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2B Daily News – Tuesday, October 30, 2012 RAIDERS Oakland earns day off convincing victory of the season was enough for coach Dennis Allen to give his Oakland Raiders players a welcome day off midway through the season. The 26-16 victory in Kansas City gave the Raiders two straight wins following a narrow loss at undefeated Atlanta as they are showing signs of hitting their stride following a rough opening month. ALAMEDA (AP) — The first The once-dormant running game has picked up, the penal- ties are way down and Oakland (3-4) is doing a much better job of generating, as well as prevent- ing, big plays. got a short time to get it done.'' Oakland's first two wins — in September against Pittsburgh and last week in overtime against Jacksonville — came on field goals on the final play of the game. the Raiders were in control most of the time against the Chiefs after Carson Palmer threw an interception on the first play from scrimmage. Oakland didn't commit anoth- isfied with his team's perfor- mance, seeing many areas for improvement. The most notable one is in the red zone, where the Raiders managed just one touch- down in six trips Sunday and are the second-worst team in the NFL at converting trips inside the 20 into touchdowns. ''There's a lot of things we But Allen is still far from sat- weren't happy with yesterday,'' Allen said Monday. ''You can't look at the margin and say, well, because you won by more, you played better. We got to look at, we were able to win a football game. There's still a lot of things that we got to get better at, a lot of things we got to correct. We HURRICANE SANDY Sports sidestep major storm The fury of superstorm Sandy barely laid a glove on sports around the country. While the storm flooded shore towns in the North- east, washed away a section of the Atlantic City Board- walk and shut down transit and school systems, sports emerged practically untouched on a quiet Mon- day. Perhaps the biggest dis- location came in the NFL. The league moved its trade deadline back two days to Thursday because of poten- tial complications from the storm. fied that the league's offices would be closed through Tuesday. The deadline now is 4 p.m. EDT Thursday, when waivers for vested vet- erans also begin. All 32 teams were noti- a day earlier. The Monday night football game is in Arizona. Hockey is shut down by labor problems. The NBA does not begin until Tuesday night. College basketball has not yet begun. So the disruptions were minuscule: The Philadel- phia Eagles closed their complex, and the New York Knicks canceled practice. The Washington Wizards adjusted travel plans, taking a 7 a.m. flight to Cleveland for Tuesday night's opener against the Cavaliers. Some Major League Baseball staff left the World Series in Detroit on Sunday to get back to New York before the storm shuttered transportation. Trotting at Yonkers Just as a combination of meteorological forces made for a particularly harsh storm, sports was spared Monday by a confluence of elements. The World Series ended lucky the marathon is not today,'' New York Road Runners President Mary Wittenberg said during a conference call as wind and rain started to batter the city. Instead, she said, ''we have time on our side'' — enough to prepare the course and for runners to travel to the city after the storm pass- es through. ''We're extraordinarily Monday morning following a flight that left Newburgh, N.Y., at 1 a.m., eight hours earlier than initially sched- uled. The airport also was a change, replacing Islip on Long Island that was more directly in the path of the storm. The contingent included Raceway in New York and thoroughbred racing at Suf- folk Downs in Boston already had been called off. New York City Marathon organizers said they expect Sandy to have little effect on Sunday's race. OAKLAND (AP) — The Oakland Athletics exercised their $4.5 million contract option for closer Grant Bal- four on Monday, while the AL West champions declined their half of a $10 million mutual option for shortstop Stephen Drew. Drew receives a $1.35 million buy- out, though assistant general manager David Forst said the team would con- tinue to negotiate with his representa- tives and try to sign him. Balfour would have been due a $350,000 buyout if the 49ERS (Continued from page 1B) open on a crossing route in the first half. A 10-play, 77-yard drive that consumed just over 6 minutes of the first quarter put San Francisco up 7-0. On third-and-goal from the 3, Smith threw a side- lines pass to Crabtree, who outfought Patrick Peterson for the ball and the touchdown. A flurry missed tack- les, most notably an open-field whiff by Sam Acho, helped Ted Ginn Jr. return