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2B Daily News – Tuesday, March 20, 2012 MANNING Ramirez homers, Parker demoted .PHOENIX (AP) — Jar- rod Parker is on his way to the minors after a wild out- ing against his former team. Manny Ramirez could be headed for a big role with the Oakland Athletics. The 39-year-old slugger hit a mammoth homer and the A's beat Arizona 6-5 on Monday even though Parker walked seven Diamond- backs batters. Parker was reassigned to minor league camp after the game. A top prospect, the right-hander was acquired by Oakland from Arizona this offseason in a trade for All-Star starter Trevor Cahill. Drafted ninth overall by the Diamondbacks in 2007, Parker had Tommy John surgery late in 2009 and missed all of the 2010 sea- son. He admitted he was a bit nervous facing his old team for the first time. ''I feel like I was guiding the ball, trying to be too fine,'' he said. Parker gave up one hit and two earned runs in 3 2-3 innings. He did not have a strikeout but was helped by two double plays. ''Give him credit. He made some good pitches when it counted,'' Diamond- backs manager Kirk Gibson said. Still, Parker acknowl- edged the performance was ''kind of a step back,'' and he found out just how far back when he received the news of his demotion from manager Bob Melvin. The A's, who open the regular season in Japan against the Seattle Mariners next week, do not need a fifth starter until mid-April and it is conceivable that the 23-year-old Parker could return at that point. ''The guys welcomed me. I am in a great situation. I feel pretty good and I am healthy,'' Parker said. Melvin was in the Ari- zona organization while Parker was coming up. He knows Parker is disappoint- ed by the turn of events, but remains optimistic about his future. (Continued from page 1B) vinced Tebow was the answer at the sport's most important position and now could trade the enormously popular but flawed QB. Tebow energized the Broncos in leading them to the playoffs last season — and has fans all over the country — but his play was erratic. ''I wouldn't say I feel bad for him,'' Ayers said. ''It's a business. And I'm pretty sure Tim under- stands that. ... We wish him luck, no matter what he does. I hope he's here. He's a great leader, a great lock- er room guy.'' Manning was cut loose March 7 by the Colts. The move marked the end of an era, a 14-year alliance between the team that drafted Manning No. 1 overall and the QB who brought Indianapolis from football irrelevance to the 2007 Super Bowl title and a second appearance in the NFL championship game three years later. But with Manning's rehab continuing, the Colts decided it was time to rebuild from top to bottom, and they are expected to take Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with the top pick in April's draft. Two days after standing alongside Colts owner Jim Irsay at an emotional farewell news conference, Manning began his free agency tour in the place it was ending: Denver. Man- ning landed on Tebow's turf with all the trappings of star treatment — flown to town on a chartered plane, then spending the day with Elway, coach John Fox and general man- ager Brian Xanders. From there, Manning crisscrossed the country in search of a new team, as various clubs courted a guy with more than 50,000 yards passing, nearly 400 touchdowns and 11 Pro Bowl selections. After Denver, next up was a meeting with the Arizona Cardinals, and he also spent time speaking with — or throwing for — the Titans, 49ers and Miami Dolphins, with TV cam- eras and even helicopters often on the trail. In the end, though, Manning decided he want- ed to trade in his Colts horseshoe helmet for one adorned by a Bronco. The move would allow him to stay in the AFC, a confer- ence he knows well and one considered weaker than the NFC at the moment, and would re- establish the tantalizing prospect of playing against his brother, New York Giants quarterback Eli, in a Super Bowl. They already have three titles in the fam- ily. Manning-to-Denver also creates a fascinating dynamic with Tebow, only months after the former Heisman Trophy winner was the focus of the NFL regular season and perhaps the most talked-about ath- lete in sports, a polarizing figure both because of his style of play — as far as possible from a classic, dropback passer — and his outspoken religious beliefs. After taking over a struggling team, Tebow led the Broncos to comeback victory after comeback vic- tory, struggling for three quarters before starring in the fourth quarter and over- time. With an offense transformed into a spread option attack built on Tebow's running, and a strong defense that kept games close, the Broncos won the AFC West title. Tebowmania reached its apex in the playoffs, when he threw an 80-yard touch- down pass to Demaryius Thomas on the very first play of overtime to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers. The next week, though, Tebow was smothered by the New England Patriots, who easi- ly eliminated the Broncos 45-10. A little more than two months later, Tebow could be on the trading block. Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper chimed in, saying he hoped Tebow wasn't going anywhere. ''He's a young man, right? And a year or two of working under John Elway and Peyton Manning, you know, I'm not sure any other quarterbacks around the country get that oppor- tunity,'' Hickenlooper said. Tebow isn't the only domino that could fall now that the offseason's biggest free agency question is seemingly settled. San Francisco could decide to keep its own free- agent QB, Alex Smith, who went to Miami for a visit with the Dolphins after the 49ers' flirtation with Manning became public. If Smith does go back to the Niners, perhaps Miami will look to trade for Tebow, who played in college at Florida. The Titans, meanwhile, proba- bly will stick with groom- ing Jake Locker, who was a first-round draft pick a year ago. Denver, meanwhile, could try to give Manning some new targets, because they still have millions of dollars in salary-cap space available. The Broncos did not exactly have a wealth of wideouts last season, other than Thomas, and they lost Eddie Royal to the MLB Spring Training AMERICAN LEAGUE WL Pct Detroit A's Toronto Boston Seattle New York Baltimore Cleveland Chicago 12 2 .857 14 4 .778 13 4 .765 9 5 .643 11 7 .611 Minnesota 11 8 .579 Kansas City 9 7 .563 Angels 9 7 .563 8 9 .471 6 7 .462 5 10 .333 5 11 .313 Tampa Bay 4 10 .286 Texas 4 12 .250 NATIONAL LEAGUE WL Pct GIANTS Dodgers St. Louis Colorado Houston Padres Miami 11 5 .688 8 5 .615 8 6 .571 9 7 .563 9 7 .563 9 8 .529 7 7 .500 Philadelphia 8 9 .471 Cincinnati Milwaukee 7 9 .438 Chicago 8 10 .444 8 11 .421 Pittsburgh Arizona New York 6 9 .400 7 11 .389 Washington 5 8 .385 Atlanta 5 12 .294 3 11 .214 NOTE: Split-squad games count in the standings; games against non-major league teams do not. —————————————————— Monday's results Oakland 6, Arizona 5 Chicago Cubs 12, Seattle 7 Cincinnati 1, Chicago White Sox 0 Cleveland 4, L.A. Dodgers 3 Colorado 4, L.A. Angels 3 Houston 7, Miami 4 Milwaukee 5, Texas 3 Minnesota 8, Boston 4 Philadelphia 4, Detroit 3 St. Louis 4, Atlanta 3 Today's Grapefruit League games Atlanta vs. Detroit, 10:05 a.m. Philadelphia vs. Baltimore, 10:05 a.m. St. Louis vs. Houston, 10:05 a.m. Tampa Bay vs.Miami, 10:05 a.m. Washington vs. N.Y. Mets, 3:10 p.m. Pittsburgh vs. N.Y.Yankees, 4:05 p.m. Toronto vs. Boston, 4:05 p.m. Today's Cactus League games Chicago Cubs (ss) vs. Oakland, 1:05 p.m. San Francisco vs. Arizona, 1:10 p.m. L.A. Angels vs. Kansas City, 1:05 p.m. Milwaukee vs. L.A. Dodgers, 1:05 p.m. Seattle vs. Cincinnati, 1:05 p.m. Texas vs. Chicago Cubs (ss), 1:05 p.m. Colorado vs. San Diego, 7:05 p.m. San Diego Chargers as a free agent. Eric Decker struggled to catch Tebow's erratic pass- es, and was plagued with drops, but would seem a perfect fit for Manning's precise passing game. Ayers said he hoped the Broncos would be able to persuade other free agents to join the Broncos, such as Manning's former Colts teammates Jeff Saturday and Dallas Clark. Running back Willis McGahee tweeted: ''To all my free agents across the NCAA NCAATournament Glance EAST REGIONAL At TD Garden Boston Thursday's games 1) Syracuse vs. 4) Wisconsin, 4:15 p.m. 2) Ohio State vs. 6) Cincinnati, 6:45 p.m. MIDWEST REGIONAL At Edward Jones Dome St. Louis Friday's games 1) North Carolina vs. 13) Ohio, 4:47 p.m. 11) N.C. State vs. 2) Kansas, 7:17 p.m. SOUTH REGIONAL At The Georgia Dome Atlanta Friday's games 3) Baylor vs. 10) Xavier, 4:15 p.m. 1) Kentucky vs. 4) Indiana, 6:45 p.m. WEST REGIONAL Thursday's games At US Airways Center Phoenix 1) Michigan St. vs. 4) Louisville, 4:47 p.m. 3) Marquette vs. 7) Florida, 7:17 p.m. NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division Lakers Clippers Phoenix WL Pct GB 28 17 .622 — 26 18 .591 1.5 23 22 .511 5 WARRIORS 18 24 .429 8.5 KINGS 16 29 .356 12 Southwest Division WL Pct GB San Antonio 29 14 .674 — Memphis Dallas Houston 25 18 .581 4 26 20 .565 4.5 24 22 .522 6.5 New Orleans 11 34 .244 19 Northwest Division WL Pct GB Oklahoma City 34 11 .756 — Denver Utah 25 20 .556 9 23 22 .511 11 Minnesota 22 24 .478 12.5 Portland 21 24 .467 13 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division Philadelphia 26 20 .565 — Boston New York Toronto Miami WL Pct GB 24 21 .533 1.5 21 24 .467 