Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/47051
2B Daily News – Tuesday, November 8, 2011 49ers streaking Pacific start in one season since 1990, when the team went 5-0 in such con- tests. SANTA CLARA (AP) — All along, the San Francisco 49ers have made it clear they intend to reach the playoffs without depending on any- body else to help them get there — without watching games late in the sea- son with their fate in limbo and need- ing one team to beat another. At this rate, San Francisco shouldn't have a problem. The NFC West-lead- ing Niners (7-1) own a commanding five-game division lead and could lock up their spot in two weeks if they keep winning and Arizona and Seattle both lose their next two. For Frank Gore and all the other 49ers who have never been to the play- offs, let alone on the cusp of a division title, clinching this month would be a thrill. San Francisco could secure the franchise's first playoff spot since 2002 by beating the Cardinals on Nov. 20 at Candlestick Park if all parties cooper- ate. ''That'd be a big thing. One goal, we're trying not to let another team have to help us get to the playoffs — let us do that so we won't have to sit down Thursday or Monday night and hope for a team to win so this team's got to lose and all that,'' defensive lineman Ricky Jean Francois said Monday. ''We're trying to secure a playoff spot now so we don't have to worry about that later in the season.'' While first-year coach Jim Har- baugh said last week he would look at the standings in December to deter- mine how many wins his team still needed to reach its goal, he might not have to wait that long. He could have the West won before that must-watch Thanksgiving showdown with his big brother, John, and the Baltimore Ravens back East. San Francisco is 4-0 on the road for the first time since 1992, and all of those victories have come in the Eastern time zone. This marks the first time the 49ers have won at least four games with a 10 a.m. The 49ers are riding their first six- game winning streak in 14 years after Sunday's 19-11 victory at Washington — and a win this Sunday at home against the NFC East-leading New York Giants (6-2) would go a long way toward getting a first-round playoff bye. ''If we beat the Giants and can get it, we'd be glad to have it,'' said Gore, who had his fifth straight 100-yard game against the Redskins but is nurs- ing a sore left ankle. ''The Giants this week, they're a great team and they're coming here and we'll try to do what- ever it takes to get a win.'' While Harbaugh's team is so close to being unbeaten at this stage — the 49ers lost 27-24 in overtime to the Cowboys in Week 2 — he refuses to evaluate the progress so far. ''I really don't assess it. We would have liked to have been 8-0 at the mid- season point,'' Harbaugh said Monday. San Francisco, headed for the fran- chise's first winning record since 2002, already has one more win than it did in 2010 under fired coach Mike Single- tary after a shocking 0-5 start. Harbaugh joined Jim Mora, in 2004 with the Falcons, as the only rookie head coaches to lead their team to a five-game improvement from the pre- vious season through eight games since 1970. ''A lot of people doubted us, a lot of people put us out because we didn't have an offseason, we had a whole new staff, we're going to be lost and running around with our heads cut off,'' Fran- cois said. ''But with the dedication and all the time everybody put aside to build it we weren't going to have no lacking. We fell off one game with Dal- las, but after that we just had to put everything together. We just feel like this is a team, it's not individual play no more. It's actually a team.'' Wide receiver Braylon Edwards experienced a strong start last season with the New York Jets winning nine of their first 11. He believes his new team has only begun to reach its poten- tial — a