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2B – Daily News – Wednesday, March 3, 2010 MLB Spring Training N.Y. Mets 4, Atlanta 2 NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division W L Pct GB Lakers 45 15 .750 — Phoenix 38 24 .613 8 Clippers 25 35 .417 20 KINGS 20 40 .333 25 WARRIORS 17 42 .288 27.5 Southwest Division W L Pct GB Dallas 40 21 .656 — San Antonio 34 24 .586 4.5 Houston 30 29 .508 9 New Orleans 31 30 .508 9 Memphis 30 30 .500 9.5 Northwest Division W L Pct GB Denver 39 21 .650 — Utah 38 22 .633 1 Okla. City 36 23 .610 2.5 Portland 36 27 .571 4.5 Minnesota 14 47 .230 25.5 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division W L Pct GB Boston 37 21 .638 — Toronto 31 28 .525 6.5 Philadelphia 22 37 .373 15.5 New York 20 39 .339 17.5 New Jersey 6 53 .102 31.5 Southeast Division W L Pct GB Orlando 41 20 .672 — Atlanta 38 21 .644 2 Miami 30 31 .492 11 Charlotte 28 30 .483 11.5 Washington 21 36 .368 18 Central Division W L Pct GB Cleveland 47 14 .770 — Chicago 31 29 .517 15.5 Milwaukee 30 29 .508 16 Detroit 21 39 .350 25.5 Indiana 20 39 .339 26 ——— Tuesday's results Miami 110, Golden State 106 Oklahoma City 113, Sacramento 107 Boston 105, Detroit 100 Indiana at L.A. Lakers, late Today's games Golden State at Orlando, 4 p.m., CSNBA Sacramento at Houston, 5:30 p.m., CSNCA Philadelphia at Atlanta, 4 p.m. Charlotte at Boston, 4:30 p.m. Cleveland at New Jersey, 4:30 p.m. Detroit at New York, 4:30 p.m. Memphis at New Orleans, 5 p.m. Washington at Milwaukee, 5 p.m. Minnesota at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. Oklahoma City at Denver, 6 p.m. Indiana at Portland, 7 p.m. Phoenix at L.A. Clippers, 7:30 p.m. Monday's late result L.A. Clippers 108, Utah 104 NCAA Tuesday's Top 25 results No. 1 Syracuse 85, St. John's 66 No. 6 Ohio State 73, Illinois 57 No. 9 Villanova 77, Cincinnati 73 No. 13 Vanderbilt 64, Cincinnati 60 No. 18 Gonzaga 78, Cal State Bakersfield 59 No. 21 Baylor 86, Texas Tech 68 No. 24 UTEP 80, Marshall 76 Wednesday's Top 25 games No. 2 Kansas vs. No. 5 Kansas State, 5 p.m. No. 3 Kentucky at Georgia, 5 p.m. No. 4 Duke at No. 22 Maryland, 6 p.m., ESPN No. 7 Purdue vs. Indiana, 3:30 p.m. No. 8 New Mexico vs. TCU, 5:30 p.m. No. 14 BYU at Utah, 6 p.m. No. 15 Wisconsin vs. Iowa, 5:30 p.m. No. 16 Tennessee vs. Arkansas, 4 p.m. No. 20 Temple at Saint Louis, 5 p.m. No. 23 Texas A&M vs. Okla. St., 6 p.m., ESPN2 No. 25 Xavier at Fordham, 4 p.m. Wednesday's other televised games Connecticut at Notre Dame, 4 p.m., ESPN Wake Forest at Florida State, 4 p.m., ESPN2 Conference Tournaments Atlantic Sun Conference At the University Center, Macon, Ga. First Round — Wednesday Lipscomb vs. Kennesaw State, 11:30 a.m. Jacksonville vs. North Florida, 6 p.m. First Round — Thursday Campbell vs. East Tennessee State, 11:30 a.m. Belmont vs. Mercer, 6 p.m. Big South Conference First Round — Tuesday's results Coastal Carolina 82, VMI 73 Radford 64, Charleston Southern 61. OT Winthrop 80, Liberty 72 UNC Asheville 84, High Point 73 Horizon League First Round — Tuesday's results Cleveland State 80, Loyola of Chicago 66 Wisconsin-Green Bay 81, Youngstown St. 67 Detroit 89, Valparaiso 82 Wisconsin-Milwaukee 73, Illinois-Chicago 67 Ohio Valley Conference First Round — Tuesday's results Morehead State 87, Jacksonville State 54 Murray State 84, Tennessee State 51 Tennessee Tech 68, Austin Peay 65 Eastern Illinois 68, Eastern Kentucky 61 Patriot League First Round — Wednesday Army at Lehigh, 4 p.m. Holy Cross at Bucknell, 4 p.m. Colgate at Lafayette, 4 p.m. Navy at American, 4 p.m. NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division W L OT Pts GF GA SHARKS 40 13 9 89 204 153 Kings 38 20 4 80 190 167 Phoenix 37 22 5 79 169 163 Dallas 28 22 12 68 176 191 Ducks 30 25 7 67 177 189 Central Division W L OT Pts GF GA Chicago 41 16 5 87 202 151 Nashville 34 23 5 73 174 176 Detroit 29 21 12 70 162 166 St. Louis 29 25 9 67 168 174 Columbus 25 28 11 61 169 207 Northwest Division W L OT Pts GF GA Vancouver 38 22 2 78 198 155 Colorado 35 21 6 76 180 161 Calgary 30 23 9 69 156 156 Minnesota 30 27 4 64 171 178 Edmonton 19 37 6 44 156 215 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division W L OT Pts GF GA Pittsburgh 37 22 4 78 198 181 New Jersey 37 21 3 77 162 144 Philadelphia 33 25 3 69 186 162 N.Y. Rangers 29 27 7 65 165 170 