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2B – Daily News – Wednesday, February 3, 2010 SOCCER NSCIF Playoff Points Through Jan. 31 Division 1 Boys School Record Points Average 1. CARDINALS 12-1-0 2.6885 2. West Valley 4-2-0 2.6667 3. Lassen 2-4-1 2.2714 4. Anderson 1-5-0 2.2083 5. Central Valley 0-5-0 2.1600 6. Oroville 3-7-1 1.9955 7. Las Plumas 5-7-1 1.9615 8. Wheatland 1-6-0 1.8571 Division 3 Boys School Record Points Average 1. WARRIORS 2-1-0 2.1667 2. BULLDOGS3-3-0 2.0500 3. Hamilton 7-5-1 2.0154 4. Esparto 3-5-0 1.9625 5. Williams 1-5-4 1.8800 6. Colusa 2-8-2 1.8208 7. Liberty Christian0-3-0 1.7500 8. Durham 3-11-1 1.7067 Division 1 Girls School Record Points Average 1. West Valley 6-1-0 3.0857 2. Lassen 6-1-0 2.8000 3. Anderson 3-3-0 2.6833 4. Las Plumas 4-2-1 2.4786 5. CARDINALS 7-4-0 2.4727 6. Central Valley 7-2-2 2.4182 7. Wheatland 1-5-0 2.2333 8. Oroville 1-7-2 1.9200 NFL Super Bowl Sunday At Miami New Orleans vs. Indianapolis, 3:25 p.m., CBS NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division W L Pct GB Lakers 37 12 .755 — Phoenix 29 21 .580 8.5 Clippers 21 27 .438 15.5 KINGS 16 31 .340 20 WARRIORS 13 34 .277 23 Southwest Division W L Pct GB Dallas 30 18 .625 — San Antonio 27 19 .587 2 Houston 26 22 .542 4 Memphis 26 22 .542 4 New Orleans 26 22 .542 4 Northwest Division W L Pct GB Denver 33 15 .689 — Utah 29 18 .617 3.5 Portland 29 21 .580 5 Okla. City 27 21 .563 6 Minnesota 11 38 .224 22.5 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division W L Pct GB Boston 30 16 .652 — Toronto 26 23 .531 5.5 New York 18 29 .383 12.5 Philadelphia 16 31 .340 14.5 New Jersey 4 43 .085 26.5 Southeast Division W L Pct GB Orlando 33 16 .673 — Atlanta 30 17 .638 2 Charlotte 24 23 .511 8 Miami 24 24 .500 8.5 Washington 16 31 .340 16 Central Division W L Pct GB Cleveland 39 11 .780 — Chicago 23 23 .500 14 Milwaukee 21 26 .447 16.5 Indiana 17 32 .347 21.5 Detroit 16 31 .340 21.5 ——— Tuesday's results Houston 119, Golden State 97 Cleveland 105, Memphis 89 Detroit 97, New Jersey 93 Indiana 130, Toronto 115 L.A. Clippers 90, Chicago 82 Oklahoma City 106, Atlanta 99 Orlando 99, Milwaukee 82 Today's games Golden State at Dallas, 5:30 p.m., CSNBA San Antonio at Sacramento, 7 p.m., CSNCA Chicago at Philadelphia, 4 p.m. L.A. Clippers at Atlanta, 4 p.m. New Jersey at Toronto, 4 p.m. Washington at New York, 4:30 p.m. Miami at Boston, 5 p.m., ESPN Oklahoma City at New Orleans, 5 p.m. Portland at Utah, 6 p.m. Charlotte at L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m. Phoenix at Denver, 7:30 p.m., ESPN NCAA Tuesday's Top 25 results No. 2 Villanova 81, Seton Hall 71 No. 3 Syracuse 85, Providence 68 No. 4 Kentucky 85, No. 25 Mississippi 78 No. Wisconsin 67, No. 5 Michigan State 49 No. 10 Kansas State 76, Nebraska 57 No. 12 BYU 76, TCU 56 Today's Top 25 games No. 1 Kansas at Colorado, 6 p.m., ESPN2 No. 6 West Virginia vs. No. 22 Pittsburgh, 4 p.m. No. 7 Georgetown vs. South Florida, 4 p.m. No. 13 Ohio State vs. Penn State, 3:30 p.m. No. 18 Vanderbilt vs. Mississippi State, 5 p.m. No. 19 Temple vs. Duquesne, 4 p.m. No. 20 Baylor vs. Iowa State, 4:30 p.m. No. 24 Northern Iowa vs.Wichita State, 5:05 p.m. Today's other televised games DePaul at Marquette, 4 p.m., ESPN2 Idaho at Utah State, 8 p.m., ESPN2 NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division W L OT Pts GF GA SHARKS 36 10 9 81 187 134 Phoenix 34 18 5 73 155 145 Kings 33 19 3 69 166 151 Dallas 25 20 11 61 161 179 Ducks 26 23 7 59 155 172 Central Division W L OT Pts GF GA Chicago 37 14 4 78 180 129 Nashville 30 21 4 64 151 153 Detroit 26 19 10 62 142 147 St. Louis 24 22 9 57 143 153 Columbus 22 27 9 53 150 193 Northwest Division W L OT Pts GF GA Vancouver 34 19 2 70 180 135 Colorado 31 18 6 68 161 144 Calgary 27 21 8 62 143 145 Minnesota 27 25 4 58 155 167 Edmonton 17 31 6 40 141 186 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division W L OT Pts GF GA New Jersey 35 18 2 72 146 125 Pittsburgh 35 21 1 71 180 161 Philadelphia 