INC. | TexasInc.com
“Since the cavemen, there have been legal situations.
Litigation is not going to go away. It’s recession-proof.”
“There’s a bunch of advantageous reasons to have our business
in Houston,” Buckland says.
land. “Technology has become
more of a compelling type of
difference inside of legal servic-
es. COVID really drove the tech-
nology piece we’ve been provid-
ing forever.”
Buckland’s experience in the
legal-services industry dates
back more than two decades.
Before joining Lexitas as its
chief operating officer in 2015,
he ran the legal division for
Troy, Mich.-based Kelly Out-
sourcing and Consulting Group,
and previously worked for
court-reporting and digital-
recording firm LegaLink (later
WorldWave Inc.) for five years
before the company was ac-
quired by Merrill Corp. in 2006.
Such experience helped
Buckland navigate Lexitas’ sale
to Apax for an undisclosed price
in 2019.
“They bought our company,
TEXASINC.
Lexitas CEO Gary Buckland
Gary Fountain / Contributor
and they supported our vision
to go out and acquire litigation-
support companies that our
company base was already
using,” he said.
While Lexitas’s suite of ser-
vices may come off as antisep-
tic, none of the company’s suc-
cess would’ve happened with-
out what both Buckland and
Guichard said was an extremely
personal touch by the compa-
ny’s growing batch of workers.
Guichard, who has been a
regular customer since the
company’s America First days,
recalled an incident early last
year in which her client needed
to secure a court reporter for an
arbitration hearing that day.
“I was in a real bind. (Lexitas)
escalated it to a vice president.
They found someone who was
just leaving a hearing, and she
was able to drive straight to
arbitration. It was impressive,”
said Guichard. “My customer
rep knows my birthday. She
knows I like Diet Dr. Pepper.
They make it a point to know.”
“It boils down to one thing,
and it’s very simplistic — we
deliver outstanding customer
service,” said Buckland, who
joined the company shortly after
the Depo Texas-America First
merger and has served as its
CEO since 2017. “We have that
white-glove concierge approach
to the client. If they ask for
something, we’re going to give it
to them.”
While Lexitas has accelerated
its expansion during the past
couple of years, its predisposi-
tion to growth dates back to
2015, when former owner Trin-
ity Hunt merged America First
and Depo Texas and began look-
ing into growing geographically.
“We were the largest court-
reporting firm in the state, but
we started getting interest from
companies in Chicago, L.A. and
Philadelphia,” said Buckland.
“We had to change the name,
especially since we were getting
into medical-record retrieval.”
Moving forward, Buckland
said the company’s expanding
suite of services puts it in com-
petition with more companies,
including Dallas-based Veritext
for court reporting; Houston-
based Ontellus for medical re-
cords; CT Corp. and ABC Legal
Services for process serving; and
Axiom for legal staffing.
Still, as Guichard’s experience
showed, more business lines
means a wider range of job
requests from its customers.
Additionally, Buckland, who
noted that it has “a tsunami of
cases in the coming month,”
says the company’s Houston
locale provides both access to a
BUYING SPREE
Lexitas has acquired
14 businesses since the
start of last year.
May 2021: Imber Court Reporters,
Valencia, Calif.
April 2021: Infinity Professional
Services Group, Springfield, Ill.
April 2021: Alaris, St. Louis, Mo.
March 2021: Confidential Com-
munications International, Hous-
ton
December 2020: Steven H. Gentry
& Associates, Mesquite
December 2020: PM Legal, New
York
December 2020: eLaw, New Prov-
idence, N.J.
November 2020: Marshall’s Busi-
ness Records, Corpus Christi
November 2020: CD Photocopy,
Tustin, Calif.
October 2020: Registered Agent
Solutions Inc., Austin
September 2020: Axiom Requisi-
tion, Okemos, Mich.
July 2020: Lumen Legal, Troy,
Mich.
March 2020: Team Legal, Hous-
ton
February 2020: James, Sand-
erson & Lowers, Puyallup, Wash.
growing professional workforce
and a central location to manage
its growing group of U.S. outlets.
“There’s a bunch of advanta-
geous reasons to have our busi-
ness in Houston,” said Buckland.
“Based on the investment in the
sales and marketing side and in
our proprietary technology
we’re creating, based on growth
in litigation matters, and based
on our acquisition pipeline, I
feel like we’ll be able to main-
tain our growth.”
 TEXASINC.

COMMENTARY

Texas economy getting back to normal

By Ray Perryman

With COVID-19 cases continu-

ing to fall and vaccination rates
rising, things are beginning to
feel a bit more normal. The
economy is growing, and the
outlook remains positive as the
health crisis abates.
Here’s a quick look at current
conditions and our latest pro-
jections for business activity in
the state.
Texas has recovered more
than 1 million of the nearly 1.5
million jobs lost
in March and
April of last year
due to the pan-
demic. The state
added 13,000 jobs
in April as strong
Perryman gains in a few
industry groups,
such as leisure and hospitality
and professional and business
services, were partly offset by
losses in construction, manu-
facturing, mining and logging —
which in Texas is essentially oil
and gas activity — and several
others.
The state’s unemployment
rate has improved significantly
but remains above the national Godofredo A. Vásquez / Staff photographer
level. The bottom line is that The Texas economy is approaching normal. Sectors hit hardest by the pandemic, such as leisure and hospitality, had strong job
while we’re moving in the right gains in April. Those gains, however, were partly offset by losses in construction, manufacturing, mining and logging.
direction overall, there are still
a few bumps in the road. rupted the entire global manu- percent annual rate of growth jected to increase by $424.4 growth in emerging industries
One issue is worker shortag- facturing and distribution com- over the period. This expan- billion over the next five years. position it well for expansion.
es, which were already a signif- plex, and it is quite a process to sion is somewhat front loaded, Output in all major industry While there are challenges
icant problem before the pan- restore the relatively smooth as the state continues to re- groups is forecast to expand, ahead, such as providing the
demic. Competition for knowl- functioning that typically sup- gain the activity lost during with the mining and services requisite education and training
edge workers and other skilled ports production processes. the downturn and returns to segments leading the way. In for future jobs and assuring the
occupations is intense. Indus- This situation results in both long-term patterns. particular, the energy sector is provision of essential infrastruc-
tries such as restaurants and cost escalation and bottlenecks Service industries will drive expected to continue its ture, Texas has the potential to
hospitality are having difficulty that inhibit or even interrupt job gains, with wholesale and strong comeback. remain a growth leader for the
coaxing employees back, and activity. retail trade businesses also I expect Texas to reach foreseeable future. Stay safe.
school and child care challeng- Our most recent forecast forecast to see notable hiring. pre-pandemic employment
es restrain the entry of many indicates an estimated 1.6 mil- Real gross state product — a levels in the next year or two. Perryman is president and CEO
(particularly women). lion net new jobs are projected broad measure of the econo- The state’s combination of of the Perryman Group, an
Supply chain challenges also to be added to the Texas econo- my based on the output of all natural resources, a large and economic research and analysis
remain. The pandemic dis- my by 2025, representing a 2.4 goods and services — is pro- growing population, and firm in Waco.

TexasInc.com | TEXAS INC. | Monday, June 7, 2021 | B11


Logistics firm inks deal in northwest Houston
By Katherine Feser
STA F F WRIT E R
RS 12909 Hospitality pur-
chased Hampton Inn Houston
Brookhollow, an 81-room hotel at
12909 Northwest Freeway, from
Highway 290 Hotel Partnership.
Michael Yu, Rahul Bijlani and
Manasvini Sridhar with CBRE
Hotels brokered the sale on be-
half of the seller.
US Living, a subsidiary of
multifamily investment company
Sade Capital, purchased a
20,900-square-foot industrial
property at 8725 Meadowcroft
Drive in west Houston. Michael
Keegan and Andrew Laycock of
NAI Partners represented the
seller. Hunter Johnston with
Bridge Commercial represented
the buyer.
Isramco, a company with oil
and gas interests in the U.S. and
Israel, signed a 4,700-square-foot
office lease at 2401 Fountain View
Drive. Chase Tucker, John Buck-
ley and William McCarthy of
Finial Group brokered the lease.
MSA Safety Sales renewed its
long-term lease for the 15,000-
square-foot facility at 4330 New
West Road, Bayport North Indus-
trial Park, Pasadena. Carolyn
Fincher and LeDon Wissner of
Smith Raines Co. handled the
transaction. The landlord is
Almondwater LLC.
Freeway Logistics, a third-
party logistics provider with
offices in Houston and Puerto
Rico, leased 97,440 square feet in
the Sam Houston Distribution
Center, at 8828 Taub Road in
northwest Houston. Brian Gam-
mill, Darryl Noon, Jude Filippone
B12 | Monday, June 7, 2021 | TEXAS INC. | TexasInc.com
TRANSACTIONS
Houston oil and gas company Isramco, with interests in the U.S. and Israel, signed a
4,700-square-foot office lease at 2401 Fountain View Drive.
and Carter Thurmond of Tran-
swestern represented the land-
lord.
Giant Trading leased 2,950
square feet at Silber Business
Park, at 2055 Silber Road. Derek
Savage with Tenant Base repre-
sented the tenant. Woody Hillyer
and Garret Geaccone of Stream
Realty Partners represented the
landlord, Agellan Commercial
REIT.
Power Technique, a division
of Atlas Copco USA, signed a
seven-year lease for a new,
TEXASINC.
14,000-square-foot industrial
building at 4484C Genoa Red
Bluff Road in the Port Commerce
Business Park. Carolyn Fincher
of Smith Raines Co. brokered the
transaction.
National Storage Affiliates
Trust acquired a 857-unit Sugar
Land Self Storage at 1728 Crabb
River Road in Richmond as part
of a portfolio transaction. Brian
Somoza, Steve Mellon and Dan
Reynolds of JLL represented the
seller, a private equity real estate
fund advised by Crow Holdings
Finial Group
Capital.
Children’s Heaven – Toys
and Video Games leased 7,350
square feet at Westway Business
Plaza, at 8000 Harwin Drive.
Tyler Maner and Andrew Little-
field of Stream Realty Partners
represented the tenant. Larry
Indermuehle of ICO Commercial
represented the landlord, Russell
J. Kirk.
ED Produce, a wholesale
produce distributor, purchased
an 11,880-square-foot building at
1302 Boyles in east Houston for
its first Texas location. Michael
Keegan and Andrew Laycock of
NAI Partners brokered the sale.
Fresenius USA Manufactur-
ing expanded into 35,316 square
feet at Northwest Industrial
Center, at 10633 W. Little York
Road. Will Condrey of Cresa
represented the tenant. Jeremy
Lumbreras and Jeff Pate of
Stream Realty Partners repre-
sented the landlord, Prologis.
Spectrum Resource leased
5,390 square feet at Hardy Prop-
erties Intercontinental, at 761
Bradfield Road. Tyler Maner
with Stream Realty Partners
represented the tenant. Drew
Aston, Mason Alsbrooks and
John Gazzola of Lee & Associates
represented the landlord, HPI.
Goodwin Management
leased 5,835 square feet at 1400
Broadfield Blvd. in the Energy
Corridor. Brett W. Carr with GW
Partners represented the tenant.
Ami Figg represented the land-
lord, Hartman Income REIT.
Canline Pipeline Solutions
leased industrial space at 14339
FM 529. Doc Perrier of Finial
Group represented the tenant.
An undisclosed buyer pur-
chased a 21,750-square-foot
building on 1.3 acres at 20432
Westfield Commerce Drive in
Katy. Steve Hazel and John Stavi-
noha of InSite Realty Partners
represented the seller, Westfield
Commerce Center. Mark Kidd
Sr. and Mark Kidd Jr. of M Kidd
Properties represented the
buyer.
katherine.feser@chron.com
twitter.com/kfeser
 TEXASINC.

RETAIL WRAP

Montrose development lands

new Italian restaurant
By Katherine Feser
STA F F WRIT E R

The Halal Guys, a Mediterra-

nean and Middle Eastern restau-
rant that began as a food cart in
New York City in 1990, leased
2,010 square feet in the Crossing
at 288, a shopping center at the
northeast corner of Texas 288
and FM 518 in Pearland. James
Namken and Kyle Knight of
Weitzman represented the land-
lord. Chris Reyes with Shop Cos.
represented the tenant. Opening
is planned in late summer or
early fall.

Atlas Restaurant Group, a

Baltimore-based group led by
brothers Alex and Eric Smith, will
expand in Houston with a 5,500-
square-foot, 225-seat Italian res-
taurant at Montrose Collective in
spring 2022. Montrose Collective
is a mixed-use development of
Radom Capital at 888 Westheim-
er. Houston architect Tim Cisner- Weitzman

os will work on the design build
out in collaboration with Mary-
land-based designer Patrick Sut-
ton. Atlas operates Ouzo Bay and
Loch Bar in River Oaks District.
Farmboy Brew Shop re-
newed its lease on 2,375 square
feet at 3800 N. Shepherd Drive.
Wil Logan represented the land-
lord, Hartman Income REIT.
Hey Pocky purchased the
former Obsidian Theatre at 3522
White Oak in The Heights with
plans to redevelop the property
into a wine bar. Wade Greene of
Colliers International represented
the buyer. Ryan Neyland of Davis
Commercial Real Estate repre-
The Halal Guys, a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern restaurant, will join the tenant mix in the Crossing at 288, a retail center at
the southeast corner of Texas 288 and FM 518 in Pearland, with the lease of 2,010 square feet.
sented the seller, Saites LLC. hood. Neha Abassi of Friedman Boulevard and Kirkwood in Carboneros Latin American
Real Estate Brokerage and Karol Meadows Place. Collin Lester of Kitchen leased 3,220 in Willis
Aspen Dental, a network of Snyder of Moseley Commercial Edge Realty Partners represented Town Center, at the northeast
nearly 900 independently owned Real Estate represented the ten- the tenant. Alex Frias of Phelps corner of Interstate 45 and FM
and operated dental offices ant. Bruce Frankel represented Commercial Realty represented 1097 in Willis, from NewQuest
across the U.S., has entered the the landlord.. the landlord. Properties. Kevin Sims of New-
Houston market. Dr. Kesi Gaskin Quest represented the landlord.
and Dr. Aarthi Ramakrishnan Tile Liquidators leased 2,570 CHCA Woman’s Hospital
lead the new office at 13325 West- square feet at North Junction leased 3,539 square feet in Stable- Mayi Nails Spa signed a lease
heimer at Eldridge. Aspen Dental Plaza, 156 FM 1960. Jim Thomp- side at Falcon Landing, at Gaston in the Shoppes at Westpark at
has 46 locations in Texas. son and Benny Nguyen of Resolut Road and Falcon Landing Bou- 26440 FM 1093. Jason Gibbons
RE represented the landlord. levard in Katy, from NewQuest and John Buckley of Finial Group
Dave’s Hot Chicken leased Properties. Austin Alvis and represented the landlord.
3,000 square feet at the shopping FabSmiles Pediatric Dentist- Grace La of NewQuest Properties
center at Westminster Road and ry leased 2,500 square feet in represented the landlord. Ashley katherine.feser@chron.com
West Houston Center Boulevard Shops at Meadows Place at the Cassel of Transwestern represent- twitter.com/kfeser
near the Royal Oaks neighbor- southwest corner of West Airport ed the tenant.

TexasInc.com | TEXAS INC. | Monday, June 7, 2021 | B13


Racing for blue hydrogen:
Gas giants aim to stay relevant
By Rachel Morison
and Laura Hurst
B L O OM BE RG
The global gas industry is in
an existential race: Find a way to
be part of the next generation of
energy or risk being supplanted
by alternatives.
BP, Sinopec, Equinor and
Royal Dutch Shell are among
producers looking to hydrogen
to help secure demand that
otherwise may falter as decarbo-
nization speeds up. They want to
utilize existing pipelines, storage
tankers and fuel supply to make
blue hydrogen, a process that
uses natural gas but captures the
carbon emissions and stores
them.
The straightest route to net-
zero emissions uses hydrogen
produced by renewable electric-
ity — known in the industry as
green hydrogen — but the blue
variety is expected to be cheaper
until at least 2030 as wind and
solar power ramp up. Gas com-
panies aiming to lower emissions
now and avoid obsolescence
next decade plan to pour billions
of dollars into building their blue
businesses.
“Green is the destination, but
we’ll get there on a blue high-
way,” said Al Cook, executive
vice president for development
and production at Norway-based
Equinor. “At some point, green
hydrogen might well be lower
cost than blue, but that will
likely not be for at least a de-
cade.”
Clean hydrogen could meet a
quarter of the world’s energy
needs by 2050, with annual sales
reaching $770 billion.
Now, hydrogen is expensive to
B14 | Monday, June 7, 2021 | TEXAS INC. | TexasInc.com
Piping stands beside a hydrogen plant at Energiepark Mainz, operated by Linde AG, in Mainz,
Germany. Gas companies are pinning their hopes on “blue hydrogen” to pave the way to green.
make without expelling green-
house gases, is difficult to store
and is so highly combustible that
NASA uses it to propel rockets
into space.
Still, demand is expected to
increase six-fold by 2050 as the
transportation, steel and chem-
icals industries move to reduce
pollution, the International
Energy Agency said in its road
map for net-zero emissions pub-
lished May 18.
Natural gas is used in almost
all hydrogen production today,
producing large amounts of
carbon dioxide.
The quickest way to remedy
that is by capturing the carbon
and storing it underground or
reusing it. The process has been
around for decades, and it’s
TEXASINC.
ENERGY
usually deployed in natural gas
plants, fertilizer manufacturing
and ethanol production facil-
ities.
Gas currently is cheaper than
renewable electricity, giving blue
hydrogen an advantage even
with the added costs of carbon
capture and storage.
Bolting on carbon capture
means blue hydrogen projects
can be rolled out at scale from
day one, said Paul Bogers, vice
president for hydrogen at Shell.
The Netherlands-based company
is involved in several, including
two scheduled to go online in
2025.
Swapping gas for hydrogen is
one way energy companies
could advance their efforts to
meet increasingly strict man-
Alex Kraus / Bloomberg
dates for lowering emissions.
Shell previously pledged to re-
duce its greenhouse gas emis-
sions by 20 percent within a
decade, but a court in The
Hague ordered the company on
May 26 to slash them by 45 per-
cent in the same time period.
The urgency for gas compa-
nies stems from the near-univer-
sal backing for green hydrogen,
made from water and renewable
electricity. The cost of green
hydrogen is expected to fall 80
percent by 2030 as renewable
energy and the electrolyzers
using it to make hydrogen both
come down in price.
Iberdrola, Europe’s biggest
utility, is focusing on renewable
power and green hydrogen.
American industrial giant Cum-
mins said last month it will part-
ner with Iberdrola to build a
factory in central Spain for mak-
ing electrolyzers.
“In the short term, there are
opportunities in which you can
apply blue, but in the mid-term
— five to 10 years — it’s going to
be a stranded asset,” said Diego
Diaz Pilas, head of new ventures
at Iberdrola.
The European Commission
wants to see as much as 470
billion euros of investment in the
green hydrogen industry, with
the goal of making 10 million
tons by 2030 to help reach net-
zero by 2050.
Natural gas pipelines could be
converted to carry hydrogen,
with Belgium, the Netherlands
and Germany leading the way,
EC gas official Bartlomiej Gurba
said at a January conference.
“We are ready to grant sub-
sidies for green hydrogen,” Ger-
many’s deputy economy min-
ister, Elisabeth Winkelmeier
Becker, said in an interview.
“Other hydrogen will certainly
continue to be used, but its
production will not be subsi-
dized.”
At the moment, though, some
companies will take whatever
color hydrogen they can get,
including natural gas-produced
gray hydrogen that releases
greenhouse gases.
“The marginal cost of convert-
ing gray hydrogen into blue
hydrogen is much lower than
jumping to green hydrogen
directly,” said Daryl Wilson,
executive director of the Hydro-
gen Council. “As long as blue
hydrogen is useful from an eco-
nomic point of view, there is no
reason for it to go away.”

Investors sit on the sidelines as oil nears $70
By Alex Longley and
Andres Guerra Luz
B L O OMBE RG
Look at headline crude
oil prices and you’d as-
sume financial flows into
the commodity are run-
ning red hot. Think again.
Typically, when oil
surges there’s an accom-
panying jump in trading
activity. Speculators take
profit on bullish bets,
producers rush to lock in
supplies, bank desks are
awash with client activity.
But with Brent closing
above $70 a barrel for the
first time since 2019, there
has instead been eerie
calm.
Trading volumes on
global benchmark Brent
futures haven’t topped
their 50-day average in
two weeks, and total open
interest is near its lowest
since December. It is a
similar — but less stark —
picture for West Texas
Intermediate, the main
U.S. grade.
These are the clear
signs of an oil market that
— despite a grind upward
in prices — is struggling to
overcome a sense of apa-
thy. While Brent has
reached new highs this
week, it has generally
struggled to sustain forays
above $70 in recent years,
and last year’s price crash
did little to boost liquidi-
ty.
Though demand in the
western world is creeping
up, and agencies from the
IEA to OPEC are talking
up the prospects of a tight
summer, money manag-
A rainbow is visible last month near oil and gas production equipment after a
storm cell moved through the Permian Basin.
ers have their smallest
net-bullish bets in the
global oil benchmark
since December.
There are plenty of
reasons for oil traders to
hold back. OPEC+ has said
it will meet monthly to
TexasInc.com | TEXAS INC. | Monday, June 7, 2021 |
TEXASINC.
FUEL FIX
starting to look at renew-
able energy as the space
to be in over the long
term, said Yung-Yu Ma,
chief investment strategist
at BMO Wealth Manage-
ment.
“It’s become a bit passé
in the market,” he said.
“Even in just talking
about oil, you almost
sound like you’re out of
touch,” whether or not
there’s a good investment
thesis.
Inflation hits oil patch
It’s getting more expen-
sive to drill in the shale
patch as rising prices for
steel, cement and other
supplies and services lead
to higher costs for explor-
ers, according to Citi-
group Inc.
Inflation could reach 12
percent or more by the
The Oilfield Photographer Inc.
deliberate on the appro- other commodities, nota-
priate amount of oil to bly copper, have better
supply, effectively less- long-term investment
ening volatility. Broader narratives.
investments in the sector Investor interest in oil
remain under pressure and the energy space as a
from net zero carbon whole has “taken a back-
ambitions. Meanwhile seat,” with more people
B15
end of this year for the
sector in North America,
analysts including Scott
Gruber wrote Friday in a
note to investors. But
oil-field service compa-
nies haven’t been able to
command high enough
pricing to book extra
profits, even though they
can pass most of their
costs on to the producers
they serve, Citigroup said.
Costs for everything
from labor to diesel to
steel have climbed in the
oil field this year as ex-
plorers return to work
following last year’s pan-
demic-driven crash in
crude prices. Steel prices
for the drill pipe used in
new wells could rise
about 50 percent in 2021,
Citigroup said.
— David Wethe,
Bloomberg
 INVITATION TO BIDDERS
Sealed Electronic Bids, addressed to CONROE MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT
NO. 1, Attention, Board of Directors, will be electronically received using the
Civcast USA (“CivCast”) website, www.civcastusa.com , until Monday, June 14,
2021 at 10:00 a.m. Local Time, and then publicly opened and read via telecon-
ference for “CLEARING AND GRUBBING TO SERVE BARTON CREEK RANCH
SEC. 6 & 7” Project No. 2151-015-00, Contract No. 1, CITY OF CONROE, MONT-
GOMERY COUNTY, Texas”
Scope of Work of the Contract includes the following: clearing and grubbing to
serve a single family residential subdivision.
Bids received after the closing time will not be considered. A MANDATORY
pre-bid conference will be held on Monday, June 7, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. Local
Time, at the project site. Please meet at 3207 Elm Bough Court, Conroe,
Texas 77301. Attendance by each prospective bidder or its representative at
the pre-bid conference is MANDATORY, and no Bid will be opened unless the
bidder or representative was present at the pre-bid conference. For access to the
teleconference for the bid opening, dial (978) 990-5000, and use access code:
356847.
Each Bid must be accompanied by a Bid Bond or a certified or cashier’s check,
acceptable to the Owner, in an amount not less than five percent (5%) of the to-
tal amount Bid, as a guarantee that the successful bidder will enter into the Con-
tract and execute the Bonds on the forms provided, and provide the required in-
surance certificates within seven (7) days after the date Contract Documents
are received by the Contractor. If a certified or cashier’s check is provided, the
successful bidder shall deliver, at the ENGINEERS office (IDS Engineering Group,
13430 Northwest Freeway, Suite 700, Houston, Texas 77040), the original certi-
fied or cashier’s check within twenty-four (24) hours of the bid opening.
Copies of the bidding documents may be reviewed and obtained from
www.CivcastUSA.com: search “C&G Barton Creek Ranch Sec 6 & 7”. Bidders
must register on this website in order to view and/or download specifications,
plans, soils report, and environmental reports for this Project. There is NO
charge to view or download documents.
NOTICE TO PROPOSERS: Request for sub-
contractor proposals for FBISD High School 12 – Bidder must submit their Bid and bid securities in compliance with Owner’s Or-
Structured Cabling and A/V - Classroom der Adopting Section 49.2731 Electronic Bidding Rules and all Bids and bid se-
curities must be submitted through www.CivcastUSA.com. Bidder must register
“Durotech, Inc., as Construction Manager at Risk, on on this website in order to submit a Bid and bid security and there is no fee to
behalf of Fort Bend I.S.D, will receive sub- submit Bids and bid securities on this website
contractor/vendor proposals for the Structured Ca-
bling and A/V – Classroom scope of work at the High By submitting a Bid, Bidder acknowledges and agrees that the Contract Docu-
School 12 project, as designed by DLR Group. ments may be accepted, executed or agreed to through the use of an Electronic
Signature, as defined by and in accordance with Owner’s Electronic Signature
Proposals and qualification statements will be re- Rules for Construction Contracts.
ceived by Durotech, Inc., from interested proposers,
sub-proposers and suppliers until 2:00 PM on Friday, The Owner reserves the right to reject any or all Bids and to waive all defects
June 25, 2021 in the presence of the Owner and Ar- and irregularities in bidding or bidding process except time of submitting a Bid.
chitect at the offices of Durotech, Inc. at 11931 The Successful Bidder, if any, will be the responsible Bidder which in the Board’s
Wickchester Lane, #205, Houston, TX 77043-4501, judgment will be most advantageous to the District and result in the best and
Phone: 281-558-6892 and Fax: 281-496-5637. Con- most economical completion of the Project.
struction Manager Contact: Sidhesh Kakodkar.
The requirements of Subchapter J, Chapter 552, Government Code, may ap-
Drawings and Specifications will be available for re- ply to this Bid and/or Contract and the Contractor agrees that the Contract
view at the offices of Durotech, Inc., and at the plan can be terminated if the Contractor knowingly or intentionally fails to comply
rooms of AGC, Dodge Data & Analytics, Virtual Build- with a requirement of that subchapter.
ers Exchange, Brazos Valley Contractors Association,
Construction Data and CMD Group. Prevailing wage CONROE MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT NO. 1
rates in conformance with Texas law will be paid on
this project. All proposals shall remain valid for sixty
(60) days.
LEGAL NOTICE
Choice Partners (CP) a division of Harris County Department of Education
The Owner, Architect/Engineer and Construction (HCDE), is a national cooperative that will be accepting proposals in response to
Manager reserve the right to reject any and all pro- the following Request for Proposals (RFP).
posals, to waive any informalities and irregularities in • 21/063SG for Staffing and Related Services
the proposal process, and to make the awards in the Proposals are due Tuesday, July 6, 2021 @ 2:00pm central time.
best interest of the owner. By submitting a proposal, Interested proposers may go to www.choicepartners.org and register to
each proposer agrees to waive any claim it has or
download the solicitation or call 713.681.6052.
may have against the Owner, the Architect/Engineer, MWBE, SBE, and HUB vendor participation is encouraged. It is HCDE policy not
Construction Manager and their respective employ- to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, limited English
ees arising out of or in connection with the adminis- proficiency or handicapping condition in its programs.
tration, evaluation, or recommendation of any pro-
posal; waiver of any requirements under the Proposal
Documents, or the Contract Documents; acceptance
or rejection of any proposals; and award of a
Contract.”
Announcement: Aldine ISD is receiving Elementary and Secondary School
Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds from the federal government via the Texas Ed-
ucation Agency. Aldine ISD is applying to TEA to receive its share of ARP
ESSER III (ESSER III) funding as determined by the Texas Education Agency
(TEA). We invite feedback, please send public comments to
grants@aldineisd.org
Please follow the Aldine ISD website https://www.aldineisd.org for ESSER III
plan updates and future surveys.
B16 | Monday, June 7, 2021 | TEXAS INC. | TexasInc.com
HOUSTON GATEWAY ACADEMY, INC. is accepting LEGAL NOTICE FOR Houston Community
sealed bids from Prime Vendors for the National PUBLIC HEARING WITHOUT VARIANCE OR College
School Lunch Program (NSLP) for the 2021-2022 SPECIAL EXCEPTION (both Virtual Meeting Request for Proposals
school year. If interested, visit our web site at and Face-to-Face Meeting) (RFP)
https://www.hgaschools.org/rfp/ and click on The Houston Planning Commission has received an No. 21-51 Comprehen-
"Request for Proposal." All bids are due by July 7, application to allow the replatting (or partial sive Compensation Study
2021 at 5:00 P.M. replatting) of Shadyvilla Addition, Section 2,being all Sealed proposals will be
or part of Lot 12, Block 3 as recorded in Volume 30 received at the Loading
Page 20 of the Harris County Map/Deed Records for Dock/Mailroom (3100
Aldine ISD is extending the deadline to accept sealed the purpose of creating 4 Lots from 1 Lot. Main @ Rosalie Street,
proposals on its eBid system until 6/28/2021 at 4 pm The new subdivision name is Shadyvilla Addition, Houston, Texas 77002)
for Vehicle Tires. Vendors must register and submit a Section 2, Partial Replat No 9. until 2:00PM (local time)
proposal in the eBid system at This is the written notice of a public hearing the City on Thursday, July 8, 2021.
www.aldineisd.org. send to all owners of property within 250’ of the Documents can be
boundary of the plat and all parcels along or across obtained at: www.hccs.
from a blockface that abuts any street or private edu/about-hcc/
roadway extending 500 feet from the plat as meas- procurement/
ured along the centerline of any street or private
roadway that abuts the boundary of the plat.
LEGAL NOTICE FOR PUBLIC HEARING WITH The Houston Planning Commission will hold a public
VARIANCE meeting and public hearing on this replat. The
Commission is the non-legislative body authorized to
Houston Community
The Houston Planning Commission has received an review and render decisions on subdivision College
application to allow the replatting of a portion of Re- applications and requests. The meeting at which this Invitation to Bid
stricted Reserve “D”, Lakewood Pines Sec 7, record- item will first be considered is listed below. A sign
(IFB) SALE OF
ed in Film Code No. 688016 HCMR and a portion of with this information has also been posted on the APPROXIMATELY
Restricted Reserve “D”, Lakewood Pines Sec 1, re- project site.
30.9439 ACRES OF
corded in Film Code No. 663247 HCMR for the pur- PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING INFORMA- LAND (FOXLAKE)
pose of creating 105 lots and 8 reserves. TION: Thursday, June 24, 2021, at 2:30 p.m.
Due to health and safety concerns related to COVID- Project No. 21-50
Sealed proposals will be
The new subdivision name is Lakewood Pines Sec 14. 19, the Planning Commission meeting is expected received in Procurement
to be conducted virtually via Microsoft Teams, a
Operations (3100 Main
The City will send out written notice of a public hear- web-conferencing platform. In the event the Gover- Street, Houston, TX
ing with variance(s), or special exception(s) to all nor does not continue the suspension of the provi-
77002) until 2:00PM
owners of property within 250’ of the boundary of the sions of the Texas Open Meetings Act, Chapter 552, (local time) on August 3,
plat and all parcels along or across from a blockface Texas Government Code, the Planning Commission 2021.
that abuts any street or private roadway extending meeting will be held in person in accordance with
Documents can be
500 feet from the plat as measured along the center- the Texas Open Meetings Act. To confirm the at: www.hccs.
line of any street or private roadway that abuts the meeting format, interested persons are advised to obtainededu/about-hcc/
boundary of the plat. check our website one week prior to the Planning procurement/
Commission meeting: www.houstonplanning.com
State law allows for protest when the proposed replat You may submit comments to:
speakercomments.pc@houstontx.gov
requires a variance or special exception. The protest
must be filed in writing prior to the close of the pub- For information on how to join the meeting or submit
lic hearing. If owners of 20% of the land area within comments as a speaker, visit our website:
www.houstonplanning.com or Call: 832-393-6624.
the original plat boundary that is within 200 feet of
the replat protest the replat, approval of the replat Contact the applicant at (281) 705-4297 or the City
must receive an affirmative vote of at least three-- of Houston Planning Department at (832)393-6600
fourth (3/4) of the Houston Planning Commission for any additional information.
Members present. In computing the percentage of
land area for the purpose of protest, streets and al- HOUSTON GATEWAY ACADEMY, INC. is accepting
leys are included. sealed bids from Prime Vendors for The Child and
Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Supper for the
The Houston Planning Commission will hold a public 2021-2022 school year. If interested, visit our web
meeting and public hearing on this replat. The Com- site at https://www.hgaschools.org/rfp/ and click on
mission is the non-legislative body authorized to re- "Request for Proposal." All bids are due by July 7,
view and render decisions on subdivision applica- 2021 at 5:00 P.M.
tions and requests. The meeting at which this item
will first be considered is listed below. A sign with
this information has also been posted on the project LEGAL NOTICE FOR
site.
PUBLIC HEARING WITHOUT VARIANCE OR
SPECIAL EXCEPTION
PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING (Virtual Meeting COVID 19)
INFORMATION: The Houston Planning Commission has received an
Thursday, June 24, 2021, at 2:30 p.m. application to allow the partial replatting of Acre Villa
of Park Place Subdivision, being a portion of Lot 8,
Due to health and safety concerns related to COVID- Block 12, as recorded in Volume 538, Page 201, of
19, the Planning Commission meeting is expected to the Harris County Deed Records for the purpose of
be conducted virtually via Microsoft Teams, a web-- creating 3 single-family residential lots. The new
conferencing platform. In the event the Governor subdivision name is Acre Villa of Park Place Partial
does not continue the suspension of the provisions of Replat No 2.
the Texas Open Meetings Act, Chapter 552, Texas
The City will send out written notice of a public hear-
Government Code, the Planning Commission meeting ing to all owners of property within 250’ of the boun-
will be held in person in accordance with the Texas dary of the plat and all parcels along or across from a
Open Meetings Act. To confirm the meeting format, blockface that abuts any street or private roadway
interested persons are advised to check our website extending 500 feet from the plat as measured along
one week prior to the Planning Commission meeting: the centerline of any street or private roadway that
www.houstonplanning.com abuts the boundary of the plat.
The Houston Planning Commission will hold a virtual
You may submit comments to: meeting and public hearing on this replat on Thurs-
speakercomments.pc@houstontx.gov day, June 24th, 2021 at 2:30 PM via Microsoft Teams.
The video conference will allow for a two-way video/
For information on how to join the meeting or submit audio communication with the Houston Planning
comments as a speaker, visit our website: www.houst Commission.
onplanning.com or Call: 832-393-6624. Contact the For information on how to join the meeting or submit
applicant, Mikalla Hodges, Jones|Carter at 281 363 comments as a speaker, visit our website: www.houst
4039 or the City of Houston Planning Department at onplanning.com or Call: (832) 393-6624. Contact
(832)393-6600 for any additional information the applicant at (713) 947-6606 or the City of Hous-
ton Planning Department at (832) 393-6600 for any
additional information.
TexasInc.com | TEXAS INC. | Monday, June 7, 2021 | B17
B18 | Monday, June 7, 2021 | TEXAS INC. | TexasInc.com
 TEXASINC.