sentiment Gore seconds. ''We had already reached our peak,'' Edwards said in the locker room Sunday night. ''We had everything in place. We had been running an offense for a couple of years that was in place and we were at our peak. ... We're not anywhere near where we can be and that was the difference between here and (the Jets). We were already at our peak. We haven't come close.'' Harbaugh insists he won't change anything this week in terms of the approach, even as his 49ers put them- selves in prime position to win the divi- sion that was known as the NFC Worst last season when Seattle came out on top with a 7-9 record. ''We are going to keep doing what we've been doing and that's focus on what we are doing now and have a great expectation for today's game- planning, for tomorrow's meetings, for tomorrow's practice,'' he said. ''That's the way we've been going about it, no need to look ahead. We didn't have any expectations at the start, we didn't say, 'Here's what our record needs to be at the midway point,' predicting what would happen or what the record would be. We've got a lot of questions to answer that we keep asking our- selves.'' Gore said X-rays on his ankle were negative. He was clearly hurting after the game and needed help getting off the postgame podium in Washington. The two-time Pro Bowler said he expects to practice this week and play against the Giants. ''I'll be all right. I'm cool. Just checking up some things on my body. Yeah, I'll be all right,'' Gore said. Defensive end Ray McDonald, who missed his first game since 2008 because of a hamstring injury, said Monday he expects to be ready come Sunday. ''I'm doing better, good to go this week,'' McDonald said. Same old problems plague Raiders ALAMEDA (AP) — With two consecutive losses to division rivals, a penalty count that's quickly approaching triple digits and a run defense that is among the worst in the NFL, Raiders coach Hue Jackson has a long list of issues that need fixing. He doesn't have much time to get them cor- rected, either. Oakland has a short work week in prepara- tion for Thursday's night game in San Diego. It's a game that will either solidify the Raiders' first-place standing in the AFC West or drop them farther into a tail- spin that began shortly after the death of team owner Al Davis. ''We've got some work to do, we've got some grow- ing to do,'' Jackson said Monday. ''Our guys are excited because they know we are 4-4 and still in the thick of this thing. What we need to do is get a win.'' The Raiders seemed to have a firm grasp on things Sunday when they built a 24-14 lead over Denver midway through the third quarter before the Broncos scored 24 unanswered points to win 38-24. The meltdown in front of a sellout crowd at the Oak- land Coliseum followed on the heels of the Raiders' 28- 0 loss to Kansas City. In both games, Oakland struggled defending the run while racking up penalties — 10 against the Chiefs and a season-high 15 in the loss to Denver. Overall, the Raiders' 84 penalties are an NFL-high and 14 more than any other team in the league has. ''Some of 'em are just bonehead mistakes that we need to clean up,'' defensive tackle Richard Seymour said. ''We need to eliminate bad football, and that's part of the bad football side of it. You won't win a lot of games (and be) where you want to be at the end of the year if we continue to do this.'' More concerning was Denver's ability to run the ball. The Broncos rushed for 298 yards, 163 from running back Willis McGahee and 117 from quarterback Tim Tebow who had runs of 32, 19, 12 and 12 while running the option. That kept Oakland's defense on the field and fueled Denver's comeback. The Raiders also dropped to 29th in the NFL defending the run and are giving up an AFC-worst 5.2 yards a carry. Jackson had vowed to correct both problems earli- er this season yet found him- self answering the same