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2B Daily News – Tuesday, November 1, 2011 Doing all the little things first time since 1998. That includes three come-from-behind road wins. ''I was laughing. I gave him a 10 on SANTA CLARA (AP) — Joe Sta- ley relished his shining moment after the offensive lineman caught a 17-yard pass and celebrated madly with a two- handed point downfield to signal the first down. Nose tackle and part-time fullback Isaac Sopoaga got into the action with a key 18-yard reception in the second half. ''I have one opportunity to score and do a dance and I had to show off my moves,'' Staley said. The San Francisco 49ers know they're going well when the big boys are catching meaningful balls to move the chains. They realize all is right when a flat second half still leads to a 10-point victory, as happened in Sun- day's 20-10 win over Cleveland. And, when, before October is over, the team already holds a commanding four- game cushion in the NFC West. Jim Harbaugh has become creative with his play-calling, spending the past two months learning who might be able to deliver in given situations even if it's an unconventional choice — such as the former tight end, Staley, and ex-rugby player, Sopoaga. Staley, the talented left tackle and leader of the offensive line, made the most of his opportunity in the spot- light. Quarterback Alex Smith called his post-catch display ''Prima don- naish'' for someone at his position. ''If he wants to call me a Prima donna, I'll be a Prima donna,'' Staley said. ''As long as we win.'' The catch matched the longest by an offensive lineman in franchise his- tory, and Staley became the first 49ers O-lineman with a reception since Chris Dalman on Nov. 20, 1995, at Miami. They're all having fun during this surprising five-game winning streak, the team's first since 2001 — well before most of the core Niners players were even in the league. San Francis- co, which travels to Washington to face the Redskins this week, is 6-1 for the that one,'' said defensive lineman Ricky Jean Francois of Staley's perfor- mance, noting he now wants a chance to throw a pass. ''When I saw him roll out, I'm like, 'All right, we must be running a screen.' When I saw the ball finally go to him, I said: 'We've got it all. We've got tackles making catches, we've got nose tackles ... it might be the center next time. (Jonathan) Good- win might get him one, too.'' Goodwin would love it — if it could be done. ''That would be great,'' he said. ''I guess the hard part would be figuring out how to make it happen.'' The way they have set themselves up, Harbaugh's 49ers could clinch their division and the franchise's first playoff berth in nine years before that highly anticipated matchup with the coach's big brother, John, and the Bal- timore Ravens on Thanksgiving. ''The approach is not even concern- ing ourselves with the standings till we get to December,'' Harbaugh said Monday. ''Then we'll see how many we have, see how many we need.'' San Francisco has been far from flashy, without the big-name quarter- back with a big arm who wracks up passing yards. It's been a steady group of contributors on both sides of the ball every Sunday. Running back Frank Gore is mak- ing a strong case for his third Pro Bowl selection. The 28-year-old Gore, who received his coveted new $21 million, three-year contract extension before the season, has carried the load with four straight games of both 125-plus yards and a rushing touchdown. He passed Roger Craig for second place on the 49ers career rushing list Sunday in the process. Gore, in his seventh NFL season, has longed to be part of a winner. He can sense a buzz at Candlestick Park, where it's been since the days of Steve Young, Jerry Rice and Terrell Owens that the 49ers have been on such a roll. ''I think our fans, they're happy, and I'm happy for them,'' Gore said. ''There's been some rough years, they've had some rough years and they've always been there and now we're doing something really great for them.'' San Francisco hasn't been to the