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2B Daily News – Saturday, July 27, 2013 MLB GOLF Cashman challenges A-Rod to have outside exam Hunter Mahan leads Canadian Open NEW YORK (AP) — Brian Cashman's expression said it all. Every time Alex Rodriguez's name was mentioned Friday, the New York Yankees general manager appeared as if he might get sick. The subject was the third baseman's claim that his left quadriceps really isn't injured, but it could have been any one several topics: Rodriguez's alleged performance-enhancing drug use, his pesky Twitter and radio appearances or his knack for creating tabloid headlines. Cashman challenged A-Rod to have his leg examined by an outside doctor, defending the team's medical and training staff and saying he wouldn't comment on ''extra noise.'' The third baseman detailed his frustration during a radio interview Thursday, just hours after team management said he wouldn't be ready to resume minor league rehab games until Aug. 1. Rodriguez wouldn't answer when asked whether he trusted the Yankees. ''The MRI is the MRI. It's fact. You can't change the results on an MRI,'' Cashman said before Friday's homestand opener against Tampa Bay. ''So, we're very comfortable with it, and if anybody wants to utilize the process in place with the union, go right ahead. It's not something we're afraid of.'' Recovering from January hip surgery, Rodriguez is under investigation by Major League Baseball for his reported ties to a Florida clinic accused of distributing banned performance-enhancing drugs. A lengthy suspension appears likely. Seemingly days away from rejoining the Yankees, he complained of leg pain last weekend, and the Yankees said an MRI on Sunday showed a quadriceps strain. An outside physician, Michael Gross, said Wednesday he looked at an MRI at Rodriguez's request — it's not clear when the MRI was taken — and could not detect an injury. Gross is not on baseball's list of doctors recommended for second opinions, and he admitted he never personally examined Rodriguez. The Yankees responded angrily because Rodriguez didn't follow the procedure in baseball's labor contract, which requires him to provide written notice that a player wants a second medical opinion, and the team intends to discipline him — most likely with a fine. Rodriguez did conditioning work Friday at the team's minor league complex in Tampa, Fla., a day ahead of his 38th birthday, and Cashman said the three- time MVP is on a schedule that could have him resume minor league games Aug. 1. As Rodriguez's car was departing, a fan held a lightcolored, oversized card above his head and saw the side that read: ''Happy Birthday!'' and had a cartoon-like drawing of a clown. Rodriguez went by quickly and wasn't around by the time the fan opened the card to reveal the side read: ''From One Clown to Another.'' When or whether he returns to the Yankees has become a daily drama. ''I think we all kind of want it to get behind us, no matter what it is, and once something happens or doesn't happen, then we can kind of deal with it then,'' injured first baseman Mark Teixeira said. Cashman's careful answers sounded more like those of a White House press secretary rather than responses of a big league GM. ''I'm not going to comment really on the Alex stuff. Feel free to just reach out to Alex and ask him, because that's something that's hard to keep up with,'' Cashman said. ''I just provide you the facts, and that's what I'll continue to do. We're running a baseball team, and I will provide you with the most accurate information that I can provide on a daily basis about anybody and everybody who's either healthy on that field or hurt and what the current state of their medical condition is and their rehab.'' Cashman praised outfielder Alfonso Soriano, acquired Friday from the Chicago Cubs from a minor leaguer. His accolades for Soriano's attributes could be interpreted by some as criticism of what Rodriguez is not. ''Over the years, we used to be attracted to all types of players and all types of personalities. If they could play, that's all the mattered,'' Cashman said. ''I do think with the evolution social media and the explosion of the Internet and ESPN, everything, that having high-character guys that work hard and get along with everybody and obviously you have talent to boot, clearly is important.'' Given his team's offensive struggles, manager Joe Girardi said he would be happy to have Rodriguez back as quickly as possible. ''People follow him around a lot. I never really had to deal with that,'' Girardi said. ''When I was in rehab, no one came to watch. They didn't care if I teed or tossed or anything.'' 49ERS "We have an ultimate goal to reach, and that's the greatest thing about it. We're all working so hard to reach that ultimate goal." Among Fangio's points of emphasis was for players to practice the same technique and team principles in big moments — especially against elite talent such as Green Bay, Atlanta and Baltimore that all had success against them in the playoffs — that carried the defense to consecutive NFC championship games and the Super Bowl last season. The other is to build some much-needed depth behind the starters, who play as many minutes as any in the NFL. That lack of depth was particularly evident when lineman Justin Smith missed the final 2 1/2 games of the regular season with a partially torn left triceps and was somewhat limited during the playoffs. "It's an area of concern," Fangio said. The loudest sounding board for the defense besides Fangio has been