(CBS 5) — When I first met Serena Williams, she was 13 years old and serving as a practice opponent for Venus, who was showing off her skills for the media under the watchful eye of their father, Richard. The event, of course, was a marketing campaign aimed at promoting an up-and-coming tennis protégé about to make her debut at the Virginia Slims in Oakland.

But I’ll never forget watching Serena and thinking to myself, “she hits it just as hard as her sister.” And here we are, thirteen Grand Slam titles later and Serena had yet to lose a single first round match at a slam.

Tennis is an amazing sport to watch because it’s mano-a-mano. There are no teammates to hide behind, no lousy defense to blame except your own. Golfers aren’t competing against fellow players, they’re competing against themselves. Baseball, football, basketball? Teammates, period.

A tennis match can be many things. A boring, one-sided mismatch seemingly designed to fill the bracket. Or, it can be something else. It can unfold into a classic composition of Mozart or Beethoven, a slow build to a breathless crescendo of drama and heartbreak.

Such a match happened at the French Open on Tuesday. What happened on the clay at Roland Garros was proof that you don’t have to wait until the hyperbole of a final to see a tennis match worthy of a classic.

Lost in the satellite world of the Tennis Channel, Serena Williams, the French Open favorite, took on unheralded and 111th-ranked Virginie Razzano, who fittingly for the script, is from France. Up to this point, Razzano was, perhaps, known more for the tragedy of losing her fiancé and coach one year earlier. She was certainly a sentimental pick but hardly a sensible one.

Serena had overcome hardship of her own, missing almost a year with foot operations and blood clots.

Serena predictably won the first set, albeit with some difficulty, 6-4. Then came a second hard-fought set, but one that Serena seemed to have well in hand with a 5-1 lead in the tiebreak. The outcome was a formality, or so it seemed.

Then came a baseline shot that Williams let go, thinking it was out. The chair umpire disagreed. And with that decision, the match took on a completely different feel.

The drama elevated. The crowd roared for their countrywoman, and Serena seemed to disappear into a funk that not even her family could watch as TV cameras showed their hand-covered faces.

Razzano led 5-0 in the third set when the sleeping giant finally awoke; staging a mighty comeback that propelled this tennis match into a 3-hour classic that likely won’t be recognized as such because few saw it. At 5-3 in the third, 12 deuces ensued before Williams, facing match point, hit long. Serena was now 46-1 in first round matches of Grand Slams.

My words can’t capture the magic of this match. I’ll leave that to Serena who, so gracefully and tearfully, put it into perspective saying, “I’ve been through so much in my life and…I’m not happy by no means. I just always think things can be worse.”

Virginie Razzano understands.

See you on TV.

(Copyright 2012 by CBSSan Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Posey drove in Cabrera with an RBI double in the sixth inning to tie the game and followed Cabrera’s single in the eighth with a sacrifice fly that scored Ryan Theriot to make it 2-1 and help the Giants win for the 12th time in 18 games.

Cabrera finished with three hits to pass Willie Mays for the second most productive month in San Francisco history—one shy of the record set by Randy Winn in September 2005. The Giants have one game left this month.

>>Daily Madden: The Unlikely Success Of Melky Cabrera

Theriot started the winning rally by drawing a leadoff walk from Bryan Shaw (1-3), who had not allowed an earned run in his first 10 road outings of the season.

Cabrera followed with a single to right that sent Theriot to third and Posey hit a sacrifice fly to deep right to give the Giants the lead. San Francisco added an insurance run on Joaquin Arias’ forceout.

Ryan Vogelsong allowed one run in seven innings but got a no-decision for San Francisco. Clay Hensley (2-3) pitched a perfect eighth for the win and Santiago Casilla got three outs for his 14th save in 15 chances.

Cabrera, acquired in an offseason deal from Kansas City for lefty Jonathan Sanchez, leads the majors with 77 hits and 25 multihit contests just 50 games into the season.

He scored the Giants first run after reaching on a swinging bunt with one out in the sixth against Joe Saunders. He scored on Posey’s double but the Giants couldn’t get any more despite loading the bases with one out. Brad Ziegler relieved and got Arias hit into a 1-2-3 double play to keep the score tied at 1.

The Diamondbacks struck first when Chris Young walked with one out in the second, moved up on a wild pitch and scored on Josh Bell’s single to center field.

They missed a chance to expand the lead after loading the bases with one out in the fourth. Vogelsong recovered to get Bell on a foul popup and John McDonald on an inning-ending groundout.

The Giants failed to capitalize on their bases-loaded chance in the bottom half as Saunders struck out Arias to strand three runners.

Vogelsong escaped a second-and-third, no-out jam in the sixth by getting Paul Goldschmidt and Bell to ground out and then striking out Saunders after an intentional walk loaded the bases. Vogelsong allowed one run and six hits in seven innings, striking out eight.

