Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/93928
2B Daily News – Friday, November 16, 2012 MLS 49ERS Harbaugh has heart procedure MCT photo San Jose Earthquakes' Chris Wondolowski reacts to a call against the Los Angeles Galaxy Nov. 7. Wondolowski, Henry, Zusi finalists for MLS MVP York forward Thierry Henry, San Jose forward Chris Wondolowski and Kansas City' midfielder Gra- ham Zusi are the finalists for Major League Soccer's Most Valuable Player award. San Jose defender Victor Bernardez, Seattle goalkeeper Michael Gspurning and Colum- bus forward Federico Higuain — the brother of Real Madrid's Gonzolo Higuain — are the final- ists for Newcomer of the Year, the league said Thursday. NEW YORK (AP) — New RAIDERS Saints TE Graham will be focus ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Raiders have plenty of experience dealing with elite tight ends playing in the same division as Antonio Gates and having faced Tony Gonzalez so many times over the years. Going up against New Orleans' Jimmy Graham this week might be the toughest test yet. With his imposing 6-foot-7, 265-pound frame and the athletic ability of a former college basketball player, Graham is a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses. That's espe- cially true for a Raiders team that is banged up in the sec- ondary and has struggled all season to slow down opposing tight ends. ''He's always been a big guy who can run and go up and catch the ball but he's learned how to run routes and how to get himself open,'' coach Dennis Allen said. ''He's one of LOSMO (Continued from page 1B) cy in their win was key, Konopka said, pointing to the team committing just two service errors on the night. "We're really just trying say 'We're the No. 2 seed, let's play like we're the No. 2 seed,'" Konopka said, adding, "We're playing like it, we're playing up to the ability so that's important. It's huge." n't concede the third set eas- ily. MVP (Continued from page 1B) including Mickey Mantle in 1956 and Frank Robin- son in 1966. Cabrera also led the league with a .606 slug- ging percentage for the AL champion Tigers. He became the second straight Detroit player voted MVP, following Justin Verlander in 2011, and was the first Venezue- lan to earn the honor. Before the season, he switched from first base to third to make way for Prince Fielder, signing as a free agent. The 2010 NL Rookie of the Year, Posey set career highs with a .336 average, 24 homers and 103 RBIs for the World Series champion Giants. His 2011 season was cut would finally build a five- point cushion off four straight points, which includ- ed an ace fro Dom Hender- son. just two more points the rest of the match before Modoc served a ball, and its season, into the net. Los Molinos would allow Modoc, however, would- The Bulldogs, up 17-16, Next up for the Bulldogs will be either top-seeded Hamilton or No. 4 Durham in the D-V finals at 1 p.m. Saturday at Red Bluff High School. Win or lose, the Bulldogs will continue on to the Nor- Cal championships Tues- day. short by a collision with the Marlins' Scott Cousins on May 25 that resulted in a fractured bone in Posey's lower left leg and three torn ankle ligaments. Posey, the fifth overall pick in the 2008 amateur draft, won the NL batting title after teammate Melky Cabrera requested a rules change that dis- qualified him. Cabrera, who hit .346, missed the final 45 games of the reg- ular-season while serving a suspension for a posi- tive testosterone test and would have won the bat- ting crown if the rule had- n't been changed. Ernie Lombardi had been the previous catcher to capture the NL batting championship, in 1942. Catchers have won the NL MVP just eight times, with Posey joining Gabby the toughest matchups that we've seen.'' Graham has overcome an inconsistent stretch earlier this season when he struggled to hold onto balls and has regained his form of late. He has 20 catches for 281 yards and four touchdowns the past three games. That improvement has helped the Saints (4-5) rebound from an 0-4 start heading into Sunday's game against the Raiders (3-6). ''I think he was battling through some little nicks and injuries early on,'' quarterback Drew Brees said. ''I think all of us just needed to find the mojo a little bit. It took four games to do it, but when you look at the last five games you'd say we've definitely had our moments where we feel like we're back to playing the type of football we know how to play.'' MERCY (Continued from page 1B) Redding Christian raced out to a 10-2 lead to start Game 4. Mercy eventually scratched and clawed their way back to a 15-15 tie, but the visiting Lions weren't ready to give their season