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2B Daily News – Thursday, September 6, 2012 ANGELS 7, A'S 1 GOLF | BMW CHAMPIONSHIP Major stakes at FedEx Cup By DOUG FERGUSON Associated Press away. ''I was thinking to myself, 'Hole this putt and the nervous feeling as he stood over a short putt on the final hole of the BMW Championship. It was his first time in the FedEx Cup, and the stakes were so enor- mous that he had a hard time blocking out everything but getting the ball in the cup. The $10 million bonus? No, that was still a week CARMEL, Ind. (AP) — Marc Leishman remembers you're in the Masters.' I wasn't thinking about $10 million,'' Leishman said. ''To get into the Tour Cham- pionship ... look, the money is awesome, but every- thing that came with it was better.'' That's what makes the BMW Championship, which starts Thursday at Crooked Stick, the most important playoff event in the FedEx Cup. Only the top 30 from the 70-man field advance to MCT photo Athletics pitcher Brandon McCarthy (32) is attended to after being hit in the head with a line drive Wednesday. McCarthy takes liner to head By ANTONIO GONZALEZ Associated Press OAKLAND (AP) — Brandon McCarthy had just finished his deliv- ery when Erick Aybar's line drive zipped back. It struck the Oakland Athletics pitcher in the head and knocked him to the ground in the fourth inning. McCarthy curled up in a ball and lay writhing in pain, getting checked by trainers for a couple minutes. Teammates huddled around the infield, and players from both sides stood on the top steps of the dugouts. ''First thing he asked me was, 'Where did it hit me?''' A's catcher Derek Norris said. McCarthy never lost conscious- ness, walked off under his own power and was sent to the hospital for pre- cautionary tests while Oakland went on to a 7-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday, completing a three-game series sweep. ''You try not to let it linger, but it's human nature for it to,'' Norris said. ''Your heart goes out to your team- mate. You battle with them through- out the course of the season, but we try our best to motivate us to win it for Mac.'' Howie Kendrick doubled and hit a ''The mood is quiet,'' A's manager Bob Melvin said. ''It's one of your teammates. You're obviously happy to see him get up and walk off the field in the fashion he did with that kind of a blow. But everyone's quiet for a while. Guys were running up to the clubhouse to see how he was after- ward. He was walking around ... but you have to continue to try to play the game.'' drove home Oakland's only run. Four relievers held the A's scoreless over the final three innings, including three straight strikeouts by Nick Maronde on his 23rd birthday. Oakland, which had won a season- best nine straight games entering the series, had not been swept at home since dropping three straight to the Yankees from May 25-27. ''They came in, they pitched well, Seth Smith's single in the third they got some timely hits and won some games,'' A's second baseman Cliff Pennington said. ''Same thing we've been doing for a while.'' Just not in this series. ton to slide in safely. two-run single to hand McCarthy (8- 6) the loss and help the Angels pull within 2 1/2 games of Oakland for one of two AL wild-card spots. Dan Haren (10-10) allowed three hits and one run in six innings. The Angels outscored Oakland 21- 5 in the series. Los Angeles (74-63) has won eight of nine to move a sea- son-best 11 games over .500. 49ERS The Angels grabbed control with three runs in the third. Alberto Callaspo hit a leadoff single, moved to second on Bobby Wilson's sacrifice and scored on Hunter's two-out sin- gle. After Albert Pujols doubled and Kendrys Morales was walked inten- tionally, Kendrick tacked on a two-run single. Haren almost handed the lead to Oakland until he found his groove. He walked Derek Norris and Pen- nington to start the bottom of the third. Coco Crisp grounded to first, and Morales' throw sailed wide to pull Aybar off second and allow Penning- Smith singled to right to slice the Angels' lead to 3-1. Haren then struck out Josh Reddick and got Yoenis Ces- pedes to ground out to end the threat. Hunter added a two-run single in the ninth with the bases loaded. The A's and the Angels were shak- en by the scary sequence in the fourth when McCarthy had almost no time to react to Aybar's liner on a 91-mph cut- ter. Third baseman Josh Donaldson picked up the deflected ball and threw to first for the second out of the inning. Aybar stood on first and looked on with concern. He was later seen in the Angels' dugout sitting with his head down and his hands over his head. He said he would try to call McCarthy soon. ''You feel really bad,'' Aybar said in Spanish. ''He's a good guy. You never want to hit anybody over the head, and he's a good guy. Hopefully everything turns out all right and, God-willing, that he gets better soon.'' McCarthy eventually sat up and stroked his hands through his hair and around his head. He walked off the mound under his own power to an ovation from the Oakland Coliseum crowd and was taken to Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland for precautionary tests. ''It was crazy,'' Pennington said. the Tour Championship, and they are exempt for the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open. That might not be a big