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2B Daily News– Wednesday, October 3, 2012 GOLF PGA Tour supplied the best tonic possible Tuesday to cure the Amer- icans of a Ryder Cup hangover. It staged a press conference to mark the official one-year count- down to the Presidents Cup, the one team event that Americans still seem capable of winning. Then again, it was held at Muirfield Vil- lage, where in 1987 they lost the Ryder Cup on home soil for the first time. It hasn't been the same since. These days, the closest the Americans ever get to that 17-inch trophy is the emblem of it stitched on their team uniforms. Europe now has won seven of the last nine times in the Ryder Cup, and the only reason the domi- nance isn't even greater is because Justin Leonard knocked in a 45- foot putt on the 17th hole at The Country Club. The other win was in 2008 at Valhalla, even though the Americans didn't have MEDINAH, Ill. (AP) — The Woods. Or maybe they won because he didn't play. Tiger The immediate question is who the PGA of America will select as the next captain, but that's assum- ing the decision will have a bearing on the outcome. In some corners, the captain's role is overrated — until a team loses, and the fans and media need someone to blame. The next Ryder Cup will be in 2014 in Scotland, which officials referred to as the home of golf. That's true, although the bagpipes surely will sound a little different on a golf course at Gleneagles designed by Jack Nicklaus. Before looking ahead, it's worth looking back with a few observa- tions about one of the best Ryder Cup competitions ever: — Was this really the ''Mira- cle at Medinah?'' Final thoughts on Ryder Cup Player gets 2nd chance in Majors MLB in 18-hole matches, and there's no such thing as a sure thing. Remem- ber, Europe had a three-point lead going into the final day at Wales before a home crowd and it came down to the last match. The lesson going forward is that no lead is safe. spot. He just didn't deliver. The Americans needed to see The only ''miracle'' reference should be to Saturday afternoon, when the Americans had a 10-4 lead and was ahead in the final match. It looked as though they would have an 11-5 lead at worst until Ian Poulter birdied his last five holes and Europe picked up an invaluable point — and the momentum. thing. Boy Wonder might be the only guy who can roll out of a bed and win a singles match at the Ryder Cup. McIlroy didn't sleep in, he just got the time zones mixed up. But there was a feeling that whoev- er the Americans had facing him didn't stand a chance. Jim Furyk referred to McIlroy as the ''present day Tiger Woods,'' and he might be right. Even with the match all square, there was never a sense that McIlroy was going to lose. — Man of the match. Martin Kaymer holed the putt that clinched the Ryder Cup for Europe, but there was no mistaking its star. Ian Poulter became the first captain's pick to go 4-0, and he might have won them all if Jose Maria Olazabal had not held him out Friday afternoon. There were only four matches all week when a team or a player was behind at any point on the back nine and rallied to win. Poulter was involved in two of them. — Rory McIlroy is a sure The best slogans are built around alliteration, and this could be called the ''Meltdown at Medi- nah,'' depending on your colors. It was remarkable, no doubt, because six of the 12 singles matches could have gone either way. By the num- bers, Europe matched a Ryder Cup record by rallying from a 10-6 deficit on the final day, same as the Americans at Brookline in 1999. The difference is that Europe did this on the road. And the American comeback was easier because Europe had three Ryder Cup rook- ies who did not hit a shot until Sun- day singles. This Ryder Cup had 24 of the top 35 players in the world. Throw INJURY (Continued from page 1B) fered a neck injury against Minnesota in 2011 but did not miss a game. ''I took a hard hit last year but that was a lot more of a neck injury than a head injury when it came to that one and I came back the next week,'' he said. ''For each person individually it's different. Everybody works differently, every- body is a different per- sonality, so got to look at it that way.'' Heyward-Bey is com- ing off his best season as a pro, when he had 64 Woods take control