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B20 | Monday, June 7, 2021 | TEXAS INC. | TexasInc.com
 SPORTS
HOUSTON CHRONICLE • MONDAY, JUNE 7, 2021 • SECTION C HH

ASTROS 6, BLUE JAYS 3

Scrappy play secures series

Garcia’s sharp outing while battling cold stops Toronto
By Danielle Lerner
STA F F W R I T ER
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Light-
ning was not about to strike
twice, but the Astros were
gifted some good fortune
nonetheless.
Martín Maldonado, up for
his third bases-loaded plate
appearance in as many days
and proprietor of one grand
Joshua Bessex / Associated Press slam, hit an infield ground
The Astros’ Carlos Correa, right, hugs Martín ball that appeared to be an
Maldonado after a win over the Blue Jays on Sunday. easy out.
Blue Jays first baseman
Rowdy Tellez, however,
fumbled the ball before
making the throw to pitcher
C.J. Edwards at first base,
making it a close call for a
sprinting Maldonado. Um-
pires called an out and the
Astros challenged the play.
Upon review Maldonado
was ruled safe, allowing Yuli
Gurriel to score and give
theAstros a 5-1 lead in the
seventh inning.
Astros starting pitcher
Luis Garcia fanned a career-
high eight batters while
yielding three hits, one run
and two walks over six in-
nings. His team backed him
up with early insurance
runs and timely defensive
plays in a 6-3 win Sunday to
earn a series victory over
the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Astros entered the
game wielding a scrambled
defensive lineup after a de-
moralizing 6-2 loss the night
Astros continues on C5
Astros update
Sunday: Astros 6,
Blue Jays 3.
Record: 33-26.
Tuesday: at Red Sox,
6:10 p.m.
Starting pitchers:
Framber Valdez (1-0) vs.
Martin Perez (4-2).
TV/radio: ATTSW; 740 AM,
790 AM, 1010 AM (Spanish).
Tough break
Utility player Aledmys Díaz
to miss 6-8 weeks with
fractured left hand. C5

LONE STAR
USA GYMNASTICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press

Simone Biles posted a winning score of 119.65, including 60.1 points Sunday, in taking her seventh all-around U.S. gymnastics title at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth.

Biles dominates field in home state en route to record seventh all-around title
By David Barron
C ORRE SP ONDE NT
Competing for the first time
at a USA Gymnastics national
championships in her adopted
home state, three-time Olym-
pic gold medalist Simone Biles
won her seventh all-round title
Sunday night by a margin that,
as usual, was as big as Texas.
Biles, 24, of Spring, led from
start to finish before an appre-
ciative crowd at Dickies Arena
in Fort Worth, extending her
record collection of all-around
titles as she continues toward a
second Olympic Games in To-
kyo.
Her winning score of 119.65
included a 60.1-point output
Sunday night that was consid-
erably cleaner and more pol-
ished than Friday night’s open-
ing round, which included a
major balance check on bal-
ance beam, a brief blip on bars
and three out of bounds penal-
ties on floor exercise.
Sunday offered one minor
balance check on balance
beam with a score of 14.9, one
out of bounds penalty on her
third tumbling pass en route to
a 14.95 score on floor exercise, a
15.55 score on her high-flying,
blind-landing vault and a clos-
ing 14.7 on uneven bars.
“That was definitely the goal
coming into the week, trying to
hit 60 (points), so I’m proud of
myself for doing that,” Biles
said. “I still had some mistake
and things we need to clean up,
but all is well.”
Between events, Biles was
busy on Twitter, sending a
shout-out to 2016 Olympic
teammate Aly Raisman and
sharing fragrance tips with an
inquiring fan while fielding an
appreciative message from her
boyfriend, Texans player Jona-
than Owens, about her floor ex-
ercise routine.
She now advances along
with her training partner,
third-place finisher Jordan Chil-
es, to the Olympic trials later
this month in St. Louis and
from there to what might be —
or not — her final Olympics.
Biles already is the most dec-
orated athlete, male or female,
in the history of the Interna-
tional Gymnastics Federation
world championships and is
trying to become the first wom-
an in more than 50 years to win
back-to-back Olympic all-
around gold medals.
“I’m pretty proud of my per-
formances,” she said. “It was
way better than Classics (the
Gymnastics continues on C8

U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN

Saso triumphs on third playoff hole

19-year-old ties Park for youngest first major.
Saso, a 19-year-old from
bounded on the back nine,
posting back-to-back bird-
winner after Thompson’s collapse the Philippines ranked No. ies on Nos. 16 and 17 to el-
40 in the world, made an 8- bow her way into the play-
By Ron Kroichick the stretch. Every time, that foot birdie putt on the third off with Hataoka (68).
SAN F RANC ISC O C HRONICLE player loses. playoff hole to outlast Nasa Hataoka also was clutch
Sunday, in the first wom- Hataoka of Japan. Saso down the stretch, making
SAN FRANCISCO — No en’s major held in San Fran- matched Inbee Park — ex- three birdies over her final
major-championship ven- cisco, the tradition includ- actly at 19 years, 11 months six holes to join Saso in fin-
ue carries a more curious ed some strange, stunning and 7 days — as the youn- ishing at 4-under-par.
history than the Olympic twists. Lexi Thompson gest winner in U.S. Wom- Still, this Open will be re-
Club does. Every time its squandered a five-shot lead en’s Open history. membered mostly for
Lake Course becomes a in the final round of the Saso prevailed despite a Thompson’s epic collapse.
grand stage, at least one 76th U.S. Women’s Open, final-round 73 that includ- She began the day with a Santiago Mejia / San Francisco Chronicle
big-name player climbs into and unheralded Yuka Saso ed consecutive double-bo- one-stroke advantage and Yuka Saso hoists the Harton S. Semple Trophy after
contention barreling down took advantage to win her geys on Nos. 2 and 3. She re- Saso continues on C8 winning the 76th U.S. Women’s Open on Sunday.
C2 | Monday, June 7, 2021 | HoustonChronicle.com | Houston Chronicle HH

PRO BASKETBALL

WEST FIRST ROUND: CLIPPERS 126, MAVERICKS 111

Leonard powers comeback from 0-2 hole

By Brad Townsend
DA L L A S MORNING NEWS
LOS ANGELES — The Dal-
las Mavericks’ playoff series
drought continues. With
Sunday’s 126-111 Game 7 loss
to the Los Angeles Clippers,
the dry spell now is assured
of surpassing a decade.
To be precise it’s now
been 3,647 days since Dal-
las defeated Miami in the
NBA Finals on June 12, 2011,
but all that matters to this
Mavericks team is that a
season that began with
high expectations ended
just like last season.
Well, not exactly. Dallas
fell in seven games this
time, not six. And last
year’s loss was in the Dis-
ney World bubble, not here
in Staples Center. But the
series defeat was to the
same Clippers team that
beat the Mavericks last
summer.
Luka Doncic scored 46
points on Sunday, becom-
ing at age 22 the youngest
player to score 40 or more
points in a Game 7, but the
Clippers’ complementary
players outplayed Dallas’
on Sunday as finally, for the
first time in this series, a
team won at home.
“Game 7 is the toughest
game. You’ve got to give it
everything,” Doncic said.
“We’ve been in the playoffs
twice since I’ve been there,
lost both times. You get
paid to win.”
Clippers star Kawhi Clippers 126, Mavs 111
Leonard narrowly missed a Dallas: Finney-Smith 7-13 0-1 18, Porzingis 6-12 4-4
16, Marjanovic 7-11 0-1 14, Doncic 17-30 7-11 46,
triple-double, finishing Hardaway Jr. 5-14 0-0 11, Kleber 0-2 0-0 0, Powell
2-2 0-0 4, Brunson 1-3 0-0 2, Burke 0-3 0-0 0, Rich-
with 28 points, 10 rebounds ardson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 45-91 11-17 111.
L.A. Clippers: Leonard 10-15 7-7 28, Morris Sr. 8-15
and nine assists. 0-0 23, Batum 4-7 2-2 11, George 5-15 10-10 22,
“It’s all about the mo- Jackson 4-10 4-4 15, Coffey 0-0 0-0 0, Mann 5-10 1-1
13, Oturu 0-0 0-0 0, Zubac 0-0 0-0 0, Ferrell 0-0 0-0
ment,” Leonard said. “You 0, Kennard 4-6 0-0 11, Rondo 1-4 0-0 3. Totals 41-82
24-24 126.
got to be aggressive all night
Dallas 38 24 23 26 — 111
and don’t try to make the L.A. Clippers 35 35 30 26 — 126
game be perfect.” 3-point goals: Dallas 10-36 (Doncic 5-11, Finney-
Smith 4-7, Hardaway Jr. 1-9, Kleber 0-2, Porzingis
The Mavericks seemed 0-5), L.A. Clippers 20-43 (Morris Sr. 7-9, Kennard
3-5, Jackson 3-8, Mann 2-3, George 2-8, Leonard
to be on the cusp of exert- 1-3, Rondo 1-3, Batum 1-4).
ing control, rallying from Rebounds: Dallas 47 (Porzingis 11), L.A. Clippers
35 (Leonard 10).
an eight-point halftime def- Assists: Dallas 22 (Doncic 14), L.A. Clippers 30
(George 10). Total fouls: Dallas 21, L.A. Clippers
icit to take their biggest 21. A: 7,342 (18,997)
lead, 81-76, on a Kristaps
Porzingis jumper with 6:53
left in the third quarter. for the second straight
Then the bottom fell out. year. They’ll play the top-
The Clippers scored the seeded Utah Jazz starting
next 12 points and kept Tuesday night in Salt Lake
their foot on the accelera- City.
tor, pushing their run to 21-2 “We showed great resil-
and finally 24-4 to end the Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images ience,” said the Clippers’
quarter. Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, who was an assist shy of a triple-double, Paul George, who scored 22
A Clippers team whose dunks against the Mavericks’ Dorian Finney-Smith in Game 7 on Sunday. points. “They pushed us.
biggest lead was six points They definitely got us war-
in Games 1, 2 and 5 here fi- 6 on Friday in Dallas, a Mavericks lost four players the series with two wins in ready. We hung in there, we
nally had separation and game in which they led 67- to COVID-19 for extended Staples Center and had 30- played for one another, we
the no-doubt relieved Sta- 60 midway through the stretches and stumbled to a 11 lead to start Game 3 in played hard.”
ples Center crowd exhort- third quarter and 85-84 9-14 start. American Airlines Center — George added 10 assists
ed Los Angeles the rest of with seven minutes left. As late as Feb. 7, the Mav- then the bottom dropped and six rebounds for the
the way. Such as going 0-3 at ericks were 14th in the 15- out and the Clippers tied Clippers. Their backups
The Mavericks no doubt home and finding them- team Western Conference. the series at 2-2. outscored Dallas’ reserves
will think back to when selves in the seventh Game They won 22 of their last “Kawhi came with the 27-6, getting crucial contri-
they lost control of Game 7, 7 in franchise history and 34 games, however, won mentality that he’s going to butions from Terance
but they’ll carry far greater first since 2014. Sunday’s their first division title since take this game,” said the Mann (13 points) and Luke
regrets from this series. loss dropped the Mavericks 2010 and entered the play- Clippers’ Reggie Jackson, Kennard (11 points). Ken-
Such as somehow losing to 4-3 in Game 7s. offs as the West’s No. 5 seed who added 15 points. “He nard had played just four
after taking a 2-0 series lead “We saw everything in — only to find themselves wasn’t going to be shy minutes earlier in the se-
with two victories in Sta- this series,” Mavs coach matched against the same about his play at all. Once ries.
ples and leading 30-11 early Rick Carlisle said. Clippers team that ousted he got going early, defenses “They trusted me,” Ken-
in Game 3 in Dallas’ Amer- Dallas began the season them in last summer’s play- had to change.” nard said. “We trusted each
ican Airlines Center. Such with high aspirations, and offs in the Disney World The fourth-seeded Clip- other.”
as still having a chance to Doncic was the preseason bubble. pers advanced to the West- The Associated Press
close out the series in Game NBA MVP favorite, but the The Mavericks opened ern Conference semifinals contributed to this report.

EAST SEMIFINALS: HAWKS 128, 76ERS 124 NBA PLAYOFFS

Nets to enter Game 2

with Harden on shelf
NEW YORK — Kevin
Durant knew something
was wrong when the
Brooklyn Nets were trying
to run a play and James
Harden wasn’t in the right
spot.
Moments later, Harden
wasn’t even in the game,
forced to leave with a right
hamstring injury less than
a minute into the Eastern
Conference semifinals.
“That was tough,” Nets
coach Steve Nash said.
Durant and Kyrie Irving
Matt Slocum / Associated Press made sure it wasn’t a
The Hawks’ Trae Young, who scored 35 points, hit four 3-pointers and had 10 knockout blow.
assists, goes up for a shot past the 76ers’ Matisse Thybulle in Game 1 on Sunday. Durant scored 29
points, Irving had 25, and
NBA PLAYOFF
RESULTS/SCHEDULE
EASTERN CONFERENCE
First round
1. Philadelphia vs. 8. Washington
76ers win series 4-1
G1: Philadelphia 125, Washington 118
G2: Philadelphia 120, Washington 95
G3: Philadelphia 132, Washington 103
G4: Washington 122, Philadelphia 114
G5: Philadelphia 129, Washington 112
2. Brooklyn vs. 7. Boston
Nets win series 4-1
G1: Brooklyn 104, Boston 93
G2: Brooklyn 130, Boston 108
G3: Boston 125, Brooklyn 119
G4: Brooklyn 141, Boston 126
G5: Brooklyn 123, Boston 109
3. Milwaukee vs. 6. Miami
Bucks win series 4-0
G1: Milwaukee 109, Miami 107 (OT)
G2: Milwaukee 132, Miami 98
G3: Milwaukee 113, Miami 84
G4: Milwaukee 120, Miami 103
4. New York vs. 5. Atlanta
Hawks win series 4-1
in the playoffs after storm-
ing past Miami in a first-
round sweep.
A series that had talent
all over the rosters started
on a down note when
Harden had to come out of
the game after just 43
seconds, walking to the
back after the Nets called
timeout before they had
even scored. He had ap-
peared to grab at the back
of his right leg after a drive
toward the basket on
Brooklyn’s first possession
before.
Harden predicted a day
earlier this series would be
a showdown.

Atlanta’s momentum
the two superstars carried
Brooklyn to a 115-107 victo-
ry over the Milwaukee
G1: Atlanta 107, New York 105
G2: New York 101, Atlanta 92 His show might already
G3: Atlanta 105, New York 94
G4: Atlanta 113, New York 96 be over.
G5: Atlanta 103, New York 89

rolls on in Game 1 win

By Dan Gelston
A S S OC I AT E D PRE SS
PHILADELPHIA — Trae
Young put an early smack-
down on Philly that had the
Hawks in control of Game 1
and finished the win with a
lob to John Collins for a one-
handed jam.
Collins punched the air in
celebration — and the Hawks
took a moment to exhale af-
ter a hefty lead was nearly
squandered.
“Thank God we were up
20,” Hawks guard Kevin
Huerter said.
Young scored 25 of his 35
points in the first half as At-
lanta shook off Joel Embiid
and a hostile crowd and
held on to beat the Philadel-
phia 76ers 128-124 Sunday in
their Eastern Conference
semifinal opener.
“The confidence in all
these guys is high,” Young
said. “We’re out here play-
ing for each other. Out here
having fun. Everyone’s
locked in.”
Embiid raised a sledge-
hammer as he returned
from a one-game absence
with a cartilage tear in his
right knee. He walked out
with WWE star Triple H to a
roaring ovation.
Young and the Hawks had
the Sixers down for the
count from the jump and
led by 26 points.
The Sixers — playing in
front of their biggest crowd
of the season at 18,624 — re-
fused to easily cede home
court and Embiid scored
consecutive baskets that
Bucks on Saturday night in Conference semifinals Drama in store
Game 1. 2. Brooklyn vs. 3. Milwaukee
Harden’s injury is the Nets lead series 1-0
G1: Brooklyn 115, Milwaukee 107
for Suns-Nuggets
same one that forced him G2: at Brooklyn, 6:30 p.m. Monday, TNT The NBA playoffs are
G3: at Milwaukee, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, ESPN
Hawks 128, 76ers 124 — as in, he rarely did, and all to miss two losses to the G4: at Milwaukee, 2 p.m. June 13, ABC just a few weeks old, but
G5*: at Brooklyn, TBD June 15, TNT
Atlanta: Collins 7-9 4-4 21, S.Hill 2-7 0-0 6, Capela
5-9 1-2 11, Bogdanovic 7-17 2-2 21, Young 11-23 9-9
eyes were on him. Bucks in May. G6*: at Milwaukee, TBD June 17, ESPN excuse the Phoenix Suns
35, Gallinari 2-4 4-4 9, Okongwu 1-1 0-0 2, Huerter The Hawks used a 17-0 But the Nets beat Mil- G7*: at Brooklyn, TBD June 19, TNT and Denver Nuggets for
6-9 0-0 15, Snell 0-1 0-0 0, Williams 3-6 0-0 8. To- 1. Philadelphia vs. 5. Atlanta
tals 44-86 20-21 128. run in the first half — they hit waukee when it mattered Hawks lead series 1-0
feeling like several months
Philadelphia: Green 2-7 0-0 4, Harris 8-13 3-4 20,
Embiid 12-21 14-15 39, Curry 7-12 2-2 21, Simmons 20 3s overall — and Young most without him, getting G1: Atlanta 128, Philadelphia 124 have passed in terms of
G2: at Philadelphia, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, TNT
7-7 3-10 17, Howard 0-1 0-0 0, Korkmaz 3-5 0-0 7,
Milton 0-0 0-0 0, Thybulle 4-6 0-0 10, G.Hill 0-2 0-0
was shaking, saluting and 19 points from Joe Harris G3: at Atlanta, 6:30 p.m. Friday, ESPN drama.
G4: at Atlanta, 6:30 p.m. June 14, TNT
0, Maxey 2-8 2-4 6. Totals 45-82 24-35 124. toying with the Sixers and and 18 points and 14 re- G5*: at Philadelphia, TBD June 16, TNT If the regular-season
Atlanta 42 32 25 29 — 128 the crowd. Young bowed bounds from Blake Griffin. G6*: at Atlanta, TBD June 18, ESPN
G7*: at Philadelphia, TBD June 20, TBD
series between these two
Philadelphia 27 27 29 41 — 124
3-point goals: Atlanta 20-47 (Bogdanovic 5-12, during the clincher to the “We try not to be too teams is any indication,
Young 4-11, Collins 3-4, Huerter 3-6, Williams 2-4, New York crowd that had emotional out there, but WESTERN CONFERENCE there’s more of it on the
S.Hill 2-7, Gallinari 1-2), Philadelphia 10-29 (Curry
5-9, Thybulle 2-4, Korkmaz 1-2, Embiid 1-3, Harris jeered him in every game. losing one of your leaders horizon.
1-4, Maxey 0-2, Green 0-4). First round
Rebounds: Atlanta 35 (Capela 10), Philadelphia He stuck a pose in Philly — like that on the first play of The No. 2 seed Suns and
1. Utah vs. 8. Memphis
41 (Harris 10).
Assists: Atlanta 23 (Young 10), Philadelphia 25
he held his right arm high the game, we had to re- Jazz win series 4-1 No. 3 seed Nuggets meet in
(Simmons 10). and pointed toward the bas- group for a couple of min- G1: Memphis 112, Utah 109 Game 1 of the Western
Total fouls: Atlanta 26, Philadelphia 22. G2: Utah 141, Memphis 129
A: 18,624 (20,478) ket for several seconds that utes and figure out what G3: Utah 121, Memphis 111 Conference semifinals on
G4: Utah 120, Memphis 113
followed a 27-footer he bur- was next, but I think the G5: Utah 126, Memphis 110 Monday in Phoenix.
ied to close the first half. coaches, the coaching staff 2. Phoenix vs. 7. L.A. Lakers The Nuggets have MVP
Suns win series 4-2
brought them within three “They hit us in the mouth did a great job of moving G1: Phoenix 99, L.A. Lakers 90
candidate Nikola Jokic,
with 1:01 left. to start the game,” 76ers forward,” Durant said. G2: L.A. Lakers 109, Phoenix 102 who averaged 33 points
G3: L.A. Lakers 109, Phoenix 95
Bogdan Bogdanovic, who coach Doc Rivers said. “Guys came in and just G4: Phoenix 100, L.A. Lakers 92 and 10.5 rebounds in a
G5: Phoenix 115, L.A. Lakers 85
missed all three games in “They were the more phys- tried to play extremely G6: Phoenix 113, L.A. Lakers 100 first-round win over the
the season series against the ical team. They were the hard. We didn’t care about 3. Denver vs. 6. Portland Portland Trail Blazers. The
76ers with a knee injury, more aggressive team. They anything else but playing Nuggets win series 4-2
G1: Portland 123, Denver 109
Suns will counter with the
steadied the Hawks when he played harder, early.” and executing the game G2: Denver 128, Trail Blazers 109 All-Star backcourt of Devin
G3: Denver 120, Portland 115
buried a 3 that gave them Danny Green could not plan and just leaving it all G4: Portland 115, Denver 95 Booker and Chris Paul,
G5: Denver 147, Portland 140 (2OT)
needed breathing room. hang as the primary defend- out there.” G6: Denver 126, Portland 115
who helped vanquish the
He even put his fingers to er on Young instead of Sim- And they got a solid 4. L.A. Clippers vs. 5. Dallas defending champion Los
his lips and shushed the rau- mons, an NBA defensive defensive effort despite Clippers win series 4-3
G1: Dallas 114, L.A. Clippers 103
Angels Lakers and LeBron
cous crowd. player of the year candidate. giving up plenty of size, G2: Dallas 127, L.A. Clippers 121 James in the first round.
G3: L.A. Clippers 118, Dallas 108
“He’s a big shot maker,” Simmons said he wanted limiting the Bucks to 13 G4: L.A. Clippers 106 Dallas 81 The Nuggets won the
Huerter said. his shot for a full 40 minutes points below their NBA- G5: Dallas 105, L.A. Clippers 100
G6: L.A. Clippers 104, Dallas 97
regular-season series over
That wasn’t the only long on Young and the Hawks ex- leading average. G7: L.A. Clippers 126, Dallas 111 the Suns, two games to
shot that went off success- pected a shift in strategy. Durant grabbed 10 re- Conference semifinals one. All three were hard
fully. Going off as five-point The 6-foot-1 Young led the bounds, and Irving had 1. Utah vs. L.A. Clippers fought: One was decided
underdogs, according to Hawks to the playoffs for the eight assists, throwing G1: at Utah, 9 p.m. Tuesday, TNT by three points in reg-
G2: at at Utah, 9 p.m. Thursday, ESPN
FanDuel Sportsbook, the first time since 2017 and has some spectacular passes as G3: at L.A., 7:30 p.m. Saturday, ABC ulation, one went to over-
G4: at L.A., 9 p.m. June 14, TNT
Hawks made 14 of their first craved the pressure that the Nets moved the ball G5*: at Utah, TBD, June 16, TNT time, and the remaining
18 buckets and were the ag- comes with playing big post- around quickly and had G6*: at L.A, TBD, June 18, ESPN
G7*: at Utah, TBD, June 20, TBD
one went to double over-
gressors, eagerly seizing season games in big mar- the Bucks a step or more 2. Phoenix vs. 3. Denver time.
their moment on national kets. behind all night. G1: at Phoenix, 9 p.m. Monday, TNT
G2: at Phoenix, 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, TNT
Paul is fighting a sore
television. Young, much like The Sixers made them “We’ve got to guard G3: at Denver, 9 p.m. Friday, ESPN right shoulder that he
G4: at Denver, 7 p.m. June 13, TNT
he did in five games against work for it in a furious defensively together, espe- G5*: at Phoenix, TBD June 15, TNT injured in Game 1 against
the Knicks when he aver- fourth — but the Hawks held cially against this team,” G6*: at Denver, TBD June 17, ESPN
G7*: at Phoenix, TBD June 20, TBD
the Lakers, and the Suns
aged 29.2 points, thrived in on and gave Atlanta sports Bucks star Giannis An- * — If necessary hope a few days of rest will
the spotlight. For all the fo- fans something to feel good tetokounmpo said. help. Suns coach Monty
cus on Embiid, All-Star Ben about on Sunday. Game 2 is Monday Williams said Paul hasn’t
Simmons and the top-seed- “All the individual stuff is night. the Bucks were just 6- missed any practice time
ed Sixers, Young was the for the birds,“ Young said. Antetokounmpo had 34 for-30 from 3-point range between series.
can’t-miss player in Game 1 “All we care about is wins.” points and 11 rebounds, but and lost for the first time From wire reports

COLLEGES
NCAA BASEBALL TOURNAMENT
Tech lands spot
in super regional
LUBBOCK — Kurt Wil-
son drove in two runs and
Cole Stilwell hit a go-
ahead, two-RBI double to
power Texas Tech to an
8-2 victory over UCLA to
claim the NCAA Lubbock
Regional championship
Sunday night.
With the victory, Texas
Tech (39-15) advanced to
their fifth super regional
under coach Tim Tadlock.
Texas Tech, 4-0 in super
regionals, would play the
Stanford and UC-Irvine
winner.
Texas Tech starter Ma-
son Montgomery struck
out eight and allowed two
runs — one earned — in
five innings.
OREGON ST. 3, TCU 2
Justin Boyd had an RBI
single in the ninth inning
and the No. 2 regional
seed Beavers upset the
No. 6 overall seed and
regional host Horned
Frogs in a Fort Worth
Regional elimination
game.
Kyle Dernedde led off
the top of the ninth with a
hit by pitch, stole second
and scored on Boyd’s
one-out single off TCU
reliever Haylen Green (1-3).
Oregon State later
forced another elimina-
tion game with a 5-4 victo-
ry over Dallas Baptist.
Garret Forrester homer-
ed leading off the bottom
of the ninth inning after
the Patriots had tied the
score in the top half of the
inning and the Beavers
staved off elimination with
the victory.
Oregon State and Dallas
Baptist will play an elim-
ination game on Monday
for a berth in a super
regional.
LSU 4, OREGON 1
Dylan Crews homered
and finished with three
hits as the Tigers defeated
the Ducks to avoid elim-
ination at the Eugene
(Ore.) Regional.
The Tigers (37-23) have
staved off elimination
three times.
The teams will play a
winner-take-all rematch
Monday night for the
regional title and right to
advance to a super region-
al at No. 3 Tennessee next
weekend.
Crews had three hits,
including an RBI double,
stealing a base and scoring
twice to spark the Tigers
to a 9-4 victory over Gon-
zaga in the earlier elim-
ination game.
AJ Labas (4-2) went
eight innings for the Ti-
gers, yielding four runs on
WOMEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES
Florida St. ends Alabama’s 20-game winning streak
OKLAHOMA CITY —
Caylan Arnold and Kathryn
Sandercock combined for
a shutout and Florida State
beat Alabama 2-0 on Sun-
day in a Women’s College
World Series semifinal.
Alabama was unbeaten
in the double-elimination
format and Florida State
had a loss, so Florida
State’s victory forced a
winner-take-all rematch to
determine who will play in
the best-of-three champi-
onship series. Because of a
weather delay that pushed
the start back 2½ hours,
the NCAA pushed the
deciding game from Sun-
day to Monday.
Top-seeded Oklahoma
will play unseeded James
Madison in the other semi-
final Monday. The Sooners
beat the Dukes 6-3 earlier
Sunday, avenging a loss
Thursday. Their winner-
take-all game also was
moved back to Monday.
The championship series
was moved back a day and
will begin Tuesday.
Third-seeded Alabama
(52-8) reached the semifi-
nals on the strength of two
dynamic performances by
pitcher Montana Fouts.
Lexi Kilfoyle stepped in on
Sunday and pitched admi-
six hits and two walks.
Labas struck out eight,
throwing 123 pitches.
The Bulldogs (34-19)
grabbed a 2-0 lead in the
top of the first inning on
RBI groundouts by An-
drew Orzel and Grayson
Sterling, but Tre’ Morgan
had an RBI double, Gavin
Dougas followed with a
two-run triple and LSU
scored four times in its
half of the first and never
looked back.
NEBRASKA 5, ARKANSAS 3
Griffin Everitt had a
two-out two-run single to
cap a three-run rally in the
bottom of the fifth inning
and the Cornhuskers
stunned the No. 1 overall
seed and top-ranked Ra-
zorbacks in the Fayette-
ville Regional.
The two teams will
square off again on Mon-
day with the winner earn-
ing a berth in the super
regionals.
NOTRE DAME 14
CENTRAL MICHIGAN 2
Carter Putz’s grand
slam home run in the
bottom of the fifth inning
broke it open and the
Fighting Irish went on to
beat the Chippewas to
send the Irish to the super
regionals for the first time
since 2002.
Putz added a solo ho-
mer in the bottom of the
eighth and left the park
six times in three games at
the South Bend (Ind.)
Regional. Notre Dame
(33-11) outscored its oppo-
nents 50-5 with 15 homers
in the weekend.
TENNESSEE 3, LIBERTY 1
Drew Gilbert homered
for the third straight game
and the No. 3 overall seed
Volunteers beat the
Flames in the Knoxville
(Tenn.) Regional to ad-
vance to their first super
regional since 2005.
They will host a best-of-
three series next weekend
against the Eugene Re-
gional’s Oregon-LSU win-
ner.
NORTH CAROLINA ST. 14
LOUISIANA TECH 7
Devonte Brown hit a
grand slam to cap the
Wolfpack’s six-run fifth
inning en route to a victo-
ry over the top-seeded
Bulldogs to win the Rus-
ton (La.) Regional.
Second-seeded N.C.
State (33-17) earned a
super regional berth, its
first since advancing to the
College World Series in
2013.
From wire reports
Oklahoma’s Rylie Boone, left, scores behind James Madison catcher Lauren
Bernett on a hit by Tiara Jennings in the seventh inning Sunday.
rably, but it wasn’t enough
as Alabama’s 20-game win
streak was snapped.
The 10th-seeded Semi-
noles (47-11-1) beat Arizona
on Saturday afternoon,
then played until after 2
a.m. on Sunday to elim-
inate Oklahoma State be-
cause a weather delay
pushed an earlier game
back. The Seminoles were
NCAA AUSTIN REGIONAL: TEXAS 12, FAIRFIELD 2
Texas’ Eric Kennedy beats the throw to Fairfield first baseman Sean Cullen in the second inning of Sunday
night’s regional game at Austin. The Longhorns advanced to the super regionals with the win.
Longhorns leave no doubt
By Nick Moyle
STA F F W R I T ER
AUSTIN — Opening week-
end of the NCAA baseball
tournament featured stun-
ner after stunner, with fa-
vorites falling from the
bracket or being pushed to
the brink all across the
map.
No. 6 national seed TCU.
No. 15 seed Florida. No. 16
seed Louisiana Tech. Even
top-seeded Arkansas had to
buck up and stage a come-
back to avoid a regional-
opening loss to the under-
dog of all underdogs, NJIT,
and it’ll have to face Nebras-
ka in an elimination game
Monday afternoon.
Not Texas. No, the No. 2
national seed played like it
all weekend, dispatching
opponents with precision
pitching, confidence-shat-
tering at-bats and excep-
tional glove work. Not only
did the Longhorns “Defend
the Disch,” they turned the
Austin Regional into a
three-day showcase of utter
annihilation.
Sunday night was no dif-
ferent from Friday (11-0 win
over Southern) or Saturday
(10-3 win over Arizona
State). Texas left no doubt
as to who the class of this re-
gional was, drubbing No. 3
seed Fairfield 12-2 in the re-
back on the field 13 hours
later, then faced the delay
on Sunday.
Still, the Seminoles had
just enough to win.
Alabama’s best chance
came in the fifth inning.
Maddie Morgan singled
with one out, then ad-
vanced to second on a
passed ball. Alabama’s
Taylor Clark was hit in the
HHHH Houston Chronicle | HoustonChronicle.com | Monday, June 7, 2021 |
gional final to clinch a spot
in the super regionals. The
Longhorns (45-15) will host
either South Alabama or
South Florida in a best-of-
three super regional begin-
ning Friday.
Redshirt freshman start-
er Pete Hansen starred Sun-
day night as Texas’ third
ace-level starter, the wait-
ing-in-the-wings youngster
who followed redshirt
sophomore Ty Madden and
redshirt junior Tristan Ste-
vens. Hansen kept Fairfield
flailing with surgical com-
mand and a devastating
slider, the 6-foot-2 lefty’s fa-
tal strikeout pitch.
He threw 65 of 91 pitches
for strikes and recorded a
career-high 13 strikeouts
across 6 2⁄3 innings. Hansen
(9-1) also didn’t issue a walk,
allowed six hits and surren-
dered just one earned run
(two total runs).
Unlike Hansen, Fairfield
(39-5) seemed unable to fo-
cus from the mound. The
Stags used up five pitchers
earlier Sunday to defeat Ari-
zona State and advance to
the regional final, just one
day after they used four
pitchers in a win over
Southern.
So Fairfield coach Bill
Currier delivered a prayer
to the baseball gods before
trotting out redshirt fresh-
Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press
helmet so hard by Arnold’s
pitch that it knocked her
helmet off and left the bill
cracked. Florida State
escaped without allowing a
run.
Morgan tripled with two
outs in the sixth, then Josie
Muffley singled to score
Morgan and make it 2-0.
Sandercock, who en-
tered the game in the fifth
man righthander Jack Er-
beck. Not only had Erbeck
not pitched this season, he
hadn’t started a game since
high school. He lasted two
outs.
In his brief odyssey to the
mound, Erbeck (0-1) threw
eight of 27 pitches for
strikes and walked four to
gift the Longhorns a 1-0
lead. Stags senior left-hand-
ed reliever Josh Hebner
wiggled out of that bases-
loaded squeeze by striking
out Trey Faltine, but Texas
hadn’t even begun to put
the hurt on.
Fairfield’s collapse began
in earnest with left fielder
Eric Kennedy’s bunt single
in the top of the second. Be-
cause that bunt turned into
a triple due to a throwing
error, allowing Kennedy to
score on an ensuing mis-
played bunt single by cen-
ter fielder Mike Antico.
First baseman Zach Zu-
bia bludgeoned an honest-
to-goodness hit into the
outfield to score Antico,
then third baseman Cam
Williams whacked a two-
run single to put Texas
ahead 5-0 and force Fair-
field to call in its third pitch-
er of the game. That reliev-
er, righty Josh Arnold, last-
ed 1 1⁄3 innings and was
pulled midway through the
top of the third after loading
in relief, got the win.
OKLAHOMA 6
JAMES MADISON 3
Tiare Jennings hit a
leadoff homer and drove in
the go-ahead run with a
seventh-inning double,
and No. 1 seed Oklahoma
avenged a stunning loss to
unseeded James Madison,
beating the Dukes in a
semifinal game.
Nicole May threw 31⁄3
innings of scoreless relief
for Oklahoma (53-3), which
will face James Madison
again Monday with the
winner advancing to face
either Florida State or
Alabama in the best-of-
three championship series.
Sara Jubas hit a three-
run homer and Odicci
Alexander threw a 118-pitch
complete game for James
Madison (41-3). Alexander
already had complete-
game wins over Oklahoma
and No. 5 seed Oklahoma
State at the World Series.
“It’s always a little bit
easier the second — not
easier, but you have more
knowledge the second
time around,” Oklahoma
coach Patty Gasso said.
“And having never faced
her, we were not prepared
for what she was bringing.”
C3
Austin American-Statesman
the bases and handing Zu-
bia another RBI on a field-
er’s choice groundout.
Fairfield’s next reliever,
righty Nick Grabek, hit Wil-
liams with the bases load-
ed. Right fielder Doug Hodo
III then capitalized on the
moment, crushing a bases-
clearing triple into the
right-center outfield gap.
With Texas ahead 10-0
and Hansen in “Termina-
tor” mode, the game’s final
innings served more as ex-
tended party hours for the
6,853 in attendance.
Texas tacked on a couple
more runs in the fifth in-
ning courtesy of Faltine,
who scorched a single
through the left side of the
infield. And relievers Lucas
Gordon, Cole Quintanilla
and Aaron Nixon continued
Hansen’s dominance across
the final three innings, lim-
iting the Stags to one hit and
no runs.
Texas will now prepare
to host its first super region-
al since 2018. That team,
coach David Pierce’s sec-
ond at Texas, ended up tak-
ing a trip to the College
World Series.
That’s precisely where
this year’s Longhorns plan
to end up, too.
nmoyle@express-news.net
twitter.com/nrmoyle
Jennings’ double in the
seventh scored Rylie
Boone, who had opened
the inning with a perfectly
placed bunt single, to
make it 4-3. Kinzie Hansen
followed with a two-run
homer for the Sooners.
JMU trailed 1-0 in the
third when Madison Naujo-
kas hit a ball solidly down
the left field line that rolled
into foul territory and
under a fence for a ground-
rule double. Logan New-
ton, who would have
scored if the ball remained
playable, was held up at
third. The Sooners es-
caped the inning without
allowing a run.
Nicole Mendes tripled to
drive in Mackenzie Doni-
hoo and make it 3-0 in the
third.
James Madison re-
mained confident. The
Dukes lost to Missouri in
super regionals before
taking the winner-take-all
third game.
“It just showed us we
have the fight and the
drive to keep pushing
ourselves and to win the
third game,” Jubas said.
“And so I think we’re going
to take that through to this
series as well.”
From wire reports
C4 | Monday, June 7, 2021 | HoustonChronicle.com | Houston Chronicle HH

