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2B Daily News – Wednesday, September 28, 2011 WELTS (Continued from page 1B) owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber. ''You talk about fortuitous. This is fortuitous,'' Lacob said Tuesday, when the team formally introduced Welts. ''I know it when I see it. I've been hiring people for 25 years.'' Welts received glowing recommenda- tions from NBA Commissioner David Stern and Suns owner Robert Sarver among others. Not that Lacob needed much convincing. Sarver called Lacob on Welts' behalf, but Lacob was about to make the call himself to inquire about Welts. Last week, Lacob hosted Welts for a productive six-hour meeting at his home in nearby Atherton. Little did Welts know he would be sitting in front of Golden State's old-school blue and gold Bay Bridge logo by Tuesday, sporting a new striped tie in team colors. ''I had the biggest collection of orange ties in Phoenix,'' he said, smil- ing. He hoped to eventually find another job in professional sports — and prefer- ably in the NBA since it remained his ''first love.'' Now 58, Welts began as a ballboy for the SuperSonics in his native Seattle more than four decades ago. Welts joined the Suns in 2002 as pres- ident and had the additional title of CEO the past two seasons. He announced in May that he is gay. He would do it again, too. ''I can tell you that when I chose to go the route that I did, I certainly reached out to a couple of former and current players who were really extraordinary in their support,'' Welts said. ''I heard from a lot of people in the professional sports industry who I didn't know who were in a similar situation and really appreciated at least having the ability to watch some- one go through this process and see that it turned out really well and maybe encourage them on their own time frame, whenever it's right for them, to take the same step.'' Welts insists he will continue to address the issue as often as needed, and the progressive, accepting Bay Area is a perfect spot to do so. By sharing his per- sonal story with the world and address- ing sexual orientation in sports, he knows he has taken on a bigger respon- sibility. That's just fine with Welts. ''I think nobody gives a crap, for the most part,'' he said when asked if he might be breaking down barriers. ''For whatever reason, again, in men's team sports we just have a hard time dis- cussing it. I think the more we talk about it, the more comfortable we can be with it and the less, perhaps, threatening and scary it seems to those who are on any side of the issue.'' Welts has received nothing but sup- port since coming out. Letters and emails poured in from fans, parents, kids and colleagues. ''I wouldn't change anything about it. It sounds not even possibly true that out of all those thousands of emails and let- ters — people still send letters —I haven't had one negative reaction. I was prepared for something different,'' Welts said. ''I can't tell you about anything negative. Really it has been pretty over- whelming. Obviously it took me a long time to get to. It was a big decision for me to make. ... ''It's part of my story but what I'm all about is running NBA basketball teams and I'm running the Warriors.'' He has 36 years of NBA experience. Welts was third in command in the NBA front office when he left in 1999 after 17 years. He helped establish All- Star Game Weekend and the slam dunk contest, landed the league's Gatorade corporate sponsorship and counts his time with the Dream Team among his career highlights. Turning around the Warriors would be right up there, too. He has admired the franchise from afar and took notice when Lacob and Guber began making sweeping changes to an organization that has reached the playoffs just once since 1994. ''Everyone in the NBA looks