up either as captain Dyan Tomfohr led them to a 25- 20 victory. That forced a decisive Game 5 and the Lady War- riors came out with their best hitting performances of the night. Hartnett (1935), Lombar- di (1938), Roy Campanel- la (1951, 1953, 1955) and Johnny Bench (1970, 1972). The other winning catchers were Lombardi in 1938 and Gabby Hart- nett in 1935. Posey is the first Giants player to win since Barry Bonds was voted his record seventh MVP award in 2004. Andrew McCutchen (245) was third, followed by St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina (241). NASCAR Sprint Cup Points Leaders 1. Brad Keselowski 2,371 2. Jimmie Johnson 2,351 3. Kasey Kahne 4. Clint Bowyer 5. Denny Hamlin 6. Matt Kenseth 7. Greg Biffle 8. Kevin Harvick 9. Tony Stewart 10. Jeff Gordon 11. Martin Truex Jr. 2,260 12. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2,211 2,321 2,319 2,309 2,297 2,293 2,285 2,284 2,281 Pittsburgh outfielder finally Curl pounded the Lions with kills behind the setting of Kayce Kemp and the Lady Warriors cruised to a 15-6 win. Fleet, Breana Kemp and Zelei said his players approached the game the same way they had treated Wednesday's practice – by working hard and having fun. It paid off with a trip to Red Bluff Union High School set for 11 a.m. Saturday and a matchup with the 10th seeded Liber- ty Christian Patriots with the Division-VI section title on the line. MLS WESTERN CONFERENCE Semifinals San Jose vs. Los Angeles Sunday, Nov. 4: San Jose 1, Los Angeles 0 Wednesday, Nov. 7: Los Angeles 3, San Jose 1, Los Angeles advances on 3-2 aggregate Seattle vs. Real Salt Lake Friday, Nov. 2: Real Salt Lake 0, Seattle 0 Thursday, Nov. 8: Seattle 1, Real Salt Lake 0, Seattle advances on 1-0 aggre- gate Championship Sunday's result: Los Angeles 3, Seattle 0 Sunday, Nov. 18: Seattle vs. Los Angeles, 6 p.m. EASTERN CONFERENCE Semifinals D.C. United vs. New York Saturday, Nov. 3: D.C. United 1, New York 1 Wednesday, Nov. 7: D.C. United at New York, ppd., snow Thursday, Nov. 8: New York 0, D.C. Unit- ed 1, D.C. United advances on 2-1 aggregate Kansas City vs. Houston Sunday, Nov. 4: Houston 2, Kansas City 0 Wednesday, Nov. 7: Kansas City 1, Houston 0, Houston advances on 2-1 aggregate Championship Sunday's result: Houston 3, D.C. United 1 Sunday, Nov. 18: D.C. United vs. Hous- ton, 1 p.m. Goalkeeper of the Year along with Chivas USA's Dan Kennedy and Kansas City's Jimmy Nielsen. Gspurning also is a finalist for Berry, D.C. midfielder Nick DeLeon and Vancouver forward Darren Mattocks are finalists for Rookie of the Year, and Bernardez is a finalist for Defender of the Year along with Kansas City's Matt Besler and Aurelien Collin. San Jose forward Alan Gor- Chicago defender Austin don, Seattle forward Eddie John- son and D.C. midfielder Chris Pontius are the contenders for Comeback Player of the Year, and D.C.'s Ben Olsen, Kansas City's Peter Vermes and San Jose's Frank Yallop are finalists for Coach of the Year. Rookie of the Year will be announced Monday, followed by Defender of the Year the follow- ing day. The league's Best Iseee v2,ihCca oec art oon y aep n worF11- 2G SANTA CLARA (AP) — San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh was sent to the hospital Thursday for a ''minor procedure'' after doctors discovered he had an irregular heartbeat. The team said it antici- pates Harbaugh will be back at the 49ers facility Friday, though it's unclear in what capacity. No details about the procedure were given. The NFC West-leading 49ers (6-2-1) host the NFC- North leading Chicago Bears (7-2) on Monday night at Candlestick Park. ''It's one of those things that, like Coach Harbaugh always tells us, he's tougher than a $2 steak,'' 49ers line- backer Patrick Willis said. ''We know he's going to be alright. We know we have a bunch of great coaches here that keep everything on track, and we're going to practice today as if he was here.'' Team spokesman Bob Lange said no incident had occurred at the facility. Instead, Harbaugh had visit- ed with doctors Wednesday night after feeling ill, and they advised him to have the procedure done at Stanford Hospital. Players were informed of Harbaugh's hospitalization by assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Brad Seely during Thursday morning's walkthrough. Seely also oversaw team meetings and the afternoon practice. know he's going to be alright.'' Suddenly, quarterback Alex Smith's recovery from a concussion is San Francis- co's second-biggest injury concern. The 48-year-old Har- baugh won NFL Coach of the Year in his first season with the 49ers after coming over from Stanford, where he had engineered a Cardi- nal resurgence. He won the