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2B Daily News ��� Wednesday, February 27, 2013 BASKETBALL ATHLETICS Dennis Rodman worms his Weeks seeks way into North Korea starting spot PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) ��� Former NBA star Dennis Rodman brought his basketball skills and flamboyant style ��� tattoos, nose studs and all ��� to the country with possibly the world���s strictest dress code: North Korea. Arriving in Pyongyang, the American athlete and showman known as ������The Worm������ became an unlikely ambassador for sports diplomacy at a time of heightened tensions between the U.S. and North Korea. Or maybe not so unlikely: Young leader Kim Jong Un is said to have been a fan of the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s, when Rodman won three championships with the club. Rodman is joining three members of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team and a VICE correspondent for a news show on North Korea that will air on HBO later this year, VICE producers told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview before they landed. ������It���s my first time, I think it���s most of these guys��� first time here, so hopefully everything���s going to be OK , and hoping the kids have a good time for the game,������ Rodman told reporters after arriving in North Korea on Tuesday. Rodman and VICE���s producers said the Americans hope to engage in a little ������basketball diplomacy������ by running a basketball camp for children and playing with North Korea���s top basketball stars. ������Is sending the Harlem Globetrotters and Dennis Rodman to the DPRK strange? In a word, yes,������ said Shane Smith, the VICE founder who is host of the upcoming series, referring to North Korea by the initials of its formal name, the Democratic People���s Republic of Korea. ������But finding common ground on the basketball court is a beautiful thing.������ The notoriously unpredictable and irrepressible Rodman might seem an odd fit for regimented North Korea, where men���s fashion rarely ventures beyond military khaki and where growing facial hair is forbidden. Shown a photo of a snarling Rodman, piercings dangling from his lower lip and two massive tattoos emblazoned on his chest, one North Korean in Pyongyang recoiled and said: ������He looks like a monster!������ But Rodman is also a Hall of Fame basketball player and one of the best defenders and rebounders to ever play the game. During a storied, often controversial career, he won five NBA championships ��� a feat appreciated even in North Korea. Rodman, now 51, was low-key and soft-spoken in cobalt blue sweatpants and a Polo Ralph Lauren cap. There was a bit of flash: white-rimmed sunglasses and studs in his nose and lower lip. But he told AP he was there to teach basketball and talk to people, not to stir up trouble. Showier were three Harlem Globetrotters dressed in fireengine red. Rookie Moose Weekes flashed the crowd a huge smile as he made his way off the Air Koryo plane. ������We use the basketball as a tool to build cultural ties, build bridges among countries,������ said Buckets Blakes, a Globetrotters veteran. ������We���re all about happiness and joy and making people smile.������ Rodman���s trip is the second high-profile American visit this year to North Korea, a country that remains in a state of war with the U.S. It also comes two weeks after North Korea conducted an underground nuclear test in defiance of U.N. bans against atomic and missile activity. Google���s executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, made a surprise four-day trip in January to Pyongyang, where he met with officials and toured computer labs, just weeks after North Korea launched a satellite into space on the back of a long-range rocket. Washington, Tokyo, Seoul and others consider both the rocket launch and the nuclear test provocative acts that threaten regional security. North Korea characterizes the satellite launch as a peaceful bid to explore space, but says the nuclear test was meant as a deliberate warning to Washington. Pyongyang says it needs to build nuclear weapons to defend itself against the U.S., and is believed to be trying to build an atomic bomb small enough to mount on a missile capable of reaching the mainland U.S. VICE, known for its sometimes irreverent journalism, has made two previous visits to North Korea, coming out with the ������VICE Guide to North Korea.