4.5 15 30 .333 10.5 New Jersey 15 32 .319 11.5 Southeast Division WL Pct GB 33 11 .750 — 29 18 .617 5.5 26 20 .565 8 Orlando Atlanta Washington 10 34 .227 23 Charlotte Central Division Chicago Indiana 7 37 .159 26 WL Pct GB 38 10 .792 — 25 18 .581 10.5 Milwaukee 20 24 .455 16 Cleveland 17 26 .395 18.5 Detroit 16 29 .356 20.5 —————————————————— Monday's results Minnesota at Golden State, late Boston 79, Atlanta 76 Chicago 85, Orlando 59 Cleveland 105, New Jersey 100 Philadelphia 105, Charlotte 80 Dallas at Denver, late Today's games Memphis at Sacramento, 7 p.m. L.A. Clippers at Indiana, 4 p.m. Phoenix at Miami, 4:30 p.m. Toronto at New York, 4:30 p.m. L.A. Lakers at Houston, 5 p.m. Oklahoma City at Utah, 6 p.m. Milwaukee at Portland, 7 p.m. Wednesday's games Golden State at New Orleans, 5 p.m. Chicago at Toronto, 4 p.m. New York at Philadelphia, 4 p.m. Phoenix at Orlando, 4 p.m. Cleveland at Atlanta, 4:30 p.m. Washington at New Jersey, 4:30 p.m. L.A. Clippers at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m. Minnesota at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m. Detroit at Denver, 6 p.m. L.A. Lakers at Dallas, 6:30 p.m. nfl, I think u know what time it is.'' Former teammates of Elway's were just as excit- ed, with Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe tweeting: ''I think (at)Terrell—Davis and I should round up the old gang and make a come- back.'' ''I got my cleats,'' Davis fired right back, ''I'll meet u (at) Dove Valley!'' On the tube GOLF •9 a.m., TGC — Tavistock Cup, final round, at Orlando, Fla. MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL •4 p.m., ESPN — NIT, quarterfinal, Massachusetts at Drexel •6 p.m., ESPN — NIT, quarterfinal, Ore- gon at Washington MLB • 10 a.m., ESPN — Spring Training, Atlanta vs. Detroit • 1 p.m., MLB NETWORK — Spring Training, Milwaukee vs. L.A. Dodgers •4 p.m., MLB NETWORK — Spring Training, Toronto vs. Boston NBA • 4:30 p.m., NBATV — Phoenix at Miami •7 p.m., CSNC — Memphis at Sacra- mento NHL •5 p.m., NBCSN — Phoenix at Dallas • 7:30 p.m., CSNC — San Jose at Los Angeles SOCCER •1 p.m., FOX SOCCER — Premier League, Sunderland at Blackburn WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL •4 p.m., ESPN2 — NCAA Division I tournament, second round, teams TBD • 6:30 p.m., ESPN2 — NCAA Division I tournament, second round, teams TBD NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division WL OT Pts GF GA Dallas 39 28 5 83 189 192 Phoenix 36 26 11 83 191 188 SHARKS 36 25 10 82 194 181 Kings 35 25 12 82 167 158 Ducks 30 32 11 71 180 203 Central Division WL OT Pts GF GA x-St. Louis 46 19 8 100 189 142 Nashville 42 22 8 92 206 186 Detroit 44 25 4 92 224 179 Chicago 40 25 8 88 222 212 Columbus 23 42 7 53 166 231 Northwest Division WL OT Pts GF GA Vancouver 43 21 8 94 223 182 Colorado 39 30 5 83 194 195 Calgary 34 26 13 81 182 199 Minnesota 30 32 10 70 155 199 Edmonton 28 36 8 64 190 213 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL OT Pts GF GA x-Rangers 45 20 7 97 199 160 Pittsburgh 44 21 6 94 231 180 Philadelphia 42 22 8 92 231 204 New Jersey 41 27 5 87 200 191 N.Y. Islanders29 32 11 69 169 216 Northeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Boston 42 27 3 87 236 178 Ottawa 37 26 10 84 221 213 Buffalo 34 29 10 78 187 207 Toronto 32 33 8 72 208 227 Montreal 28 32 13 69 191 203 Southeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Florida 35 23 13 83 180 197 Washington 37 30 6 80 198 208 Winnipeg 34 30 8 76 192 203 Carolina 29 29 15 73 194 217 Tampa Bay 32 33 7 71 202 247 x-clinched playoff spot NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. —————————————————— Monday's results Anaheim at San Jose, 10 p.m. Boston 8, Toronto 0 Buffalo 7, Tampa Bay 3 Minnesota 2, Vancouver 0 N.Y. Rangers 4, New Jersey 2 Washington 5, Detroit 3 Today's games San Jose at Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m. Chicago at Columbus, 4 p.m. Florida at Philadelphia, 4 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Toronto, 4 p.m. Winnipeg at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m. New Jersey at Ottawa, 4:30 p.m. Edmonton at Nashville, 5 p.m. Phoenix at Dallas, 5 p.m. Calgary at Colorado, 6 p.m. Wednesday's games Florida at Carolina, 4 p.m. Montreal at Buffalo, 4 p.m. Detroit at N.Y. Rangers, 4:30 p.m. Vancouver at Chicago, 5 p.m. St. Louis at Anaheim, 7 p.m. Support our classrooms, keep kids reading. DONATE YOUR VACATION newspaper dollars to the Newspaper In Education Program HELP OUR CHILDREN For more details call Circulation Department (530) 527-2151 D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 PHONE: (530) 527-2151 FAX: (530) 527-5774 545 Diamond Avenue • P.O. Box 220 • Red Bluff, CA 96080