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2B Daily News –Wednesday, February 6, 2013 TENNIS INVESTIGATION Nadal makes winning return MLB requests PED documents from Miami newspaper VINA DEL MAR, Chile (AP) — Rafael Nadal won his first match Tuesday after being away for more than seven months nursing a sore knee. The former No. 1-ranked Nadal partnered with Juan Monaco to defeat the Czech pair of Frantisek Cermak and Lukas Dlouhy 6-3, 6-2 in the VTR clay-court tournament in this Pacific coastal resort city. Nadal, whose left knee problem has lingered despite on-going therapy, had not played since June 28 when he lost in the second round of Wimbledon by qualifier Lukas Rosol. Nadal seemed upset being asked immediately after the match about his knee. ''The knee — I said it when I got here. I would prefer not to keep talking about the topic,'' Nadal said. ''At the end of the day the doctors have said it's OK. There is no risk of making it worse. My knee keeps hurting. But the fact I am play- WARRIORS (Continued from page 1B) looks.'' The Rockets were 18 of 27 from 3-point range through three quarters. They finally hit a dry spell early in the fourth, missing RETURN (Continued from page 1B) Orleans on Sunday, Kaepernick summed up his breakout second season ''as not being good enough.'' He said the Super Bowl loss will stick with him ''for the rest of my life.'' ''It's good to get the experience,'' Kaepernick said. ''We should have won that game regardless, though.'' A man of few words and a lot of yards, Kaepernick's potential might give 49ers fans reason to be optimistic more than anything following the first Super Bowl loss in the franchise's storied history. Kaepernick threw for 1,814 yards and 10 touchdowns with three interceptions in the regular season, starting seven games after taking over for Alex Smith, 49ERS (Continued from page 1B) ''I'm just staying positive. I'm where I want to be. I was in this position before and I got my hopes up and it didn't work out the way I wanted it to,'' he said. ''But for me to come back, I feel like they wanted me to prove myself — again. And I think I did just that. So if I was able to be in this situation again with the franchise tag, I'd be very surprised. ''There's no security in it. I've been in this league now six years, going on seven. I think I've done what I've had to do to deserve a second contract, period.'' When asked whether keeping Goldson for the long haul is among his top priorities, Harbaugh said, ''I think that's very fair to say.'' If the runner-up Niners (13-5-1) don't end up offering Goldson what he wants so he can stay put where he prefers, he said Tuesday he would pursue opportunities with any of the other NFL teams. ''I'm not expecting anything. Somewhere. Anywhere. Hopefully, it will be this team. But I'm open to all 32 teams,'' Goldson said. MCT file photo Rafael Nadal won his first match after returning from a seven-month injury. ing here is a thing of joy. ''I am not 100 percent, I need some weeks,'' he added. ''If it hurts, it hurts and we'll put up with it. I am here to play tennis, with or without pain. ...I'm happy to have played an official game, although it was doubles.'' Nadal opens in singles on Wednesday against Argentine Federico Delbonis, hoping to catch up with the other three of tennis' Big Four — Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray. The Spanaird has been almost unbeatable on clay, winning 93 percent of his singles matches — the highest percentage in the Open Era. He will play two more clay-court events in Latin America, part of the buildup in search of his eighth French Open title. Nadal showed quick reactions with a difficult backhand volley at the net to win the sixth game of the first set. Nadal and Monaco broke in the next game, and Nadal held serve in the next to make it 5-3 en route to the first-set victory. Nadal hit several powerful forehands at sharp angles to win points, and seemed at ease moving around the court. And he drew the usual whistle from female fans as he stripped off his shirt after the win. The match lasted barely more than an hour, much shorter than several of