Red Bluff Daily News

August 11, 2011

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2B Daily News – Thursday, August 11, 2011 Jackson prepares for debut ‘‘We’re missing a lot of people right NAPA (AP) — Hue Jackson has waited a long time for his first chance to be a head coach. So it comes as no surprise that he’s going into his debut in the exhibition opener for the Oakland Raiders with the same sort of verve he brings each day to the practice field. ‘‘If they’re keeping score I like to win,’’ Jackson said. ‘‘That’s the way it is. Our team is going to go out there and play the way we’re supposed to play as Raiders and keep building on that.’’ Oakland opens the preseason Thursday night at home against the Arizona Cardinals and their newly acquired quarterback, Kevin Kolb. It will also be the first chance for Raiders fans to see how the team has changed under Jackson’s leadership. After spending a decade in the NFL as an offensive assistant, Jackson got the chance to run his own team when owner Al Davis hired him last January. So instead of just worrying about the offense or his position group, Jackson must spend the night before the game deciding how much to play his starters, thinking about click management and other strategy issues that fall on the head coach’s shoulders., The Raiders will go into the presea- son opener without many of their key offensive players. Star running back Darren McFadden is out with a broken orbital bone in his face, receiver Jaco- by Ford is sidelined with a broken hand and receiver Louis Murphy has been sidelined with an undisclosed injury. now, obviously,’’ quarterback Jason Campbell said. ‘‘But at the same time, other guys are getting an opportunity to show what they can do and a chance to step up and make plays. The preseason is really big for a lot of guys. We also have to take it serious because every- one’s out there playing for jobs. This is our livelihood. We want to help who- ever’s in there to perform to the best of their ability.’’ That will give some younger play- ers a chance to shine, including rookie receiver Denarius Moore, who has been the training camp star so far this summer. Moore has been part of what has looked like a vastly improved passing offense in training camp. Now the key is to see if that can carry over into a game ‘‘You go to practice and you make these plays and guys run and look pret- ty and you do all this good stuff. That’s all good, but you’ve got to do it when you’re playing against an opponent,’’ Jackson said. ‘‘It’s all about perfor- mance on game day when you’re play- ing against somebody else. That’s what I’m looking for.’’ With 10 starters returning on defense and Kevin Boss coming in to replace the departed Zach Miller at tight end, the biggest questions on the Raiders this summer are on the offen- sive line. Last year’s starting left guard, Robert Gallery, left in free agency and the Raiders did not bring back last sea- son’s starting right tackle, Langston Walker. Oakland then used two of its first three draft picks on offensive line- hit his first career grand slam and the feisty Toronto Blue Jays beat the Oak- land Athletics 8-4 on Wednesday night. Before the game, Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos, manager John Farrell and several players angrily denied an ESPN story that Toronto has been stealing signs with the help of someone stationed in the outfield. Then both benches and bullpens emptied in the eighth when Oakland’s Jordan Nor- berto hit Yunel Escobar on the left arm with a pitch. Escobar yelled and took several steps toward the mound but was restrained by catcher Kurt Suzuki, while Norberto walked toward the plate, responding to Escobar with his arms spread wide. No punches were PGA (Continued from page 1B) ‘‘They are used to win- ning a lot in other countries and other tours around the world, so they are not scared to win,’’ David Toms said Wednesday. International players tend to turn pro at an earlier age, allowing them to compete against