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Sports 1B Wednesday October 23, 2013 Cards, BoSox set to renew rivalry BOSTON (AP) — Lance Lynn squeezed through a door leading into the Green Monster, shimmied along a cramped space behind the famed left-field wall and peered out a tiny metal slot in the Fenway Park scoreboard. ''A little snug for me,'' the burly St. Louis pitcher said. Plenty of Cardinals got their first look at the century-old ballpark during a workout Tuesday, a day before they opened the World Series against the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox saw a neat sight, too. As they took batting practice at dusk, a giant, vibrant rainbow formed high in the sky beyond center field. Slugger David Ortiz noticed. ''Oh, yeah,'' he said. ''It's a Dominican thing.'' Whatever, Big Papi. Something special always seems to happen when the Redbirds and Red Sox meet, from Stan the Man vs. the Splendid Splinter, to Gibby vs. Yaz, to Pedro vs. Pujols. Now, they're set to meet for the fourth time in ''that Octobery kind of air,'' as Cardinals Game 1 starter Adam Wainwright described it. Jon Lester will oppose him Wednesday night, facing a lineup that got a late boost. Allen Craig, who hit a major league-leading .454 with runners in scoring position but hasn't played since Sept. 4 because of sprained left foot, is set to return. ''I feel like I'm in a good spot,'' said the cleanup man, who will be the Cardinals' designated hitter. Weather could be a factor. Temperatures are supposed to dip into the low 40s and rain is in the forecast. Boston was listed as a slim favorite in the matchup between teams that tied for the big league lead in wins. The clubs haven't met in the regular season since 2008, and Red Sox speedster Jacoby Ellsbury was looking forward to this pairing that some are billing as the Beards vs. the Birds. ''It will be exciting to see some unfamiliar faces,'' he said. Dustin Pedroia, Mike Napoli and many of their scraggly Boston teammates figure to get a good look at the Cardinals' crop of young arms, led by postseason ace Michael Wacha and relievers Trevor Rosenthal, Carlos Martinez and Kevin Siegrist. Ortiz is the link to the Red Sox team that swept St. Louis in the 2004 Series — Boston never trailed at any point — and ended an 86-year championship drought. ''Obviously I'm aware of the history of the two teams,'' Ellsbury said. ''Once the first pitch happens, all that goes out the window.'' The Red Sox are trying to win their third crown in 10 years. St. Louis is aiming to take its second title in three years and third in eight seasons. ''Some of us have some pretty bad memories of being here in 2004, and we're looking to kind of right that ship,'' St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. Matheny was the Cardinals' catcher that year, backed up by rookie Yadier Molina. Now Molina is considered the best defensive catcher in baseball, charged with trying to stop Ellsbury and a Red Sox team that's run a lot in the postseason. ''It's fun to be part of this history, to be here in Fenway Park, to be part of this Series against Boston,'' Molina said. ''It's different to play here overall. Playing defense, offense, pitching. It's different, but at the same time it's fun,'' he said. David Freese grew up in St. Louis and became MVP of the 2011 Series. He heard about Stan Musial vs. Ted Williams in 1946, knew about Bob Gibson facing Carl Yastrzemski in '67 and recalled watching on TV when Red Sox reliever Keith Foulke fielded Edgar Renteria's tapper to finish off 2004. ''I remember the comebacker that ended it. The sweep. You don't expect a World Series to end in four games,'' the 30-year-old third baseman said. Freese said he'd always hoped to get a chance to play at Fenway, and he got his first look Tuesday. After Matheny stood near the mound and pointed out the particulars of the dirt triangle in center field, Freese stepped in for batting practice. He launched a long drive that hit high off the Green Monster in leftcenter, the loud thwack echoing all around the ballpark. ''That's my Wall ball,'' he hooted to teammate Matt Holliday. Good for a hitter, maybe not so great for a pitcher. ''A ballgame can change with one swing of the bat in this ballpark,'' said Wacha, who also climbed into the wall. ''It's pretty crazy. Crazy dimensions, that's for sure.'' Tehama