Nadal's practice sessions in Chile. Toni Nadal, his uncle and coach, has said this year's French Open will be much like Nadal's first — meaning there will be nerves. Others have noted that the weak field in Chile is much like Nadal would face in a sweep through the first week of the French Open. Chile, without a top player since Fernando Gonzalez retired last year, has a new hope in 16-year-old Christian Garin. Garin defeated Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 6-4 on Tuesday in the first round. their first three 3-point attempts. It didn't last long — Marcus Morris connected on a 3 from the wing and Parsons flashed him a smile as the two trotted back down the court. With the outcome decided, Rockets coach Kevin McHale pulled his starters with 5:49 left, leaving the pursuit of the NBA record to the reserves. By then, everyone on Houston bench knew the record was within reach. ''Obviously, the amount of 3s we hit is pretty ridiculous,'' Parsons said. ''We were open, and nobody is going to turn down open shots.'' The fans were ready to explode anticipating the record-setting 3. Reserve point guard Patrick Beverley drove for a one-handed dunk with 1:04 remaining, prompting a mix of cheers and groans. who will likely be traded or released in the coming months to clear salary-cap space. He also ran for 415 yards and five touchdowns. Kaepernick really ran away with his new role in the playoffs. As San Francisco started utilizing more of the Pistol offense he made famous at Nevada, Kaepernick threw for 798 yards and four touchdowns in three postseason games. He also ran for 264 yards and three scores, including a quarterbackplayoff record 181 yards rushing in a divisional-round victory over Green Bay. ''He was fantastic the entire season,'' 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said. ''The stage was not too big for him. He competed at the highest level and played extremely well. He showed a lot of poise, a lot of leadership the entire game. I can't say enough, really. With Colin, it's always just appropriate. ''He's got the appropriate amount of competitive fire when you need competitive fire. He's got the appropriate amount of happy and joy when it's the right time to have that. He plays the game. You just really feel him playing the game, upset when it's the right time to be upset. And he does that with his own personality. I really believe that's the way people should play.'' Coming up 5 yards short in the Super Bowl will still haunt Kaepernick forever. He added only a few more new details on the final, fourth-down play. He said he audibled to the corner fade to Michael Crabtree once Baltimore showed blitz. Crabtree got tangled up with cornerback Jimmy Smith, and Harbaugh begged and pleaded with officials from the sideline for a flag that never came. Kaepernick remained testy and defiant when questioned about his decision. ''I'll take Crab one-onone with anybody,'' he said, tersely. A year after losing 20-17 in overtime in the NFC title game to the eventual champion New York Giants, one thing the 49ers no longer have to worry about is a long-term quarterback. All of 25 years old, Kaepernick knows he has time to join Joe Montana and Steve Young as Super Bowl winners in San Francisco, which had been 5-0 in the NFL's marquee game. Being the only quarterback in 49ers history to lose a Super Bowl is still something that will simmer no matter how many titles he wins. ''We had a good team,'' Kaepernick said. ''We just weren't quite there.'' Fellow safety Donte Whitner is optimistic the 49ers will do their best to again keep San Francisco's stingy defense together and try for another special postseason run next season. ''I want Dashon back. We all know that we need him,'' Whitner said. ''I don't know how everybody else around here feels. The players know we need him. I know the coaches know we need him. If we want to keep this thing together and we want to make another run at it, we need to keep the good players, keep the Pro Bowl players we have here. That's what you have to do everywhere. That's what the Pittsburgh Steelers always did when they were winning and making a run