NOTES: The Giants have no homers in their last eight home games and a major league-low six in 24 home games this season. … Arizona SS Willie Bloomquist was scratched from the original lineup as a precaution because of soreness in his hamstrings. McDonald took his place in the field and Aaron Hill moved up to leadoff. … Giants 3B Pablo Sandoval (broken left hamate bone) felt good after 30 swings of BP left-handed and fielding grounders. He does not know when he’ll be able to start hitting right-handed again. … San Francisco’s Tim Lincecum (2-5) pitches against Ian Kennedy (3-5) for the fourth time the past two seasons in the series finale Wednesday, with the Diamondbacks winning the last two meetings.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

The A’s got a great start from youngster Jarrod Parker on Tuesday night, and their sputtering offense was able to scratch two runs across the plate, but it just wasn’t enough.

Former Athletics outfielder Josh Willingham hit a three-run homer to lift the Minnesota Twins to a 3-2 victory, their second come-from-behind win over Oakland in as many days.

“They fight. The effort’s there. Every single day,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “It’s disappointing, frustrating, the whole bit to be where we are right now. You just have to keep plugging. We were one out away. You just have to keep going.”

Parker struck out four, walked four and gave up four hits in six shutout innings, and Coco Crisp had two hits and an RBI to give the A’s a 2-0 lead heading into the ninth inning.

Side-arming lefty Brian Fuentes was brought on to close the game out, but things took an ominous turn right from the beginning. Light-hitting infielder Jamey Carroll led off with a single and Denard Span followed with a walk.

Still, Fuentes was able to get Ben Revere to pop out on a bunt and Joe Mauer to ground into a fielder’s choice to put the Athletics one out away from snapping a six-game losing streak. Instead, Willingham launched a 1-0 pitch into the bullpen in left-center field to add to Oakland’s misery.

“Well, he’s one out away. Not much else to say,” Melvin said. “I know nobody is more frustrated than he is about it.”

Fuentes left a fastball out over the plate, and Willingham made him pay.

“I’ve got a lot of good friends on that team over there but when we get on the baseball field obviously we’re trying to beat each other,” Willingham said. “I have a lot of respect for those guys over there.”

The stomach punch came one day after rookie reliever Ryan Cook’s 23-inning scoreless streak came to an end in a 5-4 loss to the Twins.

“A loss is a loss,” Fuentes said. “Whether we lost by 50 or one, they all (stink). We let go of a lead late. It’s my job to come in and not do that. I wasn’t able to do that today so it stinks, but what are you going to do?”

Collin Cowgill’s base hit in the seventh gave the Athletics a 1-0 lead, but their light-hitting lineup couldn’t muster much more while they wait to see if Manny Ramirez can give them a much-needed jolt.

The A’s left 12 runners on base and couldn’t take advantage of control problems by jittery Twins starter Cole De Vries, who was able to pitch five shutout innings while walking five and hitting another batter.

While Ramirez is working on his timing with Triple-A Sacramento following a 50-game suspension, the beleaguered A’s offense entered the night hitting an MLB-worst .211 this season.

“Overall it’s been tough,” Fuentes said. “It seems like when we pitch we don’t score, when we score we don’t pitch. It’s just what happens when things aren’t going good. What can you do.”

Things are going just fine for Parker, who has allowed more than two runs just once this season.

Pitching against a Twins offense that has scored 69 runs in the last two weeks, he routinely hit 94 mph with his fastball on the Target Field radar gun and buckled knees on several occasions with a superb changeup. He got some help from his defense, including a running, bare-handed pickup by shortstop Cliff Pennington to get speedy Ben Revere to end the third and prevent Denard Span from scoring and a nifty double play from Brandon Inge at third base that stranded another runner in scoring position in the fifth.

Parker capped his night by getting Trevor Plouffe to ground into a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded in the sixth.

“We’re in every game,” Parker said. “It’s not something we’re really thinking about. Obviously, we don’t want to lose, we want to win and I think it’s something we’re battling. Tomorrow is a new day and we’re going to move on and try to win a game tomorrow.”

NOTES: A’s manager Bob Melvin said they are leaving their options open when OF Yoenis Cespedes comes off the disabled list. The A’s are exploring the idea of moving Cespedes to one of the corner outfield positions, likely LF, and keeping Coco Crisp in CF. Cespedes’ stronger arm and comfort with the idea makes it a possibility, Melvin said. … Crisp extended his franchise record to 30 straight steal attempts without getting caught in the third inning. … The A’s will send RHP Tyson Ross (2-5, 5.79) to the mound in the series finale on Wednesday to face LHP Francisco Liriano (0-5, 8.47). Liriano will be making his first start since being demoted to the bullpen on May 9. He made five relief appearances. Ross is 1-5 with a 7.36 ERA in his last six starts.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

It’s just that usually he is doing so way down in Miami this time of year—not on the field with his 49ers teammates for everybody to see.

Gore is embracing change and competition at age 29. He is fueling himself with thoughts of how close he came to the Super Bowl back in January.

“It’s real different, but change is good for everybody at times,” Gore said Tuesday. “We’ve got a great thing going out here. We know what type of team we’ve got and hopefully we get back to that.”

The three-time Pro Bowl running back is taking part in San Francisco’s offseason workouts, arriving far earlier than usual to the Bay Area from his home in south Florida to get to work. He is part of a small group that works out each morning around 6 a.m.