a punt 35 yards to the Arizona 45 in the second quarter. Daryl Washington sacked Smith to help set up a third-and-23 from the Cardinals 46. But Smith found Crabtree over the middle for 22 yards, just The NCAA offered its support, saying it is working with schools in the hurri- cane's path. ''During natural disas- ters, the NCAA routinely gives flexibility to institu- tions and conferences to help them quickly provide necessary assistance and resources that may include meals or other benefits, relo- cating teams and reschedul- ing games,'' the governing body said in a statement. ''We stand ready to do so today and as the storm con- tinues ashore.'' At the Breeders' Cup in California, 17 horses arrived A's had turned down the option. Gen- eral manager Billy Beane all but said when the season ended in a five-game division series loss to the Detroit Tigers this month that he would keep Balfour and do all he could to maintain the cur- rent roster. ''It's great,'' Balfour said. ''I would the powerful quartet of Flat Out, Ron the Greek, To Honor and Serve and Royal Delta for Hall of Fame train- er Bill Mott. Royal Delta is the defending champion in the Ladies' Classic, while the other three are entered in the $5 million Classic. The flight included hors- es for Chad Brown, Shug McGaughey, Mike Hush- ion, Michael Trombetta and Diane Alvarado. They were the lucky ones. Todd Pletch- er's New York-based horses, including the unbeaten Shanghai Bobby in the Juvenile, were scheduled to fly Tuesday morning, but the flight has been pushed back to Wednesday. A's exercise Balfour contract option, decline Drew like to stay longer. Hopefully we can work something out. I believe we are young and have a lot of good times ahead for the Oakland organization and the fans.'' a yard shy of the first down. David Akers' 43 yard field goal made it 10-0 with 5:58 left in the half. Crabtree beat Peter- son again for San Fran- cisco's second touch- down. Smith threw over the middle to the receiv- er, who caught the ball, then fooled Peterson with an inside move into the end zone to make it 17-0 with 1:41 left in the half. The 49ers drove 68 yards in eight plays, again overcoming a sack, this one by Calais Campbell, that made it second-and-goal from the 16. Smith threw 7 yards to Mario Manningham to set up the TD toss to Crabtree. The Cardinals were booed off the field by the home crowd at the half. Things didn't get any better for the home team Balfour, the 34-year-old Australian right-hander, went 3-2 with a 2.53 ERA, 24 saves and 75 appearances spanning 74 2-3 innings during his sec- ond season with Oakland and ninth in the majors. He began the season as the closer, lost the job, then earned it back again down the stretch as the A's returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Oakland swept the Texas Rangers in the final three games of the season to capture the AL West in surprising fashion. in the third quarter. On third-and-9, Smith threw 30 yards to Crabtree, who evaded a host of tacklers. Then on third- and-8, Smith tossed a short pass to Moss, who sidestepped a series of would-be defenders all the way to the end zone, putting San Francisco ahead 24-0 with 7:27 left in the third quarter. The Cardinals averted a shutout with Jay Feely's 28-yard field goal John Skelton, making his second start since NASCAR Spring Cup Points Leaders 1. Jimmie Johnson 2,291 2. Brad Keselowski 2,289 3. Clint Bowyer 4. Kasey Kahne 5. Denny Hamlin 6. Jeff Gordon 7. Martin Truex Jr. 8. Matt Kenseth 9. Greg Biffle 10. Tony Stewart 11. Kevin Harvick 2,265 2,262 2,242 2,237 2,228 2,226 2,222 2,220 2,203 12. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2,151 Kevin Kolb went down with rib injuries, com- pleted 32 of 52 passes for 290 yards, often overthrowing receivers. The Cardinals rushed for just 7 yards in nine attempts against the 49ers, who entered the game as the No. 1- ranked defense in the NFL, No. 2 against the run. Arizona's final pos- session ended when Larry Fitzgerald was stopped at the 1. NBA Today's games Washington at Cleveland, 4 p.m. Boston at Miami, 5 p.m. Dallas at L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday's Games Denver at Philadelphia, 4 p.m. Indiana at Toronto, 4 p.m. Houston at Detroit, 4:30 p.m. Sacramento at Chicago, 5 p.m. San Antonio at New Orleans, 5 p.m. Dallas at Utah, 6 p.m. Golden State at Phoenix, 7 p.m. Memphis at L.A. Clippers, 7:30 p.m. L.A. Lakers at Portland, 7:30 p.m. Thursday's Games New York at Brooklyn, 4 p.m. Oklahoma City at San Antonio, 6:30 p.m. There was no such drama against the Chiefs as the Raiders broke out to a 14-point lead in the third quarter and were never threatened the rest of the way, which led Allen to reward his players