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Sports 1B Wednesday October 2, 2013 49ers' Whitner fined $21,000 SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Donte Whitner may start his own clothing line if he continues to get flagged for unnecessary roughness. The San Francisco strong safety learned Tuesday he was being fined $21,000 for his hit on St. Louis Rams' wide receiver Chris Givens in the end zone with just under six minutes to play in Thursday's 35-11 49ers victory. Whitner said he would appeal the penalty and has made up T-shirts with (hashtag)LegalHitner on the front that he will sell to drum up support. He's even suggested he might remove the 'W' from his last name. ''In my mind that hit was legal,'' Whitner said. ''I lowered my shoulder and went for the midsection, where the ball was.'' Whitner appeared to turn his shoulder into Givens in a successful attempt to knock the ball loose. He was called for unnecessary roughness when he appeared to make contact with Givens' helmet. ''I'm not happy with it,'' Whitner said. ''The intent is not there. Maybe we should all put flags on and pull them off. Maybe the fans will like that.'' The Rams scored on the next play. ''The game is changing,'' Whitner said. ''If the coaching staff thinks it was a legal hit, there's nothing I can do except appeal it. The guy who was hit said it was a legal hit. I don't know what else I can do.'' Whitner faced a similar situation against the Indianapolis Colts. He was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after hitting Colts running back Ahmad Bradshaw with what seemed to be the crown of his helmet. Replays showed that Whitner hit Bradshaw with his shoulder, so the penalty was rescinded and no further action was taken. It's a different story this time around. ''It seems like on any big hit, they make the call on what the hit looks like,'' Whitner said. ''I don't duck my helmet. I could have ran through the guy. Let's get Instant Replay, and get these things reversed on the field.'' Whitner, who said he was fined during his rookie season with the Buffalo Bills in 2006, wants to get the word out regarding what he considers improper assessment of the new rule protecting ''defenseless wide receivers.'' He said he's produced about 125 T-shirts and will soon open for business. The former first-round draft pick intercepted a Sam Bradford pass in the end zone late in the second quarter and finished with three tackles, one for a loss, and two passes defended. Jordan says he could beat LeBron in his prime CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — NBA legend Michael Jordan believes he could beat LeBron James in a oneon-one basketball game when he was in his prime. He's not sure about Kobe Bryant. In a video promoting the NBA 2K14 video game that was released Tuesday, Jordan said there's a long list of players he would've liked to have played oneon-one — Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Julius Erving, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Bryant and James, who dons the cover of this year's game. ''I don't think I would lose,'' Jordan said in the video, before smiling and adding, ''Other than to Kobe Bryant because he steals all of my moves.'' Responded James: ''MJ said that?'' James was told of Jordan's comments after the Miami Heat completed their first training camp practice in the Bahamas on Tuesday, and said that the buzz would serve as good promotion for the game. ''Absolutely, I thought about the matchup,'' James said. ''But no one would ever see it. It's not going to happen. But it's good for people to talk about.'' Jordan was listed as 6-foot-6 and 213 pounds during his prime. He averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game during his 15 seasons in the NBA. Jordan, a six-time NBA champion and considered by many the greatest basketball player ever, has had a sponsorship deal with 2K Sports since 2011, when he first appeared on the cover of the popular game. James, 6-8, 250 pounds, has averaged 25.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 6 assists during his first 10 seasons in the league. The 50-year-old Jordan, who was a five-time league MVP and is the majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, also shared the cover in 2012 with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. This year will be the first time on the cover for James, a four-time league MVP who has led the Heat to back-to-back NBA championships. Tehama Tracker Today's schedule CROSS COUNTRY Northern Athletic League Meet at Corning, 3:30 p.m. Sports on TV MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 5 p.m. TBS — Playoffs, AL Wild Card game, Tampa Bay at Cleveland NHL HOCKEY 5 p.m. NBCSN — Buffalo at Detroit SOCCER 11:30 a.m. FSN — UEFA Champions League, Juventus vs. Galatasaray, at Turin, Italy FS1 — UEFA Champions League, Manchester United at Shakhtar Donetsk AP photo The Oakland Athletics' Bartolo Colon will get the ball for the A's AL Division opener against Detroit on Friday. Colon will start Game 1 for A's OAKLAND (AP) — Bartolo Colon never expected to be pitching at age 40, not in the playoffs, and especially not as the Game 1 starter. And not this well a year after being suspended 50 games for a positive testosterone test. The veteran right-hander will get the ball for the Oakland Athletics in the opener of their AL division series against Detroit on Friday night, his first postseason appearance in eight years. ''It means so much to me. I'm 40 years old and never thought I'd be here,'' Colon said in Spanish. ''It is more special, a lot. The first reason is because of the Oakland organization, and I thank them for bringing me here to pitch another time.'' A year after Colon missed the playoffs for the A's while serving the suspension, he won 18 games and is getting another chance on baseball's big stage — in his first playoff appearance since 2005 with the Angels. ''The things he's done this year, we want him to have another four, five starts this year,'' catcher Derek Norris said. ''Everything he gets, he has deserved. A lot of us may have been a little upset about the suspension, but he came in to spring training and he worked hard. It was noted that it was done with, we wanted to move on. He came in, worked his butt off, had one of his best years since his Cy Young year with L.A. and I don't even think any one of us in here even thinks about that stuff anymore. He's proven to us that he made a mistake, he was sorry and he apologized, and he came back and he earned back his respect throughout baseball and through all of us.'' Manager Bob Melvin made the announcement before a workout Tuesday at the Coliseum, where the grounds crew worked to prepare the field two days after the NFL's Oakland Raiders played a home game. ''Ah, it's an easy one, he's