Tracker Today's schedule CROSS COUNTRY Red Bluff at West Valley, 4 p.m. SWIMMING Northern Athletic League Championships at Anderson, 10 a.m.; Butte Valley League Championships at Sutter, 2 p.m. Sports on TV GOLF 8 p.m. TGC — PGA Tour, CIMB Classic, first round, at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 11:30 p.m. ESPN2 — Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, first round, at Longkou, China MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 4:30 p.m. FOX — World Series, game 1, St. Louis at Boston NBA BASKETBALL 4 p.m. ESPN — Preseason, Brooklyn at Boston 6:30 p.m. ESPN — Preseason, Chicago vs. Oklahoma City, at Wichita, Kan. NHL HOCKEY 5 p.m. NBCSN — Boston at Buffalo SOCCER 9 a.m. FS1 — UEFA Champions League, Manchester City at CSKA Moskva 11:30 a.m. FSN — UEFA Champions League, Anderlecht vs. Paris, at Brussels FS1 — UEFA Champions League, Real Sociedad at Manchester United AP photo The San Francisco Giants' Tim Lincecum is staying put with the Giants just as he hoped, reaching agreement Tuesday on a $35 million, two-year contract through the 2015 season. Lincecum re-signs with Giants SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Tim Lincecum is staying put with the San Francisco Giants just as he hoped, reaching agreement Tuesday on a $35 million, two-year contract through the 2015 season. The deal is pending a physical, which had yet to be scheduled. Lincecum has a full no-trade clause in the new deal. General manager Brian Sabean said when the season ended that among his top priorities was bringing back the two-time NL Cy Young Award winner, who also indicated he cherishes familiarity and wanted stay with the only club he has known. He pitched the Game 5 clincher in the 2010 World Series at Texas, then shifted to the bullpen and became a reliable reliever during the Giants' 2012 run to their second title in three years. He pitched a no-hitter July 13 at San Diego. Sabean wanted to lock up Lincecum's deal before he hit the open market in free agency. The 29-year-old Lincecum just completed a $40.5 million, two-year contract that paid him $22 million this past season. The Giants, who missed the playoffs at 76-86, already took care of their first order of business by signing right fielder Hunter Pence to a $90 million, five-year contract before the season ended. He played every game this year. Lincecum, the 10th overall draft pick by San Francisco in 2006 out of Washington, has had losing records in each of the past three seasons but manager Bruce Bochy has expressed encouragement with the pitcher's progress to make changes to not only his delivery and mechanics but also his between-start routine and fitness. After his final start of the season Sept. 26 against the rival Los Angeles Dodgers, the four-time AllStar reflected on the idea of a possible departure. Many thought he might listen to his hometown Seattle Mariners if they came calling. The Giants didn't let that happen, knowing someone would sign Lincecum in a hurry despite all the ups and downs. ''I've just been one of the most fortunate pitchers in this organization just to be a part of so many things,'' said Lincecum, who won the Cy Young in 2008 and '09. ''To have the guys around me, Barry Bonds, Randy Johnson, big names, Buster Posey coming up, Pablo Sandoval. The names just don't end. To be here to witness all the things they've done, and be there for also the team things, it's been pretty special for me.'' Lincecum went 10-14 with a 4.37 ERA and 193 strikeouts in 32 starts this season. The right-hander joined Hall of Famers Juan Marichal and Gaylord Perry and also Kirk Rueter as the only Giants in San Francisco history to win at least 10 games in six straight seasons. Nicknamed The Freak, Lincecum is 89-70 with a 3.46 ERA over seven major league seasons. With fans unsure whether he would return beyond 2013, his supporters held signs during his last start such as, ''Timmy Don't Leave'' and ''SF Loves You!'' He tipped his cap — a rare gesture for him. ''It was pretty special,'' Lincecum said at the time. ''Just to be in that kind of like situation today, you kind of really see what's going on and the emotions that are tied with it. I'm still trying to figure out how to handle it.'' Warriors enter season with high expectations OAKLAND (AP) — Every basketball fan in the country and around the globe