Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/202020
Sports 1B Wednesday October 30, 2013 Cards hope to fly high with Wacha BOSTON (AP) — Michael Wacha had a funny way of preparing for his World Series start that's supposed to save the season for the St. Louis Cardinals. The 22-year-old October ace spent Tuesday afternoon on the tarmac at the St. Louis airport when the team plane got grounded by mechanical problems. No telling when the Cardinals would arrive in Boston, trailing the Red Sox 3-2 going into Game 6 on Wednesday night. ''Everyone is just watching movies,'' Wacha said from the plane, a couple of hours into the delay. ''They've got dinner on here for us and stuff. Everyone is just walking around. Nobody is in a bad mood or anything like that. The attitude is pretty good.'' His teammates were probably confident, too, considering what the rookie has done this postseason. He's 4-0 with a 1.00 ERA in four starts, including a win over John Lackey and the Red Sox in Game 2. Lackey will again oppose the tall right-hander. ''I don't think anything will be much different,'' Wacha said. ''I just try to approach every game the same. I don't think it's going to be too much different. We know the next two games are must-wins. It all starts with me tomorrow night.'' Heady stuff for a guy who was pitching at Texas A&M less than a year and a half ago, a guy who began this season in Triple-A. Then again, look at what he's done. He came within an out of a no-hitter against Washington in his final start of the regular season, only to give up an infield single. With the Cardinals facing a 2-1 deficit in the best-of-five division series, he took a no-hit bid into the eighth inning to win at Pittsburgh. He twice outpitched Cy Young Award favorite Clayton Kershaw to win MVP honors in the NL championship series, then beat Boston with his family in the seats at Fenway Park. Quite a run, by any standards. ''I think it's been one of those that's been fun for us to watch,'' Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said from the idle plane. ''Taking everything into consideration, how this kid was in school, in college 18 months or so ago, and watch the maturity, and watch the progress, too.'' ''Not just Michael, but a group of other young players that have been able to do something very similar. But Michael's done a nice job. We just want him to really not focus on the big picture of what exactly is going on. What we want him to do is go out, make one pitch at a time. There's time for summations later.'' Lackey said he could appreciate what Wacha is going through. The Red Sox righty was a rookie with the Angels in 2002 when he started Game 7 of the World Series and beat the San Francisco Giants. ''Probably similar to the way I was feeling. I think I was 23 or whatever that year,'' Lackey said. ''I don't know what kind of guy he is. But personally, I was more excited about it than anything else as far as nerves.'' The Red Sox are trying to clinch a World Series title on their own field for the first time since 1918. Anticipation is high in Boston, and prices on the secondary market for even a standing-room ticket were approaching $1,000. ''I imagine it's going to be crazy, but I'm not going to pay any attention to it,'' Wacha said. ''I'll keep going about my business the way I have been in all my starts this year. And not worry about the crowd, and just get locked in with Yadi behind the plate and just make my pitches.'' Star catcher Yadier Molina helped settle down Wacha in Game 2. Wacha matched a season high with four walks, but allowed only three hits in six innings. David Ortiz did the most damage against him, sending a two-run homer over the Green Monster. The big-hitting Ortiz was ready for a rematch with Wacha, provided the plane problems got resolved. ''I thought I saw them leaving last night. That's crazy. Everything happens for a reason,'' Ortiz said. ''Me, normally, when I have a delay on a flight, I don't get mad. You don't play around with that stuff. Hopefully they get here safe.'' Warriors' Barnes to miss first 2 games of season OAKLAND (AP) — Harrison Barnes will miss at least the first two games of the regular season for the Golden State Warriors with a left foot injury. Warriors coach Mark Jackson told reporters following Tuesday's practice that shooting guard Klay Thompson will start in the season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night. Jackson also said that Thompson already had earned the nod and will start even when Barnes returns. Barnes has not played since the team's second preseason game Oct. 7. The Warriors have said Barnes has ''left foot inflammation.'' Barnes started every game he played as a rookie last season, including the playoffs. With all five starters back from last season, Barnes and Thompson were competing to remain starters after the Warriors signed swingman Andre Iguodala this summer. Tehama Tracker Tuesday's schedule SWMMING Division 2 Championships at Anderson, 1 p.m. Sports on TV COLLEGE FOOTBALL 5 p.m. ESPN2 — Cincinnati at Memphis GOLF 8 p.m. TGC — PGA Tour-WGC, HSBC Champions, first round, at Shanghai MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 4:30 p.m. FOX — World Series, game 6, St. Louis at Boston NHL HOCKEY 5 p.m. NBCSN — Boston at Pittsburgh SOCCER 7:30 p.m. NBCSN — MLS, playoffs, knockout round, Colorado at Seattle 8 p.m. ESPN2 — International Friendly, Mexico vs. Finland, at San Diego AP photo San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh congratulates his players during the first half of an NFL football game Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium, London, Sunday Harbaugh happy with 49ers SANTA CLARA (AP) — Jim Harbaugh is undecided whether he will allow himself a day off during San Francisco's bye week. Even with a whirlwind stretch of travel finally over. It all will depend on how prepared the 49ers coach feels a few days from now for the Carolina Panthers, who come to town for a Nov. 10 game at Candlestick Park. The way his team is rolling right now, who could blame Harbaugh for wanting to keep on working? After a road game at Tennessee followed by a weeklong stay in London before beating the winless Jaguars on Sunday, Harbaugh is happy to be back on familiar ground, even citing the joy of looking out at the green practice fields at the training facility. ''One of the other bonuses of a long stay away, you get nine days away, is just how fresh your facility feels when you get back and the practice fields, the food, the comfort of your own bed, your kids,'' Harbaugh