N.Y. Islanders26 29 8 60 164 197 Northeast Division W L OT Pts GF GA Ottawa 36 24 4 76 179 183 Buffalo 33 19 9 75 168 155 Montreal 30 28 6 66 168 177 Boston 27 23 11 65 150 158 Toronto 19 32 11 49 163 213 Southeast Division W L OT Pts GF GA Washington 41 13 8 90 247 177 Atlanta 27 24 10 64 186 196 Tampa Bay 26 25 11 63 162 189 Florida 24 28 10 58 157 181 Carolina 25 30 7 57 173 195 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. Tuesday's results New Jersey at San Jose, late Atlanta 4, Florida 2 Carolina 5, Toronto 1 Los Angeles 5, Dallas 1 Montreal 4, Boston 1 Nashville 4, Edmonton 3 N.Y. Islanders 5, Chicago 3 N.Y. Rangers 4, Ottawa 1 Philadelphia 7, Tampa Bay 2 Pittsburgh 3, Buffalo 2 St. Louis 5, Phoenix 2 Vancouver 4, Columbus 3, OT Today's games Washington at Buffalo, 4 p.m., VERSUS Philadelphia at Florida, 4:30 p.m. Vancouver at Detroit, 4:30 p.m. Edmonton at Chicago, 5:30 p.m. Colorado at Anaheim, 7 p.m. Minnesota at Calgary, 7 p.m. DEALS National Basketball Association NBA—Suspended Sacramento F Andres Nocioni for two games after pleading no con- test in California to drunken driving. PHILADELPHIA—Announced G Allen Iver- son will not return to the team this season. National Hockey League SAN JOSE—Placed D Marc-Edouard Vlasic on injured reserve. Recalled F Dwight Helmi- nen, F Jamie McGinn and D Jason Demers from Worcester (AHL). ANAHEIM—Traded D Nick Boynton to Chicago for future considerations. ATLANTA—Signed D Chris Chelios and assigned to Chicago (AHL). CHICAGO—Acquired D Nick Boynton from Anaheim for future considerations and assigned him to Rockford (AHL). Activated C John Madden from injured reserve. EDMONTON—Acquired F Matt Marquardt from Boston for D Cody Wild. MINNESOTA—Signed D Marek Zidlicky to a three-year contract extension and Clayton Stoner to a two-year contract extension. NEW JERSEY—Activated RW David Clark- son off of the injured reserve list. OTTAWA—Acquired D Andy Sutton from the New York Islanders for a 2010 second-round draft pick. PHOENIX—Re-assigned D David Schlemko to San Antonio (AHL). Re-assigned C Justin Bernhardt to Las Vegas (ECHL). TAMPA BAY—Recalled RW Brandon Bochenski from Norfolk (AHL). Major League Baseball American League DETROIT—Agreed to terms with RHP Alfre- do Figaro, RHP Armando Galarraga, RHP Ryan Perry, LHP Fu-Te Ni, LHP Daniel Schlereth, INF Don Kelly, OF Ryan Raburn and OF Clete Thomas on one-year contracts. KANSAS CITY—Agreed to terms with RHP Luke Hochevar and RHP Carlos Rosa on one-year contracts. SEATTLE—Agreed to terms with RHP Wes Littleton on a minor league contract. National League FLORIDA—Agreed to terms with C John Baker, RHP Chris Leroux, OF Cameron May- bin and OF Chris Coghlan on one-year con- tracts. Renewed the contracts of LHP Andrew Miller and OF Brett Carroll. HOUSTON—Agreed to terms with INF Edwin Maysonet and LHP Wesley Wright on one-year contracts. PITTSBURGH—Agreed to terms with RHP Ramon Aguero, RHP Daniel McCutchen, RHP Jose Ascanio, RHP Evan Meek, 1B Jeff Clement, OF Lastings Milledge, SS Argenis Diaz, RHP Bryan Morris, RHP Joel Hanra- han, RHP Charlie Morton, RHP Kevin Hart, C Brandon Moss, OF Gorkys Hernandez, RHP Ross Ohlendorf, RHP Chris Jakubauskas, 1B Steve Pearce, C Jason Jaramillo, OF John Raynor, OF Brandon Jones, OF Jose Tabata, OF Garrett Jones, RHP Ronald Uviedo, 3B Andy LaRoche, LHP Donnie Veal, RHP Brad Lincoln, 3B Neil Walker, OF Andrew McCutchen and OF Delwyn Young on one- year contracts. National Football League BUFFALO—Signed DT Marlon Favorite. JACKSONVILLE—Re-signed WR Troy Williamson. College ALABAMA—Suspended F JaMychal Green from the basketball team indefinitely for viola- tion of team rules. KENT STATE—Named Jim Fleming assis- tant football coach. MIDDLE TENNESSEE—Named Mike Schultz offensive coordinator. OREGON STATE—Agrred to terms with men's basketball coach Craig Robinson on a two-year contract extension. Scoreboard Scoreboard games, finishing with 10 strikeouts in 10 innings Getting a taste of what the majors are all about ''makes you work that much harder to stay there. I don't want to go back to the minor leagues,'' Bumgarner said. He took a bit of time off after the season and started throwing again during Christmas week. This spring, he has worked on his slider, change-up and getting better location with his fast- ball. He often asks pitching