Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/529503
ByDanielBrown BayAreaNewsGroup OAKLAND On the plane, as on the court, the Golden State War- riors offered a blend of styles. Some players blasted music through their earphones. Some players managed to sleep. Some players, Steph Curry said, "were talking about how fun the jour- ney has been." And on the tarmac, as in the Finals, they arrived with a com- mon bond. "Now," Curry said, "we get to celebrate forever." The party began in earnest at 3:18 p.m. Wednesday when the NBA champions planted their glittering trophy back on Oak- land soil. Curry was the first player off the plane, pausing in the doorway long enough to hold the Larry O'Brien trophy aloft while he screamed into the sky. Then the undersized point guard began working his way down the mobile staircase: One small Steph for the Warriors, one giant moment for Warriors-kind. "We'll remember this for the rest of our lives," Curry said. Less than 24 hours earlier, the Warriors had knocked off the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 6 of the NBA Finals to clinch their first title in 40 years. Because they did so on the road, the War- riors first had to celebrate amid the dreary backdrop of Cleve- land heartbreak. The trophy presentation took place in front of a grumbling crowd at Quicken Loans Arena. NBA GoldenStatebrings homechampionship A erknockingofftheCavaliers,Warriors plan to celebrate with their fans in Bay Area PHOTOSBYJEFFCHIU—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (center) walks past cheering team employees as he carries the Larry O'Brien trophy in front of forward Andre Iguodala, li ing the NBA Finals MVP trophy, a er the team landed in Oakland on Wednesday. Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr smiles as he walks past team employees a er the team landed in Oakland on Wednesday. The Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers to win their first NBA championship since 1975. By Doug Ferguson The Associated Press UNIVERSITYPLACE,WASH. Tiger Woods speaks of him in reveren- tial tones. No one has received more at- tention in the months leading up to the U.S. Open at Cham- bers Bay, mainly because of his reputation in this major over the last decade. His name is Mike Davis, and he's not even playing. Davis is the executive director of the USGA, the man largely re- sponsible for the U.S. Open com- ing to a golf course unlike any other in its 120-year history. He has been setting up courses at the U.S. Open since 2006 at Winged Foot, which was so tough that Geoff Ogilvy won without ever breaking par. Davis also was in charge of the U.S. Opens that produced the two lowest scores in champion- ship history — Rory McIlroy at Congressional (268) and Martin Kaymer at Pinehurst No. 2 (271). And now, Davis gets his hands on a course that allows for more options than ever. "What we don't know — none of the people in this room know and all the players — don't know what Mike is going to do and when he's going to do it," Woods said. "What tees he's going to U.S. OPEN GOLF Mostimportantfigurenotevenplaying USGA executive director Davis responsible for tourney coming to course unlike any other CHARLIE RIEDEL — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits from rough on the 18th hole during a practice round Wednesday for the U.S. Open golf tournament at Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash. A woman charged with helping two convicted murderers es- cape from a maximum-secu- rity facility where she worked had discussed having them kill her husband, a district attor- ney confirmed Wednesday. PRISON ESCAPE Workerdiscussedwith inmates to kill husband FULLSTORYONPAGEB4 Warships. Tanks. Helicopters. Rapid reaction forces. Thou- sands of NATO troops are on the move this month in Poland and the Baltic states, practic- ing sea landings, air li s and assaults. 'SPEARHEAD' FORCE New NATO force trains in Poland to guard flank FULL STORY ON PAGE B5 By Graham Dunbar The Associated Press BERN, SWITZERLAND Reeling from an American federal in- vestigation of bribery in soccer, FIFA was put under more pres- sure Wednesday as the scale of a separate Swiss investigation of suspected money laundering was revealed. Banks in Switzerland have flagged up to 53 possible acts of money-laundering that could be linked to FIFA's 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding contests, the country's attorney-general said. Future World Cup hosts Russia and Qatar were not implicated by Swiss federal prosecutor Michael Lauber. Still, the "huge and complex" case he outlined could potentially force FIFA to re-examine taking the world's most-watched sports event from either country if new evidence proves wrongdoing. "I don't mind if this has some collateral (damage) somewhere else," Lauber said of his investi- gation, addressing the media for the first time since the dual Swiss and American criminal probes into FIFA were announced three weeks ago. In a further sign of legal attacks on FIFA picking up pace, the eth- SOCCER Swiss AG: 53 possible cases in FIFA probe Likely money laundering revealed in investigation MARCEL BIERI — KEYSTONE VIA AP Swiss attorney general Michael Lauber speaks during a press conference in Bern, Switzerland. By R.B. Fallstrom The Associated Press ST. LOUIS High-level executives of the St. Louis Cardinals were not involved in the hacking of the Houston Astros' player personnel database, an attorney hired by the team said Wednesday, citing an internal review. The Cardinals said they re- tained the Dowd Bennett firm for a review several months before this week's disclosure that the FBI is investigating whether the team hacked into the Astros computer system that is used to track play- ers and prospects. "With what we have done so far, I am 100 percent confident that this does not touch upper management and does not involve people like John Mozeliak and Bill DeWitt," Jim Martin, an attorney for the firm, told The Associated Press. Mozeliak is the Cardinals' general manager and DeWitt is the team chairman. Martin said he was retained in February. The FBI has declined to con- firm it is investigating the Cardi- nals, but a person familiar with the investigation earlier told the AP that federal authorities are in- vestigating whether members of BASEBALL Attorney says Cardinal execs not behind hacking case The American Legion Red Bluff Bulls baseball team is scheduled to face the Reno Athletics today in the 10th annual High Sierra Baseball Classic in Reno. The tourna- ment runs through Sunday. BASEBALL Red Bluff Bulls begin Reno classic today The Spartan Volleyball camp for girls in fourth through ninth grades is set for June 22-26. The cost is $60, and the sign-up deadline is the first day of camp. For more information, call 529-8710. SUMMER SPORTS Spartan Volleyball Camp begins Monday FIFA PAGE 2 GOLF PAGE 2 HACKING PAGE 2 WARRIORS PAGE 2 SPORTS » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, June 18, 2015 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B1