said as he began his Tuesday news conference. ''But, the facility we've been in, the meeting rooms, offices that the fellas have been in for the last six to nine months now feel, 'wow, it's great to be back.' This is new, it's not stale bread anymore. It's another bonus. So, it gives you life and enthusiasm, which is a good thing.'' The 49ers (6-2) are riding a five-game winning streak as they welcome what will be a much-needed break for most players this week. Though Harbaugh saw several regulars on site Tuesday, including quarterback Colin Kaepernick and defensive tackle Ray McDonald and a couple of players rehabilitating from injuries. Still right in the race for a third straight NFC West crown, the 49ers are eager to keep a good thing going. They have scored 30 or more points in five straight games, and have the NFL's top-ranked running game behind Frank Gore. Harbaugh praised the offense, defense and special teams. ''A lot of positives,'' he said. ''Really a dramatic improvement in terms of playing disciplined, sound technique football. So, it's a great job by the fellas in that regard. Execution's been good, getting better and you keep seeing that we can, that there's even, you play good football and there's room for improvement, ways that we can improve. So, that is the one of the most encouraging things is that we're playing good and we can get better.'' San Francisco hardly looks like the team that lost back-to-back games in Weeks 2 and 3 to Seattle and Indianapolis — outscored 56-10. ''No question I felt like we were a good team then, but we really focused in and just understanding what we have to do in order to keep on keeping ourselves in the right position and in the right place,'' linebacker Patrick Willis said. Harbaugh is holding a pair of opportunity practices this week, primarily for the young players though many veterans have stuck around like in previous years. He remains hopeful that Michael Crabtree, the team's top wide receiver last season, will return from Achilles tendon surgery sometime next month. ''That's doable,'' Harbaugh said. ''I'm not going to make any proclamations or profound statements, but he's right on track for, at some point here, weeks.'' In addition, Mario Manningham could return soon. Manningham made 42 receptions for 449 yards and one touchdown in 12 games and 10 starts last season before injuring his left knee in a loss at Seattle Dec. 23. He underwent reconstructive surgery to repair torn anterior cruciate and posterior cruciate ligaments. He has been practicing for two weeks and the Niners must decide by next Tuesday whether to add him to the 53-man roster from the physically unable to perform list. Harbaugh hasn't allowed himself to think about how much more his offense might do with the additions of Crabtree and Manningham. He wants to get running back LaMichael James back into the mix first. ''We've really been focused on what we have this week. Those being the best available players, and they're all doing a real fine job and how we could use them differently,'' Harbaugh said. ''Get LaMichael in the mix. We want to get that going. He's too good of a player not to be playing.'' Notes: As Harbaugh hinted would happen, rookie DT Tank Carradine was activated from the reserve/non-football injury list Tuesday and could play against the Panthers. San Francisco cleared roster room by waiving LB Jermaine Cunningham. Carradine, a second-round draft pick out of Florida State, has been working back from a torn ACL and resumed practice Oct. 15. Beckham picks Miami for MLS franchise LONDON (AP) — With his playing career over, former England captain David Beckham has decided his next move: starting a Major League Soccer team in Miami. Since leaving the Los Angeles Galaxy in December, and retiring from the game after a subsequent five-month stint at Paris Saint-Germain, Beckham has been mulling over the location for his MLS franchise. Beckham has now made up his mind and he would pay a discounted rate of $25 million to start an MLS expansion team in Miami, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because plans for the team aren't being publicly discussed yet. The option of becoming a team owner was included in the MLS contract Beckham signed when joining the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007. ''We know that Miami is one of the most passionate soccer markets in North America,'' MLS Executive Vice President Dan Courtemanche told the AP. ''We have met with David Beckham regarding owner- ship of an expansion team, and we look forward to David one day owning an MLS club.'' There are currently 19 MLS teams, and league commissioner Don Garber hopes to expand to 24 teams by the 2020 season. A 20th team is already in place to begin playing in 2015 after Premier League club Manchester City and its partner, the New York Yankees, paid an expansion fee of $100 million to launch New York City FC. The MLS still has to give Beckham the go-ahead to make Miami the location of the franchise. Beckham is looking to raise several hundred million dollars of investment to fund the setup costs, including putting together the squad of players and building a stadium. Beckham's business partner Simon Fuller, the ''American Idol'' creator who is the driving force in franchise negotiations, will be a significant shareholder, the person familiar with the situation said. Beckham is looking to sell stakes in the team to other investors, and has already had expressions of interest from businessmen globally. Beckham hopes the team to debut in three years, which would likely require the franchise to initially play in an existing venue. In June, Beckham toured the Sun Life and Florida International University stadiums and met with Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez. University officials delivered a presentation to Beckham and Marcelo Claure, president and CEO of Brightstar Corp. and a member of the FIU Board of Trustees, explaining the draw of a professional team in Miami. Before deciding on Miami as the franchise location, Beckham explored options in other cities, including Montreal, San Diego and Orlando, the person said. Miami has had a Major League Soccer team before. The Miami Fusion held matches in Fort Lauderdale from 1998 to 2001, before shutting down because of poor attendance. As a former Manchester United, Real Madrid and AC Milan midfielder, Beckham hopes his star power will make a team work there. Beckham's management team said it is not ready yet to make an announcement about Beckham's franchise ownership option.