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2B – Daily News – Saturday, February 5, 2011 College players adjust to new, safer bats STANFORD (AP) — Travis Higgs used to hit at least seven home runs during a 40-minute session of batting practice. Using one of college base- ball’s new, safer metal bats this week, he cleared the fence just once. That’s fine with the University of San Francisco catcher, and his coach. Same with Dons pitcher Matt Hiser- man, who survived a life-threatening skull fracture last February when he was hit with a line drive during an intrasquad game. Many college players have been swinging the new bats since fall work- outs, getting a feel for what it’s like to have the sweet spot shrink from some 22 inches to barely more than 5. Coaches and players figure power numbers and batting averages will be worse this spring and ERAs much improved in the initial season as every- body adjusts. Pure hitters should still get their share of home runs. ‘‘A bat’s a bat,’’ said Stanford fresh- man infielder Brian Ragira, a 30th- round draft pick by his hometown Texas Rangers who chose to go to col- lege. ‘‘If you square the ball up with this bat, it’s still going to go out.’’ While the bats play closer to their wooden counterparts minus the weight and mass, they also are designed to decrease the exit speeds of the ball off the bat. The average speed had been considered 93 mph, but many hits were coming off at rates of 100-103 mph and making for dangerous situa- tions in which players had little or no time to react or protect themselves. The new bats must meet a standard called the Ball-Bat Coefficient of Restitution — or BBCOR. California high schools are already going to these bats, while the rest of the country has another year to use the older, light- weight composite models. College teams began formal prac- tices this week, with many playing their first games Feb. 18. ‘‘I think it’s the biggest adjustment on offense that our game will ever see,’’ said 13th-year USF coach Nino Giarratano. ‘‘It’s really going to bring GIANTS (Continued from page 1B) lion starting pitcher Barry Zito off the roster for the entire postseason. He also decided midseason to bench center fielder Aaron OWN (Continued from page 1B) After throwing for 28 touchdowns in one season at Butte — along with starting a growth spurt that would see him add four inches and 50 pounds — Rodgers made his way to Cal, where he worked with coach Jeff Tedford. In two years there, Rodgers went 14-4 as a starter, threw for 5,469 yards and, for a long time in the lead-up to the 2005 draft, was being touted as a possible No. 1 pick. Reputations change, though, and when his favorite team growing up, the Niners, used the first pick on another quarterback, Alex Smith, Rodgers' slide down the board began. Picking at No. 24, the Packers hadn't spent any time in the offseason consid- ering the possibility that Rodgers would fall down to their spot. But about 10 days before the draft, they saw his stock was still fading. They started doing some home- work. They realized they would almost have to take him if he fell that far. It was- n't so much that they needed a quarterback, it was that Rodgers was such a bargain at that point, he'd be almost impossible to pass up. The pick, of course, was not all that popular — not with Favre still in the late part of his prime and show- ing no signs of the retire- ment-unretirement game he'd saddle the Packers and others with a few years down the road. Then again, many other talented quarterbacks — Mark Brunell, Matt Hassel- beck and Kurt Warner — had been brought in as Favre's backup, spent a few years, then moved on. "In some ways, sitting for three years and then playing is helpful," said general man- ager Ted Thompson, who was questioned when he made the pick, then criticized when he traded Favre to ‘‘Do I think the bats will make a difference? I don’t know.’’ San Jose State baseball coach Sam Pirarp the game back to being fun. You’ll see a drop in average and better pitching numbers. You’ll definitely see the home run totals diminish and time of game will be shorter. What it does is give the inside of the plate back to the pitcher. True power is going to be true power.’’ Outfielders might need to change how they react to balls that suddenly aren’t coming to them quite as quick- ly, though many believe it will be a minimal change. ‘‘Do I think the bats will make a difference? I don’t know,’’ 24th-year San Jose State coach Sam Piraro said. ‘‘I don’t see where there are going to be as many home runs as there’ve been, which is fine with me. I love playing the game of baseball where you earn what you get.’’ Hiserman’s speedy recovery and extraordinary comeback in a matter of two months last spring surprised his parents, coaches, teammates and espe- cially doctors, who weren’t sure the reliever would return to class let alone the field. Now he’s in graduate school and back for his senior season. ‘‘He’s as good as he’s ever been. If anything, he’s stronger,’’ Higgs said. During a Feb. 13, 2010, intrasquad scrimmage, Hiserman was hit by a sharp line drive off the bat of team- mate Pete Lavin. Hiserman spent four days in intensive care as doctors mon- itored the bleeding of his brain to see if he needed surgery. Hiserman’s skull fracture extended through the facial nerves and inner ear bones without seriously affecting them. He suffered a blown out right eardrum and slight decrease in hear- ing. In nearby Marin County last March, then-16-year-old high school pitcher Gunnar Sandberg was hit by a line drive during a scrimmage and suf- fered a brain injury. That sparked the Rowand, who behind Zito is the team’s second-highest paid player. Bochy was swept in the 1998 World Series while with San Diego and elimi- nated in the minimum three games in the 2005 division series by St. Louis, then lost in four games to the Cardi- make way for Rodgers to become the starter. "That's the way it was back in the day. You always brought quarterbacks in and you developed them for about two or three years before you actually played them. That's hard to do anymore." Indeed, in the salary cap era, finances make it hard to justify spending first-round money for a player to sit on the bench, even if he is a quarterback who needs time. Add the fact that shortly after Rodgers was chosen, Favre said in an interview that it wasn't his job to mentor his understudies, and it was clear that this was not going to be the most comfortable situa- tion. "The best way to describe it was, we were teammates the first year," Rodgers said in a 2008 interview. "It was a very business relationship. But I was kind of in his hip pocket. My biggest thing was, if we're not going to be friends yet, which is fine, I'm still going to be in his hip pocket until he tells me to get lost." Meanwhile, determined to make the situation work, Rodgers reached out to Young, who says not much has changed in the NFL in the 15 years between his odyssey and Rodgers'. "The exact circumstances may have changed but the challenge is the same," Young said. "I think he's been remarkable not taking the bait on anything and PGA Phoenix Open At TPC Scottsdale, Stadium Course Scottsdale, Ariz. Purse: $6.1 million Yardage: 7,216; Par 71 (35-36) Sat and Sun: 10 a.m., TCG; Noon, CBS Second Round Leaderboard Tommy Gainey 33-30— 63 -8 Dustin Johnson 31-33— 64 -7 Tom Gillis Bill Haas 32-33— 65 -6 31-34— 65 -6 Tom Lehman 34-31— 65 -6 Jason Bohn 33-32— 65 -6 Charley Hoffman 34-31— 65 -6 Mark Wilson 34-31— 65 -6 Cameron Beckman30-35— 65 -6 J.B. Holmes 33-32— 65 -6 Jason Dufner 31-34— 65 -6 Aaron Baddeley 30-35— 65 -6 Marin County Athletic League to ban metal bats and require its 10 teams to use wooden bats. Doctors removed a part of Sand- berg’s skull to relieve brain swelling. He slowly recovered in a San Francis- co rehabilitation facility after initially being in a medically induced coma. ‘‘I will speak for our team, we accept the challenge of having a newer bat with less pop and less power,’’ Higgs said. ‘‘For us, it’s just a bat and you’ve still got to put a good swing on it. Balls that you put good swings on will turn into home runs, maybe not as many. For the safety of the game, it will be safer because balls won’t come off as hard. There will be a lot more small-ball games. You just take it for what it is.’’ The injuries were especially note- worthy in Northern California last year. At Saint Mary’s College, one of USF’s top rivals across San Francisco Bay, closer Dorsey Ek missed half of last season with a head injury after he was hit during batting practice and sustained a concussion. He also is back this season. ‘‘Ninety feet might not be what it used to be,’’ California coach Dave Esquer said of the bat change. ‘‘Teams might play a little bit smaller. They can’t wait for a double or a home run.’’ The injuries and close calls have affected numerous programs across the country, too. The bats for 2011 must meet the new rules to be approved for NCAA use. The Rawlings bats used by USF players feature thinner walls, one of the efforts by manufacturers to elimi- nate what is referred to as the ‘‘tram- poline effect’’ of the ball coming off the bat at such a high rate of speed. ‘‘I think two or three years down the road kids won’t notice a differ- ence,’’ Giarratano said. nals in the first round the very next year. That ’98 team was Bochy’s lone pennant in 12 seasons as Padres skipper. He got a fresh start in Northern California with the Giants. Bochy’s first Giants team went 71-91 and the one after that finished with just one more victory at 72-90. focusing on what really mat- ters, then going out and doing it. Maybe people want more drama and intrigue. But he hasn't given it to them. Good for him." With his focus squarely on football, Rodgers has done nothing but get better since getting his first chance in, of all places, the Super Bowl city of Dallas. Favre went out with a concussion that day in 2007 and Rodgers completed 18 of 26 passes for 201 yards and a touch- down as his backup. By the next season, Favre was gone, Thompson was being cast as a villain and Rodgers was on the road to becoming an elite quarter- back. "I always just looked at Aaron Rodgers as a quarter- back who's really developing and delivering on time," coach Mike McCarthy said. "I don't look at one big hur- dle he had to overcome. He stayed true to his craft, true to the fundamentals, became an expert in offense. He has the ability to run the whole offense at the line." To his coach, his receivers, his mentors, that's what stands out about Rodgers. "He'll call me at 7:30 in the morning and talk about something he saw on the tape," receiver James Jones said. "Or we'll be standing in the huddle on 3rd and 2 and he'll tell us exactly what the defense is going to do and LOCAL Red Bluff Parks and Recreation Basketball Feb. 3 results Barnes Boys 105, Arrow Fencing 62 JD Dominick 24 points Justin Sorenson 14 points Corning Glass 77, Vineyard 62 Shane Robertson 27 points Joey Luevano 12 points Red Bluff Parks and Recreation Volleyball Feb. 3 results Tom’s Glass 11, 12 Kids @ Heart 15, 15 Mt. Lassen Motor 15, 15 The L 7, 5 Just 4 fun Feb. 2 result 4, 7, 5 St. E Angels 15, 15, 15 ‘‘This has been an incred- ible ride. What a year. ‘‘I’m very honored to continue to be a Giant. This is a special place to be. I’m very lucky you have the confidence in me to lead this group of castoffs and misfits.’’ they do it." His stats, not surprisingly, have reflected this mastery of the playbook. Rodgers threw for 3,922 yards and 28 touchdowns with only 11 interceptions in the regular season. He has completed 71 percent of his passes in the postseason and put in what Mike Ditka called the best postseason performance he'd ever seen by a quarterback with a 366-yard, three-TD game in the 48-21 win over Atlanta. Of course, many experts measure the real greatness of a quarterback by Super Bowl victories. With a win Sun- day, Rodgers will be even with Favre. Young expects it to hap- pen. He said Rodgers — with his expertise at reading defenses — has gotten to a point that only the very best reach. "Very few quarterbacks dictate terms and he's becoming one of those guys," Young said. "Very few people own it like that. He has the ability to make it a very long day for a defense. I think Sunday could be a real revelation for a lot of people about who, exactly, Aaron Rodgers is." NCAA Saturday’s Top 25 games No. 2 Kansas at Nebraska, 1 p.m. No.3 Texas vs.Texas Tech, 6 p.m. No. 4 Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati, 3 p.m. No.5 Duke