Cheney cowboy Gray moves into Top 15

Rodeo: There were no gold buckles, but second place was just fine.

Ryan Gray, traveling hard to make up for lost time, returned to the Northwest last weekend and placed second in a pair of rodeos that finally vaulted him into a familiar position.

Bolstered by winnings of almost $7,000 for rides in Hermiston, Ore., and the Omak Stampede, Gray has cracked into the Top 15 of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association bareback standings. The Cheney High School graduate has won almost $48,981, all in the last two months in his quest to make the National Finals Rodeo for the seventh straight year.

Gray was leading the bareback standings as the NFR started last December, but he suffered a lacerated liver the second day and injured ribs when he tried to come back early this year.

Dave Trimmer

‘Think of your mum in a bikini’

Rugby: New Zealand rugby fans have been urged to abstain from sex to help the national All Blacks win the World Cup, which kicks off on Sept. 9 in Auckland.

Fans who sign up for the “Abstain for the All Blacks” campaign will receive black rubber finger-rings to show their support for the national side during the cup series.

It said posters with the slogan, “Touch, pause and don’t engage” will appear in bus shelters, but plans were ditched to place signs above urinals in bars and restaurants urging men to “Think of your mum in a bikini – Abstain for the All Blacks.”

Associated Press

Boise’s ballpark called outdated

Minor league baseball: The owner of the Chicago Cubs says the Boise Hawks’ ballpark that serves as home to the organization’s Northwest League team is cramped, outdated and not up to the standards of minor league facilities across the nation.

Cubs owner Tom Ricketts toured Memorial Stadium Monday along with Boise Mayor Dave Bieter and others trying to stir public support for building a new stadium in the Treasure Valley.

“The facility here is below standard,” Ricketts told the Boise Chamber of Commerce Monday. “All the (minor league) facilities we have are substantially better.”

Associated Press