with their first victory Monday of the season. With the big lead, the Raiders were able to run the ball effec- tively late, gaining 95 yards in the fourth quarter after having just 110 yards rushing in the fourth quarter the first six games. ''There's times during the sea- son where players need a mental break and a physical break,'' he said. ''I felt like, we had the bye, we've gone through three straight tough weeks, it was time to give them a little bit of a men- tal break as much as it was any- thing else. So, they'll be back in here Wednesday. There was a lot of them in here today already looking at the tape.'' A week after starting flat and needing to rally to beat a Jack- sonville team missing star run- ning back Maurice Jones-Drew and starting quarterback Blaine Gabbert for most of the game, er turnover the rest of the way, capitalized on four giveaways by Kansas City, committed only two penalties for the first time in two years and held Chiefs big-play running back Jamaal Charles to 4 yards on five carries. The biggest change the past three weeks since Oakland went into the bye with a 1-3 record has been a significant increase in big plays on offense, while limiting those same plays defensively. Allen defines an ''explosive'' play as a run of at least 12 yards or a pass play of at least 16. After allowing two more explo- sive gains per game before the bye, the Raiders are plus-four per game since then. ''I think two of the most criti- GIANTS (Continued from page 1B) the feat since the 1907-08 Chicago Cubs, joining the 1921-22 New York Giants, the St. Louis Cardinals of '44 and '46, the Los Ange- les Dodgers of '63 and '65, and that Big Red Machine. And these Giants did it with small ball, becoming only the fifth big league team — and the first since the 1982 Cardinals — to win the title after finishing dead last in home runs dur- ing the regular season. ''Our guys had a date with destiny,'' Giants gener- al manager Brian Sabean said. his third save of the Series. The Giants finished the month with seven straight wins and their seventh Series championship. They handed the Tigers their sev- enth straight World Series loss dating to 2006. ''Obviously, there was no doubt about it,'' Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. ''It was freaky. I would have never guessed we would have swept the Yankees and I would have never guessed the Giants would have swept us.'' Marco Scutaro delivered one more key hit this Octo- ber, a go-ahead single with two outs in the 10th inning against Phil Coke. cal variables in winning football games are explosive plays, whether it be gaining explosive gains or eliminating explosive plays defensively, and then the turnover/takeaway ratio. We call that the double-positive,'' Allen said. ''If you win both those areas you generally win football games in the National Football League.'' stiff breezes and some rain, the Giants sealed the title when Sergio Romo got Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera to look at strike three for the final out. ''Tonight was a battle,'' said Giants catcher Buster Posey, the NL batting cham- pion. ''And I think tonight was a fitting way for us to end it because those guys played hard. They didn't stop, and it's an unbelievable feeling.'' Posey, the only player in the starting lineup when San Francisco win the 2010 clincher at Texas, celebrated with his teammates in the center of the Comerica Park diamond. In the clubhouse, they hoisted the trophy, passed it around and shout- ed the name of each player who held it. ''World Series champi- On a night of biting cold, The Giants combined for a 1.42 ERA, outscored the Tigers 16-6 and held them to a .159 batting average — third-lowest in Series histo- ry ahead of only the 1966 Baltimore Orioles (.146) and 1966 Dodgers (.142). ''This was the worst day of my career,'' Tigers catch- er Alex Avila said. ''They played great, and we didn't. It's that simple.'' a row for the first time in 30 years. San Francisco won six elimination games en route to the title. The NL has won three in Once again, San Francis- co took an early lead. Pence hit a one-hop drive over the center-field fence for a dou- ble and Brandon Belt tripled off the right-field wall on the next pitch for a 1-0 lead in the second. gave the Tigers a reason to think this night might get them back on track to end a title drought dating to 1984. The next inning, Cabrera ons!'' hollered outfielder Hunter Pence, who started the pregame seed-tossing ritual. named Kung Fu Panda, was benched for most of the 2010 Series and then went 8 for 16 this year, including a three-homer performance in Game 1, to win MVP hon- ors. ''I was ready for the Pedro Sandoval, nick- moment,'' he said. ''I was