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2B – Daily News – Wednesday, February 23, 2011 Torres has firm spot on Giants roster this spring San Francisco Giants SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Andres Torres catches himself as he loses focus and begins to glance all over the room, then apologizes. Even though he can’t help it. San Francisco’s center fielder deals every day with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Diagnosed in 2002 while with Detroit, Torres didn’t begin taking medication until five years later in 2007. That has made a drastic difference — and helped him become a steady big leaguer at last. The switch-hitting Torres toiled through parts of 12 years in the minors — eight of those at the Triple-A level — before getting his shot. He was long told that at 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds he was just too small to make it in the majors. Until everybody found out otherwise last season with the World Series champion Giants. Torres became a regular in May, giving San Francisco a reliable leadoff man with a sure-handed glove and speed in center. This spring feels different for Torres. He has a spot on the roster and probably a starting job. ‘‘It’s not that I’m relaxed. It’s just I know I’m at least going to be here,’’ Torres said. ‘‘My whole career I never knew what was going to happen to me. This year, for the first time in my career, I’m more calm. I feel like I deserve to be here. The years before I just tried to make the team. I’m going to keep it the same, keep working hard, keep doing my best. I’m not going to take anything for granted.’’ He now takes a pill for ADHD before every game, and that has helped Torres to better focus on one task when his mind used to scatter in so many directions that he had a tough time staying focused. ‘‘I get distracted. You see me looking everywhere,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s hard sometimes even with medication.’’ Torres’ plight to reach the majors after a modest upbring- ing in Puerto Rico and his struggles with ADHD will be the subject of a documentary due out this summer. He is thrilled to share his story, hoping it can only help others. Last month, Torres received a $2.2 million, one-year con- tract that includes an additional $100,000 that he can earn in performance bonuses — a hefty raise from the $426,000 he made in 2010. He is now a mega celebrity in his home coun- try. Torres batted .268 with 16 home runs and 63 RBIs in his first full big league season, then played through pain throughout the playoffs. He surprised the Giants and even ‘‘My whole career I never knew what was going to happen to me. This year, for the first time in my career, I’m more calm. I feel like I deserve to be here. The years before I just tried to make the team. I’m going to keep it the same, keep working hard, keep doing my best. I’m not going to take anything for granted.’’ himself with a rapid recovery to return from an emergency appendectomy late in the year to help San Francisco in the stretch run. After such a long wait to be a contributor, there was no way Torres would stay on the sideline during such an impor- tant time for the franchise. Torres had the procedure Sept. 12 in San Diego and played again Sept. 24 — missing all of 11 games. His fitness level and determination helped him return so soon. Manag- er Bruce Bochy had all but ruled out Torres for the remain- der of the regular season. ‘‘It was tough,’’ he said of the pain from surgery. ‘‘I’ve been through a lot. I’m going to be there and keep doing that. I’m not going to quit. I’ve been at the point of my career when I’ve almost been out of the game. I’ve been through so many situations that I’ve learned to come through things, even when I’m struggling or I’m hurt.’’ Torres said he felt discomfort when he ran, made a div- ing catch or any other sudden movement. He wasn’t about to complain. He needed the winter to truly heal, even if the offseason was shortened by a month because of the team’s improbable title run. ‘‘It is ironic he was able to come back so fast because of the type of player he is,’’ general manager Brian Sabean said. ‘‘He’s full-out, especially on the basepaths. I don’t doubt that now, hearing that (he played through pain).’’ Still, Torres hit .276 with a home run and three RBIs in 15 postseason games. He hit four doubles and stole two bases. Everybody around the Giants was happy for Torres, who has committed only three errors in the majors. ‘‘More so because he’s a great person,’’ Sabean said. ‘‘You know what it means to him personally but more so his family or his loved ones who have stuck by him. That’s something that makes it even more rewarding. And he was a huge help. He hadn’t had a full season of healthy baseball at the major league level. In that sense he may have exceed- Kings 97 Miami 117 MIAMI (AP) — Potential trouble signs were everywhere for the Miami Heat. The first game back after the All- Star break. A bit of cross-country-trav- el fatigue for LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Looming big- time matchups with the Chicago Bulls and new-look New York Knicks. Not a problem. James scored 31 points, Wade added 23 and the Heat opened their post-All-Star schedule with an easy 117-97 win over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night. The Heat never trailed, jumping out to a 35-16 lead after the first quarter and eventually going up by as many as 29 before the starters got pulled. Bosh had a 22-point, nine-rebound night and Mario Chalmers added 14 points for Miami, which won for the 11th time in its last 12 games. The Heat made seven straight shots on the way to shooting 64 percent in the opening quarter, setting the stage for a rout. Oakland Athletics Samuel Dalembert had 18 points and 13 rebounds off the bench for the Kings, who are 1-8 in February. Jason Thompson and Jermaine Taylor each added 13 for Sacramento. The Kings were down 44-19 before the game was 15 minutes old, and when James made consecutive jumpers 36 seconds apart later in the second period, the Heat lead had swelled all the way to 56-30. The bright spot was Dalembert, who made 8 of 12 shots and finished with his fourth double-double of the season. Thompson made 6 of 7 shots, but other than that, the Kings struggled mightily. DeMarcus Cousins — Sacramen- to’s leading healthy scorer, with Tyreke Evans expected to miss at least three more weeks with an injured left foot — had eight points on 3 for 14 shooting. Meanwhile, Miami was looking ahead — without looking past the Kings. Everything was working, and the Heat moved to 42-15, matching their best 57-game start in franchise history. James shot 14 of 26 from the floor, Bosh shot 8 of 14, and Chalmers con- on video. He likes what he sees. nected on 6 of 7 shots. And Wade couldn’t contain a smile with 4:30 remaining when he was subbed out of the game, moments after he tripped over Cousins’ feet on a drive, stumbled and flipped the ball toward the rim. Naturally, it rolled in, capping his 11 for 20 effort. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra thinks his team can find ‘‘another level or two’’ before the postseason begins, and made another lineup move Tuesday by inserting Erick Dampier into the start- ing lineup over Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who was the only one of the 12 active Miami players to not play Tuesday. The move certainly wasn’t for scor- ing: Dampier didn’t attempt a shot in 24 minutes of playing time. But with the Heat beginning a stretch where they’ll have more games (26) than off days (25) before the regu- lar-season finale on April 13, it’s the time to find the right playoff rotation. ‘‘Since the end of November, I truly feel that we’re one of the most improved teams, if not the most improved team,’’ Spoelstra said. Willingham starting over on a new coast Willingham has a .265 PHOENIX (AP) — Josh Willingham had heard the rumors. After all, it’s diffi- cult to keep anything a secret in Washington. The Nationals were look- ing to deal the outfielder, and on Dec. 16, they found a team that was interested — the Oakland Athletics. The trade meant Willingham was switching coasts. It is a new adventure for Willingham, who turned 32 on Thursday. After spending his entire career in the National League, he’s now in the American League. ‘‘Looks like I’ll have to do more research, spend a lot more time in the video room, learning all the pitch- ers and players,’’ he said before Tuesday’s spring workout. ‘‘It’s been kind of crazy, trying to get used to the new players on my own team. I want to make sure I know everybody.’’ Willingham has been projected as the starter in left field, where he has played most of his career. His pres- ence would create a formi- dable trio with returning center fielder Coco Crisp and David DeJesus, who was acquired in a trade from Kansas City. Swinging the bat is where the 6-foot-2, 215- pound Willingham is capa- ble of having the most impact. Oakland manager Bob Geren has seen Will- ingham hit a few times early in camp and has studied him career average with Florida and Washington. In his two seasons with the Nationals, he hit .260 and .265 with a combined 40 homers and 117 RBIs. Geren envisions Willing- ham in the fifth or sixth spot in the order, perhaps in between new designated hit- ter Hideki Matsui and catch- er Kurt Suzuki. ‘‘(Willingham) has one of the better approaches I’ve seen for a right-handed hit- ter,’’ Geren said. ‘‘He stays on the inside of the ball and is not susceptible to break- ing balls in. He doesn’t have a tendency to swing too much at outside pitches. He just has a lot of consisten- cy.’’ Willingham said his spring objective ‘‘is to work on all facets of my game, both defensively and offen- sively. You don’t really get paid to hit .300 during the spring, but I do want to be ready to hit when the season starts.’’ NOTES: RH reliever Michael Wuertz has a sore shoulder and is not expected to throw again until Thursday, Geren said. ... Despite being on the disabled list four times over the past two seasons with Arizona and Oakland, OF Conor Jackson can be an important piece of the puzzle, according to Geren. ‘‘He needs to keep his strength up, work on that swing,’’Geren said .. .There was a lot of talk over the winter about the A’s trying to acquire a third baseman such as Edwin Encarnacion, Adrian Beltre or Chone Figgins, but incumbent Kevin Kouzmanoff managed to keep things in perspective.‘‘I spoke to him (in the offseason) and his attitude is fantastic,’’Geren said.‘‘He knows there’s a business side to it. Whatever NASCAR Sprint Cup Points Leaders 1. Carl Edwards 2.David Gilliland 3.Bobby Labonte 4.Kurt Busch 42 41 41 40 5. Juan Pablo Montoya 39 6. Regan Smith 7.Kyle Busch 8.Paul Menard 9. Mark Martin 10. A J Allmendinger 34 11. Bill Elliott 12.Tony Stewart 13.David Ragan 14.Terry Labonte 15.Robby Gordon 16. Clint Bowyer 38 37 36 34 32 31 31 30 29 28 17. Jamie McMurray 27 18. Martin Truex Jr. 19.Denny Hamlin 20.Ryan Newman 21. Joey Logano 22. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 21 23. Kasey Kahne 24.Dave Blaney 25. Jimmie Johnson 17 26. Jeff Gordon 27. Brad Keselowski 16 28.David Reutimann 14 29. Brian Vickers 30. Andy Lally 31. Matt Kenseth 32. Greg Biffle 33. Jeff Burton 34. Marcos Ambrose 7 35. Michael Waltrip 36. Brian Keselowski 3 37.Kevin Harvick 38. J.J.Yeley 19 19 17 13 11 10 9 9 4 3 1 Upcoming Schedule Feb. 27 — Subway Fresh Fit 500, Avon- dale, Ariz. March 6 — Kobalt Tools 400, Las Vegas March 20 — Jeff Byrd 500 presented by Food City, Bristol, Tenn. March 27— Auto Club 400, Fontana 26 24 24 21 NCAA The Top Twenty Five The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’ college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Feb. 20, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and last week’s ranking: Record Pts Pvs 25-2 1,531 5 1.Duke (35) 2. Ohio St. (10) 25-2 1,519 2 3. Kansas (5) 4. Pittsburgh (12) 24-3 1,452 4 5.Texas (1) 6. San Diego St. 27-1 1,327 6 7. BYU (2) 8. Purdue 25-2 1,457 1 23-4 1,395 3 25-2 1,261 7 9.Notre Dame 21-5 1,036 8 10. Arizona 11. Georgetown 21-6 929 9 12.Wisconsin 13. Florida 22-5 1,182 11 23-4 942 12 20-6 