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Sports 1B Friday January 17, 2014 BoldinCrabtree tandem shines SANTA CLARA (AP) — Anquan Boldin and Michael Crabtree waited nearly eight months to finally step on the field together for game day. At last, in Week 13, everyone got to see the dynamic tandem in San Francisco's upgraded receiving corps — and it didn't take them long to discover an impressive rhythm for a passing game in serious need of a jolt. While the emotional Boldin helped lead the offense alongside Colin Kaepernick, Frank Gore and Vernon Davis early on, Crabtree worked through months of rehab after surgery for a torn right Achilles tendon. ''That was the vision going in, him on one side, me on the other, Vernon working the middle of the field,'' Boldin said. ''It's tough on defenses when you have two guys outside capable of having big games, and then you have Vernon inside matched up with linebackers. So, it gives defenses fits.'' Whether the Seahawks' stellar secondary can be fooled by this talented trio during the NFC championship game Sunday at Seattle will play a key factor in which of the archrivals advances to the Super Bowl. 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh wondered whether Crabtree would be the same dominant player. Even offensive coordinator Greg Roman had his doubts it would happen this season given the severity of Crabtree's injury. ''You've always got to plan for the worst-case scenario,'' Roman said Thursday. ''Until I saw him pushing a sled about a month and a half ago out here, I realized it was reality.'' Crabtree quickly returned to form as someone Harbaugh considers the best pass catcher he has seen. Crabtree might celebrate a clutch catch by pumping his arms, while Boldin tends to do so by barking at an opposing defender. ''That's just my personality. It's always been the way that I played the game,'' Boldin said. ''I was always told if you don't play the game all out, then you're cheating yourself.'' To see Crabtree back at full strength means so much for San Francisco's swagger as the team carries an eight-game winning streak into CenturyLink Field. ''You could just see at every juncture he was hitting right down the middle of the strike zone in terms of his healing. And you just watched the mental toughness, the physical toughness over that six-month period,'' Harbaugh said. ''And then when he got back on the field, then even a, 'Wow, this is really going to be good for us.' And just thankful to him. Thankful that he went through the grueling rehab, went through the toughness, and thankful that he was good.'' This is the kind of dangerous receiving unit the 49ers envisioned when Boldin came to San Francisco last March in a trade from Super Bowl champion Baltimore that sent a sixth-round draft pick to the Ravens. Boldin noticed a difference in how Seattle's defense played the Niners in Week 2 without Crabtree to the way they did in a 19-17 49ers win Dec. 8 at Candlestick Park with him. ''Every team plays you differently as opposed to not having Crab out there,'' Boldin said. ''He's definitely a weapon that you have to account for.'' Boldin realizes, with Crabtree playing a big part, how fortunate he is to be chasing a second championship in as many years after winning it all with the Ravens against the 49ers last February. ''I'm in a situation where I'm able to possibly compete for a championship again. As a player, that's something that you cherish, that's something that you play for,'' Boldin said. ''So, I've been blessed to be in this position.'' Crabtree had eight receptions for 125 yards in a 2320 wild-card win at Green Bay. Making his season debut on Dec. 1 against St. Louis, he played the final five games of the regular season and had 19 receptions for 284 yards and a touchdown. ''Playing was on my mind, all I wanted to do is get back on the field and do what it takes,'' Crabtree said. ''As soon as I got hurt I asked the doctor how long it was going to take, and he told me about five months. I didn't want to tell anybody the dates, I just kept working hard.'' AP file photo Philadelphia Phillies' Pedro Feliz, left, and Jimmy Rollins watch in the background, as umpires discuss a call in Game 1 of the baseball's World Series against the New York Yankees in New York in 2009. Major League Baseball announced Thursday that it will expand instant replay to review close calls starting this season. MLB expands instant replay PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. (AP) — Ever since the game was invented, before television or even radio existed, baseball counted on the eyes and ears of umpires on the field. Starting this season, many key decisions will be made in a studio far away. Major League Baseball vaulted into the 21st century of technology on Thursday, approving a huge expansion of instant replay in hopes of eliminating blown calls that riled up players, managers and fans. ''I think it's great,'' San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. ''It's about getting it right.'' Acknowledging the human element had been overtaken in an era when everyone except the umps could see several views over and over in slow-motion, owners and players and umpires OKed the new system. Now each manager will be allowed to challenge at least one call per game. If he's right, he gets another challenge. After the seventh inning, a crew chief can request a review on his own if the manager has used his challenges. ''I tell you the fans will love it,'' baseball Commissioner Bud Selig said after owners met and voted their unanimous approval. ''It's another in a long list of changes that will make this sport better than it already is.'' Baseball was the last major pro sport in North America to institute replay when it began late in the 2008 season. Even then, it was only used for close calls on home runs. The NFL, NBA, NHL, some NCAA sports and major tennis tournaments all use a form of replay, and even FIFA and the English Premier League have adopted goal-line technology for soccer. Not that managers won't still occasionally bolt from the dugout, their veins bulging. The so-called ''neighborhood play'' at second base on double plays cannot be challenged. Many had safety concerns for middle infielders being wiped out by hard-charging runners if the phantom force was subject to review. Ball-and-strike calls can't be contested. Neither can