28 23 3 59 163 149 N.Y. Rangers 25 24 7 57 143 154 N.Y. Islanders 23 25 8 54 143 172 Northeast Division W L OT Pts GF GA Buffalo 32 15 7 71 153 132 Ottawa 31 21 4 66 157 157 Montreal 26 25 6 58 146 154 Boston 23 22 9 55 131 140 Toronto 18 28 11 47 152 197 Southeast Division W L OT Pts GF GA Washington 38 12 6 82 218 150 Florida 24 23 9 57 149 161 Tampa Bay 23 21 11 57 140 163 Atlanta 24 23 8 56 166 176 Carolina 19 29 7 45 147 180 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. Tuesday's results Detroit at San Jose, late Colorado 5, Columbus 1 Dallas 4, Minnesota 2 Montreal 3, Vancouver 2 Phoenix 1, Nashville 0, SO Tampa Bay 2, Atlanta 1 Toronto 3, New Jersey 0 Washington 4, Boston 1 N.Y. Rangers at Los Angeles, late Today's games Ottawa at Buffalo, 4 p.m. St. Louis at Chicago, 5:30 p.m. Carolina at Calgary, 6 p.m. Philadelphia at Edmonton, 6:30 p.m. Detroit at Anaheim, 7 p.m. DEALS National Football League CHICAGO—Named Mike DeBord tight ends coach. N.Y. JETS—Fined coach Rex Ryan $50,000 for making an obscene gesture at a mixed martial arts event on Jan. 30. PHILADELPHIA—Signed P Durant Brooks to a two-year contract. WASHINGTON—Named Keenan McCardell receivers coach. National Basketball Association CLEVELAND—Signed G Cedric Jackson to a second 10-day contract. NEW JERSEY—Announced the resignation of assistant coach Del Harris. National Hockey League ATLANTA—Traded F Matt Siddall from Vic- toria (ECHL) to Gwinnett (ECHL) for future considerations. CAROLINA—Recalled RW Steven Goertzen from Albany (AHL). DETROIT—Assigned D Andreas Lilja to Grand Rapids (AHL) for conditioning. N.Y. RANGERS—Traded F Christopher Hig- gins and F Ales Kotalik to Calgary for F Olli Jokinen and F Brandon Prust. WASHINGTON—Recalled D Karl Alzner from Hershey (AHL). Major League Baseball American League CLEVELAND—Agreed to terms with RHP Josh Judy and RHP Zach Putnam. National League SAN FRANCISCO—Agreed to terms with RHP Guillermo Mota on a minor league con- tract. HOUSTON—Named Hector Mercado pitch- ing coach for the Astros (GCL). Agreed to terms RHP Alberto Arias, OF Brian Boguse- vic, RHP Sammy Gervacio, OF Yordany Ramirez and LHP Polin Trinidad on one-year contracts. LOS ANGELES—Agreed to terms with OF Reed Johnson on a one-year contract. SAN DIEGO—Agreed to terms with OF Scott Hairstonon a one-year contract. Major League Soccer DALLAS—Acquired allocation money from Chivas USA for the rights to MF Osael Romero. Motorsports INDY RACING LEAGUE—Named Randy Bernard chief executive officer. College CENTRAL MICHIGAN—Named Tim Daoust defensive line coach and Jay Johnson quar- terbacks coach. MARSHALL—Named Chris Rippon defen- sive coordinator. Scoreboard Scoreboard Super Bowl overtime, scary MIAMI (AP) — Go ahead, try to make heads or tails of this scenario: The Super Bowl is tied after four quarters. The captains from Indianapo- lis and New Orleans trudge wearily back to midfield, exactly where they stood four hours earlier to begin Sun- day night's game. A referee holds the silver coin, turns toward one side and says, ''This is heads. This is tails. You make the call.'' Could it happen? Absolutely. NFL Some might say it's due to happen. And if it does, the Saints and Colts agree that it could easily be the most harrowing moment of their football careers. ''This is the big boys' game,'' Indi- anapolis linebacker Clint Session said, ''and that's the rules.'' The rules of NFL overtime have been a hot topic for years, especially since college football adopted a plan to give both teams the ball 25 yards from the end zone and play an even number of possessions until someone wins. In the NFL, the first team to score prevails, no matter what. Hockey is sudden-death, but both teams have the same chance of getting the puck and scoring. In basketball, an overtime is played to the end. In baseball, there's always the bot- tom of the extra inning. In the NFL, it can come down to a flip. Picking the right way the coin lands doesn't guarantee