PRO BASEBALL

MLB AT A GLANCE MLB BOX SCORES/LEADERS

AMERICAN LEAGUE Orioles 18, Indians 5 Rockies 3, Athletics 1 Rays 7, Rangers 1 Red Sox 6, Yankees 5 (10)
Cleveland ab r h bi bb so avg Oakland ab r h bi bb so avg Tampa Bay ab r h bi bb so avg Boston ab r h bi bb so avg
West Division W L Pct GB L10 Str Home Away Hernandez 2b 3 0 0 0 0 1 .218 Canha cf 4 0 0 0 0 2 .259 B.Lowe 2b 5 1 0 0 0 2 .192 Santana dh 3 0 0 0 0 0 .125
Oakland 35 26 .574 — 6-4 L-1 17-17 18-9 Miller 2b 2 0 0 0 0 1 .119 Kemp 2b 3 1 1 0 1 2 .287 Arozarena lf 5 1 1 0 0 2 .252 Arroyo ph-dh 1 1 1 0 0 0 .289
Houston 33 26 .559 1 6-4 W-1 20-13 13-13 A.Rosario ss 4 1 1 2 0 1 .246 Olson 1b 4 0 1 0 0 0 .278 Wendle 3b 2 0 0 0 1 1 .283 Verdugo lf 5 1 1 1 0 0 .288
Ramirez dh 3 0 1 0 1 1 .262 Murphy c 4 0 1 1 0 1 .222 Brosseau ph-3b 1 2 0 0 1 0 .170 Bogaerts ss 3 0 2 3 1 0 .318
Seattle 30 31 .492 5 6-4 W-1 17-14 13-17 E.Rosario lf 2 0 0 0 1 0 .235 Pinder lf 4 0 0 0 0 1 .222 Meadows dh 5 1 2 2 0 1 .248 Devers 3b 5 0 0 0 0 2 .275
Los Angeles 27 32 .458 7 5-5 L-1 15-16 12-16 Zimmer cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 .227 Brown rf 4 0 1 0 0 0 .195 Diaz 1b 4 1 1 3 1 1 .253 Renfroe rf 2 1 1 0 2 0 .269
Texas 23 38 .377 12 1-9 L-2 14-15 9-23 Ramirez cf-lf 3 0 1 0 0 0 .278 Chapman 3b 4 0 1 0 0 2 .205 Walls ss 5 0 3 2 0 0 .262 Gonzalez 2b 4 1 1 2 0 1 .203
Naylor rf 3 1 1 0 1 0 .251 Andrus ss 4 0 2 0 0 1 .214 Margot rf 4 0 1 0 0 1 .241 Hernandez cf 4 0 0 0 0 3 .224
Central Division Chang 3b 4 1 1 0 0 1 .181 Moreland ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 .246 Mejia c 3 0 0 0 1 1 .253 Vazquez c 4 1 1 0 0 0 .251
Chicago 36 23 .610 — 7-3 W-1 23-10 13-13 Bradley 1b 4 2 3 3 0 0 .800 Totals 34 1 8 1 1 11 Phillips cf 1 0 0 0 1 1 .223 Dalbec 1b 3 1 0 0 1 0 .195
Cleveland 31 26 .544 4 5-5 L-1 14-12 17-14 Rivera c 4 0 0 0 0 2 .250 Colorado ab r h bi bb so avg Kiermaier cf 1 1 1 0 0 0 .210 Totals 34 6 7 6 4 6
Totals 33 5 8 5 3 7 Tapia lf 4 0 1 1 0 1 .280 Totals 37 7 9 7 5 10 New York ab r h bi bb so avg
Kansas City 29 28 .509 6 6-4 L-2 16-15 13-13
Baltimore ab r h bi bb so avg Daza cf 3 0 1 0 1 0 .331 Texas ab r h bi bb so avg LeMahieu 2b-1b 5 0 0 0 1 2 .253
Detroit 24 35 .407 12 5-5 L-1 13-15 11-20 Mullins cf 4 2 3 2 2 0 .322 Blackmon rf 4 1 1 0 0 2 .268 Holt 3b 5 1 2 0 0 0 .244 Judge dh 3 2 2 1 2 0 .295
Minnesota 24 35 .407 12 4-6 W-2 12-17 12-18 Mancini 1b 6 2 0 0 0 3 .273 McMahon 2b 4 1 2 0 0 2 .257 Kiner-Falefa ss 5 0 1 0 0 1 .284 Torres ss 5 1 2 1 0 0 .272
East Division Santander dh 5 2 3 3 0 0 .269 Fuentes 3b 3 0 2 0 1 0 .259 N.Lowe 1b 4 0 1 0 1 2 .241 Urshela 3b 5 0 2 0 0 2 .269
Galvis ss 5 1 2 1 0 0 .250 Cron 1b 4 0 0 0 0 2 .261 Gallo rf 1 0 0 0 3 0 .207 Sanchez c 4 0 2 2 1 0 .210
Tampa Bay 38 23 .623 — 7-3 W-2 15-13 23-10 Wilkerson pr-2b 0 1 0 0 0 0 .180 Rodgers ss 2 0 1 1 0 0 .256 Solak dh-2b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .237 Gittens 1b 4 0 0 0 0 3 .000
Boston 36 23 .610 1 7-3 W-4 16-13 20-10 Mountcastle lf 5 3 3 2 0 1 .254 Nunez c 2 1 1 1 1 0 .168 Calhoun lf 2 0 1 0 2 0 .261 Odor ph-2b 1 1 0 0 0 1 .180
Toronto 30 27 .526 6 6-4 L-1 13-13 17-14 Stewart rf 3 2 3 1 1 0 .229 Totals 30 3 9 3 3 8 Culberson 2b 3 0 1 0 0 1 .230 Frazier rf 3 0 1 0 1 1 .185
McKenna pr-rf 1 0 1 2 0 0 .216 J.Martin cf 4 0 2 0 0 1 .167 Andujar lf 5 1 1 0 0 1 .235
New York 31 29 .517 6½ 2-8 L-4 17-16 14-13 Franco 3b 5 1 2 2 0 0 .203
Oakland 000 001 000 — 1 8 0
Heim c 3 0 0 0 0 2 .167 Gardner cf 1 0 0 0 2 0 .190
Baltimore 21 38 .356 16 4-6 W-1 10-20 11-18 Colorado 001 100 01x — 3 9 1
Urias 2b-ss 4 2 2 2 0 1 .246 Totals 32 1 8 0 6 8 Stanton ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .252
Wynns c 5 2 2 1 0 1 .154 E—McMahon (4). LOB—Oakland 8, Colorado 9. Wade cf 1 0 1 1 0 0 .270
NATIONAL LEAGUE Totals 43 18 21 16 3 6 2B—Kemp (6), Murphy (13), Andrus (9), Nunez Tampa Bay
Texas
000
100
000
000
034 — 7 9 0
000 — 1 8 2
Totals 38 5 11 5 7 11
(6). RBIs—Murphy (31), Tapia (31), Rodgers
West Division W L Pct GB L10 Str Home Away Cleveland 001 020 002 — 5 8 1 (8), Nunez (20). SB—Andrus (4). SF—Rodgers, E—Kiner-Falefa 2 (7). LOB—Tampa Bay 8, Texas Boston 100 000 210 2 — 6 7 1
San Francisco 37 22 .627 — 7-3 L-1 18-9 19-13 Baltimore 160 500 51x — 18 21 0 Nunez. S —Kaprielian. Runners left in scoring po- 11. 2B—Walls 2 (4), Holt (5). HR—Diaz (1), off New York 200 100 001 1 — 5 11 0
San Diego 36 25 .590 2 4-6 L-2 20-12 16-13 E—Quantrill (1). LOB—Cleveland 5, Baltimore sition—Oakland 7 (Murphy, Kemp 2, Brown 2, B.Martin. RBIs—Diaz 3 (21), Walls 2 (4), Mead- E—Gonzalez (6). LOB—Boston 5, New York 12.
5. 2B—Chang (6), Bradley (2), Naylor (10), Canha, Lowrie); Colorado 4 (Marquez, Adams, ows 2 (48). SB—Brosseau (1). S —Heim. Runners 2B—Arroyo (9), Renfroe (12), Sanchez (6), Tor-
Los Angeles 34 25 .576 3 4-6 L-2 19-10 15-15 Santander (9), Mullins (15), Mountcastle (12). left in scoring position—Tampa Bay 4 (Phillips, res (8). HR—Verdugo (8), off German; Gonzalez
Hampson). RISP—Oakland 2 for 13; Colorado 1
Colorado 24 36 .400 13½ 5-5 W-1 20-14 4-22 HR—A.Rosario (4), off Lopez; Bradley (1), off for 8. Runners moved up—Olson, Murphy, Pin- Zunino, Mejia); Texas 5 (Solak, Holt, Kiner-Fa- (2), off Luetge. RBIs—Verdugo (25), Gonzalez 2
Arizona 20 41 .328 18 2-8 L-5 11-16 9-25 Lowther; Mullins (9), off Quantrill; Urias (2), der, Nunez, Cron. GIDP—Pinder, Blackmon. lefa, Garcia, N.Lowe). RISP—Tampa Bay 2 for 9; (15), Bogaerts 3 (36), Sanchez 2 (15), Judge
off Wittgren. RBIs—Bradley 3 (3), A.Rosario 2 DP—Oakland 1 (Kaprielian, Andrus, Olson); Col- Texas 1 for 11. Runners moved up—N.Lowe, Holt. (32), Torres (23), Wade (2). SB—Torres (4).
Central Division (17), Mullins 2 (18), Wynns (1), Santander 3 SF—Bogaerts. S —Arroyo. Runners left in scoring
orado 1 (Rodgers, McMahon, Cron). LIDP—Gallo. GIDP—Walls, N.Lowe. DP—Tampa
Chicago 33 26 .559 — 6-4 W-1 21-10 12-16 (15), Mountcastle 2 (30), Stewart (19), Franco Oakland ip h r er bb so np era Bay 2 (B.Lowe, Walls, Diaz; B.Lowe, Diaz, position—Boston 2 (Devers, Vazquez); New York
Milwaukee 33 26 .559 — 9-1 W-4 17-15 16-11 2 (28), Urias 2 (8), Galvis (23), McKenna 2 (3). Kaprielian, L, 2-1 5 5 2 2 3 6 90 3.08 B.Lowe); Texas 1 (Kiner-Falefa, N.Lowe). 6 (Frazier, Gittens, Torres, Odor, LeMahieu).
Runners left in scoring position—Cleveland 1 Romo 1 2 0 0 0 0 17 5.85 Tampa Bay ip h r er bb so np era RISP—Boston 1 for 7; New York 3 for 12.
St. Louis 31 29 .517 2½ 3-7 L-5 15-14 16-15 Diekman 1 0 0 0 0 1 11 3.20 Wacha 22⁄3 2 1 1 2 1 42 4.54
(A.Rosario); Baltimore 1 (Mountcastle). Runners moved up—Verdugo, Hernandez, Andu-
Cincinnati 28 29 .491 4 7-3 W-4 12-14 16-15 RISP—Cleveland 3 for 9; Baltimore 11 for 18. Petit 1 2 1 1 0 1 16 3.13 Sherriff 11⁄3 3 0 0 1 2 25 3.38 jar. GIDP—Torres, Andujar. DP—Boston 3 (Bo-
Pittsburgh 23 35 .397 9½ 5-5 L-1 13-16 10-19 Runners moved up—Hernandez 2. GIDP—Chang, Colorado ip h r er bb so np era Kittredge 2 0 0 0 1 1 33 1.29 gaerts, Gonzalez, Dalbec; Devers, Gonzalez,
Marquez, W, 4-5 6 4 1 1 1 6 86 3.91 Springs 2
⁄3 1 0 0 0 0 10 3.00
East Division Naylor, Wynns, Santander. DP—Cleveland 2 Dalbec; Gonzalez, Dalbec).
Givens, H, 5 1 2 0 0 0 3 22 3.10 Feyereisen, W, 11⁄3 0 0 0 2 2 27 1.08
(Chang, Hernandez, Bradley; A.Rosario, Boston ip h r er bb so np era
New York 29 23 .558 — 7-3 W-2 15-5 14-18 Chang, Bradley); Baltimore 2 (Urias, Galvis,
Bard, S, 7-10 2 2 0 0 0 2 24 3.75 2-0
Richards 5 8 3 3 2 6 95 3.88
HBP—Petit (Rodgers). Umpires—Home, Ramon Fairbanks 1 2 0 0 0 2 19 1.29
Atlanta 28 29 .491 3½ 5-5 W-2 17-17 11-12 Mancini; Galvis, Urias, Mancini). Texas ip h r er bb so np era
Hernandez 1 0 0 0 2 1 20 3.00
Cleveland ip h r er bb so np era De Jesus; First, Mark Wegner; Second, Alan Por- Ottavino 1 0 0 0 1 0 15 2.66
Philadelphia 28 30 .483 4 5-5 W-2 17-11 11-19 ter; Third, Chris Guccione. T—2:59. A—23,716 Dunning 5 3 0 0 2 6 80 4.26 Taylor, H, 6 1 1 0 0 0 2 19 4.34
Quantrill, L, 0-2 1 1⁄3 5 7 5 0 1 44 3.41 Hearn, H, 1 2 1 0 0 1 1 36 4.25
Miami 25 33 .431 7 2-8 W-1 12-12 13-21 Sandlin 2
⁄3 1 0 0 0 1 17 2.84 (50,445). Barnes, W, 2-1 1 1 1 1 2 2 23 2.73
King, L, 5-4, H, 1
⁄3 1 3 2 1 0 20 2.40 Valdez, S, 1-1 1 1 1 0 0 0 13 3.98
Washington 24 32 .429 7 3-7 L-2 13-15 11-17 Hentges 12⁄3 9 5 5 0 2 45 8.51 3
Stephan 2 1⁄3 0 0 0 2 1 35 3.98 Twins 2, Royals 1 Sborz, BS, 1-2 2
⁄3 1 0 0 1 2 24 4.12
New York ip h r er bb so np era
Nelson 1 5 5 5 1 0 28 7.50 Minnesota ab r h bi bb so avg German 52⁄3 3 1 1 2 3 84 3.12
Saturday’s results Wittgren 1 1 1 1 0 1 13 5.21 Polanco dh 5 0 2 0 0 1 .242
B.Martin 1 3 4 0 0 1 22 1.71
Luetge, BS, 0-1 11⁄3 1 2 2 1 2 26 3.03
Inherited runners-scored—Feyereisen 1-0, Sborz Peralta 1 1 1 1 0 0 9 4.22
American League National League Baltimore ip h r er bb so np era Kirilloff rf 4 0 1 0 1 1 .238
3-3. T—3:45. A—26,442 (40,300). Chapman 1 1 0 0 0 1 12 0.39
Lopez, W, 2-6 5 4 3 3 3 2 74 5.30 Sano 1b 5 0 1 1 0 3 .161
Toronto 6, Houston 2 Cincinnati 5, St. Louis 2 H.Harvey 1 1 0 0 0 0 10 4.50 Cessa, L, 1-1 1 1 2 1 1 0 20 3.09
Larnach lf 3 0 1 1 0 2 .247 Phillies 12, Nationals 6
Tampa Bay 3, Texas 0 Philadelphia 5, Washington 2 Wells 1 0 0 0 0 2 9 4.62 Astudillo 3b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .255 Inherited runners-scored—Luetge 1-0. IBB—off
Detroit 4, Chicago White Sox 3 Milwaukee 7, Arizona 5 Lowther 2 3 2 2 0 3 34 15.19 Washington ab r h bi bb so avg Barnes (Sanchez). HBP—Valdez (Frazier).
Gordon 2b 4 0 2 0 0 1 .400
Inherited runners-scored—Sandlin 2-2, Stephan Turner ss 5 1 2 1 0 1 .311 WP—Luetge. Umpires—Home, Gabe Morales;
Minnesota 5, Kansas City 4 Pittsburgh 8, Miami 7 (12) Jeffers c 4 0 0 0 0 1 .200
Soto rf 4 0 2 2 1 2 .278
1-0. HBP—Quantrill (Urias), Lopez (Ramirez). Garlick cf 3 1 1 0 1 0 .245 First, Ryan Additon; Second, Bill Miller; Third,
Cleveland 10, Baltimore 4 San Francisco 4, Chicago Cubs 3 Bell 1b 4 0 1 0 1 2 .217
WP—Hentges, Lopez. Umpires—Home, Phil Simmons ss 3 1 2 0 1 0 .259 Brian Knight. T—3:49. A—19,103 (47,309).
Boston 7, N.Y. Yankees 3 Atlanta 6, L.A. Dodgers 4 Cuzzi; First, Adam Beck; Second, Tom Hallion; Schwarber lf 5 0 0 0 0 2 .222
Totals 35 2 10 2 3 10
Oakland 6, Colorado 3 Oakland 6, Colorado 3 Third, Mark Ripperger. T—3:10. A—9,423 Zimmerman ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .299 Mariners 9, Angels 5
Kansas City ab r h bi bb so avg Avila c 3 1 1 0 1 1 .176
L.A. Angels 12, Seattle 5 N.Y. Mets 4, San Diego 0 (45,971). Merrifield 2b 4 1 2 0 0 1 .268
Seattle ab r h bi bb so avg
Mercer 2b-3b 4 1 1 0 0 0 .236 Crawford ss 3 2 2 2 1 0 .263
C.Santana 1b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .244 Robles cf 3 3 2 1 0 0 .224
Sunday’s results Marlins 3, Pirates 1 Benintendi lf 4 0 1 1 0 2 .294
Haniger rf 5 1 1 1 0 3 .261
Totals 36 6 10 5 3 9 France 1b 5 0 1 0 0 0 .249
Miami ab r h bi bb so avg Perez dh-c 3 0 0 0 1 1 .275
American League National League Chisholm Jr. ss 3 1 0 0 0 1 .264 Gutierrez 3b 4 0 1 0 0 1 .261
Philadelphia ab r h bi bb so avg Seager 3b 3 0 1 2 1 2 .216
Houston 6, Toronto 3 Miami 3, Pittsburgh 1 Marte cf 3 1 1 0 1 0 .301 Olivares rf 3 0 0 0 0 1 .286
Herrera cf 5 1 2 2 0 1 .273 Murphy c 5 0 1 1 0 3 .171
Tampa Bay 7, Texas 1 Atlanta 4, L.A. Dodgers 2 Dickerson lf 4 0 0 0 0 1 .266 Realmuto c 3 2 2 3 2 1 .295 Nottingham dh 3 0 0 0 0 2 .115
Dyson cf 3 0 1 0 0 1 .273
Aguilar 1b 3 1 2 2 0 0 .265 Harper rf 5 1 1 0 0 1 .273 Fraley ph-dh 1 1 1 1 1 0 .207
Baltimore 18, Cleveland 5 Milwaukee 2, Arizona 0 Gallagher c 2 0 1 0 0 1 .227
Hoskins 1b 5 1 0 0 0 2 .263 Trammell cf-lf 4 1 0 0 1 2 .173
Berti 2b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .175 Lopez ss 3 0 0 0 0 1 .224
Chicago White Sox 3, Detroit 0 Philadelphia 12, Washington 6 Diaz 3b 4 0 1 0 0 0 .130 McCutchen lf 4 2 2 1 0 1 .225 Mayfield 2b 4 1 1 0 0 2 .000
Totals 31 1 6 1 1 11
Minnesota 2, Kansas City 1 Cincinnati 8, St. Louis 7 Leon c 4 0 1 0 0 1 .189 Miller 2b 2 2 1 3 1 0 .276 Kelenic cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .096
Colorado 3, Oakland 1 Colorado 3, Oakland 1 Sierra rf 3 0 0 0 0 0 .241 Minnesota 001 010 000 — 2 10 0 Jankowski ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 .500 Walton lf-2b 3 3 2 2 1 0 .232
Seattle 9, L.A. Angels 5 Cubs 4, San Francisco 3 Alcantara p 2 0 0 0 1 2 .087 Kansas City 000 100 000 — 1 6 0 Bohm 3b 3 1 0 1 1 1 .209 Totals 36 9 10 9 5 14
Totals 30 3 5 2 2 6 LOB—Minnesota 10, Kansas City 4. 2B—Sano Torreyes ss 4 1 0 1 0 0 .271 Los Angeles ab r h bi bb so avg
Boston 6, N.Y. Yankees 5 (10) N.Y. Mets 6, San Diego 2 Maton 2b 1 1 0 0 0 1 .252
Pittsburgh ab r h bi bb so avg (4), Merrifield (14). 3B—Merrifield (1). Upton lf 4 2 2 2 1 2 .225
RBIs—Sano (28), Larnach (8), Benintendi (29). Totals 35 12 9 11 4 9 Ohtani dh 2 1 0 0 3 2 .256
Monday’s games Frazier 2b 4 1 1 0 0 0 .332
Rendon 3b 5 1 2 1 0 0 .236
Hayes 3b 4 0 2 0 0 2 .348 SB—Gordon (3). Runners left in scoring position- Washington 001 203 000 — 6 10 1
American League Reynolds cf 3 0 0 0 1 0 .287 —Minnesota 6 (Larnach, Astudillo, Polanco, Philadelphia 000 723 00x — 12 9 1 Walsh 1b 4 0 1 1 1 3 .301
Miami (Lopez 1-3) at Boston (Pivetta 6-1), 4:10 p.m. Moran 1b 4 0 1 1 0 1 .296 Garlick, Sano); Kansas City 2 (Olivares, Gutier- Lagares cf 5 0 0 1 0 1 .209
E—Mercer (2), Realmuto (1). LOB—Washington
Polanco rf 4 0 0 0 0 1 .208 rez). RISP—Minnesota 2 for 11; Kansas City 1 for J.Iglesias ss 5 0 0 0 0 1 .266
Kansas City (Kowar 0-0) at L.A. Angels (Bundy 0-6), 8:38 p.m. 8, Philadelphia 4. 2B—Mercer (4), Robles 2 (9),
Gonzalez ss 3 0 1 0 0 0 .215 7. Runners moved up—Kirilloff. GIDP—Jeffers. Ward rf 3 0 0 0 1 1 .223
National League Tom ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .190 DP—Kansas City 1 (Merrifield, Lopez, C.Santa-
McCutchen (7), Herrera (7). 3B—Soto (1). Suzuki c 2 0 0 0 0 1 .200
Miami (Lopez 1-3) at Boston (Pivetta 6-1), 4:10 p.m. HR—Miller (6), off Espino; Realmuto (5), off Wong ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .235
Gamel lf 3 0 1 0 1 0 .217 na). TP_Minnesota 1 (Sano, Simmons, Gordon, Rainey. RBIs—Soto 2 (25), Robles (6), Steven-
Chicago Cubs (Alzolay 4-4) at San Diego (Weathers 2-2), 9:10 p.m. Perez c 3 0 0 0 0 0 .136 Sano). son (10), Turner (29), McCutchen (29), Miller 3
Fletcher 2b 3 1 2 0 0 0 .264
Kuhl p 2 0 0 0 0 1 .000 Minnesota ip h r er bb so np era Totals 34 5 7 5 6 11
Ober 4 5 1 1 0 4 51 5.62
(18), Bohm (26), Torreyes (9), Herrera 2 (14),
Totals 32 1 6 1 2 6 Seattle 102 000 105 — 9 10 1
Farrell, W, 1-0 1 0 0 0 0 2 13 0.90 Realmuto 3 (23). Runners left in scoring position-
Miami 010 002 000 — 3 5 1 —Washington 3 (Castro, Bell); Philadelphia 2 Los Angeles 100 000 013 — 5 7 0
Alcala, H, 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 10 3.63
Pittsburgh 100 000 000 — 1 6 1 Duffey, H, 8 1 0 0 0 0 1 14 4.03 (Harper, Maton). RISP—Washington 4 for 11; E—Crawford (6). LOB—Seattle 7, Los Angeles
SUNDAY’S GAMES E—Aguilar (5), Gonzalez (4). LOB—Miami 4, Robles, H, 10
Rogers, S, 5-7
1
1
1
0
0
0
0 0 2 15
0 1 1 13
3.04
2.59
Philadelphia 4 for 9. Runners moved up—Steven-
son, Torreyes. GIDP—Castro. DP—Philadelphia 1
10. 2B—Crawford 2 (14), Walton (2), Fletcher
(7), Walsh (13), Upton (6), Rendon (7).
Pittsburgh 6. 2B—Moran (8), Gamel (5), Fra-
Kansas City ip h r er bb so np era (Miller, Torreyes, Hoskins). HR—Walton (2), off Sandoval; Upton (13), off

