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Wednesday MAACO Bowl — Utah vs Boise State, 5 p.m., ESPN NCAAHoops — Radford at Florida, 4 p.m., CSNC NCAAHoops — Texas at Michigan St., 4 p.m., ESPN2 NCAA Hoops — Missouri vs Illinois, 6 p.m., ESPN2 NCAA Hoops — Kansas at California, 8 p.m., CSNB NCAAHoops — Xavier at Gonzaga, 8 p.m., ESPN2 Sports 1B Wednesday December 22, 2010 Harden rejoins A’s Alex or Troy? San Francisco 49ers SANTA CLARA (AP) — Mike Singletary is keeping mum on his starting quarterback. The coach has made up his mind on who will get the call for San Francisco’s must-win game Sunday at St. Louis. He just isn’t saying which guy named Smith will be under cen- ter for the 49ers. Smith 1 or Smith 2? Singletary says it might just be both. ‘‘It depends on how the game goes,’’ Singletary said Tuesday. He said he has talked to both quarterbacks and insists each will get his share of reps in practice this week to be ready to play. A little gamesmanship to keep the Rams guessing, per- haps? ‘‘It’s something that I don’t really want to announce right now,’’ Singletary said. ‘‘You know, in all honesty, in terms of an advantage or whatever, I just think the only real advantage that we could have is to go there and play well. All the other stuff is the cat-and-mouse stuff, but I just think that it’s important for us to prepare well this week and get ready to go.’’ At 5-9, if the 49ers win out they can still finish in a three- MCT file photo Rich Harden finalized a one-year contract to return to the Oakland Athletics. Oakland Athletics OAKLAND (AP) — Rich Harden is rejoining his first major league team. The right-hander and the Oakland Athletics finalized a $1.5 million, one- year contract Tuesday after he passed a physical. Harden went 5-5 with a 5.58 ERA in 20 appearances and 18 starts last season for the AL champion Texas Rangers. But he was designated for assignment after the regular season to give him his unconditional release after he struggled with injuries and control. Harden, who began the season as the Rangers’ No. 2 starter, walked 62 batters in 92 innings. The A’s aren’t sure yet about whether Harden will be a reliever or starter. Manager Bob Geren has a formidable starting rota- tion heading into 2011 but the No. 5 job is up for grabs. ‘‘We’re open-minded on Rich’s role here,’’ assistant general manager David Forst said. ‘‘I think it will play itself out in the spring.’’ Harden’s health certainly will play a factor. He has been plagued by injuries for much of his eight-year big league career. Oakland had penciled in Hisashi Iwakuma as a possible fifth starter but earlier this month failed to reach agreement with the Japanese right- hander during the allotted 30-day negotiating period, sending him back to his Japanese club. The No. 5 spot could go to several candidates, including Bobby Cramer, Tyson Ross or left-hander Josh Out- man, who missed last year recovering from Tommy John surgery but made a strong impression in the instructional league this fall. The 29-year-old Harden spent two stints on the disabled list in 2010, first from June 12-July 30 with a left gluteal muscle strain and later with right shoulder tendinitis. Oakland saw him miss his share of time, too. Harden went 1-2 with a 2.45 ERA in only 25 2-3 innings in 2007 because of an inflamed right shoulder, and did- n’t pitch after July 7 that year. He threw two simulated games late in the season with the hopes of making two final starts, but ultimately decided it wasn’t worth risking further injury. He was 4-0 in nine games in 2006, spending time on the disabled list with a strained back and then a strained elbow ligament. D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY ATHLETES OF THE WEEK Awinner is someone who recognizes his God- given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills and uses those skills to accomplish his goals. — Larry Bird Jonah McInnis — Red Bluff Despite a struggling offense, McInnis was one Spartan who was able to fill the basket at the Holiday Classic, averaging 10.3 points per game. The junior forward has emerged as a key component of the Spar- tans’ rotation through the first month of the season. V alor V Sports Medicine Program A member of CHW ictory V St. Elizabeth Community Hospital alues Lottie Jones — Red Bluff Jones kept getting more and more productive as the Holiday Classic wore on, finishing up the tour- nament with a 17-point performance in the third place game. The junior forward averaged 11.7 points per game in the tournament and gave the Lady Spar- tans a solid presence in the post. St. Elizabeth Sports Medicine Team wishes you a happy holiday season! CONGRATULATIONS DR. RIICO DOTSON, PHYSICIAN OF THE YEAR 800.990.9971 redbluff.mercy.org/sports way tie with St. Louis and Seattle and capture the awful NFC West crown — which would end a seven-year playoff drought for this franchise and make good on team president Jed York’s declaration that the Niners would come back from an 0-5 start to reach the postseason. Singletary’s uncertain future very well could hinge on the arm of the Smith he has chosen. Singletary has said in recent weeks that Alex Smith knows the entire playbook and gives the 49ers more options on offense and the best chance to win. Neither quarterback could shed any light on the situation Tuesday considering neither was available — or even seen for that matter — during the hour-long open locker room period for media. Tight end Vernon Davis has said previously it is chal- lenging to prepare each week without knowing who will be passing him the ball come game day. ‘‘Singletary calls the shots,’’ Davis said Tuesday. ‘‘Whether we like it or not, we have to deal with it. I mean, I’ve never had a situation like that where we’ve had to use two quarterbacks in a game. But if you do it, there’s nothing I can really say.’’ Alex Smith has started the past two games — a com- manding 40-21 win over Seattle on Dec. 12 and an embar- rassing 34-7 loss last Thursday night at San Diego — after a five-game absence. Troy Smith, the 2006 Heisman Trophy winner at Ohio State who joined the Niners in September, initially filled in after Alex Smith separated his non-throwing left shoulder See SMITH, page 2B Singletary not saying