playoffs or had a winning season since 2002, and Harbaugh in a matter of months already is being spoken of in the same sentence as the late Hall of Famer Bill Walsh when it comes to San Francisco's all-time coaching tal- ent. While most coaches preach prepar- ing for the next game and not looking beyond, that's not Harbaugh. He does it his way — and, you bet, he's think- ing about what must be done now to succeed in the playoffs come January. ''Generally, it's just a philosophy of life, of how we approach things as a team,'' Harbaugh said. ''There's the one philosophy that is yesterday's a mystery, tomorrow's a mystery, we live for the present, it's a gift, that kind of thing. That's not us. We reject that. ''We live for the future. To make tomorrow better. To make this Sunday better. Everything we can do today so that we can have a better future.'' Many of his players are starting to sound an awful lot like their head coach lately. Smith is all about the team whenever he speaks — and he's not the only one. ''Who's got it better than us,'' tweeted special teams standout Blake Costanzo, using one of Harbaugh's catch phrases. ''Nooooooobody livvvin in full effect.'' Notes: San Francisco OL Alex Boone played Sunday before returning to Cleveland to be with wife, Dana, who gave birth Sunday to the couple's first child, a baby boy. ...WR Braylon Edwards felt fine after his first game back on his surgically repaired right knee, Harbaugh said. Edwards had four catches in his first action since getting hurt in a Week 2 overtime loss to the Cowboys. Raiders sign CB Lito Sheppard ALAMEDA (AP) — The Oakland Raiders returned from their bye week on Monday by sign- ing former Pro Bowl cor- nerback Lito Sheppard and are planning a workout for former Pro Bowl receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Houshmandzadeh played in Cincinnati with new Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer and was coached by current Raiders head coach Hue Jackson, but has been out of the league so far this season. Houshmandzadeh had been working out with Palmer in Southern Califor- nia before the Raiders trad- ed for the quarterback two weeks ago. Housh- mandzadeh will work out for Oakland on Tuesday. Jackson said the decision to look at Houshmandzadeh had been in the works for a while and did not have to do with getting a receiver who had worked previously with Palmer. ''What I need to do is find out what he is,'' Jack- son said. ''I'm going to do everything I can to improve our football team. I mean, he may not be what he once was. He may be what he once was. But I get the opportunity to see him, and see him up close and per- sonal and go from there.'' Houshmandzadeh was at his best with the Bengals with Palmer, catching a career-high 112 passes for 1,143 yards and 12 touch- downs in 2007. After aver- aging 89 catches, for 1,012 yards and seven touch- downs over a five-year span in Cincinnati, Housh- mandzadeh struggled the past two seasons in Seattle and Baltimore. He had only 30 catches for 398 yards and three touchdowns with the Ravens last season and had a key drop late in a playoff loss to Pittsburgh. No one picked him up this offsea- son but the Raiders are ready to take a look to see if he can regain his old form. ''He's a born leader,'' said safety Chinedum Ndukwe, who played with Houshmandzadeh in Cincinnati. ''He's a com- petitor. He gets open. You can't really explain it. He might not be the fastest guy, he might not look like the greatest athlete but he gets it done. In the slot, I don't think there's any better in the league in the slot.'' The Raiders had an open spot on their roster this week and used it on Shep- pard. He spent time in train- ing camp with the Raiders and played in the final exhi- bition game before being cut. He had not caught on with any other team and was brought back by the Raiders, who have two cor- Tony La Russa waited until after the championship parade and then called a team meeting with his play- ers. ''We didn't know what to expect,'' said pitcher Chris Carpenter, who won Game 7 of