questions he did back then. Womathlon November 19th , 2011 at Tehama Family Fitness Center Attention Ladies! Test your strength, endurance, and perseverance at this competition! Saturday November 19th Events: • Hex Bar Body Weight Dead Lift for Max Reps in 1 minute • Bench Press 3 Attempts for Max Weight • 25 lbs Kettlebell Snatch for Max Reps in 2 Minutes • Pull up Bar Hang For Time • Medley- TBA • 1.5 Mile Run for Time Cost: Pre Register by 11/1 $15 • Late Registration $25 *Minors must have parent signature Weigh-ins at 8am-First Lift at 9am For More Info Contact Troy 530-528-8656 Tehama Family Fitness Center 2498 South Main St. • 528-8656 www.tehamafamilyfitness.com ''I didn't solve it,'' Jack- son said. ''Very confident teams don't make those kind of mistakes at key times. In the heat of battle there's a good decision and a bad decision. Those are thing we have to continue to harp on, myself to the coaches, the coaches to the players, to get better at.'' Jackson, who said he long ago reached his boiling point with the two issues, wouldn't rule out making changes to the team's lineup to correct the problems. But with a roster full of injured or limping players, Jack- son's options are admittedly limited. ''Right now we're not the healthiest football team so I'm sitting them down to play who?'' Jackson said. ''I'm going to continue to just make it an emphasis for this football team that we've got to do better. It might be Game 16 when it's fixed, I don't know. But I know I'm not going to back down from it and we're going to keep working at it.'' Jackson also addressed the top of the Raiders' lock- er room chemistry, which some have questioned after the recent acquisitions of quarterback Carson Palmer, wide receiver T.J. Housh- mandzadeh and linebacker Aaron Curry. The subject took on NASCAR Sprint Cup Points Leaders 1. Carl Edwards 2. Tony Stewart 3. Kevin Harvick 4. Matt Kenseth 5. Brad Keselowski 6. Jimmie Johnson 7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 8. Jeff Gordon 9. Kurt Busch 10. Denny Hamlin 11. Kyle Busch 12. Ryan Newman 2,316 2,313 2,283 2,278 2,267 2,261 2,237 2,235 2,229 2,217 2,216 2,213 Remaining Schedule Nov. 13 — Kobalt Tools 500, Avondale, Ariz. Nov. 20 — Ford 400, Homestead, Fla. added significance after Sunday's game when wide receiver Darrius Heyward- Bey and tight end Kevin Boss played sparingly. Hey- ward-Bey did not talk to reporters following the game, and Boss said Mon- day he was surprised at his lack of playing time. ''I've got a lot of confi- dence in myself and feel like I can help this team but, you know, that's something I can't do when I'm not play- ing,'' Boss said. ''But I think that things will work (them- selves) out and I feel confi- dent that I'll get back out there and continue to do what I've done in the past, and that's make plays and be a solid tight end.'' Jackson said he talked to the players before the game and that everyone was aware of their role going into Sun- day. ''Do I think some players walked out of here yesterday feeling like they could have made more of a difference in the game? Probably so,'' Jackson said. ''When you lose, everybody has a reason why you lost. But when you look at it, that's not why we lost. We lost because of penalties. We lost because we didn't do a good enough job of taking care of the ball, and we didn't stop the run.'' TENNIS WTA Final Money Leaders 1. Petra Kvitova 2. Caroline Wozniacki 3. Victoria Azarenka 4. Li Na 5. Sam Stosur 6. Maria Sharapova 7.Vera Zvonareva 10. Serena Williams $5,145,943 $4,065,581 $3,771,032 $3,709,139 $3,476,153 $2,899,148 $2,673,018 8. Agnieszka Radwanska $2,456,568 9. Kim Clijsters 11. Francesca Schiavone $1,782,351 12. Marion Bartoli 13. Andrea Petkovic 14. Flavia Pennetta 15. Jelena Jankovic 16. Maria Kirilenko 17. Sabine Lisicki 18. Peng Shuai 19. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova $916,239 20. Liezel Huber $857,431 $2,325,741 $1,978,930 $1,757,863 $1,652,271 $1,254,921 $1,078,418 $1,001,417 $967,634 $927,258 NBA (Continued from page 1B) league had already demanded the 53-47 split. League officials said they lost $300 million last season, when players were guaranteed 57 percent of BRI. Stern said the league believes it can profit at 50- 50 with expanded revenue sharing among its teams, though owners believe some teams would still lose money with a 50-50 split. The sides are also still divided over some issues related to the salary cap system, mostly related to spending rules for teams that are over the luxury tax level. Players want those big-market teams to remain free agency options. No bargaining session has been set before the dead- line, though player representatives will be in New York on Tuesday for a union planning meeting. Play- ers' association president Derek Fisher said Sunday it was still too early to give members anything to vote on. Stern downplayed the threat of decertification of the union, an option that could be more strongly con- sidered if the backup proposal gets put on the table. A lengthy court fight would almost certainly wipe out the entire 2011-12 season. A month of games has already been canceled. ''We're all really concerned. This is our livelihood. This is our job,'' Charlotte point guard D.J. Augustin said Monday after playing a pickup game with other NBA players in Houston. ''For ourselves, we want to get back playing. But we're also not going to take just any deal. We're going to stay united, stay strong and just be ready whenever they call us back.'' Though frustrations are high and nasty rhetoric remains — the league and union briefly argued about their proposals through Twitter feeds Monday — the reality is they've grown closer on paper. Players offered Saturday to reduce their BRI take to 51 per- cent, with 1 percent going to a fund for retired play- ers' benefits, after previously saying they wouldn't go below 52.5. The question is whether they can erase the remain- ing issues before Wednesday's deadline — and what happens if they don't. ''We just want a fair deal, and I believe the players' union is just trying to get the fairest deal possible,'' Washington forward Rashard Lewis said. ''They gave us a deadline on Wednesday, but our side is meeting today or tomorrow. So let's just see what happens.'' GIANTS (Continued from page 1B) where the manager wants to put me,'' Cabrera said through an interpreter. ''I know this year I batted sec- ond. But wherever they put me I'll do the best job I can.'' This move likely means that lefty Barry Zito will likely be in the Giants rota- tion again in 2012. At the end of the season Sabean reiterated president Larry Baer's recent statement that struggling $126 million pitcher will remain on the team rather than buying out his huge salary. The 2002 AL Cy Young Award winner with Oak- land, Zito has struggled in his five years across the bay in San Francisco and was left off the postseason ros- ter for all three rounds in 2010. He is owed $19 mil- lion next year, $20 million in 2013 and has an $18 mil- lion team option with a $7 million buyout in 2014. NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division WL OT Pts GF GA Dallas 10 3 0 20 40 31 Phoenix 7 4 2 16 38 36 SHARKS 74 1 15 Kings Ducks 6 4 3 15 28 28 5 6 3 13 27 40 Central Division WL OT Pts GF GA Chicago 8 3 3 19 46 42 Nashville 7 4 2 16 35 34 Detroit 6 5 1 13 29 29 St. Louis 6 7 0 12 32 35 Columbus 2 11 1 5 31 53 Northwest Division WL OT Pts GF GA Edmonton 8 3 2 18 30 22 Minnesota 7 3 3 17 30 26 Colorado 7 6 1 15 40 42 Vancouver 7 7 1 15 45 44 Calgary 6 6 1 13 30 32 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL OT Pts GF GA Pittsburgh 9 3 3 21 45 34 Philadelphia 8 4 2 18 56 44 N.Y. Rangers 7 3 3 17 35 29 New Jersey 6 5 1 13 30 34 N.Y. Islanders 4 6 2 10 25 35 Northeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Toronto 9 4 1 19 45 46 Buffalo 8 5 0 16 36 28 Ottawa 7 7 1 15 45 55 Boston 6 7 0 12 40 30 Montreal 5 6 2 12 34 36 Southeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Washington 9 3 0 18 48 33 Tampa Bay 7 5 2 16 44 46 Florida 6 4 3 15 34 36 Carolina 5 6 3 13 35 47 Winnipeg 5 7 2 12 35 45 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. —————————————————— Monday's results Los Angeles at San Jose, late Boston 6, N.Y. Islanders 2 Today's games Winnipeg at Buffalo, 4 p.m. Florida at Toronto, 4 p.m. Dallas at Washington, 4 p.m. Carolina at New Jersey, 4:30 p.m. Edmonton at Montreal, 4:30 p.m. Colorado at Detroit, 4:30 p.m. Chicago at St. Louis, 5 p.m. Minnesota at Calgary, 6:30 p.m. Nashville at Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday's games N.Y. Rangers at Ottawa, 4:30 p.m. Philadelphia at Tampa Bay, 4:30 p.m. Nashville at Anaheim, 7 p.m. 37 33 NCAA Top 25 Schedule Thursday's games No. 10 Vir.Tech at No.20 Ga.Tech, 5 p.m. No. 11 Houston at Tulane, 5 p.m. Saturday's games No. 1 LSU vs.Western Kentucky, 4 p.m. No. 2 Oklahoma St. at Texas Tech, 9 a.m. No. 3 Stanford vs. No. 6 Oregon, 5 p.m. No. 4 Alabama at Miss. State, 4:45 p.m. No. 5 Boise State vs.TCU, 12:30 p.m. No. 8 Arkansas vs. Tennessee, 3 p.m. No. 9 Clemson vs.Wake Forest, 9 a.m. No.12 Penn St. vs.No. 19 Nebraska, 9 a.m. No. 13 Michigan State at Iowa, 9 a.m. No.14 Georgia vs.No.24 Auburn, 12:30 p.m. No. 15 South Carolina vs. Florida, 9 a.m. No. 16 Wisconsin at Minnesota, 12:30 p.m. No. 17 Kansas St. vs.Texas A&M, 12:30 p.m. No. 18 USC vs.Washington, 12:40 p.m. No. 21 Texas at Missouri, 9 a.m. No. 22 Michigan at Illinois, 12:30 p.m. No. 23 Cincinnati vs.West Virginia, 9 a.m. No. 25 Southern Miss vs. UCF, 5 p.m. NFL AFC West WL T Pct PF PA Kansas City 4 4 0 .500 131 201 Chargers 4 4 0 .500 199 204 RAIDERS 44 0 .500 184 216 Denver 3 5 0 .375 171 224 East WL T Pct PF PA N. England 5 3 0 .625 222 184 N.Y. Jets 5 3 0 .625 199 163 Buffalo 5 3 0 .625 222 174 Miami South Houston 6 3 0 .667 236 157 Tennessee 4 4 0 .500 156 169 Jacksonville 2 6 0 .250 98 163 Indianapolis 0 9 0 .000 128 283 North WL T Pct PF PA Baltimore 6 2 0 .750 208 130 Cincinnati 6 2 0 .750 195 140 Pittsburgh 6 3 0 .667 196 162 Cleveland 3 5 0 .375 119 170 NFC East N.Y. Giants 6 2 0 .750 198 184 Dallas WL T Pct PF PA 4 4 0 .500 179 175 Philadelphia 3 4 0 .429 179 152 Washington 3 5 0 .375 127 158 South WL T Pct PF PA N. Orleans 6 3 0 .667 287 205 Atlanta 5 3 0 .625 189 170 Tampa Bay 4 4 0 .500 147 196 Carolina 2 6 0 .250 187 207 North Green Bay 8 0 0 1.000275 179 Detroit Chicago 4 3 0 .571 170 150 Minnesota 2 6 0 .250 172 199 West WL T Pct PF PA 49ERS 71 0 .875 206 118 Seattle 2 6 0 .250 122 185 Arizona 2 6 0 .250 162 196 St. Louis 1 7 0 .125 100 211 —————————————————— Week 9 results Sunday's results San Francisco 19,Washington 11 Arizona 19, St. Louis 13, OT Atlanta 31, Indianapolis 7 Baltimore 23, Pittsburgh 20 Cincinnati 24, Tennessee 17 Dallas 23, Seattle 13 Denver 38, Oakland 24 Green Bay 45, San Diego 38 Houston 30, Cleveland 12 Miami 31, Kansas City 3 New Orleans 27, Tampa Bay 16 N.Y. Giants 24, New England 20 N.Y. Jets 27, Buffalo 11 Monday's result Chicago at Philadelphia, late Week 10 schedule Thursday's game Oakland at San Diego, 5:20 p.m. Sunday's games N.Y. Giants at San Francisco, 1:15 p.m. Arizona at Philadelphia, 10 a.m. Buffalo at Dallas, 10 a.m. Denver at Kansas City, 10 a.m. Houston at Tampa Bay, 10 a.m. Jacksonville at Indianapolis, 10 a.m. New Orleans at Atlanta, 10 a.m. Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, 10 a.m. St. Louis at Cleveland, 10 a.m. Tennessee at Carolina, 10 a.m. Washington at Miami, 10 a.m. Baltimore at Seattle, 1:05 p.m. Detroit at Chicago, 1:15 p.m. New England at N.Y. Jets, 5:20 p.m. Monday's game Minnesota at Green Bay, 5:30 p.m. WL T Pct PF PA 6 2 0 .750 239 147 1 7 0 .125 138 169 WL T Pct PF PA