at this franchise as the sleeping giant,'' Welts said. ''It all starts with ownership. The buzz outside of the Bay Area is there is something happening here that is going to be very special. ... I never heard one of these guys use the word good. The only way they described the organization is great. I've been a Warriors fan for a long time from a distance.'' When it comes to Welts' sexual ori- entation, Lacob doesn't care. But he does admire the courage to come out in a profession where it is rare. Lacob believes he has found yet another leader to help transform this franchise. Lacob already brought in Bob Myers as assistant general manager, Hall of Famer Jerry West in an advisory role and Mark Jackson as the new coach. ''Whether he's gay or straight is irrel- evant,'' Lacob said. ''I want the best executive possible. All I care about is winning, and we're going to get there. I promise you, we're going to get there. He took a huge risk. It's a pretty impres- sive thing he did in the world of sports.'' Lou Seal mascot makes it 13 consecutive years SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Joel Zimei exhibits what can only be considered a mascot swagger. No matter that almost nobody knows his real name, save for those behind the scenes with the San Francisco Giants. To the masses, he is the beloved Lou Seal. The mascot bounces around the ballpark, dances on the dugout and poses for photos. He signs auto- graphs, too. And Lou Seal is riding quite the impressive streak. When the reign- ing World Series champi- ons wrap up their season Wednesday, it will mark Zimei's 1,054th consecu- tive home game — a Cal Ripken-like record in his costume-wearing world. That's 13 straight sea- sons, spanning the final days at Candlestick Park to the present in the Giants' picturesque waterfront spot. How has he pulled off this remarkable run while balancing life as a hus- band, homeowner and soon-to-be first-time father? ''Stubbornness and determination,'' Zimei said while hurriedly get- ting ready for Monday night's game against the Colorado Rockies. ''That's 13 straight sea- sons without missing a game.'' Yet Zimei has lost track of his streak. He knows June 8 marked 1,000 straight home games — the team hon- ored him with a banner that day. After that, Zimei has to make a quick count on the magnetic schedule stuck to the door of the ''Seal Cave,'' his locker room. It's an approxi- mately 12-foot-by-12- foot closet where he transforms himself into San Francisco's Lou Seal simply by pulling on that larger-than-life fluffy gray seal suit. Virtually anonymous — the way he prefers it — instincts take over once Zimei gets dressed. ''It's almost automat- ic, no matter how I'm feeling,'' Zimei said. ''It's like hitting an invol- untary switch and I just become Lou. After 13 years, sooner or later, it just blends.'' On this night, he apol- ogizes for the McDon- WNBA Conference Finals Eastern Conference Indiana 1, Atlanta 1 Game 1: Indiana 82, Atlanta 74 Game 2: Atlanta 94, Indiana 77 Wednesday: Atlanta 83, Indiana 67 Western Conference Minnesota 2, Phoenix 0 Game 1: Minnesota 95, Phoenix 67 Game 2: Minnesota 103, Phoenix 86 MLS WESTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA x-Galaxy 17 3 10 61 44 22 x-Seattle 15 6 9 54 49 32 x-Salt Lake 15 8 6 51 42 27 FC Dallas 13 10 7 46 36 33 Colorado 10 9 12 42 41 40 Portland 10 13 7 37 37 44 Chivas USA 8 12 11 35 39 38 QUAKES 611 13 31 32 39 Vancouver 4 15 10 22 29 49 EASTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA Houston 10 9 12 42 39 39 Columbus 11 11 8 41 35 38 Kansas City10 9 11 41 44 38 Philadelphia 9 7 13 40 37 31 New York 8 7 15 39 46 41 D.C. 9 8 11 38 43 41 Chicago 6 8 15 33 36 39 Toronto FC 6 13 12 30 32 55 N. England 5 13 12 27 34 49 NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie. x- clinched playoff berth —————————————————— Today's games Columbus at Kansas City, 5:30 p.m. Chicago at Real Salt Lake, 6 p.m. Thursday's game D.C. United at Philadelphia, 5 p.m. Saturday's games Kansas City at San Jose, 7:30 p.m. Chicago at Houston, 1 p.m. New York at Toronto FC, 4:30 p.m. Seattle FC at New England, 4:30 p.m. FC Dallas at Colorado, 6 p.m. Real Salt Lake at Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m. Sunday's games D.C. United at Columbus, 1 p.m. Portland at Vancouver, 1:30 p.m. Philadelphia at Chivas USA, 5 p.m. West Division ald's garbage on the floor. He swears it's the first time in six months he has eaten fast-food for his pregame meal. Sometimes, there's no choice because of the time crunch. He also needs his fuel consider- ing how active he is each night and it's typically 45 degrees warmer inside his suit than it is outside. Zimei has had some close calls along the way keeping his streak alive. He once drove through the night from Reno, Nev., to make it back from vacation just in time for a day game after his flight from Denver to San Francisco got can- celed. He told his wife, Sier- ra, he couldn't miss the game. ''This is my full-time gig,'' said Zimei, who is aided with all aspects of his operation by assistant Anthony Pava. ''It's the longest streak. All of us are pretty good friends. NFL guys, good luck catching me. You'd have to have a 100-year run to get close.'' Zimei became Luigi Francisco Seal in 1999. He has his own magnets, World Series pictures that he autographs, even business cards with his real name and that of Lou Seal. He's ''5-foot-9-some- thing'' as he puts it and 170 pounds. In costume, Zimei stands 6-2. Just like all the ballplayers he cheers, Zimei remembers his callup to the big leagues as if it were yesterday. A college student in criminal justice at the time, he became a mascot by accident. Zimei took a job working for Philadel- phia's Triple-A Scranton club when he got the chance to help out the Phillies mascot during the 1998 season. That offseason, he wrote to most of the major league clubs and discovered the Giants, Mets and Red Sox all were holding mascot auditions. ''I didn't want to be a Red Sox, I didn't want to be a Met. My grandfather was a huge, huge Willie Mays fan back in the Willie Mays New York Giants days,'' Zimei said. NCAA Top 25 Schedule Thursday's game No. 16 South Florida at Pittsburgh, 5 p.m. Saturday's games No. 1 LSU vs. Kentucky, 9:20 a.m. No. 2 Oklahoma vs. Ball State, 4 p.m. No. 3 Alabama at No. 12 Florida, 5 p.m. No. 4 Boise State vs. Nevada, 11:30 a.m. No. 6 Stanford vs. UCLA, 7:30 p.m. No. 7 Wisconsin vs.No.8 Nebraska, 5 p.m. No. 10 S. Carolina vs. Auburn, 12:30 p.m. No. 11 Vir.Tech vs.No.13 Clemson, 3 p.m. No.14 Texas A&M vs.No.18 Arkansas, 9 a.m. No. 15 Baylor at Kansas State, 12:30 p.m. No. 17 Texas at Iowa State, 4 p.m. No. 19 Michigan vs. Minnesota, 9 a.m. No. 20 TCU vs. SMU, 12:30 p.m. No.21 Georgia Tech at N.C. State, 12:30 p.m. No.22 West Vir.vs.Bowling Green, 12:30 p.m. No. 24 Illinois vs. Northwestern, 9 a.m. No.25 Arizona St. vs. Oregon St., 7:30 p.m. MLB American League WL Pct GB x-Texas 94 66 .588 — Angels 86 74 .538 8 A's 72 88 .450 22 Seattle 67 93 .419 27 East Division WL Pct GB x-New York 97 64 .602 — Boston 90 71 .559 7 Tampa Bay 90 71 .559 7 Toronto 80 81 .497 17 Baltimore 68 93 .422 29 Central Division WL Pct GB x-Detroit 94 67 .584 — Cleveland 80 81 .497 14 Chicago 79 82 .491 15 Kansas City 71 90 .441 23 Minnesota 62 99 .385 32 x-clinched division —————————————————— Tuesday's results Oakland at Seattle, late Boston 8, Baltimore 7 Chicago White Sox 2, Toronto 1 Detroit 9, Cleveland 6 Minnesota 7, Kansas City 4 Tampa Bay 5, N.Y.Yankees 3 Texas at L.A. Angels, late Today's games Oakland (G.Gonzalez 15-12) at Seattle (A.Vasquez 1-5), 7:10 p.m. Toronto (Morrow 11-11) at Chicago (Humber 9-9), 