the World Series against Texas on Friday night. ''I think we all figured it was just going to be like, 'That- away guys. Great year. Way to battle!' Instead, he dropped that on us. I think everybody was caught off- guard.'' And with that, the 67- year-old La Russa said goodbye to baseball and became the first manager to retire immediately after leading his team to a Series title — the third of his career. ''I think this just feels like nerbacks banged up in Chris Johnson and Chimdi Chekwa. Sheppard worked out for a handful of teams over the last few months, including the Raiders a few weeks ago. ''I've been preparing as if it was going to happen that next day each day,'' Sheppard said. ''But it was a relief because I felt like I was doing a pretty good job here and I kind of couldn't understand it (being released) but then they called me back so they appreciated some of what I was doing so that was a big help.'' Sheppard is a former Pro Bowler but started only two games for Minnesota last season. He started nine games for the New York Jets in 2009 and three for Philadelphia the previous season. He had been a starter for the Eagles before that, intercepting 14 passes from 2004 to 2006. His coverage numbers have dropped in recent years, according to STATS LLC. Sheppard allowed quarterbacks to complete 58 percent of their passes in his direction the past three seasons with 10 touch- downs, two interceptions and a 97.6 quarterback rat- ing. In his first five seasons, Sheppard allowed oppo- nents to catch 56.7 percent of their passes with 11 TDs, 17 interceptions and a 72.3 it's time to end it,'' he said Monday. ''When I look in the mirror, I know I'd come back for the wrong reasons, NASCAR Sprint Cup Points Leaders 1. Carl Edwards 2. Tony Stewart 3. Kevin Harvick 4. Brad Keselowski 5. Matt Kenseth 6. Jimmie Johnson 7. Kyle Busch 8. Kurt Busch 9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 10. Jeff Gordon 11. Denny Hamlin 12. Ryan Newman 2,273 2,265 2,252 2,246 2,237 2,230 2,216 2,215 2,200 2,197 2,193 2,184 Remaining Schedule Nov. 6 — AAA Texas 500, Fort Worth, Texas Nov. 13 — Kobalt Tools 500, Avondale, Ariz. Nov. 20 — Ford 400, Homestead, Fla. and I didn't want to do that.'' La Russa said he told general manager John Mozeliak of his decision in August — before the Cards rallied from a 10 1/2-game deficit in the NL wild-card NCAA Top 25 Schedule Friday's game No. 21 Southern Cal at Colorado, 6 p.m. Saturday's games No. 1 LSU at No. 2 Alabama, 5 p.m. No. 3 Okla. St. vs.No. 17 Kansas St., 5 p.m. No. 4 Stanford at Oregon St., 12:30 p.m. No. 5 Boise State at UNLV, 7:30 p.m. No. 6 Oregon at Washington, 7:30 p.m. No. 7 Oklahoma vs.Texas A&M, 12:30 p.m. No.8 Arkansas vs.No.12 S.Carolina, 4:15 p.m. No. 9 Nebraska vs. Northwestern, 12:30 p.m. No. 13 Michigan at Iowa, 9 a.m. No. 14 Houston at UAB, 4 p.m. No. 15 Michigan St. vs. Minnesota, 9 a.m. No.18 Georgia vs.New Mexico St., 9:30 a.m. No. 19 Wisconsin vs. Purdue, 12:30 p.m. No. 20 Arizona State at UCLA, 4:30 p.m. No. 23 Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m. No. 24 West Virginia vs. Louisville, 9 a.m. rating. ''He was somebody that I always watched, especial- ly when I was a rookie,'' Raiders cornerback Stan- ford Routt said. ''He has always had good feet, good instincts and for someone that is undersized, he plays much bigger than his size. He is definitely someone that helps the secondary out physically as well as from a mental aspect.'' The Raiders officially took the past four days off, but the receivers worked with Palmer on their own to build up some rapport with the new quarterback. Receiver Jacoby Ford said that work helped improve the timing of the passing game, which Jackson said was evident at practice ''I thought he looked really sharp today,'' Jackson said. ''He did some really good things today. He really has a grasp of what we're trying to accomplish. I think when I heard of what those guys did on those two days, spending time together real- ly showed out here.'' Notes: RB Darren McFadden (foot) did not practice and Jackson had