coach Dave Righetti, a for- mer left-hander, for advice. Giants manager Bruce Bochy is eager to see more of what Bumgarner has to offer. ''When we called him up in September, he handled everything we threw at him,'' Bochy said. ''He started a game he had no idea he was starting and dealt with that great. He threw out of the bullpen, threw the ball well. You have to like his make-up and his stuff. At his age, he has a good game.'' NOTES: After hitting .294 in 50 games as the Giants' leadoff hitter in 2009, center fielder Aaron Rowand is expected to be back in the top spot this spring and beyond. ... Left- hander Barry Zito is the like- ly choice to start Thursday's spring home opener against Milwaukee, with right-han- der Matt Cain going against a Colorado split squad on Friday. (Continued from page 1B) No. 5 World Cup: 100 days to go JOHANNESBURG (AP) — With 100 days to go before the World Cup, jackhammers shuddered and bulldoz- ers rumbled Tuesday as workers wear- ing ''Proud to be building Soccer City for 2010'' buttons readied South Africa's main stadium. Inside, the grass was smooth and inviting. But not far away stacks of pavement tiles waited to be laid, and parking lots and access roads were still to be tarred. The site could well be a metaphor for the June 11-July 11 tournament: While most of the big pieces are in place, all the details haven't been worked out. Over the years, World Cup organiz- ers have been repeatedly and some- times sharply questioned about whether South Africa, a country with high rates of poverty and crime, was capable of hosting one of the planet's biggest sporting events. Now talk has gone from whether South Africa is equipped to host the World Cup to what kind of host it will be. Visitors may have to make do with half-finished hotels at exorbitant rates — not to mention college dorms or even campground tents. There are worries of traffic jams, as fans who can't get hotel rooms in host cities head out after games to accommoda- tion farther afield. South Africa's pub- lic transit system is erratic at best. And will those fans be safe? Despite the uncertainties, the mood was celebratory and determined Tues- day at 100-days ceremonies across the country. South Africans performed a dance based on soccer moves and sang the national anthem, stressing that hosting the tournament requires enthu- siasm and national unity. ''As South Africans we have encountered a lot of skepticism but today, as we celebrate this milestone, we can confidently say to the world that we will be ready,'' Danny Jordaan, head of the South African organizing committee, said in Durban, where the South African national team was to play Namibia at the new stadium there Wednesday. Sepp Blatter, president of FIFA, said soccer's global governing body has never questioned South Africa's ability to organize the tournament. ''Everything is on track and ready,'' said Blatter, who joined Jordaan in Durban, one of nine host cities. ''The African continent will host the World Cup. So why don't certain groups in the world want to believe it? It is so easy to just trust and have confidence.'' Half of the 10 stadiums where World Cup matches will be played are new, and Soccer City in Johannesburg underwent an overhaul so thorough it might as well be new. Other prepara- tions included major roadwork across the country. Seven airports were reno- vated and an eighth was built. Journalists on a tour of Soccer City last week found stadium seats in place, their orange plastic contrasting with the glistening grass. Goals were up and sprinklers were running. Outside, however, workers were still laying pipe deep under what will eventually be roads. Stacks of bricks lay scattered about and wires dangled from unfinished light fixtures. The United States will make its sixth consecutive World Cup appear- ance in South Africa, and Americans have been the most aggressive foreign- ers when it comes to ticket sales, pur- chasing more than 84,000 as of November, according to FIFA. Anoth- er sign of U.S. interest: ESPN and ABC will have crews on site for all 64 games, a change from 2006 in Ger- many. ESPN2 will go all-soccer for a 24-hour countdown before the opener and ABC expects a huge rating for the U.S.