victory, but in the 15 overtime games this season, including playoffs, seven lasted only one possession (including Arizona's win over Green Bay in the wild-card round, when the Cardinals won with a defensive touchdown). ''Hey, those are the rules,'' New Orleans running back Reggie Bush said. ''Can't change them now.'' So far, there have been no overtimes in any of the 43 Super Bowls played so far. ''If it happens, yeah, that would be something,'' New Orleans cornerback Jabari Greer said. This season, roughly one in every 18 games has gone to overtime. Prior to last year's Super Bowl, NFL com- missioner Roger Goodell noted that the winner of the coin toss got the ball and scored on that first possession 47 per- cent of the time. He also said league owners would discuss changes to the existing OT rule. They did, briefly. No changes. ''It's the most exciting, dramatic, true-to-the game overtime format,'' NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. ''It forces teams to do everything possible to win in regulation time. In overtime, the games ends with a score, which can occur at any time on offense, defense or special teams. And the players and coaches — the participants — have consistently supported the format as being fair.'' It can't be a surprise that the Saints are loving the overtime scenario these days. Tied with the Minnesota Vikings after 60 minutes of the NFC champi- onship game, they could only stand by and watch as the Vikings' Steve Hutchinson called the flip to decide who got the ball first in OT. ''Heads,'' Hutchinson said, looking straight ahead, as Saints quarterback Drew Brees turned his gaze downward and put his hands on his hips. The coin was in the air for 1.2 sec- onds. ''You know,'' Bush said this week, ''that might have been the slowest coin toss I've ever seen.'' It hit the Superdome turf, then flipped one last time. Tails. ''Very, very relieved,'' Greer said. ''Because then, I realized the offense had the chance to do something spe- cial. Fortunately, they were able to do it.'' Saints ball, and the rest was history. After 60 minutes, it came down to 1.2 seconds! Brees and New Orleans took the kickoff and got deep into Minnesota territory. Garrett Hartley's field goal was perfect and true. Just like that, the Aints weren't Aints anymore. Brett Favre and the Vikings never even got a chance to touch the ball in the extra session. ''It's almost like it took forever for that coin to come down,'' Bush said. ''You're just watching it, praying, hop- ing that we won the toss. I was just pre- pared for whatever situation was going to come out of it, whether they were going to get the ball first, whatever hap- pened. Take it for what it is.'' It has never played out that way in a Super Bowl, but the NFL champi- onship in 1958 — the ''Greatest Game Ever Played'' — needed more than four quarters to decide a winner. Yankee Stadium. Dec. 28. The first overtime game in NFL history. New York Giants vs. Baltimore Colts. ''We really didn't know what to do,'' Raymond Berry, who caught 12 passes for 178 yards, told The Associ- ated Press in 2008 for a story com- memorating the 50th anniversary of the game. ''We'd never played it. Nobody had ever played it. Nobody really knew what came next.'' What came next is part of NFL — and Colts — lore. The Giants won the toss, had to punt, and the Colts marched 80 yards for the win, capped by Alan Ameche's 1-yard touchdown plunge for a 23-17 victory and the championship. ''You have to play the game that way,'' Greer said. ''The two best teams from that year, playing for a champi- onship ... if it happens that way, it hap- pens.'' So forget run or pass. Heads or tails might be the biggest call the Saints or Colts ever make. ''If it happens, I'm just hoping that 18 gets another shot,'' said Session, referring to Peyton Manning by his jer- sey number. ''That's all I'm hoping. You've seen what he's done throughout the year and his career. Give him a sec- ond