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2B Daily News – Wednesday, January 4, 2012 NFC West champion 49ers get groove on in practice SANTA CLARA (AP) — Line- backer Tavares Gooden has been known to get down and start strum- ming an air guitar before practice. From Bruce Springsteen to Bob Seger, from country to hip hop, and rap, rock and R&B, the San Francisco 49ers are getting nearly as much vari- ety through their impressive sound system during workouts as they are in coach Jim Harbaugh's creative offense. No doubt these playoff-bound Niners are feelin' groovy. And it sure beats the crowd noise that gets pumped into a lot of practices around the NFL to prepare teams for loud, hostile road environments. ''We just jam,'' defensive line coach Jim Tomsula said. ''It's cool. It's crowd noise but I've got to admit, it's fantastic.'' Nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga, from American Samoa, requested an island favorite by oceanic group Te Vaka. He also gets a kick out of the chanting of New Zealand's traditional tribal war music, Haka. That's just a start. ''This year is totally different because this is what has been missing for the last four or five years,'' said Sopoaga, whose team ended an eight- year playoff drought and stretch with- out a winning record. ''Guys can open up with what we want so we can prac- tice better, other than people holding it from us. It's meant to be. It's great fun, and that's why we're out there in prac- tice running around and having fun, doing everything textbook-wise. Everything we're doing in practice we're doing on game day.'' Linebacker Patrick Willis wanted ''Lean on Me'' and heard it played. Right guard Anthony Davis has rec- ommended a few of his favorite rap- pers. One of injured wide receiver Joshua Morgan's favorites — Future's EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — ''Tony Montana'' — has become the anthem for the special teams unit, and it now plays on game days at Candle- stick Park. There have been the Christ- mas classics and patriotic melodies for Veteran's Day. Jeff Ferguson, director of football operations and sports med- icine, accepts suggestions for the wide-ranging playlist. ''I kind of like the fact that he's con- stantly switching up,'' quarterback Alex Smith said of ''Fergie,'' as he's known. ''Some days it's oldies or hard rock, some days it's 80s, it's rap, hip hop. It's just such a mix every day. It's nice. It pumps a little extra energy into practice. ''You just get so tired of the 'Ahhh- hhh!,' that white noise. It's nice to have something that changes it up.'' Willis isn't choosy about his ditties. ''I just trust his judgment,'' Willis said of Ferguson. ''He's up on point when it comes to music. You just never know what's going to pop up on there. I've never heard anybody com- plain about the music. We mostly use it as crowd noise, so it's for a bigger purpose.'' And the 49ers might have a new one to pipe in now: Bay Area rapper ''Bailey'' has released a new song inspired by Harbaugh's regular cheer of ''Who's got it better than us? No- body!'' ''I'm buying in,'' linebacker Parys Haralson said of the music mix. ''I don't know who makes those recom- mendations, but I like it. I don't care. As long as it gets us going we're good. I just like whatever sounds good.'' And with the state-of-the-art sound system featuring concert-size speakers that Harbaugh had delivered back in October from an old Stanford contact, the 49ers' blaring music can be heard from blocks away. In fact, Kyle Williams' big brother, Kenny, can lis- ten in from his home less than a mile from team headquarters. At the time, Harbaugh said he had been working Oregon's 2011 season was characterized by the team's unwavering ability to push aside adversity: From the season-opening loss to LSU, to LaMichael James' elbow injury, to an ongoing NCAA investigation and a late-sea- son stumble again USC. In the end, the Ducks prevailed to finish 12-2 and prove they could win a big game on a big stage with a 45-38 victory over Wiscon- sin in the Rose Bowl. "What we learned from it, I think, is that it really just validates what we stand for, which