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2B Daily News – Wednesday, December 12, 2012 NHL LOCKOUT HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL Jets' Hainsey anxious 'Friday Night Lights' coach to get talks restarted leaves Permian NEW YORK (AP) — Winnipeg Jets defenseman Ron Hainsey is getting antsy. Not only is he anxious to get back to the bargaining table with the NHL, he really wants to be on the ice with his teammates. As part of the negotiating committee for the players' association, Hainsey has kept busy during the lockout by taking part in the ongoing talks with the NHL. But ongoing is now a relative term, because nothing has been going on between the sides since talks broke down again last week, despite the presence of a federal mediator for two days in New Jersey. ''We've said it a number of times, but it's worth repeating: It's obviously very difficult to make a deal if you're not meeting or negotiating,'' Hainsey told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Tuesday. ''I've yet to see a way we can do it without sitting down across a table from each other.'' Two weeks ago, progress was made during several consecutive days of negotiations between players and owners in New York. The sides disagree on how close they might have moved toward a deal, but a major breakdown at the end wrecked any hope for a fast solution. Since then, there's been no collective bargaining agreement in sight and no talks were planned as of Tuesday afternoon. ''Nothing scheduled at this point,'' Hainsey said. ''We've always said we're open to sit down and meet any time, and now we're kind of in a situation where no one wants to make the first move. Maybe there is a way of doing it. Communication the past couple of days has been quiet. Maybe there is some way to get it started with something similar to what we had (in New York).'' Players' association executive director Donald Fehr declared then that an agreement was in reach, a notion that was quickly knocked down by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman after the union declined to accept three non-negotiable points. When the offer wasn't unconditionally accepted, the league turned down the union's proposal and withdrew any offers it had made. ''We've had a few weeks where we worked all week leading up to Thursday and Friday, and it looks like we're gathering momentum, and then had some setbacks,'' the 31-year-old Hainsey said. ''Those things make it a bit more difficult. On both sides you get a feeling that you're making momentum and getting closer, and then you take a step backward. Then things quiet down for a couple of days, and someone has to pick up the phone and reengage and figure out a forum. ''Personally, I would like to believe that this is not a personal thing or an anger thing. This is the business side of hockey. It's not easy, I've learned that through doing it.'' The lockout reached its 94th day Tuesday, and all games have been canceled through Dec. 30. Bettman has said the league doesn't want a season with fewer than 48 games per team, so play would likely have to get under way by mid-January for that to be possible. ''We would prefer that we were done already,'' Hainsey said. ''There is still time to get something done and salvage a reasonable number of games for a season. We're not up against a hard deadline yet, but we are getting short on time.'' After talks ended last week, the focus suddenly shifted toward the courts when the NHL filed a federal class action suit Friday, seeking to establish that its lockout is legal. In a separate move, the NHL filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board, claiming the players' association has bargained in bad faith. The NHL says the union's executive board is seeking authorization to give up its collective bargaining rights, a necessary step before players could file an antitrust lawsuit. The union has declined comment, although a vote on the matter will reportedly be completed Thursday. ''Unfortunately the league filed suit against the players,'' Hainsey said. ''That's never something you want to get to, obviously. It would be much more difficult to see a quick settlement through the courts than bargaining.'' Hainsey maintains his optimism that if the sides can find their way back to the table they can figure out the path to a deal. The outlook is now somewhat cloudy because not only have the sides failed to work out an