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2B – Daily News – Tuesday, September 21, 2010 Bowyer brings a breath of fresh air NASCAR CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — There’s a swagger and style about Clint Bowyer that should put him high on the list of NASCAR’s most likable drivers. But with just three Sprint Cup wins on his resume, he hasn’t put up the perfor- mances needed to capture widespread attention. That could be on the verge of changing. Bowyer’s win Sunday in the opening round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship was a breath of fresh air to a NASCAR fan base weary of Jimmie Johnson’s four-year reign of dominance. A blue-collar racer who rose through the ranks of Midwest short track racing, Bowyer so far has resisted being molded into a polished corporate pitchman. So as Bowyer celebrated his victory with his Richard Childress Racing crew, vice president of competition Mike Dillon pointed out to the boss just how big the win could be for the entire sport. ‘‘He came over to me in the winner’s circle and said, ‘This is the best thing for NASCAR. We need some- body like Clint Bowyer winning races and running for this championship,’’’ team owner Richard Chil- dress recalled. ‘‘He came from the short tracks, the dirt tracks. He’s worked and he’s earned his way to where he is today. He’s very fan friendly. The fans love him. ‘‘It’s what I think NASCAR needs, a new type of hero.’’ NINERS (Continued from page 1B) his 2005 Heisman Trophy won while with Southern California. The NCAA pun- ished USC after concluding that Bush and his family took money and gifts from sports agents while Bush played for the Trojans. Bush was helped off the field with a leg injury with 6:58 left and then was taken to the locker room on a cart. Brees hit David Thomas for a 3-yard score that put New Orleans ahead late in the third quarter and Tracy Porter’s interception at the 10-yard line preserved the lead until Gore’s late run. San Francisco beat itself with turnovers. Roman Harper intercept- ed a pass by Alex Smith at the 26 in the first quarter. Malcolm Jenkins recovered Delanie Walker’s fumble at the 3 just before halftime as the Niners failed to capitalize on opportunities. On a festive evening at It’s just one round into the 10-race Chase, but NASCAR had to have been pleased with Sunday’s show. The race was full of twists and turns for the championship contenders, who all insisted the champi- onship couldn’t be won at New Hampshire but it most certainly could be lost. A poor finish in the opener could derail the title hopes of an entire team, and a decent day, well, that could hurdle a driver into the heart of the battle. It’s what happened to Bowyer, who slid into the 12-driver field as the final seed. Then his win jetti- soned him up to second in the standings, just 35 points back of leader Denny Ham- lin. He had a similar fate in 2007, when he grabbed his first career victory in the Chase opener and rode the momentum to a career-best third-place finish in the standings. Now, in a season of resurgence for an RCR team that struggled to keep pace with NASCAR’s heavyweights last year, Bowyer could make a simi- lar run. ‘‘I really feel like, why not us?’’ Bowyer crew chief Shane Wilson said. ‘‘Jim- mie Johnson is good, but he’s won four in a row. The last four or five weeks, we’ve been right there with him. He’s not that much better than us. We can do it, and why not us?’’ Several teams had the same thoughts as they left New Hampshire stacked in a wide-open field for the championship. Johnson had an unchar- acteristically bad day, sur- viving a spin only to fall Candlestick Park in which the 49ers retired Hall of Famer Jerry Rice’s No. 80 jersey at halftime, the Niners looked little like the champi- onship teams Rice starred on in the 1980s and 90s. Gore provided the high- light, running for 112 yards and catching a 12-yard touchdown pass from Smith. New Orleans’ defense shined for the second straight game in the national spotlight, the Saints’ first game since kicking off the NFL season in prime time on Sept. 9 with a 14-9 victory over the Vikings. The incon- sistent Saints offense looked far from top form but still found a way to beat the Nin- ers for the sixth straight time. San Francisco helped out by committing the three turnovers and snapping a ball out of the end zone for a safety on the opening series. New Orleans is 2-0 in consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history. Smith was 23 of 32 for 275 yards with two intercep- tions. victim to a loose wheel. He had to pit under green, couldn’t catch a caution and finished 25th, lowest among the Chase drivers. Although he dropped to seventh in the standings, all may not be lost for the champion: Since the Chase began in 2004, the champion has finished sixth or better at New Hampshire every year but once, in 2006, when John- son finished 39th but rallied to win the first of his four titles. He heads to Dover this weekend thinking about another rally, but Tony Stewart may not have the same confidence. Stewart took the lead from Bowyer late in Sun- day’s race, but as both dri- vers tried to stretch their final tank of gas a daunting 92 laps, Stewart failed to conserve enough fuel to make it to the finish. Instead of winning, he finished 24th and dropped to 11th in the standings. Now he’s got to hope everyone in front of him has at least one slip over the remaining nine races, and after watching some of the comebacks Sunday, it may not happen for Stewart. Take Hamlin, for exam- ple. He was running fourth when he was spun by Carl Edwards and fell to 22nd after a quick pit stop for repairs. Livid over the radio, he calmed down enough to slowly work his way back through the field. Had the race gone just one more lap, he likely would have beat Bowyer. Instead, he settled for sec- ond and maintained his lead in the standings. Then there was Kevin Harvick, the points leader most of the regular season CABLE continued from Page 1B) important that the coach has the final decision. ‘‘I think it has to be,’’ he said. ‘‘When you sit in the chair I do, you have to be able to go out and coach your team and make your decisions and do those things. If you don’t, I think you put yourself in a bind.’’ Neither Gradkowski nor Campbell were in the locker room during the open media period Monday so they did- n’t address the quarterback situation. After the game, Gradkowski made it clear he wants to be the starter. ‘‘In my mind, I am the starter,’’ he said Sunday. ‘‘But that’s how you have to approach it. If you’re the backup, if you’re the third stringer, no matter who you are. We don’t play this game to be backups. We play this game to be starters in this league and win championships, and that’s what we’re here to do.’’ Just as he did last year when he led the Raiders to victories against Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, Gradkowski has provided a needed spark to a stagnant offense. After scoring 16 points MLB West Division Texas A’s American League WL Pct GB 83 65 .561 — 74 74 .500 9 Angels 73 76 .490 10.5 Seattle 57 92 .383 26.5 East Division WL Pct GB New York 91 59 .607 — Tampa Bay 89 60 .597 1.5 Boston 83 67 .553 8 Toronto 75 74 .503 15.5 Baltimore 60 90 .400 31 Central Division WL Pct GB Minnesota 90 60 .600 — Chicago 79 70 .530 10.5 Detroit 76 74 .507 14 Cleveland 62 88 .413 28 Kansas City 61 88 .409 28.5 ————————————————— Monday’s results Chicago at Oakland, late