is that this team is fearless," coach Chip Kelly said. "They're resilient and they've got faith. But that faith is based on preparation. It's not a fake thing we just talk about." But that resiliency was tested this season. Before it even got under way, questions were raised about a $25,000 payment Oregon made in 2010 to Texas-based Willie Lyles for a recruiting package he pro- vided the school, both because of the size of the payment and Lyles' relation- ship with a 2010 recruit, Lache Seastrunk. When Oregon released the pack- age they received from Lyles, it contained woefully outdated information. The Ducks received for- mal notice this fall of an NCAA inquiry, which remains open. Oregon has hired a legal firm to aid in its handling of the matter and Seastrunk, a promising run- ning back, has left the Ducks for Baylor. More off-field issues arose during the sum- mer when All-American cornerback Cliff Harris was stopped on Interstate 5 for driving 118 mph with a sus- pended license. While Harris later was reinstated, a police dash- board camera recording the traffic stop showed the offi- cer was concerned about the smell of marijuana coming from the vehicle, and Harris is heard saying "We smoked it all." The phrase would be immortalized on T-shirts. Harris, suspended for the LSU game, never really recaptured the playmaking ability that turned heads his sophomore season. After another traffic stop that got him suspended again toward the end of the season, Kelly ultimately dismissed him from the team when he was cited for marijuana posses- sion in California. Coming off an appearance in the BCS championship game, the Ducks were ranked No. 3 in the preseason. But they opened with a 40-27 loss to then-No. 4 LSU at Cowboys Stadium. Unbowed, Oregon inched back into the nation- al picture, stringing together nine straight victories capped by a decisive 53-30 win over then-No. 3 Stan- ford — which popped the Ducks back into the chase for the championship. There were a few bumps for eight weeks to make the upgrade for ''a louder music system.'' ''There's a little bit of everything for everybody,'' punter Andy Lee said. Even veteran wide receiver and return man Ted Ginn Jr. has become more open-minded about music. ''It's great to go out and hear differ- ent things and different cultures of music throughout the practice,'' Ginn said. ''It's kind of amazing how some- thing you might not listen to all the time can get you going or something you might hear for the first time that somebody else might have known, and we all relate on it. There's a good thing to it.'' The 49ers have come so far in so many ways. During training camp in 2010, former offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye referenced how he enjoyed hearing George Gershwin's ''Summertime'' during practice, per- formed by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong — saying, ''I kind of dated myself with that deal.'' You think? Harbaugh wouldn't reveal his top picks for practice tunes, clearly leav- ing such important decisions to his players. He has plenty of other things on his mind at the moment for San Francisco (13-3), like studying game film on possible opponents Atlanta, New York and New Orleans for the NFC West champions' first playoff game in nine years. The Jan. 14 game at Candlestick became a sellout short- ly after tickets went on sale to the gen- eral public Tuesday morning. ''I guess Coach wants to keep it balanced and keep everybody happy,'' center Jonathan Goodwin said. Well, perhaps not quite everybody. The rookies don't have much say in the music — and cornerback Chris Culliver, for one, could do without some of the country music. ''I don't love it,'' he said with a smile. senior season and declare his eligibility for this year's NFL draft. tory, James was reveling in being a Duck, saying he's "happy and content." "I love my teammates and I just love being a part of this team," he said. "My happiness is here right now. And that's honestly how I feel right now." Thomas hurt his left leg against Arizona State a week after James hurt his elbow. He was replaced capably by redshirt fresh- man Bryan Bennett, touch- ing