deal to Tiger Woods or Rory McIlroy. But it means everything to players like Leishman, who had never played a major in his life until a tie for second at the 2009 BMW Championship got him into all four of them. And it's a big deal to someone like William McGirt. In his second year on tour, McGirt secured his card with a runner-up finish in the Canadian Open, and he has improved 35 spots in the playoffs to make it to Crooked Stick. He played in his first major last month at Kiawah Island, an even greater thrill because it was in South Carolina, the state where he lives. McGirt is No. 39 in the FedEx Cup, closer than ever to his goal of getting to East Lake — and beyond. ''It would be nice to have $10 million,'' said McGirt, who has just over $1.7 million in career tour earnings. ''But I've played in one major. My No. 1 goal is to get to Augusta at some point. I just want to play Augusta. I've been watching that tournament for- ever. And if I play well next week, we'll see what hap- pens.'' ary, was asked if she would rather have $10 million or a trip to Atlanta. She sweetly smiled at the misleading question. His wife Sarah, expecting their first child in Janu- The $10 million will come into view soon enough. Anyone who plays in the Tour Championship has a mathematical shot at $10 million because the points are reset. The higher a player is on the list, the better the odds. The top five are guaranteed the big bonus simply by winning at East Lake, although everyone in the field now has reason to believe it could be them. A year ago, Bill Haas was No. 25 when a curious chain of events — including Haas saving par with his ball half-submerged in a lake — led to him winning the FedEx Cup. Crooked Stick, a Pete Dye design north of Indianapo- lis. ''From the side I could tell it hit him in the head. I didn't know if it clipped his glove or not but I knew that it got him good. Obviously that takes prece- dence over anything that happened in the baseball game. You just want to make sure he's OK.'' Big hopes for receivers at start of season SANTA CLARA (AP) — Randy Moss still carries himself with that same old swagger and avoids saying much about his NFL return after a year away. Mario Manningham has no qualms speaking out about how he wants to show the West Coast what he can do seven months after leading the New York Giants to a Super Bowl title. The San Francisco 49ers are depending on this tal- ented twosome for an upgraded receiving corps in 2012. As close as the Nin- ers came to the Super Bowl last season, their wide receivers faltered when it mattered most. ment of surprise. Yet the 35-year-old Moss has had his share of memorable days at Lambeau Field. It was after his antics in Green Bay during the 2004 playoffs for the Vikings that Moss was fined $10,000. He pretended to pull down his pants and moon the Wisconsin Cheeseheads during Minnesota's playoff win in which he caught two TD passes. ''For sure, the The last time San Fran- cisco played in late January, the wideouts managed one catch for three yards in a 20-17 overtime loss to Manningham and the Giants in the NFC champi- onship. Now, there are bigger unknown,'' Smith said of what Moss will offer on game day. ''It works both ways, the unknown and what they're going to do. A guy like Randy and the unique toolset that he has creates a lot of problems. I think it gives them a lot to think about — the big-play potential, the matchup problem that he is.'' expectations on quarter- back Alex Smith to throw deep. He will get his first chance in the season opener Sunday at Green Bay. ''When you add some weapons to the mix like Manningham and Moss, you can open it up more,'' Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said Wednesday. ''On paper they look a little better.'' Smith realizes the ques- tions about Moss could be an advantage, perhaps pro- viding some mystery or ele- for New England, Min- nesota and Tennessee in 2010, has 13 career regular- season touchdowns against the Packers and 15 total — eight of those at Lambeau. Moss' best season came for the Patriots in 2007, when he caught 98 passes for 1,493 yards and a sin- gle-season record 23 touch- downs in helping New Eng- land to a 16-0 regular-sea- son record. He has 954 catches for 14,858 yards and 153 TDs in his 13-year career. Moss, who last played Manningham is even more for the defense to han- dle. He caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning with 8:34 remain- ing in regulation of the NFC title game to help New York beat the Niners. He had five more recep- tions for 73 yards in the Giants' 21-17 Super Bowl victory over the Patriots, including an over-the- shoulder 38-yard catch between two defenders on which he managed to stay inbounds to start the game- winning, 88-yard touch- down drive. The 26-year-old Man- ningham, who had 39 catches for 523 yards and four touchdowns total last year, recently missed some time while attending his grandfather's funeral in Ohio. He said Wednesday he spent eight hours at team headquarters during the off days working to catch up. ''Just trying to do what we have to do to just be explosive, go out there and make plays,'' he said, refer- ring to himself and Moss. ''I can't wait to go out there and play with my new team and show them what I've got.'' They should comple- ment tight ends Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker and receiver Michael Crab- tree, who had 72 receptions for 874 yards and four touchdowns last season as San Francisco went 13-3 and ended an eight-year playoff drought. ''It definitely gives them a different dimension, no doubt about it,'' Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. ''They've definitely added a lot to their perimeter. Their vertical passing game is improved greatly just getting off the bus. I've always like their tight ends. Vernon and Delanie are excellent players, and now to add that whole group of receivers with them, it's a dynamic perimeter.'' Rodgers is eager to see what Smith does this year — just not this Sunday — to follow up a breakout 2011 performance in which he threw only five interceptions. Smith was the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2005 out of Utah, while the Niners passed on Rodgers out of nearby California and he fell to 24th. WNBA WESTERN CONFERENCE WL Pct GB x-Minnesota 22 4 .846 — x-Los Angeles 19 9 .679 4 x-San Antonio 17 9 .654 5 Seattle Phoenix Tulsa x-Connecticut 20 7 .741 — x-Indiana Atlanta New York Chicago 11 14 .440 10.5 6 20 .231 16 6 20 .231 16 EASTERN CONFERENCE WL Pct GB 17 8 .680 2 14 13 .519 6 11 16 .407 9 10 16 .385 9.5 Washington 5 22 .185 15 x-clinched playoff spot ------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday's results Atlanta 71, Indiana 64 New York 87, Phoenix 59 Today's game Tulsa at Seattle, 7 p.m. Friday's games Phoenix at Connecticut, 4 p.m. Los Angeles at Washington, 4 p.m. Chicago at New York, 4:30 p.m. Atlanta at Minnesota, 5 p.m. Indiana at San Antonio, 5 p.m. The idea is to get there. And the final gateway is Crooked Stick is best known for John Daly winning the 1991 PGA Championship as the ninth alternate, where he introduced his ''grip it and rip it'' approach to golf. The course also has hosted the U.S. Senior Open and the Solheim Cup, but this is the first time in two decades it has had the very best players in the world. world after his win last week on the TPC Boston, is No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings. He's followed by Barclays winner Nick Watney, Woods, Ryder Cup pick Brandt Snedeker and Louis Oosthuizen. Far more compelling in the 70-man field are the players trying to crack the top 30. Jimmy Walker, for example, is at No. 46. He has McIlroy, firmly established now as No. 1 in the never played in the Masters, the U.S. Open or the British Open. He missed U.S. Open qualifying by one shot this year. And he is four good rounds away from moving into the top 30 and getting into all three of those majors next year. ''From where I'm sitting right now, that's the car- rot,'' Walker said. ''Getting there means getting in all the tournaments next year. It really helps, especially for guys in my position not playing in the big events. It will change your whole year.'' Of course, there's still the long odds of winning the $10 million, which comes with a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour. MLB West Division Texas A's American League WL Pct GB 81 55 .596 — 76 60 .559 5 Angels 74 63 .540 7.5 Seattle 66 71 .482 15.5 East Division WL Pct GB New York 77 59 .566 — Baltimore 76 60 .559 1 Tampa Bay 75 62 .547 2.5 Boston 63 74 .460 14.5 Toronto 61 75 .449 16 Central Division WL Pct GB Chicago 74 62 .544 — Detroit 73 63 .537 1 Kansas City61 75 .449 13 Cleveland 58 79 .423 16.5 Minnesota 56 81 .409 18.5 ------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday's results Chicago White Sox 6, Minnesota 2 L.A. Angels 7, Oakland 1 Detroit 7, Cleveland 1 Toronto 6, Baltimore 4 N.Y.Yankees 6, Tampa Bay 4 Texas 7, Kansas City 6 Boston at Seattle, late Today's games N.Y.Yankees (Phelps 3-4) at Baltimore (Hammel 8-6), 4:05 p.m. Texas (Feldman 6-11) at Kansas City (Hochevar 7-13), 5:10 p.m. Friday's games N.Y.Yankees at Baltimore, 4:05 p.m. Texas at Tampa Bay, 4:10 p.m. Toronto at Boston, 4:10 p.m. Cleveland at Minnesota, 5:10 p.m. Kansas City at Chicago White Sox, 5:10 p.m. Detroit at L.A. Angels, 7:05 p.m. Oakland at Seattle, 7:10 p.m. West Division MLB National League WL Pct GB GIANTS 77 59 .566 — Dodgers 73 64 .533 4.5 Arizona 67 70 .489 10.5 San Diego 63 74 .460 14.5 Colorado 56 79 .415 20.5 East Division WL Pct GB Washington 84 52 .618 — Atlanta 77 60 .562 7.5 Phillies 66 71 .482 18.5 New York 65 72 .474 19.5 Miami 60 77 .438 24.5 Central Division WL Pct GB Cincinnati 83 55 .601 — St. Louis 74 63 .540 8.5 Pittsburgh 72 64 .529 10 Milwaukee 67 69 .493 15 Chicago 51 85 .375 31 Houston 42 95 .307 40.5 ------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday's results Philadelphia 6, Cincinnati 2 N.Y.Mets 6, St. Louis 2 Washington 9, Chicago Cubs 1 Pittsburgh 6, Houston 3 Atlanta 1, Colorado 0 Milwaukee 8, Miami 5 San Diego at L.A. Dodgers, late Arizona at San Francisco, late Today's games Colorado (Chacin 2-4) at Atlanta (T.Hud- son 13-5), 9:10 a.m. Milwaukee (Estrada 2-5) at Miami (Jo.Johnson 7-11), 9:40 a.m. Chicago Cubs (Germano 2-5) at Wash- ington (Zimmermann 9-8), 4:05 p.m. Friday's games Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh, 4:05 p.m. Colorado at Philadelphia, 4:05 p.m. Miami at Washington, 4:05 p.m. Atlanta at N.Y. Mets, 4:10 p.m. Houston at Cincinnati, 4:10 p.m. Milwaukee at St. Louis, 5:15 p.m. Arizona at San Diego, 7:05 p.m. L.A. Dodgers at San Francisco, 7:15 p.m.