agreement, they appear to have lost some direction on how to get the process going again. Federal mediation hasn't helped much in two tries over a combined four days. The most success seemed to come in New York, when six owners joined about 18 players in talks without Bettman and Fehr in the room until the end of that process. Hainsey, who is in the final season of a five-year deal he signed with the former Atlanta Thrashers, is all for trying that again. ''Both (sides) were very respectful of each other,'' he said. ''They were good meetings, they were productive, we did make progress. We were very appreciative of the way we were treated in the meetings by the owners. ... Maybe it's something that is worth revisiting and worthwhile and could possibly bring us closer to a deal.'' DEAL (Continued from page 1B) $9.2 million his first two years. There is also a $500,000 buyout if the A's don't exercise their option for 2015, and Nakajima will be eligible for free agency at the end of the deal. The contract also includes awards bonuses and various perks including an interpreter, flights to and from Japan and moving expenses. Nakajima nearly came over to the majors last offseason after the New York Yankees bid $2.5 million for his rights. But when New York could not agree to a contract with Nakajima, he returned to the Lions and the Yankees kept their money. Nakajima was a free agent this offseason, so the A's did not need to pay a posting fee. The A's got little offensive production at shortstop this year, when Pennington and Drew earned most of the playing time. Oakland's shortstops collectively batted .203 — second lowest in the majors — with 12 homers and 46 RBIs. The .272 onbase percentage from the team's shortstops was also lowest in the majors. The A's dealt Pennington to Arizona in October in a three-team trade for outfielder Chris Young. Drew, acquired in a midseason trade with the Diamondbacks, became a free agent when the A's declined a $10 million mutual option. He agreed to a $9.5 million, one-year deal with Boston this week, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because Drew needed to take a physical before the contract could be finalized. Oakland also traded outfielder Collin Cowgill to the New York Mets for minor league third baseman Jefry Marte. Nakajima takes Cowgill's spot on the 40-man roster. LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Gary Gaines, the 63-year-old high school coach at the center of the ''Friday Night Lights'' book and film, has left the Odessa Permian sideline for the last time. Gaines said he resigned from the West Texas football program he helped make famous. He said he doubts he'll coach again but wasn't sure what's next for him. ''We're going to give it to someone else and, hopefully, they can make more out of it than we did,'' Gaines said. ''We came here to make some deep playoff runs and we weren't able to do that. That's what (Permian fans) expect, and I expect as well.'' He leaves with a 6928-1 record in eight years as Permian's head coach, including a 23-21 mark in his last four years. In all, he coached Permian from 1986-89 and 2009-12, and was an assistant there for three years in the early 1980s. His second stint in Odessa included a lone playoff victory and no district championships. Gaines led the program to a state 5A championship in 1989. The Panthers were undefeated that season, just a year after H.G. ''Buzz'' Bissinger spent a year in town researching his best-seller, which chronicled how high school football binds an oil patch community. Todd Veseley, athletic director of the Ector school district, said it would be a ''daunting'' task to replace Gaines. He declined to say whether he asked Gaines to step down following the Panthers' disappointing 5-6 season. ''Any time anyone the quality of coach Gaines leaves, it leaves a vacuum,'' he said. Gaines would not say directly whether he was asked to resign. ''It was just one of NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific L.A. Clippers WARRIORS L.A. Lakers Phoenix KINGS Southwest San Antonio Memphis Houston Dallas New Orleans Northwest Oklahoma City Utah Minnesota Denver Portland W 18 16 11 10 7 L 6 8 14 15 17 Pct .750 .667 .440 .400 .292 GB — 2 7.5 8.5 11 W 19 16 12 11 5 L 7 6 12 13 18 Pct GB .731 — .727 1 .500 6 .458 7 .217 12.5 W 20 14 12 13 11 L 4 12 11 12 12 Pct .833 .538 .522 .520 .478 GB — 7 7.5 7.5 8.5 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic New York Brooklyn Philadelphia Boston Toronto Central Chicago Milwaukee Indiana Detroit Cleveland Southeast W 18 13 12 12 7 L 6 11 12 12 19 Pct .750 .542 .500 .500 .269 GB — 5 6 6 12 W 14 13 13 7 5 L 10 10 12 20 21 Pct .583 .565 .520 .259 .192 GB — .5 1.5 8.5 10 W L Pct GB Miami 16 6 .727 — Atlanta 15 7 .682 1 Orlando 11 13 .458 6 Charlotte 7 16 .304 9.5 Washington 3 19 .136 13 —————————————————— Tuesday's games Toronto 113, Cleveland 99 Atlanta 100, Washington 95, OT Utah 92, Brooklyn 90 Miami 103, Minnesota 92 Chicago 100, Boston 89 Milwaukee 98, Indiana 93 Philadelphia at Dallas, late San Antonio at Denver, late New Orleans at Golden State, late Charlotte at L.A. Lakers, late Today's Games Brooklyn at New York, 4 p.m. Detroit at Toronto, 4 p.m. Utah at Indiana, 4 p.m. Washington at Orlando, 4 p.m. Cleveland at Boston, 4:30 p.m. Oklahoma City at Atlanta, 4:30 p.m. Philadelphia at Houston, 5 p.m. Charlotte at Phoenix, 6 p.m. Milwaukee at Memphis, 6:30 p.m. Golden State at Sacramento, 7 p.m. New Orleans at L.A. Clippers, 7:30 p.m. those things,'' he said. ''I understand when programs don't improve sometimes the head coach has to bear that responsibility.'' Made into a movie in 2004, Bissinger's book was a hit everywhere but Odessa. Locals felt Bissinger betrayed their hospitality by writing about the sociological woes surrounding the team and town, including allegations of racism and a win-at-all-costs mentality. An NBC television series with the same name was less about football than the community depicted. After leading the Panthers to the state title more than 20 years ago, Gaines left Permian to become linebackers coach at Texas Tech. He left coaching in 2005 after five years at Abilene Christian to return to Odessa as the school district's athletic director. Two years later, he moved north to take a similar post in Lubbock. The once-vaunted Panthers have won six state titles but none since 1991. Before Gaines' return in 2009, the Permian program enjoyed something of a revival, making it to three regional finals the previous four seasons while compiling a 38-11 record under Darren Allman, a former Permian player and Gaines protege who left in 2009 to take the coaching job at Austin Westlake. NFL AFC West W y-Denver 11 San Diego 5 Oakland 4 Kansas City 2 East W y-Patriots 10 N.Y. Jets 6 Miami 6 Buffalo 5 South W y-Houston 12 Indianapolis 9 Tennessee 5 Jacksonville 2 North W x-Baltimore 9 Cincinnati 8 Pittsburgh 7 Cleveland 5 L 3 9 10 12 T 0 0 0 0 Pct .786 .357 .286 .143 PF 409 299 263 195 PA 274 312 402 367 L 4 8 8 9 T 0 0 0 0 Pct .714 .429 .429 .357 PF 506 255 264 306 PA 315 320 279 402 L 2 5 9 12 T 0 0 0 0 Pct .857 .643 .357 .143 PF 394 309 285 219 PA 280 358 396 383 L 5 6 7 9 T 0 0 0 0 Pct .643 .571 .500 .357 PF 348 355 302 280 PA 307 293 291 310 NFC West x-49ERS Seattle St. Louis Arizona East Washington Dallas N.Y. Giants Philadelphia South W 10 9 6 5 L 3 5 7 9 T 1 0 1 0 Pct .750 .643 .464 .357 PF 357 350 258 224 PA 218 219 315 302 W 8 8 8 4 L 6 6 6 10 T 0 0 0 0 Pct .571 .571 .571 .286 PF 381 327 373 253 PA 350 338 304 375 W L T Pct PF PA y-Atlanta 12 2 0 .857 371 259 New Orleans6 8 0 .429 389 379 Tampa Bay 6 8 0 .429 354 349 Carolina 5 9 0 .357 296 319 North W L T Pct PF PA y-Green Bay10 4 0 .714 344 292 Minnesota 8 6 0 .571 319 308 Chicago 8 6 0 .571 321 240 Detroit 4 10 0 .286 330 380 —————————————————— Week 15 Results Thursday's result Cincinnati 34, Philadelphia 13 Sunday's results Green Bay 21, Chicago 13 New Orleans 41, Tampa Bay 0 Minnesota 36, St. Louis 22 Houston 29, Indianapolis 17 Atlanta 34, N.Y. Giants 0 Washington 38, Cleveland 21 Miami 24, Jacksonville 3 Denver 34, Baltimore 17 Carolina 31, San Diego 7 Arizona 38, Detroit 10 Seattle 50, Buffalo 17 Oakland 15, Kansas City 0 Dallas 27, Pittsburgh 24, OT San Francisco 41, New England 34 Monday's result Tennessee 14, N.Y. Jets 10 Week 16 Schedule Saturday's game Atlanta at Detroit, 5:30 p.m. Sunday's games Tennessee at Green Bay, 10 a.m. Indianapolis at Kansas City, 10 a.m. New Orleans at Dallas, 10 a.m. Minnesota at Houston, 10 a.m. Oakland at Carolina, 10 a.m. Buffalo at Miami, 10 a.m. Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, 10 a.m. New England at Jacksonville, 10 a.m. Washington at Philadelphia, 10 a.m. St. Louis at Tampa Bay, 10 a.m. San Diego at N.Y. Jets, 10 a.m. Cleveland at Denver, 1:05 p.m. Chicago at Arizona, 1:25 p.m. N.Y. Giants at Baltimore, 1:25 p.m. San Francisco at Seattle, 5:20 p.m.