������ The HBO series, which will air weekly starting April 5, features documentary-style news reports from around the world. The Americans also will visit North Korea���s national monuments, the SEK animation studio and a new skate park in Pyongyang. The U.S. State Department hasn���t been contacted about travel to North Korea by this group, a senior administration official said, requesting anonymity to comment before any trip had been made public. NBA Fisher rejoins Thunder, not planning on retiring OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) ��� Five-time NBA champion Derek Fisher isn���t planning on his latest stint with the Oklahoma City Thunder being his last chance to play in the league. He has just one goal in mind and he���ll wear a reminder of it on his jersey in every game. Fisher chose No. 6 to wear on his uniform, to represent his quest for a sixth NBA title. He won five alongside Kobe Bryant with the Los Angeles Lakers and for the second straight season will join the Thunder for the stretch run to try and help Kevin Durant win his first. ������It symbolizes something for me in terms of No. 6 but it also symbolizes for me the reason why I���m here to be a part of this team and that���s to help get No. 1,������ Fisher said Tuesday after his first practice. Fisher wore No. 37 last season to GIANTS (Continued from page 1B) Sox traded him in August to the Dodgers, took batting practice Monday. . Dodgers��� third baseman Luis Cruz was scratched from Tuesday���s lineup because of the flu. Juan Uribe started at third. . The MATES (Continued from page 1B) bit sweeter.������ Pennington is in competition with Willie Bloomquist for the everyday shortstop job but he said he isn���t worrying about that situation. ������I���m just trying to go out there and get as comfortable as I can with the guys on this team, this coaching staff,������ he said. ������Signs and the National League, there���s a whole lot of stuff on my plate right now that I���m trying to iron out. I���m just going to do the best I can, play the way I play and whatever happens, happens.������ Manager Kirk Gibson said his staff has been working with Pennington, who hit just .215 last season after batting .264 in 2011. ������He���s going to have a better year this year than he did last year. How much, I don���t know,������ Gibson said. ������We���ve reflect his age and deliver a message that he could still play after getting traded away by the Lakers. He wasn���t offered the chance to return to Oklahoma City during the offseason, but he was signed Monday as a free agent after the Thunder traded away third-string point guard Eric Maynor. Fisher played in nine games earlier this season with Dallas, but asked for his release to spend more time with his family after he had injured his right knee. ������I knew that I still wanted to play the game. I knew I still had the love, the work ethic, the passion,������ Fisher said. ������The injury was a setback. The biggest struggle was for me, even after 16 years (in the NBA), playing in a different city, being away from my family. Those are things that I struggled with. But as I was leaving Dallas, I understood the risks that that could possibly be my last game or my last opportunity.������ He said his knee was healthy enough by Jan. 1 for him to resume training, and he hopes the end of career is not near. ������I���m not planning on retiring at the end of the season but if this is my last season, I deserve this opportunity to be here with this group,������ Fisher said. ������So, that���s really what brought me back.