APPLICATION » RBIs, two doubles and two homers in the last three games. No

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Somewhere in Wayzata, Minnesota, a bunch of teenage boys are plotting when and where theyll next sing Happy Birthday to their coach.The high school swim team tradition started as a random goof, when the boys sensed the best way to get to their modest mentor was to make him the center of attention. So theyd get the song going at a fast food joint and encourage the whole place to join in. Theyd bellow it out on the bus coming back from a meet, or in any public place. David Plummer would just shake his head.Plummer wont turn 31 until October, but the new Olympic 100-meter backstroke bronze medalist is likely to be serenaded before that. Its part of a gift that has been a long time coming.Monday, he and winner Ryan Murphy continued the Americans dominance in the event, extending a gold-medal streak that dates back 20 years and spans six Olympic Games. Murphys gold-medal time of 51.97 seconds was an Olympic record. Plummers 52.4 was a milestone of a different kind.The Oklahoma native, one of four brothers, qualified for his first Olympic team at the U.S. trials last month in Omaha, Nebraska. In the long annals of American swimming, only one older Olympic rookie has stood on the podium: Edgar Adams, who won a silver medal in 1904 for an event called plunge for distance, in which swimmers dove into the pool and floated motionless as far as they could.Plummer, his salt-and-pepper hair still damp, told reporters he didnt have the ideal race but still felt elated.[Murphy] is going to be one of the best of all time and already is, Plummer added. Just to be a little part of his journey is a really cool thing.Along with having no visible ego, Plummer has no agent and no sponsor other than a relationship with Mizuno that provides him with competition suits. He logged the mileage that got him to Rio as a husband, a father of a 3-year-old boy and an infant son, and a coach at two different Twin Cities area high schools -- gigs that keep him on the pool deck at least a couple of hours a day from August through March.He is so down-to-earth and dedicated that its hard to picture the younger version of himself he has described as arrogant and prone to party a little too hard. But Plummer says that less disciplined era doesnt account for the 0.12 seconds that cost him a slot on the London 2012 team. He was hopeful enough of making the team that he cleared his calendar for late July and early August.After that painful near miss, Plummer took off on a monthlong driving trip west with his German shepherd mix riding shotgun, camping, visiting national parks and spending time with friends and extended family. From the outside, it looked like a purposeful voyage to introspection. Plummer, with characteristic self-deprecation, says he simply wanted to avoid hanging around and driving his new bride, Erin Forster, crazy.He returned with renewed commitment, despite the odds stacked against an athlete his age staring down a four-year tunnel. Doubt continued to afflict him any time I had a bad practice, he said. Is this right, is this what Im supposed to be doing?His wifes support was indispensable. Plummer and Forster met on a recruiting trip to the University of Georgia; she enrolled there and he chose the University of Minnesota, but two years later she transferred and they chose each other. They married just before the Olympic trials four years ago.When David weighed whether to continue swimming, she told him, Youd be cheating yourself if you dont. Theyd both finished school with no debt and knew they could stay afloat on what Erin, a physician currently doing a fellowship in neonatal medicine, earned early in her career.We were so lucky it was realistic and we didnt have to struggle with finances, Plummer said.The most intriguing question about Plummer may be when he finds time to sleep. Hes a volunteer assistant for the Minnetonka High School girls team in the fall, working with his close friend and fellow former Gopher Dan Berve.He knows when to challenge them, when to praise them, Breve said. Hes not the kind of guy whos going to blow up on you. He loves being a part of something bigger than himself.Plummer is the head boys coach at Wayzata High School, where one of his volunteer assistants is Peter Rocca, who won two silver medals and a medley relay gold at the 1976 Montreal Games.Rocca recruited Plummer for the position three years ago. The school promptly won the state championship and Plummer was named Minnesota Coach of the Year.He connects with every single kid and makes them feel special, said Rocca, an investment company executive. If you werent getting along, you had to go talk to him. The seniors had to take care of the eighth graders. Theyre squirrelly males at that point, and they all took a lot more responsibility.Monday, Plummer said he didnt think his medal would change his coaching style.Getting high school kids to listen to anything isnt super-easy, but hopefully it gives me a little more credibility, he said.Theres a decent chance of that. At the very least, theyll have to believe him when he says wishes made over candles on a cake sometimes need a little time to come true.ESPN Stats and Information reporter Paul J. Carr contributed to this story. 