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2B Daily News – Thursday, February 2, 2012 Outfielder on ice Brewers outfielder Morgan practices with Sharks SAN JOSE (AP) — On his fourth attempt during a hockey breakaway drill, Nyjer Morgan shot the puck past Sharks goalie Thomas Greiss to score in the bottom right corner of the net. Greiss did the Milwaukee Brewers outfielder a favor and let it go in, with Morgan later thanking him with a firm pat to the chest pad. A giddy Morgan cheered, thrust his stick in the air to celebrate and became a bit wobbly on the ice before recover- ing. When asked about it after his out- ing Wednesday, he became defensive. ''But how many athletes do you know who can just jump on the ice and do what I just did? Exactly,'' Morgan said. ''Pretty cool, huh? It's been many moons, it's been a lot of years, yeah. And I've still got it, you see that?'' At last, the diehard San Jose fan and former hockey player got the chance to practice with the team he loves — however brief it was. ''Tony Plush'' as he refers to him- self — ''Say it one time, yeah!'' he begged of someone to speak aloud his self-created alter ego — stepped out for the first time 36 minutes into the hourlong session sporting a black No. 2 Sharks jersey with ''Plush'' on back. ''Oh, my feet hurt,'' he said, posing and acknowledging the crowd with a huge grin once his short stint on the ice was done. He received a little pep talk and some razzing from Sharks captain Joe Thornton beforehand while eagerly awaiting his turn. ''Not bad. It was better than I thought,'' Thornton said later in the locker room. ''He's a really good guy. He likes to laugh. I was just kind of fooling around with him a little bit. It seems like he enjoyed coming here and we loved having him. ... It loosens everybody up. He's got a good person- ality and he relates to the guys.'' About 100 fans turned out at the Sharks practice facility to witness Morgan's workout, if you can truly call it that. He worked on his passing skills and once attempted to juggle the puck with his left skate in a soccer-like move. Greiss and others were plenty impressed with the efforts of Morgan, who has been a Sharks fan since the franchise began playing in the Bay Area in 1991. Morgan's first three shots on goal were easily stopped by Greiss, who eased up on the last attempt. ''He just came down with a nice shot and put it in,'' Greiss said. ''He skates really well. He's said he likes to get on his skates and have fun. You INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The New York Giants had perfect attendance for their first Super Bowl practice in Indiana. Running back Ahmad Bradshaw, linebacker Jacquian Williams and receiver Hakeem Nicks all worked on a limited basis Wednesday at the University of Indi- anapolis. The Giants were loose during their 80- minute workout on at the Greyhounds' Field- Turf practice field — the same type of surface they will play on Sun- day against the New England Patriots. ''This was a good, spirited, up-tempo prac- tice,'' coach Tom Coughlin said. ''There are a few things we will KNAPP (Continued from page 1B) in his success. Knapp's first stint in Oak- land did not go well as he had little talent to work with offensively. The Raiders had a revolving door at quarter- back his first season with Josh McCown, Daunte Culpepper and JaMarcus Russell all getting starts. Russell was the main quar- terback in Knapp's second year and never developed into the player the Raiders envisioned when they select- ed him first overall in the 2007 draft. Knapp did not call plays at all his first season with the MCT file photo Nyjer Morgan traded in his bat for a hockey stick,Wednesday. could see that.'' Mike Sizemore, a 21-year-old mechanical engineering student at nearby Santa Clara University who grew up in St. Louis, came to taunt the center fielder. Sizemore, who claimed he wasn't skipping class, sported a Cardinals World Series shirt under- neath a St. Louis jersey and held a sign reading: ''(at)TPlush Good to see you're tryin' hockey. Baseball didn't work out.'' ''Nyjer Morgan talked a lot of smack this year against the Cardinals, so I thought I'd pay him a visit,'' Size- more said. Morgan, who still spends the off- season in his native Bay Area, was a late bloomer in pro baseball — getting his start at about age 20 after deciding to make the switch from hockey — and grew up playing hockey as his first love and hoped to turn pro. He appeared in seven games with the Regina Pats of the junior Western Hockey League in 1999-2000, regis- tering two goals and 20 penalty min- utes. He moved to Canada at age 16 to play hockey. San Jose coach Todd McLellan isn't quite ready to commit to signing Morgan. But he would consider it. ''You know what, I've seen his pas- sion