no information on what his status would be for this week. ... MLB Rolando McClain (ankle) and K Sebastian Janikowski (hamstring) were among the other players who did not practice. After 3 World Series titles, La Russa retires ST. LOUIS (AP) — Sharks miss out on road sweep NEW YORK (AP) — Ryan Callahan scored twice in New York's three-goal second period, and New York shook of a blown lead and raced past the surging San Jose Sharks 5-2 on Monday night. The Rangers (4-3-3) led 2-0 in the first period but squandered it to the Sharks, who were trying to complete a sweep of a six-game road trip. Artem Anisimov also scored in the second after Ryan McDonagh and Derek Stepan had goals in the first. Martin Biron made 24 saves to improve to 2-0 as Henrik Lundqvist's backup. Callahan added an assist, and Dan Girardi, Erik Christensen and Bran- don Dubinsky all had two assists. All that, and fan favorite Sean Avery could be back in the lineup Thursday if he clears waivers Tuesday. Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture had goals for the Sharks (6-4), and Antti Niemi stopped 26 shots. Callahan put New York ahead 3-2, just as a Rangers power play ended, and capped the second-period spurt by pushing the lead to three goals when he scored again with 47.7 seconds left. Callahan, in his first season as Rangers captain, also had the primary assist on McDonagh's opening goal. Stepan made it 2-0 later in the first, but just like in Saturday's 5-4 shootout loss to Ottawa, New York couldn't hold it. Pavelski started the Sharks' comeback when he cut the deficit to 2-1 with 2:10 left in the first, and San Jose used a dominant shift in the second to get even when Couture took advantage of exhausted defensemen. Just as Madison Square Garden was about to turn on the home team, the Rangers regained the lead and built on it uncharacteristically. The Rangers were 0-1-1 at home, and the pain of Satur- day's loss in which New York blew a 4-1 lead in the third period was still fresh for the frustrated fans. Callahan took a crisp pass from Christensen and slammed a shot in from the left post with 6 minutes left in the second — just as Colin White's delay-of-game penalty ended. That was the beginning of the game-turning surge that brightened the costume-clad Halloween crowd yearning to see the Rangers win at home. Christensen struck again moments later when he nudged the puck ahead to Anisimov, who bounced back from being shaken up on Saturday and scored his first of the season with a nifty backhanded shot that seemed to fool Niemi at 16:42. Callahan finished things with 47.7 seconds left after he started the scoring play with a forced turnover back in the New York end. Callahan raced up ice, got the puck to Brad Richards and continued skating behind the net. Richards fired a shot as teammate Brandon Dubinsky was dumped in front. The rebound bounced free, and no one picked up Callahan as he came out from behind the net and swept a shot inside the left post to make it 5-2. There was some tension heading into the third period as San Jose was given a power play in the closing seconds of the middle frame, but New York killed it off and protected the lead. Pavelski had netted his sixth goal of the trip when he put in a rebound of Douglas Murray's drive that hit both posts behind Biron. VBALL (Continued from page 1B) a tie for the third spot with Fall River (23-10-4). The Lady Warriors strength of schedule is tops in the division. The Red Bluff Lady Spartans (21-13) remained fourth out of four teams in Division-II, trailing Shasta (30-9), Chico (22-8) and Pleasant Valley (15-17). However there is a possi- bility Pleasant Valley will not qualify for the playoffs by not having either a .500 overall or league record. Los Molinos (21-15-5) was sitting in the sixth spot in Division-V. NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division WL OT Pts GF GA 8 3 0 16 28 23 6 3 2 14 26 22 Dallas Kings Phoenix 5 3 2 12 30 30 SHARKS 64 0 12 Ducks 5 5 1 11 22 28 Central Division WL OT Pts GF GA Chicago 6 2 2 14 32 25 Nashville 5 4 1 11 24 26 