waiting for the opportunity to be in the playoffs again.'' Cabrera delivered the ner on first, Cabrera lofted an opposite-field fly to right — off the bat, it looked like a routine out shy of the warning track. But with winds gusting over 25 mph, the ball kept carrying, Pence kept drifting toward the wall and the crowd kept getting louder. With two outs and a run- Just like that, it was gone. Cabrera's homer gave Detroit its first lead of the Series, ended its 20-inning scoreless streak. Trailing for the first time since Game 4 of the NL championship series, Posey and the Giants put a dent in Detroit's opti- mism. first big hit for Detroit, inter- rupting San Francisco's run of dominant pitching with a two-run, wind-blown homer over the right-field wall in the third. Posey put the Giants ahead 3-2 with a two-run homer in the sixth and Del- mon Young hit a tying home run in the bottom half. San Francisco then won a battle of bullpens. Ryan Theriot led off the 10th with a single against Phil Coke, moved up on Brandon Crawford's sacri- fice and scored on a shallow single by Scutaro, the MVP of the NL championship series. Center fielder Austin Jackson made a throw home, to no avail. ''We were very adamant that we have to step on their throats,'' Giants pitcher Barry Zito said. ''We saw what they did to New York.'' Santiago Casilla got one out in the ninth for the win. Romo struck out the side in the bottom of the 10th for MLS WILD CARDS Wednesday: Houston at Chicago, 6 p.m. Thursday: Vancouver at Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m. WESTERN CONFERENCE Semifinals San Jose vs. Vancouver/Los Angeles winner Sunday: San Jose at Vancouver/Los Angeles winner, 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7:Vancouver/Los Ange- les winner at San Jose, 8 p.m. Seattle vs. Real Salt Lake Friday: Real Salt Lake at Seattle, 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8: Seattle at Real Salt Lake, 6:30 p.m. Championship Sunday, Nov, 11 or Monday, Nov. 12: semifinal winners, 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17 or Sunday, Nov. 18: semifinal winners, TBD EASTERN CONFERENCE Semifinals D.C. United vs. New York Saturday: D.C. United at New York, 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7: New York at D.C. Unit- ed, 5 p.m. Kansas City vs. Chicago/Houston win- ner Sunday: Kansas City at Chicago/Houston winner, 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7: Chicago/Houston winner at Kansas City, 6 p.m. Championship Saturday, Nov. 10: semifinal winners, 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17 or Sunday, Nov. 18: semifinal winners, TBD NFL AFC West WL T Pct PF PA Denver 4 3 0 .571 204 152 San Diego 3 4 0 .429 154 144 RAIDERS 34 0 .429 139 187 Kansas City 1 6 0 .143 120 209 East New England5 3 0 .625 262 170 Miami WL T Pct PF PA Houston 6 1 0 .857 216 128 Indianapolis 4 3 0 .571 136 171 Tennessee 3 5 0 .375 162 257 Jacksonville 1 6 0 .143 103 188 North WL T Pct PF PA Baltimore 5 2 0 .714 174 161 Pittsburgh 4 3 0 .571 167 144 Cincinnati 3 4 0 .429 166 187 Cleveland 2 6 0 .250 154 186 NFC West WL T Pct PF PA 49ERS 62 0 .750 189 103 Arizona 4 4 0 .500 127 142 Seattle 4 4 0 .500 140 134 St. Louis 3 5 0 .375 137 186 East WL T Pct PF PA N.Y. Giants 6 2 0 .750 234 161 Philadelphia 3 4 0 .429 120 155 Dallas 3 4 0 .429 137 162 Washington 3 5 0 .375 213 227 South WL T Pct PF PA Atlanta 7 0 0 1.000201 130 Tampa Bay 3 4 0 .429 184 153 New Orleans2 5 0 .286 190 216 Carolina 1 6 0 .143 128 167 North WL T Pct PF PA Chicago 6 1 0 .857 185 100 Minnesota 5 3 0 .625 184 167 Green Bay 5 3 0 .625 208 170 Detroit Week 8 Results Thursday's result Tampa Bay 36, Minnesota 17 Sunday's results Green Bay 24, Jacksonville 15 Indianapolis 19, Tennessee 13, OT Chicago 23, Carolina 22 Miami 30, N.Y. Jets 9 Cleveland 7, San Diego 6 Atlanta 30, Philadelphia 17 Detroit 28, Seattle 24 Pittsburgh 27, Washington 12 New England 45, St. Louis 7 Oakland 26, Kansas City 16 N.Y. Giants 29, Dallas 24 Denver 34, New Orleans 14 Monday's game San Francisco 24, Arizona 3 Week 9 schedule Thursday game Kansas City at San Diego, 5:20 p.m. Sunday's games Arizona at Green Bay, 10 a.m. Chicago at Tennessee, 10 a.m. Buffalo at Houston, 10 a.m. Carolina at Washington, 10 a.m. Detroit at Jacksonville, 10 a.m. Denver at Cincinnati, 10 a.m. Baltimore at Cleveland, 10 a.m. Miami at Indianapolis, 10 a.m. Minnesota at Seattle, 1:05 p.m. Tampa Bay at Oakland, 1:05 p.m. Pittsburgh at N.Y. Giants, 1:25 p.m. Dallas at Atlanta, 5:20 p.m. Open: N.Y. Jets, New England, San Fran- cisco, St. Louis Monday's game Philadelphia at New Orleans, 5:30 p.m. 3 4 0 .429 161 174 —————————————————— WL T Pct PF PA 4 3 0 .571 150 126 Buffalo 3 4 0 .429 171 227 N.Y. Jets 3 5 0 .375 168 200 South