and his energy when he gets out on a ballfield, and if that converts into anything on the ice, I absolutely will, but I do know one thing, he wouldn't be going in the shootout,'' said McLel- lan, a coach in the WHL during Mor- gan's junior hockey days. ''His ball characteristics, and the way he stirs things up on the ballfield, that's the exact same way he was on the ice sur- face. He was a bit of a disturber, got under the skin of some of the other players, and competed hard.'' The 31-year-old Morgan was a 33rd-round pick by the Pittsburgh clean up, obviously, and we want to be better tomorrow and build to our best work on Fri- day.'' Pirates in the 2002 draft. Morgan agreed to a $2.35 million, one-year contract with Milwaukee last month to avoid arbitration. He arrived in a trade with the Washington Nationals last March, becoming the team's primary center fielder against right-handed pitchers. He played in 119 games for the Brewers, batting .304 with four home runs and 37 RBIs. This time, there was plenty of fist- bumping with a different type of glove. ''Ah, that brought back so many memories, just because I love hockey,'' Morgan said. ''Not too many African Americans, especially in San Jose, can actually relate, so I would like to actu- ally encourage people to come out here and try skating. It's a beautiful game. There are so many fun aspects and just ways of meeting people through this game. That's how it's helped me through my life.'' So, what do the Brewers think of all this? ''I'll let you just worry about that one. Next question,'' he said, becom- ing testy. Morgan skated with the Penguins several years back, but noted: ''I couldn't really show them my skills like I did here. I was on the enemy's territory. I bleed teal.'' Asked about skipping the potential- ly dangerous tip drill, Morgan said: ''Hey, man, I've got to be smart out here, come on now. I'm done. Thanks for having me, I appreciate it.'' Morgan declined to predict how far the Pacific Division-leading Sharks will go. They lost in the Western Con- ference finals last season to Vancou- ver, which lost in the Stanley Cup Finals to Boston. ''Ah, I'm saying nothing,'' Morgan said. ''Every time Plush says some- thing, I get Plush into trouble, so I'm leaving it alone.'' Giants have everyone on field for practice Wed. ''I just hope he's OK Bradshaw, who has been restricted to one practice a week with a broken bone in his right foot, was a surprise par- ticipant. Coughlin had said earlier in the day Bradshaw would not practice. However, the extra time off after the NFC title game win over San Francisco helped him get back on the field. Williams injured his right foot against the 49ers. Nicks hurt a shoulder in that game. Defensive end Osi Umenyiora (ankle/knee) and cornerback Corey Webster (hamstring) also were limited. They Raiders and then was given the duty in 2008 shortly before Kiffin was fired four games into the season. Cable later took away the play-call- ing duties from Knapp that season and he left to go to Seattle in 2009. While most of the key offensive players in Oakland have not worked with Knapp, including quarter- back Carson Palmer, he did have running backs Michael Bush and Darren McFadden in his second season with the Raiders. The decision to hire Knapp likely means the end of Al Saunders' tenure with the Raiders. Saunders was the only assistant from last year's staff still under con- tract but Allen decided to go have been nursing those injuries for weeks. All were observed by a pool reporter in the regular part of practice at close to full speed, though their practice reps were less than a typical full load. It seemed the Giants were eager to get back out on the field. They were boisterous after the pre-practice stretch and ran from drill to drill. ''I saw that,'' said Coughlin. ''They've been excited about get- ting back to work for the first time in a few days.'' Coughlin said Brad- shaw told trainer Ron- nie Barnes he ''wants to be a part of this'' and wanted to be out at the first practice. a different direction. General manager Reggie McKenzie said earlier this week that Allen might want to keep a few of the holdover assistants. FoxSports.com has reported that Kelly Skip- per, who has coached both running backs and tight ends for the Raiders, will remain on staff. Fox also reported that former San Diego and San Francisco defensive coordinator Greg Manusky has interviewed with Allen for a job. Fassel, defensive line coach Mike Waufle, coach Sanjay Lal and tight ends coach Adam Henry have found other jobs already. Special teams coach John receivers tomorrow,'' said Cough- lin. The Giants had to take buses 7 miles from their downtown hotel to the facility for the 4 p.m. practice. The play- ers will have their final media session of the week