Boldin. The savvy wide receiver, who has described himself as quiet and reserved most of the time in his new surroundings, has been more than willing to help. One of the tidbits Boldin revealed publicly about scheming against the 49ers is that the Ravens were particularly concerned about how much talent San Francisco had throughout its defense — that there wasn't just one or two players to scheme against. Baltimore spread the 49ers out, particularly in the first half, allowing Boldin to run through pockets over the middle and force Bowman and fellow All-Pro linebacker Patrick Willis to chase faster receivers and tight ends. The benefits have gone both ways. Boldin said he's also taking advantage of going against such a strong 49ers defense every day. He called the challenge "the same" as facing Baltimore's vaunted unit the past three years in practice. gamble when they drafted Hayden. ''I try not to even worry about it,'' Hayden said. ''People are going to say stuff. I just focus on whatever my coverage is. I focus on the man I'm guarding. All the other outside stuff, I have no control over it. I can control what I do on the field so that's what I'm focused on.'' Hayden is not missing much contact yet as the team is unable to wear pads until the third day of practice on Sunday. Hayden said it will be a relief when he can start hitting so he can get past that hurdle. But the Raiders want to be somewhat cautious with their first-round pick, considering he has not played football since the first week of November. ''He's really not limited from a physical standpoint,'' coach Dennis Allen said. ''But, again, when a guy hasn't played football in that long and now all of a sudden you're asking him to start and stop and do all those kinds of things, he's got to get into football shape and football condition physically and mentally. When you draft a guy like that, that has the talent that he has and we expect him to be able to help our football team, we want to make sure we're smart and do the right things in bringing him along, let him get acclimated.'' Hayden is the first first-round pick made by the new regime led by general manager Reggie McKenzie and he is being counted on to be a major part of the rebuilding effort for a franchise that has gone 10 straight seasons without a winning record or playoff berth. Hayden played 22 games at Houston, intercepting six passes that he returned for three touchdowns. He also recovered three fumbles and forced six before his senior sea- son was cut short by the injury. NOTES: The Raiders had three players who have not been cleared to practice. LB Miles Burris has not recovered from offseason knee surgery and defensive tackle Pat Sims and offensive lineman Menelik Watson had undisclosed injuries preparing for training camp. ... DB Charles Woodson was back to his familiar No. 24 jersey that he wore in his first stint with Oakland after wearing no number and 2 during offseason workouts. Tracy Porter switched to No. 31. ''I got the jersey back in large part because of the fans. Big thank you to the fans for that,'' Woodson said. ... Allen said he plans to have a fairly even division of snaps at quarterback between Matt Flynn, Terrelle Pryor and Tyler Wilson at the start of camp before honing in on a starter as it gets closer to the season. (Continued from page 1B) per game (200.2) last season. The unit still had flaws, though, most notably going from No. 1 in takeaways (38) two years ago to No. 6 (25) in the league last season. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio spent time with players this summer reviewing what went wrong, particularly late in the year and in the playoffs, when the 49ers fell behind far too often and failed to create turnovers at the same rate. He also outlined what they could improve upon this season, pushing players who are highly decorated by pointing out the one accolade they're still missing: a Super Bowl title. "We have guys who are willing to learn and willing to hear any type of critique from your peers, and I think that makes us a better team," All-Pro linebacker NaVorro Bowman said. RAIDERS (Continued from page 1B) that carries blood from the lower half of the body to the heart. Doctors had to cut through Hayden's sternum to save him. The injury is 95 percent fatal in the field, according to doctors, and is most commonly associated with high-speed motor vehicle accidents. Hayden worked his way back to health and was cleared by doctors before the draft. The Raiders selected him 12th overall and expressed confidence that the injury would not limit his NFL career. Hayden took part in rookie minicamp in May before needing surgery in the first week of OTAs to repair abdominal scarring. Hayden missed the rest of the offseason program, raising questions about whether the Raiders took an unwise "You want a challenge every day," Boldin said. "You want guys that are going to make you work because in the end that makes you better as an offense. Offensively, here, we don't have any days off going against this defense. They have a lot of studs on the other side of the ball, and I think that's a plus for us." NOTES: WR Michael Crabtree, recovering from surgery on his torn right Achilles tendon, walked around the facility without a brace or boot on his foot. He declined to talk to reporters other than saying: "I'm good." ... DT Lamar Divens, allegedly hit on the head with a beer bottle multiple times by teammate Ahmad Brooks during an altercation last month, was activated from the non-football injury list. OAKVILLE, Ontario (AP) — Hunter