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They had already blown a double-digit lead, fans were hitting the exits, and a long seven-game road trip waited at the end. HOUSTON -- The Chicago White Sox lamented their inability to make plays in crucial situations after losing three straight games by one run each to Houston. They finally found a way to capitalize when they had a chance to change the game Monday night and it led to a 4-2 win over the Astros. Dayan Viciedos bases-loaded triple in a four-run sixth inning helped the White Sox snap a four-game losing streak. They also avoided being swept in a four-game series for the first time since 2008. Chicago trailed 2-0 before Alejandro De Aza singled in the sixth and went to third on Adam Dunns two-out single. Paul Konerko pulled Chicago to 2-1 with an RBI single that went between the legs of starter Bud Norris and into centre field. Conor Gillaspie barely beat the throw to first on an infield single that loaded the bases. That brought up Viciedo, whose triple landed on Tals Hill in centre field just out of the reach of a diving Brandon Barnes. All three runners scored to put Chicago up 4-2. "It was a good one for Viciedo to get a hit," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "Its just one of those that you hope gets him going a little bit because hes been missing out. And to finally get it, with him doing it, its good to see." It was the second straight game with a triple for Viciedo, making him the first White Sox player to do that since Mark Kotsay in August 2010. "Theres been some rough spots where things havent gone the right way," Viciedo said through a translator. "But I feel like theres some good things, too, and I want to work on the good things Im doing right now. I want to concentrate on those things and become more consistent." Nate Jones (3-4) allowed three hits in 1 1-3 scoreless innings for the win. He struck out three. Addison Reed pitched a perfect ninth for his 20th save. White Sox starter Jose Quintana yielded five hits and two runs in 4 2-3 innings, but didnt factor in the decision for the fourth straight start. He has a no-decision in nine of his 14 starts this season. Jason Castro doubled twice and drove in two runs for the Astros, who had won four straight. Barnes had three hits. Norris (5-7) allowed eight hits and four runs over six innings in his third consecutive loss. "I was in a groove, and that sixth inning was very frustrating," he said. "Im still frustrated about it." It was a rare road win for the struggling White Sox, who have dropped 12 of their last 14 away from Chicago and 14 of 19 overall. The Astros had runners at the corners with no outs in the seventh after back-to-back singles by Barnes annd Jose Altuve.dddddddddddd. But Matt Thornton struck out Castro before Jesse Crain fanned J.D. Martinez and Chris Carter to end the inning. Carter struck out twice to give him 101 this season, which leads the majors. The Astros struck out 12 times in all to extend their total to a major league-high 673. Crain struck out three in 1 2-3 innings for his career-high 27th straight scoreless appearance to tie a franchise record for relievers. He was just happy to help the team end its skid. "We needed to turn things around," he said. "Obviously, weve been struggling and getting this one and avoiding the streak was big and hopefully we start a new win streak and win tomorrow." Ventura raved about Crain. "Its not just easy situations going in there mopping up," he said. "Hes been coming into some real tough situations and coming through for us. Its amazing what hes been doing. I think hes just been locked in, healthy and everything else." Altuve singled with one out in the first and scored on a double by Castro to make it 1-0. Quintana pitched a 1-2-3 second inning before getting into trouble in the third. Barnes singled to start the inning before stealing second base and advancing to third on an error by catcher Hector Gimenez with one out. Castros second double, which bounced off the wall in right field, sent Barnes home to extend the lead to 2-0. Castro has five RBIs, two doubles and two homers in the last three games. Norris looked good early. He allowed a double to Alex Rios with two outs in the first before retiring the next eight batters. Rios singled with one out in the fourth and stole second, but Norris set down the next two batters to end the threat. NOTES: Houston activated OF Justin Maxwell from the 15-day disabled list and optioned OF Jimmy Paredes to Triple-A Oklahoma City after the game. Maxwell, who has been out since April 24 with a broken left hand, will be in Tuesdays lineup. ... Chicagos Dylan Axelrod opposes Minnesotas Mike Pelfrey when the White Sox open a three-game series against the Twins on Tuesday. ... Jordan Lyles is scheduled to pitch for the Astros on Tuesday when they open a series with Milwaukee. Right-hander Alfredo Figaro is set to pitch for the Brewers. ... The Astros signed second-round draft pick RHP Andrew Thurman and four other picks on Monday. Thurman was at Minute Maid Park and worked out with the team before the game. Houston also signed 28th-round pick LHP Jordan Mills, 30th-round pick RHP Jorge Perez, 33rd-rounder 1B Tyler White and J.D. Osborne, who was selected in the 36th round. ' ' '