at it.'' The 49ers missed a chance to match the Steelers for most championships with six. There are other pressing matters as San Francisco heads into another offseason with the sting of coming so close. Like what to do with backup quarterback Alex Smith. Smith, who lost his starting job in November to Colin Kaepernick, did not make an appearance in the locker room during the portion open to the media Tuesday but very well could be leaving for good. A large box of his belongings was being packed — including the game ball he received from the season-opening win at Green Bay and a couple of others, along with a half-dozen 49ers hats. Smith is guaranteed $1 million from the 49ers, and that would become $8.5 million guaranteed — his 2013 salary — if he is still on the roster on April 1. San Francisco still could trade him after that day, with another team likely picking up his salary. ''Alex is a true professional, went through something tough, probably the toughest time in his career after coming off a successful season,'' Whitner said. ''I wish Alex the best. He was a great teammate, if this is his last time leaving. I know he'll go and use the situation this year and what he's been through to fuel him to go out there and get wins and push his team to the playoffs. I truly believe that, I truly believe there's something out there for Alex. I truly believe he can be a great quarterback in the National Football League. He showed it last year, and I wish him the best of luck.'' Wideout Randy Moss made his exit without a word Tuesday. He said last week ahead of the Super Bowl that he wants to play another season, but certainly wants more of a role than he had in San Francisco. He expressed that to Harbaugh. ''In a competitive way, yes, he wants to be involved,'' Harbaugh said. ''We talked about it many times. It's all been positive.'' Several players were still hurting from Sunday's result. Running back Frank Gore insists he won't watch the game film — ever. ''I don't want to watch it,'' he said. ''It's over. It didn't come out our way. We didn't come out on top. I'm just sad. I'm down. But we still had a great year.'' Notes: DL Justin Smith will undergo surgery this week on his partially torn left triceps muscle. ''It's months, two to three months,'' Harbaugh said of the recovery period. ... WR Michael Crabtree left with a couple of his Super Bowl nameplates as souvenirs. ''My news is over. The season's over,'' Crabtree said, noting he will ''chill. I don't have anything else to do.''... WR A.J. Jenkins, the team's first-round draft pick in 2012, plans to train with Kaepernick in Atlanta. MIAMI (AP) — Major League Baseball officials have asked the Miami New Times for records the alternative newspaper obtained for a story on alleged use of banned substances by several players. New Times editor Chuck Strouse said Tuesday the paper had not yet decided how to respond. Strouse described the MLB move as a request only and noted that the league does not have a law enforcement agency's subpoena power. ''At this point at least, we're deliberating just what we're going to do with the documents. We haven't said no. We haven't said yes,'' Strouse said. When contacted Tuesday about the request, MLB spokesman Pat Courtney said the league had no comment. He added that dozens of the documents were posted online when the story ran, but many were redacted and there are many others that were not posted. The newspaper reported last week that New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez, a three-time American League Most Valuable Player, and other players bought human growth hormone and other performance-enhancing substances during 2009-12 from Biogenesis of America LLC. The now-closed antiaging clinic in Coral Cables was operated by Anthony Bosch. The story was based on clinic records, many with handwritten notations, the New Times said it obtained. In addition to Rodriguez, the newspaper said the records detailed purchases by 2012 All-Star game MVP Melky Cabrera, 2005 AL Cy Young Award winner Bartolo Colon, 2011 AL championship series MVP Nelson Cruz of Texas, Washington pitcher Gio Gonzalez, who finished