Winker’s 3 HRs
zier (20). HR—Aguilar (12), off Kuhl.
RBIs—Aguilar 2 (44), Moran (20). CS—Berti (3). Singer, L, 3-5 52⁄3 8 2 2 3 7 106 4.88 Washington ip h r er bb so np era Gilbert. RBIs—Seager 2 (36), Walton 2 (7),
SF—Aguilar. Runners left in scoring position- Zimmer 1
⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 5 2.11 Voth 2 0 0 0 0 2 24 2.73 Crawford 2 (21), Haniger (38), Murphy (12),
Brentz 1 0 0 0 0 1 9 1.95 Suero 1 0 0 0 0 0 14 2.60 Fraley (9), Upton 2 (28), Walsh (40), Rendon
—Miami 0; Pittsburgh 3 (Polanco, Frazier, Mo- Staumont 1 1 0 0 0 1 12 2.66 Clay, H, 4 1
⁄3 1 2 2 1 0 8 5.19
ran). RISP—Miami 0 for 1; Pittsburgh 1 for 9. (22), Lagares (10). SB—Ohtani (8). SF—Seager,

lift Reds to sweep

Barlow 1 1 0 0 0 1 16 1.80 Finnegan, L, 1
⁄3 2 5 1 2 1 29 4.12
Runners moved up—Reynolds 2, Perez. 2-1, BS, 0-1 Crawford. S —Fletcher. Runners left in scoring po-
Inherited runners-scored—Rogers 1-0, Zimmer sition—Seattle 4 (Nottingham, Haniger, Tram-
4GIDP—Berti, Perez, Reynolds. Espino 11⁄3 2 2 2 1 0 27 2.95
2-0. IBB—off Rogers (Perez). HBP—Singer (Lar- mell); Los Angeles 6 (J.Iglesias 2, Rendon, Oh-
DP—Miami 2 (Chisholm Jr., Berti, Aguilar; Berti, Rainey 1 2 3 3 0 1 22 10.57
nach). WP—Singer. Umpires—Home, Jeff Nel- tani, Wong). RISP—Seattle 6 for 14; Los Angeles
Chisholm Jr., Aguilar); Pittsburgh 1 (Hayes, McGowin 2 2 0 0 0 5 30 2.35
son; First, Ryan Wills; Second, Manny Gonzalez; 2 for 13. Runners moved up—Murphy, France, La-
Frazier, Moran). Philadelphia ip h r er bb so np era
Third, Mike Estabrook. T—2:59. A—14,046 gares 2.
ST. LOUIS — Jesse Winker hit a tiebreaking home run Miami
Alcantara, W, 3-5
ip h r er bb
8 6 1 0 2
so
6
np
103
era
3.30 (37,903).
Velasquez
Bradley
4 4 3 3 1 4
1 0 0 0 2 0
80 4.33
20 4.82 Seattle ip h r er bb so np era
off Alex Reyes in the ninth inning for his second three- Garcia, S, 10-13 1 0 0 0 0 0 12 2.62
Brewers 2, Diamondbacks 0
Kintzler 2
⁄3 4 3 3 0 0 22 8.50 Gilbert, W, 1-2 5 2 1 1 4 7 105 4.98
Pittsburgh ip h r er bb so np era Coonrod, W, 1-2 11⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 22 3.38 Chargois, H, 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 1.93
homer game this season, and the Cincinnati Reds com- Kuhl, L, 0-3 6 3 3 2 1 2 82 5.61 Arizona ab r h bi bb so avg Sanchez 11⁄3 1 0 0 0 2 22 0.00 Sewald, H, 3 1 0 0 0 0 2 22 3.00
Rojas 2b-3b 4 0 0 0 0 4 .258 Neris ⁄3 1 0 0 0 2 17 1.90 Montero, H, 4 1 2 1 1 1 0 24 4.78
pleted their first four-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardi-
2
Davis 1 0 0 0 0 0 7 0.00
Oviedo 2 2 0 0 1 4 33 7.23 Marte cf-2b 4 0 2 0 0 1 .382 T—4:26. A—15,108 (42,792). Middleton 0 3 3 3 1 0 18 4.15
nals in 21 years with an 8-7 victory on Sunday. HBP—Kuhl (Chisholm Jr.). Umpires—Home, Co- C.Kelly c 4 0 1 0 0 2 .270 Steckenrider 1 0 0 0 0 2 13 3.10
ry Blaser; First, Brian Gorman; Second, Sean Walker 1b 4 0 1 0 0 1 .194 Cubs 4, Giants 3 Los Angeles ip h r er bb so np era
Winker had six RBIs, hitting a two-run homer in the Barber; Third, James Hoye. T—2:40. A—5,477 P.Smith rf-cf 4 0 0 0 0 1 .288 Chicago ab r h bi bb so avg Sandoval, L, 0-2 6 5 3 3 1 10 101 3.95
Claudio ⁄3 2 1 1 0 0 14 4.84
first, a three-run homer in the second off John Gant and
2
(38,747). D.Peralta lf 4 0 1 0 0 1 .245 Rizzo 1b 5 0 1 0 0 0 .255
Ahmed ss 3 0 0 0 0 3 .228 Mayers 1 0 0 0 0 2 15 4.73
Bryant lf 4 0 1 0 0 2 .309
the go-ahead drive against Reyes (3-2). Braves 4, Dodgers 2 Vargas 3b 2 0 0 0 0 2 .250 Happ cf 2 1 1 0 2 0 .190
Strickland
Cishek
1
⁄3
1
1
2
2 2 1
3 3 3
1
1
14
29
9.95
3.91
Vogt ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 .195
Winker has 17 homers, tied for the NL lead. He also Los Angeles ab r h bi bb so avg
Totals 33 0 6 0 0 16
Baez ss 4 0 0 0 0 0 .240
Inherited runners-scored—Steckenrider 2-1, May-
Betts rf 4 0 1 0 0 1 .258 Heyward rf 4 0 0 0 0 1 .172
homered three times against Milwaukee on May 21. Turner 3b 4 1 2 0 0 0 .270 Milwaukee ab r h bi bb so avg Wisdom 3b 4 2 2 3 0 2 .412
ers 1-0, Cishek 2-2. IBB—off Gilbert (Ohtani),
off Cishek (Seager). HBP—Gilbert (Suzuki).
Eugenio Suarez added a two-run double for the Reds, Taylor 2b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .275 Urias 2b
Adames ss
4
4
0
0
2
1
0 0 1
0 0 2
.224
.269
Sogard 2b
Higgins c
4
4
0
0
1
0
0 0 0 .245
0 0 2 .050
WP—Sandoval. Umpires—Home, Jordan Baker;
Pujols 1b 4 1 2 2 0 0 .229
who led 7-0 by the third inning en route to their first Hendricks p 3 1 1 0 0 1 .053 First, Chris Segal; Second, Mark Carlson; Third,
Pollock lf 4 0 1 0 0 1 .272 Yelich lf 3 0 0 0 1 1 .247
Contreras ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 .250 Jeremy Riggs. T—3:57. A—12,833 (45,517).
Garcia rf 4 0 0 0 0 1 .242
four-game sweep at St. Louis since May 4-7, 1990. Bellinger cf
W.Smith c
4
4
0
0
1
0
0 0 0 .196
0 0 0 .268 Taylor cf-rf 4 1 1 1 0 1 .218 Totals 35 4 8 3 2 8
Leaders
Tyler O’Neill had a two-run homer in a seven-run sixth Lux ss 3 0 0 0 0 2 .238 Hiura 1b 4 0 1 0 0 3 .130 San Francisco ab r h bi bb so avg Through Saturday
Bauer p 2 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Robertson 3b 2 1 1 1 1 1 .146
for the Cardinals, who have lost five straight for the first Muncy ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .264 Burnes p 2 0 0 0 1 1 .188
Wade Jr. 1b
Posey c
3
4
1
1
1
3
1 2 2 .270
1 0 0 .333 American League
time since Aug. 3-7, 2018. Totals 34 2 7 2 0 5 Totals 30 2 6 2 3 11 Dickerson lf 4 0 1 0 0 1 .227 Batting G AB R H BA
RAYS 7, RANGERS 1: Rookie Taylor Walls had a tie- Atlanta ab r h bi bb so avg Arizona 000 000 000 — 0 6 0 Flores 3b
Duggar cf
4
2
0
0
0
1
0 0 0 .240
0 1 0 .309
Guerrero Jr., TOR 57 204 44 68 .333
Acuna Jr. rf 4 0 0 0 1 3 .278 Milwaukee 000 011 00x — 2 6 0 Gurriel, HOU 54 197 27 64 .325
breaking, two-run double in the eighth inning among a Freeman 1b 3 1 0 0 1 0 .229
LOB—Arizona 6, Milwaukee 8. 2B—Vogt (5),
Slater ph-cf 1 0 1 0 0 0 .223 Mullins, BAL 59 227 32 73 .322
Solano 2b 4 0 1 1 0 1 .270
season-high three hits, and visiting Tampa Bay beat Albies 2b
Swanson ss
4
4
0
1
1
1
1 0 2
0 0 2
.256
.238
Urias (9), Hiura (5). HR—Robertson (2), off Tauchman rf 4 0 0 0 0 1 .184
Martinez, BOS 54 209 41 67 .321
C.Smith; Taylor (6), off R.Smith. RBIs—Robert- Bogaerts, BOS 55 208 33 65 .313
Texas. Almonte lf 2 1 1 1 1 0 .273
son (2), Taylor (15). Runners left in scoring posi-
Dubon ss 4 1 1 0 0 1 .234 Madrigal, CHW 52 193 30 59 .306
Totals 34 3 9 3 3 7
ROCKIES 3, ATHLETICS 1: German Marquez pitched Heredia ph-lf 1 1 1 0 0 0 .268
tion—Arizona 3 (P.Smith, Marte, D.Peralta); Altuve, HOU 48 199 39 60 .302
Adrianza 3b 3 0 2 0 1 1 .231 Chicago 010 210 000 — 4 8 0
six effective innings and a beleaguered Colorado bullpen Contreras c 3 0 0 0 1 1 .217
Milwaukee 5 (Taylor, Yelich, Burnes).
RISP—Arizona 0 for 5; Milwaukee 0 for 5. San Francisco 210 000 000 — 3 9 1 National League
Inciarte cf 3 0 1 2 0 1 .250
led by Daniel Bard held on to help the Rockies avoid a Fried p 1 0 0 0 1 0 .333 Runners moved up—P.Smith, Garcia. E—Posey (2). LOB—Chicago 6, San Francisco 7. Batting G AB R H BA
Arizona ip h r er bb so np era
three-game sweep with a win at home over AL West- Totals 29 4 7 4 6 10
C.Smith, L, 2-2 5 3 1 1 2 8 84 3.14
2B—Happ (5), Hendricks (1), Dubon (6), Posey
(6), Duggar (6). HR—Wisdom 2 (7), off Cueto;
Castellanos, CIN 52 209 37 75 .359
Winker, CIN 50 200 44 70 .350
leading Oakland. Los Angeles 000 100 001 — 2 7 0 R.Smith
Clarke
1
1
2
1
1
0
1 1 0 15
0 0 2 12
5.44
3.90
Wade Jr. (3), off Hendricks. Frazier, PIT 57 229 35 76 .332
Atlanta 011 001 01x — 4 7 0
RED SOX 6, YANKEES 5 (10): Xander Bogaerts hit a Crichton 1 0 0 0 0 1 13 5.09
RBIs—Wisdom 3 (10), Wade Jr. (5), Solano (12), Turner, WAS 56 228 31 71 .311
LOB—Los Angeles 5, Atlanta 9. 2B—Turner (10), Posey (22). Bryant, CHC 54 200 38 62 .310
two-run single with two outs in the 10th inning, and Almonte (2), Albies (19), Adrianza (4).
Milwaukee
Burnes, W, 3-4
ip
7
h
4
r
0
er bb so np
0 0 13 106
era
1.97
Runners left in scoring position—Chicago 3 (Baez,
Boston held off New York in a wild finish for their first HR—Pujols (4), off W.Smith. RBIs—Pujols 2 Williams, H, 9 1 1 0 0 0 2 16 4.03 Wisdom); San Francisco 3 (Tauchman 2, Flo-
res). RISP—Chicago 2 for 7; San Francisco 3 for
(12), Almonte (2), Albies (37), Inciarte 2 (5). Boxberger, S, 1 1 0 0 0 1 13 3.04
three-game sweep in the Bronx since June 2011. SF—Inciarte. S —Fried. Runners left in scoring po- 10. Runners moved up—Heyward, Cueto, Solano,
METS 4, PADRES 0: Jacob deGrom kept up his domi- sition—Los Angeles 3 (Pujols, Muncy); Atlanta
2-2
IBB—off R.Smith (Robertson). HBP—C.Smith Dickerson. MLB REPORT
7 (Inciarte, Swanson, Acuna Jr. 3). RISP—Los (Pina). Umpires—Home, Dan Bellino; First, Ed- Chicago ip h r er bb so np era
nance of major league hitters, striking out 11 over seven Angeles 1 for 7; Atlanta 1 for 12. Runners moved win Moscoso; Second, Joe West; Third, Bruce
Hendricks, W, 6 ⁄3 7 3 3 3 5 101
1
4.59
7-4 CHICAGO WHITE SOX
innings and lowering his ERA to 0.62 to pitch New York up—Taylor. LIDP—Freeman. DP—Los Angeles 1 Dreckman. T—3:04. A—20,117 (41,900). Tepera, H, 10 2
⁄3 1 0 0 0 0 12 2.30
past high-powered San Diego on the road.
(Pujols).
Chafin, H, 15 1 1 0 0 0 0 7 2.05 Center fielder Billy
Los Angeles ip h r er bb so np era Reds 8, Cardinals 7
MARINERS 9, ANGELS 5: Donovan Walton hit the Bauer, L, 6-4 6 6 3 3 4 7 100 2.40 Cincinnati ab r h bi bb so avg
Kimbrel, S,
14-16
1 0 0 0 0 2 9 0.75
Hamilton was placed on
Gonzalez 1 0 0 0 0 2 17 2.29
go-ahead home run in the third inning. Logan Gilbert Price 1
⁄3 1 1 1 2 0 22 4.42
India 2b 4 2 1 0 0 1 .261 San Francisco ip h r er bb so np era the 10-day injured list
Winker lf 4 3 3 6 1 0 .350 Cueto, L, 4-2 41⁄3 6 4 3 2 4 78 3.70
struck out seven for his first major league win, and Seat-
Jones
Atlanta
2
⁄3 0
ip h
0 0 0
r er bb
1 8
so np
3.48
era
Castellanos rf 5 0 0 0 0 2 .359 Menez 2 0 0 0 0 3 26 0.00 Sunday and the team rein-
tle beat host Los Angeles Angels. Fried, W, 3-3 6 6 1 1 0 4 92 4.63 Stephenson 1b
Naquin cf
3
1
1 1
0 1
0 2 0 .262
0 0 0 .257
Leone
Garcia
2
⁄3
11⁄3
1
0
0
0
0 0 0
0 0 1
8
16
4.91
3.48
stated fellow outfielder
Minter, H, 13 1 0 0 0 0 0 14 3.97
CUBS 4, GIANTS 3: Patrick Wisdom hit a pair of Martin, H, 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 10 1.69 Akiyama ph-cf 4 1 2 0 0 1 .205 Littell 2
⁄3 1 0 0 0 0 7 1.65 Adam Engel from the IL.
Suarez 3b 4 0 1 2 0 0 .162 T—3:01. A—14,089 (41,915).
home runs and drove in three runs to help visiting Chica- W.Smith, S, 11-11 1 1 1 1 0 1 10 4.30
Barnhart c 3 1 0 0 1 2 .266
Hamilton is dealing with
Inherited runners-scored—Jones 2-0, Minter 2-0.
go avoid a four-game sweep with a victory over San Fran- Umpires—Home, Larry Vanover; First, Dave Freeman ss-1b 4 0 1 0 0 1 .214 Mets 6, Padres 2 a right oblique strain.
Totals 35 8 10 8 4 8 New York ab r h bi bb so avg
cisco. Rackley; Second, Erich Bacchus; Third, Marvin
Hudson. T—3:21. A—39,439 (41,084). St. Louis ab r h bi bb so avg McKinney rf 5 1 2 1 0 1 .242
BREWERS 2, DIAMONDBACKS 0: Corbin Burnes Edman 2b 5 1 1 1 0 2 .272 Lindor ss 4 0 0 0 0 1 .218 DETROIT TIGERS
struck out a career-high 13 in seven innings, and Mil- White Sox 3, Tigers 0 Carlson cf 4 0 1 0 1 2 .277 Alonso 1b 3 1 1 1 0 0 .248
Detroit ab r h bi bb so avg Goldschmidt 1b 5 0 3 0 0 1 .250 Do.Smith lf 3 1 1 1 1 2 .260 Righthander Michael
waukee beat Arizona 2-0 on Sunday to deal the Dia- Baddoo lf 4 0 1 0 0 1 .241 Arenado 3b 4 1 4 2 1 0 .287 McCann c 4 1 1 2 0 2 .228 Fulmer was placed on the
Schoop 1b 4 0 1 0 0 2 .257 O’Neill lf 5 1 1 2 0 0 .278 Drury 3b 4 0 1 0 0 1 .219
mondbacks their team-record 17th straight road loss. Candelario 3b 4 0 1 0 0 1 .266 Sosa ss 4 1 0 0 1 2 .259 Williams cf 4 0 1 0 0 0 .200 10-day injured list with a
WHITE SOX 3, TIGERS 0: Tony La Russa moved past Cabrera dh 4 0 1 0 0 1 .197 J.Rondon rf 4 1 2 0 1 1 .222 Peraza 2b 4 2 2 0 0 1 .231
right shoulder strain.
Haase c 4 0 1 0 0 3 .265 Stroman p 2 0 1 1 0 1 .091
John McGraw into sole possession of second on base- Mazara rf 4 0 0 0 0 3 .183
Knizner c
Carpenter ph
4
1
1 1
1 1
0 0 1
2 0 0
.211
.161 Totals 33 6 10 6 2 9 Detroit also activated
ball’s career manager wins list, directing White Sox to a Goodrum ss 3 0 0 0 0 1 .212 Totals 39 7 14 7 4 12 San Diego ab r h bi bb so avg righthander Jose Urena
W.Castro 2b 3 0 0 0 0 2 .228 Pham lf 3 0 1 1 2 0 .223
3-0 victory over Detroit at home. Hill cf 2 0 0 0 1 0 .111 Cincinnati 232 000 001 — 8 10 1
Profar cf 4 0 0 0 1 1 .228 from the 10-day IL and
ORIOLES 18, INDIANS 5: Cedric Mullins hit a leadoff Totals 32 0 5 0 1 14 St. Louis 000 007 000 — 7 14 0
Cronenworth 2b 4 0 1 0 0 0 .276
brought up right-hander
E—Freeman (1). LOB—Cincinnati 6, St. Louis 9. Tatis Jr. ss 3 1 0 0 1 1 .292
homer as part of a three-hit day, and host Baltimore Chicago
Anderson ss
ab
4
r
0
h
2
bi bb so avg
2 0 0 .297 2B—Naquin (9), Suarez (7), Carlson (10), Car- Hosmer 1b 4 0 1 1 0 0 .273 Jason Foley from Triple-A
scored their most runs since 2015 and had a season-high Lamb lf 4 0 0 0 0 1 .259 penter (5), Arenado (19). HR—Winker 2 (16), Myers rf 3 0 0 0 1 2 .250
Toledo.
off Gant; Winker (17), off Reyes; O’Neill (13), off Kim 3b 3 0 1 0 0 1 .203
21 hits in a rout of Cleveland. Moncada 3b
Mercedes dh
3
3
0
0
0
0
0 1 1 .294
0 1 0 .292 Feliz. RBIs—Winker 6 (37), Suarez 2 (30), O’Neill Marcano ph 1 1 1 0 0 0 .182
MARLINS 3, PIRATES 1: Sandy Alcantara cruised Grandal c 4 0 0 0 0 0 .153 2 (29), Carpenter 2 (13), Edman (18), Arenado Rivas c 4 0 1 0 0 1 .235
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
2 (40). SB—Edman (12). S —Miley. Runners left Paddack p 2 0 0 0 0 2 .000
through eight innings, ending visiting Miami’s longest Eaton rf 3 1 1 0 0 0 .197
Vaughn 1b 4 1 1 1 0 0 .228 in scoring position—Cincinnati 2 (Miley, Stephen- Mateo 3b 2 0 0 0 0 1 .211 Third basemen Evan
losing streak in six years at eight games with a win over Engel cf 2 0 0 0 0 0 .000 son); St. Louis 6 (O’Neill, Knizner, Goldschmidt, Totals 33 2 6 2 5 9
Madrigal 2b 3 1 2 0 0 0 .306 J.Rondon). RISP—Cincinnati 2 for 7; St. Louis 4 Longoria was put on the
Pittsburgh. for 13. Runners moved up—Castellanos, Sosa.
New York 001 101 120 — 6 10 2
PHILLIES 12, NATIONALS 6: Bryce Harper hit a run-
Totals 30 3 6 3 2 2
LIDP—Goldschmidt. DP—Cincinnati 1 (Antone,
San Diego 000 001 001 — 2 6 0 10-day injured list with a
scoring single that stopped an 0-for-18 skid in his return
Detroit 000 000 000 — 0 5 0 Stephenson, Antone); St. Louis 1 (Arenado, E—Stroman (1), Alonso (5). LOB—New York 4, left shoulder sprain before
Chicago 030 000 00x — 3 6 1 Knizner, Edman). San Diego 9. 2B—Peraza (4), Stroman (2),
from the injured list, Andrew McCutchen hit a three-run E—Grandal (5). LOB—Detroit 6, Chicago 7. Cincinnati ip h r er bb so np era Pham (3). HR—Do.Smith (4), off Paddack; the series finale against the
homer and Philadelphia beat the Washington Nationals
2B—Schoop (7), Haase (3), Madrigal (9). Miley
Feliz
5
0
4
4
0
5
0 2 8
5 1 0
92 2.96
21 16.20
McCann (6), off Stammen. RBIs—McKinney (6),
Do.Smith (20), Alonso (25), Stroman (1),
Chicago Cubs.
3B—Eaton (2). RBIs—Vaughn (13), Anderson 2
Brach 0 2 2 2 1 0 13 6.00 McCann 2 (21), Hosmer (31), Pham (18).
at home. (22). SB—Hill (2), Engel (1).
Runners left in scoring position—Detroit 5 (Ca- Antone, BS, 3-6 1 1 0 0 0 0 6 1.41 SB—Pham 2 (8), McKinney (1). CS—Do.Smith BALTIMORE ORIOLES
BRAVES 4, DODGERS 2: Max Fried outpitched Tre- brera, W.Castro, Candelario, Baddoo, Maza-
Hendrix 1 1 0 0 0 0 8 4.70 (1). S —Stroman. Runners left in scoring position-
vor Bauer, and host Atlanta beat Los Angeles to take two ra); Chicago 3 (Lamb, Anderson).
Hembree, W,
1-1
1 0 0 0 0 2 23 5.40 —New York 1 (McKinney); San Diego 5 (Tatis Jr., Lefthander John Means
Cronenworth 2, Profar, Myers).
of three in the first meeting of the teams since the Dodg-
RISP—Detroit 0 for 9; Chicago 2 for 5. Sims, S, 6-7 1 2 0 0 0 2 21 4.70
RISP—New York 2 for 4; San Diego 1 for 10.
was placed on the 10-day
Runners moved up—Mazara, Madrigal. St. Louis ip h r er bb so np era
ers rallied to win last year’s NL Championship Series. Detroit ip h r er bb so np era Gant 4 7 7 7 3 2 80 2.63 Runners moved up—Lindor, Hosmer. injured list with a left
Urena, L, 2-5 5 6 3 3 2 1 87 4.25 New York ip h r er bb so np era
TWINS 2, ROYALS 1: Minnesota first baseman Miguel Foley 1 0 0 0 0 0 18 0.00
Miller
A.Rondon
1
1
0
1
0
0
0 0 1
0 0 1
11
22
5.91
0.00 Stroman, W, 62⁄3 4 1 0 4 7 98 2.41 shoulder strain, a day after
Sano swooped in to catch a popped-up bunt and start a Norris
Garcia
1
1
0
0
0
0
0 0
0 0
1
0
9
7
5.57
5.03
Gallegos 2 1 0 0 0 2 29 2.31 5-4
Castro, H, 5 11⁄3 0 0 0 1 1 23 2.52
the team’s ace departed in
Reyes, L, 3-2 1 1 1 1 1 2 20 0.90
triple play, highlighting the Twins’ road win over the Chicago ip h r er bb so np era Inherited runners-scored—Brach 3-3, Antone 3-2.
May 1 2 1 1 0 1 20 3.86 the first inning after facing
Cease, W, 4-2 7 5 0 0 1 10 99 3.36 San Diego ip h r er bb so np era
Kansas City. Bummer, H, 7 1 0 0 0 0 2 12 3.18
HBP—Gant (India). Umpires—Home, Scott Bar- Paddack, L, 2-5 6 6 3 3 1 6 94 4.27 just five batters.
ry; First, Jeremie Rehak; Second, Dan Iassogna; Stammen 2 4 3 3 0 1 28 3.28
From wire reports Hendriks, S, 15-17 1 0 0 0 0 2 13 1.85
Third, Andy Fletcher. T—3:50. A—21,152 Adams 1 0 0 0 1 2 18 2.14
From wire reports
HBP—Foley 2 (Eaton,Engel). T—2:36.
(45,494). T—3:17. A—16,120 (40,209).
A—20,068 (40,615).
 HH Houston Chronicle | HoustonChronicle.com | Monday, June 7, 2021 | C5
PRO BASEBALL

ASTROS REPORT

Fractured hand
puts Díaz on IL
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Astros The Astros
utility man Aledmys Díaz will be
is out for six to eight weeks without
with a fractured left hand, Aledmys
the result of his being hit Díaz for six
by pitch in Saturday’s loss to eight
to the Blue Jays. weeks.
“All our prayers go out to
him,” manager Dusty Straw gets most
Baker said. “I went down
and prayed by the water, of the day off
by Lake Erie there yester- Center fielder Myles
day, that it wasn’t too seri- Straw was out of the As-
ous or take too long. It’s tros’ lineup Sunday for just
kind of a downer because the third game this season.
he’s such a valuable part of Manager Dusty Baker said
this club. So we’ve got to the decision was a planned
find a way to push on.” off day for Straw and not a
The Astros contemplat- punitive reaction to Straw’s
ed making a roster move to failure to slide into home
fill Díaz’s spot for Sunday’s plate Saturday, which cost
finale against Toronto but the Astros a run in a 6-2
Joshua Bessex / Associated Press wound up playing short loss. Baker said Straw later
Astros starting pitcher Luis Garcia, who manager Dusty Baker said was sick with a cold, struck out a because they are expected told him he could not see
career-high eight batters while allowing three hits, one run and two walks over six innings on Sunday. to activate Michael Bran- or hear shortstop Carlos
tley (hamstring) off the Correa motioning for him
to slide because the umpire
ASTROS communicate out there and
know where your outfield-
Astros 6, Blue Jays 3
Houston
Altuve 2b
ab
6
r h
1 1
bi bb so avg
1 0 2 .302
grounder and lasered a
throw to Bregman to tag out
injured list Tuesday for the
series opener in Boston. blocked his view.
From page C1 ers are.” Correa ss 4 0 0 0 1 0 .280 a sliding Jansen at third “It’d have just been too “Straw is not the kind of
The Astros offense, Bregman 3b 5 2 2 0 0 1 .286
base. Jansen exited the much to get somebody in kid that’s going to alibi or
Alvarez lf 4 1 1 0 1 0 .294
before. The positional meanwhile, made its living Straw cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .242 game with a right ham- here for one day and then make excuses, so I took
changes plus lingering of- off of walks, soft hits and Gurriel dh 3 1 3 1 2 0 .325
string strain, and Garcia send them back out,” Bak- him at his word,” Baker
Tucker rf 5 0 2 2 0 0 .258
fensive struggles could have opportunistic base run- McCormick cf-lf 4 1 1 1 1 2 .200 struck out Guerrero Jr. for er said. “We were wrestling said. “It looks bad, but this
made it an uphill battle, but ning. They continually
Jones 1b
Maldonado c
5
3
0 1
0 1
0 0 3 .176
0 2 0 .163 the second time to end the with maybe activating is just a way to give him
the Jays’ sloppy seventh in- backed Jays pitchers into Totals 39 6 12 5 7 8 inning. Michael today, (but) that two days off with a day off
ning was emblematic of tough spots by advancing Toronto ab r h bi bb so avg
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was one day is important, being tomorrow.”
Semien 2b 4 1 0 0 0 1 .294
their haphazard defensive on wild pitches and passed Bichette ss 4 1 1 0 0 0 .262 outstanding in left field for an off day tomorrow.” Straw entered the game
performance which balls. Gurriel even stole his
Guerrero Jr. dh
Hernandez rf
3
4
0
1
0
1
0 1 2 .333
1 0 2 .306 Toronto, in the sixth inning Assuming the Astros in the bottom of the eighth
deemed the Astros sharp by first base in nearly two Grichuk cf 3 0 1 1 1 2 .282 making a sliding catch to de- activate Brantley, they will inning when the Astros
Panik 3b 4 0 1 0 0 0 .265
comparison. years. Houston rarely deliv- Gurriel Jr. lf 2 0 0 1 1 0 .259 ny Altuve a base hit and an- then place Díaz on the took Yordan Alvarez out
Astros manager Dusty ered, finishing 3 for 19 with Tellez 1b 4 0 0 0 0 2 .207
other catch on the warning injured list as the corre- of left field for defensive
Jansen c 1 0 1 0 0 0 .157
Baker later revealed that runners in scoring position McGuire c 2 0 0 0 1 0 .220 track to rob Bregman of an sponding move. purposes. Straw took over
Garcia was sick with a cold, and stranding 13 men, but Totals 31 3 5 3 4 9
extra-base hit. Before the injury, which in center, and Chas Mc-
which is why the team the threat was enough to
Houston
Toronto
112 000 110 — 6 12 0
010 000 020 — 3 5 1 All was quiet until Maldo- occurred in the fourth Cormick, who had started
pulled the young right- scare Toronto into burning E—Tellez (2). LOB—Houston 13, Toronto 7. nado’s fiasco in the seventh. inning Saturday against there, shifted to left.
2B—Jones (1), Bregman 2 (12), Jansen (4), Panik
hander after 79 pitches. through five bullpen arms (5). HR—Altuve (9), off Matz; McCormick (5), off Gurriel knocked in another Blue Jays starter Ross
“He wasn’t as sharp as he in the final five innings be- Matz. RBIs—Altuve (27), McCormick (19), Tucker 2
(37), Gurriel (41), Gurriel Jr. (20), Hernandez (31),
run the following inning to Stripling, Díaz was hitting Shaver’s hits lift
was, but he made the pitch- hind starter Steven Matz. make it 6-1, while Astros re- .278/.341/.435 and had
es when he had to,” Baker Gurriel, appearing at
Grichuk (43). SB—Gurriel (1). SF—Gurriel Jr.
Runners left in scoring position—Houston 9 (Tucker,
Correa, Jones 2, Alvarez, Bregman, Altuve); Toron- liever Brooks Raley secured played every position ex-
Skeeters by OKC
said. “It’s part of being a designated hitter for the As- to 3 (Guerrero Jr., Tellez, Panik). RISP—Houston 3
an uneventful four outs. cept pitcher, catcher and Colton Shaver, whose
for 19; Toronto 1 for 7. Runners moved up—Maldona-
professional. You give it all tros rather than his typical do, McCormick, Alvarez, Bichette. In the bottom of the center field. two-run homer in the
that you can. And he gave us first base, got on base in all
GIDP—McCormick. DP—Toronto 1 (Panik, Tellez).
Houston ip h r er bb so np era eighth, the Astros shifted Baker was unsure how second inning had given
all that we needed and all five of his plate appearanc- Garcia, W, 5-3 6 3 1 1 2 8 79 2.75
McCormick to left field to the Astros will fill Díaz’s Sugar Land a 5-0 lead,
Raley 11⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 14 6.56
that we wanted.” es with three hits and two Stanek 2
⁄3 2 2 2 1 0 21 3.86 replace Alvarez and slotted role while he is sidelined. broke a 5-5 tie with an
Jays first baseman Vladi- walks. He scored one run
Pressly, S, 9-10
Toronto
1 0 0 0 1 0 20 2.16
ip h r er bb so np era Straw, who did not start due “Somebody has got to eighth-inning single, and
mir Guerrero Jr. earned a 3- and batted in another. Matz, L, 6-3 4 ⁄3 8 4 4 4 3 77 4.50
1
to a planned rest day, into step up,” he said. “This the Skeeters went on to an
Castro 12⁄3 0 0 0 1 2 29 1.50
for-4 mark Saturday, includ- Told that Baker was con- Mayza 1
⁄3 2 1 0 0 0 8 6.48 his usual center field spot. gives somebody else a 8-5 victory Sunday at Okla-
ing a two-run homer, but on sidering playing him at des-
Edwards Jr.
Payamps
2
⁄3 0 0 0 1 0 14 3.00
1 ⁄3 2 1 1 1 2 44 2.96
2
“Alvarez was playing chance to prove them- homa City.
Sunday went hitless as To- ignated hitter more often
Chatwood 1
⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 5 5.23
pretty good, but he’s not as selves and also to add to Abraham Toro had
Inherited runners-scored—Castro 1-0, Edwards Jr.
ronto mustered just five on Sundays, Gurriel threw 2-1, Chatwood 1-0. HBP—Stanek (Semien). good an outfielder as Straw their value to this club. I three hits for Sugar Land,
hits. up his hands.
WP—Matz, Edwards Jr. PB—McGuire (1).
Umpires—Home, Chris Conroy; First, Lance Barks- or McCormick, so we tried don’t know if you can including an RBI double
Similar to the first two “He knows that I don’t dale; Second, Pat Hoberg; Third, Ben May.
to take him up to his last at- really replace what (Díaz) that started the scoring in
T—3:32. A—5,404 (21,050).
games of the series, strong like DH-ing too much, but bat and then get him out of does. Everybody else just the first and a single plating
winds at Sahlen Field car- today things went well for there and get our best de- has to pick up more slack two insurance runs in the
ried fly balls and resulted in me so if that’s where I end fensive team in there,” Bak- and do more themselves, eighth.
heavy action in left field for up in the lineup that’s Astros loaded the bases er said. “I was just hoping you know? That’s the bot- Danielle Lerner
and staff reports
both teams. The Jays, where I am,” he said in with no outs following a they didn’t tie it up and then tom line.”
whose outfield defense al- Spanish through an inter- double by Alex Bregman, a Straw would’ve been the
ready lacked urgency earli- preter. walk by Alvarez and a single third hitter the next inning,
er in the weekend, strug- The heart of the batting by Yuli Gurriel. Tucker de- but that’s the chance you
gled to rush in on shorter fly order remained intact for livered a two-RBI single to gotta take and hope your
balls and multiple times the Astros, who struck 12 left-center field for a 4-1 bullpen can do the job and
nearly collided with each hits including three doubles lead, but that’s where the hold them.”
other. and two home runs. Jose Al- pile-on halted. McCormick On the mound, however,
The Astros — missing Mi- tuve and McCormick deliv- grounded into a 5-3 double their defensive stronghold
chael Brantley, Aledmys Di- ered back-to-back leadoff play that left Tucker as the began to loosen. Reliever
az and Myles Straw — start- home runs in the first two only surviving base runner Ryne Stanek allowed the
ed inexperienced outfield- innings to spot the Astros on second, and Taylor Jones first five batters to reach
er Yordan Alvarez in left an early 2-0 lead before the struck out to retire the side. and surrendered two runs
field and rookie Chas Mc- Blue Jays got on the board in In the third inning Alva- in the eighth. Luckily for
Cormick in center along- the bottom of the second. rez, starting in left field for Baker, Toronto’s rally
side right fielder Kyle Tuck- Teoscar Hernandez the second time this sea- stopped there and Ryan
er. scored when Lourdes Gur- son, misplayed a fly ball and Pressly closed out the final
“I didn’t really have any riel Jr. hit a one-out sacrifice allowed a Danny Jansen inning for the Astros to pre-
idea about this wind blow- fly to center field, where double. Altuve and Breg- serve the lead.
ing in,” McCormick said. McCormick laid out for a man course corrected a mo- Joshua Bessex / Associated Press
“It’s pretty hectic but spectacular diving catch. ment later, when Altuve danielle.lerner@chron.com The Astros’ Jose Altuve celebrates his leadoff home
you’ve got to make sure you The following inning, the fielded a Marcus Semien twitter.com/danielle_lerner run in the first inning against the Blue Jays Sunday.