of his match against Francesco Molinari, know- ing they would be assured a point in that anchor match. Woods fell behind two holes early. He took the lead for the first time on the 13th hole, and the match was still square with two holes remaining. The last time Woods was in that spot, in 2002, he built a 2-up lead early against Jesper Parnevik, didn't put him away and actually trailed after 15 holes. far as who won the cup. It could have, and perhaps should have, meant something. — Rookies. His half-point was irrelevant as The PGA of America devotes an entire page to rookie records in the Ryder Cup. Love said all week, and the PGA of America should take note, that there really are no rook- ies in the Ryder Cup. Webb Simp- son (U.S. Open) and Martin Kaymer (PGA Championship) had won majors the year they made their Ryder Cup debut. Yes, the pressure is more intense at the Ryder Cup than any tournament, but it's that way for the veterans, too. MIAMI (AP) — Only hours before getting his second chance in the big leagues, Adam Greenberg admitted he was nervous. Not about facing one of baseball's best pitchers — but about some pregame antics his new Miami Mar- lins teammates had in store for him. Greenberg signed a one-day contract to play Tuesday night as a pinch- hitter in the Marlins' game against the New York Mets, who planned to start 20-game winner R.A. Dickey. franchise's 20-year history. They gave Greenberg jer- sey No. 10, a more presti- gious number than the No. 66 he recalled wearing in Chicago Cubs spring train- ing. His career record is now 12-3, the highest winning percentage of any European player in history. Poulter effectively locked up a spot on the team for the next several years, and Lee Westwood even went so far as to jokingly suggest a change to the qualifying process for Europe. ''It's nine spots, two picks, and Poults,'' he said. — Tiger Woods as the anchor. Curtis Strange was criticized in 2002 for sending out Woods in the 12th and final match Sunday at The Belfry for two reasons. His point might be irrelevant at that stage (it was) and he would not be able to contribute to any momentum from an earlier spot in the lineup. Davis Love III did the same at Medinah. Woods actually was in the right catches for 975 yards and four touchdowns. Hey- ward-Bey was picked seventh overall in 2009 and struggled his first two seasons. But the Raiders were counting on him to build on his breakthrough campaign this year and be a key part of the offense with quarterback Carson Palmer. Heyward-Bey had nine catches for 98 yards and one touchdown at the time of the injury. receiver has been tested early this season, with Heyward-Bey missing one game, fellow starter Denarius Moore missing the opener with a ham- string injury and project- The Raiders' depth at The four American ''rookies'' went 9-6. Two of their best players were rookies — Jason Dufner and Keegan Bradley, both of whom were 3-1. Dufner might have won all four of his matches except for Poulter finishing a fourballs match with five straight birdies. — The next captain. Paul McGinley is the leading candidate for Europe, a decision with strong influence by the play- ers. Nothing is clear for the U.S. team, a decision by the PGA of America. There seems to be a template for the U.S. team that captains be for- mer major champions in their late 40s. That would point toward David Toms, who played on three losing teams. Fred Couples gets a lot of attention, but the Presidents Cup is far less stressful than the Ryder Cup, and he doesn't have a lot of support from within the PGA of America. Larry Nelson is a pop- ular choice because he was over- looked. He'll be 67 in 2014. And there is some thought to let Paul Azinger be captain again. The last American who was cap- tain more than once was Jack Nick- laus. That was in 1987 at Muirfield Village, and that didn't turn out very well. ed third receiver Jacoby Ford out for the season with a Lisfranc injury to his left foot. Rookies Rod Streater and Juron Criner have also been nursing minor injuries that have limited their practice time so far this season. ''It definitely was a plus for us just to have the whole group out there healthy going into the bye week,'' least Nov. 11 at Balti- more. Hagan said. ''That's the main thing going into the bye week, you want everybody to be healthy and focusing on the job they have to do.'' receiver Derek waiting to get back start- ing cornerback Shawntae Spencer, who has been out since spraining his right foot Sept. 16 at Miami. Oakland's other starting cornerback, Ron Bartell, broke his shoul- der blade in the opener and can't return until at LIQUIDATION SALE EVERYTHING MUST GO BY JAN. 1 THE MONTH OF OCT. 10% OFF EVERYTHING* *Except new firearms Come by and check us out! Store Hours Mon.