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2B Daily News – Friday, August 12, 2011 NLWest race shapes up PGA enough when it comes down to it, he’s not sure. ‘‘We’ll see,’’ Towers said. ‘‘I knew SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Not so long ago, Kevin Towers and Bruce Bochy were working together to build a winner in San Diego. Now, Towers is the first-year gener- al manager of the Arizona Diamond- backs and trying mightily to dethrone Bochy and the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants. ‘‘I want to somehow be ahead of Boch,’’ Towers said with a chuckle during his team’s recent visit to AT&T Park. ‘‘I don’t like being on his bumper.’’ These two clubs could very well go back and forth the rest of the way. The D-backs led the NL West on Thursday for the first time since June 24, on top in a year when many hardly considered them contenders. Even Towers himself acknowledged at the start of spring training his team would have to surprise with pitching in a divi- sion dominated by talented arms or Arizona would fall out of the running in a hurry. Bochy’s Giants are in their worst funk of the year, and Arizona would like nothing more than to take advan- tage. Who would have thought the West would turn into a two-team race in early August? ‘‘We’ll bounce back. We’ve got a lot of heart and a lot of fight in our team,’’ San Francisco’s Cody Ross said. ‘‘Nobody in here has forgotten that. Other people might have but we don’t.’’ The idle Giants (64-54) began the day a half-game behind the Diamond- backs, who were hosting Houston at night. San Francisco, having lost 10 of 13 after a 3-7 homestand, traveled to Florida to kick off a 10-game road trip Friday night. These D-backs sure seem to have legitimate staying power. ‘‘No question they deserve to be in the position they are. We really take them very seriously,’’ Giants GM Brian Sabean said. ‘‘They’ve done a nice job all around. They’re a well-rounded team, especially now.’’ Towers acquired pitchers Jason Marquis and Brad Ziegler at last month’s trade deadline to bolster an already reliable staff. Whether that’s we’d have a chance (if we pitched).’’ This division could go down to the wire again. Everybody involved expects it. Colorado can’t be counted out, but the third-place Rockies have had a rough go. The bankrupt Dodgers have endured a drama-filled year after Major League Baseball assumed control of the club’s operations in mid-April. And the last-place Padres are a far cry from the team that was eliminated from playoff contention in San Francisco on the season’s final day last fall — no longer the challenger they were under the guidance of Towers and Bochy back in the day. The Giants clinched their first divi- sion title since 2003 last year in Bochy’s fourth year as manager to end a six-year playoff drought, then went on to capture an improbable World Series title. They came through their problems last August, so many still figure it’s the Giants division to lose. ‘‘The Dodgers are having troubles,’’ said Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, eliminated by San Francisco in a six- game NL championship series last October. ‘‘At the beginning of the sea- son I thought Colorado would be a lit- tle bit better than they are right now. Some years that’s just kind of the way it goes. San Diego, with their pitching, I thought they’d be better, too. But Ari- zona just came from nowhere. They found pitching. They just worked with their own and developed it. You can go a long way sometimes by wanting to play, when your guys love to play and they give it all they’ve got.’’ Arizona was swept in San Francis- co from May 10-12, all three losses by one run. That weekend was tough to swallow, but also helped light a fire in Towers’ team. ‘‘I felt we were good back then but we were losing those games by one run,’’ said 14-game winner Ian Kennedy, who takes the ball Friday to open a series with the Mets at Chase Field. ‘‘I think they put a great team together. There are some teams that are more talented, but we play well togeth- er. ... ‘‘It’s about talent and chemistry. Pitching has a lot to do with it. That’s (MCT) —Chris Mullin waited nervously at the scorer's table, surveying the home crowd, unsure what reaction he would get from Warriors fans. Seconds later, those fears were washed away in a sea of cheers. On that Jan- uary night in 1988, as he returned to basketball from alcohol rehab, his new course officially was vali- dated. "That response made me realize that I was making the right changes," Mullin said. "That's when I under- stood I had the chance to do something good." When Mullin is inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday, he can reflect upon a career that saw him play in five All-Star Games, two Olympiads and stake a claim as one of the greatest shooters ever. But what he thinks about most is how close he came to squandering it all. "Life is so fragile," said Mullin, 48. "Now I wonder, 'How did this