SATURDAY’S LATE MLB BOX SCORES

Angels 12, Mariners 5 Athletics 6, Rockies 3 Red Sox 7, Yankees 3 Mets 4, Padres 0 Braves 6, Dodgers 4 Giants 4, Cubs 3
Seattle ab r h bi bb so avg Oakland ab r h bi bb so avg Boston ab r h bi bb so avg New York ab r h bi bb so avg Los Angeles ab r h bi bb so avg Chicago ab r h bi bb so avg
Crawford ss 3 1 1 0 1 0 .257 Canha cf 5 1 3 1 0 1 .264 Santana dh 5 0 1 0 0 0 .135 McKinney rf 5 0 1 0 0 2 .214 Betts rf 4 1 0 0 0 1 .258 Pederson lf 2 0 0 0 0 1 .234
Haniger rf 4 1 1 0 0 0 .262 Pinder lf 5 2 2 1 0 0 .235 Verdugo lf 4 1 2 0 1 1 .290 Lindor ss 5 2 2 1 0 3 .222 Turner 3b 4 0 0 0 1 2 .265 Ortega cf 2 0 0 0 0 0 .148
Seager 3b 4 0 0 0 0 2 .214 Olson 1b 3 2 1 2 1 1 .278 Bogaerts ss 5 1 1 0 0 1 .313 Alonso 1b 5 0 1 0 0 2 .247 Bellinger cf 3 1 1 0 1 0 .190 Bryant cf-lf 4 1 0 0 0 2 .310
France 1b 3 1 0 0 0 0 .250 Lowrie 2b 3 0 2 0 1 0 .251 Devers 3b 5 2 2 2 0 0 .282 Do.Smith lf 3 0 1 0 1 1 .259 Taylor 2b 4 1 1 0 0 2 .281 Baez ss 4 0 1 0 0 3 .245
Trammell lf 4 1 1 1 0 2 .180 Luzardo p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Renfroe rf 4 0 2 0 0 2 .266 Diaz p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Beaty 1b 2 1 1 1 0 0 .286 Rizzo 1b 4 1 0 1 0 1 .257
Fraley dh 4 1 1 4 0 1 .179 Moreland ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .239 Gonzalez 2b 3 0 1 1 1 0 .201 Pillar cf-lf 5 1 2 1 0 1 .248 Pollock ph-lf 1 0 1 0 0 0 .273 Contreras c 4 0 0 0 0 2 .246
Kelenic cf 4 0 0 0 0 1 .096 Trivino p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Hernandez cf 4 1 1 1 0 2 .229 Nido c 4 0 1 0 1 3 .258 Lux ss 4 0 1 0 0 0 .243 Heyward rf 4 0 0 0 0 1 .177
Godoy c 3 0 0 0 0 2 .185 Chapman 3b 3 0 0 1 0 1 .204 Vazquez c 4 1 2 1 0 0 .251 Blankenhorn 2b 2 0 1 0 0 1 .167 McKinstry lf 2 0 0 0 0 0 .243 Wisdom 3b 3 1 1 2 0 2 .400
Walton 2b 3 0 0 0 0 1 .208 Piscotty rf 3 0 1 0 0 0 .217 Dalbec 1b 4 1 1 2 0 1 .199 Villar ph-3b 3 0 2 1 0 0 .248 Pujols ph-1b 2 0 0 0 0 1 .205 Sogard 2b 3 0 0 0 0 0 .245
Totals 32 5 4 5 1 9 Brown ph-rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 .193 Totals 38 7 13 7 2 7 deGrom p 3 0 0 0 0 1 .391 Barnes c 4 0 0 0 0 2 .230 Stewart p 1 0 1 0 0 0 .500
Los Angeles ab r h bi bb so avg Andrus ss 4 0 0 0 0 0 .208 New York ab r h bi bb so avg Drury ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 .214 Kershaw p 2 0 0 0 0 2 .222 Nance p 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Upton lf 5 2 2 2 0 3 .219 Garcia c 4 0 1 0 0 1 .196 LeMahieu 2b 4 0 1 0 0 0 .259 Lugo p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Tsutsugo ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .120 Winkler p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Wong lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 Irvin p 2 0 1 0 0 1 .500 Stanton dh 4 0 0 0 0 2 .253 Williams ph-cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 .182 W.Smith c 1 0 0 0 0 1 .275 Abbott p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
Ohtani dh 5 1 2 2 0 2 .259 Kemp 2b 1 1 1 0 0 0 .286 Judge cf-rf 3 1 0 0 1 1 .289 Peraza 3b-2b 3 1 1 1 1 2 .216 Totals 34 4 5 1 2 11 Alcantara ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .429
Rendon 3b 4 0 2 2 1 0 .230 Totals 35 6 12 5 2 5 Urshela 3b 4 1 2 0 0 1 .266 Totals 40 4 13 4 3 16 Atlanta ab r h bi bb so avg Tepera p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
J.Iglesias ss 5 0 0 0 0 4 .274 Colorado ab r h bi bb so avg Torres ss 3 1 1 3 0 2 .268 San Diego ab r h bi bb so avg Acuna Jr. rf 3 1 1 0 1 1 .284 Totals 33 3 3 3 0 13
Stassi c 5 2 2 1 0 2 .275 Tapia lf 5 1 2 0 0 0 .280 Gittens 1b 3 0 0 0 1 1 .000 Profar cf 4 0 0 0 0 2 .233 Freeman 1b 3 1 2 1 1 0 .233 San Francisco ab r h bi bb so avg
Walsh 1b 4 2 2 0 0 1 .302 Daza cf 3 0 1 0 0 0 .331 Andujar lf 3 0 0 0 0 1 .238 Mateo cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .217 Albies 2b 4 1 1 2 0 2 .256 Wade Jr. 1b 4 0 1 1 0 1 .265
Lagares cf 4 1 2 2 0 0 .222 Bowden p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Gardner cf 0 0 0 0 1 0 .192 Machado 3b 4 0 0 0 0 3 .232 Riley 3b 4 1 2 0 0 2 .305 Dickerson lf 4 1 1 1 0 0 .227
Ward rf 4 2 2 2 0 2 .231 Blackmon rf 4 0 2 1 0 0 .268 Sanchez c 3 0 1 0 0 1 .201 Cronenworth 2b 4 0 1 0 0 2 .277 Swanson ss 3 0 1 2 1 1 .238 Slater rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .217
Fletcher 2b 4 2 1 0 0 0 .258 Fuentes 3b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .251 Wade pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 Tatis Jr. ss 3 0 1 0 1 0 .298 Adrianza lf 4 0 0 0 0 1 .216 Longoria 3b 1 1 1 0 3 0 .280
Totals 40 12 15 11 1 14 McMahon 2b 4 0 0 0 0 3 .252 Higashioka c 1 0 0 0 0 1 .184 Hosmer 1b 4 0 1 0 0 2 .273 Inciarte cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .243 Solano 2b 0 0 0 0 0 0 .271
Cron 1b 3 0 1 0 1 1 .268 Frazier rf-lf 3 0 1 0 0 1 .182 Myers rf 4 0 1 0 0 2 .255 Heredia cf-lf 4 1 1 0 0 2 .260 Crawford ss 4 0 2 1 0 1 .262
Seattle 000 500 000 — 5 4 1
Hampson ss-cf 4 0 1 0 0 1 .245 Totals 31 3 6 3 3 11 Marcano lf 3 0 0 0 0 1 .163 K.Smith c 4 0 1 0 0 2 .273 Duggar cf 3 1 0 0 1 2 .304
Los Angeles 100 122 15x — 12 15 1
Diaz c 4 1 1 0 0 1 .141 Crismatt p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Morton p 2 0 1 0 0 1 .200 Tauchman rf-lf 4 0 1 0 0 1 .192
E—Godoy (2), J.Iglesias (11). LOB—Seattle 2, Los Boston 000 003 040 — 7 13 0
Freeland p 1 0 0 0 0 1 .000 Kim ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .200 Almonte ph 1 1 1 1 0 0 .222 Vosler 2b 3 1 1 0 1 0 .185
Angeles 5. 2B—Crawford (12), Lagares (6), Upton 2 New York 000 201 000 — 3 6 0
Trejo ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 .244 Caratini c 3 0 0 0 0 1 .211 Martin p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Dubon pr-2b-3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 .234
(5), Walsh (12), Ohtani (12). Chacin p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 LOB—Boston 6, New York 5. Musgrove p 2 0 0 0 0 1 .053 Sandoval ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .240 Tromp c 4 0 2 1 0 1 .400
HR—Fraley (2), off Cobb; Ohtani (16), off Kikuchi; 2B—Verdugo (10), Bogaerts (16), Gonzalez (12),
Rodgers ph-ss 2 1 2 2 0 0 .244 Hill p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- W.Smith p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Gausman p 2 0 0 0 0 2 .174
Stassi (2), off Kikuchi; Ward (5), off Steckenrider. Hernandez (9), Vazquez (10), Urshela (11).
RBIs—Trammell (13), Fraley 4 (8), Ohtani 2 (42), Totals 35 3 11 3 1 8 Adams p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Totals 33 6 11 6 3 12 Flores ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .248
HR—Dalbec (6), off Green; Torres (3), off Rodri-
Stassi (3), Rendon 2 (21), Ward 2 (16), Lagares 2 Pham lf 1 0 1 0 0 0 .221 Totals 30 4 9 4 5 9
Oakland 202 010 001 — 6 12 0 guez. RBIs—Devers 2 (48), Gonzalez (13), Hernan- Los Angeles 100 300 000 — 4 5 0
(9), Upton 2 (26). dez (13), Vazquez (24), Dalbec 2 (24), Torres 3 Totals 33 0 5 0 1 15
Colorado 100 000 200 — 3 11 0 Atlanta 005 000 10x — 6 11 4 Chicago 020 000 001 — 3 3 0
Runners left in scoring position—Seattle 1 (France); (22). SF—Torres. New York 000 021 001 — 4 13 1 San Francisco 001 210 00x — 4 9 3
Los Angeles 2 (Fletcher, Stassi). LOB—Oakland 7, Colorado 7. 2B—Canha (10), Tapia E—Riley 2 (9), Morton (2), Swanson (6). LOB—Los
(10), Cron (7). 3B—Kemp (2). HR—Olson (15), off Runners left in scoring position—Boston 3 (Devers, San Diego 000 000 000 — 0 5 0 Angeles 7, Atlanta 6. 2B—Albies (18), Swanson
RISP—Seattle 2 for 6; Los Angeles 5 for 13. E—Crawford (4), Dubon (2), Longoria (2). LOB-
Freeland; Pinder (3), off Freeland; Rodgers (1), off Vazquez); New York 3 (Stanton, Gittens, Higashio- (12). HR—Almonte (1), off Treinen. RBIs—Beaty
Runners moved up—Lagares, Ohtani, Rendon. E—Lindor (3). LOB—New York 13, San Diego 7. —Chicago 3, San Francisco 8. 2B—Longoria (11),
Luzardo. RBIs—Olson 2 (40), Pinder (6), Chapman ka). (26), Freeman (31), Albies 2 (36), Swanson 2 (27),
Seattle ip h r er bb so np era 2B—McKinney (3), Blankenhorn (1), Lindor (7), Ta- Crawford (9). HR—Wisdom (5), off Gausman; Dick-
(23), Canha (22), Blackmon (32), Rodgers 2 (7). RISP—Boston 4 for 9; New York 0 for 3. Almonte (1). SB—Bellinger (1), Acuna Jr. 2 (11),
Kikuchi 4 5 4 2 0 8 64 3.92 tis Jr. (9). HR—Peraza (3), off Musgrove; Lindor erson (6), off Stewart. RBIs—Wisdom 2 (7), Rizzo
SF—Chapman. S —Irvin, Daza. Runners left in scoring LIDP—Bogaerts. Freeman (3). Runners left in scoring position—Los
Chargois 1 1 0 0 0 2 13 2.08 (5), off Musgrove. RBIs—Peraza (10), Lindor (13), (22), Dickerson (22), Tromp (1), Wade Jr. (4),
position—Oakland 2 (Andrus, Moreland); Colorado GIDP—Frazier. Angeles 2 (Beaty, Taylor); Atlanta 3 (Adrianza 2).
Steckenrider, L, 1 2 2 2 0 0 11 3.26 Villar (14), Pillar (9). SB—Tatis Jr. (13), Do.Smith Crawford (37). SB—Rizzo (4), Baez (9). S —Gaus-
4 (McMahon, Freeland, Diaz, Cron). RISP—Oakland DP—Boston 1 (Bogaerts, Gonzalez, Dalbec); New RISP—Los Angeles 3 for 9; Atlanta 4 for 8. Runners
2-2, BS, 0-1 (2). Runners left in scoring position—New York 8 man. Runners left in scoring position—Chicago 2
4 for 8; Colorado 1 for 8. Runners moved up—Pinder York 1 (Urshela, LeMahieu, Urshela). moved up—McKinstry. GIDP—McKinstry, Sandoval.
Rios 1 1 1 1 0 1 13 9.00 (Do.Smith, deGrom, Blankenhorn, McKinney 2, Pil- (Heyward); San Francisco 5 (Duggar, Crawford,
2, Chapman, Olson, Fuentes, Diaz. GIDP—Chap- Boston ip h r er bb so np era DP—Los Angeles 1 (Lux, Taylor, Pujols); Atlanta 1
Vest 1
⁄3 5 5 5 0 1 20 6.29 lar, Williams); San Diego 5 (Marcano 2, Hosmer, Dickerson 2, Vosler). RISP—Chicago 0 for 3; San
man, Daza. DP—Oakland 1 (Chapman, Kemp, Ol- Rodriguez 51⁄3 5 3 3 1 7 88 5.59
Misiewicz 2
⁄3 1 0 0 1 2 24 5.06 Kim). RISP—New York 3 for 16; San Diego 1 for 8. (Swanson, Freeman). Francisco 2 for 9. Runners moved up—Wade Jr..
Whitlock, W, 12⁄3 1 0 0 0 2 20 1.63
son); Colorado 1 (Hampson, McMahon, Cron). Runners moved up—Myers. Los Angeles ip h r er bb so np era GIDP—Vosler, Tromp. DP—Chicago 2 (Wisdom,
Los Angeles ip h r er bb so np era 1-1
Oakland ip h r er bb so np era New York ip h r er bb so np era Kershaw, L, 7-5 6 8 5 5 1 9 95 3.66 Baez, Rizzo; Baez, Sogard, Rizzo).
Cobb, W, 4-2 7 3 5 5 1 6 98 4.24 Ottavino 1 0 0 0 0 0 11 2.78
Irvin, W, 4-7 6 6 1 1 1 5 85 3.89 deGrom, W, 5-2 7 3 0 0 1 11 85 0.62 Treinen 1 2 1 1 2 2 22 3.52 Chicago ip h r er bb so np era
Cishek, H, 5 1
⁄3 1 0 0 0 0 16 2.96 Workman 2
⁄3 0 0 0 2 1 18 5.40
Luzardo 2 4 2 2 0 2 25 5.29 Lugo, H, 1 1 1 0 0 0 2 20 3.00 Bickford 1 1 0 0 0 1 13 0.00 Stewart, L, 1-1 32⁄3 7 3 3 2 5 79 3.12
Watson, H, 5 2
⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 7 3.60 Barnes, S, 1
⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 5 2.49
Trivino, S, 8-10 1 1 0 0 0 1 14 2.70 Diaz 1 1 0 0 0 2 21 3.09 Atlanta ip h r er bb so np era Nance 1
⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.00
Claudio 1 0 0 0 0 2 11 4.57 14-15
Colorado ip h r er bb so np era San Diego ip h r er bb so np era Morton, W, 5-2 5 4 4 2 1 5 94 4.21 Winkler 1 1 1 1 1 2 25 0.83
Inherited runners-scored—Chargois 1-1, Misiewicz New York ip h r er bb so np era Abbott 2 1 0 0 1 1 42 0.00
Freeland, L, 0-1 5 10 5 5 1 1 80 6.23 Musgrove, L, 5 8 3 3 1 10 99 2.33 Minter, H, 12 1 1 0 0 0 2 16 4.15
1-1, Watson 2-0. Taillon 51⁄3 6 3 3 1 3 76 5.09 Tepera 1 0 0 0 1 1 17 2.36
Chacin 2 0 0 0 0 4 21 6.05 4-5 Jackson, H, 5 2
⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 9 1.25
HBP—Cobb (France). Loaisiga 12⁄3 3 0 0 1 1 29 2.08 Matzek, H, 7 ⁄3 0 0 0 1 1 8 4.03
Givens 1 0 0 0 0 0 8 3.26 Hill 1 1 0 0 0 2 19 2.22 1
San Francisco ip h r er bb so np era
Umpires—Home, Jeremy Riggs; First, Jordan Baker; Kinley ⁄3 2 1 1 1 0 8 4.44 Green, L, 0-4 2
⁄3 4 4 4 0 1 29 3.14 Martin, H, 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 14 1.86
2
Adams 1 0 0 0 0 2 21 2.25 Gausman, W, 7-0 7 2 2 0 0 10 97 1.27
Second, Chris Segal; Third, Mark Carlson. Bowden ⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 2 6.23 Peralta 1
⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 5 3.72 W.Smith, S, 10-10 1 0 0 0 0 3 14 4.09
1
Crismatt 2 4 1 1 2 2 48 2.84 McGee, H, 5 1 0 0 0 0 2 13 4.01
T—3:00. A—15,071 (45,517). Kriske 1 0 0 0 0 2 7 3.00
Inherited runners-scored—Bowden 2-0. IBB—off Kin- Inherited runners-scored—Hill 2-1. Inherited runners-scored—Matzek 1-0. HBP—Morton Rogers, S, 8-11 1 1 1 0 0 1 22 1.52
ley (Olson). HBP—Freeland (Olson). WP—Luzardo. Inherited runners-scored—Whitlock 2-1, Barnes 2-0, (Betts), Martin (Pollock). Umpires—Home, Marvin
HBP—Adams (Do.Smith). Umpires—Home, Hunter Inherited runners-scored—Nance 2-0. Umpires—H-
Umpires—Home, Chris Guccione; First, Ramon De Loaisiga 1-1. Hudson; First, Larry Vanover; Second, Dave Rack-
Wendelstedt; First, Tripp Gibson; Second, Nick ome, Adam Hamari; First, Jose Navas; Second, Laz
Jesus; Second, Mark Wegner; Third, Alan Porter. Umpires—Home, Brian Knight; First, Gabe Morales; ley; Third, Erich Bacchus.
Mahrley; Third, Quinn Wolcott. Diaz; Third, CB Bucknor. T—3:04. A—12,792
T—2:46. A—27,459 (50,445). Second, Ryan Additon; Third, Bill Miller. T—3:16. A—41,136 (41,084).
T—3:25. A—16,644 (40,209). (41,915).
T—3:14. A—20,019 (47,309).
C6 | Monday, June 7, 2021 | HoustonChronicle.com | Houston Chronicle
TENNIS | ETC.
FRENCH OPEN
Serena Williams, three-time winner of the French Open, has failed to advance
past the fourth round since she was the runner-up in 2016.
Williams overthrown
as Federer withdraws
By Jerome Pugmire
A S S OC I AT E D PRE SS
PARIS — Serena Williams
turns 40 in September. Rog-
er Federer hits that mile-
stone the month before. No
one knows how many more
French Open appearances
each will make, and this
year’s tournament ended
for both on Sunday.
Williams fell way behind
and could not put together
a comeback against a much
younger and less-experi-
enced opponent in the
fourth round at Roland Gar-
ros, losing 6-3, 7-5 to Elena
Rybakina — who wasn’t
even born when the Amer-
ican made her tournament
debut in 1998.
Asked whether that
might have been her last
match at the clay-court ma-
jor, Williams responded:
“Yeah, I’m definitely not
thinking about it at all. I’m
definitely thinking just
about other things, but not
about that.”
Her defeat came hours
after Federer withdrew,
saying he needed to let his
body recover ahead of
Wimbledon after a long
third-round victory that
ended at nearly 1 a.m. on
Sunday.
Wimbledon — which Fe-
derer has won eight times
and Williams seven — be-
gins June 28.
“I’m kind of excited to
switch surfaces,” Williams
said. “Historically I have
done pretty well on grass.”
She has won 23 Grand
Slam singles titles; Federer
has won 20. They are two of
the sport’s greatest and
most popular players, so it
was quite a blow to the tour-
nament, its TV partners
and tennis fans to see both
gone from the French Open
field one after the other —
and a week after Naomi
Osaka pulled out, citing a
need for a mental health
break.
Williams has won the
French Open three times.
But the American hasn’t
been past the fourth round
in Paris since she was the
NHL PLAYOFFS
Armia, Canadiens push Jets around to take 3-0 series lead
MONTREAL — Joel Armia
had two goals and an assist,
Carey Price made 26 saves,
and the Montreal Cana-
diens defeated the Winni-
peg Jets 5-1 on Sunday night
to take a 3-0 lead in their
second-round playoff se-
ries.
Corey Perry, Artturi
Lehkonen and Nick Suzuki
also scored for the Cana-
diens, who have won six
straight playoff games and
haven’t trailed in a game
since losing Game 4 against
Toronto in the first round.
Montreal will try to com-
plete a four-game sweep of
Winnipeg on Monday night
at home.
The Canadiens lead a
playoff series 3-0 for the
first time since 2015, when
they beat Ottawa in the
opening round.
Adam Lowry scored for
the Jets, and Connor Helle-
buyck made 28 saves. Win-
Christophe Archambault / Tribune News Service
Roger Federer’s withdrawal Sunday marks the first
time he has pulled out of a Grand Slam tournament
after competition had started.
runner-up in 2016.
Rybakina is a 21-year-old
from Kazakhstan who is
ranked 22nd. This was just
the seventh Grand Slam ap-
pearance for Rybakina —
and the first time she ever
made it so much as past the
second round.
“When I was small, of
course, I was watching her
matches on TV. So many
Grand Slams,” Rybakina
said.
Against Williams, whose
right thigh carried a heavy
tape job, Rybakina hit big,
flat serves. She dealt with,
but managed to steady, her
nerves. She even produced
the occasional return win-
ner off Williams’ speedy
and spectacularly gifted
serve, breaking her five
times, including in the
next-to-last game.
“I knew that the serve
was going to be difficult for
me to return. She’s power-
ful, but I was ready,” Ryba-
kina said. “Then, after few
points, I felt … comfort-
able.”
Rybakina said she fol-
lowed her coach’s strategy
of sending shots to Wil-
liams’ backhand side and
trying to stay away from her
forehand.
Every time Williams ap-
peared as if she might turn
things around, she could
not quite get the momen-
tum fully in her favor.
Down a quick break in
nipeg was without top
center Mark Scheifele, who
is serving a four-game
suspension for a charging
penalty in the series open-
er. The Jets got Paul Stastny
back after he missed the
first two games with an
undisclosed injury.
Montreal welcomed
another 2,500 fans Sunday
night after hosting the first
NHL crowd in Canada
during the COVID-19 pan-
demic for Game 6 against
Toronto.
The Canadiens opened
the scoring at 4:45 of the
first period on a grinding
shift by the fourth line of
Perry, Armia and Eric Staal.
Caught in the middle of a
change following a turn-
over, the Jets were hemmed
into their own end for 30
seconds before Perry’s shot
— the Canadiens’ third
chance of the sequence —
went off Winnipeg defense-
HHHH
Martin Bureau / Getty Images
the second set, she got to 2-
all. Williams then was down
4-3 in the second set but
pulled even again when Ry-
bakina sailed a forehand
well wide to get broken.
In the next game, Wil-
liams gave away the open-
ing point when, near the
baseline, she failed to get
out of the way of a shot
from Rybakina that was fly-
ing long. Williams smiled
ruefully and leaned over,
resting and propping her-
self up with her racket.
Repeatedly one sort of
mistake or another undid
Williams. She ended up
with 19 unforced errors and
only 15 winners.
“I’m so close. There is lit-
erally a point here, a point
there, that could change
the whole course of the
match,” Williams said.
Since winning the 2017
Australian Open while
pregnant for her most re-
cent major singles title —
No. 23 set a record for the
professional era — Williams
has come close to tying
Margaret Court’s all-time
mark of 24. That includes
four runner-up finishes at
Grand Slam tournaments.
But since then, Williams
has been beaten twice in
semifinals, and once each
in the third and fourth
rounds. Last year at the
French Open, she with-
drew, citing an injured left
Achilles.
Vegas center Jonathan Marchessault celebrates one
of his three goals against the Avalanche on Sunday.
man Jamie Benn’s stick and
past Hellebuyck.
Lowry broke Price’s
shutout streak at 99 min-
utes, 33 seconds with 2:09
left in the period when he
took a pass from Mathieu
Perreault and fired blocker
DASH 1, KANSAS CITY 0
Naughton commands
shutout on the road
By Corey Roepken
C O R R E SP O N D EN T
What a day for Dash de-
fender Katie Naughton.
The steady centerback
turned in her usual depend-
able shift on the defensive
end and provided the differ-
ence on the attacking end by
scoring the only goal in the
Dash’s1-0 win over host Kan-
sas City at Legends Field.
While Naughton’s goal
was noteworthy, the clean
sheet is perhaps the biggest
reason she and her team-
mates are feeling good. The
Dash (2-2-1, 7 points) have
stressed the importance of
keeping opponents off the
scoreboard but had not
done it in six games.
“Our big mantra was just
coming in with some grit
and being determined,”
Naughton said. “We wanted
to be destroyers in the back-
line. That’s what we talked
about all week this week, so
I thought we did a much bet-
ter job of that this game, and
it showed.
“We didn’t really give
them much, which I think is
great, and (goalkeeper) Jane
(Campbell) came up big a
couple of times when they
did kind of break through.”
The Dash had not created
as many dangerous oppor-
tunities as they normally do
before Naughton scored the
winner in the 79th minute.
It came on a corner kick
that midfielder Kristie Me-
wis served into the heart of
the penalty area. Naughton
ran between two defenders
U.S. MEN 3, MEXICO 2
Pulisic, Horvath deliver
for Nations League title
A SSO C I AT ED P R E SS
DENVER — Christian
Pulisic converted a penalty
kick in the 114th minute,
backup goalkeeper Ethan
Horvath stopped Andres
Guardado’s penalty kick in
the 124th, and the United
States overcame an early de-
fensive blunder to beat Mex-
ico 3-2 on Sunday night in a
final of the first CONCACAF
Nations League that turned
on three video reviews.
Gio Reyna and Weston
McKennie scored as the
20th-ranked U.S. twice ral-
lied against No. 11 Mexico,
which led after just 63 sec-
onds at Empower Field.
Pulisic, fresh off of win-
ning the Champions League
with Chelsea on May 29, cut
inside the penalty area and
was pulled down by Carlos
Salcedo in the 108th minute.
Panamanian referee John
Pitti did not initially signal a
penalty but consulted a vid-
eo review and then pointed
to the spot. Mexico coach
Tata Martino appeared to
receive a red card for put-
ting a hand on an official
John Locher / Associated Press
side for his second.
GOLDEN KNIGHTS 5
AVALANCHE 1
Jonathan Marchessault
had his fourth career hat
trick to lead host Vegas
over Colorado to tie their
Dash update on the same page,” Naught-
on said. “We know what our
Sunday: Dash 1,
roles are coming into the
Kansas City 0.
game both offensively and
Record: 2-2-1 (7 defensively, so we take that
points). to heart because games are
June 20: at Racing won and lost on set pieces a
Louisville FC, 2 p.m. lot of the time.”
TV: Paramount+. The Dash had plenty of
work to do in the final 11 min-
Dash 1, Kansas City 0 utes to see out the win. The
Kansas City 0 0 — 0 only threatening moment
Houston 0 1 — 1
First half: N/A Kansas City (0-3-2, 2 points)
Second half: 1, Houston, Katie Naughton, (Kris-
tie Mewis 2), 79th.
created came in the 88th
Goalies: Houston, Jane Campbell; Kansas City, minute when Darian Jenkins
Abby Smith.
Yellow cards: Prisock, Houston, 19th; Groom, got space on the right side of
Houston, 27th; Smith, Kansas City, 27th; Seiler,
Houston, 40th; Mewis, Houston, 52nd; Oyster,
the penalty area.
Houston, 89th. Jenkins hit a strong right-
Referee: Alexandra Billeter.
Assistant referees: Deleana Quan, Ashlee Varn- footed shot aimed at the
son.
near post, but Campbell was
4th official: Drew Klemp.
Lineups
in perfect position. She
KC: Abby Smith; Kristen Edmonds (Madeline Nolf leaped to push the ball over
83), Rachel Corsie, Elizabeth Ball, Michelle Mae-
mone; Katie Bowen, Gaby Vincent, Michele Vas-
the crossbar to make the
concelos (Allie Hess 83); Mariana Larroquette most thrilling of her three
(Jéssica Silva 74), Amy Rodriguez (c), Darian Jen-
kins. saves.
HOU: Jane Campbell; Ally Prisock (Jamia Fields
73), Katie Naughton, Megan Oyster, Haley Han-
The win is the second in a
son; Kristie Mewis, Shea Groom (Makamae Gom- row for the Dash and gives
era-Stevens 73), Gabby Seiler; Bri Visalli (Maria
Sanchez 61), Veronica Latsko (Jasmyne Spencer them an extra hop in their
73), Rachel Daly (C).
step as they begin a two-
week international window.
Their next game is June 20,
to the right spot and had no when they hit the road to
trouble heading it home. face expansion club Racing
It’s the second goal of her Louisville.
career. Her first came in “Sometimes it’s not al-
2018 when she played for ways pretty, but we’re very
the Chicago Red Stars. happy to get three points on
It’s the second straight the road and finally winning
game the Dash have scored the white kit,” Clarkson said.
on a set piece, and coach “It’s been five games we’ve
James Clarkson said his as- played in it, and we’ve never
sistants Twila Kaufman and won in it. We were getting
Brenton Saylor deserve ready to burn it.
much of the credit because “So we’re pleased that
they are the ones in charge we’ve won with it on, and
of set pieces. hopefully, there’ll be many
“They put in so much more.”
time and effort every week Corey Roepken reported
to make sure that we’re all from Houston.
Omar Vega / Getty Images
Christian Pulisic, hoisting the trophy, scored the
go-ahead goal on a penalty kick in the 114th minute.
during the review, and Hirv- The U.S. had to survive an
ing Lozano was given a yel- extended 11 minutes of stop-
low card for arguing after page time after the second
the decision. extra period. In a testy
Pulisic sent the ball to the match, Reyna scored the
upper corner past the left first U.S. goal and had been
arm of goalkeeper Guiller- subbed off when he ap-
mo Ochoa for his 16th inter- peared to be hit on the face
national goal. Horvath, who by an object thrown from
replaced injured starter the stands after Pulisic’s
Zack Steffen in the 69th goal. The match had been
minute, waited to the last halted for about three min-
moment and dived right to utes during second-half
bat away the penalty by stoppage time because of
Mexico’s captain. discriminatory chants.
second-round series at two NHL PLAYOFF
games apiece. RESULTS/SCHEDULE
Two days after his tying
goal sparked a come-from- Second round
behind win in Game 3, Best-of-seven
Marchessault got his third Boston vs. N.Y. Islanders
Series tied 2-2
three-goal game with the G1: Boston 5, New York 2
Golden Knights. The eight- G2: N.Y. Islanders 4, Boston 3 (OT)
G3: Boston 2, New York 1 (OT)
year veteran also had one G4: New York 4, Boston 1
G5: at Boston, 5:30 p.m., Monday, NBCSN
while with Florida. G6*: at New York, TBD, Wednesday, TBD
Max Pacioretty and G7*: at Boston, TBD, Friday, TBD
Patrick Brown also scored Carolina vs. Tampa Bay
Lightning lead series 3-1
for Vegas, while Marc- G1: Tampa Bay 2, Carolina 1
Andre Fleury made 17 saves G2: Tampa Bay 2, Carolina 1
G3: Carolina 3, Tampa Bay 2 (OT)
for his 87th career playoff G4: Tampa Bay 6, Carolina 4
G5: at Carolina, 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, NBCSN
victory — one shy of tying G6*: at Tampa Bay, TBD, Thursday, TBD
Ed Belfour for fifth on the G7*: at Carolina, TBD, Saturday, TBD
all-time list. Winnipeg vs. Montreal
Canadiens lead series 3-0
The game was played in G1: Montreal 5, Winnipeg 3
front of a crowd of 18,081 — G2: Montreal 1, Winnipeg 0
G3: Montreal 5, Winnipeg 1
the largest to attend an G4: at Montreal, 7 p.m. Monday, NBCSN
G5*: at Winnipeg, TBA, Wednesday, TBD
NHL game this season. G6*: at Montreal, TBA, Friday, TBD
G7*: at Winnipeg, TBA, Sunday, TBD
Brandon Saad scored for
Colorado vs. Vegas
the Avalanche, who had an
Series tied 2-2
early 1-0 lead. Philipp Gru- G1: Colorado 7, Vegas 1
bauer, who came in with a G2: Colorado 3, Vegas 2 (OT)
G3: Vegas 3, Colorado 2
.941 playoff save percent- G4: Vegas 5, Colorado 1
age, stopped 30 shots.
G5: at Colorado, 8 p.m. Tuesday, NBCSN
G6*: at Vegas, TBD, Thursday, TBD
From wire reports G7*: at Colorado, TBD, Saturday, TBD
* — If necessary
 HHHH Houston Chronicle | HoustonChronicle.com | Monday, June 7, 2021 | C7
FOR THE RECORD Sports editor, reid.laymance@chron.com | 713-362-2734 | sptletters@chron.com @chronsports Houston Chronicle Sports

AROUND SPORTS SCOREBOARD ON THE AIR 36. (33) Quin Houff

37. (14) Ricky Stenhouse Jr
C
C
reargear
Eng

Falcons
Key: C-Chevrolet; F-Ford; T-Toyota.
America’s Line Colleges Television
Home team capitalized Baseball Col. baseball NCAA Tournament ESPN2 noon Rugby
MLB NCAA Division I regionals Col. baseball NCAA Tournament ESPN2 3 p.m.

sending
Major League Rugby
(Double elimination; * — if necessary) Col. baseball NCAA Tournament ESPNU 3 p.m.
American League Eastern Conference
Fayetteville, Ark. Col. baseball NCAA Tournament ESPN2 6 p.m.
Favorite Odds Underdog GP W T L Pts
ANGELS -$132 (81⁄2) Royals Saturday’s results Col. baseball NCAA Tournament ESPN2 9 p.m. Atlanta 11 8 0 3 39

Jones to
G3: NJIT 3, Northeastern 2
G4: Arkansas 5, Nebraska 1 Col. baseball NCAA Tournament ESPN2 11 p.m. New York 10 7 0 3 34
National League New Orleans 10 5 1 4 30
Sunday’s results Col. softball WCWS: James Madison vs. Okla. ESPN 3:30 p.m. New England 11 6 0 5 29
Favorite Odds Underdog G5: Nebraska 18, NJIT 4
PADRES -$120 (71⁄2) Cubs G6: Arkansas 5, Nebraska 3
Col. softball WCWS: Alabama vs. Florida St. ESPN 5:30 p.m. Washington 11 4 1 6 26

Titans
Golf European Open Golf 4 a.m. Toronto 11 4 0 7 23
InterLeague Ruston, La.
Pro baseball Miami at Boston MLB 4 p.m. Western Conference
Favorite Odds Underdog Saturday’s results
RED SOX -$150 (81⁄2) Marlins G3: Alabama 3, Rider 1 Pro baseball Chicago Cubs at San Diego ESPN 9 p.m. GP W T L Pts
G4: NC State 8, Louisiana Tech 3 Pro basketball Milwaukee at Brooklyn TNT 6:30 p.m. Los Angeles 10 8 0 2 41
NBA Sunday’s results Utah 11 6 0 5 36
ATLANTA — The Atlanta G5: Louisiana Tech 10, Alabama 8 Pro basketball Denver at Phoenix TNT 9 p.m. Austin 11 6 0 5 31
Favorite Pts O/U Underdog
G6: NC State 14, Louisiana Tech 7 Pro hockey N.Y. Islanders at Boston NBCSN 5:30 p.m. San Diego 11 5 0 6 29
Falcons have traded Julio NETS 2 233 1⁄2 Bucks
Seattle 10 2 0 8 14
SUNS 41⁄2 219 1⁄2 Nuggets Stanford, Calif. Pro hockey Winnipeg at Montreal NHL, NBCSN* 7 p.m.
Jones to the Tennessee TUESDAY Saturday’s results Tennis French Open Tennis 4 a.m.
Houston 11 2 0 9 13