off a mini quarterback controversy. Thomas missed one game because of the injury, but it didn't hurt his final stats either. The junior QB threw for 2,761 yards and 33 touchdowns with only seven interceptions. He also ran for three scores. down the stretch when James and quarterback Dar- ron Thomas were injured. James missed two games after dislocating his left elbow in a 43-15 victory at California on Oct. 6. While the absence knocked him out of the Heisman picture, it did little to slow him down. James finished with 1,805 yards rushing this sea- son and became the first player in Pac-12 history with three straight 1,500- yard seasons. He led the nation in rushing for the sec- ond straight season with 150.4 yards a game. The junior, a Heisman finalist in 2010, has not made a formal announce- ment, but it is widely assumed he will forgo his The Ducks were derailed in their second straight bid for the BCS title game by a 38-35 loss to USC on Nov. 19. The loss snapped Ore- gon's 21-game winning streak at Autzen Stadium and a 16-game overall streak against conference oppo- nents. With the Rose Bowl still on the line, Oregon easily defeated Oregon State in the Civil War and then UCLA in the inaugural Pac-12 title game. The victory over the No. 10 Badgers in Pasadena was an important hurdle for the Ducks, who aspire to be counted among the nation's elite teams. Under Chip Kelly, Oregon fell to Ohio State in the 2010 Rose Bowl before losing to Auburn in the national title game last year. Rumblings that Oregon can't win big games have now been replaced by spec- ulation about what's next for the Ducks. Oregon has won three straight conference titles, but the string could be threat- ened next season when NCAA sanctions against the Trojans expire. USC has been out of the postseason for the past two seasons — which is why the Bruins rep- resented the Pac-12 South in the league championship game this season. Thomas will be back, and even if James does not return next season, Oregon has already found his heir apparent in De'Anthony Thomas. The versatile freshman running back led the team with an average of 159 all- purpose yards this season, and set an Oregon freshman record with 18 touchdowns: seven on the ground, nine via the pass and two on kick- off returns. Warriors close to signing Robinson OAKLAND (AP) — Two people with knowledge of the negotiations say the Golden State Warriors are close to sign- ing guard Nate Robinson, who was released by the Okla- homa City Thunder last month. The people spoke on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the deal was yet to be finalized or formally announced by Golden State. The Bay Area News Group first reported the pending signing of Robinson, who would join a small backcourt also featuring Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry. Fellow former University of Washington star Isaiah Thomas of the Sacramento Kings first tweeted the news. Robinson, the three-time NBA Slam Dunk champion, will provide depth at the guard spot as Curry has already sprained his troublesome, surgically repaired right ankle twice this season after going through the same thing several times last year. At 5-foot-9, Robinson makes Curry and Ellis — each 6-foot-3 — look big. The Warriors are 2-3 under first-year coach Mark Jackson heading into Wednesday's game at San Antonio. Thunder general manager Sam Presti announced the 27- year-old Robinson's release Dec. 24. Robinson didn't attend Oklahoma City's training camp after the lockout lifted, with Presti saying then that it was ''unlikely he will have an opportunity to contribute on a nightly basis.'' A midseason acquisition last season from the Celtics, Robinson appeared in only four games with three playoff appearances during his short tenure with the Thunder. He averaged 3.3 points and 1.5 assists in 7.5 minutes per game. Robinson, a seventh-year pro, was acquired from Boston as part of the deal that brought center Kendrick Perkins to the Thunder at the trade deadline last season. During the offseason, Robinson was arrested for urinating in public outside a bookstore in a New York City suburb. Crisp to stay with A's OAKLAND (AP) — A person with knowledge of the negotiations says free agent center fielder Coco Crisp has agreed to a two-year deal to return to the Oak- land Athletics. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team hadn't made a formal announcement. ESPN was first to report Tuesday that Crisp, who had hoped to keep playing on the West Coast, would stay put with the A's. The 32-year-old Crisp has batted .269 with 16 home runs, 92 RBIs, nine triples and 81 stolen bases in his two seasons with Oakland, which is in rebuilding mode in hopes of being able to relocate to San Jose and build a new ballpark. General manager Billy Beane has unloaded several star players in recent weeks, including starting pitchers Gio Gonzalez and Trevor Cahill. Tripped at the start, No. 6 Oregon prevails A's send Jai Miller to O's After the Rose Bowl vic- In the Rose Bowl against the Badgers, Thomas car- ried the ball just twice, once 91 yards for a touchdown and then 64 yards for anoth- er score. After the game, Kelly joked about his star pupil: "I'll see if next year we can get him an extra carry or two." NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division WL OT Pts GF GA 19 14 7 45 87 92 Kings SHARKS 20 11 4 44 102 85 Dallas 21 16 1 43 104 112 Phoenix 19 17 4 42 103 107 Ducks 10 21 6 26 87 124 Central Division WL OT Pts GF GA Chicago 24 11 4 52 128 111 Detroit 25 13 1 51 128 88 St. Louis 22 12 5 49 99 86 Nashville 21 14 4 46 105 108 Columbus 10 23 5 25 93 128 Northwest Division WL OT Pts GF GA Vancouver 24 13 3 51 131 99 Minnesota 21 13 6 48 95 95 Colorado 22 18 1 45 110 116 Calgary 18 18 5 41 100 114 Edmonton 16 20 3 35 107 111 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL OT Pts GF GA N.Y.Rangers 24 9 4 52 110 79 Philadelphia22 11 4 48 125 109 Pittsburgh 21 13 4 46 121 100 New Jersey 21 15 2 44 105 108 N.Y. Islanders14 17 6 34 88 116 Northeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Boston 24 10 1 49 123 68 Ottawa 20 15 5 45 123 135 Toronto 19 15 5 43 125 128 Buffalo 18 17 4 40 104 115 Montreal 14 18 7 35 99 110 Southeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Florida 20 12 7 47 103 107 Washington 21 15 2 44 114 110 Winnipeg 19 14 5 43 104 107 Tampa Bay 17 18 3 37 107 129 Carolina 13 21 7 33 106 139 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. —————————————————— Tuesday's results Buffalo 4, Edmonton 3 Detroit 5, Dallas 4 N.Y. Islanders 4, Carolina 3, SO St. Louis 4, Phoenix 1 Toronto 7, Tampa Bay 3 Washington 3, Calgary 1 Today's games San Jose at Anaheim, 7 p.m. Boston at New Jersey, 4:30 p.m. Winnipeg at Montreal, 4:30 p.m. Minnesota at Vancouver, 7 p.m. Thursday's games Columbus at San Jose, 7:30 p.m. Calgary at Boston, 4 p.m. Chicago at Philadelphia, 4 p.m. Florida at N.Y. Rangers, 4 p.m. Winnipeg at Toronto, 4 p.m. Tampa Bay at Ottawa, 4:30 p.m. Dallas at Nashville, 5 p.m. Edmonton at St. Louis, 5 p.m. Phoenix at Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m. Clippers Lakers Phoenix BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles have obtained outfielder Jai Miller from the Oakland Athletics, who parted with the part-time player for cash considerations. Miller was designated for assignment by Oakland on Dec. 23 after the A's received four players for pitcher Gio Gonzalez. The 26-year-old Miller went 3 for 12 with a homer and two RBIs for Oakland last season after being called up in September. He played in 110 games with Triple A Sacramento, batting .276 with 32 home runs and 83 RBIs. Miller also stole 16 bases without being caught. Orioles president of base- NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division WL Pct GB 2 2 .500 — 3 3 .500 — 2 3 .400 .5 WARRIORS 23 .400 .5 KINGS 24 .333 1 Southwest Division WL Pct GB San Antonio 3 2 .600 — Houston Memphis New Orleans 2 3 .400 1 Dallas Portland 2 2 .500 .5 2 3 .400 1 2 4 .333 1.5 Northwest Division WL Pct GB 4 1 .800 — Oklahoma City 5 2 .714 — Denver Utah Minnesota 4 2 .667 .5 3 3 .500 1.5 2 3 .400 2 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division Philadelphia 2 2 .500 — Boston Toronto New York Miami Atlanta Orlando Charlotte Chicago Indiana Cleveland Detroit WL Pct GB 3 3 .500 — 2 3 .400 .5 2 3 .400 1.5 New Jersey 1 5 .167 2 Southeast Division WL Pct GB 5 1 .833 — 4 2 .667 1 4 2 .667 1 1 4 .200 3.5 Washington 0 5 .000 4.5 Central Division WL Pct GB 5 1 .833 — 4 1 .800 .5 3 2 .600 1.5 2 3 .400 2.5 Milwaukee 2 3 .400 2.5 —————————————————— Tuesday's results Memphis 113, Sacramento 96 Chicago 76, Atlanta 74 Cleveland 115, Charlotte 101 Portland 103, Oklahoma City 93 Utah 85, Milwaukee 73 Houston at L.A. Lakers, late Today's games Golden State at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m. Sacramento at Denver, 6 p.m. Cleveland at Toronto, 4 p.m. Washington at Orlando, 4 p.m. Charlotte at New York, 4:30 p.m. Chicago at Detroit, 4:30 p.m. Indiana at Miami, 4:30 p.m. New Jersey at Boston, 4:30 p.m. Memphis at Minnesota, 5 p.m. Philadelphia at New Orleans, 5 p.m. Phoenix at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. Houston at L.A. Clippers, 7:30 p.m. Thursday's games Milwaukee at Sacramento, 7 p.m. Miami at Atlanta, 5 p.m. Dallas at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m. L.A. Lakers at Portland, 7:30 p.m. ball operations Dan Duquette says Miller will compete for a roster spot this spring. In another deal Tuesday, Baltimore traded infielder Brandon Snyder to Texas for cash. Snyder played in six games with the Orioles last year. RODEO Pro Rodeo Leaders Bareback Riding 1.Wes Stevenson, Lubbock, Texas 2.Ryan Gray, Cheney, Wash. 3.Steven Dent, Mullen, Neb. 4.Chris Harris, Itasca, Texas 5.Matt Bright, Azle, Texas 6.Jake Brown, Hillsboro, Texas 7.Matthew Smith, Clinton, Miss. 8.Tyson Thompson, Bradley $9,062 $6,484 $4,793 $3,780 $3,687 $3,524 $3,030 $2,770 9.Jared Keylon, Uniontown, Kan. $2,558 10.Brian Bain, Culver, Ore. 11.Yance Day, Fort Scott, Kan. 12.Teddy Athan, Livermore 13.Kaycee Feild, Payson, Utah 17.Jared Smith, Cross Plains, Texas 18.Morgan Heaton, Paradise, Utah 19.Casey Colletti, Pueblo, Colo. 20.Danny Webb,Cottonwood Steer Wrestling 1.Straws Milan, Cochrane, Alberta $7,537 2.Ken Lewis, La Junta, Colo. 3.Les Shepperson, Midwest, Wyo. $5,534 4.Ben Goodman, Beaumont, Texas $5,897 $4,964 5.Ryan Swayze, Freedom, Okla. $4,047 Team Roping (header) 1.Colby Lovell, Madisonville, Texas 2.Shane Philipp, Washington, Texas 3.Tyler Wade, Terrell, Texas 4.Spencer Mitchell, Colusa 5.Dustin Davis, Texarkana, Texas 1.Tyler Barton, Buckner, Ark. 2.Ryan Motes, Weatherford, Texas 3.John Philipp, Washington, Texas 4.Broc Cresta, Santa Rosa 5.Skinney Harrell, Marshall, Texas 6.Cole Davison, Madisonville, Texas 7.Kollin VonAhn, Durant, Okla. 8.Justin Davis,Cottonwood 9.Mike Monighetti, Los Alamos 10.Patrick Smith, Midland, Texas 1.Cole Elshere, Faith, S.D. 2.Tyrel Larsen, Inglis, Manitoba 3.Chad Ferley, Oelrichs, S.D. 4.Joaquin Real, Woody 5.Cody Wright, Milford, Utah Tie-down Roping 1.Jerome Schneeberger, Ponca City, Okla. $6,001 2.Riley Pruitt, Gering, Neb. 3.Clif Cooper, Decatur, Texas 6.Shank Edwards, Tatum, N.M. 7.Jake Hannum, Plain City, Utah 8.Blake Hirdes, Turlock 9.Justin Maass, Giddings, Texas Steer Roping 1.Chet Herren, Pawhuska, Okla. $3,856 2.Guy Allen, Santa Anna, Texas 3.Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas Bull Riding 1.J.W.Harris, Mullin, Texas 2.Jacob O'Mara, Prairieville, La. 3.Logan Knibbe, Rockdale, Texas 4.Myron Duarte, Auburn, Wash. 5.Cody Teel, Kountze, Texas Barrel Racing 1.Benette Barrington-Little, Ardmore, Okla. $14,743 2.Carlee Pierce, Stephenville, Texas 3.Linda Vick, Hesperia 4.Brittany Pozzi, Victoria, Texas 5.Reagan Dillard, Granbury, Texas $7,719 $7,103 $6,872 $5,392 $8,492 $8,122 $6,253 $5,863 $5,687 $2,878 $2,642 4.Kim Ziegelgruber, Edmond, Okla. $2,167 5.Cody Lee, Gatesville, Texas $2,048 $4,771 $4,673 4.Braxton Laughlin, Westlake, La. $3,778 5.Ryle Smith, Oakdale $3,667 $3,492 $3,443 $3,256 $2,996 10.Blake Deckard, Eufaula, Okla. $2,914 11.C.J.DeForest Jr., Wheatland $2,522 $6,876 $5,863 $5,627 $5,461 $5,289 Team Roping (heeler) $7,169 $6,876 $5,863 $5,461 $5,289 $5,149 $5,100 $3,780 $3,681 $3,558 Saddle Bronc Riding $8,619 $6,580 $4,712 $3,843 $3,842 $2,537 $2,533 $2,447 $2,337 14.George Gillespie IV, Placerville $2,270 15.Dave Worsfold, Australia 16.Winn Ratliff, Leesville, La. $2,154 $2,129 $1,840 $1,824 $1,796 $1,452