Baltimore 4, Boston 2 Detroit 7, Kansas City 5 Minnesota 9, Cleveland 3 New York 8, Tampa Bay 6 Texas at Los Angeles, late Today’s games Chicago (Buehrle 12-11) at Oakland (Cahill 16-7),7:05 p.m.,CSNC Kansas City (Chen 10-7) at Detroit (Galarraga 4-6), 4:05 p.m. Tampa Bay (J.Shields 13-12) at New York (P.Hughes 16-8), 4:05 p.m. Seattle (French 4-5) at Toronto (Rzepczynski 1-4), 4:07 p.m. Baltimore (Bergesen 7-10) at Boston (C.Buchholz 16-7), 4:10 p.m. Cleveland (Carmona 12-14) at Minnesota (S.Baker 12-9), 5:10 p.m. Texas (C.Lewis 11-12) at Los Angeles (E.Santana 16-9), 7:05 p.m. MCT file photo Clint Bowyer won the opening round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship on Sunday. and Bowyer’s teammate at RCR. A poor first pit stop put him in the hole, and it didn’t seem to get much better over the next several trips down pit road. Yet he somehow stole a fifth-place finish, and that ability to salvage a bad day has got to have everyone worried. Same goes for Kyle in the first six quarters of the season, Gradkowski led Oakland to 13 points on its first four drives with him at the helm. His mere presence in the huddle appears to do something to the energy level of his teammates. ‘‘It’s just Bruce,’’ receiv- er Louis Murphy said. ‘‘That’s just the way Bruce is. He’s just high-wired and really amped. He’s very intense. It’s just Bruce.’’ Despite standing just 6- foot-1 and lacking the strongest arm, Gradkowski has shown an ability to make plays during his brief opportunities with the Raiders. Since joining the Raiders last season, Gradkowski has done the best job of any of their quarterbacks of getting the ball to the wide receivers. That was espe- cially evident Sunday. He completed five passes each to Murphy and Darrius Heyward-Bey for 138 yards and a touchdown. The duo had just seven catches for 72 yards in three halves with Campbell. Gradkowski also is able to use his mobility to help out an offensive line that has had trouble pass protecting. Gradkowski was not sacked MLB West Division GIANTS National League WL Pct GB 84 66 .560 — Padres 83 66 .557 .5 Colorado 82 67 .550 1.5 Dodgers 73 77 .487 11 Arizona 59 91 .393 25 East Division WL Pct GB Philadelphia 90 61 .596 — Atlanta 86 65 .570 4 Florida 74 75 .497 15 New York 74 76 .493 15.5 Washington 62 88 .413 27.5 Central Division WL Pct GB Cincinnati 85 66 .563 — St. Louis 77 72 .517 7 Houston 73 77 .487 11.5 Milwaukee 69 80 .463 15 Chicago 68 81 .456 16 Pittsburgh 51 98 .342 33 ————————————————— Monday’s results Cincinnati 5, Milwaukee 2 Florida 4, St. Louis 0 Houston 8, Washington 2 Philadelphia 3, Atlanta 1 Today’s games San Francisco (M.Cain 12-10) at Chi.(Zambrano 9-6),5:05 p.m.,CSNB Atlanta (Minor 3-1) at Phila.(Halladay 19-10), 4:05 p.m., MLBN Houston (Happ 6-2) at Washington (Lannan 8-7), 4:05 p.m. St. Louis (Westbrook 2-3) at Pittsburgh (Maholm 7-15), 4:05 p.m. New York (Pelfrey 15-9) at Florida (Mendez 1-1), 4:10 p.m. Cincinnati (Volquez 3-3) at Milwaukee (Bush 7-12), 5:10 p.m. Colorado (De La Rosa 8-4) at Arizona (J.Saunders 2-6), 6:40 p.m. San Diego (Richard 12-8) at Los Angeles (Billingsley 11-10), 7:10 p.m. TENNIS ATP Money Leaders 1. Rafael Nadal 2.Roger Federer 3.Novak Djokovic 4. Andy Murray 5. Robin Soderling 6.Tomas Berdych 7.Fernando Verdasco 8. Andy Roddick 9. Jurgen Melzer 10.David Ferrer 1. Serena Williams 2. Kim Clijsters 3.Venus Williams 4.Vera Zvonareva 8. Jelena Jankovic 9. Justine Henin 10. Aravane Rezai $7,381,738 $4,077,635 $2,533,422 $2,350,507 $2,184,563 $1,864,216 $1,598,179 $1,580,738 $1,403,742 $1,389,467 WTAMoney Leaders $4,266,011 5. Caroline Wozniacki $3,585,060 $2,614,782 $2,316,891 $2,115,988 6.Francesca Schiavone $2,090,759 7. Sam Stosur $1,762,908 $1,683,776 $1,401,960 $1,222,496 FOOTBALL