������ Coach Scott Brooks wouldn���t say if Fisher or swingman Ronnie Brewer, who was acquired in a trade last week, will be activated for Wednesday night���s game against New Orleans. He said both will get playing time, but he���s not divulging how he plans to shake up his rotation to mix in the two playoff-tested veterans. Dodgers travel to Mesa���s HoHoKam Park Wednesday for a game against the Chicago Cubs. The Dodgers��� scheduled starter is right-hander Aaron Harang, who was 10-10 last year. The Cubs plan to start left-hander Brooks Haley, who was 1-2 after he joined the major league roster last August from triple-A Iowa. . The Giants play the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday at Tempe Diablo Stadium. The Giants scheduled starter is right-hander Ryan Vogelsong, 15-9 last year including one victory at Triple-A Fresno. The Angels plan to go with lefthander Nick Maronde, 6-4 in the minor leagues last year. been working on some things. Obviously he executed properly today. ... We���re trying to shorten him way up, trying to get his bat short to the ball. He can wait and see and recognize the ball longer. He���s a really good ballplayer, you can tell that. He���s a baseball player.������ Jason Kubel and Adam Eaton also hit two-run homers for Arizona. A���s starter A.J. Griffin was sharp in his spring debut. The right-hander, who came up from the minors to go 7-1 with a 3.06 ERA in 15 starts and help the A���s win the AL West last season, gave up one hit and struck out three in two scoreless innings. It was his first big league spring training start. That left him in the unusual position of having started a major league postseason game before starting a big league spring training game. ������Looking back on it, I never would have thought I���d be throwing in the ALDS before I make a spring training major league appearance,������ he said. ������But that���s how it all kind of fell into place last year. I���ll just keep going with it, I guess, that���s all you can do.������ Josh Collmenter, sporting a magnificent beard grown in the offseason, started and pitched two scoreless innings in his spring debut for Arizona, giving up a hit and striking out two. He is projected to be the team���s long-inning reliever and a spot starter. Derek Norris hit a solo home run off Arizona���s David Hernandez. The Diamondbacks, plagued by base running problems last season and again already this spring, had another one in the second inning when Paul Goldschmidt doubled down the right field line but was picked off trying to get back to the base by strong-armed right fielder Josh Reddick after Cody Ross flew out. PHOENIX (AP) ��� Jemile Weeks refuses to point fingers or make excuses. The face responsible for his sub-par sophomore season is the one he sees in the mirror every morning. The second baseman is now trying to regain his starting role with the Oakland Athletics. There are plenty of candidates in the infield. Scott Sizemore returns after tearing his left knee last spring and missing the year. Jed Lowrie was obtained in a trade with the Houston Astros and the A���s signed Japanese veteran Hiroyuki Nakajimi. There also are veteran backups Adam Rosales and Eric Sogard. Weeks, who led off for the A���s in Saturday���s spring opener at the Milwaukee Brewers, embraces the competition. ������It���s my job to show them I���m no different than I have been in the past,������ Weeks said. ������There is a sense of having to prove it to people if they doubt.