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2B – Daily News – Thursday, July 15, 2010 Giants ready to make another playoff push SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Aubrey Huff is ready for the San Fran- cisco Giants to start hitting consistent- ly. If not, he realizes they could play themselves right out of the playoff race. San Francisco sure showed signs of getting back on track during its recent 7-3 road trip to finish up a 47-41 first half. The Giants sit four games back of the NL West-leading San Diego Padres at the midpoint. They scored 36 runs in sweeping a four-game series at Milwaukee last week, then took two of three from Washington. Right away they’ll get four games with the New York Mets, beginning Thursday night at AT&T Park. ‘‘It’s that time of the year we need to hit,’’ Huff said. ‘‘The pieces are here. If we can figure out where they all fit we’ll start to roll. We’re starting to find the slots now and where every- body fits.’’ San Francisco needs to play better in the season’s second half to keep up with San Diego and surging Colorado to stay in contention for the club’s first postseason berth since 2003. The Giants were in the NL wild card race until mid-September last year and MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Brett Favre was badly beat up in Minnesota’s over- time loss at New Orleans last January, a well-docu- mented part of that epic NFC championship game. The grandfather of NFL quarterbacks, however, doesn’t sound worried about his health as it relates to returning for a 20th season. ‘‘Playing another year probably isn’t going to make a difference. The damage has already been done,’’ Favre told Men’s Journal magazine for the issue that will go on sale on Friday. Favre also explained his thought process on the fate- everybody involved has high hopes for finally getting over the hump in 2010. It would be a major disappointment for this club not to do so. Manager Bruce Bochy and GM Brian Sabean had to exercise some patience early, waiting for key players like second baseman Freddy Sanchez, shortstop Edgar Renteria and center fielder Aaron Rowand to recover from injuries that required disabled list stints — and in Renteria’s case, two trips to the DL. ‘‘Getting Freddy and Edgar back, they’re good players,’’ Bochy said. ‘‘It’s nice to have them back to add to the offense and give the offense a sense of confidence, too.’’ Then there were the additions of 23-year-old catcher Buster Posey, the highly touted rookie called up in late May, and veteran Pat Burrell. Posey, the Giants’ No. 5 pick in the 2008 draft, is batting .350 with seven homer and 25 RBIs in his 38 games so far. ‘‘I’m pretty pleased now,’’ Sabean said. ‘‘We have some semblance of a lineup. We have experience in the line- up and depth coming off the bench. You have to let it sort itself out and exercise some patience. We all did. Boch was good about knowing that.’’ ful fourth-quarter intercep- tion against the Saints in that game, an on-the-run pass to Sidney Rice that was forced into tight coverage. Favre said they connected on the same play the week before against the Dallas Cowboys, expecting Rice to come back toward him. ‘‘As a player you’ve got to pull the trigger,’’ Favre said. ‘‘You can’t say, ’Well, is he going to do what I think he’s going to do?’ He wasn’t wrong, and in some ways, I wasn’t either.’’ The Vikings are still waiting to learn whether Favre will come back, with training camp a little more than two weeks away. His OPEN Free-swinging slugger Pablo San- doval, among the last players left off the 2009 All-Star team, has struggled to a disappointing .263 batting average with only six homers and 34 RBIs. Not the kind of start the Kung Fu Panda was counting on last winter dur- ing his well-publicized offseason shapeup. The Giants need more from their big guy in the second half. ‘‘It’s surprising,’’ Dodgers manager Joe Torre said. ‘‘We know he doesn’t necessarily have a strike zone but that doesn’t keep him from being a menac- ing guy up there. It’s early.’’ Perhaps it is, but players know that when they turn the corner into the sec- ond half the pressure is on. Bochy stresses to his club the importance of winning series. ‘‘That’s what it’s all about,’’ he said. ‘‘We’ve got to pick it up. San Diego’s playing well. The last thing you want to do is get too far behind.’’ After the four games against the Mets, the Giants play 12 of their next 16 against the division with only one off day during that stretch. ‘‘You don’t want to get seven or eight games out,’’ Huff said. ‘‘You want to stay afloat.’’ Favre says he’s not worried about his beat-up body agent, Bus Cook, told The Associated Press in an e- mail on Wednesday he had no update on Favre’s status. ‘‘Nothing yet,’’ Cook said. Favre was scheduled to appear at the ESPY awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Wednesday night. He has four nominations this year. In the wide-ranging interview with Men’s Jour- nal, Favre expressed the usual uncertainty about con- tinuing his decorated, drama-filled career. He offered candid details, claiming he was so dehy- drated during a comeback victory over the San Fran- cisco 49ers that he went 13 hours without urinating. Favre also spoke proudly about his exceptional first season with Minnesota in which he threw 33 touch- down passes and only seven interceptions, wondering aloud whether he could repeat that feat. ‘‘I’ve had games when I almost threw seven picks,’’ Favre said. ‘‘It was unreal. Before last year, I’d reached a point where I was sitting in meetings with guys 15 years younger than me thinking, ’What the hell am I doing here?’ Foot- ball became work. But last year it went back to being a game.’’ Scoreboard MLB West Division Texas American League WL Pct GB Angels 47 44 .516 4.5 A’s Seattle 35 53 .398 15 East Division WL Pct GB New York 56 32 .636 — Tampa Bay 54 34 .614 2 Boston 51 37 .580 5 Toronto 44 45 .494 12.5 Baltimore 29 59 .330 27 Central Division Chicago 49 38 .563 — Detroit WL Pct GB 48 38 .558 .5 Minnesota 46 42 .523 3.5 Kansas City 39 49 .443 10.5 Cleveland 34 54 .386 15.5 ——— Today’s games Texas (Tom.Hunter 5-0) at Boston (Wakefield 3-7), 4:10 p.m. Chicago (Danks 8-7) at Minnesota (Slowey 8-5), 5:10 p.m. Seattle (Fister 3-4) at West Division Los Angeles (Undecided), 7:05 p.m. National League WL Pct GB Padres 51 37 .580 — Colorado 49 39 .557 2 Dodgers 49 39 .557 2 GIANTS 47 41 .534 4 Arizona 34 55 .382 17.5 East Division WL Pct GB Atlanta 52 36 .591 — New York 48 40 .545 4 50 38 .568 — 43 46 .483 7.5 Philadelphia 47 40 .540 4.5 Florida 42 46 .477 10 Washington 39 50 .438 13.5 Central Division WL Pct GB Cincinnati 49 41 .544 — St. Louis 47 41 .534 1 Milwaukee 40 49 .449 8.5 Chicago 39 50 .438 9.5 Houston 36 53 .404 12.5 Pittsburgh 30 58 .341 18 ——— Today’s games New York (Dickey 6-2) at San Fran.(Lincecum 9-4),7:15 p.m.,CSNB Milwaukee (Bush 4-6) at Atlanta (Jurrjens 1-3), 4:10 p.m. Philadelphia (Moyer 9-8) at Chicago (Dempster 7-7), 5:05 p.m. Los Angeles (Kershaw 9-4) at St.Louis (Carpenter 9-3), 5:15 p.m., MLBN North Division GOLDEN Golden League WL Pct. GB OUTLAWS 33 12 .733 — Edmonton 27 16 .628 5 Calgary 23 21 .523 9.5 Victoria 21 23 .477 11.5 St. George 16 29 .356 17 South Division Yuma Maui WL Pct. GB 27 19 .587 — 25 18 .581 .5 Orange Co. 21 22 .488 4.5 Tucson 21 25 .457 6 Tijuana 7 36 .163 18.5 ——— Wednesday’s result NOR at GBL, late Today’s games Victoria at Chico, 7:08 p.m. WNBA EASTERN CONFERENCE WL Pct GB Washington 12 5 .706 .5 Atlanta 14 6 .700 — Indiana 11 7 .611 2 Connecticut 11 8 .579 2.5 New York 8 9 .471 4.5 Chicago 9 11 .450 5 WESTERN CONFERENCE WL Pct GB Seattle 17 2 .895 — Minnesota 7 11 .389 9.5 Phoenix 7 12 .368 10 San Antonio 6 11 .353 10 Los Angeles 5 13 .278 11.5 Tulsa 3 15 .167 13.5 ——— Tuesday’s result Los Angeles 87, Tulsa 71 Wednesday’s results Chicago 88, San Antonio 61 Connecticut 77, Indiana 68 Minnesota 83, Atlanta 81 Seattle 111, Phoenix 107, OT Today’s game