-Fri. 10:00-5:30 Saturdays by Appt. 1705 Airport Blvd. Suite E, Red Bluff 530-528-1225 tuscanoutdoors@gmail.com The Raiders are also The injuries in the sec- ondary have played a role in Oakland's struggles this season as the Raiders have allowed opponents to complete 71.5 percent of their passes — higher than any team has ever allowed in a full season. Oakland also has been unable to generate any pass rush with just three sacks as quarterbacks have been able to get rid of the ball quickly to open receivers. Starting right tackle Khalif Barnes also remains sidelined by a groin injury. MLB West Division z-Texas Angels z-A's Seattle East Division WL Pct GB z-New York 94 67 .584 — z-Baltimore 93 68 .578 1 Tampa Bay 89 72 .553 5 Toronto Boston Central Division x-Detroit Chicago 72 89 .447 22 69 92 .429 25 WL Pct GB 87 74 .540 — 84 77 .522 3 Kansas City 72 89 .447 15 Cleveland 68 93 .422 19 Minnesota 66 95 .410 21 z-clinched playoff berth x-clinched division —————————————————— Tuesday's results N.Y.Yankees 4, Boston 3, 12 innings Cleveland 4, Chicago White Sox 3, 12 innings Toronto 4, Minnesota 3 Baltimore 1, Tampa Bay 0 Kansas City 4, Detroit 2 Texas at Oakland, late L.A. Angels at Seattle, late Today's games Texas (Dempster 7-3) at Oakland (Griffin 7-1), 12:35 p.m. L.A. Angels (Weaver 20-4) at Seattle (Beavan 10-11), 3:40 p.m. Boston (Matsuzaka 1-6) at N.Y.Yankees (Kuroda 15-11), 4:05 p.m. Chicago White Sox (Floyd 11-11) at Cleveland (D.Huff 3-0), 4:05 p.m. Minnesota (Diamond 12-8) at Toronto (Morrow 9-7), 4:07 p.m. Baltimore (Tillman 9-2) at Tampa Bay (Hellickson 9-11), 4:10 p.m. Detroit (Scherzer 16-7) at Kansas City (Mendoza 8-9), 5:10 p.m. End of regular season American League WL Pct GB 93 67 .581 — 92 68 .575 1 89 71 .556 4 73 87 .456 20 berg's first since he stepped to the plate for his major league debut in 2005 and was hit in the back of the head by the first pitch he saw — a 92-mph fast- ball that derailed his career. Greenberg, 31, took part in batting practice and said he was overwhelmed by the positive reception from his new teammates, who planned to treat him like any other rookie. Catcher John Buck said Greenberg would don a USA Speedo, blue tennis shoes and pink goggles for a pregame per- formance in the clubhouse. ''I've got to go sing and dance in front of them like a real rookie,'' Greenberg said. ''That, to be honest, is what I'm more nervous about.'' The game was Green- The outfielder made his big league debut with the Cubs in Miami on July 9, 2005, and was hit by a pitch thrown by Marlins left-hander Valerio De Los Santos. He suffered a con- cussion that caused vision problems, vertigo and headaches lasting hours at a time, and it was nearly two years before he regained full health. ''I was concerned more with the quality of my life than playing ball,'' he said. ''It was a tough time.'' He married, started a health-supplement busi- ness and played in the independent Atlantic League. A recent online campaign known as ''One At Bat'' lobbied for Green- berg to get a second chance in the majors, and the Mar- lins last week offered him an opportunity to play in the next-to-last game of their season. For seven years, Green- The 5-foot-9 Greenberg said he hoped the game marks only the beginning of a career comeback. He didn't play in the minor leagues this year and hasn't been with a major league organization since 2008, but he still harbors hopes of a big-league job. ''Hopefully there is going to be a lot more of this. This is good stuff,'' Greenberg said at a pregame news conference. ''I want to show everyone I can play, although you can never really truly do that in one at-bat, especially if it ends up being against Dickey.'' Several Marlins played with Greenberg in the minors as he struggled to recover from his beaning. ''He was a good player, and for it to be ruined on one pitch is a tough