Thursday at their hotel, then return to the university's practice facility for another 4 p.m. practice. They also will prac- tice here Friday and have a short walk- through Saturday in their final prep work for Sunday's game. NCAA Top 25 Schedule Wednesday's results No. 6 Baylor 63, Texas A&M 60 No. 8 Kansas 84, Oklahoma 62 No. 11 UNLV vs. Colorado St., late No. 13 Creighton 102, Illinois St. 74 No. 14 Georgetown 58, UConn 44 No. 17 San Diego St. vs. Boise St., late No. 23 Michigan 68, No. 20 Indiana 56 No. 21 Florida St. 68, Georgia Tech 54 Today's games No. 7 Duke at Virginia Tech, 4 p.m. No. 10 Murray St. vs. SE Missou St., 5 p.m. No. 12 Florida vs. South Carolina, 6 p.m. No. 18 Saint Mary's vs. San Diego, 7 p.m. No. 24 Gonzaga at BYU, 8 p.m. Friday's games No games scheduled Saturday's games No. 1 Kentucky at South Carolina, 3 p.m. No. 2 Syracuse vs. St. John's at Madison Square Garden, 9 a.m. No. 3 Ohio St.at No. 19 Wisconsin, 11 a.m. No. 4 Missouri vs. No. 8 Kansas, 6 p.m. No. 5 North Carolina at Maryland, 1 p.m. No. 6 Baylor at Oklahoma St., 10:30 a.m. No. 10 Murray State at UT-Martin, 4 p.m. No. 11 UNLV at Wyoming, 1 p.m. No. 12 Florida vs. No. 25 Vandy, 10 a.m. No. 13 Creighton at Northern Iowa, 2 p.m. No. 14 Georgetown vs. S. Florida, 8 a.m. No. 15 Marquette at Notre Dame, 10 a.m. No. 16 Virginia at No. 21 Florida St., 10 a.m. No. 17 San Diego State vs.TCU, 7 p.m. No. 20 Indiana at Purdue, 4 p.m. No. 22 Mississippi St. vs. Auburn, 1 p.m. No. 24 Gonzaga at Pepperdine, 7 p.m. Sunday's games No. 7 Duke vs. Miami, Noon No. 9 Mich. St. vs.No. 23 Michigan, 10 a.m. EGYPT (Continued from page 1B) ters to protest what they called police negligence. A security official said the police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. He was speaking on condition of anonymity because he was- n't authorized to speak to reporters. The scuffles erupt- ed when fans of Al-Masry stormed the field following a rare 3-1 win against Al-Ahly. Al-Masry supporters hurled sticks and stones as they chased players and fans from the rival team, who ran toward the exits and up the stands to escape, according to witnesses. One man told state TV he heard gunshots in the stadium, while a law- maker from Egypt's power- ful Muslim Brotherhood said the police didn't prevent fans carrying knives from entering the stadium. TV footage showed Al- Ahly players rushing for their locker room as fistfights broke out among the hun- dreds of fans swarming on to the field. Some men had to rescue a manager from the losing team as he was being beaten. Black-clothed police officers stood by, appearing overwhelmed. The Interior Ministry said 74 people died, including one police officer, and 248 were injured, 14 of them police. A local health official initially said 1,000 people were injured and it was not clear how severely. Security forces arrested 47 people for involvement in the violence, the statement said. State TV appealed to Egyptians to donate blood for the injured in Port Said, and the military sent two air- craft to evacuate serious cases to the capital, Cairo. Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the head of the mil- itary leadership that assumed power after Mubarak's ouster, welcomed Al-Ahly team players who were flown back to Cairo from Port Said on a military air- craft. ''This will not bring Egypt down,'' he told reporters at a military air base east of Cairo. ''These incidents happen anywhere in the world. We will not let those behind it go ...This will not affect Egypt and its secu- rity.'' Tantawi said Egyptians should not be silent in the face of such acts of violence. ''We don't want people to sit idle after acts like these...Why are the people silent,'' Tantawi said. Such statements have been fol- lowed by clashes in the past. The military declared three days of mourning start- NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division WL OT Pts GF GA SHARKS 28 14 6 62 137 110 Kings Dallas 25 21 2 52 126 136 Phoenix 22 21 8 52 131 138 Ducks 19 23 7 45 128 145 Central Division WL OT Pts GF GA Detroit 34 16 1 69 163 118 Nashville 31 16 4 66 145 131 St. Louis 29 13 7 65 124 102 Chicago 29 15 7 65 164 147 Columbus 13 31 6 32 115 169 Northwest Division WL OT Pts GF GA Vancouver 31 15 4 66 161 124 Minnesota 24 19 7 55 119 131 Colorado 26 24 2 54 133 147 Calgary 23 22 6 52 121 140 Edmonton 19 26 5 43 125 144 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL OT Pts GF GA N.Y.Rangers 32 12 5 69 136 100 Philadelphia29 14 6 64 163 144 Pittsburgh 29 18 4 62 157 132 New Jersey 27 19 3 57 133 139 N.Y. Islanders20 22 7 47 120 145 Northeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Boston 32 14 2 66 175 105 Ottawa 27 20 6 60 160 164 Toronto 26 19 6 58 156 152 Buffalo 21 24 6 48 122 151 Montreal 19 22 9 47 131 137 Southeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Florida 23 15 11 57 126 138 Washington 26 20 4 56 141 145 Winnipeg 23 22 6 52 126 144 Tampa Bay 22 23 4 48 140 168 Carolina 18 25 9 45 132 164 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. —————————————————— Today's games Florida 4, Washington 2 N.Y. Rangers 1, Buffalo 0, SO Toronto 1, Pittsburgh 0 Columbus at Los Angeles, late Dallas at Anaheim, late Thursday's games Dallas at San Jose, 7:30 p.m. Carolina at Boston, 4 p.m. Montreal at New Jersey, 4 p.m. Nashville at Philadelphia, 4 p.m. Winnipeg at Tampa Bay, 4:30 p.m. Minnesota at Colorado, 6 p.m. Chicago at Edmonton, 6:30 p.m. Detroit at Vancouver, 7 p.m. Friday's games N.Y. Islanders at Ottawa, 4:30 p.m. Winnipeg at Florida, 4:30 p.m. Los Angeles at St. Louis, 5 p.m. Chicago at Calgary, 6 p.m. Columbus at Anaheim, 7 p.m. 24 16 10 58 111 111 ing Thursday. Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim told state TV that 13,000 Al- Masry fans stormed the field, jumping a low fence and attacking about 1,200 Al- Ahly fans. He transferred the Port Said local security chief to a desk job as a punitive measure. Al-Ahly goalkeeper Sharif Ikrami, who was injured in the melee, told the private station ONTV that dead and wounded were being carried into the locker room. ''There were people dying in front of us,'' he said. ''It's over. We've all made a decision that we won't play soccer any more. How will we play soccer after 70 peo- ple died? We can't think about it.'' Hesham Sheiha, a health ministry official, said most of the deaths were caused by concussions, deep head wounds and suffocation from the stampede. He said 40 people were in serious conditions and undergoing surgery. In an interview with the team's station, Mohammed Abu Trika, a player with Al- Ahly, criticized police for standing by and not interven- ing in the violence. ''People here are dying and no one is doing a thing. It's like a war,'' he told the team TV station. ''Is life this cheap?'' Egypt's state prosecutor ordered an immediate inves- tigation into the violence, and the Egypt Football Association ordered an indefinite suspension of the league games. The parlia- ment said it would convene an emergency session. The two sides also traded conspiracy theories, with each side blaming the other for trying to destabilize the country. Essam el-Erian, a Broth- erhood lawmaker, said the military and police were complicit in the violence, accusing them of trying to stop critics demanding an end to state of emergency that give security forces wide-ranging powers. ''This tragedy is a result of intentional reluctance by the military and the police,'' he said. The manager of the Al- Masry, Kamal Abu Ali, announced he also was resigning in protest. ''This is not about soccer. This is bigger than that. This is a plot to topple the state,'' he told the same station, using an often-cited allega- tion by the military against protesters. NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division Clippers Lakers Phoenix WL Pct GB 12 6 .667 — 13 9 .591 1 8 13 .381 5.5 WARRIORS 712 .368 5.5 KINGS 615 .286 7.5 Southwest Division WL Pct GB 14 9 .609 — Dallas San Antonio 14 9 .609 — Houston Memphis 12 10 .545 1.5 11 10 .524 2 New Orleans 4 18 .182 9.5 Northwest Division WL Pct GB Oklahoma City 17 4 .810 — Denver Utah Portland 14 7 .667 3 12 7 .632 4 12 9 .571 5 Minnesota 10 12 .455 7.5 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division Philadelphia 16 6 .727 — Boston New York WL Pct GB 11 10 .524 4.5 New Jersey 8 15 .348 8.5 Toronto 8 13 .381 7.5 7 16 .304 9.5 Southeast Division WL Pct GB 16 6 .727 — 16 6 .727 — 13 9 .591 3 Atlanta Miami Orlando Washington 4 18 .182 12 Charlotte Central Division Chicago Indiana 3 19 .136 13 WL Pct GB 18 6 .750 — 15 6 .714 1.5 Milwaukee 10 11 .476 6.5 Cleveland Detroit 8 12 .400 8 4 20 .167 14 —————————————————— Wednesday's results Boston 100, Toronto 64 Indiana 109, Minnesota 99 Milwaukee 105, Miami 97 New Jersey 99, Detroit 96 Oklahoma City 95, Dallas 86 Orlando 109, Washington 103 Philadelphia 98, Chicago 82 Phoenix 120, New Orleans 103 San Antonio 99, Houston 91 Charlotte at Portland, late L.A. Clippers at Utah, late Today's games Portland at Sacramento, 7 p.m. Utah at Golden State, 7:30 p.m. Memphis at Atlanta, 4:30 p.m. Chicago at New York, 5 p.m. New Orleans at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m. Denver at L.A. Clippers, 7:30 p.m. Friday's games Cleveland at Orlando, 4 p.m. Miami at Philadelphia, 4 p.m. Washington at Toronto, 4 p.m. Milwaukee at Detroit, 4:30 p.m. Minnesota at New Jersey, 4:30 p.m. Memphis at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m. New York at Boston, 5 p.m. Phoenix at Houston, 5 p.m. Indiana at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. L.A. Lakers at Denver, 7:30 p.m.