check-swings and foul tips. Nor can obstruction and interference rulings — those are up to the umpires' judgment, like the one at third base in St. Louis that ended Boston's loss in Game 3 of the World Series last October. All reviews will be done by current MLB umpires at a replay center in MLB.com's New York office. To create a large enough staff, MLB agreed to hire six new big league umpires and call up two minor league umps for the entire season. A seventh major league umpire will be added to replace the late Wally Bell. The umpires on the field will be able to talk to the command center. The replay umpire will make the final decision — that could include where to place runners if, say, a call is reversed from out to safe on a trapped ball in outfield. In addition, managers and others in the dugout will be allowed to communicate by phone with someone in the clubhouse who can watch the videos and advise whether to challenge a call. ''I'm excited to see how it works out. I am interested to see how the flow of the game is affected,'' Oakland catcher Stephen Vogt said. ''It's a good use of the technology that we have, the fact that we will be able to get more calls corrected and fixed.'' Joe Torre, MLB's executive vice president of baseball operations, said work continues on a proposed rule that would ban home-plate collisions between runners and the catcher. The rule has not been written and talks on its content are ongoing between MLB representatives and the players union, he said. Even since William McLean became the first professional umpire when he worked a Boston-Philadelphia National League game on April 22, 1876, baseball has celebrated its old-fashioned traditions. Having umpires make the calls on the field was one of them. So were arguments between managers and umpires, often to the delight of fans. Worries that replays would slow the pace even more were offset by this: Replay decisions cannot be argued. Replay umpires will make their final rulings in no more than a minute to 90 seconds, MLB Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Joe Torre estimated. ''With our technology today we can do that in a way I don't think we will interrupt the flow of the game,'' Bochy said. To make reviews uniform, cameras will transit 12 angles from each ballpark. MLB Chief Operating Officer Rob Manfred said it was uncertain whether the replay system will be in place in Australia for the season-opening series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers. ''For some, the discussions regarding expanded replay appeared to move too slowly, too deliberately,'' said Brian Lam, the lawyer for the World Umpires Association. ''But there were technical and operational challenges that needed to be addressed, and that took time. With so many competing interests and opinions, it is unlikely that all will be completely pleased at the end of the day, but that's often the nature of things.'' MLB had talked for a few years about expanding replay to include fair-or-foul calls and traps. Several missed calls in the postseason ratcheted up the debate. The players' union gave its approval for the 2014 season. Tehama Tracker Kings to accept Bitcoin for purchases Today's schedule BOYS BASKETBALL Paradise at Red Bluff, 7:30 p.m. Corning at Yreka, 7:30 p.m. Hayfork at Mercy, 7:30 p.m. Los Molinos at University Prep, 7:30 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Red Bluff at Paradise, 7:30 p.m. Yreka at Corning, 7:30 p.m. Hayfork at Mercy, 6 p.m. Los Molinos at University Prep, 6 p.m. NBA Sacramento at Memphis, 5 p.m. Golden State at Oklahoma City, 6:30 p.m. Sports on TV BOXING 7 p.m. SHO — Junior welterweights, Maurice Hooker (12-0-1) vs. Abel Ramos (8-0-0); middleweights, Antoine Douglas (11-0-0) vs. Marquis Davis (8-02); junior middleweights, John Thompson (14-0-0) vs. Frank Galarza (11-0-2); lightweights, Ivan Redkach (15-0-0) vs. Tony Luis (17-1-0), at Memphis, Tenn. GOLF Noon TGC — PGA Tour, Humana Challenge, second round, at La Quinta, Calif. 4 p.m. TGC — Champions Tour, Mitsubishi Electric Championship, first round, at Ka'upulehu-Kona, Hawaii 1 a.m. TGC — European PGA Tour, Abu Dhabi Championship, third round, at Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates MEN'S COLLEGE HOCKEY 4:30 p.m. NBCSN — Lake Superior St. at Notre Dame NBA BASKETBALL 4 p.m. ESPN — L.A. Clippers at New York 6:30 p.m. ESPN — Golden State at Oklahoma City TENNIS 6 p.m. ESPN2 — Australian Open, third round, at Melbourne, Australia Midnight ESPN2 — Australian Open, third round, at Melbourne, Australia WINTER SPORTS 1 p.m. NBCSN — USSA, U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix, at Mammoth Lakes, Calif. 8 p.m. NBCSN — USSA, U.S. Freeskiing Grand Prix, at Park City, Utah SACRAMENTO (AP) — The Sacramento Kings are set to become the first major professional sports franchise to accept Bitcoin virtual currency for ticket and merchandise purchases. The Kings announced Thursday that fans will be able to buy gear from the official team store and pay for tickets with the digital money beginning March 1. Purchases will be processed through BitPay, which accepts the digital dollars and pays the Kings in cash. Bitcoin users buy digital money and load it onto a virtual wallet. Unlike government-issued money, the value of Bitcoin fluctuates rapidly. At one point Thursday, the value of one Bitcoin was worth nearly $850. Kings owner Vivek Ranadive said the new payment method is part of his model for ''NBA 3.0, which focuses on investments in technology, globalization and deep community partnerships.'' Raiders GM says Allen's job was never in jeopardy ALAMEDA (AP) — Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie never doubted he would bring back coach Dennis Allen for a third year despite back-to-back 4-12 records. If anything, McKenzie believes the team is on the cusp of turning around what has been a decadelong tailspin and likes the direction the franchise is moving under Allen. Speaking to reporters for the first time in more than two months, McKenzie said Thursday that he purposely kept a low profile while rumors swirled about Allen's job status during the final month of the regular season in hopes the chatter would go away. Oakland ended the season on a six-game losing streak and dropped eight of its last nine. McKenzie still gave Allen a vote of confidence and pointed out the team's dearth of talent on the roster.