������ He was Oakland���s firstround pick in 2008, reached the majors ahead of schedule and hit .303 in 97 games as a rookie in 2011. There was no reason to think he would backpedal. But last Aug. 21, when he was hitting .220 with two homers and 20 RBIs, he was sent to Triple-A Sacramento. That prompted A���s GM Billy Beane to make some moves during the offseason that has produced some stiff competition this spring. ������You put guys into situations to see what they can do,������ A���s manager Bob Melvin said. ������You take into consideration a guy who has a track record but guys know they���re in competition.������ For Weeks, it���s a matter of returning to what made him successful in the first place: working hard every day year around. His older brother, Milwaukee Brewers infielder Rickie Weeks, is also convinced Jemile will return NHL NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific GP Anaheim 17 Dallas 19 Los Angeles17 Phoenix 18 San Jose 17 Central GP Chicago 19 Nashville 20 St. Louis 18 Detroit 19 Columbus 19 Northwest GP Vancouver 18 Edmonton 18 Minnesota 17 Calgary 17 Colorado 17 WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific W 13 9 9 8 8 L 3 8 6 7 6 OT 1 2 2 3 3 Pts 27 20 20 19 19 GF 59 51 45 50 41 GA 47 53 41 49 39 W 16 9 10 9 5 L OT Pts 0 3 35 6 5 23 6 2 22 7 3 21 12 2 12 GF 61 44 55 57 40 GA 37 47 52 54 56 W 10 7 8 7 7 L 4 7 7 7 8 GF 52 42 37 48 42 GA 48 49 42 59 51 OT 4 4 2 3 2 Pts 24 18 18 17 16 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic GP W L OT Pts GF GA Pittsburgh 19 13 6 0 26 65 48 New Jersey 19 10 5 4 24 48 49 Philadelphia21 9 11 1 19 60 66 Rangers 17 8 7 2 18 41 44 Islanders 19 8 10 1 17 56 64 Northeast GP W L OT Pts GF GA Montreal 19 12 4 3 27 53 41 Ottawa 20 12 6 2 26 48 37 Boston 15 11 2 2 24 45 34 Toronto 20 12 8 0 24 57 46 Buffalo 19 6 12 1 13 48 63 Southeast GP W L OT Pts GF GA Carolina 17 9 7 1 19 50 51 Tampa Bay 18 9 8 1 19 69 58 Winnipeg 18 8 9 1 17 48 57 Florida 18 5 9 4 14 42 65 Washington 17 6 10 1 13 48 55 ������������������������������������������������������ Tuesday���s Results, LATE Wednesday���s Games Washington at Philadelphia, 4:30 p.m. Montreal at Toronto, 4:30 p.m. Detroit at Los Angeles, 7 p.m. Nashville at Anaheim, 7 p.m. Thursday���s Games Pittsburgh at Carolina, 4 p.m. Tampa Bay at N.Y. Rangers, 4 p.m. Toronto at N.Y. Islanders, 4 p.m. Ottawa at Boston, 4 p.m. Buffalo at Florida, 4:30 p.m. Chicago at St. Louis, 5 p.m. New Jersey at Winnipeg, 5 p.m. Edmonton at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. Minnesota at Phoenix, 6 p.m. Calgary at Colorado, 6 p.m. Detroit at San Jose, 7:30 p.m. L.A. Clippers Golden State L.A. Lakers Sacramento Phoenix Southwest San Antonio Memphis Houston Dallas New Orleans Northwest Oklahoma City Denver Utah Portland Minnesota W 40 33 28 19 18 L 18 23 30 38 39 Pct GB .690 ��� .589 6 .483 12 .333 20.5 .316 21.5 W 45 37 31 25 20 L 13 18 27 30 37 Pct GB .776 ��� .673 6.5 .534 14 .455 18.5 .351 24.5 W 41 36 31 26 20 L 15 22 26 30 33 Pct GB .732 ��� .621 6 .544 10.5 .464 15 .377 19.5 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic New York Brooklyn Boston Philadelphia Toronto Central Indiana Chicago Milwaukee Detroit Cleveland Southeast W 33 33 30 22 23 L 20 24 27 32 34 Pct GB .623 ��� .579 2 .526 5 .407 11.5 .404 12 W 35 32 26 22 18 L 21 24 28 37 38 Pct GB .625 ��� .571 3 .481 8 .373 14.5 .321 17 W L Pct GB Miami 40 14 .741 ��� Atlanta 32 23 .582 8.5 Washington 18 37 .327 22.5 Orlando 15 41 .268 26 Charlotte 13 43 .232 28 ������������������������������������������������������ Tuesday���s Results, LATE Wednesday���s Games Toronto at Cleveland, 4 p.m. Sacramento at Orlando, 4 p.m. Detroit at Washington, 4 p.m. Milwaukee at Houston, 5 p.m. Dallas at Memphis, 5 p.m. New Orleans at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m. Golden State at New York, 5 p.m. Phoenix at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m. Atlanta at Utah, 6 p.m. Denver at Portland, 7:30 p.m. Thursday���s Games L.A. Clippers at Indiana, 4 p.m. Philadelphia at Chicago, 5 p.m. Minnesota at L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m. to prominence. ������He���s an All-Star second baseman,������ the elder Weeks said. ������I know that for a fact.