-England game on June 12. Still, the worldwide economic downturn — along with those nagging concerns about security, adequate transportation and hotels — is dimin- ishing expectations for a tourism bonanza. FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke said last month that South Africa wouldn't get 450,000 visitors as it had predicted and turnout could be as low as 350,000. ''People don't like to come halfway across the world for what they per- ceive to be an adventure,'' Jaime Byrom, executive chairman of the FIFA partner in charge of organizing accommodation during World Cups, told reporters recently. The government has ordered inves- tigations into price-gouging accusa- tions. In an interview with The Associat- ed Press, Jordaan said transportation was among the ''things we have to fine tune.'' Under apartheid, little was done to meet the transportation needs of the black majority, and the government has struggled to catch up since democ- racy was ushered in, back in 1994. The World Cup lent urgency to plans for government-run rapid bus transit systems to supplement the erratic, often dangerous private minibus services on which commuters in South Africa's cities rely. But con- struction delays have slowed the new service, which was violently resisted by private operators and met objec- tions from residents of wealthy, most- ly white neighborhoods through which proposed bus routes have been drawn. The Gautrain, a new light-rail ser- vice linking Johannesburg, Pretoria and Johannesburg's international air- port, will not be fully operational in time for the World Cup. Chris Hlekane, general manager of Johannesburg's airport, said Tuesday he was worried about passengers crowding airports because they had no way to get to their hotels. He said city officials have been approached about temporarily doubling to about 200 the number of taxi drivers licensed to operate at Johannesburg airport. The University of Cape Town has stepped in with some solutions. Schools will be closed during the tour- nament, and the university plans to rent out its dorm rooms and put buses usually used to shuttle students to World Cup use. ''It will be congested, slow and dif- ficult,'' said Gillian Saunders, a strate- gist who has tracked South Africa's preparations. ''But we will get through it.'' Saunders said South Africa has seen a 25 percent increase in hotel rooms over the last three years, but some World Cup visitors will still end up in tents and dorms because building enough permanent hotel rooms for one mega-event would not have made good business sense. Safety is a particular concern in a country known for high rates of vio- lent crime. South African police have recruited 55,000 new officers and bought $88 million worth of equipment, including six helicopters, 10 mobile command vehicles, body armor and water can- nons for the World Cup. National Commissioner Bheki Cele noted foreigners have been safe at a string of international events in South Africa, ranging from the 1995 Rugby World Cup to a U.N. summit on poverty in 2002. ''This will be the biggest one of all,'' Cele said. LeBron James files papers to switch from No. 23 to No. 6 INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — The number on LeBron James' back will be different next season. The Cleveland Cavaliers can only hope the logo on the front of his jersey remains the same. James has filed paperwork with the NBA to change his uniform number next season to No. 6 from No. 23, the league confirmed Tuesday. James said earlier this season he would be willing to give up No. 23 in an effort to have the NBA retire it in honor of Michael Jordan. Paperwork had to be filed this week to request a number change for next season. ''All it does is back up LeBron's beliefs,'' Cavs coach Mike Brown said. ''He's a loyalty guy. When he believes in something, he sticks to his guns and he believes wholeheart- edly in what he's doing.'' James can become a free agent this summer. He would only need the league's approval to change numbers if he remains in Cleveland. Should he sign with another team, James would be allowed to choose any available number without needing approval. He dismissed a question about his future shortly after the Cavaliers beat the Knicks 124-93 Monday night. ''I stopped answering free agent questions a long time ago,'' he said. James, who declined interview requests on