Washington at New York, 9 a.m. MLS WESTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA Galaxy 11 2 3 36 25 7 Salt Lake 9 3 3 30 28 11 Yuma at Edmonton, 6 p.m. Tijuana at Calgary, 6:05 p.m. St. George at Orange County, 7:05 p.m. Tucson at Maui, 9:35 p.m. FC Dallas 5 2 7 22 17 13 Colorado 6 4 4 22 16 13 QUAKES 64 4 22 18 16 Houston 5 7 4 19 21 22 Seattle Chivas USA 4 9 2 14 17 21 EASTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA Columbus 8 3 4 28 20 13 New York 8 5 2 26 18 17 Toronto FC 6 4 4 22 17 15 Chicago 4 5 5 17 18 19 Kansas City 4 8 3 15 12 19 New England 4 9 2 14 15 26 D.C. 4 8 4 16 17 24 1. Andy Schleck, Luxembourg, Team Saxo Bank, 49 hours, 56 seconds. 2. Alberto Contador, Spain, Astana, 41 sec- onds behind. 3.Samuel Sanchez, Spain, Euskaltel-Euska- di, 2:45. 4. Denis Menchov, Russia, Rabobank, 2:58. 5. Jurgen Van Den Broeck, Belgium, Omega Pharma-Lotto, 3:31. 6. Levi Leipheimer, United States, Team RadioShack, 3:59. DEALS 3 9 3 12 11 25 Philadelphia 3 8 2 11 16 25 NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie. ——— Wednesday’s result Kansas City 1, Columbus 0 Today’s game Seattle FC at D.C. United, 5 p.m., ESPN2 CYCLING Tour de France Results Wednesday, At Gap, France, 10th Stage A 111.2-mile medium-mountain ride through the Alps from Chambery to Gap (one Cate- gory 1 climb and one Category 2 climb) 1. Sergio Paulinho, Portugal, Team RadioShack, 2. Vasili Kiryienka, Belarus, Caisse d’Epargne, same time. 3. Dries Devenyns, Belgium, Quick Step, 1 minute, 29 seconds behind. 4. Pierre Rolland, France, Bbox Bouygues Telecom, same time. 5. Mario Aerts, Belgium, Omega Pharma- Lotto, 1:33. Overall Standings Major League Baseball American League SEATTLE—Promoted INF Dustin Ackley, LHP Edward Paredes and RHP Anthony Var- varo to Tacoma (PCL). TORONTO—Acquired SS Yunel Escobar and LHP Jo-Jo Reyes from Atlanta Braves for SS Alex Gonzalez, LHP Tim Collins and INF Tyler Pastronicky. Designated RHP Ronald Uviedo for assignment. National League SAN DIEGO—Claimed OF Quintin Berry off waivers from Philadelphia (NL) and optioned him to San Antonio (Texas). Golden Baseball League YUMA—Placed 1B Anthony D’Alphonso on the suspended list. Major League Soccer NEW YORK—Signed F Thierry Henry to a multiyear contract. National Football League ARIZONA—Signed QB John Skelton to a four-year contract. CLEVELAND—Waived DL Keith Grennan and TE Greg Estandia. JACKSONVILLE—Signed DE Austen Lane to a four-year contract. National Basketball Association CLEVELAND—Signed G Kyle Lowry to an offer sheet. HOUSTON—Matched Cleveland’s offer sheet to G Kyle Lowry. INDIANA—Named Clark Kellogg vice presi- dent for player relations. L.A. LAKERS—Agrred to terms with G Derek Fisher. NEW JERSEY—Named Billy King general manager. Signed G Jordan Farmer, F Travis Outlaw and C Johan Petro. PHILADELPHIA—Signed G Evan Turner. PHOENIX—Acquired F-G Josh Childress from Atlanta for a 2012 second-round draft pick. National Hockey League SAN JOSE—Named Vinny Ferraiuolo assis- tant equipment manager. EDMONTON—Re-signed F J.F.Jacques to a one-year contract. MINNESOTA—Signed C Joel Broda to a three-year contract. N.Y. RANGERS—Agreed to terms with F Brodie Dupont. PHOENIX—Named Ray Edwards coach and Jeff Truitt assistant coach of San Antonio Rampage (AHL). TORONTO—Signed F Marcel Mueller to a two-year contract. WASHINGTON—Signed RW Brian Willsie to a one-year contract. College NCAA—Placed Ball State women’s tennis program on probation for three years for excessive practice requirements and the for- mer coach’s attempts to have players lie to investigators. GEORGIA—Announced sophomore RB Dontavius Jackson is transferring after the spring semester. MANHATTAN—Named ScottAdubato men’s assistant basketball coach. MICHIGAN—Announced the resignation of director of football operations Brad Labadie. VANDERBILT—Announced the retirement of football coach Bobby Johnson. Tehama County’s Personal/Professional Service Directory Bankruptcy Attorney Local Bankruptcy Attorney