������ After his sensational rookie season, in which he led all major league rookies in batting average and triples, he got of his routine, perhaps resting on his laurels just enough to offset the things he accomplished the previous season. ������Everybody goes through streaks like this,������ Weeks said. ������I came into last season feeling good and then I got out of my routine.������ He wasn���t going to blame the sophomore jinx, how pitchers adjusted to him or anybody affiliated with the Athletics. He took full responsibility. ������Sure pitchers threw me differently but I have to go back to getting out of my routine,������ Weeks said. ������Those were the same pitchers I faced as when I broke in. It was my results which were different. You realize this game is not easy and you have to keep working hard to be good. There���s really no other substitute for that.������ MLB ST AMERICAN LEAGUE Baltimore Chicago Kansas City Cleveland Seattle Tampa Bay Detroit Houston Minnesota Boston Toronto New York ATHLETICS Los Angeles Texas W 3 2 4 5 4 4 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 0 0 L 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 4 4 Pct 1.000 1.000 1.000 .833 .800 .800 .500 .500 .500 .400 .400 .250 .250 .000 .000 NATIONAL LEAGUE Chicago Miami Pittsburgh San Diego Arizona Colorado Los Angeles GIANTS St. Louis Atlanta New York Philadelphia Washington Cincinnati Milwaukee W 3 2 2 3 2 2 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 L 1 1 1 2 2 2 1 1 2 3 2 2 2 4 4 Pct .750 .667 .667 .600 .500 .500 .500 .500 .500 .400 .333 .333 .333 .200 .200 ������������������������������������������������������ Tuesday���s Results Miami 7, N.Y. Mets 5 Atlanta 9, Washington 5 Baltimore vs. Pittsburgh at Bradenton, Fla., ccd., Rain Minnesota 8, Toronto 4 Houston (ss) 9, Detroit 4 Philadelphia 4, N.Y. Yankees 3 Tampa Bay 7, Houston (ss) 2, 6 innings St. Louis 15, Boston 4 L.A. Dodgers 8, San Francisco 8, tie Chicago Cubs 4, Colorado 2 Seattle 6, Milwaukee 5 Chicago White Sox 14, Texas 8 Kansas City 4, Cleveland 1 San Diego 7, Cincinnati 5 L.A. Angels 7, Arizona (ss) 7, tie Arizona (ss) 9, Oakland 4 Wednesday���s Games Philadelphia vs. Minnesota at Fort Myers, Fla., 10:05 a.m. Tampa Bay vs. Pittsburgh at Bradenton, Fla., 10:05 a.m. Atlanta vs. Detroit at Lakeland, Fla., 10:05 a.m. Baltimore (ss) vs. N.Y. Yankees at Tampa, Fla., 10:05 a.m. Miami vs. Washington at Viera, Fla., 10:05 a.m. Houston vs. Toronto at Dunedin, Fla., 10:05 a.m. St. Louis vs. N.Y. Mets at Port St. Lucie, Fla., 10:10 a.m. L.A. Dodgers vs. Chicago Cubs at Mesa, Ariz., 12:05 p.m. Milwaukee vs. Kansas City at Surprise, Ariz., 12:05 p.m. San Francisco vs. L.A. Angels at Tempe, Ariz., 12:05 p.m. Colorado vs. San Diego (ss) at Peoria, Ariz., 12:05 p.m. Seattle vs. Cleveland at Goodyear, Ariz., 12:05 p.m. Texas vs. Chicago White Sox at Glendale, Ariz., 12:05 p.m. San Diego (ss) vs. Oakland at Phoenix, 12:05 p.m. Cincinnati vs. Arizona at Scottsdale, Ariz., 12:10 p.m. Boston vs. Baltimore (ss) at Sarasota, Fla., 4:05 p.m. Thursday���s Games Miami vs. St. Louis at Jupiter, Fla., 10:05 a.m. Toronto vs. N.Y. Yankees (ss) at Tampa, Fla., 10:05 a.m. Detroit vs. Tampa Bay at Port Charlotte, Fla., 10:05 a.m. Atlanta vs. Philadelphia at Clearwater, Fla., 10:05 a.m. Boston vs. Pittsburgh at Bradenton, Fla., 10:05 a.m. N.Y. Yankees (ss) vs. Houston at Kissimmee, Fla., 10:05 a.m. Baltimore vs. Minnesota at Fort Myers, Fla., 10:05 a.m. Arizona vs. Cincinnati (ss) at Goodyear, Ariz., 12:05 p.m. Cleveland vs. Texas at Surprise, Ariz., 12:05 p.m. L.A. Angels vs. L.A. Dodgers at Glendale, Ariz., 12:05 p.m. Kansas City vs. San Diego at Peoria, Ariz., 12:05 p.m. Oakland vs. Chicago Cubs at Mesa, Ariz., 12:05 p.m. Chicago White Sox vs. Milwaukee at Phoenix, 12:05 p.m. Seattle vs. San Francisco at Scottsdale, Ariz., 12:05 p.m. Cincinnati (ss) vs. Colorado at Scottsdale, Ariz., 12:10 p.m. N.Y. Mets vs. Washington at Viera, Fla., 3:05 p.m.