third in last year's NL Cy Young Award voting, and San Diego catcher Yasmani Grandal. Rodriguez and other players denied the allegations, as did an attorney for Bosch. Rodriguez has admitted that he used performanceenhancing drugs from 2001-03. Cabrera, Colon and Grandal were suspended for 50 games each last year by MLB following tests for elevated testosterone. Rodriguez is sidelined for at least the first half of the upcoming season after hip surgery Jan. 16. MCT file photo New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez was implicated for PED use by a Miami paper last week. NHL NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific GP W San Jose 9 7 Anaheim 8 6 Phoenix 10 4 Dallas 10 4 Los Angeles 8 3 Northwest GP W Vancouver 9 5 Edmonton 9 4 Minnesota 9 4 Colorado 9 4 Calgary 7 2 Central GP W Chicago 9 7 St. Louis 9 6 Nashville 9 4 Detroit 9 4 Columbus 10 3 WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific L 1 1 4 5 3 OT 1 1 2 1 2 Pts 15 13 10 9 8 GF 31 29 29 20 20 GA 16 23 27 25 25 L 2 3 4 5 3 OT Pts GF GA 2 12 24 22 2 10 22 24 1 9 21 24 0 8 21 23 2 6 20 25 L 0 3 2 4 6 OT Pts GF GA 2 16 28 20 0 12 32 25 3 11 20 21 1 9 23 28 1 7 20 32 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic GP W L OT Pts GF GA Pittsburgh 10 7 3 0 14 34 24 New Jersey 9 5 1 3 13 23 20 Islanders 9 4 4 1 9 29 30 Rangers 9 4 5 0 8 20 25 Philadelphia10 4 6 0 8 23 27 Northeast GP W L OT Pts GF GA Boston 8 6 1 1 13 24 19 Ottawa 10 6 3 1 13 29 19 Montreal 8 6 2 0 12 26 17 Toronto 10 5 5 0 10 25 29 Buffalo 10 3 6 1 7 30 37 Southeast GP W L OT Pts GF GA Tampa Bay 9 6 3 0 12 40 23 Winnipeg 9 4 4 1 9 27 34 Carolina 8 4 4 0 8 22 24 Florida 9 3 5 1 7 22 33 Washington 10 2 7 1 5 23 36 —————————————————— Tuesday's results New Jersey 3, N.Y. Rangers 1 Pittsburgh 4, N.Y. Islanders 2 Toronto 3, Washington 2 Los Angeles 4, Columbus 2 Ottawa 4, Buffalo 3 Philadelphia 2, Tampa Bay 1 Calgary 4, Detroit 1 Winnipeg 3, Florida 2, OT Nashville 6, St. Louis 1 Chicago at San Jose, LATE Today's games Boston at Montreal, 4:30 p.m. Anaheim at Colorado, 6:30 p.m. Dallas at Edmonton, 7 p.m. Thursday's games Montreal at Buffalo, 4 p.m. Tampa Bay at New Jersey, 4 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at N.Y. Rangers, 4 p.m. Florida at Philadelphia, 4 p.m. Washington at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m. Calgary at Columbus, 4 p.m. Carolina at Ottawa, 4:30 p.m. Toronto at Winnipeg, 5 p.m. Detroit at St. Louis, 5 p.m. Los Angeles at Nashville, 5 p.m. Vancouver at Minnesota, 5 p.m. Chicago at Phoenix, 6 p.m. L.A. Clippers Golden State L.A. Lakers Phoenix Sacramento Southwest San Antonio Memphis Houston Dallas New Orleans Northwest Oklahoma City Denver Utah Portland Minnesota W 34 30 23 17 17 L 16 18 26 32 33 Pct GB .680 — .625 3 .469 10.5 .347 16.5 .340 17 W 38 30 27 20 15 L 11 17 23 28 33 Pct GB .776 — .638 7 .540 11.5 .417 17.5 .313 22.5 W 36 31 27 25 18 L 12 18 22 23 27 Pct GB .750 — .633 5.5 .551 9.5 .521 11 .400 16.5 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic New York Brooklyn Boston Philadelphia Toronto Central Indiana Chicago Milwaukee Detroit Cleveland Southeast W 31 28 24 21 17 L 15 20 23 26 31 Pct GB .674 — .583 4 .511 7.5 .447 10.5 .354 15 W 30 29 25 18 14 L 19 19 22 31 34 Pct GB .612 — .604 .5 .532 4 .367 12 .292 15.5 W L Pct GB San Antonio 38 11 .776 — Memphis 30 17 .638 7 Houston 27 23 .540 11.5 Dallas 20 28 .417 17.5 New Orleans 15 33 .313 22.5 —————————————————— Tuesday's results Indiana 114, Atlanta 103 L.A. Lakers 92, Brooklyn 83 Houston 140, Golden State 109 Phoenix 96, Memphis 90 Denver 112, Milwaukee 104 Today's games Charlotte at Cleveland, 4 p.m. Indiana at Philadelphia, 4 p.m. Boston at Toronto, 4 p.m. L.A. Clippers at Orlando, 4 p.m. New York at Washington, 4 p.m. Memphis at Atlanta, 4:30 p.m. Brooklyn at Detroit, 4:30 p.m. Houston at Miami, 4:30 p.m. Phoenix at New Orleans, 5 p.m. Golden State at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m. Portland at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. Milwaukee at Utah, 6 p.m. San Antonio at Minnesota, 6 p.m. Thursday's games L.A. Lakers at Boston, 5 p.m. Chicago at Denver, 7:30 p.m.