Tuesday, is going from one famous number to another. Julius Erving and Bill Russell both wore No. 6. ''The first thing I think of is Dr. J,'' Brown said. James wore No. 6 with the U.S. Olympic team and wears it every day in practice. He isn't the first superstar to change numbers mid-career. Among others, Jordan briefly wore No. 45 after coming out of retirement with the Bulls, and Kobe Bryant more recently switched from No. 8 to No. 24. ''We remember the 8 on Kobe, but we also know the 24,'' Cavaliers point guard Mo Williams said. ''After a year or two, people will look past the old number and let it rest with Jordan.'' Many maple bats get banned in minors NEW YORK (AP) — Many maple bats will be banned in the minor leagues this season, part of Major League Baseball's push to stop shattered shards of wood from flying dangerously through the air. New regulations will prohibit bats made from ultra-light maple. The low- density wood often is found in bats with big barrels and thin handles, creating a whip-like action when swung. Softer red maple and sil- ver maple — not common- ly used — will be com- pletely eliminated by the 30-plus companies approved to make bats. The bans apply to play- ers who are not on 40-man rosters and have no major league experience. Baseball often tests new rules on minor leaguers, be it drug tests or pace-of-game ideas, because most of them are not in the MLB players' union and such moves do not require union approval. MLB and the union have been extensively studying the issue of bro- ken maple bats since 2008, as splintered barrels wildly helicoptered all over the field and into the stands. "I think all bats are dan- gerous," said Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman John Lindsey, who has spent 15 years in the minors without a major league call-up. "It's not like maple was the first bat to break. At times, they just look crazy, but when bats break they fly all the time, no matter what kind of wood." As part of the safety ini- tiative, any big leaguer whose bat broke at least 10 times last year must consult with a panel of MLB and union bat experts to deter- mine if there is some exten- uating problem. Baseball also is chang- ing the specifications for all bats, slimming the maxi- mum diameter of the barrel from 2.75 inches — which had been the standard for more than 100 years — to 2.61 inches. Trying to change the geometry of bats, the minimum size of bat handles is being increasing by about 1-50th of an inch. Those changes aren't expected to have any impact on the bats that players currently use. "We're not taking the bat out of anyone's hands," union lawyer Bob Lenaghan said Monday night. Commissioner Bud Selig said in May 2008 that shattered maple bats were "a source of concern for me." A safety panel of MLB and union officials began studying the issue with the USDA Forest Ser- vice's Forest Products Lab- oratory and other experts. More than 2,200 bats broken in the majors during the final 21⁄2 months of the 2008 season were studied and catalogued, as was every cracked bat in the big leagues last year, said Dan Halem, MLB senior vice president and general coun- sel for labor. Guidelines were put into effect last year to govern the quality of wood grain. Halem said maple bats cracked about one-third less often last year, particu- larly in the second half of the season as bat makers complied. Bats made of maple and ash cracked at about the same rate, he said, but maple was more likely to break into pieces. "We want to keep doing more for safety," Halem said. Oakland outfielder Ryan Sweeney felt for the minor leaguers who might need to find new bats in 2010. "That's brutal. I know they did stuff with the two- tone bats last year and I saw more bats break in spring training than ever before," he said. "I use both and it depends on what I feel like. Some guys say the maple bats are better but it doesn't matter to me." Cleveland utilityman Chris Gimenez made his major league debut last year and will be exempt from the maple bat rules. "I think they'll have a tough time with that," Gimenez said. "I don't see how that's going to work. To me, it would be like they're telling you that you can't use a third base glove anymore because it's 12 inches and not eight inches. I don't know how that will go over with a lot of guys.