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2B – Daily News – Friday, December 17, 2010 VJax catches 3 touchdowns, Bolts down Niners 49ers 7 San Diego 34 SAN DIEGO (AP) — Vincent Jackson reminded the San Diego Chargers just what they missed during a nasty con- tract dispute. Jackson had a career-high three touchdown catches, Philip Rivers surpassed 4,000 yards passing for the third straight season and the Chargers beat Alex Smith and the San Francisco 49ers 34-7 on Thursday night to stay alive in the AFC West race. The Chargers (8-6) pulled within a half- game of AFC West leader Kansas City (8-5), which lost 31- 0 at San Diego on Sunday. San Francisco was probably the toughest test left for the Chargers, who finish with games at Cincinnati (2-11) and Denver (3-10). If San Diego wins out and the Chiefs lose once, the Chargers will win their fifth straight division title. The Chargers came within 4:26 of having consecutive shutouts for the first time in their 51-year history. Jackson had his first three TD grabs of the season, of 58, 11 and 21 yards. Jackson missed the first 10 games due to a bitter contract dispute. The 49ers (5-9) could wind up 7-9 and in a three-way tie and still win the NFC West, the NFL’s weakest division. Rivers and Jackson came out early in the fourth quarter and the Chargers leading 31-0. Rivers was 19 of 25 for 273 yards, giving him 4,141 for the season. He tied Hall of Famer Dan Fouts’ team record set from 1979-81. Jackson had five catches for 112 yards. Unhappy that the Chargers didn’t give him a long-term deal, Jackson sat out the first seven seasons. He then missed three more games while serving a team-imposed suspen- sion. The move cost him some $3 million in salary. When he returned at Indianapolis on Nov. 28, he pulled a calf muscle two plays in and was done for the night and the next game. On the fourth play from scrimmage, Rivers wound up and threw deep. The 6-foot-5 Jackson slowed down and reached out over 6-foot Nate Clements’ head to make the catch at about the 15 before outracing the cornerback into the end zone. Jackson exploited a mismatch against linebacker Takeo Spikes for an easy 11-yard catch just before halftime. Jackson pulled in a 21-yarder early in the fourth quarter, getting the ball just past the pylon. The play was upheld after a review. Mike Tolbert had a 1-yard TD run in the third quar- ter and Nate Kaeding kicked field goals of 25 and 39 yards. Smith fell far short of having the happy homecoming he was hoping for. Coming off a promising return following a five-game absence, he was 19 of 29 for 165 yards with one interception and was sacked six times. ‘‘We wanted it bad,’’ linebacker Brandon Siler said of the shutout that just eluded the Bolts. ‘‘We were saying on the sideline, ’Don’t give up anything cheap.’ It hurts a little bit, but I think we already know we’re a good defense. We proved that.’’ San Francisco’s only score came on Brian Westbrook’s 3-yard run with 4:26 left. A’s get OF Willingham from Nationals for 2 players in the 48 hours before the deal got done. Willingham’s agent, Matt Sosnick, said his play- er would be ‘‘very open’’ to talking to Oakland about a contract extension. Beane said he would soon begin conversations with Sosnick regarding Willingham’s future but declined to elabo- rate. The Nationals got right- handed reliever Henry Rodriguez and outfielder Corey Brown in the swap. ‘‘The decision to trade Josh was not based on his salary or money whatsoev- er,’’ said Nationals GM Mike Rizzo, who acknowl- edged the injury played a role in the move. Washington said the 23- MCT file photo Josh Willingham is headed from the Washington Nationals to the Oakland A’s following a trade. Oakland Athletics OAKLAND (AP) — The Oakland Athletics