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Tehama Tracker Wednesday���s results 1B Sports Friday December 28, 2012 MILITARY BOWL at WASHINGTON, D.C. San Jose State 29 Bowling Green 20 BELK BOWL at CHARLOTTE Cincinnati 48 Duke 34 HOLIDAY BOWL at SAN DIEGO Baylor LATE UCLA Today���s games INDEPENDENCE BOWL at SHREVEPORT, LA. Ohio ESPN Louisiana-Monroe 11 a.m. RUSSELL ATHLETIC BOWL at ORLANDO, FLA. Rutgers Virginia Tech ESPN 2:30 p.m. MEINEKE CAR CARE BOWL at HOUSTON Minnesota ESPN Texas Tech 6 p.m. NBA New York CSNC Kings 7 p.m. Philadelphia CSNB Warriors 7:30 p.m. On the tube COLLEGE FOOTBALL ��� 11 a.m., ESPN ��� Independence Bowl at Shreveport, La., Ohio vs. Louisiana-Monroe ��� 2:30 p.m., ESPN ��� Russell Athletic Bowl at Orlando, Fla., Rutgers vs. Virginia Tech ��� 6 p.m., ESPN ��� Meineke Car Care Bowl at Houston, Minnesota vs. Texas Tech MEN���S COLLEGE BASKETBALL ��� 4 p.m., NBCSN ��� Providence at Brown ��� 5 p.m., ESPN2 ��� Baylor at Gonzaga ��� 5 p.m., CSNC ��� Oral Roberts at Memphis ��� 7 p.m., ESPN2 ��� Missouri at UCLA NBA ��� 5:30 p..m, NBATV ��� Denver at Dallas ��� 7 p.m., CSNC ��� New York at Sacramento ��� 7:30 p.m., CSNB ��� Philadelphia at Golden State Matsui retires NEW YORK (AP) ��� Free agent slugger Hideki Matsui retired Thursday from professional baseball, saying he is no longer able to perform at the level that made him a star in two countries. The 2009 World Series MVP with the New York Yankees and a three-time Central League MVP with the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants struggled in a brief stint with the Tampa Bay Rays last season and recently made up his mind to call it a career after 20 years ��� the first 10 in Japan. Despite choosing to make the announcement in New York because the city was special to him, the nearly hour-long news conference was conducted only in Japanese and was broadcast live to his home country, where it was 7 a.m. Friday. A Japanese reporter translated portions of the event for the four American baseball writers in attendance. Before he left for New York in 2003, Matsui told his fans in Japan that he would give his life to playing in the major leagues, give whatever he had, the reporter said. ������Today is the day he put a period to that.������ Overall, Matsui batted .282 with 175 homers and 760 RBIs for the Yankees, Angels, Oakland Athletics and Rays. In Japan he had a .304 career average with 332 homers and 889 RBIs in 1,268 games. San Jose State wins bowl WASHINGTON (AP) ��� The best season in San Jose State history? There���s a good case for it, yet it���s one nobody could make if the person with the awkward role of interim, onthe-way-out coach hadn���t finished the job. The Spartans are done for the year with an 11-2 record. Ten wins go to Mike MacIntyre, who rebuilt a program that was 1-12 just two years ago before leaving this month for a better payday at Colorado. Win No. 11 goes to defensive coordinator Kent Baer, who was put in charge and got to speak in a victorious locker room after Thursday���s 29-20 win over Bowling Green in the Military Bowl. ������I didn���t cry, but I wanted to,������ Baer said. ������I stood tall, took a couple of deep breaths. It���s been a little emotional the last few days.������ Baer wanted to stay at San Jose State, but he was passed over for the fulltime job in favor of San Diego���s Ron Caragher and plans to follow MacIntyre to the Buffalos. With all those distractions going on, the No. 24 Spartans could be forgiven for being a little rattled ahead of their first bowl game since 2006. Instead, San Jose State, in the national rankings for the first time since 1975, capped the year with a seven-game winning streak for its first 11-win season since 1940, recovering quickly from the shock of MacIntyre���s departure with the help of Baer. ������We were kind of, ���What���s going to happen next year?��������� defensive end Travis Johnson said. ������We started thinking too much, and we started trying to figure out what coaches are going to be here, what players are going to be here, and then coach Baer came in the next day and he basically told us that it doesn���t matter ��� and what we set out to do, we���re going to accomplish. MCT photo San Jose State wide receiver Kyle Nunn, left, celebrates with teammate Jon Meyer, right, after scoring on a 33-yard touchdown pass. ������It stopped all the thought of coach Mac being gone. We still thought about him, but it was, ���OK, he���s somewhere else. We���re going to go and get the win and we���re going to do it with what we have.��������� What they do have is a stellar quarterback, David Fales, who led the nation in completion percentage in the regular season. The dart-throwing transfer started strong and finished stronger in the wind and cold at RFK Stadium, com- pleting 33 of 43 passes for 395 yards and two touchdowns. Fales led the drive that set up Austin Lopez���s 27yard field goal with 4:43 remaining, and De���Leon Eskridge���s 1-yard run with 2:34 left provided the insurance. Fales was an unknown when he arrived on campus in the spring, but he quickly became the offensive leader the Spartans needed. ������He was like that puzzle piece that was able to make everything come together,������ Johnson said. Bowling Green (8-5) had a similar turnaround, improving from 2-10 in 2010 under coach Dave Clawson. A defense that allowed only 15.8 points per game in the regular season ��� ninth best among FBS schools ��� did a decent job against a San Jose State team that was averaging 35.3 points. But give Fales enough chances and he���ll find a way to put points on the See BOWL, page 2B Leinart hoping to get 1st start ALAMEDA (AP) ��� Matt Leinart is hoping to get one more shot to show what he can do as an NFL starting quarterback. With Carson Palmer sidelined for Oakland���s season finale in San Diego with cracked ribs and a bruised lung, Leinart and thirdstringer Terrelle Pryor have been sharing time at practice. Raiders coach Dennis Allen says he won���t pick a starter until after Friday���s practice but it seems likely both quarterbacks will get a chance. Leinart has started only two games since 2007 and failed to live up the expectations of winning the Heisman Trophy at Southern California and being a first-round draft pick by Arizona in 2006. ������I still feel I have a lot to prove at this point of my career,������ Leinart said Thursday. ������No matter what the naysayers say, I do feel like I still can play. I do feel like that, and I think I���ll play like that until the day I retire. But you���re only given so many opportunities in this league. That���s why this weekend would be awesome.