California — North (8-man) League Overall WL W L Hayfork 1 0 Dunsmuir 0 0 Butte Valley 0 0 3 0 3 0 2 0 WARRIORS 00 1 0 Big Valley 0 0 Happy Camp 0 0 L.Christian 0 1 Dunsmuir at Happy Camp, 6 p.m. Butte Valley at Big Valley, 7 p.m. Saturday’s game Mercy at Loyalton, 1 p.m. Sept. 17 results Champion Christian 38, Big Valley 20 Dunsmuir 64, Herlong 0 Hayfork 62, Liberty Christian 24 Sept. 18 result Butte Valley 34, Loyalton 6 2 1 0 2 1 2 ————————————————— Friday’s games Busch, who nearly melted down over the radio before he was reigned in by crew chief Dave Rogers, who essentially told him to shut up and drive. When it was over, he was ninth and still in the thick of the title race. They’re all gunning for Johnson, and Bowyer believes everyone — him- self included — has a shot. once on his 22 pass attempts, while Campbell has been brought down six times in 52 pass attempts. That was also the pattern last year as Gradkowski has been sacked on about 6 per- cent of his dropbacks, com- pared to more than 10 per- cent for Oakland’s other quarterbacks during his tenure. ‘‘He finds ways to make plays. He has guys in his face, getting hit, put on his back but he’s still getting the ball out,’’ tight end Zach Miller said. ‘‘Even if he’s just throwing it away, he’s saving us sacks. He’s really able to make plays under pressure and find a way to get first downs. It’s a good quality in a quarterback.’’ The Raiders topped 400 yards of offense for the first time in nearly five years and earned a much-needed win but there were still plenty of signs of concern after win- ning by only two points at home against a team that has lost 27 of 28 games. Oakland managed only one touchdown on four trips inside the St. Louis 20-yard line. Five other trips inside the Rams 40 netted only three more points. NASCAR Sprint Cup Points Leaders 1.Denny Hamlin 2. Clint Bowyer 3.Kevin Harvick 4.Kyle Busch 5. Jeff Gordon 6.Kurt Busch 5,230 5,195 5,185 5,168 5,155 5,144 7. Jimmie Johnson 5,138 8. Carl Edwards 9. Greg Biffle 10. Jeff Burton 11.Tony Stewart 12. Matt Kenseth 5,135 5,122 5,118 5,106 5,094 ‘‘He’s still the guy every- body is chasing. You’d have to be a fool not to think he’s not going to be the one down to the wire you’re going to be racing for this thing,’’ he said. ‘‘But I have to tell you, this is as strong, since I’ve been in the sport, this is as strong a Chase as ever.’’ FOOTBALL Eastern Athletic — South League Overall WL W L Paradise 0 0 Lassen 0 0 Las Plumas 0 0 Oroville 0 0 3 1 2 1 0 3 0 3 SPARTANS 00 0 3 ————————————————— Friday’s games Red Bluff at Chico, 7:30 p.m. Central Valley at Lassen, 7:30 p.m. Las Plumas at Orland, 7:30 p.m. Pleasant Valley at Oroville, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 17 results Corning 19, Red Bluff 6 Anderson 49, Las Plumas 15 Central Valley 36, Oroville 6 Foothill 14, Lassen 7 Paradise 14, Pleasant Valley 3 FOOTBALL Northern Athletic League Overall WL W L Central Valley 0 0 0 0 CARDINALS 00 3 0 Yreka Anderson 0 0 West Valley 0 0 3 0 3 1 2 1 1 2 ————————————————— Friday’s games Shasta at Corning, 7:30 p.m. Central Valley at Lassen, 7:30 p.m. Foothill at Anderson, 7:30 p.m. Saturday’s games W.Valley vs Astoria at Eugene, Ore., 2:30 p.m. Yreka at Cottage Grove, 6 p.m. Sept. 17 results Corning 19, Red Bluff 6 Anderson 49, Las Plumas 15 Central Valley 36, Oroville 6 Fortuna 13, West Valley 0 Yreka 32, Henley 7 FOOTBALL Mountain Valley League Overall WL W L Chester 0 0 Maxwell 0 0 0 0 2 1 2 1 BULLDOGS 00 2 2 Biggs 0 4 ————————————————— Friday’s games Chester at Tulelake, 7:30 p.m. Maxwell at Fall River, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 17 results Los Molinos 14, University Prep 0 Chester 33, Burney 7 East Nicolaus 21, Biggs 0 Maxwell 53, Tulelake 18