Titans, parting ways with
the most prolific receiver
in franchise history.
The Falcons will get a
second-round pick next
year and a 2023 fourth-
round pick for the 32-year-
old Jones, who had 848
receptions for 12,896 yards
in 10 seasons. Atlanta will
send its 2023 sixth-round
pick to the Titans.
The trade ends a rela-
tionship between Jones
and the franchise that had
been in decline for several
years. And the move also
helps the team create a
huge amount of salary-cap
space heading into the first
season for new coach
Arthur Smith and general
manager Terry Fontenot.
GOLF
Ames gets second
senior tour title
Stephen Ames won the
Principal Charity Classic at
Des Moines, Iowa, for his
second PGA Tour Champi-
ons title, taking advantage
of Tim Herron’s final-
round collapse.
Seven strokes behind
Herron entering the
round, Ames shot a 5-
under 67 for a one-stroke
victory over Mike Weir.
A four-time winner on
the PGA Tour, Ames won
the 2017 Mitsubishi Elec-
tric Classic for his first
senior title.
In other news:
• Maverick Antcliff
shot 4-under 68 and Mat-
thew Southgate 69 as the
two stood tied for the lead
at 5-under after the second
round of the European
Open in Hamburg, Germa-
ny.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Alabama tailback
commits to Texas
Alabama sophomore
tailback Keilan Robinson
tweeted out his commit-
ment to Texas after visiting
this weekend.
Robinson, who entered
his name into the NCAA
transfer portal, opted out
of playing last season due
to COVID-19 but ran for
254 yards on 39 carries as
a true freshman in 2019.
MOTOR SPORTS
Perez surprises
Favorite Pts O/U Underdog G3: North Dakota St. 6, Nevada 1 ATTSW 7 a.m. June 5
76ERS 41⁄2 221 1⁄2 Hawks G4: Stanford 12, UC Irvine 4 Austin 28, Houston 9
JAZZ NL NL Clippers Sunday’s results * — joined in progress at 8 p.m. Atlanta 8, New Orleans 7
NHL
G5: UC Irvine 18, North Dakota St. 3
G6: UC Irvine 8, Stanford 4
Sunday’s results
San Diego 40, Toronto 30
Favorite Odds O/U Underdog Monday’s game Mel Reid .....................................67-73-78-78—296 Laurie Canter .........................................76-67—143 New England 38, Washington 34
G7: Stanford vs. UC Irvine, 9 p.m. Brittany Altomare ......................74-74-75-73—296 Renato Paratore ....................................74-69—143 Utah 29, Seattle 28
BRUINS
CANADIENS
-$180/+$160
-$135/+$115
5 1⁄2
5 1⁄2
Islanders
Jets
Yu Liu .........................................74-72-78-72—296 Rikard Karlberg......................................70-74—144 Saturday’s games
Lubbock Leonie Harm...............................73-75-73-76—297 Soren Kjeldsen ......................................76-68—144 New Orleans at Washington, 4 p.m.
Jenny Coleman ...........................73-73-76-75—297 David Drysdale.......................................72-72—144 Toronto at Austin, 7 p.m.
Saturday’s results
Pernilla Lindberg ........................76-72-76-73—297 David Horsey .........................................72-72—144 San Diego at Utah, 8 p.m.
Baseball G3: UCLA 13, Army 6 Anna Nordqvist ..........................75-73-76-73—297 Paul Casey.............................................75-69—144 June 13
Triple-A West
G4: Texas Tech 7, North Carolina 2
Sunday’s results
Carlota Ciganda..........................72-76-77-72—297 Clement Sordet......................................71-73—144 Atlanta at New York, 1 p.m.
Amy Yang ...................................74-73-74-77—298 Ashley Chesters .....................................69-75—144
East W L Pct. GB G5: UCLA 12, North Carolina 2 Na Yeon Choi ..............................75-72-74-77—298 Joost Luiten...........................................76-68—144
Seattle at New england, 4 p.m.
Houston at Los angeles, 7:30 p.m.
Sugar Land (Houston) 18 8 .692 — G6: Texas Tech 8, UCLA 2
Round Rock (Texas) 19 9 .679 —
Minjee Lee ..................................73-73-77-75—298
Sarah Burnham ..........................76-66-78-79—299
Benjamin Hebert ...................................70-74—144
Connor Syme .........................................75-69—144
Tucson, Ariz.
El Paso (San Diego) 11 16 .407 7½ Muni He ......................................72-76-72-79—299 Kalle Samooja .......................................74-70—144
Soccer
Oklahoma City (Dodgers) 11 16 .407 7½ Saturday’s games Luna Sobron Galmes ..................74-76-72-80—299 Calum Hill..............................................76-68—144
Albuquerque (Colorado) 9 19 .321 10 G3: Oklahoma St. 5, Grand Canyon 3 Austin Ernst ................................70-74-81-74—299 MLS
G4: Arizona 4, UC Santa Barbara 0 Korn Ferry Tour
West W L Pct. GB
Sunday’s results
Giulia Molinaro ...........................74-74-76-76—300
Pajaree Anannarukarn ................76-71-75-79—301 Rex Hospital Open Eastern Conference
Reno (Arizona) 18 10 .643 —
Tacoma (Seattle) 14 13 .519 3½
G5: Santa Barbara 13, Oklahoma St. 3 Hannah Green.............................73-75-78-75—301 Sunday’s final round W L T Pts GF GA
G6: Arizona 5, Santa Barbara 2 Yealimi Noh ................................76-69-76-81—302 At Raleigh, N.C.
Las Vegas (Oakland) 14 14 .500 4 Lee-Anne Pace............................76-71-77-78—302 (x-won in a playoff on first hole)
New England
Philadelphia
5
4
1
2
2
2
17
14
11
9
7
5
Sacramento (San Fran.) 12 16 .429 6 Oxford, Miss. Gurleen Kaur (a) .........................71-73-80-81—305
Salt Lake (Angels) 11 16 .407 6½ (a) — amatuer
x-Mito Pereira, $117,000 ............62-67-67-67—263 Orlando City 3 1 3 12 8 4
Saturday’s results Stephan Jaeger, $58,500 ...........66-67-63-67—263 New York City 3 2 2 11 13 7
Saturday’s results G3: Southern Miss 21, SE Missouri St. 0
PGA Tour Stuart Macdonald, $34,125........70-64-65-66—265 Cf MontréAl 3 3 2 11 10 9
Round Rock 12, El Paso 9 G4: Ole Miss 4, Florida State 3 Taylor Moore, $34,125................68-65-64-68—265
Tacoma 5, Salt Lake 4 Sunday’s results The Memorial Tournament Brandon Harkins, $24,700 .........67-67-69-63—266
Columbus 3 2 2 11 7 6
Nashville 2 0 5 11 9 6
Albuquerque 5, Las Vegas 3
Sacramento 10, Reno 6
G5: Southern Miss 7, Florida State 4 Sunday’s final round Taylor Dickson, $20,800 .............67-68-69-63—267
Atlanta 2 1 4 10 9 7
G6: Southern Miss 10, Mississippi 7 At Dublin, Ohio Stephen Franken, $20,800.........68-65-67-67—267
Sugar Land at Oklahoma City, postponed, rain x-won in a playoff Vince India, $20,800 ..................66-69-66-66—267 New York 3 4 0 9 10 10
Sunday’s results Greenville, S.C. Mark Anderson, $16,608 ............66-68-66-68—268 D.C. United 3 5 0 9 8 11
Sugar Land 8, Oklahoma City 5 Saturday’s results
x-Patrick Cantlay, $1,674,000 ....69-67-68-71—275
Collin Morikawa, $1,013,700.......66-72-66-71—275 Andrew Novak, $16,608..............61-71-64-72—268 Inter Miami Cf 2 4 2 8 8 13
Sacramento 12, Reno 11
Round Rock 5, El Paso 2
G3: Maryland 16, Norfolk St. 0 Scottie Scheffler, $641,700 ........67-71-69-70—277 Tom Whitney, $16,608 ...............67-67-64-70—268
Chad Ramey, $13,325 ................68-70-61-70—269
Toronto
Chicago
1
1
4
5
2
1
5
4
8
4
12
11
G4: East Carolina 7, Charlotte 5 Branden Grace, $455,700 ...........68-72-67-71—278
Las Vegas 11, Albuquerque 8
Sunday’s results Patrick Reed, $381,300...............71-71-69-69—280 Kyle Reifers, $13,325..................69-68-68-64—269 Cincinnati 1 4 1 4 6 15
Salt Lake at Tacoma, postponed, weather Max Homa, $313,875 .................69-69-72-72—282 Callum Tarren, $13,325 ..............67-66-67-69—269
G5: Maryland 2, Charlotte 1
Monday’s games G6: East Carolina 9, Maryland 6 Shane Lowry, $313,875 ..............69-71-72-70—282 Scott Gutschewski, $11,050 .......67-67-67-69—270 Western Conference
El Paso at Round Rock, 7:05 p.m. Jimmy Walker, $313,875 ............74-69-74-65—282 Ben Kohles, $11,050...................68-64-70-68—270 W L T Pts GF GA
Sugar Land at Oklahoma City, 7:05 p.m. Nashville, Tenn. Si Woo Kim, $262,725................73-70-68-72—283 Justin Lower, $11,050.................69-66-68-67—270 Seattle 5 0 3 18 14 3
Las Vegas at Albuquerque, 7:35 p.m.
Salt Lake at Tacoma, 8:05 p.m. Saturday’s results
G3: Indiana State 9, Presbyterian 2
Aaron Wise, $262,725 ................72-70-70-71—283
Rickie Fowler, $225,525.............69-70-75-70—284
Brian Campbell, $8,515...............65-71-68-67—271
David Kocher, $8,515..................65-69-68-69—271
Sporting K.C.
La Galaxy
5 2
5 2
1
0
16
15
15 10
11 11
Sacramento at Reno, 8:35 p.m.
Skeeters 8, Dodgers 5
G4: Vanderbilt 4, Georgia Tech 3
Sunday’s results
Xander Schauffele, $225,525 ....68-70-74-72—284
Bo Hoag, $182,125 .....................68-73-72-72—285
Max Rottluff, $8,515 ..................70-65-69-67—271
Kevin Roy, $8,515 .......................64-70-69-68—271 Colorado
Houston
4 2
3 3
1
2
13
11
12
11 12
8
Alex Noren, $182,125 .................73-69-75-68—285 Adam Svensson, $8,515..............65-71-70-65—271
Sugar Land 140 000 030 — 8 13 1 G5: Georgia Tech 9, Indiana State 0
G6: Vanderbilt vs. Georgia Tech, late
Kevin Streelman, $182,125 ........72-72-73-68—285 Dawie van der Walt, $5,667.......64-74-68-66—272 San Jose
Portland
3 5
3 4
0
0
9
9
11 12
9 11
Oklahoma City 000 320 000 — 5 10 0 Carlos Ortiz, $155,775 ................71-68-72-75—286 Zecheng Dou, $5,667 .................68-70-68-66—272
W — Bielak (1-0). L — Graterol (0-1).
Monday’s game Adam Scott, $155,775................74-68-71-73—286 Max Greyserman, $5,667............66-71-66-69—272 Real Salt Lake 2 1 3 9 9 7
x-G7: TBD J.T. Griffin, $5,667.....................69-66-69-68—272
SV—Blanco (3). Bryson DeChambeau, $110,670 ..71-72-73-71—287
Talor Gooch, $110,670.................74-71-71-71—287 Paul Haley II, $5,667..................66-69-68-69—272
Los Angeles
Vancouver
2 3
2 4
2
1
8
7
8
6
9
9
Sugar Land: Austin
SB— Toro (3, Santana, D); Quintana (2, Santana, Lucas Herbert, $110,670 .............71-69-71-76—287 Trey Mullinax, $5,667 .................68-68-65-71—272 Austin 2 4 1 7 5 8
D); Shaver (1, Bibens-Dirkx). Saturday’s results Rory McIlroy, $110,670 ...............72-72-71-72—287 Taylor Pendrith, $5,667 .............70-67-70-65—272 Minnesota United 2 4 1 7 6 11
HR—Shaver (1). G3: Fairfield 6, Southern 2 Louis Oosthuizen, $110,670 ........72-71-72-72—287 Nicholas Lindheim, $4,066.........66-70-71-66—273 Fc Dallas 1 3 3 6 8 11
G4: Texas 10, Arizona St. 3
TB — De Goti; De La Cruz, B 2; Hinojosa 2; Meyers; Antoine Rozner, $110,670 ..........72-72-69-74—287 Note: Three points for victory, one point for tie.
Quintana 2; Shaver 7; Toro 4. .
RBI — Hinojosa (11); Shaver 3 (3); Toro 3 (6).
Sunday’s results
G5: Fairfield 9, Arizona St. 7
Jordan Spieth, $110,670 .............76-67-71-73—287
Vaughn Taylor, $110,670 ............69-72-71-75—287
High schools Saturday
Baseball Austin FC at Sporting K.C., 2 p.m.
Team RISP — 5-for-11. G6: Texas 12, Fairfield 2 Jim Herman, $67,890.................72-68-72-76—288
Team LOB — 8. Chris Kirk, $67,890 .....................67-74-74-73—288 State semifinals NWSL
Gainesville, Fla. Adam Long, $67,890 ..................67-77-71-73—288
Oklahoma City:
Cameron Tringale, $67,890 ........70-76-73-69—288 Class 6A W L T Pts GF GA
2B — Raley, L (4, Conine); Peters (1, Conine); Saturday’s results Orlando 3 0 2 11 7 4
Burns, A (8, Conine). G3: S. Alabama 19, Florida 1 Danny Willett, $67,890 ..............75-71-69-73—288 Strake Jesuit (27-12-1) vs. Keller (35-7)
4 p.m. Friday, Dell Diamond
Portland 3 2 0 9 11 4
TB — Burns, A 3; Estevez; Peters 2, Raley, L 2; Rav- G4: S. Florida 10, Miami 2 Xinjun Zhang, $67,890...............73-68-75-72—288
elo 2; Santana, C; Souza Jr. 2. Sunday’s results Joel Dahmen, $53,103................68-73-73-75—289 Smithson Valley (35-5) vs.
Washington
Gotham
2 1
2 1
2
1
8
7
5
2
5
1
Tony Finau, $53,103...................72-68-76-73—289 Rockwall Heath (36-11-1)
RBI — Estevez (10); Peters (4); Raley, L 2 (27); Sou- G5: S. Alabama 7, Miami 2
Sung Kang, $53,103 ...................70-72-74-73—289 7 p.m. Friday, Dell Diamond Houston 2 2 1 7 6 6
za Jr. (14). G6: S. Florida vs. S. Alabama, suspended Chicago 2 2 1 7 4 7
Team RISP — 5-for-12. Team LOB — 7. Monday’s game
Robby Shelton, $53,103..............71-71-73-74—289
Sahith Theegala, $53,103 ..........69-76-73-71—289 Class 5A North Carolina 1 2 1 4 6 3
Double-A Central G6: S. Florida vs. S. Alabama, noon
x-G7: TBD
C. Bezuidenhout, $42,315..........69-77-72-72—290 Barbers Hill (35-8-1) vs. Amarillo (33-9) Reign 1 2 1 4 2 3
North W L Pct. GB Rafa Cabrera Bello, $42,315.......68-72-78-72—290 4 p.m. Thursday, Dell Diamond Louisville 1 2 1 4 2 8
Wichita (Minnesota) 18 12 .600 —
South Bend, Ind. Jason Dufner, $42,315 ...............70-73-77-70—290 Hallsville (32-8) vs. Leander Rouse (30-10) Kansas City 0 3 2 2 2 6
7 p.m. Thursday, Dell Diamond
Tulsa (Dodgers)
Arkansas (Seattle)
17
14
12
15
.586
.483
½
3½ Saturday’s results
Lucas Glover, $42,315 ................72-70-72-76—290
Brendan Steele, $42,315............69-73-75-73—290
Note: Three points for victory, one point for tie.
Class 4A
Northwest Arkansas (KC) 13 14 .481 31⁄2 G3: Central Michigan 8, Michigan 2
G4: Notre Dame 26, UConn 3
Mark Hubbard, $33,015..............73-72-72-74—291
Pleasant Grove (33-8) vs.
Saturday’s results
Chicago 1, North Carolina 0
Springfield (St. Louis) 8 21 .276 9½ Doc Redman, $33,015 .................75-71-74-71—291
South W L Pct. GB Sunday’s results Kyle Stanley, $33,015 .................70-71-75-75—291 Stephenville (28-8-1) Gotham FC 1, Reign FC 0
G5: Central Michigan 14, UConn 9 1 p.m. Wednesday, UFCU Disch-Falk Portland 3, Louisville 0
Frisco (Texas) 18 11 .621 —
G6: Notre Dame 14, Central Michigan 2
Nick Taylor, $33,015 ...................68-74-77-72—291
Justin Thomas, $33,015 .............69-72-75-75—291 Sinton (33-4) vs. Rusk (27-7) Sunday’s results
Midland (Oakland) 17 13 .567 1½
San Antonio (San Diego) 15 15 .500 3½ Starkville, Miss.
Stewart Cink, $26,009................70-74-77-71—292 4 p.m. Wednesday, UFCU Disch-Falk Orlando 1, Washington 1
Viktor Hovland, $26,009 ............72-70-76-74—292 Houston 1, Kansas City 0
Corpus Christi (Houston) 13 16 .448 5 Class 3A
Saturday’s results Harold Varner III, $26,009 ..........72-73-75-72—292 June 19
Amarillo (Arizona) 13 17 .433 5½ Sam Burns, $23,343 ...................71-71-75-76—293 Corpus Christi London (32-5-1) vs. Reign FC at North Carolina, 6 p.m.
G3: Campbell 16, Samford 13
G4: Mississippi State 16, VCU 14 Brandon Hagy, $23,343 .............76-70-77-70—293 Brock (29-10-1) Washington at Chicago, 7 p.m.
Saturday’s results 9 a.m. Friday, Dell Diamond
Wichita 6, Arkansas 4 Sunday’s results Troy Merritt, $23,343..................74-70-71-78—293
Malakoff (36-7) vs. Gunter (36-8)
San Antonio 17, Springfield 1 G5: Campbell 19, VCU 10, VCU Corey Conners, $21,995..............74-69-74-77—294
Tulsa 4, Northwest Arkansas 2 G6: Mississippi State vs. Campbell, postponed Martin Laird, $21,995.................74-72-74-74—294 noon, Friday, Dell Diamond
Tennis
Charl Schwartzel, $21,995 .........70-72-75-77—294
Corpus Christi 11, Midland 8 Monday’s games
Brendon Todd, $21,995 ..............72-72-74-76—294
Class 2A French Open
Amarillo at Frisco, suspended G6: Mississippi State vs. Campbell, noon Shiner (33-4) vs. New Deal (27-4)
Sunday’s results x-G7: Mississippi St. vs. G5 winner, 11 a.m. Charley Hoffman, $21,111...........72-71-80-72—295
Russell Knox, $21,111 .................72-73-75-75—295 4 p.m. Wednesday, Dell Diamond
Sunday at Paris
San Antonio 9, Springfield 2
Marc Leishman, $21,111 .............69-75-75-76—295 Bosqueville (35-3) vs. Garrison (28-8) Men’s singles
Arkansas 9, Wichita 0 Fort Worth 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dell Diamond
C.T. Pan, $21,111 .......................74-70-74-77—295 Fourth round
Corpus Christi 7, Midland 5 Saturday’s results Stefanos Tsitsipas (5), Greece, def. Pablo Carreno
Tyler Strafaci, $21,111.................74-71-78-72—295 Class 1A
Amarillo 16, Frisco 8 (1st) G3: Oregon State 10, McNeese 5
Frisco 3, Amarillo 1 (2nd)
Tulsa at Northwest Arkansas, suspended
G4: DBU 8, TCU 6
Sunday’s results
Hideki Matsuyama, $20,460 ......73-68-79-76—296
Hudson Swafford, $20,460 ........72-73-78-73—296 Kennard (14-4) vs. Hubbard (25-10)
9 a.m. Wednesday, Dell Diamond
Busta (12), Spain, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5.
Daniil Medvedev (2), Russia, def. Cristian Garin
(22), Chile, 6-2, 6-1, 7-5.
Michael Thompson, $20,181.......70-73-73-81—297
Monday’s games
No games scheduled.
G5: Oregon State 3, TCU 2
G6: Oregon State 5, DBU 4
K.H. Lee, $19,902.......................74-71-79-74—298
J.T. Poston, $19,902 ..................69-74-78-77—298
Nazareth (22-3) vs. Fayetteville (17-9)
noon, Wednesday, Dell Diamond
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Spain, def. Federico
Delbonis, Argentina, 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
High-A East Columbia, S.C.
Billy Horschel, $19,623 ...............76-70-82-73—301 State finals Alexander Zverev (6), Germany, def. Kei Nishikori,
North W L Pct. GB Harry Higgs, $19,437..................76-69-76-84—305 Japan, 6-4, 6-1, 6-1.
Aberdeen (Baltimore) 19 9 .679 —
Saturday’s results
PGA Tour Champions
Class 6A
Women’s singles
G3: Virginia 13, Jacksonville 8 Semifinals winners
Hudson Valley (Yankees)
Wilmington (Wash.)
15
15
13
14
.536
.517
4
41⁄2
G4: Old Dominion 2, South Carolina 1 Principal Charity Classic 4 p.m. Saturday, Dell Diamond Fourth round
Sunday’s results Sunday’s final round Tamara Zidansek, Slovenia, def. Sorana Cirstea,
Jersey Shore (Phila.) 13 16 .448 6 ⁄2
1
G5: Virginia 3, South Carolina 2, South Carolina At Des Moines, Iowa Class 5A Romania, 7-6 (4), 6-1.
Brooklyn (Mets) 9 18 .333 91⁄2 G6: Virginia 8, Old Dominion 3 Stephen Ames, $277,500 ................68-69-67—204 Semifinals winners Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (31), Russia, def. Victo-
South W L Pct. GB Monday’s game Mike Weir, $162,800 ........................70-66-69—205 Noon, Saturday, Dell Diamond ria Azarenka (15), Belarus, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2.
Bowling Green (TB) 19 11 .633 — G7: Old Dominion vs. Virginia, 6 p.m. Willie Wood, $110,383.....................70-68-68—206 Paula Badosa, Spain, def. Marketa Vondrousova
Class 4A (20), Czech Republic, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.
Greensboro (Pittsburgh)
Greenville (Boston)
15
15
15
15
.500
.500
4
4 Eugene, Ore.
Doug Barron, $110,383 ....................66-69-71—206
Tim Herron, $110,383 ......................67-63-76—206 Semifinals winners Elena Rybakina (21), Kazakhstan, def. Serena Wil-
Rome (Atlanta) 15 15 .500 4 Saturday’s results Shane Bertsch, $59,940 ..................67-67-73—207 6:30 p.m. Thursday, UFCU Disch-Falk liams (7), United States, 6-3, 7-5.
Win.-Salem (White Sox) 15 15 .500 4 G3: LSU 6, Central Conn. St. 5 (10) Fred Couples, $59,940 .....................67-71-69—207 Men’s doubles
Asheville (Houston) 13 16 .448 51⁄2 G4: Oregon 7, Gonzaga 3 Jim Furyk, $59,940 ..........................68-70-69—207
Class 3A
Semifinals winners Third round
Hickory (Texas) 12 18 .414 7 Sunday’s results Brandt Jobe, $59,940......................68-70-69—207
Rocco Mediate, $59,940 ..................71-69-67—207 9 a.m. Saturday, Dell Diamond Pablo Andujar and Pedro Martinez, Spain, def.
G5: LSU 9, Gonzaga 4,
Saturday’s results
Greensboro 7, Winston-Salem 2 G6: LSU 4, Oregon 1 Alex Cejka, $39,313 .........................70-70-68—208 Class 2A
Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen (14), Belgium, 6-4,
7-6 (6).
Thongchai Jaidee, $39,313 ..............65-71-72—208
Jersey Shore 5, Brooklyn 4 Monday’s game
G7: Oregon vs. LSU, 9 p.m.
Tom Lehman, $39,313 .....................70-71-67—208 Semifinals winners Rohan Bopanna, India, and Franko Skugor, Cro-
Hickory 4, Aberdeen 2 (1st) Dicky Pride, $39,313 ........................66-70-72—208 Noon, Tursday, Dell Diamond atia, def. Matwe Middelkoop, Netherlands, and
Hickory 6, Aberdeen 1 (2nd) Knoxville, Tenn. Miguel Angel Jimenez, $30,525.......70-70-69—209 Marcelo Arevalo-Gonzalez, El Salvador, walkover.
Class 1A
Wilmington 7, Hudson Valley 5 (1st) Bernhard Langer, $30,525 ...............68-71-70—209 Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert (6),
Hudson Valley 4, Wilmington 0 (2nd) Saturday’s results Rod Pampling, $30,525...................67-67-75—209 Semifinals winners France, def. Robin Haase, Netherlands, and Jan-
Greenville 6, Asheville 3
Bowling Green 7, Rome 5
G3: Duke 14, Wright State 6
G4: No. 3 Tennessee 9, Liberty 3
Kenny Perry, $30,525 ......................68-69-72—209
Retief Goosen, $24,297 ...................73-68-69—210
9 a.m. Thursday, Dell Diamond Lennard Struff, Germany, 0-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5).
Hugo Nys, Monaco, and Tim Puetz, Germany, def.

at Azerbaijan GP
Max Verstappen was
cruising toward an easy
second consecutive victory
until an unexpected tire
failure turned the Azerbai-
jan Grand Prix into a two-
lap shootout and a victory
for Sergio Perez at Baku,
Azerbaijan.
Championship leader
Verstappen crashed out of
the lead with four laps
remaining to bring out a
red flag that set up the
unconventional shootout
from a standing start.
Sunday’s results Sunday’s results Gene Sauers, $24,297 ......................71-72-67—210 Benoit Paire, France, and Romain Arneodo, Mona-
Wilmington 4, Hudson Valley 3 G5: Liberty 15, Duke 4
G6: Tennessee 3, Liberty 1
Marco Dawson, $24,297 ..................69-69-72—210 Motor sports co, 6-4, 6-4.
Jersey Shore 11, Brooklyn 6 Paul Goydos, $21,460.......................70-68-73—211 F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Women’s doubles
Greensboro 7, Winston-Salem 6 Softball Tom Byrum, $18,537........................69-74-69—212
Sunday’s results
Aberdeen 6, Hickory 2 Jerry Kelly, $18,537..........................67-70-75—212 Second round
Greenville 15, Asheville 3 NCAA Division I World Series Ken Tanigawa, $18,537 ....................71-70-71—212
At Baku, Azerbaijan. Gabriela Dabrowski and Leylah Annie Fernandez,
Bowling Green 7, Rome 2 At Oklahoma City Lap length: 6.00 kilometers
Monday’s games Double elimination
Scott Verplank, $18,537 ..................72-72-68—212
Duffy Waldorf, $18,537....................70-72-70—212
Start position in parentheses, laps completed
Canada, def. Zheng Saisai, China, and Ellen Perez
(13), Australia, walkover.
No games scheduled. June 3
G1: James Madison 4, Oklahoma 3 (8)
Darren Clarke, $13,443.....................74-69-70—213 1. (6) Sergio Perez RBR 51
Women’s doubles
Steve Flesch, $13,443 ......................68-74-71—213 2. (11) Sebastian Vettel AM 51
Low-A East G2 Oklahoma St. 3, Georgia 2 Stephen Leaney, $13,443.................70-72-71—213 3. (4) Pierre Gasly AT 51 Third round
Central W L Pct. GB G3: Alabama 5, Arizona 1 Glen Day, $13,443 ............................73-71-69—213 Irina-Camelia Begu, Romania, and Nadia Podoros-
Carolina (Milwaukee) 18 11 .621 — G4: UCLA 4, Florida St. 0 Ken Duke, $13,443 ...........................70-70-73—213
4. (1) Charles Leclerc
5. (9) Lando Norris
F
MF
51
51 ka, Argentina, def. Chloe Paquet and Clara Burel,
Down East (Texas) 18 11 .621 — June 4
G5: James Madison 2, Oklahoma St. 1
Ernie Els, $13,443.............................71-73-69—213 6. (8) Fernando Alonso AL 51 France, 6-3, 6-1.
Fayetteville (Houston) 12 17 .414 6 Tom Gillis, $13,443...........................67-69-77—213 7. (7) Yuki Tsunoda AT 51 Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova (2),
Kannapolis (White Sox) 4 25 .138 14 G6: Alabama 6, UCLA 0 Robert Karlsson, $13,443 .................71-67-75—213 8. (5) Carlos Sainz Jr F 51 Czech Republic, def. Gabriela Dabrowski and Ley-
Saturday’s results Jarmo Sandelin, $13,443..................71-66-76—213 lah Annie Fernandez, Canada, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
North W L Pct. GB
G7: Oklahoma 8, Georgia 0 John Daly, $9,250 ............................75-70-69—214
9. (13) Daniel Ricciardo MF 51
Bethanie Mattek-Sands, United States, and Iga
Delmarva (Baltimore) 20 9 .690 — 10. (14) Kimi Raikkonen ARR 51
Lynchburg (Cleveland) 16 13 .552 4
G8: Florida St. 4, Arizona 3
G9: Oklahoma 10, UCLA 3
Chris DiMarco, $9,250 ......................73-69-72—214
Lee Janzen, $9,250 ..........................72-74-68—214 11. (20) Antonio Giovinazzi ARR 51
Swiatek (14), Poland, def. Hsieh Su-wei, Taiwan,
and Elise Mertens (1), Belgium, 5-7, 6-4, 7-5.
Salem (Boston) 16 14 .533 41⁄2 G10: Florida St. 4, Oklahoma St. 2 Billy Mayfair, $9,250.........................71-71-72—214 12. (10) Valtteri Bottas
13. (17) Mick Schumacher
M
HF
51
51
Magda Linette, Poland, and Bernarda Pera, United
Fredericksburg (Wash.) 8 22 .267 12 ⁄2
1
Sunday’s results Brett Quigley, $9,250 .......................71-72-71—214 States, def. Lucie Hradecka, Czech Republic, and
South W L Pct. GB G11: Oklahoma 6, James Madison 3 Fran Quinn, $9,250 ..........................73-73-68—214 14. (18) Nikita Mazepin HF 51 Laura Siegemund (10), Germany, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5).
Columbia (KC) 18 11 .621 — G12: Florida St. 2, Alabama 0 Esteban Toledo, $9,250 ...................71-68-75—214
Kirk Triplett, $9,250 .........................71-70-73—214
15. (2) Lewis Hamilton
16. (16) Nicholas Latifi WM
M 51
51 Mixed Doubles
Charleston (TB) 18 12 .600 1
⁄2 Monday’s games
Myrtle Beach (Cubs) 15 14 .517 3 G13: James Madison vs. Oklahoma, 3 p.m. Paul Broadhurst, $6,845..................73-69-73—215 17. (15) George Russell WM 48 Quarterfinals
Scott Dunlap, $6,845 .......................72-71-72—215 18. (3) Max Verstappen RBR 45 Desirae Krawczyk, United States, and Joe Salis-
Augusta (Atlanta) 13 17 .433 5 ⁄2
1 G14: Alabama vs. Florida St., 5:30 p.m.
* — if necessary Carlos Franco, $6,845.......................71-70-74—215 19. (19) Lance Stroll AM 29 bury, Britain, def. Robert Farah, Colombia, and Da-
Saturday’s results
Mark O’Meara, $6,845 .....................70-73-72—215 20. (12) Esteban Ocon AL 3 rija Jurak, Croatia, 6-2, 7-6 (3).