������ Leinart started 16 games his first two seasons in Arizona before being sidelined by a broken left collarbone in 2007. He was beaten out the next season by Kurt Warner and started one game his final two seasons with the Cardinals. Leinart then signed with Houston in 2010 and got another chance to start late last season when Matt Schaub went down with a foot injury. But Leinart got hurt in the first half of his first start, missing a chance to take the Texans to the playoffs. He signed this past offseason with Oakland and had thrown only one pass before replacing Palmer in the first quarter of last week���s 17-6 loss at Carolina. Leinart completed 16 of 32 See START, page 2B 49ers optimistic even without Justin Smith SANTA CLARA (AP) ��� Patrick Willis believes the San Francisco 49ers can still be a great defense even without All-Pro tackle Justin Smith. The 49ers might have to spend the rest of this season finding out whether or not Willis, their All-Pro linebacker and defensive leader, is correct. Smith is unlikely to play Sunday in the regular-season finale against Arizona because of a partially torn left triceps. The injury could force Smith to miss some or all of the postseason. The San Francisco defense has been gouged for big yardage and points since Smith was injured early in the third quarter Dec. 16 at New England. But the NFL���s second-ranked defense hopes to regroup and regain momentum for the playoffs against an Arizona team that ranks last in the league in total offense. Smith, one of five San Francisco defenders selected to start for the NFC in the Pro Bowl, is expected to be on the sideline against the Cardinals. ������You can���t really put into words what he means to this defense,������ Willis said Thursday. ������We most certainly miss him and hopefully we���ll get him back for the playoffs. ������But we have a great defense and I truly believe that. When you have what we have on our defense, we should be able to go out there and display that each time. Starting from this Sunday, we have to make sure we go out and do that on a consistent basis and play like the defense we know we���re capable of playing like.������ The 49ers haven���t been the same on defense since losing Smith in the victory at New England. San Francisco surrendered four consecutive touchdown drives after Smith left that game with the 49ers leading 31-3. Without Smith over most of the past six quarters, the 49ers have allowed 753 yards, 66 points and 48 first downs. Much of that damage came last week in a 42-13 loss at Seattle, the worst defeat of coach Jim Harbaugh���s two seasons with the 49ers. Without Smith, a first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl starter last season, San Francisco���s defense allowed season highs in both points scored and rushing yards allowed. But defensive coordinator Vic Fangio doesn���t want to blame his unit���s poor performance on Smith���s absence. ������He���s a great player, one of the best defensive players in the NFL, and anytime you lose one of those guys it does have an adverse effect on you,������ Fangio said. ������But I didn���t think the problems we���ve had, the last game in particular, were because of Justin not being there. We could have had five Justin Smiths. That wasn���t the MCT file photo Justin Smith jumps up to defend a pass. issue. We didn���t play good, didn���t coach good and those guys just whipped us.������ Fangio has seen his defense bounce back before and expects it to do so again as the 49ers prepare for the playoffs. San Francisco needs a victory over Arizona to secure its second consecutive NFC West title, and the 49ers can capture the NFC���s No. 2 playoff seed with a win over the Cardinals and a Green Bay loss Sunday at Minnesota. The 49ers certainly have the defensive personnel to make do without Smith. Willis, outside linebacker Aldon Smith and safeties Dashon Goldson and Donte Whitner all were named Pro Bowl starters on Wednesday along with Justin Smith. Middle linebacker NaVorro Bowman, San Francisco���s leading tackler, also was selected to the NFC team, and cornerback Carlos Rogers and outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks are Pro Bowl alternates. Willis, who became the first player in franchise history to be named to the Pro Bowl in each of his first six NFL seasons, doesn���t expect San Francisco���s defense to be down for long. ������It���s like gravity,������ Willis said. ������What comes up must come down. And what���s down will eventually come up. For the most part, we have played well this season Now it���s one of those things where each person has to take it up a whole another notch. We can���t fill Justin���s shoes - nobody can come in and do that - but I know we certainly can get it done. We���re going to bounce back and make sure we do it right from this point on.������ Veteran lineman Ricky Jean Francois made his first career start at right tackle in place of Smith last week and finished second on the team with six tackles. Fangio���s approach won���t change whether it���s Smith or Jean Francois playing that position the rest of the way. ������Justin���s told me he���s getting better each and every day and that���s really all I know,������ Fangio said. ������But it���s like anything. You can lose anybody early in a game and you just have to go. We���re too far along here to change the system because of one guy being out. We���ll be fine.������