Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/797496
ByElliottAlmond BayAreaNewsGroup LAS VEGAS The biggest question about the Raiders' relocation to Las Vegas remained unanswered Thurs- day when team executives didn't ap- pear before the agency that is over- seeing the building of a new $1.9 bil- lion stadium. Three days after team executives told NFL owners they had secured a $650 million loan from Bank of Amer- ica to help pay for the project, no de- tails about the agreement were re- vealed during the Las Vegas Stadium Authority board meeting downtown. The team's excused absence Thurs- day means the 11-member board won't know the details of the loan before NFL owners are expected to vote in three weeks on the move to southern Nevada. While board members cast a pos- itive view of the situation, Clark County Commission chairman ques- tioned the loan Thursday in an in- terview before the stadium author- ity met. Steve Sisolak isn't sure the financial formula makes sense — at least until the Raiders explain it to him. "A regularly structured deal on $650 million amortized over 30 years, the principle is $20 million a year," he said. With just a 4 percent interest rate it would cost an additional $26 mil- lion annually. "Where are they going to get $46 million a year?" Sisolak asked. "I don't understand this." Sisolak is not a member of the sta- dium board, but has played a key role in paving the way for an NFL team to move to Las Vegas. The county commissioner asked questions some members of the pub- lic are wondering since the Raiders told NFL owners they secured a loan NFL VegasquestionsRaiders'loan By Chip Thompson editor@redbluffdailynews.com @editorchip on Twitter CORNING The Cardinals took their first loss of the season Wednesday night when they faced the No. 11 Ripon Indians in the opening round of the Division IV CIF State Playoffs, 58-50, to finish the year 29-1. "Great season," said coach Kurt Wilkins after the game. "There's no other way to say it, great sea- son." Despite the early exit from the state playoffs, the No. 6 Cardinals won the NSCIF Division IV cham- pionship game Friday in convinc- ing fashion, 54-34 over the Pierce Bears at Butte College, and have four-of-five starters returning next season as well as some top performing bench players com- ing back. "Obviously the expectations are as high or higher than this year," Wilkins said. The Indians started hot, go- ing up by as much as 10-5 in the opening period and making their first 6 shots from the field. Aus- tin Mishoe kept the Cardinals within reach, though, with a pair of threes and a bucket early before Noah Zoppi hit a pair of threes and Brendan Hoag got a three, a field goal and a pair of shots from the line to put Corning ahead 21- 14 at the end of the period. The Cards stretched the lead to 10 in the second before the Indi- ans were able to narrow the gap with a 7-1 run to close out the half and go into the locker room down 35-31. The Indians came out in the third and managed to tie the game at 38 with 5 minutes left in the period, but the Cardinals took back the momentum with scores from Hoag, Tucker Berens, Mishoe and Corey Busta to finish the third ahead 46-40. The Indians opened the fourth with a 12-0 run thanks to defen- sive pressure, forcing turnovers DIVISION IV CIF STATE BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS CARDS FALL IN OPENING ROUND CHIPTHOMPSON—DAILYNEWS Corning's Marco Tapia goes to the rim Wednesday night against the Ripon Indians. By Jimmy Durkin Bay Area News Group MESA, ARIZ. Sonny Gray's at- tempt to put an injury-marred season behind him will get off to a delayed start. The A's have shut down their ace for the next three weeks as he dealswitha"moderatelatstrain" that takes him out of the run- ning to make Oakland's Opening Night start on April 3, manager Bob Melvin revealed Thursday. The most optimistic timeline would have Gray available by late April, delivering an early blow to the A's a year after using the dis- abled list a franchise-record 27 times. Gray accounted for two of those stints as he was limited by injuries to just 22 starts in a for- gettable 2016 season. "It's a tough pill to swallow for him," Melvin said. "As hard as he worked coming into camp and getting past the issues that he had last year, so it's not easy, but it's something that he's go- ing to have to deal with. When you have this kind of time — three weeks non-throwing — then you work on the mind some and you stay positive and you try to find something in the meantime that enables you to come back sooner than later." Gray noticed some discomfort after his start Tuesday, when he was rocked by the Arizona Dia- mondbacks for seven runs and five hits in two innings of work. Hethrew31pitchesduringafive- run first inning and tossed three wild pitches, but told reporters after the game he felt OK. Then came the MRI and the news that Gray would have to be shut down. "It got him a little bit," Mel- vin said. "He wasn't expecting to hear what he heard yester- day. Obviously (he) felt it a lit- tle bit, but didn't feel like it was a big deal. And it's a bigger deal than we thought." SPRING TRAINING A's ace Gray to miss Opening Day with lat strain By Jerry McDonald Bay Area News Group SANTA CLARA While the 49ers are preparing to move forward with Brian Hoyer as their quar- terback, the Kirk Cousins soap opera in Washington means the identity of the 2017 starter hasn't necessarily been determined. The 49ers announced Hoyer's signing Thursday on the open- ing day of free agency along with six other players — wide receiv- ers Pierre Garcon and Marquise Goodwin, place kicker Robbie Gould, fullback Kyle Juszczyk, tight end Logan Paulsen and for- mer Raiders linebacker Malcolm Smith. Cousins, meanwhile, appears to be doing what he can to get out of Washington, with NFL Media re- porting his preferred destination is the 49ers to be reunited with coach Kyle Shanahan. "I'm not at liberty to talk about guys under contract," 49ers gen- eral manager John Lynch told NFL Media. "As I've said, we're going to look at every option to try and be the best that we can be. We'll continue to look and delve into any option." According to ESPN, Cousins went so far as to personally re- quest a trade from owner Dan NFL 49 er s si gn QB Hoyer, still waiting on Cousins Seven players added to roster on the first day of free agency By Jerry McDonald Bay Area News Group ALAMEDA The Raiders were con- tent to play the market Thursday on the first day of free agency, signing no players and seeing four of their own players sign with other teams. The inaction by general man- ager Reggie McKenzie was in con- trast to big first-day signings in each of the last two years includ- ing center Rodney Hudson, guard Kelechi Osemele and cornerback Sean Smith. But it wasn't a big surprise either, given the McKenzie's long-stated preference to build through the draft and the fact that the Raiders roster has more talent than at any time since their last AFC championship in 2002. What was at least a minor sur- prise is that the Raiders allowed all 11 of their own unrestricted free agents to test the market, and four of them left the building re- ceiving offers which exceeded what McKenzie wanted to pay. NFL Raiders sit out Day 1 of free agency Aldson Smith detained by police for public intoxication Ripon Indians go on late run to take 58-50 win over Corning CARDINALS PAGE 2 49ERS PAGE 2 RAIDERS PAGE 2 ELLIOTT ALMOND — BAY AREA NEWS GROUP Las Vegas supporters planted flags and banners Thursday to support the Raiders outside the Clark County building where the stadium authority board met to discuss the team's potential move from Oakland. Team executives don't appear before agency; NFL owners won't know details of financing before an anticipated vote in three weeks MOVE PAGE 2 SPORTS » redbluffdailynews.com Friday, March 10, 2017 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B1