Perez took the lead and

held on for the win.
In other news:
• Kyle Larson beat
teammate Chase Elliott in
overtime at Sonoma Race-
way to win his second
consecutive race as Hen-
drick Motorsports contin-
ued a month of domi-
nance.
PRO BASKETBALL
Kannapolis 5, Fayetteville 4
Carolina 5, Down East 4
Golf Corey Pavin, $6,845..........................71-71-73—215
Woody Austin, $4,671......................73-73-70—216
Demi Schuurs and Wesley Koolhof (3), Nether-
lands, def. Ken Skupski, Britain, and Alexa Guara-
Key: AL-Alpine; AM-Aston Martin; ARR-Alfa Romeo
Delmarva 7, Fredericksburg 3 U.S. Women’s Open Fred Funk, $4,671............................74-70-72—216 Racing; AT-Alphatauri; F-Ferrari; HF-Haas F1 Team; chi Mathison, Chile, 4-6, 6-3, 10-5.
Charleston 7, Augusta 0 (6) Sunday’s final round Matt Gogel, $4,671 ..........................73-70-73—216 M-Mercedes; MF-McLaren; RBR-Red Bull Racing;
Lynchburg 5, Salem 1 At San Francisco John Huston, $4,671 ........................71-73-72—216
WM-Williams.
Myrtle Beach 4, Columbia 0 (1st) x-won in a playoff Scott McCarron, $4,671....................70-71-75—216 Transactions
Columbia 5, Myrtle Beach 2 (2nd)
Sunday’s results
x-Yuka Saso ................................69-67-71-73—280 Colin Montgomerie, $4,671...............71-74-71—216 NASCAR Cup Series
BASEBALL
Nasa Hataoka.............................72-69-71-68—280 Scott Parel, $4,671...........................74-71-71—216
Down East 15, Carolina 7 Lexi Thompson............................69-71-66-75—281 Vijay Singh, $4,671 ..........................74-72-70—216
Toyota Save Mart 350
Fredericksburg 7, Delmarva 2 Megan Khang .............................68-70-74-70—282 Steve Pate, $3,608...........................77-71-69—217 Sunday’s results American League
Fayetteville 6, Kannapolis 0 Shanshan Feng ...........................69-70-72-71—282 Jerry Smith, $3,608..........................72-73-72—217 At Sonoma, Calif. BALTIMORE ORIOLES: Recalled LHP Zac Lowther
Lap length: 1.99 miles
Augusta 9, Charleston 7
Salem 9, Lynchburg 2
Angel Yin ....................................68-79-67-70—284 Cameron Beckman, $2,775 ..............71-74-73—218
Mark Brooks, $2,775........................75-69-74—218 Start position in parentheses, laps completed
from Norfolk (Triple-A East). Placed LHP John
Means on the 10-day IL. Optioned LHP Zac Lowther
Xiyu Lin ......................................72-74-72-67—285
Columbia at Myrtle Beach, postponed, rain Jin Young Ko...............................70-74-72-69—285 David Frost, $2,775 .........................72-73-73—218 1. (1) Kyle Larson C 92 to Norfolk (Triple-A East).
Monday’s games Ariya Jutanugarn.........................71-70-74-70—285 Mike Goodes, $2,775 .......................72-74-72—218 2. (2) Chase Elliott C 92 CHICAGO WHITE SOX: Placed OF Billy Hamilton on
No games scheduled. Brooke Henderson ......................68-78-69-70—285 Kent Jones, $2,775 ..........................73-71-74—218 3. (19) Martin Truex Jr T 92 the 10-day IL. Activated CF Adam Engel from the
10-day IL.
Inbee Park...................................71-69-73-72—285
Amy Olson ..................................73-72-70-71—286
Wes Short, Jr., $2,775 .....................69-77-72—218
Jeff Sluman, $2,775 ........................76-72-70—218
4. (13) Joey Logano F 92
DETROIT TIGERS: Optioned SS Zack Short to Toledo
5. (5) Kyle Busch T 92
Basketball Jeongeun Lee6............................70-67-73-76—286 Billy Andrade, $1,813 .......................75-74-70—219 6. (30) Kurt Busch C 92
(Triple-A East). Selected the contract of RHP Jason
Celine Herbin ..............................73-74-69-71—287 Jay Haas, $1,813 ..............................72-72-75—219 Foley from Toledo. Activated RHP Jose Urena from
WNBA 7. (29) Ross Chastain C 92 the 10-day IL. Placed RHP Michael Fulmer on the
Megha Ganne (a) .......................67-71-72-77—287 David McKenzie, $1,813 ...................72-72-75—219
8. (4) Denny Hamlin T 92 10-day IL, retroactive to June 3. Designated CF Ja-
EASTERN CONFERENCE Alison Lee ...................................74-70-73-71—288 Tommy Tolles, $1,813 ......................73-69-77—219
9. (7) Alex Bowman C 92
Sei Young Kim.............................74-70-73-71—288 Olin Browne, $1,462 ........................73-73-74—220 Coby Jones for assignment.

Wings rally late
to defeat Storm
Arike Ogunbowale’s
3-pointer with less than a
second left capped a 12-
point comeback for the
Dallas Wings in a 68-67
win at Everett, Wash., to
snap the Seattle Storm’s
five-game win streak.
Elsewhere:
• Kayla McBride
scored 19 points and host
Minnesota never trailed in
a 100-80 win over Atlanta.
From staff and wire reports
W L Pct GB Lucy Li.........................................73-71-71-73—288 Larry Mize, $1,462 ...........................74-70-76—220 10. (11) Ryan Blaney F 92 KANSAS CITY ROYALS: Optioned RHP Tyler Zuber to
Connecticut 8 2 .800 — Maja Stark (a) ............................71-70-73-74—288 John Senden, $1,295 .......................73-75-73—221 11. (18) Erik Jones C 92 Omaha (Triple-A East). Recalled CF Edward Oli-
12. (16) Daniel Suarez C 92
New York 5 4 .556 21⁄2 Madelene Sagstrom....................71-73-75-70—289 Brian Cooper, $1,221 .......................75-72-75—222 vares from Omaha. Activated RHP Josh Staumont
Atlanta 4 4 .500 3 Hyojoo Kim.................................72-70-72-75—289 Jerry Pate, $1,147 ............................72-73-78—223 13. (6) Austin Dillon C 92 from the 10-day IL. Placed SS Adalberto Mondesi
So Yeon Ryu................................74-72-71-73—290 Phillip Price, $1,073.........................73-76-75—224 14. (15) Bubba Wallace T 92 on the 10-day IL, retroactive to June 4.
Washington 2 5 .286 41⁄2
Chicago 2 7 .222 5 ⁄2
1 Lizette Salas ...............................72-75-74-70—291 Robert Gamez, $962........................76-73-77—226 15. (9) Brad Keselowski F 92 MINNESOTA TWINS: Recalled RHP Bailey Ober from
St. Paul (Triple-A East). Placed RHP Shaun Ander-
Emily Kristine Pedersen ..............71-74-73-73—291 Joey Sindelar, $962 .........................74-75-77—226 16. (12) Chris Buescher F 92
Indiana 1 9 .100 7
Jenny Shin ..................................72-75-76-68—291
European Tour 17. (25) Chase Briscoe F 92 son on the 10-day IL, retroactive to June 5.
Patty Tavatanakit ......................75-70-75-72—292 NEW YORK YANKEES: Sent RHP Luis Severino to
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Jennifer Kupcho..........................70-73-75-74—292 Porsche Open 2021
18. (22) Corey Lajoie
19. (10) Tyler Reddick
C
C
92
92 Tampa (Low-A Southeast) on a rehab assignment.
Seattle
W
7
L
2
Pct
.778
GB
—
In-Kyung Kim..............................74-70-74-74—292
Marina Alex ................................70-72-74-76—292
Sunday’s second round 20. (23) Cole Custer F 92
TORONTO BLUE JAYS: Sent 3B Cavan Biggio to Buffa-
lo (Triple-A East) on a rehab assignment.
At Hamburg, Germany 21. (27) Ryan Preece C 92
Las Vegas 7 3 .700 1
⁄2 Jessica Korda..............................72-74-74-73—293 Matthew Southgate ..............................70-69—139 22. (8) Kevin Harvick F 92 National League
Phoenix 5 3 .625 11⁄2 Mina Harigae ..............................71-73-76-73—293
Los Angeles 4 3 .571 2 Matilda Castren .........................74+71-73-75—293
Maverick Antcliff....................................71-68—139
Eduardo Molinari ...................................75-65—140
23. (17) Matt DiBenedetto F 92 PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES: Activated RHP Hector Ne-
24. (20) Christopher Bell T 92 ris from the paternity list. Recalled LHP Christopher
Minnesota 3 4 .429 3 Wichanee Meechai .....................70-73-78-72—293
Lauren Stephenson ....................70-76-75-72—293
David Law ..............................................69-71—140
25. (32) James Davison C 92 Sanchez from Lehigh (Triple-A East). Placed RHPs
Dallas 3 5 .375 31⁄2 Scott Jamieson......................................70-70—140
Danielle Kang .............................73-69-77-75—294 Darius Van Driel .....................................71-69—140 26. (35) Scott Heckert F 92 Chase Anderson and David Hale on the 10-day IL.
PITTSBURGH PIRATES: Placed RHP Mitch Keller on
Saturday’s results Jasmine Suwannapura ...............73-74-74-73—294 Mikko Korhonen.....................................74-67—141 27. (26) Aric Almirola F 92
Las Vegas 96, Washington 93 Maria Parra.................................72-74-72-76—294 Thomas Detry ........................................68-73—141 28. (21) Michael McDowell F 92 the 10-day IL. Activated 1B Colin Moran from the
10-day IL. Activated LHP Austin Davis from the 60-
Los Angeles 68, Chicago 63
Connecticut 85, New York 64
Lydia Ko ......................................71-75-76-72—294
Rachel Heck (a) .........................75-72-75-72—294
Benjamin Poke ......................................70-72—142 29. (36) Josh Bilicki
30. (31) Ben Rhodes
F
C
92
92 day IL. Optioned SS Cole Tucker to Indianapolis
Ajeetesh Sandhu ...................................72-70—142
Sunday’s results Celine Boutier .............................72-74-70-78—294 Marcus Armitage....................................72-71—143 31. (28) Anthony Alfredo F 92 (Triple-A East).
Minnesota 100, Atlanta 80 In Gee Chun ................................75-70-75-75—295 Alexander Bjork .....................................69-74—143 32. (34) Garrett Smithley F 92 BASKETBALL
Dallas 68, Seattle 67 Ally Ewing...................................71-74-75-75—295 Sean Crocker..........................................72-71—143 33. (24) Ryan Newman F 92
NBA
Monday’s games Ayako Uehara .............................76-74-74-74—295
Stacy Lewis ................................72-72-78-73—295
Matthias Schwab...................................71-72—143
Marcel Schneider ...................................70-73—143
34. (37) Cody Ware C Acc
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: Signed G Gary Payton II
No games scheduled. 35. (3) William Byron C Acc
Gaby Lopez.................................72-73-77-73—295 Tapio Pulkkanen ....................................72-71—143 to a rest-of-season contract.
C8 | Monday, June 7, 2021 | HoustonChronicle.com | Houston Chronicle HH

GYMNASTICS | GOLF

GYMNASTICS
From page C1

U.S. Classic last month), so I feel

I’m on the correct road for trials.”
Biles’ winning margin of 4.7
points over runner-up Sunisa Lee
of St. Paul, Minn., was the third-
highest of this Olympic cycle, fol-
lowing a 4.95-point bulge in 2019
and a 6.55-point runaway in 2018.
Her two-night total of 119.65
points was just under her 119.85 to-
tal in 2018, her comeback year af-
ter taking off 2017 following the
Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
Her only downside of the night:
a snapped fingernail suffered
when she hit the vaulting horse.
“It’s a bummer, because
they’re actually pretty cute this
time,” she said.
Biles, who was born in Ohio but
picked up the sport as a child after
moving to Texas, is a mortal lock
for the Olympic team, so much of
what passed for drama this week-
end involved the race to join her
on the four-member team for To-
kyo.
Lee, who has been hampered
of late by an injured ankle, was
second on both nights to Biles and
had the best two-night total on un-
even bars and was second to Biles
on balance beam.
Chiles, who moved from Wash-
ington state to train with Biles at
World Champions Centre in south
Montgomery County, was fourth
among all competitors on bars,
beam and floor en route to a con-
sistent two-day finish that will
boost her Olympic team hopes.
“I have come a long way with
myself and with my gymnastics,”
Chiles said. “All the accomplish-
ments I’ve done in the past have
changed me. Simone was telling
me that I deserved what I did and
that I’m gifted and talented.
“It all hit me because if I looked
at myself, I don’t think I would be
at this place now.”
The fourth spot, though, re-
mains very much in the air enter-
ing the Olympic trials.
Emma Malabuyo, who moved
from northern California to Dal- Jamie Squire / Getty Images
las-Fort Worth to train under for- Simone Biles is trying to become the first woman in more than 50 years to win back-to-back Olympic all-around gold medals.
mer Houston world champion
Kim Zmeskal, will be part of the on bars, where she was second only events in which she compet- tempting a comeback at age 32, performances on vault and floor
conversation after a fourth-place best over two nights to Lee. ed. Laurie Hernandez, a 2016 fell Sunday on bars and was un- but could compete on the team
finish, as will Grace McCallum and But Morgan Hurd, the 2017 all- Olympian, withdrew after suffer- able to complete her routine. event if she can finish in the top
Kara Eaker for their work on bal- around world champion, faces a ing an injury during warmups Fri- World medalist Jade Carey al- two at Olympic trials.
ance beam, Mykayla Skinner for tough climb after ragged perfor- day, and 2005 all-around world ready has clinched a spot at the David Barron reported
help on vault and Riley McCusker mances on beam and floor, the champion Chellsie Memmel, at- Olympics based on World Cup from Houston.

SASO PGA TOUR

Cantlay wins at Memorial

From page C1

stretched it to five midway

through the round.
Thompson, ranked No. 9 in
the world, looked rock-sol-
id on the front nine, posting
1-under 34.
Then she fell apart.
She shot 41 on the back
nine, including bogeys on
Nos. 17 and 18. It was a dev-
astating defeat for Thomp-
son, who perpetually
plants herself in contention
in majors but was seeking
her first victory in one since
2014. This was the 11th top-
five major finish of her ca-
reer; her only victory came
in the ANA Inspiration sev-
en-plus years ago.
Thompson was gracious
and emotional in a brief
press conference after her
round, clearly crushed by
the unexpected turn of
events.
“I’d be the first one to tell
you I hit some bad golf
shots and I deserved it,” she
said. “But that’s golf.”
Thompson’s meltdown
evoked comparisons to Ar-
nold Palmer in the 1966 U.S.
Open at Olympic. Palmer
held a seven-stroke lead
with nine holes left, only to
finish tied with Billy Casper.
The next day, Casper beat
Palmer in an 18-hole play-
off.
What made Thompson’s
sudden struggles even
more shocking was the way
she played in the 3½ rounds
before Sunday’s home
stretch. She shot 69-71 in
the first two rounds, then
stitched together an ex-
traordinary, bogey-free 66
to zoom into sole posses-
sion of the lead Saturday.
Thompson kept coasting
along on the front nine Sun-
day, smiling and exuding a
sense of calm and confi-
dence. She seemed in total
control, buoyed by a mod-
est but exuberant gallery
loudly voicing its support
for her.
The crowd of nearly
5,000 people, limited by
the coronavirus pandemic,
offered a striking contrast
to San Francisco’s previous
Yuka Saso, of the Philippines, hits from the bunker
on the third fairway on Sunday. Saso made an 8-foot
birdie putt on the third playoff hole to outlast Nasa
Hataoka of Japan.
major. Collin Morikawa
won the PGA Champion-
ship across the lake at Har-
ding Park in August, with
virtually no spectators be-
cause of the pandemic.
This time, Thompson set
the tone with long, straight
drives, leaning on her im-
posing power off the tee.
She mostly stayed out of the
thick, gnarly rough flank-
ing the fairways, at least un-
til the back nine Sunday.
Then wayward tee shots
ushered her to trouble, and
tentative putting dragged
her back to the pack.
Thompson made double-
bogey at No. 11 and missed
tantalizing birdie putts at
Nos. 13 and 16. She stum-
bled to bogey on No. 17, a
par-5, and plopped her sec-
ond shot on No. 18 into the
steep bunker in front of the
green.
So when her slick, 10-
foot par putt slid past the
hole, Thompson didn’t
even make the playoff.
“I’ll take today and learn
from it and have a lot more
weeks ahead, a lot more
years,” she said.
Thompson’s struggles
opened the door for Hatao-
ka, a 22-year-old from Ja-
pan, and Saso, the teenager
who seized the lead Friday
and held it for most of Sat-
urday. Less than two years
ago, in the summer of 2019,
Saso was playing in the U.S.
Jed Jacobsohn / Associated Press
Girls’ Junior; she lost in the
semifinals.
She won twice on the
LPGA Tour of Japan in
2020, but she arrived in San
Francisco with precious lit-
tle experience on bigger
stages (though she did tie
for 13th in last year’s Wom-
en’s Open). Saso did bring a
swing she built in part by
emulating Rory McIlroy,
who posted his support on
social media throughout
the weekend.
Saso also found motiva-
tion in several Filipino flags
in the crowd Sunday, plus
an avid following back
home.
“I’m just thankful there
are so many people in the
Philippines cheering for
me,” she said. “I don’t
know how to thank them.
They gave me so much en-
ergy.”
And when it was all over,
Saso found herself scruti-
nizing the large silver tro-
phy and marveling at past
Open winners. That trophy
features a stream of recog-
nizable names, from Babe
Zaharias and Mickey
Wright to Juli Inkster and
Annika Sorenstam to Paula
Creamer and Michelle Wie.
“I can’t believe my name
is going to be on there,” Sa-
so said.
rkroichick@sfchronicle.com
twitter.com/ronkroichick
after virus sidelines Rahm
By Doug Ferguson
A SSO C I AT ED P R E SS
DUBLIN, Ohio — The
emotion and intensity felt
the same to Patrick Cantlay,
whether it was his clutch
25-foot birdie putt to tie for
the lead or his 12-foot par
putt in a playoff that made
him a winner again Sunday
in the Memorial.
The handshake with Jack
Nicklaus? As special as it
was two years ago.
That was as far as nor-
malcy was allowed to go at a
tournament that was as
much about the guy who
won as the guy who didn’t
play.
Plenty of drama. A little
rain. No sign of Jon Rahm.
Some 24 hours earlier, as
Rahm pulled away with a
64 to build a six-shot lead,
Cantlay already was trying
to figure out how low he
would need to score to have
a chance. And then Rahm
was told off the 18th green
Saturday evening that his
COVID-19 test came back
positive, knocking him out
of the tournament.
“I would much rather
have faced him down today
and shot an extremely low
round and beat him that
way,” Cantlay said after
closing with a 1-under 71 and
beating Collin Morikawa
(71) with a par on the first
playoff hole.
“But unfortunately,
there’s nothing I can do,”
he said. “I did everything I
could with the cards I was
dealt, and I really did a
good job of focusing today
on the task at hand and
staying present. And that’s
all you can do in this game.”
He did it one putt better
than Morikawa, who
missed a 6-foot par putt to
extend the playoff.
The tour said Rahm had
been in contact with a CO-
VID-19 positive and was in
its contact tracing pro-
Patrick Cantlay poses with Jack Nicklaus after
claiming the Memorial Tournament in a playoff.
gram, subjected to tests ev-
ery day since Monday. Ev-
ery test was negative until
Saturday, after his rain-de-
layed second round.
He was informed after ty-
ing the 54-hole record at 18-
under 198. His six-shot lead
tied the Memorial record
set by Tiger Woods. And
then he was out of the tour-
nament.
“We’re all devastated,”
Nicklaus said earlier Sun-
day. “I wish we could figure
out how to give Jon three-
fourths of the trophy.”
Nicklaus also figured it
would add another element
for Cantlay and Morikawa
to confront, having gone
from a six-shot deficit to a
share of the lead.
They both handled it
fine, and the lead was ex-
changed among Cantlay,
Morikawa and Scottie
Scheffler, who bogeyed the
final hole for a 70 to finish
two shots out of the playoff.
“All I had to do was focus
on my game and go out and
play golf. There’s nothing
else I could really change,”
Morikawa said. “I can’t dic-
tate anyone else’s future or
how they play or what’s go-
ing on. So waking up this
morning I felt great. I was
ready to go play golf and see
if I could win the tourna-
ment.”
Morikawa surged ahead
Sam Greenwood / Getty Images
with an 8-foot birdie putt
on the par-5 15th, while
Cantlay missed birdie putts
from 8 feet to tie him on the
15th, and then on the par-3
16th.
The round was halted for
about five minutes because
of a pop-up downpour
while they were on the 17th
green. When it resumed,
Cantlay holed a 25-foot
birdie putt to tie, and Mori-
kawa stayed in the game
with a 12-foot par.
Cantlay had a 25-foot
birdie putt for the win on
the 18th in regulation that
grazed the right side of the
cup, leaving them at 13-un-
der 275.
Rahm reached 13 under
on the 11th hole Saturday
and kept going. No one has
ever lost a lead that large in
the final round at Muirfield
Village, though it has hap-
pened six times on the PGA
Tour, most recently by Dus-
tin Johnson in Shanghai in
2017.
“It was such a weird situ-
ation, so unfortunate,” Can-
tlay said. “Everyone, me in-
cluded, knows it would be
totally different today if that
hadn’t happened. But
there’s nothing I could do
about it. I tried as hard as I
could to reset and refocus.”
It led to the fourth victo-
ry of his PGA Tour career
and second this season.

By Amber Elliott
STA FF WRIT E R
D
a’Vion Tatum
remembers
when he
learned what
valedictori-
ans are — he was in third
grade and decided imme-
diately, that’s what he
wanted to be. There was
just one problem. “I didn’t
realize they don’t have
valedictorians in elemen-
tary school,” he says.
Tatum, now 18 and a
senior at Westfield High
School in Spring Indepen-
dent School District, has
waited nearly a decade to
make his younger self
proud. When he graduat-
ed as valedictorian of his
class over the weekend,
he also became the
school’s first Black male to
earn the distinction.
It’s a title he’s worked
long and hard for. “I’ve
actually been valedictori-
an since I was a fresh-
man,” Tatum says. “One
day I wondered what my
rank was, and my counsel-
or had my transcript avail-
able. She said, ‘Keep that
spot.’ ”
Which is exactly what
he did — clinch the No. 1
spot and never let go.
When the time came to
apply for college, Tatum
sent applications to more
than 20 universities, in-
cluding seven Ivy League
schools. He applied every-
where except Dartmouth
College, he says.
“I never envisioned in a
million years that I’d be
able to go to Harvard,” he
says. “They wait-list every-
body; they reject every-
body.”
Tatum admits that three
years ago he had no idea
which state Harvard was
in. And he’d never heard
of Cambridge, the Boston
suburb Harvard University
students call home.
“I’ve never been good
at geography,” Tatum says
with a laugh.
All he knew was that
Harvard was considered
the best. That’s what he’d
been chasing his whole
life, being “the best Da-
’Vion.” That meant getting
straight A’s and pushing
himself beyond the usual
scholastic goals.
In first grade, he recalls
watching a difficult math
video and thinking, “I
want to learn that.” So he
asked his mother to buy
him an algebra book and
he taught himself what he
read on the pages. His
teachers realized he was
no ordinary child.
In her 28 years as an
educator and college
counselor, Clara Lau-
derdale says she’s never
known a student quite like
BOOK
Former advice columnist at Grindr opens up in ‘¡Hola Papi!’
By Julie Garcia
STA F F WRIT E R
John Paul Brammer has vivid
Texas memories — of Houston
especially.
In his new memoir, “¡Hola
Papi!: How I Came Out in a Wal-
mart Parking Lot and Other Life
Lessons,” the author and advice
columnist details a particular
visit to Houston where he stayed
at a Galleria hotel and imbibed
in Montrose.
“We found a gay club called
South Beach that was drenched
in purple light and deafening
pop …” Brammer wrote. “… I
always got a kick out of knowing
that in cities all over the world,
there were gays with their famil-
iar haunts. ‘South Beach?’ their
texts might read to their friends
every Friday.”
Brammer’s book, described
FILMS: Disney creates a ‘launchpad’ for underrepresented filmmakers. PAGE D2
APPRECIATION: Singer B.J. Thomas was a first-class interpreter. PAGE D6
HOUSTON CHRONICLE • MONDAY, JUNE 7, 2021 • SECTION D HH
CHASING
THE BEST
Harvard-bound valedictorian
racks up scholarships, acceptances
Westfield High School valedictorian Da’Vion Tatum is headed to Harvard University. The senior
was accepted at seven Ivy League schools and offered $700,000 in scholarships. Tatum says his
push to be “the best Da’Vion” meant getting straight A’s in school.
as the misadventures of a
“queer, mixed-race kid in Amer-
ica’s heartland to becoming the
‘Chicano Carrie Bradshaw’ of his
generation,” chronicles his
growing up in rural Oklahoma to
moving to New York City and
having his heart broken multiple
times by a cutthroat media in-
dustry.
Starting as a tongue-in-cheek
columnist for Grindr, a gay dat-
ing app, Brammer transformed
advice-giving for LGBTQ+ and
cisgender heterosexual millenni-
als with his online-only column
“¡Hola Papi!,” which can now be
found on his Substack.
His first book publishes June
8 from Simon & Schuster. Each
chapter starts with a reader
question that he uses as a
prompt to share some of the
most vulnerable pieces of his
life so far.
STAR
COMMUNITY
On Thursday, Brammer will
co-host a virtual book event at
Brazos Bookstore with former
Houstonian and native San An-
tonian Shea Serrano, the New
York Times bestselling author of
“Movies (and Other Things),”
“The Rap Yearbook” and “Bas-
ketball (and Other Things).” The
event will coincide with Hous-
ton’s Pride Week.
In the weeks before the
book’s debut, the author was
adjusting to post-vaccination life
in New York while preparing for
his tour. This interview has been
edited for length and clarity.
Q: How did you start writ-
ing “¡Hola Papi!”?
A: It was 2017, and I was a
freelancer at the time. I had just
gotten fired from a job after
moving from Washington, D.C.,
Brammer continues on D6
Brett Coomer / Staff photographer
John Paul Brammer’s debut book is “Hola Papi: How I Came
Out in a Walmart Parking Lot and other Life Lessons.”
him. “He’s probably the
first kid I’ve ever had an
adult conversation with.
He had a lot of questions.
And he challenges you to
challenge him.”
Lauderdale says their
relationship got off to a
rocky start.
“We butted heads early
on. He wasn’t used to
people following through
when he asked them to do
something,” she says.
“Upperclassmen advised
him to give me a chance
and get to know me. Then
it was smooth sailing. It’s
been an honor to know
him.”
She describes Tatum as
someone with a strong
personality. He’s deter-
mined for his age. “He
said to me, ‘Don’t let me
settle.’ ”
Lauderdale held up her
end of the bargain. She
coaxed him to join differ-
ent school organizations
to help develop his leader-
ship skills. As an upper-
classmen, Tatum was
elected vice president of
Westfield’s National Hon-
or Society and, later, pres-
ident of his senior class.
Those positions taught
him valuable lessons, he
says: He learned that in
order to lead, one must
serve. And how to be a
role model.
At Lauderdale’s sugges-
tion, Tatum signed up for
an African American stu-
dent group. As a young,
Black male, he felt he
needed to be equipped for
challenges he might face,
and with the right social
and emotional tools, he
felt confident that he
could overcome any ob-
stacle.
“I move very differently
through the world. People
don’t understand it some-
times,” Tatum says.
“Sometimes I’m extro-
verted, but sometimes I
close off. My mom really
just allows me to be me
and chart my own path.”
Mother and son cele-
brated as Tatum’s college
acceptance letters began
to pour in. Then came Ivy
Day, when all eight Ivy
League schools release
their admission decisions
for first-year students.
On April 6, all seven of
Tatum’s applications were
accepted, including Har-
vard, his dream school.
“I’m still in shock, I’m
didn’t expect that. This
was Harvard’s lowest
acceptance rate ever,” he
says.
Tatum seriously consid-
ered Stanford University,
too.
“Eventually it boiled
down to what I want to
study as a career. Stanford
is geared toward comput-
Tatum continues on D6
Simon and Schuster
D2 | Monday, June 7, 2021 | HoustonChronicle.com | Houston Chronicle HH

STAR Senior Editor, melissa.aguilar@chron.com @MelissAguilar @PreviewHouston

FILMS

Disney creates a ‘launchpad’

for underrepresented filmmakers
By Kristen Yoonsoo Kim
N EW YO RK T IME S
Can truly radical programming
come from Disney? I was skepti-
cal from the moment I heard
about “Launchpad” (streaming
on Disney+), the studio’s new
initiative to support and uplift
underrepresented filmmakers.
Historically, Disney hasn’t had
a strong track record for repre-
sentation (well, which Hollywood
studio has?). In fact, it recently
added disclaimers about racist
stereotypes in old films from its
streaming library, including
“Dumbo” and “Peter Pan.” Ef-
forts for inclusivity only really
ramped up in the past few years,
and even so, they have not been
without missteps — the live-action
“Beauty and the Beast,” for ex-
ample, hyped up Josh Gad’s Le
Fou as Disney’s first gay charac-
ter, only to make his queerness
insultingly ambiguous and brief.
And so arrives “Launchpad,” a
collection of short films that may
be part of Disney’s efforts to right
some of its previous wrongs. The
“Launchpad” finalists — chosen
from a pool of more than 1,000
applicants — were given a budget
and equipment, and were paired
with mentors from various Dis-
ney divisions. But I hope Disney
delivers on the “launchpad” title,
nurturing the directors for future
opportunities, both in-house and
out, and I am curious to see how
the filmmakers will be supported
on the streaming site and on
Disney’s social-media accounts.
Because I’ve seen all six short
films from the inaugural season,
all working off the theme “Dis-
cover,” and there’s definitely a lot
of promise here. These films, all
20 minutes or shorter, mostly
come from minority filmmakers
and explore non-American tradi-
Disney has had some representation missteps. In “Beauty and the Beast,” for example, Josh Gad’s
Le Fou, left, was hyped as Disney’s first gay character, only to make his queerness insultingly
ambiguous. But “Launchpad,” a platform for upcoming filmmakers, looks promising.
tions and LGBTQ themes —
themes that I wish were more
prevalent, or at least more sensi-
tively handled, in Disney’s bigger
releases.
“American Eid,” by Aqsa Altaf,
follows a young Pakistani girl
named Ameena (Shanessa Kha-
waja) who becomes disheartened
to learn that her American school
doesn’t observe the Muslim holi-
day Eid. Her older sister tries to
brush off her heritage in favor of
assimilation, but Ameena’s heart-
felt petition to make Eid a school
holiday awakens a sense of be-
longing and tradition in them
both. The film wears the awk-
wardness of inexperience but
charms with earnestness. It’s not
hard to get the sense that the
story means a lot to its director.
Stefanie Abel Horowitz’s short,
“Let’s Be Tigers,” is also an ear-
nest entry, dealing with a babysit-
ter’s grief over losing her mother,
and how she communicates that
sadness to the young boy she is
taking care of that evening. It is
surprisingly somber for Disney.
Two of the shorts are Chinese
American. “Dinner Is Served,”
directed by Hao Zheng, follows a
young man (Qi Sun) navigating
the very white and upper-class
world of being a maître d’ at his
boarding school — he stands out
in that world and alienates his
Chinese friends during tryouts.
Zheng surprises by eschewing
the standard Disney storyline of
an underdog’s saccharine victory
and instead exposes that some
wins are just for optics. Represen-
Disney
tation can be shallow, and the
people in charge will pat them-
selves on the back for it.
Moxie Peng’s “The Little Prince
(ss)” is one of the highlights of
the bunch, as it delicately travers-
es the notion of gender through
two 7-year-old children, Gabriel
(Kalo Moss) and Rob (Ching Yin
Ryan Hu). Gabriel’s family is
supportive of the child’s interest
in ballet, but Rob’s conservative
Chinese father struggles to see
outside his rigid view of mascu-
line expectations. Gender fluidity
is a frontier that still has a lot of
room for exploration, and it is
especially interesting to see it in
the context of Asian American
families.
Then there are two Mexican
American shorts. “The Last of the
Chupacabras,” by Jessica Mendez
Siqueiros, is an endearing de-
piction of modern Mexican folk-
lore. Living in a fictional town
where anything that strays from
the white American norm is
shocking, an old woman sum-
mons an ancient creature called a
chupacabra. What results is far
more adorable than terrifying.
But the real standout is “Grow-
ing Fangs,” another Mexican
American tale. Like “Chupa-
cabras,” it has supernatural ele-
ments, but Ann Marie Pace, who
wrote and directed, illustrates the
identity crisis of a Mexican Amer-
ican through a comedy about a
teen girl who struggles to balance
her human side with her vampire
side. Val transfers from a normal
public school to a monster
school, where she tries to fit in
and keep her human side hidden.
In just 19 minutes, Pace creates
such a vividly lived-in world — a
glimpse into a bigger story that’s
better than most TV pilots. You
immediately get a sense of the
family dynamic (human father,
vampire mother and grandmoth-
er, and an especially bloodthirsty
younger sister) and the hierarchy
at school, with popular vampire
cheerleaders and a benevolent
witch who serves as the school
nurse and helps Val realize she is
human and vampire, not “half”
anything.
As Val, Keyla Monterroso Mejia
is a charismatic star with precise
comedic facial timing. I’d be
disappointed if “Growing Fangs”
isn’t made into a feature film or,
better yet, a bilingual “Jane the
Virgin”-like series that touches on
elements of heartfelt family dra-
ma and telenovela comedy. And
I’d be very disappointed not to
see Pace’s name, or Mejia’s, on
bigger projects soon.
“Launchpad,” do your thing.