vs. N.C. State, 3 p.m., ESPN No. 6 Connecticut at Seton Hall, 4 p.m. No.8 BYU vs.UNLV, 1 p.m., VS No.10 Kentucky at Florida, 6 p.m., ESPN No.12 V’nova vs.No.25 W.Vir., 9 a.m., ESPN No.13 Georgetown vs. Providence, 9 a.m. No. 14 Missouri vs. Colorado, 4:30 p.m. No. 15 Louisville vs.DePaul, 5 p.m. No.16 Texas A&M vs.Baylor, 11 a.m., ESPN No. 17 Syracuse at South Florida, 11 a.m. No.20 Washington at Oregon, 1 p.m., CSNB No.21 Arizona at California, 5 p.m., CSNC No.22 Utah State vs.Boise State, 6:05 p.m. No.23 Vanderbilt vs.S.Carolina, 10:30 a.m. Saturday’s other televised games Butler at Cleveland St., 9 a.m., ESPN2 St. John’s at UCLA, 10 a.m., CBS Rhode Island at Temple, 11 a.m., ESPN2 Iowa at Indiana, 1 p.m., ESPN2 Memphis at Gonzaga, 1 p.m., ESPN Arizona State at Stanford, 3 p.m., CSNB Mississippi at Arkansas, 3 p.m., ESPN2 L.Marymount at St.Mary’s, 5 p.m., ESPN2 Santa Clara at San Francisco, 7 p.m., CSNC Sunday’s Top 25 games No.1 Ohio St.at No.18 Minn., 11 a.m., ESPN No.9 Notre Dame vs. Rutgers, 9 a.m. No.19 Wisconsin vs.Mich.St., 10 a.m., CBS No.23 N.Carolina vs.Fla.St., 11 a.m., CSN Sunday’s games Pittsburgh at Washington, 9:30 a.m., NBC New Jersey at Montreal, Noon St. Louis at Tampa Bay, Noon Thursday’s late results Golden State 100, Milwaukee 94 San Antonio 89, L.A. Lakers 88 Super Bowl PITTSBURGH (14-4) vs. GREEN BAY (13-6) Sunday, 3:30 p.m. EST, FOX, Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas Packers by 2 OPENING LINE — SERIES RECORD — Packers lead 18-14 LAST MEETING — Steelers beat Packers 37-36, Dec. 20, 2009 STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES — Steelers, Packers meet in postseason for first time in matchup of franchises that have combined to win nine Super Bowls (Pittsburgh, six; Green Bay, three). ... Pittsburgh, going for third Super Bowl title in six years, has won nine of last 10 postseason games. Steelers also have seven-game winning streak in playoffs. ... Steelers' eight trips to Super Bowl tied with Cow- boys for most in NFL. Their six wins are also most of any franchise. With victory, Steelers will surpass Cowboys (33) for most overall in postseason. ... Coach Mike Tomlin is 5-1 in postseason with Steelers and trying for second champi- onship ring. At 38, he can become youngest coach to win two Super Bowl titles. He already joined Washington's Joe Gibbs as only coaches to reach two Super Bowls in first four seasons as head coach, and can become first to win both. ... With win, Ben Roethlisberger joins Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, Troy Aikman and Tom Brady as only QBs to win at least three Super Bowls. ... Roethlisberger's .833 winning percentage (10-2 record) in postseason ranks second behind Packers Hall of Famer Bart Starr (.900; 9-1 record). ... In only previous meeting vs. Packers, Roethlisberger was 29 of 46 for career-best 503 yards with 3 TDs vs. 0 INTs. ... WR Hines Ward, MVP of 2006 Super Bowl, needs three catches to surpass Colts' Reggie Wayne (83) for fourth-most in NFL postseason history and five to pass Buffalo's Andre Reed for third. He averages 23.7 yards per catch in Super Bowls and has most receptions in Steelers playoff history. ... RB Rashard Mendenhall had career postseason-high 121 yards rushing in AFC title game against Jets. Has three rushing TDs in two career playoff games. ... Rookie Pro Bowl C Maurkice Pouncey could miss game with high left ankle sprain. Backup Doug Legursky would take his place after filling in last week when Pouncey was injured early vs. Jets. ... Pittsburgh defense has not allowed 100-yard rusher in 16 consecutive postseason games, second-longest current streak behind Washington (17). ... LB LaMarr Woodley is first player since 1982 to post at least one sack in six straight post- season games. He has 10 sacks in six career postseason games. ... S Troy Polamalu was selected AP Defensive Play- er of the Year after ranking second in NFL with seven inter- ceptions. ... LB James Harrison, the 2008 Defensive Player of Year, had 100-yard INT return for a score in Steelers' last Super Bowl game two years ago. ... Packers going for 13th NFL championship; their 12 titles are the most all-time. ... Green Bay is 3-1 in Super Bowl