921 10 14. Connecticut 20-6 768 13 15.Villanova 16. Louisville 17. Syracuse 18.Vanderbilt 21-5 841 14 21-6 697 15 20-7 593 16 22-6 527 17 20-6 499 18 19. North Carolina 20-6 495 19 20. Missouri 21.Texas A&M 21-5 342 21 22.Kentucky 23. St. John’s 24.Temple 25.Xavier 21-6 378 20 19-7 301 22 17-9 214 — 21-5 199 23 20-6 103 24 Others receiving votes: Utah St. 97, George Mason 51, West Virginia 42, Alabama 15, Florida St.4, UNLV 2, Wash- ington 2, Belmont 1, Harvard 1, UCLA 1. Tuesday’s Top 25 results No. 2 Ohio State 89, Illinois 70 No. 5 Texas 76, Iowa State 53 No. 16 Louisville 55, Rutgers 37 Tennessee 60, No. 18 Vanderbilt 51 No.25 Xavier 100, La Salle 62 Today’s Top 25 games No.1 Duke vs.No.24 Temple, 4 p.m., ESPN2 No. 7 BYU vs. Colorado State, 5 p.m. No. 8 Purdue at Indiana, 5:30 p.m. No. 9 Notre Dame at Providence, 4 p.m. No. 11 Georgetown vs. Cincinnati, 6 p.m. No. 12 Wisconsin at Michigan, 3:30 p.m. No.19 North Carolina at N.C.State, 6 p.m. No. 20 Missouri vs.Baylor, 6 p.m., ESPN2 No.21 Texas A&M vs.Oklahoma, 4:30 p.m. No.22 Kentucky at Arkansas, 5 p.m. No. 23 St. John’s vs.DePaul, 4 p.m. Today’s other televised game New Mexico St.at S.Jose St., 8 p.m., ESPN2 happened, he could say to himself, ’I’m going to be a starting third baseman somewhere.’ He’s come in here in great shape.’’ San Francisco outfielder Andres Torres ed even his own expectations.’’ In the clubhouse at Scottsdale Stadium, Torres can be seen reaching out his hand to greet the minor leaguers and offer them words of encouragement. Not long ago, he was one of those guys — for years. Bochy won’t go as far as to name Torres the opening day starter in center at this early stage despite his breakout 2010 showing, but he will be in the mix for sure. Veteran Aaron Rowand, who is making $12 million this season, will have the chance to win back his job in center though Torres is the leading candidate. ‘‘Andres is someone we need in the lineup,’’ Bochy said. ‘‘He had a career year and became one of the better leadoff hitters in the game.’’ Torres was recognized as the team’s 2010 ‘‘Willie Mac’’ Award winner. The honor is named for Hall of Famer Willie McCovey and is voted on by the players, coaches and train- ing staff to recognize the team’s most inspirational player both on the field and in the clubhouse. Torres is dedicated this spring to becoming more disci- plined at the plate, waiting for his pitch. ‘‘I’ve been watching him from the other side,’’ said new Giants shortstop Miguel Tejada, who spent part of last sea- son with the rival San Diego Padres. ‘‘He’s the type of guy who always wants to be in the big situation. He always wants to talk about baseball and he has been asking my advice about what he can do to be a better hitter. He knows they all know him now because of what he did last year and winning the World Series.’’ ———— Notes: OF Pat Burrell returned to camp after missing Monday’s workout to undergo a root canal. ... Closer Brian Wilson, who has been nursing a tight back, could throw batting practice Friday. ...2B Freddy Sanchez is scheduled to face live pitching Friday for the first time.He is coming off arthroscopic surgery on his non-throwing left shoulder. LeBron scores 31 and Heat roll past Kings Sharks top Detroit Sharks 4 Detroit 3 DETROIT (AP) — Joe Thornton scored his 300th career goal, Devin Setoguchi had two and the San Jose Sharks held on to beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 on Tuesday night. Henrik Zetterberg scored a power-play goal with 1:51 left to pull the Red Wings within a goal, but they couldn’t beat Antti Niemi again to force overtime. Ryane Clowe scored on a breakaway he created mid- way through the game and Niemi made 35 saves for the surging Sharks, who have won four straight and 13 of 16. Detroit’s Danny Cleary scored game-tying goals early in the second and at the 14:42 mark of the period. Jimmy Howard stopped 39 shots for the Red Wings, who had won a season-high five consecutive games since he was pulled Feb. 9 midway through a loss to Nashville. The Central Divi- sion-leading Red Wings are NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division WL OT Pts GF GA Phoenix 33 19 9 75 175 169 SHARKS 34 21 6 74 171 157 Kings Ducks Dallas 32 23 4 68 163 142 32 24 4 68 169 178 31 23 6 68 164 172 Central Division Detroit WL OT Pts GF GA 37 17 6 80 202 173 Nashville 31 21 8 70 156 143 Chicago 31 23 6 68 191 168 Columbus 30 23 6 66 163 175 St. Louis 27 23 9 63 166 176 Northwest Division WL OT Pts GF GA Vancouver 38 13 9 85 202 142 Minnesota 32 22 6 70 158 156 Calgary 31 23 8 70 186 178 Colorado 26 27 7 59 177 205 Edmonton 19 33 8 46 151 202 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL OT Pts GF GA Philadelphia 39 15 6 84 198 152 Pittsburgh 36 20 5 77 178 147 N.Y.Rangers 32 26 4 68 172 155 New Jersey 26 30 4 56 129 161 N.Y.Islanders 23 31 7 53 167 198 Northeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Boston 34 19 7 75 188 145 Montreal 31 22 7 69 154 154 Buffalo 27 25 6 60 166 171 Toronto 26 27 7 59 152 180 Ottawa 19 31 9 47 132 194 Southeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Tampa Bay 34 18 7 75 179 185 Washington 32 19 10 74 165 153 Carolina 28 24 9 65 177 188 Atlanta 25 25 10 60 173 197 Florida 25 27 7 57 155 163 ————————————————— Tuesday’s results San Jose 4, Detroit 3 N.Y. Rangers 4, Carolina 3, SO Toronto 2, N.Y. Islanders 1 Phoenix 3, Philadelphia 2, OT Columbus 4, Nashville 0 Minnesota 4, Edmonton 1 Colorado 4, St. Louis 3 New Jersey 1, Dallas 0 Boston 3, Calgary 1 Montreal at Vancouver, late Today’s games San Jose at Pittsburgh, 4:30 p.m.,VS Atlanta at Buffalo, 4 p.m. Florida at Ottawa, 4 p.m. Phoenix at Tampa Bay, 4:30 p.m. Edmonton at Colorado, 6:30 p.m. Los Angeles at Anaheim, 7 p.m. trying to catch Vancouver for the top spot in the West- ern Conference and hold off teams such as San Jose for playoff positioning. Detroit got off to a great start, outshooting the Sharks 9-1 midway through the first period and killing their 5-on- 3 power play, but Thornton scored the game’s first goal on a power play with 18 sec- onds left in the period. Thornton became the 18th active player with 300 goals. Cleary tied the game at the 7:06 mark of the second period and knotted it up again — 34 seconds after Clowe’s goal — late in the second, giving him a career- high 21 goals. Setoguchi put the Sharks ahead for good with 1:17 left in the second period and made it a two-goal cushion at 13:12 of the third. Niemi made several tough saves in the final peri- od. NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division Lakers WL Pct GB 38 19 .667 — Phoenix 27 27 .500 9.5 WARRIORS 26 29 .473 11 Clippers 21 36 .368 17 KINGS Southwest Division WL Pct GB San Antonio 46 10 .821 — Dallas 40 16 .714 6 New Orleans33 25 .569 14 Memphis 31 27 .534 16 Houston 27 31 .466 20 Northwest Division WL Pct GB Okla. City 36 19 .655 — Portland 32 24 .571 4.5 Denver 33 25 .569 4.5 Utah 31 26 .544 6 Minnesota 13 44 .228 24 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL Pct GB Boston 40 14 .741 — New York 28 26 .519 12 Philadelphia 27 29 .482 14 New Jersey 17 40 .298 24.5 Toronto 15 42 .263 26.5 Southeast Division WL Pct GB 42 15 .737 — Miami Orlando 36 21 .632 6 Atlanta 34 21 .618 7 Charlotte 25 32 .439 17 Washington 15 40 .273 26 Central Division WL Pct GB Chicago 38 16 .704 — Indiana 25 30 .455 13.5 Milwaukee 22 34 .393 17 Detroit 21 37 .362 19 Cleveland 10 46 .179 29 ————————————————— Tuesday’s results Miami 117, Sacramento 97 Boston at Golden State, late Charlotte 114, Toronto 101 Denver 120, Memphis 107 Houston 108, Detroit 100 Indiana 113, Washington 96 Milwaukee 94, Minnesota 88 Oklahoma City 111, L.A. Clippers 88 Atlanta at L.A. Lakers, late Today’s games Sacramento at Orlando, 4 p.m.,CSNC Chicago at Toronto, 4 p.m. Detroit at Indiana, 4 p.m. Houston at Cleveland, 4 p.m. Oklahoma City at San Antonio, 4 p.m., ESPN Washington at Philadelphia, 4 p.m. Milwaukee at New York, 4:30 p.m. Memphis at Minnesota, 5 p.m. Utah at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. Atlanta at Phoenix, 6 p.m. L.A.Clippers at N.Orleans, 6:30 p.m., ESPN L.A. Lakers at Portland, 7:30 p.m. 13 41 .241 23.5