FILMS

Like ‘Mommie Dearest’? Stream these movies for Pride month

By Erik Piepenburg
N EW YO RK T IME S
It’s Pride Month, and
that means it’s time to talk
about camp. Not the sum-
mer kind. The movie kind.
One of the delightful
things about the word
“camp” is its syntactic
resilience. It can be used
as an adjective, noun,
verb or the most fabulous
interjection (“Camp!”).
Camp movies are just as
versatile. There’s camp
horror, camp documenta-
ries and camp sci-fi. Of
course there’s “Mommie
Dearest,” camp’s cine-
matic apogee, which turns
40 this year and is the
starting point for any
Camp 101 watch party. (It’s
on Amazon Prime.)
Here are five films to
stream that show the
breadth of camp’s sensa-
tional, depraved, glam
and very gay exuberance.
‘The Naked Kiss’ (1964)
This film begins with a
bald prostitute in a bra
beating her pimp with her
pocketbook — and gets
more bonkers from there.
Written and directed by
genre mastermind Samuel
Fuller (“Shock Corridor”),
this black-and-white oddi-
ty stars Constance Towers
as Kelly, a hooker who
leaves sex work behind to
become a small-town
nurse who works with
disabled children. Kelly
figures her relationship
with a local rich guy,
Grant (Michael Dante),
will be her ticket to re-
spectability.
But in one of the film’s
most lurid twists, Grant’s
sexual interests turn out
to be not just perverted
but evil: a “Lolita complex
of no mean proportions,”
as the New York Times put
it.
Prostitution, murder,
talk of abortion: “The
Naked Kiss” wasn’t afraid
to break its era’s cinematic
taboos, making it a shock-
er still. When Kelly gives a
beatdown to Candy, a
local bordello madam, it’s
a brawl that camp dreams
are made of.
Stream it on HBO Max.
Actress Faye Dunaway portrays Joan Crawford in “Mommie Dearest.”
‘Berserk!’ (1967)
Faye Dunaway’s por-
trayal of Joan Crawford in
“Mommie Dearest” is a
camp-on-camp tour de
force. But Crawford her-
self offers camp gold in
this bizarre murder mys-
tery, directed by Jim
O’Connolly.
Crawford plays Mon-
ica, the “cougar” owner
of a traveling circus who
develops the hots for the
hunky young high-wire
walker (Ty Hardin) she
hired after his predeces-
sor died in a freak acci-
dent during a perfor-
mance.
After a mysterious
black-gloved killer grue-
somely kills Monica’s
business partner — other
bodies also start piling up
— Scotland Yard starts
sniffing around, putting
the circus on edge.
There’s no shortage of
late-career Crawford
camp, and while “Ber-
serk!” doesn’t have the
creature feature appeal of
“Trog” or the exploita-
tion lunacy of “Strait-
Jacket,” it does have
Crawford playing a ring-
mistress who wears her
hair in a challah-looking
chignon and runs a circus
plagued by violent
deaths. The movie ends
with a doozy of a horror-
camp twist.
Rent or buy it on Ama-
Michael Dante co-starred with Constance Towers in
the 1964 Sam Fuller film “The Naked Kiss.”
zon Prime, Google Play,
Vudu.
‘Valley of the Dolls’
(1967)
Camp, according to
RuPaul, is when you “see
the facade of life, the
absurdity of life, from
outside yourself.” Sounds
like a drug, and when it
comes to drugs — sorry,
dolls — there’s nothing as
camp as this soapy and
scandalous film, regarded
as one of camp’s crowning
achievements, from Mark
Robson. It’s hard to argue
with Lee Grant, who stars
in the film, when she
called it “the best, funni-
est, worst movie ever
made.”
Based on Jacqueline
Susann’s bestselling 1966
Courtesy photo
novel, the film is about a
group of friends facing
fame, misfortune and
addiction. There’s the
ingénue Anne (Barbara
Parkins), whose ambition
takes her from secretary
to star model. The singer
Neely (Patty Duke), after
being ousted from a
Broadway show by her
jealous co-star Helen
(Susan Hayward), moves
to Hollywood and be-
comes addicted to drugs
and alcohol. Jennifer
(Sharon Tate, a victim of
the Manson family mur-
ders) is a gorgeous actress
whose fate is the most
tragic.
Bosley Crowther
panned the film in the
New York Times, calling it
“an unbelievably hackney-
Courtesy photo
ed and mawkish mish-
mash of backstage plots
and ‘Peyton Place’ adum-
brations in which five
women are involved with
their assorted egotistical
aspirations, love affairs
and Seconal pills.” In
other words: Camp!
Rent or buy it on Ama-
zon, Google Play, Vudu.
‘What Ever Happened
to Baby Jane?’ (1991)
Next to “Mommie Dear-
est” in the pantheon of
queer camp cinema is
“What Ever Happened to
Baby Jane?,” Robert Al-
drich’s 1962 horror specta-
cle starring Bette Davis as
Jane, an aging movie star
who holds captive her
paraplegic sister, Blanche,
played by Joan Crawford,
in their decaying Holly-
wood mansion.
This ABC movie remake
stars two acting heavy-
weights, sisters Lynn and
Vanessa Redgrave, as Jane
and Blanche. Directed by
David Greene, it’s an un-
der-the-radar deep dive
worth taking because the
Redgraves offer something
Davis and Crawford, who
couldn’t stand each other,
did not: actual sisterhood.
The sisters’ scenes togeth-
er have an “utterly unself-
ish interplay” with “real
emotional verisimilitude,”
as Michael Wilmington
put it in the Los Angeles
Times.
Camp needs commit-
ment and urgency, which
Davis and Crawford had to
spare. The Redgraves
seem hampered by the
original, and don’t quite
give it their all. But that
shouldn’t keep camp
die-hards away. There’s
still plenty to make this
film satisfying, including
the disheveled makeup
and costumes that make
Lynn’s Jane look like a
club-kid Raggedy Ann
variation of Davis’ mon-
strously maquillaged origi-
nal.
Stream it on Tubi, Pluto
TV.
‘Showgirls’ (1995)
In her integral 1964
essay, “Notes on Camp,”
Susan Sontag says that in
addition to “Swan Lake”
and Tiffany lamps, camp
is “stag movies seen with-
out lust.” That about sums
up the camp eroticism at
play in this film from
director Paul Verhoeven
and writer Joe Eszterhas
about Nomi Malone (Eliza-
beth Berkley), an ambi-
tious heart-of-gold exotic
dancer navigating violent,
backstabbing Las Vegas.
From the cheeseball
dance numbers to the
trifling dialogue (“I’m not
a whore”), “Showgirls” is
like “A Star Is Born” gone
horribly wrong and there-
fore spectacularly camp.
Over the years, it’s
morphed from critical
whipping boy to a recon-
sideration as an outra-
geously decadent, ludi-
crously trashy camp demi-
masterpiece, with French
director Jacques Rivette
among its fans.
It’s also a queer camp
favorite, thanks to the
steamy synergy between
Nomi and her mentor-
rival Cristal (Gina Ger-
shon, a flirtation artiste).
Jeffrey McHale, the direc-
tor of a “Showgirls” docu-
mentary, said Nomi’s
decision to follow her
dreams, find a chosen
family and use her sexu-
ality to fend for herself is
“a story that many queer
people understand.”
Stream it on MaxGo.
 HH Houston Chronicle | HoustonChronicle.com | Monday, June 7, 2021 | D3
PUZZLES & TV
WORD SLEUTH JUMBLE DAILY CROSSWORD
Find the listed words in the diagram. They run in all directions — forward,
backward, up, down and diagonally. ©2021 King Features Syndicate Inc.
ACROSS 48 Krall of jazz 23 Approx. number
1 10-year-old Oscar 49 Power failures 25 Whale group
Saturday’s unlisted -- CAKE winner O’Neal 53 Former senator 26 Satan’s realm
clue: NEVADA. 6 Head lock Lott 27 “Garfield” canine
Monday’s unlisted clue 11 Title for Lee or 55 Bad firecracker
hint: 16 OUNCES.
29 Age of Reason
Grant: Abbr. 56 Hair clump philosopher John
14 The Colosseum, 57 Anthem
Angel food 30 Anesthetized
e.g. contraction
Black forest
15 Beyond bad 58 *Metaphor for the 31 Most ’90s Prizms
Funnel
16 Messenger perfect person for 32 Pool table surface
Johnny 33 Stress or worry, it’s
Layer molecule the job
Marble 17 *Selling point for a 62 Printer problem said
Patty used car 63 Chris of “Captain 34 Wildlife
Piece of 19 Homer’s “rosy- America” preservation
Red velvet fingered” dawn 64 Arnie __, Don method
Rice goddess Draper’s neighbor 38 Either “Fargo”
Seed 20 Jacob’s twin on “Mad Men” director
Upside-down 21 “Young Sheldon” 65 Suffix with direct 39 Film wise man
Wheat network 66 Dentist’s request with his own
White 22 Beauty’s beau 67 Wind: Pref.
Yellow grammar
24 Part-time player
26 Raise, as sails DOWN 40 Very long race
28 *Going out with 1 Uses a stun gun on 42 Nonsense
another couple 2 Come about 43 Wimbledon unit
32 In the stars 3 Coffee break hr. 45 Bowling target
35 Lena of “Alias” 4 Like a tour without 46 Golfing venue
SUDOKU CRYPTOQUIP 36 Expected in a leader 47 Spiral-horned
37 Old-school “OMG!” 5 Prefix with ware antelope
Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains
the numbers 1 to 9. ©2021 King Features Syndicate, Inc.
The Cryptoquip is a substitution cipher in which one letter 38 With “the,” rare 6 Pair of shillings, in 50 Pretense
stands for another. If you think that X equals O, it will equal
O throughout the puzzle. Single letters, short words and batting feat whose British slang 51 Zimbalist Jr. of “77
words using an apostrophe give you clues to locating vowels. components begin 7 Uses oars Sunset Strip”
Solution is by trial and error. the answers to 8 West end? 52 Shorthand pro
©2021 King Features Syndicate, Inc. starred clues 9 Fresno-to-L.A. dir.
53 WWII Japanese
40 Note to the staff 10 Belgrade native
41 Villain Luthor 11 “Wish I’d thought general
42 Work bound to of that!” 54 Raise, as kids
sell? 12 Grandson of Adam 55 Animal lairs
43 Former Swedish 13 Creator of the GOP 59 Egg: Pref.
cars elephant 60 __ cave
44 *High club in a deli 18 Hosiery hue 61 New Deal agcy.

by everyone he meets: “Swami Dearest.”

©2021 Conceptis Puzzles, Dist. by King Features Syndicate, Inc. ANSWER: Hit movie about a Hindu religious sage who is loved

SATURDAY’S ANSWERS USS -- : WARSHIPS

PARTICIPATING IN D-DAY

By John R. O’Brien ©2021 Tribune Content Agency 6/7/21

What Small Fortune ACES ON BRIDGE

By Bobby Wolff
NBC, 9 p.m.

to watch
Three generations of women — grandmother
(Sylvia), mother (Jennifer) and daughter
(Alyssa) — are playing to fund a big family
reunion for Grandma Sylvia, who lives in
This week’s themed deals
are all focused on attacking
declarer’s entries. Communica-
tions often form a vital part of
declarer’s plan, so disrupting
them can pay huge dividends.

MONDAY
June 7, 2021
All times Central. Start times can vary based
on cable/satellite provider. Confirm times on
your on-screen guide.
The Bachelorette
ABC, 7 p.m.  Season Premiere
Katie Thurston, who appeared on Matt
James’ recent season of The Bachelor, steps
into her own spotlight this time as 34 men
compete for her affections and the chance
for true love.
Hell’s Kitchen: Young Guns
FOX, 7 p.m.
In the milestone 300th episode of Hell’s
Kitchen, “Temping the Meat,” both teams
are put to the test as they prepare dinner for
boxing legend Mike Tyson and NASCAR driver
Kurt Busch.
‘The Good Doctor’
JEFF WEDDELL, ABC
The Good Doctor
ABC, 9 p.m.  Season Finale
The last episode of Season 4 airs tonight,
but fans, don’t fret — the drama has already
been renewed for Season 5. In “Vamos,” Dr.
Shaun Murphy must perform a risky surgery
on a patient without electricity when the
power suddenly goes out at the hospital
in Guatemala. Additionally, Dr. Lim and Dr.
Mateo Rendón Osma’s relationship deepens
as they overcome difficulties during their
surgery.
Tennessee and hasn’t been able to see her
family together in years. See this feisty
grandma call it like it is in her attempt to
break the bank and steal the prize.
Infamy: When Fame
Turns Deadly
VH1, 9 p.m.  New Series
Singer-songwriter Monica hosts this series
that explores celebrity cases where notoriety
and fame turn fatal. Cases featured over
the eight-episode first season include the
murder of NBA player Lorenzen Wright and
the investigation of his shocking death;
hip-hop artist on the rise Young Greatness,
who was gunned down under mysterious
circumstances in his hometown of New
Orleans; a runway model found dead at the
bottom of a swimming pool; and a popular
Chicago radio personality targeted by
someone nobody could expect.
In today’s deal, from an online
Swiss teams event, West led
and continued clubs. South
ruffed and advanced the
diamond queen. Upon taking
his ace, with East dropping the
diamond jack, West sleepily got
off play with a trump, allowing
declarer to finesse the jack,
ruff another club, ruff a low
diamond in dummy, draw the
remaining trumps and come to
hand with the heart ace to cash
the diamond king, for 10 tricks.
Continuing clubs at trick two
was not the best tactic, as
opposed to a trump shift to
prevent declarer from scoring
two ruffs. The second club win-
ner would surely not evaporate. could tell that declarer held the
When he got back in with the diamond king, so he needed to
diamond ace, West could press play East for the heart queen.
on with a second trump, limit- A shift to hearts at trick four
ing declarer to one club ruff. would force declarer’s entry
prematurely. South would win
South might proceed to duck
a heart, planning to throw a the ace and try to cash the
heart on a diamond and ruff diamond king, but West would
the hearts good on a 3-3 break, ruff it away.
but West would win the first In both lines of play, West had
heart and tap declarer with a to attack an entry to the closed
club, leaving him without a late hand.
entry.

American Ninja Warrior
NBC, 7 p.m.
The Qualifiers continue at the Tacoma Dome
with a new generation of ninjas taking on
the course. For the first time, competitors
as young as 15 compete, and they will face
up to six challenging obstacles, including the
Shrinking Steps, Weight for It, Split Decision,
Tipping Point and V Formation, in addition to
the iconic Warped Wall.
CATCH A CLASSIC
TCM Birthday Tribute:
Dean Martin
TCM, beginning at 5 a.m.
Dino Paul Crocetti — better known as
beloved singer, actor and all-around
entertainer Dean Martin — would have
turned 104 today (he passed away in 1995
at age 78). To celebrate the occasion of the
But even as the play went, West
LEAD WITH THE ACES ANSWER: Sometimes simplicity
is best: Lead the heart 10. Do
not experiment with the heart
ace or queen — the king should
be on your right, after all. You
could try the heart ace, then
base your next heart play on
dummy’s holding, but declarer
could have king-jack-low, and
you can expect partner to have
EVERETT COLLECTION
an entry anyway. Your partner
banker (Victor Buono). Martin and Sinatra could even hold king-doubleton

Inside Hampton birth of the “King of Cool,” Turner Classic

Movies is airing a nice mix of memorable
— as well as other Rat Pack members
Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey
of hearts!

Court Palace Martin movies this morning and afternoon. Bishop — are back together in the next
Smithsonian Channel, 7 p.m.  The day begins bright and early with movie, the iconic 1960 heist film “Ocean’s ©2021 Dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication for UFS

New Series 1966’s “The Silencers” (pictured), the
first of four spy spoof films in which
Spend a summer at King Henry VIII’s
Martin famously portrayed secret agent
beloved Hampton Court and discover the
Matt Helm. Stella Stevens costars. Next,
palace’s many secrets, past and present. See
Martin’s singing talent is on display along
what it takes to keep the 1,300-room, 750-
with his acting as he and Judy Holliday star
acre palace preserved and running in the
in Vincente Minnelli’s Oscar-nominated
modern day.
1960 romantic comedy/musical “Bells Are
Ringing,” based on the 1956 Broadway hit.
HouseBroken After that, in the 1963 Western comedy “4
FOX, 8 p.m.
for Texas,” Martin and fellow Rat Packer
Honey (voice of Lisa Kudrow) causes a Frank Sinatra play Old West rivals who
disaster when she refuses to go outside after must join forces to stop a band of outlaws
the groomer gives her a humiliating new led by Charles Bronson as well as a corrupt
haircut in the new episode “Who Did This?”
11.” The sparkling cast also includes Angie
Dickinson, Cesar Romero, Henry Silva LOOKING BACK
and many more. You can enjoy more of 1892: Homer Plessy,
Martin and Sinatra’s chemistry in the a “Creole of color,” was
day’s next film, which was the pair’s first arrested for refusing to
leave a whites-only car of
movie together — the Oscar-nominated
the East Louisiana Railroad.
1958 drama “Some Came Running,”
1954: British
co-starring Best Actress Oscar nominee mathematician, computer
Shirley MacLaine. The birthday celebration
concludes with Howard Hawks’ classic 1959
pioneer and code breaker
Alan Turing died at age 41,
Western “Rio Bravo,” headlined by Martin apparently from suicide.
(Turing, convicted in 1952
and John Wayne, and costarring Dickinson,
of “gross indecency” for a
Ricky Nelson, Walter Brennan and Ward homosexual relationship,
Bond. — Jeff Pfeiffer was pardoned in 2013.)
1958: singer-songwriter
Prince was born Prince
Rogers Nelson in
Minneapolis.
BIRTHDAYS
Today’s Birthdays: Movie
director James Ivory is
93. Poet Nikki Giovanni
is 78. Americana singer-
songwriter Willie Nile is
73. Actor Liam Neeson
is 69. Author Louise
Erdrich is 67. Latin pop
singer Juan Luis Guerra
is 64. Former tennis player
Anna Kournikova is 40.
Actor Michael Cera is 33.
Actor Shelley Buckner
is 32. Rapper Iggy Azalea
is 31. Actor-model Emily
Ratajkowski is 30. Rapper
Fetty Wap is 30.
D4 | Monday, June 7, 2021 | HoustonChronicle.com | Houston Chronicle HH

HOROSCOPES, ADVICE & COMICS

BIZARRO
ROYAL STARS
Your Horoscope for Monday, June 7
MOON ALERT: There are no restric-
tions to shopping or important decisions
today. The Moon is in Taurus.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) HHH Pay
attention to all things financial today,
because something unexpected might
change things.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) HHH
Today the Moon is in your sign lined up
with unpredictable Uranus; plus, it’s at
MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM odds with stern Saturn.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) HHH
You feel vaguely uncomfortable about
something. Perhaps you don’t want to
ask permission for something, or you’re
afraid that the “powers that be” will deny
you what you want.
CANCER ( June 21-July 22) HHH Your
relationship with a friend or a member
of a group might experience a sudden
change today. Your friend might say or
do something you least expect.
LEO ( July 23-Aug. 22) HHH This is
not an easy way to start your week, be-
HAGAR THE HORRIBLE
cause relations with parents or authority
figures are dicey. Something unexpected
might occur.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) HHH Travel
plans might be interrupted today or,
alternatively. you might suddenly have to
travel when you didn’t expect to do so.
Ditto for plans related to higher educa-
tion, publishing and the media.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) HHH Make
friends with your bank account today to
make sure you know what’s happening
in case something unusual needs your
attention.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) HHH Be
prepared to give a little today, because
when the Moon is opposite your sign,
you have to be flexible and prepared to
go more than halfway.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) HHH
Computer glitches and hiccups to your
work routine might occur today; howev-
er, you might have some bright, genius-
like ideas.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) HHH
This morning might be a bit demanding,
dealing with children, especially with
accidents or sudden changes.
AQUARIUS ( Jan. 20-Feb. 18) HHH
Your home routine will be interrupted
today. Small appliances might break
down or minor breakages could occur.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) HHH Pay
attention to everything you say and do
today, because this is a mildly accident-
prone day for your sign.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ( June 7) You are
an easygoing optimist who can multitask
with skill. You are ambitious, pragmatic
and capable of adapting fast to change.
This year many of the things you have
been involved with for the past nine
years will come to fruition or perhaps
end. Life goes in cycles.
King Features Syndicate

BLONDIE

BREWSTER ROCKIT: SPACE GUY!

BEETLE BAILEY

GARFIELD

CURTIS

SHERMAN’S LAGOON

B.C.

DEAR ABBY

Dear Abby: or worse — talk to your son about it.

I am an active 90-year-old
grandmother who every
year treats my family to a
week’s vacation at a beach
house. We have a lovely time
together.
ABBY
Two years ago, my grown
son, “Robert,” brought his
girlfriend, “Gennifer,” and her teen-
age son, “Jackson.” After the trip I was
shocked to hear Jackson had killed
the family kittens “to see how it felt.” I
was horrified, but knowing he was in
therapy, I eventually agreed to allow him
to join us on the trip last year.
We are now looking forward to our
trip this summer. However, it was re-
cently mentioned that Jackson has been
hearing voices instructing him to kill a
human.
While I am sympathetic to his mental
illness, I am extremely frightened for
myself and for other family members
who are coming. I do not want Jackson
to come this year.
I am concerned that if I approach the
subject with Robert, he will be upset and
I will lose all contact with him. Because
he lives out of state, our visits are limited
as it is. Please help me, because the trip
is in about four weeks.
— Sleepless Seaside
Dear Sleepless:
Clearly, Jackson is seriously disturbed.
Because you are fearful that you or some
other family member could be hurt —
That boy’s mother should not take him
anywhere without first clearing it with
his psychiatrist. You should not be ex-
pected to entertain him as a houseguest
unless you can be assured that he won’t
present a danger to himself or to others.
REX MORGAN, M.D.
Dear Abby:
I’m pleased and proud that so many
people fly our American flag. However,
it makes me sad and angry when I see
flags that are torn and tattered. People,
please. If your flag is in bad shape, take
it down and dispose of it properly. Many
organizations, police departments, fire
departments, Girl and Boy Scouts, the
VFW and American Legion collect worn
and damaged flags and hold proper dis-
posal ceremonies. Abby, please remind
your readers who are proud of our coun-
PHANTOM
try to be respectful of our flag.
— Flag Waver in Indiana
Dear Flag Waver:
There are rules for appropriately dis-
playing and disposing of our American
flag, some of which proud Americans
either choose to break or are ignorant
about. Many American Legion posts hold
ceremonies once a year so people can
dispose of flags that have “seen better
days.” For those who are interested in
learning more, and there is plenty more
to learn, go online and type in a search ARGYLE SWEATER HOCUS FOCUS
for “U.S. flag code.”
www.DearAbby.com
Andrews McMeel Syndication

HINTS FROM HELOISE

Dear Readers: but it gets ignored by too many people

Today’s Sound Off is about
picking up after your pets:
Dear Heloise:
I love animals and have
two small dogs and one cat.
HELOISE
When I take my dogs for a
walk I always pick up their
droppings in a plastic bag and toss it in
my garbage. Recently, however, I was at
a dog park in my city and noticed how
many people do not pick up after their
dogs. We have city ordinances requiring
dog owners to pick up their dog’s feces,
and is not enforced enough. As much
as I love my dogs, I would still never
consider it OK to just leave their drop-
pings where people could step on them.
It’s unhealthy, unsanitary and in general
just disgusting.
Pet ownership is a responsibility, and
if you take in a pet, you must assume
the duties required to maintain a healthy
relationship between your pet and your
community.
— Marjorie H., San Antonio, Texas
Heloise@heloise.com
King Features Syndicate
 HH Houston Chronicle | HoustonChronicle.com | Monday, June 7, 2021 | D5
COMICS

FAMILY CIRCUS ZIGGY ZITS

MUTTS

WALLACE THE BRAVE

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

BABY BLUES

DILBERT

PEANUTS

BREAKING CAT NEWS

LUANN

RHYMES WITH ORANGE

HEART OF THE CITY

WUMO

HI & LOIS

CRANKSHAFT

BALDO

FUNKY WINKERBEAN

RED & ROVER

F MINUS
SALLY FORTH
D6 | Monday, June 7, 2021 | HoustonChronicle.com | Houston Chronicle
STAR
Singer BJ Thomas was first-class interpreter
By Andrew Dansby
STA F F WRIT E R
We lost a major talent a week
ago. B.J. Thomas maintained a
devoted following for decades
after he quit putting hits on the
Billboard charts. Those listeners
were attuned to something in-
dependent of trends that would
come and go. They were attuned
to the way he took words on the
page and gave them life.
Thomas had a standing gig at
the Dosey Doe in The Wood-
lands, always timed to Valen-
tine’s Day, because he could eke
all the emotion out of a ballad.
He was a classic pop singer in a
mode that lost some favor during
his lifetime. With decades of
popular American vocal music to
consider, we’ve arranged our
affinities all wrong. Yes, Bob
Dylan’s largely to blame: He cut a
path for strong singers who also
wrote their own words. Many
greats came along later, who put
smart, thoughtful words in their
own mouths.
But the old system wasn’t
flawed. It’s not even antiquated.
It’s just prone to changing times:
new sounds, new themes, new
presentations. Thomas made his
name with a notable cover —
Hank Williams’ “I’m So Lone-
some I Could Cry” — and the
work that would follow found
him repeatedly looking at a lyric
sheet penned by somebody else.
He’d take his remarkable in-
strument and subsume those
words.
He was a first-class interpreter.
Sometimes an artist has plenty
to say without writing what is
said.
Thomas spoke with such ener-
gy last year, that I assumed we’d
hear from him for years to come.
He was diagnosed with lung
cancer in March 2021 and died
two months later — startling and
sad news that broke last week.
Thomas died two Saturdays
TATUM
From page D1
er engineering and computer
sciences. Harvard is the in-
tersection of medicine, law and
engineering. It’s the number
one medical school and law
school in the world, so every-
thing about Harvard said, ‘Come
here, come here!’ ”
Lauderdale thinks he made
the right call. “He really is such
a talented student that he could
have more than two majors,”
she says. “He’s that dedicated
and well-rounded.”
At age 13, Tatum wrote and
published a book titled “Thriv-
ing in My Own Lane.” The 71-
page work chronicles his experi-
ences living as a Black young
man in America and the strug-
gles he faced combating societal
stereotypes and racial general-
izations.
It’s the sort of thing that
shines on a scholarship applica-
tion. At last count, Lauderdale
estimates that Tatum has
amassed $764,000 in schol-
arships and financial aid, far
BRAMMER
From page D1
to New York — I lasted there two
weeks. I didn’t have a full-time
job, so no severance. I went
back to Oklahoma for two
months because I couldn’t make
rent, and I sublet my apartment
room. When I came back to
New York for a job interview for
NBC, I slept on the couch.
There were opportunities I
had to pursue at the time for a
paycheck. Grindr launched Into,
which is a play on words that
guys say on Grindr (like, “what
are you into?”). I was trying to
think of something I could do
once a month because I don’t
trust my brain to come up with
something new to write about
every week. That’s how the
advice column happened to me.
Recognizing I wasn’t in the
place to give anyone advice, I
wrote it as a parody joke — like
the gay Mexican man pretend-
ing to be an advice columnist on
Grindr. But I received serious
letters — it was a niche that
hadn’t been filled. On Grindr,
people are looking for some-
thing like intimacy; many of
them are lonely. The gravity of
letters I got, I knew I had to take
it seriously.
Q: The book creates a vivid
Singer B.J. Thomas, left, and Steve Tyrell made an impact on
the Houston music scene in the 1960s.
ago. I got word late. Deadlines,
timing, etc., I didn’t find time to
fully express my admiration for
his remarkable career. Testa-
ment to the versatility and
breadth of his voice and his
empathy for the content of a
lyric, Thomas directed his career
through all manner of musical
styles. I grew up with an impres-
sion of Thomas as a country
music singer because of “(Hey
Won’t You Play) Another Some-
body Done Somebody Wrong
Song.” It was a country chart-
topper in 1975. It also topped the
pop charts. Such a double No. 1
isn’t a common occurrence, then
or now.
Larry Butler and Chips Mo-
man wrote it. They wrote a clas-
sic, but it looks like a novelty on
paper. Thomas’ control over the
lower register of his voice was
astounding over his career.
When he went low, his voice
carried great weight, but he
could always escape to hit higher
notes at a moment’s notice. Still,
he was an expert at working
different tones that were slow
more than any other student
she’s worked with.
“Two of those are the Ron
Brown Scholars Program and
Coca-Cola Scholars Program.
These are rigorous college
scholarship applications,” she
says.
As impressive as his accom-
plishments are, it’s important to
remember that Tatum is still
just a kid, Lauderdale says. And
like any other teenager, he’s
excited to share the graduation
stage with his best friend and
salutatorian, Braxton Budd,
who is also Black.
“Even for myself as an adult, I
think what they’ve done is open
the door of hope,” Lauderdale
says. “When you have African
American males, knowing the
struggles they have, this shows
that they, too, can excel if you
just don’t give up. You have to
persevere. They’re the same as
any other student, the only
difference is they accepted the
challenge and told themselves,
‘I think I can, I think I can.’ ”
amber.elliott@chron.com
Simon and Schuster
John Paul Brammer describes
his book as the misadventures
of a “queer, mixed-race kid in
America’s heartland …”
imagery. Did you journal
growing up, and were you
able to pull from those en-
tries at all?
A: The book is about wres-
tling with authority and figuring
out wisdom and how we tell
stories to ourselves in our own
lives. Those stories can sabotage
us by telling them in a way that
doesn’t serve us in the end. I
wish I kept a journal, but I’m
keeping one now. At a time, I
did have a journal that I lost but
HH
APPRECIATION
Koch Records
and low. “Cry all alone,” he’d
sing. The “all” somehow swoop
lower than its bookends. He
devoured the rhythm of the
song, turning what could’ve
been a static weeper in other
hands into something with a
lovely sense of direction. That
the song didn’t wallow allowed it
to retain some sense of hopeful-
ness. It’s a masterful single.
And it came a good decade
after Thomas’ debut. He was an
Oklahoma native who spent his
entire youth in this part of Texas,
growing up in Rosenberg before
conquering Houston and then
the world as an international
pop star. Thomas grew up sing-
ing in the church, which tracks:
His control of high and low in a
song is straight from the hymnal.
And when he hit rock bottom
personally and professionally in
the ’70s because of addictions
and changing musical tastes, he
found a safe space in gospel.
Naturally, Thomas had to
share credit for his most endur-
ing songs with others because he
was a singer. “Raindrops Keep
Da’Vion Tatum has always been self-motivated. When he was only 13, he wrote and published the
71-page book “Thriving in My Own Lane.”
I wanted to sound smarter than
I was. It read so cringey and,
like, I tried to be good at deep
writing when I should have
been chronicling my life.
A lack of records became the
core of my book. Most of our
stories are how we remember
something and we don’t have
the footage of what happened.
The story we came up with is
what happened. There’s a cre-
ative action and a degree of
control in how we tell it. Memo-
ries are stories, and we’re story-
tellers.
Q: How do you identify
culturally, and does that
shape your writing?
A: At times, I have felt that I
don’t feel at home in my identi-
ty, but terms like Chicano and
Latinx really helped me. We can
be accidental authority figures
to another person without even
knowing it, and being aware of
that helped me in that role (as a
columnist). Being a representa-
tive of Chicanos is really cool — I
hope to do it justice.
Q: How have you been far-
ing during the pandemic?
A: It gave me too much time.
I certainly haven’t been the
pandemic soldier, I would say. I
struggled to adapt to a lot of
things. My writing style, for
instance — I love to go to a cof-
Falling on My Head” would have
been a hit no matter who sang it.
Ray Stevens was the singer-
composer who Burt Bacharach
had in mind to cut the iconic
song. A gifted interpreter, Ste-
vens would’ve done fine with the
song, especially with Bacha-
rach’s arrangement. But Thom-
as’ voice does something special
with “Raindrops.” It’s the grayest
of hopeful songs, perfect for its
tumultuous era: a song about
weary resilience in 1969. And
again, it’s Thomas’ work in the
lower notes that helps make a
masterpiece. Like a welder, he
takes the heavy and make it
seem fluid and fills it with move-
ment.
On multiple occasions he
proved a perfect vessel for songs
written by Mark James. A Hous-
ton trio created some incredible
pop during that era. Fifth Ward
native Steve Tyrell left Houston
for New York, where he took
work at Scepter Records, which
put him in the studio with Bach-
arach. Houston-born James went
to Memphis where he fed songs
to Elvis Presley. Memphis was a
natural spot for Thomas to find a
creative nest: a place with a
music history full of pop, blues,
soul and rock ’n’ roll. “Suspi-
cious Minds” wouldn’t be a call-
ing card for him on the scale it
was Elvis, but Thomas’ reading is
full of aching and waning hope.
“Hooked on a Feeling” rode a
similar energy, but flipped the
mood fully with optimism.
James also wrote “The Eyes of
a New York Woman,” another hit
for Thomas that illustrated the
singer’s gifts.
Thomas’ career can be a fun-
ny thing to assess in Houston
because locals remember his rise
so fondly and so intimately. For a
guy who created No. 1 pop sin-
gles that were beloved around
the world, he still felt hyper-local
for his work with the Triumphs,
a stage dynamo that served as
fee shop and work for hours. I
struggled to write at home be-
cause home is where I think
about other things. It’s too
crowded with chores and You-
Tube videos and wasting time.
The outside world is about be-
ing productive. Marrying my
house and work was really
rough for me.
I would also say one of the
most fruitful things to happen to
me is I’ve been able to have
more time to pursue visual arts
and focus on drawing and paint-
ing. I run a print shop that had
its best year because I was able
to make so many different
things.
Q: How do you feel people
will see you after they read
your book?
A: I found that I have very
much been in a bubble when it
comes to being a gay Mexican
writer on the internet. I have
been received on my merits and
what I have to say. But the pub-
lishing world is different. I have
come up against more rigid
ideas about who my book is
“for.” Some companies said it
would be primarily for gay men.
But is it? It feels very patroniz-
ing.
It feels like when writing
these things — desire, love,
feelings of love, pain, identity —
I didn’t approach it (from a gay
kindling, wood and flame for a
nascent Houston pop/rock scene
in the 1960s.
“Obviously, he was the second
best performer in this city,” the
late, great singer Roy Head, who
died last year, had joked to me
years ago. He let out a dried
cackle. “But seriously, B.J. ran a
stage like few people I’ve seen.
He could make anybody listening
care about every single word.”
Great voices are scarce. Great
singers — who take that already
rare gift and do something spe-
cial with it — are in shorter sup-
ply. Thomas was such a talent. It
hardly matters how the songs
found their way to him. Whether
he was a curator or a brilliant
machine that was fed songs by
his producers. The 17 songs on
his “The Very Best of B.J. Thom-
as” represent some of the best
songwriters of the 20th century:
James, Jimmy Webb, Bacharach
and Hal David, Barry Mann and
Cynthia Weill, Wayne Carson.
Thomas told me last year he
was working on a new record in
Muscle Shoals, Ala., a hub for
some of the best American soul
music. He mentioned working
on at least one song by the great
Dan Penn (“Do Right Woman,”
“Dark End of the Street”). I don’t
know how far along the project
was, but I hope some of it will
find its way to release.
Thomas took two-dimensional
brilliance off a page and project-
ed it into a different dimension.
He’s hardly the only great inter-
preter of the 20th century. But in
the age of singer-songwriters,
our culture has devalued the
great crooners, particularly
those who came along after the
big band era. Make no mistake,
though, Thomas was special.
“If you listened to him sing,
you felt like he felt the lyric,”
Tyrell told me. “He was a special
talent, a special singer.”
andrew.dansby@chron.com
Brett Coomer / Staff photographer
man’s perspective) at all. But
overall, it doesn’t reflect you; it
reflects the way a person
thought about it. On the whole,
it’s been a positive experience.
Having people direct message
me with their thoughts on the
parts that touched them has
been very special.
Q: Your Houston memories
in the book are so familiar.
Have you visited often over
the years?
A: Quite a bit. My family is
very much Tex-Mex that grew
up in El Paso and Wichita Falls.
San Antonio is my favorite
place. Texas is my cultural
homeland, where my roots are.
To this day, I spend a lot of time
there.
I’ve been to Houston a few
times. The worst time was when
I went with my former college
roommates; their family lived in
The Woodlands. I am horrified
by The Woodlands, the Tommy
Bahamas of it all was psycholog-
ically damaging to me. One of
the worst things to happen to
me was in Houston at the
French consulate; I decided to
go with an estranged friend
there to get his paperwork to
move to France.
But I miss the art museum.
julie.garcia@chron.com
twitter.com/reporterjulie