blow, if you will,'' Buck said. ''But he has fought back. This is one of those good stories for young kids and what baseball is about — endur- ing to the end, and making the most of your opportu- nity.'' was a rare feel-good story for the last-place Marlins, who have endured the most disappointing season in the The Greenberg signing MLB West Division x-GIANTS Dodgers Arizona East Division National League WL Pct GB 93 67 .581 — 85 75 .531 8 80 80 .500 13 San Diego 75 86 .466 18.5 Colorado x-Washington 97 64 .602 — y-Atlanta Central Division Philadelphia 81 80 .503 16 New York Miami x-Cincinnati 97 64 .602 — St. Louis 63 97 .394 30 WL Pct GB 93 68 .578 4 73 88 .453 24 69 92 .429 28 WL Pct GB 87 74 .540 10 Milwaukee 83 78 .516 14 Pittsburgh 79 82 .491 18 Chicago Houston x-clinched division y-clinched wild card —————————————————— Tuesday's results Pittsburgh 5, Atlanta 1 Washington 4, Philadelphia 2 Miami 4, N.Y. Mets 3, 11 innings Houston 3, Chicago Cubs 0 Milwaukee 4, San Diego 3 Cincinnati 3, St. Louis 1 Colorado at Arizona, late San Francisco at L.A. Dodgers, late Today's games Atlanta (Sheets 4-4) at Pittsburgh (A.J.Burnett 16-9), 9:35 a.m. Philadelphia (Cl.Lee 6-8) at Washington (E.Jackson 9-11), 10:05 a.m. Houston (E.Gonzalez 3-1) at Chicago Cubs (T.Wood 6-13), 11:20 a.m. N.Y.Mets (Hefner 3-7) at Miami (Gaudin 3-2), 1:10 p.m. Colorado (Francis 5-7) at Arizona (I.Kennedy 15-11), 4:10 p.m. San Francisco (Vogelsong 14-9) at L.A. Dodgers (Kershaw 13-9), 4:15 p.m. San Diego (Werner 2-3) at Milwaukee (Gallardo 16-9), 5:10 p.m. Cincinnati (H.Bailey 13-10) at St. Louis (Wainwright 14-13), 5:15 p.m. End of regular season 60 101 .373 37 55 106 .342 42 berg was one of only two players to be hit by a pitch in his lone big-league appearance and never take the field. The other was Fred van Dusen with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1955. Van Dusen flew down from his home in Franklin, Tenn., to attend Tuesday's game and joined the rest of the crowd applauding Greenberg's comeback. ''Life throws you curve- balls,'' Greenberg said. ''Mine threw me a fastball at 92, and it hit me in the back of the head. I got up from it, and my life is great.'' NFL AFC West WL T Pct PF PA San Diego 3 1 0 .750 100 71 Denver 2 2 0 .500 114 83 Kansas City 1 3 0 .250 88 136 RAIDERS 13 0 .25067 125 East WL T Pct PF PA N.Y. Jets 2 2 0 .500 81 109 New Eng. 2 2 0 .500 134 92 Buffalo 2 2 0 .500 115 131 Miami South 1 3 0 .250 86 90 WL T Pct PF PA Houston 4 0 0 1.000126 56 Indianapolis 1 2 0 .333 61 83 Jacksonville 1 3 0 .250 62 97 Tennessee 1 3 0 .250 81 151 North WL T Pct PF PA Baltimore 3 1 0 .750 121 83 Cincinnati 3 1 0 .750 112 112 Pittsburgh 1 2 0 .333 77 75 Cleveland 0 4 0 .000 73 98 NFC West WL T Pct PF PA Arizona 4 0 0 1.000 91 61 49ers 31 0 .750 104 65 St. Louis 2 2 0 .500 79 91 Seattle 2 2 0 .500 70 58 East Philadelphia 3 1 0 .750 66 83 Dallas WL T Pct PF PA 2 2 0 .500 65 88 Washington 2 2 0 .500 123 123 N.Y. Giants 2 2 0 .500 111 84 South WL T Pct PF PA Atlanta 4 0 0 1.000124 76 Tampa Bay 1 3 0 .250 82 91 Carolina 1 3 0 .250 80 109 New Orleans0 4 0 .000 110 130 North WL T Pct PF PA Minnesota 3 1 0 .750 90 72 Chicago 3 1 0 .750 108 68 Green Bay 2 2 0 .500 85 81 Detroit Week 4 results Thursday's games Baltimore 23, Cleveland 16 Sunday's games Houston 38, Tennessee 14 San Diego 37, Kansas City 20 St. Louis 19, Seattle 13 New England 52, Buffalo 28 Minnesota 20, Detroit 13 Atlanta 30, Carolina 28 San Francisco 34, N.Y. Jets 0 Arizona 24, Miami 21, OT Denver 37, Oakland 6 Cincinnati 27, Jacksonville 10 Green Bay 28, New Orleans 27 Washington 24, Tampa Bay 22 Philadelphia 19, N.Y. Giants 17 Open: Indianapolis, Pittsburgh Monday's game Chicago 34, Dallas 18 Week 5 Schedule Thursday's game Arizona at St. Louis, 5:20 p.m. Sunday games Baltimore at Kansas City, 10 a.m. Atlanta at Washington, 10 a.m. Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, 10 a.m. Green Bay at Indianapolis, 10 a.m. Cleveland at N.Y. Giants, 10 a.m. Miami at Cincinnati, 10 a.m. Seattle at Carolina, 1:05 p.m. Chicago at Jacksonville, 1:05 p.m. Buffalo at San Francisco, 1:25 p.m. Tennessee at Minnesota, 1:25 p.m. Denver at New England, 1:25 p.m. San Diego at New Orleans, 5:20 p.m. Open: Dallas, Detroit, Oakland, Tampa Bay Monday's game Houston at N.Y. Jets, 5:30 p.m. 1 3 0 .250 100 114 ——————————————————