bowls. ... Making first Super Bowl appearance since 31-24 loss to Denver in January 1998. ... Packers have 28-16 (.636) playoff record, best mark in NFL history, and club's 28 postseason wins are third-most in all-time. ... Green Bay is first No. 6 seed in NFC to advance to Super Bowl. ... Packers have made postseason in three of past four seasons under coach Mike McCarthy. McCarthy was born and raised in Pittsburgh. ... QB Aaron Rodgers has completed 94 of 135 passes for 1,213 yards with 10 TDs vs. 3 INTs in 4 postseason starts. ... Packers rookie RB James Starks is NFL postseason leader with 263 yards rushing. ... Fullback John Kuhn was member of Steel- ers' practice squad when they won 2006 Super Bowl. NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division WL OT Pts GF GA Dallas 30 17 5 65 151 147 SHARKS 27 19 6 60 148 144 Ducks 28 21 4 60 143 150 Phoenix 25 19 9 59 152 156 Kings 28 22 2 58 146 126 Central Division WL OT Pts GF GA Detroit 31 14 6 68 173 151 Nashville 27 18 7 61 138 125 Chicago 27 20 4 58 164 143 St. Louis 23 20 7 53 135 149 Columbus 24 22 5 53 137 159 Northwest Division WL OT Pts GF GA Vancouver 33 10 9 75 175 122 Minnesota 27 19 5 59 135 137 Calgary 26 21 6 58 151 156 Colorado 25 20 6 56 164 169 Edmonton 15 28 8 38 126 176 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL OT Pts GF GA Philadelphia 34 13 5 73 177 136 Pittsburgh 34 15 4 72 164 119 N.Y.Rangers 29 21 4 62 153 133 New Jersey 18 30 4 40 109 153 N.Y.Islanders 16 28 7 39 123 166 Northeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Boston 30 15 7 67 161 117 Montreal 29 18 5 63 136 127 Buffalo 23 22 5 51 139 147 Toronto 21 25 5 47 131 156 Ottawa 17 27 8 42 114 169 Southeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Tampa Bay 32 16 5 69 160 159 Washington 28 15 10 66 147 134 Atlanta 24 21 9 57 155 174 Carolina 25 21 6 56 155 161 Florida 23 23 6 52 140 141 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. ————————————————— Friday’s results Columbus 3, Detroit 0 Florida 4, New Jersey 3, OT Pittsburgh 3, Buffalo 2 St. Louis 5, Edmonton 3 Washington 5, Tampa Bay 2 Chicago at Vancouver, late Today’s games San Jose at Boston, 10 a.m., CSNC N.Y. Rangers at Montreal, 11 a.m. Anaheim at Colorado, Noon Atlanta at Carolina, 4 p.m. Dallas at Philadelphia, 4 p.m., NHLN Edmonton at Columbus, 4 p.m. Ottawa at N.Y. Islanders, 4 p.m. Toronto at Buffalo, 4 p.m. Detroit at Nashville, 5 p.m. Minnesota at Phoenix, 5 p.m. Los Angeles at Calgary, 7 p.m. NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division WL Pct GB Lakers 34 16 .680 — Phoenix 23 24 .489 9.5 WARRIORS 21 27 .438 12 Clippers 19 30 .388 14.5 KINGS 12 34 .261 20 Southwest Division WL Pct GB San Antonio 41 8 .837 — Dallas 34 15 .694 7 New Orleans32 19 .627 10 Memphis 27 24 .529 15 Houston 23 28 .451 19 Northwest Division WL Pct GB Okla. City 31 17 .646 — Denver 29 20 .592 2.5 Utah 29 21 .580 3 Portland 26 24 .520 6 Minnesota 11 38 .224 20.5 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL Pct GB Boston 37 12 .755 — New York 25 24 .510 12 Philadelphia23 26 .469 14 New Jersey 15 36 .294 23 Toronto 14 37 .275 24 Southeast Division WL Pct GB 36 14 .720 — Miami Atlanta 32 18 .640 4 Orlando 32 19 .627 4.5 Charlotte 21 28 .429 14.5 Washington 13 36 .265 22.5 Central Division WL Pct GB Chicago 34 14 .708 — Indiana 20 27 .426 13.5 Milwaukee 19 29 .396 15 Detroit 18 32 .360 17 Cleveland 8 42 .160 27 ————————————————— Friday’s results San Antonio at Sacramento,late Atlanta 101, L.A. Clippers 100 Dallas 101, Boston 97 Detroit 92, New Jersey 82 Indiana 100, Portland 87 Memphis 112, Cleveland 105 Miami 109, Charlotte 97 Orlando 110, Washington 92 Philadelphia 100, New York 98 Toronto 111, Minnesota 100 Oklahoma City at Phoenix, late Utah at Denver, late Saturday’s games Chicago at Golden State,7:30 p.m.,CSNB Atlanta at Washington, 4 p.m., NBATV Dallas at Charlotte, 4 p.m. Portland at Cleveland, 4:30 p.m. L.A. Lakers at New Orleans, 5 p.m. Denver at Minnesota, 5:30 p.m. Detroit at Milwaukee, 5:30 p.m. Memphis at Houston, 5:30 p.m. Oklahoma City at Utah, 6 p.m. Sunday’s games Indiana at New Jersey, 9 a.m. L.A. Clippers at Miami, 9 a.m. Philadelphia at New York, 9 a.m. Orlando at Boston, 11:30 a.m., ABC