Orange Bowl in his final year on The Farm and groomed Andrew Luck into the eventual No. 1 overall draft pick of the Indianapolis Colts. The always intense coach's impact was immedi- ately felt up the road in San Francisco. Harbaugh led the 49ers to a 13-3 record in the regu- lar season and back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2002-03 season. They lost 20-17 in overtime to the New York Giants in the NFC championship game on Jan. 22. Players said the news caught them by surprise. ''He was pretty good. We were slapping hands and talking yesterday,'' 49ers safety Dashon Goldson said of Harbaugh. ''I didn't see anything. He showed no emotions. He didn't show anything like that.'' Added Willis: ''He seemed fine to me. He actu- ally sat right behind me in meetings. He seemed fine. I didn't know anything was wrong. But like I said, we NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific WL Pct GB L.A. Clippers 6 2 .750 — WARRIORS 44 .500 2 Phoenix L.A. Lakers 3 5 .375 3 KINGS 26 .250 4 Southwest Memphis Houston WL Pct GB 6 1 .857 — San Antonio 7 2 .778 — Dallas 5 4 .556 2 4 4 .500 2.5 New Orleans 3 3 .500 2.5 Northwest WL Pct GB Oklahoma City 6 3 .667 — Minnesota Denver Utah Portland 5 3 .625 .5 4 4 .500 1.5 4 5 .444 2 3 5 .375 2.5 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic New York Brooklyn Boston WL Pct GB 6 0 1.000 — 5 2 .714 1.5 5 4 .556 2.5 Philadelphia 4 4 .500 3 Toronto Central 2 6 .250 5 WL Pct GB Milwaukee 5 2 .714 — Chicago Indiana Cleveland Detroit Southeast Miami Charlotte Atlanta Orlando WL Pct GB 6 3 .667 — 4 3 .571 1 3 4 .429 2 2 5 .286 3 Washington 0 7 .000 5 —————————————————— Thursday's results Brooklyn 102, Boston 97 New York 104, San Antonio 100 Miami at Denver, late Today's games Utah at Philadelphia, 4 p.m. Dallas at Indiana, 4 p.m. Orlando at Detroit, 4:30 p.m. Golden State at Minnesota, 5 p.m. Oklahoma City at New Orleans, 5 p.m. New York at Memphis, 6:30 p.m. Houston at Portland, 7 p.m. Atlanta at Sacramento, 7 p.m. Phoenix at L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m. 5 3 .625 .5 3 6 .333 3 2 6 .250 3.5 1 8 .111 5 4 5 .444 2.5 Harbaugh, a 15-year NFL quarterback who starred at Michigan in col- lege, has always tried to out- work the competition. Most recently, Harbaugh and his wife, Sarah, wel- comed their first son Sept. 4 — and Harbaugh didn't even have to miss a full prac- tice, just an afternoon walk- through. Jack Jr., named after Harbaugh's father, was the couple's third child, join- ing two big sisters, Addison and Katherine. NFL AFC West WL T Pct PF PA Denver 6 3 0 .667 271 189 San Diego 4 5 0 .444 209 191 RAIDERS 36 0 .333191 284 Kansas City 1 8 0 .111 146 256 East WL T Pct PF PA N. England 6 3 0 .667 299 201 Buffalo 4 6 0 .400 230 299 Miami 4 6 0 .400 187 205 N.Y. Jets 3 6 0 .333 175 228 South WL T Pct PF PA Houston 8 1 0 .889 250 143 Indianapolis 6 3 0 .667 186 201 Tennessee 4 6 0 .400 219 311 Jacksonville 1 8 0 .111 127 246 North WL T Pct PF PA Baltimore 7 2 0 .778 254 196 Pittsburgh 6 3 0 .667 207 177 Cincinnati 4 5 0 .444 220 231 Cleveland 2 7 0 .222 169 211 NFC West WL T Pct PF PA 49ERS 62 1 .722213 127 Seattle 6 4 0 .600 198 161 Arizona 4 5 0 .444 144 173 St. Louis 3 5 1 .389 161 210 East N.Y. Giants 6 4 0 .600 267 216 Dallas WL T Pct PF PA 4 5 0 .444 188 204 Philadelphia 3 6 0 .333 156 221 Washington 3 6 0 .333 226 248 South WL T Pct PF PA Atlanta 8 1 0 .889 247 174 Tampa Bay 5 4 0 .556 260 209 New Orleans4 5 0 .444 249 256 Carolina 2 7 0 .222 163 216 North WL T Pct PF PA Chicago 7 2 0 .778 242 133 Green Bay 6 3 0 .667 239 187 Minnesota 6 4 0 .600 238 221 Detroit 4 5 0 .444 216 222 —————————————————— Week 10 Results Thursday's result Indianapolis 27, Jacksonville 10 Sunday's results New Orleans 31, Atlanta 27 Minnesota 34, Detroit 24 Denver 36, Carolina 14 Tampa Bay 34, San Diego 24 Tennessee 37, Miami 3 New England 37, Buffalo 31 Baltimore 55, Oakland 20 Cincinnati 31, N.Y. Giants 13 Seattle 28, N.Y. Jets 7 St. Louis 24, San Francisco 24, OT Dallas 38, Philadelphia 23 Houston 13, Chicago 6 Open: Arizona, Cleveland, Green Bay, Washington Monday's result Pittsburgh 16, Kansas City 13, OT Week 11 Schedule Thursday's result Buffalo 19, Miami 14 Sunday's games Cleveland at Dallas, 10 a.m. N.Y. Jets at St. Louis, 10 a.m. Jacksonville at Houston, 10 a.m. Cincinnati at Kansas City, 10 a.m. Philadelphia at Washington, 10 a.m. Green Bay at Detroit, 10 a.m. Arizona at Atlanta, 10 a.m. Tampa Bay at Carolina, 10 a.m. New Orleans at Oakland, 1:05 p.m. San Diego at Denver, 1:25 p.m. Indianapolis at New England, 1:25 p.m. Baltimore at Pittsburgh, 5:20 p.m. Open: Minnesota, N.Y. Giants, Seattle, Tennessee Monday's game Chicago at San Francisco, 5:30