older, more-experi- enced foes. In the U.S., the top young prospects tend to put off their pro career until after college. Ryo Ishikawa has already won 10 times on Japan’s pro tour — and he’s still a teenager. At this year’s British Open, 20-year-old Tom Lewis became the first amateur in 35 years to lead at a major but was an amateur in name only, having left school at age 16 to devote himself fully to golf. GIANTS (Continued from page 1B) McCutchen on four pitches and threw five straight balls to start the game. Sandoval came in from third and catcher Eli Whiteside hus- tled to the mound to chat with the left-hander, who was roughed up again in his second start since coming off the disabled list with biceps tendinitis. Sanchez was done after 4 1-3 innings and hasn’t won since June 2 at St. Louis. ‘‘I’ve got to step up and start doing my job,’’ Sanchez said. ‘‘It’s tough to get peo- ple out when you’re behind in the count.’’ McCutchen went 1 for 1 with three walks and a hit by pitch. He stole two bases and scored four runs — most by a Pirate in a game this year. His 16th clout of the year put thrown and the field was soon cleared. The Athletics were seeking their fourth consecutive win, all coming on the road. But they instead dropped to 6- 11 in their last 17 games in Toronto, dating to 2009. Promoted from Triple- A on Friday, Lawrie drove a 2-0 pitch from left-hander Craig Breslow into the bullpen in left in the sixth inning. The 17th Canadian-born player in Blue Jays history, he came out of the dugout for a curtain call, much to the delight of the crowd of 19,541. Lawrie also dou- bled off the wall in left in the eighth. He went 2 for 4 and is hitting .389 in five games since his promotion. Casey Janssen (4-0) got one out for the victory and Jesse Litsch gave up a ninth-inning homer to Josh Willing- ham but worked the final 2 2-3 innings for his first career save. Adam Lind gave the Blue Jays the lead with an RBI single in the first, but the Athletics answered with a three-run men, taking Stefen Wisniewski in the second round and Joe Barksdale in the third. Wisniewski has been seeing time at center and left guard in practice, mix- ing in with last year’s starter at center Samson Satele and left guard Daniel Loper. Wisniewski is slated to play as a reserve Thursday with Satele and Loper listed as starters. The most stable position on the line is at left tackle, where Jared Veldheer looks to start again after taking over the position as a rookie last year. Cooper Carlisle, who has started at right guard the past four seasons, is back again this year. He was expected to be pushed for time by second-year player Bruce Campbell, but Campbell has not prac- ticed yet because of an offseason knee injury, making it a longshot that he could win the job for the season open- er Sept. 12 in Denver. Khalif Barnes, who has been a backup the past two seasons, will start at right tackle. ‘‘Whatever happens Thursday night doesn’t mean that that’s the way it goes,’’ Jackson said. ‘‘It just means that’s the way we’re starting. We all know we got to start someplace with a football team. When we get ready to play Denver that’s when I’m con- cerned about putting the best football team out there. Now we need to get five guys as we move forward to play together and to be together so they can learn to work with each other. Thurs- day night is our first dress rehearsal. However we start that game doesn’t mean that’s the way we go for the reg- ular season.’’ Lawrie hits grand slam as Blue Jays beat Athletics TORONTO (AP) — Brett Lawrie fourth against rookie right-hander Hen- derson Alvarez, who was making his major league debut. David DeJesus hit a one-out solo drive to center, his eighth, giving Oak- land at least one home run in each of the past eight games. Conor Jackson followed with a single and scored on Ryan Sweeney’s double to left-center. Suzuki struck out before Scott Size- more singled home Sweeney. Jemile Weeks followed with a drive to deep center, but Colby Rasmus made a run- ning catch on the warning track. Alvarez allowed three runs and eight hits in 5 2-3 innings. Toronto got the rookie off the hook with a five-run sixth. The struggling Gonzalez (9-10) allowed four runs and four hits in five- plus innings and is 0-4 with an 8.43 ERA in his past four starts. He walked five, one shy of his season high, and struck out four. Just last week, Toms chat- ted with Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez about the dif- fering career paths. ‘‘He said he turned pro at 18,’’ Toms marveled. ‘‘He was a caddie. He went from being a caddie to being a pro- fessional, and that just does- n’t happen over here. We have the college system over here and all these kids want to get their education and have something to fall back on.’’ The international players appear to have the edge at the beginning, but it might be worth checking back a few years from now. ‘‘Does it help them? Sure, it helps them early in their career,’’ Toms said. ‘‘But in the long run, when a guy is 35 years old and you look back and see who does it bet- ter, I think it all averages out.’’ Regardless, there’s no going back to the era when Pittsburgh ahead 3-1 in the third. The Pirates have homered in four of their last five games and eight of 12. McCutchen was hit by a pitch leading off the seventh. Brandon Wood drove in a run that inning and Matt Diaz hit two run-scoring sin- gles. Pittsburgh’s Nos. 1-5 hitters went a combined 7 for 17 with six RBIs, eight runs scored, seven walks and a hit batter. Jones is batting .389 (14 for 36) with five doubles, three homers and seven RBIs this month. With a power show on offense of late, Bucs pitchers also have allowed 18 homers over the last nine games. Sandoval connected in the bottom of the first to tie the game at 1. The Giants have hit 19 straight solo home runs, matching the 1914 Phillies’ major league mark. Their last homer to score more than one run was a two-run the U.S. dominated the major scene, led by players such as Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Tom Watson. In the 1960s, the Americans claimed 31 of 40 champi- onships. In the 1970s, their supremacy was even greater: 33 of 40. Golf has spread far beyond its traditional base in the U.S., Britain, Australia and South Africa, embraced now on the entire European continent and poised for its greatest growth in Asia. Y.E. Yang became the first Asian to win a major, rallying to beat Tiger Woods at the 2009 PGA Champi- onship, a symbolic win if there ever was one. No one believes that Yang will be the last golfer from that part of the world to capture one of golf’s biggest titles, especial- ly when the sport is poised for another international boost when it joins the drive by Nate Schierholtz on July 6 against San Diego. San Francisco lost for the 10th time in 13 games. The Giants have dropped three straight series at AT&T Park for the first time since losing six consecutive home series from May 12-June 18, 2008. Bochy said the front office would discuss whether to stick with Sanchez. Lefty Barry Zito had been unim- pressive in the fifth starter role and went back on the disabled list Aug. 1, but he could come off when San Francisco needs that pitcher again Aug. 16 in Atlanta. ‘‘It has me a little con- cerned,’’ Bochy said of the No. 5 spot. ‘‘We need that guy to help us win a ball- game, too. We haven’t had a good start there in I don’t know how many now.’’ Pirates first baseman Der- rek Lee was a late scratch from the lineup with a recur- ring left hand injury. Olympics in 2016. ‘‘The whole game has opened up now,’’ The U.S. has some built- in advantages, of course: size, wealth, population. At some point, the Americans will surely win another major. Perhaps it will be Woods, battling back from personal and health prob- lems. Or maybe one of those young guns will finally close one out. ‘‘We have a lot of great American players. There’s too many to mention,’’ Toms said. ‘‘I think once they break out and get that first win, then their buddy sees they can do it and wants to do it, too. I think it will be a snow- ball effect.’’ NFL PRESEASON Today’s games Arizona at Oakland, 7 p.m. Baltimore at Philadelphia, 4:30 p.m. Jacksonville at New England, 4:30 p.m. Seattle at San Diego, 5 p.m. Denver at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. Friday’s games San Francisco at New Orleans, 5 p.m. Cincinnati at Detroit, 4:30 p.m. Miami at Atlanta, 4:30 p.m. Pittsburgh at Washington, 4:30 p.m. Tampa Bay at Kansas City, 5 p.m. Saturday’s games Green Bay at Cleveland, 4:30 p.m. Buffalo at Chicago, 5 p.m. Indianapolis at St. Louis, 5 p.m. Minnesota at Tennessee, 5 p.m. N.Y. Giants at Carolina, 5 p.m. Monday’s game N.Y. Jets at Houston, 5 p.m. WNBA WESTERN CONFERENCE WL Pct GB Minnesota 16 5 .762 — Phoenix 12 9 .571 4 San Antonio 12 9 .571 4 Seattle 12 10 .545 4.5 Sparks Tulsa 8 13 .381 8 1 20 .048 15 EASTERN CONFERENCE WL Pct GB Indiana 16 7 .696 — Connecticut 14 7 .667 1 New York 13 9 .591 2.5 Atlanta 10 11 .476 5 Chicago 10 13 .435 6 Washington 4 15 .211 10 —————————————————— Today’s games San Antonio at Connecticut, 4:30 p.m. Atlanta at Phoenix, 7 p.m. Tulsa at Seattle, 7 p.m. Clarke said. ‘‘There are great play- ers dotted around the world.’’ Goldson returns to crowded secondary Twitter is true. SANTA CLARA (AP) — Apparently not everything on Just ask Dashon Goldson. After tweeting goodbye to the only NFL franchise he has ever known, Goldson was back and a full participant in San Francisco 49ers training camp for the first time Wednesday in a scene that seemed unlikely just days prior. ‘‘It was definitely frustrating,’’ Goldson said. ‘‘At the end of the day, I’m a football player. I never thought I was going to see this side of the business — and it is a business. I got a grasp of that a couple weeks ago. There was a lot of upside here. This is home.’’ The Niners certainly seemed ready to part ways with their starting free safety. Last week, San Francisco signed safeties Madieu Williams and Donte Whitner — and Goldson wasn’t shy then about offering his opinion. He took to Twitter and wrote that the 49ers were ‘‘trying to scare me’’ and ‘‘it didn’t work,’’ saying farewell to 49ers fans. Whoops. In a matter of days, Goldson turned down other offers — he said a contract was in place from the New England Patri- ots for a similar one-year deal — to stay in the Bay Area, where he has played the past four seasons. Even some of his new teammates were a bit stunned at Goldson’s original comments. ‘‘It was surprising,’’ Whitner said. ‘‘Because if you look at it, I’m not a guy who usually plays free safety. They brought me here to play strong safety. I talked to all the defensive coaches and coach (Jim) Harbaugh and they all wanted me to play strong safety. So I don’t know if he was informed of that or not.’’ The sudden shift has given way to newfound depth in the secondary. Bringing back Goldson gives Harbaugh some experi- enced options in what is shaping up as a secondary that also includes safety Reggie Smith. Whitner is expected to be the strong safety. San Francisco also added cornerback Carlos Rogers as the likely successor to Nate Clements, who started all 16 games at right cornerback last season but was released at the start of training camp. The 26-year-old Goldson — a fourth- round draft pick out of Washington in 2007 — now fills out the rotation. And that’s one less thing for a new coaching staff to worry about. ‘‘I know I’m much more happy with our safety position right now than I was the last time I stood before you guys,’’ defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. ‘‘We’ve picked up a few guys and we’ve got good competition back there, and he’ll be part of that competition.’’ Goldson finished with 80 tackles, one sack and an inter- ception in 2010. He has started 32 games over the past two seasons, and the Niners are hoping for big things out of him before signing him to a long-term deal. The 49ers open the preseason at New Orleans on Friday night, and even though it’s just an exhibition, the defense couldn’t be happier to have another veteran defender against Drew Brees and the Saints’ high-scoring offense. ‘‘I’m glad that he’s back,’’ Whitner said. ‘‘We’re going to still work on him getting caught up and getting the calls. And once it’s all said and done, I think we’ll have a pretty good tandem in the secondary.’’ Struggling UFL shuts down Hartford team OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The struggling United Foot- ball League announced Wednesday that it will play a shorter season with four teams instead of five, with the Hartford Colonials sus- pending operations. UFL commissioner Michael Huyghue said the league, which owns all or part of each franchise, couldn’t afford five teams after losing more than $100 million in its first two years. ‘‘We’re shrinking down a little bit, getting our house in order and making sure we have enough ammunition to get through the marathon,’’ Huyghue said. Without Hartford, the MLB West Division Texas American League WL Pct GB Angels 64 53 .547 1.5 A’s 66 52 .559 — 52 64 .448 13 Seattle 50 66 .431 15 East Division WL Pct GB Boston 72 44 .621 — New York 70 45 .609 1.5 Tampa Bay 62 54 .534 10 Toronto 59 57 .509 13 Baltimore 45 69 .395 26 Central Division WL Pct GB Detroit 61 55 .526 — Cleveland 58 56 .509 2 Chicago 57 59 .491 4 Minnesota 52 65 .444 9.5 Kansas City49 68 .419 12.5 —————————————————— Wednesday’s results Toronto 8, Oakland 4 Baltimore 6, Chicago 4, 10 innings Cleveland 10, Detroit 3 Minnesota 5, Boston 2 N.Y.Yankees 9, L.A. Angels 3 Seattle 4, Texas 3 Tampa Bay 8, Kansas City 7 Today’s games Oakland (Moscoso 4-6) at Toronto (Mills 1-1), 9:37 a.m. Kansas City (Duffy 3-5) at Tampa Bay (Niemann 6-4), 9:10 a.m. L.A. Angels (Chatwood 6-8) at N.Y.Yankees (Colon 8-6), 10:05 a.m. Chicago White Sox (Buehrle 9-5) at Baltimore (Tillman 3-4), 4:05 p.m. Detroit (Verlander 16-5) at Cleveland (Carmona 5-11), 4:05 p.m. Friday’s games Texas at Oakland, 7:05 p.m. Detroit at Baltimore, 4:05 p.m. Minnesota at Cleveland, 4:05 p.m. Tampa Bay at N.Y.Yankees, 4:05 p.m. L.A. Angels at Toronto, 4:07 p.m. Kansas City at Chicago, 5:10 p.m. Boston at Seattle, 7:10 p.m. second-tier pro league is left with teams in Omaha; Nor- folk, Va.; Las Vegas; and Sacramento. Each team will play six regular-season games instead of eight, with three at home and three on the road. Training camps open Aug. 22 and season openers are Sept. 15-17. The top two teams will play in a champi- onship game. Hartford players will join surviving UFL teams through a dispersal draft Monday. Hartford coach Jerry Glanville will become a league consultant. MLB West Division National League WL Pct GB Arizona 64 53 .547 — GIANTS 64 54 .542 .5 Colorado 55 63 .466 9.5 Los Angeles52 64 .448 11.5 San Diego 52 66 .441 12.5 East Division WL Pct GB Philadelphia77 40 .658 — Atlanta 69 49 .585 8.5 New York 58 58 .500 18.5 Washington 56 60 .483 20.5 Florida 55 62 .470 22 Central Division WL Pct GB Milwaukee 67 50 .573 — St. Louis 62 55 .530 5 Pittsburgh 56 60 .483 10.5 Cincinnati 56 61 .479 11 Chicago 50 67 .427 17 Houston 38 79 .325 29 —————————————————— Wednesday’s results Pittsburgh 9, San Francisco 2 Arizona 6, Houston 3 Atlanta 6, Florida 2 Chicago Cubs 4, Washington 2 Cincinnati 3, Colorado 2 Milwaukee 5, St. Louis 1 Philadelphia 9, L.A. Dodgers 8 San Diego 9, N.Y. Mets 5 Today’s games San Diego (Luebke 4-6) at N.Y. Mets (Niese 11-8), 9:10 a.m. Colorado (Chacin 9-8) at Cincinnati (Cueto 7-5), 9:35 a.m. Washington (Zimmermann 7-9) at Chicago (Dempster 9-8), 11:20 a.m. Milwaukee (Gallardo 13-7) at St. Louis (C.Carpenter 7-8), 5:15 p.m. Houston (Myers 3-12) at Arizona (J.Saunders 8-9), 6:40 p.m. Friday’s games San Francisco at Florida, 4:10 p.m. Washington at Philadelphia, 4:05 p.m. San Diego at Cincinnati, 4:10 p.m. Chicago Cubs at Atlanta, 4:35 p.m. Pittsburgh at Milwaukee, 5:10 p.m. Colorado at St. Louis, 5:15 p.m. N.Y. Mets at Arizona, 6:40 p.m. Houston at L.A. Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.

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