Jocelyn C. Olander 530-824-0288 Free Consultation Payment Plans Available Web: www.jcoattyatlaw.com email: mail@jcoatty atlaw.com A federally qualified Debt Relief Agency under 11 U.S.C. 101(12(A)) Embroidery AT YOUR SERVICE! $ 9900 3 month Clock Repair 530-736-7079 Grandpa’s Clocks Jim Paul 20910 Pebblestone Dr. Red Bluff Shelf & 31 Day Clocks Repaired Call for appt. Member NAWCC Cuckoo Clocks, Anniversary, Wall, Clock Repair James W. Tysinger, Jr. M.D. Eye Physician & Surgeon Fellow American Academy of Ophtalmology We accept Medical, Medicare & most Insurances Office Hours: Mon-Thurs 8am-4:30pm Fri & Sat 8am-12 noon For Emergencies, After Hours, Week-ends, Call 530-567-5001 345 Hickory St. Red Bluff Tel: (530) 529-4733 Fax: (530) 529-1114 Orthotic Therapy is our Specialty, also treating all aspects of the feet including Bunions, Hammertoes and Plantar Fasciitis with conservative and surgical intervention. We offer comprehensive skin care products from; FOOT AND ANKLE SPECIALIST 2530 Sr Mary Columba Dr Red Bluff (530) 527-7584 commitment Runs every Tuesday - Thursday - Saturday Eye Physician Financial Services BANKRUPTCY Free information $50/mo. + court fee MICHAEL O. HAYS Attorney at Law 1-800-387-9299 Feet Health (Continued from page 1B) ‘‘Obviously, we’ve had beautiful weather for two days,’’ Cink said. ‘‘And today, we have a wreck out there. And there’s not many golfers at all. But it’s a fair test.’’ The forecast? There could be rain, there might be spells of sunshine, there like- ly will be wind — that could be last four days or four hours around these parts. Rose is the freshest face of the English revival, having won two of his last three tournaments in America. He knows these links well, even though he didn’t qualify for the Open in 2000 or 2005. Rose already had in his mind the ideal day, which featured wind. ‘‘It would be nice and sunny, 20 mph breeze across the golf course. I think that would have tested everybody but made it very, very enjoy- able,’’ Rose said. ‘‘If we get a little bit of that, it would be nice. And if we get a little bit of the extreme stuff, then so be it. That’s definitely part of the Open Championship.’’ RadioShack’s Paulinho wins 10th stage of Tour GAP, France (AP) — Something finally went right for Lance Armstrong’s squad at the Tour de France. Team RadioShack got its first taste of success at this year’s Tour when Sergio Paulinho of Portugal captured the 10th stage Wednesday, narrowly winning a two-man sprint among breakaway riders. Andy Schleck of Luxembourg retained the yellow jersey. He finished in the main pack more than 14 min- utes back, alongside his biggest rivals for the title. Paulinho edged Vasil Kiryienka of Belarus over the sun-baked 111-mile trek from Chambery to Gap that featured one difficult climb — the Laffrey pass — as the race left the Alps. Paulinho pointed skyward then sucked his thumb in honor of his 8-month-old daughter after beating Kiryienka by less than half a wheel. They both clocked 5 hours, 10 minutes, 56 seconds. Belgium’s Dries Devenyns was third: 1:29 behind. ‘‘This is a victory we’ve been looking for a while, after all the bad luck we had in the first week,’’ Paulin- ho said. ‘‘I hope this victory gives morale back to our team.’’ It was the Portuguese rider’s first individual stage win at the Tour, though he was part of the Astana squad — including Lance Armstrong and 2010 Tour winner Alberto Contador — that won the team time-trial last year. Armstrong brought Paulinho and several other for- mer Astana teammates to the RadioShack team, which was formed around the seven-time champion last year. Armstrong fell out of contention in the first Alpine stage on Sunday after getting tangled up in three crash- es and losing crucial minutes against the top contenders. The team is now banking on the podium hopes of Levi Leipheimer, who is sixth overall. CREAMS, SALTS, MOISTURIZERS, GIFT SETS www.aerosilknatural.com SPA SKIN CARE PRODUCTS ALL NATURAL INGREDIENTS