happen to me?"' It wasn't easy, and it nearly didn't happen. Before Mullin picked himself up, he first had to take a hard fall from a charmed existence. A gym rat who sneaked past the priests to hoist after-hours jump shots at his parochial school gym in Brooklyn's Flatlands section, he became a young prince of New York. Mark Jackson, the War- riors' new coach and a native New Yorker, first saw Mullin in the layup line before their high school teams played and thought: "Yeah, he's probably a good shooter, but we can give him the business." Afterward, Jackson had to agree with the growing word around the city: Mullin could play. "The thing I learned as I got to know him is it wasn't because of his god-given ability," said Jackson, later his college and NBA team- mate. "It was more his preparation and the hours he put in to become great." Mullin's game always had a 1950s feel _ and he eventually completed the look with his trademark, crew-cut hairstyle. He com- pensated for a lack of ath- leticism with exceptional passing and a knack of get- ting open for that deadly jumper. By his senior sea- son at St. John's, he was packing Madison Square Garden and leading the team to the Final Four as the college player of the year. But it all unraveled with the Warriors, who made Mullin the No. 7 pick in the 1985 draft. After two unex- ceptional seasons, in which the pudgy Mullin was over- matched by quicker guards, hints of trouble emerged in his third year. As he missed practices, Mullin no longer could hide an alcohol prob- lem. His last drink was on Dec. 13, 1987. He doesn't recall whether it was a beer or a shot. "I bet it was both," said Mullin, the son of a recov- ering alcoholic. "At that point I wasn't discriminat- ing. It probably didn't even have to be cold." The oft-told story is how Don Nelson, then the War- riors general manager, chal- lenged Mullin to give up drinking for a short period of time. When he couldn't, Nelson staged an interven- tion along with Mullin's parents and agent. That led to his 47-day stay at Cen- tinela Hospital in Ingle- wood, Calif. "I just convinced him that he needed to face his problem," Nelson said. "He's one of the rare excep- tions to deal with dependen- cy and never have a prob- lem again. Once he solved it, there was this beautiful human being underneath that shell. I thought that was the pivotal point in his career." Mullin said countless people had talked to him why we were out of it last year — our starters weren’t very good and our bullpen wasn’t very good,’’ Kennedy said. Kennedy grew up in Huntington Beach, Calif., watching the gritty Angels develop into a regular AL West contender. He sees similarities with this determined D-backs bunch. Arizona has made huge strides since going 65-97 last season. Towers stripped the interim tag off manager Kirk Gibson’s title, and Gibson has gone out of his way to be a hands-on presence for a young team. He can be seen before games in the indoor cage right alongside his players, offering instruction and a supportive influence. And Gibson is a big reason for the D-backs’ surprising season. He preach- es handling what is in his club’s con- trol, rather than trying to keep up with the others. ‘‘We just come out and grind it out. We make sure we have 25 guys here and we try to push it as hard as we can,’’ Gibson said. ‘‘When we get to the end of the season we’ll see where we’re at. The Giants are the Giants. They’re the world champs. We under- stand that. We respect them. We take care of our business. We don’t have to worry about anybody else. ... We just want to keep putting pressure on the people above us and enjoy playing the game the right way.’’ Sabean has had no choice but to be creative with his roster for the second straight season because of injuries to key players and just the process of try- ing to improve. ‘‘Every year you’re always tweak- ing things. In our case, we’re a little more in need and anxious to do things for obvious reasons,’’ he said. The Giants lost reigning NL Rook- ie of the Year catcher Buster Posey to a season-ending broken leg after a May 25 home-plate collision with Florida’s Scott Cousins. Second baseman Fred- dy Sanchez is sidelined for the rest of the year after labrum surgery on his right shoulder last week. For Bochy, there has been constant shuffling to the lineup to deal with injuries — and slumps. ‘‘We’ve got guys who have been around,’’ he said. ‘‘They’ve got to fig- ure it out.’’ Chris Mullin went from near catastrophe to Hall of Fame during the years about his drinking. But none of it mattered until he was ready to listen. "I didn't get it," Mullin said. "In the recovery world, it's a higher power that helps you. You have to turn your life over to something greater. Anytime I tried to control my life, I had screwed it up." He didn't screw up his second chance. The time he had spent partying became extra hours in the gym. He would return to the arena late at night with his dog and a radio, and shoot alone. He dropped 30 pounds and transformed his body into a sleek machine. Nelson took over as coach and moved Mullin to small forward. He came to represent the final initial in the Run TMC teams with Tim Hardaway and Mitch Richmond. For five consec- utive seasons Mullin scored more than 25 points a game and finished his 16-year career with an 18.2 average. As his surrogate son goes into the Hall of Fame, Nelson calls himself "a proud papa." But he won't be in Springfield, Mass., for the induction. Mullin and Nelson haven't spoken in two years. Mullin, who had become the Warriors' top basketball executive, rescued Nelson from the coaching scrap heap to work the Golden State bench again in 2006. But when Mullin was forced out in a 2009 front- office power play, Nellie was perceived as a back- stabber. "He somehow thinks that I had something to do with his demise, which is totally untrue," Nelson said. "I battled for him, but it was really out of my control. I was just the coach. It's a sad part of the end of the story." At some point, Mullin said, the two will sort out their relationship. Now is not that time. "But I've got nothing to be angry or upset about," Mullin added. "Are you kidding me? From where I could have been? I've got nothing but gratitude for everyone who ever helped me." Now an analyst with ESPN, Mullin wants to be an NBA general manager again. He would have no problem rejoining the War- riors' front office in some capacity under the new ownership group. "I'm a Warrior," he said. "That's who I am." It all goes back to that January night 23 years ago when he rose from the scor- er's table to enter the game. Sobriety remains a daily challenge, but one he con- tinues to navigate success- fully. And although his hair is going gray at the temples, he remains in phenomenal shape. Recently, he biked two hours up Mount Diablo. "A perfect day," Mullin said, smiling. "Life is good." NFL PRESEASON Thursday’s results Arizona at Oakland, late New England 47, Jacksonville 12 Philadelphia 13, Baltimore 6 Seattle 24, San Diego 17 Denver at Dallas, late Today’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 — San Antonio 13 9 .591 3.5 Phoenix 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 8 .636 1.5 New York 13 9 .591 2.5 Atlanta 10 11 .476 5 Chicago 10 13 .435 6 Washington 4 15 .211 10 —————————————————— Thursday’s results San Antonio 72, Connecticut 59 Atlanta at Phoenix, late Tulsa at Seattle, late Today’s games New York at Washington, 4 p.m. Minnesota at Chicago, 5:30 p.m. Phoenix at Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m. Clarke at 78. Stricker, the highest- (Continued from page 1B) around to ditching mechan- ics and trying to play as though his swing changes were coming naturally. A 13-hole train wreck showed otherwise. ‘‘Got off to a great start today, was 3 under early, was having mechanical thoughts through those holes ... and I thought, ’I can let it go’ and play by instinct and feel,’’ he said. ‘‘And it just screwed up my whole round. I’m not at that point where I can do that yet.’’ For being such a long course, it didn’t feel that way. The PGA of America moved up several tees, and temperatures in the 90s enabled the ball to travel even farther. Stricker led 22 players who broke par, although Atlanta Athletic Club doled out its share of punishment. No one suffered quite like Ryo Ishikawa, the 19-year- old from Japan who was coming off his best finish in America last week at Fire- stone, where he tied for fourth. He had a career-high 85, with six balls in the water. Eight other players shot in the 80s, including former U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover. Luke Donald, No. 1 in the world, opened with a 70, while second-ranked Lee Westwood began his quest for his first major at 71. McIlroy played in the tradi- tional grouping of the year’s major champions, with Mas- ters champion Charl Schwartzel opening with a 71 despite a double bogey on the last hole, and British Open champion Darren ranked American at No. 5 in the world, had only 24 putts on greens that are remark- ably smooth. At least most of them were, anyway. If the opening round was- n’t bizarre enough, the mow- ers malfunctioned Wednes- day night and tore up chunks of turf on the edges of the 14th and 17th greens. They were patched well enough to play, yet they are considered ground under repair for the rest of the week. It was no more than a slight tear on a prom dress for a course that combines a little of the beauty and eleva- tion found two hours away at Augusta National, and the narrow fairways and Bermu- da rough near downtown Atlanta at East Lake. Stricker already has won twice this year and feels as though he has nothing left to prove, especially after he came back from a slump and made history by being voted PGA Tour comeback player of the year — in consecutive seasons. A major championship would be the topper. ‘‘It would be great,’’ he said. ‘‘If I don’t win it, it’s not going to change who I am or what kind of player I’ve been. I guess I accom- plished what I set out to accomplish six years ago, to get back in the winner’s cir- cle, to play well again. All this other stuff is really just icing on the cake, and that’s the way I treat it.’’ As for a 63, the 25th time someone has posted that score in a major? ‘‘I wish I would have been able to make that putt to be one better than that group of guys,’’ he said. ‘‘But 63 is a heck of a start, and I’m happy to get off to that start.’’ Sense of urgency SANTA CLARA — (MCT)When Alex Smith wrapped up two player-run minicamps this summer, he made it clear to teammates that the 49ers were behind. They would have to work hard this offseason, he said, to catch up to the teams that hadn't gone through coach- ing changes and had main- tained an element of conti- nuity during the lockout. They'll take on one of those teams, the New Orleans Saints, tonight at 5 p.m. The Saints' core players have been together for years. They've run the same com- plex and aggressive offense since 2006. And their start- ing quarterback, Drew Brees, is an extension of head coach Sean Payton. What's more, Brees and the Saints were the paragon of professionalism during the lockout. The New Orleans players organized six weeks of player-led prac- tices at Tulane University that attracted upwards of 40 players and included train- ing staff and film work. MLB West Division Texas American League WL Pct GB Angels 64 54 .542 2 A’s 66 52 .559 — 53 64 .453 12.5 Seattle 50 66 .431 15 East Division WL Pct GB Boston 72 44 .621 — New York 71 45 .612 1 Tampa Bay 63 54 .538 9.5 Toronto 59 58 .504 13.5 Baltimore 45 70 .391 26.5 Central Division WL Pct GB Detroit 62 55 .530 — Cleveland 58 57 .504 3 Chicago 58 59 .496 4 Minnesota 52 65 .444 10 Kansas City49 69 .415 13.5 —————————————————— Thursday’s results Oakland 10,Toronto 3 Chicago White Sox 6, Baltimore 3 Detroit 4, Cleveland 3 N.Y.Yankees 6, L.A. Angels 5 Tampa Bay 4, Kansas City 1 Today’s games Texas (C.Wilson 10-5) at Oakland (McCarthy 5-5), 7:05 p.m. Detroit (Penny 7-9) at Baltimore (Simon 3-5), 4:05 p.m. Minnesota (Pavano 6-9) at Cleveland (Masterson 9-7), 4:05 p.m. Tampa Bay (Price 9-10) at New York (Sabathia 16-6), 4:05 p.m. L.A. Angels (E.Santana 8-8) at Toronto (Morrow 8-6), 4:07 p.m. Kansas City (Chen 6-5) at Chicago (Z.Stewart 1-1), 5:10 p.m. Boston (Lackey 10-8) at Seattle (Beavan 3-2), 7:10 p.m. Saturday’s games Texas at Oakland, 1:10 p.m. L.A. Angels at Toronto, 10:07 a.m. Tampa Bay at N.Y.Yankees, 1:10 p.m. Detroit at Baltimore, 4:05 p.m. Minnesota at Cleveland, 4:05 p.m. Kansas City at Chicago White Sox, 4:10 p.m. Boston at Seattle, 7:10 p.m. "They're a top NFL team with a lot of pieces in place," 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said this week. "They had a tremendous offseason. They did very well in free agency and have a tight-knit group. So, yeah, it's a big test for us. We'll know where we stand a lot better." The 49ers acknowledge that they are behind estab- lished teams like the Saints. But they've also used their starting position as motiva- tion. There's a sense of urgency to Harbaugh's first training camp where every- thing is done quickly, and in recent practices at least, per- formed sharply. "I think everything is moving a lot faster," defen- sive end Ray McDonald said Thursday. "I mean, not to disrespect coach (Mike) Singletary, but everything is a lot crisper. There's not a lot of standing around, guys are actually doing stuff. You know, the tempo is a lot more upbeat." MLB West Division National League WL Pct GB Arizona 64 53 .547 — GIANTS 64 54 .542 .5 Colorado 55 64 .462 10 Dodgers 52 64 .448 11.5 Padres 53 66 .445 12 East Division WL Pct GB Philadelphia77 40 .658 — Atlanta 69 49 .585 8.5 New York 58 59 .496 19 Washington 56 61 .479 21 Florida 55 62 .470 22 Central Division WL Pct GB Milwaukee 67 51 .568 — St. Louis 63 55 .534 4 Cincinnati 57 61 .483 10 Pittsburgh 56 60 .483 10 Chicago 51 67 .432 16 Houston 38 79 .325 28.5 —————————————————— Thursday’s results Chicago Cubs 4, Washington 3 Cincinnati 2, Colorado 1 San Diego 3, N.Y. Mets 2 St. Louis 5, Milwaukee 2 Houston at Arizona, late Today’s games San Francisco (Cain 9-8) at Florida (Nolasco 8-8), 4:10 p.m. Washington (L.Hernandez 6-11) at Philadelphia (Hamels 13-6), 4:05 p.m. San Diego (Latos 6-11) at Cincinnati (Arroyo 7-9), 4:10 p.m. Chicago Cubs (Zambrano 9-6) at Atlanta (Minor 1-2), 4:35 p.m. Pittsburgh (Maholm 6-12) at Milwaukee (Greinke 10-4), 5:10 p.m. Colorado (A.Cook 2-6) at St. Louis (Lohse 9-7), 5:15 p.m. N.Y. Mets (Gee 10-3) at Arizona (I.Kennedy 14-3), 6:40 p.m. Houston (Norris 5-8) at L.A. Dodgers (Eovaldi 1-0), 7:10 p.m. Saturday’s games San Francisco at Florida, 4:10 p.m. Pittsburgh at Milwaukee, 1:10 p.m. Washington at Philadelphia, 4:05 p.m. Chicago Cubs at Atlanta, 4:10 p.m. San Diego at Cincinnati, 4:10 p.m. Colorado at St. Louis, 4:15 p.m. N.Y. Mets at Arizona, 5:10 p.m. Houston at L.A. Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.