Detroit 5 4 0 10 22 23 St. Louis 5 6 0 10 28 31 Columbus 2 9 1 5 28 40 Northwest Division WL OT Pts GF GA Edmonton 7 2 2 16 25 18 Colorado 7 4 0 14 32 29 Minnesota 4 3 3 11 21 23 Vancouver 5 5 1 11 31 33 Calgary 4 4 1 9 22 23 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL OT Pts GF GA race to upset Philadelphia and Milwaukee in the play- offs. La Russa won the World Series with Oakland in 1989, and St. Louis in 2006 and this year. MLS Playoffs Wild Card Round New York 2, FC Dallas 0 Colorado 1, Columbus 0 Conference Semifinals Sporting Kansas City vs. Colorado Game 1: Kansas City 2, Colorado 0 Wednesday: at Kansas City, 4 p.m. Houston vs. Philadelphia Game 1: Houston 2, Philadelphia 1 Thursday: at Houston, 5:30 p.m. Los Angeles vs. New York Game 1: Los Angeles 1, New York 0 Thursday: at Los Angeles, 8 p.m. Seattle vs. Real Salt Lake Game 1: Seattle 0, Real Salt Lake 3 Wednesday: at Seattle, 7 p.m. Pittsburgh 8 3 2 18 39 28 Philadelphia 6 4 1 13 41 36 N.Y. Rangers 4 3 3 11 25 25 New Jersey 4 4 1 9 20 24 N.Y. Islanders 3 4 2 8 18 23 Northeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Toronto 7 3 1 15 36 35 Ottawa 7 5 0 14 39 45 Buffalo 6 4 0 12 29 22 Montreal 4 5 2 10 29 30 Boston 3 7 0 6 22 25 Southeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Washington 7 2 0 14 35 23 Florida 6 4 1 13 29 29 Tampa Bay 5 4 2 12 33 35 Carolina 4 4 3 11 28 35 Winnipeg 4 6 1 9 30 39 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. —————————————————— Monday's results N.Y. Rangers 5, San Jose 2 Winnipeg 4, Florida 3, SO Nashville at Chicago, late Today's games Ottawa at Boston, 4 p.m. Tampa Bay at Carolina, 4 p.m. Anaheim at Washington, 4:30 p.m. Minnesota at Detroit, 4:30 p.m. Vancouver at Calgary, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday's games Philadelphia at Buffalo, 4:30 p.m. Toronto at New Jersey, 4:30 p.m. Phoenix at Colorado, 6:30 p.m. 30 26 West WL T Pct PF PA 49ERS 61 0 .857 187 107 Seattle 2 5 0 .286 109 162 St. Louis 1 6 0 .143 87 192 Arizona 1 6 0 .143 143 183 East WL T Pct PF PA N.Y. Giants 5 2 0 .714 174 164 Philadelphia 3 4 0 .429 179 152 Dallas 3 4 0 .429 156 162 Washington 3 4 0 .429 116 139 South WL T Pct PF PA N. Orleans 5 3 0 .625 260 189 Tampa Bay 4 3 0 .571 131 169 Atlanta 4 3 0 .571 158 163 Carolina 2 6 0 .250 187 207 North Green Bay 7 0 0 1.000230 141 Detroit WL T Pct PF PA 6 2 0 .750 239 147 Chicago 4 3 0 .571 170 150 Minnesota 2 6 0 .250 172 199 —————————————————— Week 8 results Sunday's Games San Francisco 20, Cleveland 10 Baltimore 30, Arizona 27 Buffalo 23, Washington 0 Cincinnati 34, Seattle 12 Detroit 45, Denver 10 Houston 24, Jacksonville 14 Minnesota 24, Carolina 21 N.Y. Giants 20, Miami 17 Philadelphia 34, Dallas 7 Pittsburgh 25, New England 17 St. Louis 31, New Orleans 21 Tennessee 27, Indianapolis 10 Monday's result San Diego at Kansas City, late Week 9 Schedule Sunday's games San Francisco at Washington, 10 a.m. Atlanta at Indianapolis, 10 a.m. Cleveland at Houston, 10 a.m. Miami at Kansas City, 10 a.m. N.Y. Jets at Buffalo, 10 a.m. Seattle at Dallas, 10 a.m. Tampa Bay at New Orleans, 10 a.m. Cincinnati at Tennessee, 1:05 p.m. Denver at Oakland, 1:05 p.m. Green Bay at San Diego, 1:15 p.m. N.Y. Giants at New England, 1:15 p.m. St. Louis at Arizona, 1:15 p.m. Baltimore at Pittsburgh, 5:20 p.m. Monday's game Chicago at Philadelphia, 5:30 p.m. Open: Carolina, Detroit, Jacksonville, Minnesota Hamilton (35-4), Univer- sity Prep (23-4-2), Pierce (20-2), Portola (23-12-3) and Quincy (18-9) were ahead of the Bulldogs. NFL AFC West WL T Pct PF PA Chargers 4 2 0 .667 141 136 RAIDERS 43 0 .571 160 178 Kansas City 3 3 0 .500 105 150 Denver 2 5 0 .286 133 200 East WL T Pct PF PA Buffalo 5 2 0 .714 211 147 N. England 5 2 0 .714 202 160 N.Y. Jets 4 3 0 .571 172 152 Miami South Houston 5 3 0 .625 206 145 Tennessee 4 3 0 .571 139 145 Jacksonville 2 6 0 .250 98 163 Indianapolis 0 8 0 .000 121 252 North WL T Pct PF PA Pittsburgh 6 2 0 .750 176 139 Cincinnati 5 2 0 .714 171 123 Baltimore 5 2 0 .714 185 110 Cleveland 3 4 0 .429 107 140 NFC 0 7 0 .000 107 166 WL T Pct PF PA