chance and I'll feel confident. ... And whether you like it or not, it's a part of the game.'' said. ''I'm just a little 'sti- tious. OK, that's a bad joke. Eli gave me that one. I take it back.'' Later, when another reporter broached the same subject, Manning was more revealing. He doesn't carry around a rabbit's foot, but he does have a routine he goes through before every game. When he first gets to the sta- dium, he reads the game pro- gram from front to back. Then, exactly two hours before kickoff, he goes out to the field to throw a few balls with receiver Reggie Wayne. Manning shied away from any questions that might have turned controver- sial. For instance, when asked about Lane Kiffin bolting from Manning's alma mater, Tennessee, to take the coach- ing job at USC, the quarter- back replied, ''I'm looking forward when it comes to the situation in Knoxville. I just want to wish the best to coach Dooley,'' referring to Kiffin's successor Derek Dooley. On other subjects, Man- ning said: — He misses former NFL quarterback Steve McNair, who was slain last summer by his mistress in what was ruled a murder-sui- cide. ''There was no tougher player in the NFL than Steve McNair. I'm really proud to have shared the MVP award with him in 2003.'' — The Colts will try to establish their ground game Sunday, even though they ranked last in the NFL in rushing yards during the reg- ular season. ''I don't think you can just drop back and pass on every single play.'' — He believes the league is sincere in its efforts to deal with concussions. ''I appre- ciate what the NFL is trying to do. The game is about being tough, but it's about being smart as well.'' — The Florida quarter- back who's getting mixed reviews from NFL scouts will do better in the pros than many are expecting. ''Any NFL team would be lucky to have Tim Tebow. I think about all the problems we've had on third-and-1 and fourth-and-1. He was proba- bly 100 percent in his college career at converting those.'' — It's too early for him to assess the impact of his career, even though he's been in the league for a dozen seasons and is one win away from joining the elite group of quarterbacks who led teams to more than one Super Bowl title. ''When my career is over, I'll look back and reflect. But it's so year-to-year right now.'' During his hour-long ses- sion, Manning took just under 80 questions and was often surrounded by up to 100 reporters, photographers and cameramen — all crammed into an area not much bigger than the hotel rooms most fans are staying in this week. Not surprisingly, putting that many people into such a confined space can cause tensions to rise. Police had to be called to settle a dispute between two media mem- bers who jostled for prime real estate even before Man- ning arrived. But everyone came to an uneasy truce. (Continued from page 1B) MEDIA quarter put Houston up 39- 21 and set a Rockets' sea- son-high point total for any quarter this season. Ellis scored six points to lead an 8-2 Golden State run early in the second quarter. The Rockets gave away five turnovers in the first three minutes of the quarter and led only 41-33 after Ellis' jumper. Ellis swished Golden State's first 3-pointer with 3:38 left in the half, then assisted on Coby Karl's fast- break layup to draw Golden State within three, at 49-46. The Rockets helped the War- riors by continuing to miss shots and cough up careless turnovers. Houston's starters returned and rebuilt the lead to 59-49 by halftime. Ellis scored 27 points in the first half on 10-of-17 shooting. No other Warrior had more than six points at the break. ''Monta had a very good game,'' Golden State coach Don Nelson said, ''but he just didn't have any help.'' Ellis had 34 points through three quarters, his 19th 30-plus game of the season, but no other Warrior had more than seven. ''We had to load to him, get bodies in front of him,'' Brooks said. ''The first half, he would spin baseline and get dunks and would