11:10 a.m. Boston (Lester 15-9) at Baltimore (Simon 4-9), 4:05 p.m. Cleveland (McAllister 0-1) at Detroit (Porcello 14-9), 4:05 p.m. N.Y.Yankees (Undecided) at Tampa Bay (Price 12-13), 4:10 p.m. Texas (M.Harrison 14-9) at L.A. Angels (Weaver 18-8), 5:05 p.m. Kansas City (Chen 12-8) at Minnesota (Pavano 8-13), 5:10 p.m. ''I figured it would be fun to get off the East Coast, come out here and check out California, and I've been here ever since.'' In the winter, Zimei works for the NBA's Golden State Warriors across the bay in Oak- land. Though he doesn't give his body much of a break, he has never been on the mascot disabled list. ''Fortunately the injuries I have had I've been able to work through,'' he said. ''I broke my right hand the last day of the season in 2004 because I was a sore loser and punched a brick wall after I found out we didn't make the playoffs that year. Fortu- nately for me it healed through the offseason.'' He has gained several players' seal of approval. ''That's awesome, pretty cool,'' Rockies veteran Jason Giambi said. ''He takes his job seriously. I'm sure every now and then he could have a schedule conflict. I like it. That's impressive.'' Matt Cain, San Fran- cisco's longest-tenured player, can appreciate Zimei's longevity, too. ''That's pretty sweet,'' Cain said. ''I asked him earlier this year, 'How many days are you here?' He said, 'I haven't missed a day.' That's great. That's a lot. It's pretty amazing — 13 years straight, that's a long time.'' Still, around AT&T Park there's one home streak that's tough to beat. Longtime equip- ment manager Mike Murphy hasn't missed a home game since the franchise moved West from New York in 1958. When told about Zimei, Murphy quipped: ''Oh really? I haven't missed a home game since 1958. I've missed a few road trips but never missed a home game.'' That's a pair of remarkable runs for this organization to celebrate in a year the Giants won't return to the playoffs. ODDS NFL at Dallas Sunday's games 1.5 (46.5) Detroit New Orleans 7(46.5) at Jacksonville at PhiladelphiaOFF (OFF) San Francisco at St. Louis Pk(42.5) Washington at Cleveland 1.5 (37.5) Tennessee Buffalo 3 (44) 4.5 (40.5) Minnesota 1.5(40) at Kansas City at Chicago 6.5(44) at Houston 3.5 (45.5) Atlanta N.Y. Giants 2 (44) at San Diego 7.5 (45.5) at Green Bay 13 (47) Monday's game at Tampa Bay 10 (41) Off Key MLB West Division National League WL Pct GB x-Arizona 93 67 .581 — GIANTS 85 75 .531 8 Dodgers 81 78 .509 11.5 Colorado 72 88 .450 21 Padres 70 90 .438 23 East Division WL Pct GB x-Philadelphia101 60 .627 — Atlanta 89 72 .553 12 Washington 79 81 .494 21.5 New York 76 85 .472 25 Florida 72 89 .447 29 Central Division WL Pct GB x-Milwaukee 95 66 .590 — St. Louis 89 72 .553 6 Cincinnati 79 82 .491 16 Pittsburgh 72 89 .447 23 Chicago 70 90 .438 24.5 Houston 56 105.348 39 x-clinched division —————————————————— Tuesday's results Colorado at San Francisco, late Cincinnati 5, N.Y. Mets 4, 13 innings Florida 3, Washington 2 Philadelphia 7, Atlanta 1 Milwaukee 6, Pittsburgh 4 St. Louis 13, Houston 6 L.A. Dodgers at Arizona, late Chicago Cubs at San Diego, late Today's games Colorado (Pomeranz 1-1) at San Fran. (M.Cain 12-11), 12:45 p.m. Cincinnati (Volquez 5-6) at N.Y. Mets (Batista 4-2), 10:10 a.m. Washington (Strasburg 0-1) at Florida (Volstad 5-12), 1:10 p.m. Philadelphia (Blanton 1-2) at Atlanta (T.Hudson 16-10), 4:10 p.m. St. Louis (C.Carpenter 10-9) at Houston (Myers 7-13), 5:05 p.m. Pittsburgh (Locke 0-2) at Milwaukee (Greinke 15-6), 5:10 p.m. Chicago Cubs (Dempster 10-13) at San Diego (LeBlanc 4-6), 5:35 p.m. L.A. Dodgers (Lilly 11-14) at Arizona (J.Saunders 12-12), 6:40 p.m. Indianapolis Philadelphia QB questionable at Cincinnati Carolina Pittsburgh at Seattle at Arizona Miami Denver New England 4.5 (53.5) at Oakland at Baltimore 3.5(40) N.Y. Jets