Mahan birdied the final three holes Friday for an 8-under 64 and a two-stroke lead after the second round of the Canadian Open. Coming off a ninth-place tie last week in the British Open, the five-time PGA Tour winner had eight birdies in his bogey-free round at Glen Abbey to reach 13-under 131. ''I kind of built off last week,'' Mahan said. ''I got some good things I'm doing with my swing and everything, and feel good about that. I'm just going out there and really trying to trust my game. ''Just allow things to happen and not get in the way of myself and be as present as I can and keep my head up and keep moving forward and just kind of letting my abilities and everything that I'm doing in my game, let it try to come out.'' John Merrick was second after a 62. He tied the course record set by Leonard Thompson in 1981 and matched by Andy Bean in 1983 — both when Glen Abbey played to a par of 71 — and Greg Norman in 1986. Merrick had an eagle and 10 birdies, playing the back nine in 6-under 31. ''It was a great day,'' Merrick said. ''I got off to a good start, hit it over the green on 2 and chipped in for eagle, and that kind of calmed me down. ... I hit it well and made a lot of putts.'' He won the Northern Trust Open in February at Riviera for his first PGA Tour title. ''I've had stretches of good play,'' Merrick said. ''You know, it's tough out here. It's competitive. You've got to be on for four days, and I've had some good rounds here and there a couple days, and you just need to put four rounds together out here. My game has been feeling pretty good. Everything kind of clicked today.'' Bubba Watson was 9 under after a 67. ''I haven't been in too much trouble,'' Watson said. ''When I hit it in the rough I have a decent lie or miss it in the right spot so I can hit the green in regulation. I missed three greens in two days, so I'm just hitting my irons well, playing smart golf, and then I made a few putts.'' Aaron Baddeley and Patrick Reed shot 68 to reach 8 under, and Tommy Gainey (64), Chris Kirk (69) and James Hahn (68) followed at 7 under. Mike Weir was the top Canadian, following his opening 73 with a 67 to move into a tie for 26th at 4 under. FAILED (Continued from page 1B) the AP to reach them. The sprinter has already surrendered his spot at next month's world championships. If a positive test from nationals is confirmed by his ''B'' sample, those results would be vacated, though it's likely they would be anyway because of his May 16 positive. A first-time offense for doping usually brings with it a two-year ban, though athletes who cooperate with USADA sometimes get reduced penalties. One person familiar with the case told the AP that multiple positives over a short period of time are a sign of an athlete who wasn't trying to hide anything, but simply didn't know he was taking a banned drug. Gay is cooperating with USADA. ''The additional positive sample is consistent with him taking responsibility,'' USADA CEO Travis Tygart said. ''He should be commended for that and for removing himself from world championships, which we all should appreciate. The sample was expected, as he works with us for the fair resolution based on the rules, given the fact of his case.'' When Gay admitted to the earlier positive in a phone interview nearly two weeks ago, he fought back tears. ''I don't have a sabotage story. I don't have any lies. I don't have anything to say to make this seem like it was a mistake or it was on USADA's hands, someone playing games,'' he said. ''I don't have any of those stories. I basically put my trust in someone and I was let down.'' Since news of his positive, media reports have linked Gay to Clayton Gibson, an anti-aging doctor based in Atlanta. In an email sent to AP, Gibson would not confirm Gay was among his patients. Gay has been the most- watched U.S. male sprinter for the past several years and has long sold himself as a clean athlete. The 30-year-old, who won the world championship in the 100, 200 and 4x100 relay in 2007, took part in USADA's ''My Victory'' program — in which athletes volunteer for enhanced testing to prove they're clean — and his results never raised red flags. Until, that is, the outof-competition test in May. Results came back positive for a banned substance, the identity of which he has not been revealed. The latest news adds to a slew of negative headlines for track. Jamaican Olympic champion, Veronica CampbellBrown, tested positive for a banned diuretic at a meet on the island in May. A month later, Asafa Powell, the former 100meter world record holder, tested positive for a stimulant at Jamaica's national championships, as did his teammate, Sherone Simpson, a threetime Olympic medalist. In a recent statement, Powell said he had ''retained legal counsel'' and couldn't ''discuss all the details of the case.'' ''I look forward to demonstrating to everyone that I am a clean athlete. I always have been, and I always will be,'' Powell said. ''I look forward to donning my country's national (colors) and as I step into the blocks at the starting line I will remain, as always, proud to be Jamaican.'' Gay, finally feeling healthy after years of nagging injuries, was among those expected to push Usain Bolt at worlds next month, but instead of racing in Moscow, he'll be resolving his doping case. Asked on Thursday about the series of doping cases, Bolt said, ''definitely, it's going to set us back a little bit.'' He insisted he was clean. ''So I'm just going to continue running, using my talent and just trying to improve the sport,'' he said.