go backdoor and there was nobody there to help." LOSE Giants add reliever SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The San Francis- co Giants have agreed to a minor league deal with free-agent reliever Guillermo Mota and invited him to spring training. An 11-year big league veteran, the 36-year-old Mota went 3-4 with a 3.44 ERA in 61 appearances last season with the rival Los Angeles Dodgers. The right-hander owns a career record of 36-39 with a 3.89 ERA for Montreal, the Dodgers, Florida, Cleve- land, the New York Mets and Milwaukee. The Giants announced the deal on Tuesday. McCarron offers apology; tour mulls options By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer Scott McCarron has apologized to Phil Mick- elson for using the word ''cheating'' when he dis- agreed with Mickelson and others who use the Ping Eye2 wedges that are only allowed because of a legal loop- hole. PGA Tour commis- sioner Tim Finchem met with players at the Northern Trust Open late Tuesday afternoon in Los Angeles and, according to one player, said the tour was work- ing with Ping to figure out a solution. The player spoke on condition of anonymity because Finchem asked that he be the first to speak publicly to the media Wednesday morn- ing. The tour likely would not be able to invoke a local rule banning the wedge at Riviera this week. McCarron caused a furor last week at Torrey Pines when he told The San Francisco Chronicle about Mickelson using Ping wedges with square grooves, ''It's cheating, and I'm appalled Phil has put it in play.'' Mickelson said he had been ''publicly slan- dered'' and hinted at legal action. McCarron told The Golf Channel as other reporters looked on Tuesday evening: ''I'm certainly sorry for it. I'd like to apologize to Phil Mickelson for what I said. We both realize we're on the same page on this issue.'' Whether that was enough to satisfy Mick- elson remained to be seen. McCarron also apolo- gized in the meeting, according to the player. The USGA changed its rules to outlaw square grooves with a certain depth and vol- ume, now requiring grooves that are more shallow with rounded edges, which some refer to as V-shaped grooves. The idea is to reduce spin and make hitting into the fairway more important. However, the Ping Eye2 wedges made before April 1, 1990, are approved for play, even though the grooves don't conform. That's because Ping's legal set- tlement with the USGA (in 1990) and PGA Tour (in 1993) take prece- dence over any rule changes. The player at the meeting said Finchem apologized to players for the PGA Tour not realizing some competi- tors — Mickelson, John Daly and Hunter Mahan, among others — would use clubs that were at least 20 years old. Among the consider- ations were to find a solution with Ping and John Solheim, the chairman and CEO of the equipment compa- ny; or to look into the possibility of creating its own set of rules, the player said. Solheim had said in a statement Monday that the tour could not estab- lish a local rule that was different from the USGA. Solheim also said he was willing to discuss a ''workable solution.'' Earlier Tuesday, three-time major cham- pion Padraig Harrington said he was contemplat- ing using the Ping wedges at Riviera. ''I'm kind of waiting to see what the tour's direction is,'' Harring- ton said. ''What I'm doing is I'm preparing myself for all eventuali- ties. It would be naive not to. I did some good testing yesterday. Unfortunately, the test- ing showed up exactly what you would expect, and there's a significant difference. I think that significant difference depends on the play- ers.'' Steve Stricker said he was surprised how divi- sive the Ping wedges have become. ''The rule isn't very good,'' he said. ''We have conforming grooves, but yet we can play a set of grooves that were legal back in 1990. I think the rule just needs to be altered. Hopefully, we get it straightened out and we all get on an even play- ing surface.''