been our ace all season,'' Melvin said of Colon. ''We have that veteran presence that's going to lead us off we didn't have last year.'' It sure has been $3 million well spent by general manager Billy Beane, who gave Colon another chance in 2013. Eight months ago, Colon apologized to his teammates at the start of spring training, put his head down and went back to work. ''He felt like he needed to do that, and he got it out of the way early and has been an integral part since,'' Melvin said. ''It really has felt like since he's been here that he hasn't missed a beat and he's been here the whole time. Very disappointing for him to miss the end of last year for the rea- sons that have been documented, but he's done everything that he can to be the teammate that he is again. It feels like he was never gone.'' Colon went 18-6 with a 2.65 ERA in 30 starts and 190 13 innings. He became an All-Star in his best season since his 21-8 Cy Young Award season of '05. He might have a couple more wins had he not spent a stint on the disabled list with a strained groin. ''You could tell how it affected him last year and how he missed out on a chance to be a part of what we did down the stretch,'' reliever Sean Doolittle said. ''To have a veteran presence like that in your rotation, a rotation full of young guys, taking the ball every fifth day and you know he's going to go into the sixth or seventh inning, whenever he pitches, under whatever circumstances, it's almost like you know what you're going to get out of him. He's been a really good stabilizer for us all year long.'' The Game 2 starter for the AL West champions is rookie Sonny Gray, who will pitch in a ballpark he knows well with the home crowd behind him Saturday night. A.J. Griffin, a 14-game winner, is out with elbow tendinitis that has become worse as he has tried to pitch with the problem. He could be added to the roster for the next round if the A's advance. Jarrod Parker will pitch Game 3 in Detroit and Dan Straily goes in a potential Game 4. ''They made the decision,'' Griffin said. ''It's a bummer. Hopefully I can bounce back from this in the next week or so and be ready for the next round.'' Left fielder Yoenis Cespedes said his troublesome right shoulder has improved ''not a lot but some,'' and he joked he will play the outfield ''even if I have to throw left-handed.'' Cespedes didn't play the final two games of the season at Seattle, and could be used as designated hitter if the shoulder isn't ready. ''We just want to make sure he's healthy,'' Melvin said. ''At the very least, he'll be DH-ing.'' For Colon, this year will be far from his last as long as he can keep pitching. Then, he will return to New Jersey fulltime with his wife and four children. ''As long as I can and my body lets me,'' he said. ''One year at a time.'' Colon notes he has ''no idea what I'd be doing'' if he weren't on a pitching mound. And, he doesn't have to be. All of that will come later. ''Right now I'm not thinking about it,'' Colon said. ''This is my job.'' Kings get to work in Santa Barbara SANTA BARBARA (AP) — Ocean breezes drifted through the open gym doors while the Sacramento Kings ran the final wind sprints of their first practice Tuesday. The tranquility of a seaside training camp provides one more breath of fresh air for the Kings, who are hoping their outstanding summer off the court is a prelude to bigger breakthroughs this season. ''This is a great opportunity for us to get together as a team, away from everything and everybody,'' new coach Mike Malone said. The Kings are spending the week several hours from Sacramento at UC Santa Barbara, putting down the foundation for a rebuilding project that's likely years from completion. Judging from Malone's happiness and the players' satisfied looks after the first workout, everybody is grateful for the longstruggling Kings' new beginning. ''It starts from the top,'' forward Jason Thompson said. ''Having different owners, not having guys ask me if we're going to stay next year, that's good for us. It's great to just focus on basketball.'' While the Kings have spent seven straight losing seasons out of the playoffs, Sacramento is on an undeniable roll off the court. After several seasons of comical instability under the Maloof brothers' ownership, the Kings were revitalized this summer by their sale to Vivek Ranadive. The software mogul's purchase culminated the triumphant fight to keep the club in California's capital city after Sacramento fended off a final purchase attempt from a Seattle-based group. The Kings also have concrete plans for a beautiful new arena after years of playing in one of the NBA's least impressive barns. Ranadive overhauled almost everything else about the Kings, installing a new front office headed by general manager Pete D'Alessandro and hiring a savvy new coaching staff for Malone, the longtime assistant running his first NBA team. When asked why he brought the Kings to the picturesque city on the Southern California coast for his first practices, Malone deadpanned: ''Look outside.'' ''This is a great setup for us,'' Malone added. ''We wanted to get out of Sacramento. We have a new staff, a new front office, two new rookies, three new free agents. With so many new faces, we have a chance to get away and build a team. ... You can teach all the X's and O's that you want, but it comes down to chemistry and trust and building relationships.'' Malone became a believer in remote training camps during his tenure with the New York Knicks, who made annual trips to Charleston, S.C., to get away from the spotlight. The Kings held camp in Colorado Springs last year under coach Keith Smart. ''You're with each other 24-7,'' guard Jimmer Fredette said. ''You're getting here at the same time, eating in the same places, sleeping in the same hotel. You bond and really get to know the guys.'' Malone and his coaches have plenty of work to do on this trip. Four starting spots are likely up for grabs in camp, with the only certainty being center DeMarcus Cousins, who got a four-year, $62 million contract extension Monday. ''We've got a great group of guys, and if we keep working hard together, we can do great things,'' said new guard Greivis Vasquez, who went through his first full workout since offseason surgery on his right ankle. Vasquez's competition with Isaiah Thomas for the starting job at point guard kicked off with a lively first workout. The Venezuelan newcomer already is impressed by Cousins. ''I love Cuz,'' Vasquez said. ''I'm going to have so much fun playing with him. I'm going to find him all the time. I'm playing with a great center, an All Star-caliber player, and we're going to win.'' Lottery pick Ben McLemore could be the Kings' starting shooting guard immediately, while Thompson and Carl Landry are competing at power forward.