sud- denly have a lineup that could make them a con- tender in the AL West — if the oft-injured A’s stay healthy, of course. Oakland acquired out- fielder Josh Willingham on NFL AFC West WL T Pct PF PA Kansas City 8 5 0 .615 295 268 Chargers 8 6 0 .571 388 260 RAIDERS 67 0 .462 314 307 Denver East 3 10 0 .231 269 376 WL T Pct PF PA x-N.England 11 2 0 .846 415 276 N.Y.Jets 9 4 0 .692 273 242 Miami Buffalo South 7 6 0 .538 225 244 3 10 0 .231 256 339 WL T Pct PF PA Jacksonville 8 5 0 .615 295 331 Indianapolis 7 6 0 .538 347 318 Houston 5 8 0 .385 316 355 Tennessee 5 8 0 .385 291 265 North WL T Pct PF PA Pittsburgh 10 3 0 .769 290 198 Baltimore 9 4 0 .692 294 229 Cleveland 5 8 0 .385 235 252 Cincinnati 2 11 0 .154 262 345 NFC West Seattle WL T Pct PF PA 6 7 0 .462 261 329 St. Louis 6 7 0 .462 245 268 49ERS 59 0 .357 250 314 Arizona 4 9 0 .308 243 351 East WL T Pct PF PA N.Y. Giants 9 4 0 .692 329 250 Philadelphia 9 4 0 .692 374 308 Washington 5 8 0 .385 238 310 Dallas South 4 9 0 .308 321 366 WL T Pct PF PA Atlanta 11 2 0 .846 335 243 New Orleans10 3 0 .769 330 240 Tampa Bay 8 5 0 .615 260 267 Carolina 1 12 0 .077 164 338 North WL T Pct PF PA Chicago 9 4 0 .692 253 228 Green Bay 8 5 0 .615 306 189 Minnesota 5 8 0 .385 230 274 Detroit 3 10 0 .231 285 309 x-clinched playoff spot ————————————————— Thursday’s result San Diego 34, San Francisco 7 Sunday’s games Denver at Oakland, 1:15 p.m. Arizona at Carolina, 10 a.m. Buffalo at Miami, 10 a.m. Cleveland at Cincinnati, 10 a.m. Detroit at Tampa Bay, 10 a.m. Houston at Tennessee, 10 a.m. Jacksonville at Indianapolis, 10 a.m. Kansas City at St. Louis, 10 a.m. New Orleans at Baltimore, 10 a.m. Philadelphia at N.Y. Giants, 10 a.m. Washington at Dallas, 10 a.m. Atlanta at Seattle, 1:05 p.m. N.Y. Jets at Pittsburgh, 1:15 p.m. Green Bay at New England, 5:20 p.m. Monday’s game Chicago at Minnesota, 5:30 p.m. Sunday, 1:15 p.m., CBS OPENING LINE — Oakland by 6 1/2 RECORD VS. SPREAD — Denver 4-9; Oakland 6-7 SERIES RECORD — Raiders lead 58-42-2 LAST MEETING — Raiders beat Broncos 59-14, Oct. 24, 2010 LAST WEEK — Broncos lost to Cardinals 43-13; Raiders lost to Jaguars 38-31 BRONCOS OFFENSE — OVERALL (10), RUSH (29), PASS (5) BRONCOS DEFENSE — OVERALL (28), RUSH (31), PASS (19) PASS (24) RAIDERS OFFENSE — OVERALL (14), RUSH (3), RAIDERS DEFENSE — OVERALL (14), RUSH (26), PASS (7) STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES — Broncos have won six of past seven in Oakland. ... Raiders looking to win three straight vs. Denver for first time since taking six in row from 1992-94. ... Oakland set franchise record for points in winning first game between teams 59-14 behind 328 yards rushing. ... Denver QB Kyle Orton needs 347 yards passing to join John Elway, Jay Cutler and Jake Plummer as only Broncos with at least 4,000 in a season. ... Broncos RB Knowshon Moreno has topped 100 yards from scrimmage in six straight games, with average of 136.4 per game being second best during span. ... Denver QB Tim Tebow has accounted for four TDs on 13 touch- es, best percentage in league. ... Oakland looking to win first five division games for first time since 1988. ... RB Darren McFadden averaging 130 yards from scrimmage per game, which would be second best single-season mark in Raiders history to Marcus Allen’s 144.6 in 1985. ... Oakland tied for third in NFL with 38 sacks. Thursday from the Wash- ington Nationals, who received a pair of prospects in the trade. ‘‘I think this team is ready to win,’’ said Willing- ham, who expected to be dealt during the recent win- ter meetings. ‘‘And the orga- nization, with the moves it has already made this off- season, proves it is ready to win also.’’ A’s general manager Billy Beane certainly has worked to upgrade his line- up. Willingham is a middle- of-the-order hitter who should complement two other new faces: Hideki Matsui and David DeJesus. Willingham batted .268 with 16 home runs and 56 RBIs last season, his second with Washington after five years with Florida. The A’s hit just 109 homers and scored 663 runs last season, their second- fewest in the last 28 non- DENVER (3-10) at OAKLAND (6-7) Dallas Ducks strike seasons. ‘‘We think we’re better,’’ Beane said. ‘‘If anything, it’s a deeper lineup with more balance, too.’’ The 31-year-old Willing- ham finished last season on the 60-day disabled list as he recovered from surgery on his left knee. He was side- lined after Aug. 15 and played 114 games, 108 of those in left field. While Oakland pursued Willingham earlier this off- season, trade talks took off NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division WL OT Pts GF GA 18 10 3 39 89 86 17 14 4 38 91 102 SHARKS 16 11 5 37 96 93 Kings 17 11 1 35 82 71 Phoenix 14 9 7 35 84 84 Central Division Detroit WL OT Pts GF GA 20 7 3 43 101 80 Nashville 16 8 6 38 79 72 St. Louis 15 10 5 35 80 84 Columbus 16 12 3 35 81 88 Chicago 16 14 3 35 104 100 Northwest Division WL OT Pts GF GA Vancouver 17 8 4 38 94 76 Colorado 17 10 4 38 112 98 Calgary 14 15 3 31 89 93 Minnesota 13 13 4 30 72 89 Edmonton 12 14 5 29 84 108 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL OT Pts GF GA Philadelphia 21 7 5 47 113 81 Pittsburgh 21 10 2 44 104 78 N.Y.Rangers 20 13 1 41 104 87 New Jersey 9 19 2 20 56 88 N.Y. Islanders6 18 5 17 62 100 Northeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Montreal 19 11 2 40 85 69 Boston 16 10 4 36 86 63 Ottawa 14 16 3 31 74 97 Buffalo 13 14 4 30 81 86 Toronto 12 15 4 28 71 92 Southeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Washington 18 11 4 40 99 94 Atlanta 17 11 5 39 102 96 Tampa Bay 17 10 4 38 96 107 Carolina 14 12 4 32 85 92 Florida 13 16 0 26 74 76 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. ————————————————— Thursday’s results San Jose 4, Dallas 3,OT Calgary 5, Toronto 2 Carolina 3, Atlanta 2, SO Edmonton 6, Columbus 3 Montreal 4, Boston 3 N.Y. Islanders 3, Anaheim 2 N.Y. Rangers 4, Phoenix 3, SO Ottawa 3, Minnesota 1 St. Louis 6, Los Angeles 4 Today’s games Nashville at New Jersey, 4 p.m. Buffalo at Florida, 4:30 p.m. Detroit at Chicago, 5:30 p.m., NHLN Ottawa at Colorado, 6 p.m. Wednesday’s late result Vancouver 3, Columbus 2, OT Lakers year-old Rodriguez threw a pitch at 103.2 mph in 2010, when he went 1-0 with a 4.55 ERA in 29 appearances for Oakland. He had 11 saves and a 1.69 ERA in 20 appearances at Triple-A Sacramento. The 25-year- old Brown hit a combined .283 with 15 homers, 11 triples, 69 RBIs and 22 steals in 131 games at Sacra- mento and Double-A Mid- land. It’s been a busy week for Beane to say the least. The A’s formally intro- duced Matsui as their new designated hitter Tuesday and have agreed to terms on a contract with right-hander Rich Harden, pending a physical. Oakland manager Bob Geren will have options in the outfield, along with much-needed depth consid- ering the histories of all the players expected to con- tribute regularly. ‘‘We’ve had a number of injuries in the past and two outfielders didn’t finish the year,’’ Beane said. ‘‘We have to be a little bit gun shy. Now, we have the opportu- nity to rest guys properly and keep them healthy.’’ DeJesus, who came to the A’s in a trade with the NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division WL Pct GB 19 7 .731 — Phoenix 12 12 .500 6 WARRIORS 916 .360 9.5 KINGS 518 .217 12.5 Clippers 5 21 .192 14 Southwest Division WL Pct GB San Antonio 21 3 .875 — Dallas 20 5 .800 1.5 New Orleans15 10 .600 6.5 Memphis 12 14 .462 10 Houston 10 15 .400 11.5 Northwest Division WL Pct GB Okla. City 18 8 .692 — Utah 18 8 .692 — Denver 15 9 .625 2 Portland 12 14 .462 6 Minnesota 6 20 .231 12 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL Pct GB Miami Boston 21 4 .840 — New York 16 10 .615 5.5 Philadelphia 10 15 .400 11 Toronto 9 17 .346 12.5 New Jersey 7 19 .269 14.5 Southeast Division WL Pct GB 19 8 .704 — Orlando 16 9 .640 2 Atlanta 16 11 .593 3 Charlotte 9 16 .360 9 Washington 6 18 .250 11.5 Central Division WL Pct GB Chicago 16 8 .667 — Indiana 11 13 .458 5 Milwaukee 10 14 .417 6 Detroit 8 18 .308 9 Cleveland 7 18 .280 9.5 ————————————————— Thursday’s results Boston 102, Atlanta 90 New Jersey 97, Washington 89 San Antonio at Denver, late Today’s games Sacramento at Okla.City,5 p.m.,CSNC Cleveland at Indiana, 4 p.m. L.A. Lakers at Philadelphia, 4 p.m. Miami at New York, 4 p.m., ESPN New Jersey at Toronto, 4 p.m. Charlotte at Atlanta, 4:30 p.m. L.A. Clippers at Detroit, 4:30 p.m. Utah at New Orleans, 5 p.m. Memphis at Houston, 5:30 p.m. Phoenix at Dallas, 6:30 p.m., ESPN Minnesota at Portland, 7 p.m. ODDS Glantz-Culver Line For Dec.17 NCAAFootball Saturday BYU N.Illinois Troy New Mexico Bowl At Albuquerque, N.M. 11.5(50) Humanitarian Bowl At Boise, Idaho 1 (59) New Orleans Bowl 2.5 (58) NFL Sunday at St.Louis OFF(OFF) Kansas City at Tennessee 1.5 (47.5) 2.5 (38) 1.5 (40) 5.5 (40) at Indianapolis 5 (48.5) Jacksonville at Carolina at Cincinnati at Miami at N.Y.Giants 3 (46) at Dallas at Tampa Bay 5.5 (43) at Baltimore Atlanta at Pittsburgh 6 (36) at Oakland x-at TCF Bank Stadium Off Key Kansas City QB questionable Green Bay QB questionable Minnesota QB questionable Houston Arizona Cleveland Buffalo Philadelphia 6 (46) Washington Detroit 1.5 (43.5) New Orleans 6 (45) 6.5 (43.5) at Minnesota-x OFF (OFF) at New England OFF (OFF) GreenBay Monday Chicago at Seattle N.Y.Jets Denver UTEP Fresno St. Ohio Kansas City Royals in November, could start in right field and Willingham in left, though Oakland also had penciled Ryan Sweeney into one of the corner spots. Sweeney agreed to a $1.4 million, one-year contract earlier this month. Sweeney hit .294 with one homer and 36 RBIs in 82 games last season before being sidelined in July by a right knee injury. He has gone 117 games without committing an error. DeJesus batted .318 with five homers and 37 RBIs in 91 games with Kansas City this year. He was sidelined for the final two months fol- lowing right thumb surgery. Starting center fielder Coco Crisp, whose $5.75 million option was exercised early last month, hit .279 with eight homers, 38 RBIs and a career-high 32 stolen bases despite being limited to 75 games. He spent stints on the disabled list with a broken left pinkie finger — it kept him off the opening day roster — and a strained rib cage. The A’s stayed in the AL West chase until late in the season, losing out to the AL champion Texas Rangers, and finished 81-81 for sec- ond place in the division. That was despite using the disabled list 23 times, two shy of the franchise record set in 2008. Rizzo expects Rodriguez, who is out of options, to earn a spot in the bullpen out of spring train- ing and perhaps work as an eighth-inning setup man or closer at some point. Brown probably will start 2011 at Triple-A Syra- cuse. To fill Willingham’s spot, Rizzo said the Nationals might go with a platoon of Roger Bernadina and Michael Morse in left. Also on Thursday, the Nationals signed right-han- der Chien-Ming Wang to a one-year, major league con- tract. He hasn’t pitched since July 2009 and is trying to come back from right shoulder surgery. Wang originally signed with Washington in February, but was not tendered a new con- tract in December. NCAABASKETBALL Thursday’s Top 25 results No. 13 Missouri 81, Oral Roberts 62 No.18 Memphis 70, Austin Peay 68, OT Today’s top 25 game No. 7 Tennessee at Charlotte, 5 p.m.