saw the potential of the Golden State Warriors last season when Stephen Curry stayed healthy and got hot in the playoffs. One swish after another, Curry wowed the gold-shirt wearing crowds that packed Oracle Arena and turned games into must-see TV. The performances transformed the franchise from lovable losers with a faithful following to an up-and-coming team that could contend for a Western Conference title — and maybe more. ''I think we understand the position we're in,'' Curry said. ''We played well for a year. That's awesome. But we have to capitalize on that momentum.'' Few expected the Warriors, who had made the playoffs just once since 1994, to make the postseason. Even fewer predicted they'd beat Denver — which won a franchise-record 57 games — in the first round. And almost nobody thought they'd seriously challenge the San Antonio Spurs before losing in six games in the second round. Winning would surprise nobody now. Golden State returns all five starters — Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, David Lee and Andrew Bogut — from a team that finished 47-35 to earn the Western Conference's sixth playoff seed. The Warriors also added All-Star swingman Andre Iguodala, who left Denver to sign a four-year, $48 million deal. ''There's no secret, we're a good basketball team. I'm not going to sit here and lie. We're a good basketball team,'' said War- riors coach Mark Jackson, who's entering his third season. ''We've come a long way. But now is the next step. It's about building chemistry and looking forward to what lies ahead. We're not satisfied with last year. That's old news. And we're not going to live on old news. We're looking to build something right now.'' Here are five things to watch with the Warriors this season: STAYING HEALTHY: The Warriors showed in the playoffs that, when healthy, they could beat anybody. Health, however, remains a huge concern. Curry avoided any major problems on his twice-surgically repaired right ankle last season, but sprained his left ankle in the first round against Denver and needed anti-inflammatory injections to stay on the court. Bogut missed 50 of 82 games during the regular season, mostly because of soreness in his surgically repaired left ankle, but played his best in the playoffs despite his limitations. David Lee also tore his right hip flexor in the playoff opener and played limited minutes. CURRY'S STROKE: Curry rose to star status in the playoffs, and he'll need to be at his best again for the Warriors to be a contender in the deep Western Conference. Curry averaged a careerhigh 22.9 points and 6.9 assists per game. He made 272 3-pointers — three more than Ray Allen's record of 269 set with Seattle in 2005-06 — and shot 45 percent from the floor, including from beyond the arc, at times looking unstoppable. REARRANGED ROTATION: Iguodala gives Golden State an All-Star talent and anoth- er ball-handler besides Curry at the end of games. But he also rearranges a proven rotation. Thompson has been coming off the bench for most of the preseason to make room for Iguodala in the starting lineup, though Barnes could still be the one pushed into a reserve role. Neither has much experience in that position. Thompson played 37 games as a reserve during the 2011-12 season, his rookie year. He has started 122 straight games, including the playoffs. Barnes never came off the bench as a rookie last season. NEW ROLE PLAYERS: Guard Jarrett Jack and forward Carl Landry were major factors off the bench last season. Now both are gone. Jack signed a free agent deal with Cleveland, while Landry landed in Sacramento. The Warriors added forward Marreese Speights, backup center Jermaine O'Neal and guard Toney Douglas to fill the void. They'll also lean more on do-it-all Draymond Green, who played his best in the playoffs — and in multiple positions — to finish off a solid rookie season. JACKSON'S JOB: Any time a team enters a season with high expectations, there's more attention — and often more scrutiny — on things that were once considered minor. And nobody feels that pressure more than the coach. How Jackson juggles the lineup and monitors minutes could prove pivotal. It also could impact his future. Golden State exercised its option on Jackson's contract for the 2014-15 season this summer but the sides have not reached an agreement on a long-term deal.