Until now, Gore had stayed in Miami, where he starred in college for the Hurricanes, his entire seven-year NFL career. Now, Gore has no unsettled contract status weighing on his mind the way he did a year ago and seems as focused and confident as ever.

“As long as I’m in great shape, I’m going to be the Frank Gore I’ve always been,” Gore declared after a practice last week.

While Gore is determined to do his part to duplicate San Francisco’s special comeback season of 2011, he has other motivation, too: The defending NFC West champions already have a busy backfield, and Gore will get a daily push from backup Kendall Hunter, newly signed Brandon Jacobs and rookie second-round pick LaMichael James. Gore also has a workout bonus for his attendance that’s part of the new $21 million, three-year contract extension he received last August.

He doesn’t expect to slow down any time soon.

“I’m going to be Frank, and if I’m on the field I’ll do whatever it takes to help my team win,” he said. He has said he plans to return to Miami and get in “beast mode shape and be ready for the season.”

Gore has long prided himself on being a durable, every-down back who can carry the load for the Niners year after year. Yet coach Jim Harbaugh knows Gore will need his share of breaks. The 49ers’ career rushing leader, who last season reeled off a franchise-best stretch of five straight 100-yard games, took six weeks off to rest after the 49ers’ 20-17 overtime loss in January to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants in the NFC championship game.

Gore also needed a mental break after the way the season ended.

It still stings.

“It was tough. That’s one of the reasons I didn’t go to the Pro Bowl,” he said. “It broke me down for a while. How close it was, just looking back, all the tough times we had here to be that close to going to the big dance, that was very tough. … I took a little longer this time because we played a little longer last year. I had a few more bumps and bruises to get back together. So I took a little longer. Now my body is starting to get back.”

While Gore is still the main man carrying the ball in Harbaugh’s offense, Hunter made an immediate impact as a rookie. He carried 112 times for 473 yards and two touchdowns. The 6-foot-4, 264-pound Jacobs has an impressive physical presence.

Jacobs, released March 9 by the Giants after the sides failed to work out a restructured contract, ran for 571 yards and seven touchdowns last season as his role diminished behind the emerging Ahmad Bradshaw.

“He’s a big guy,” Gore said. “I’m happy we have him.”

General manager Trent Baalke said during the draft last month that the 49ers have ample options at running back, and they like it that way.

“It’s like poker, it’s a full house. That’s good, right?”

Baalke said.

And the players seem to like the idea of sharing the touches— for now anyway. The 49ers appreciate seeing Gore on the field, too.

“It doesn’t make just individuals better, it makes everybody better, and it’s good for the team,” Hunter said. “I think it’s big (that Gore’s here). Not only to the players but the organization because he’s a leader and he does what it takes to win and he knows what it takes, and he can help the younger guys.”

Harbaugh has described the competition this way: “It’s going to get real real, and it’s going to get real real, real fast.”

James ran for 5,082 yards and 53 touchdowns on 771 career carries in three seasons at Oregon. That included 49 carries for 382 yards and four TDs in two games against Harbaugh’s former Stanford team before the coach jumped to the NFL in January 2011.

“We envision him coming in and competing,” Baalke said of James. “Like we always say, we’re trying to create as much competition as we can. This does that. One thing about this football team, they’re up to the challenge. They’re not afraid to compete.”

Center Jonathan Goodwin is eager to see what the Niners can do with so many options, including experienced newcomers Randy Moss and Mario Manningham in the receiving corps.

“This offense has a lot of potential,” Goodwin said.

Notes: CB Carlos Rogers was on the field but didn’t participate in drills. … Manningham, TE Vernon Davis, WR Michael Crabtree, RT Anthony Davis and S Donte Whitner were among those not in attendance for the voluntary workout. … Harbaugh met at length with QBs Alex Smith and Josh Johnson in the outdoor weight room following practice.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Each week we’ll be providing you with insight into the best (and worst) baseball players to play in your fantasy baseball league.

As I turn in this week’s column, I own a three strikeout lead on my opponent in my one head-to-head league, and he still has Jonny Venters in the Sunday Night game. If I don’t turn in a column next week, it’s because the suspense has killed me.

5 UP

1. Norichika Aoki, OF, MIL: Aoki has moved into an everyday role in right field for Milwaukee, forcing their hand with his performance so far this season. Another 2-for-4 day Sunday raises his average to .313 with decent doubles power and a healthy 8.4% walk rate. He has 11 runs in 95 plate appearances and that rate should skyrocket with regular plate appearances in front of Ryan Braun. He won’t provide much in RBI or HR, and he only has one stolen base, but it can be extremely hard to find high-average guys at this point in the season and Aoki could be one.

2. Tom Wilhelmsen, RP, SEA: With Brandon League out as closer in Seattle, the Mariners are going to a committee. Expect Wilhelmsen to come out on top. The 28-year-old righty has 30 strikeouts in just 24.1 innings and is the best righty in the Mariners’ pen at this time. Don’t be fooled by his 4.44 ERA – a 3.24 FIP suggests that number will come down, and with a hot start he could entrench himself as Seattle’s closer.

3. Colby Rasmus, OF, TOR: Rasmus scorched the ball this week, going 10-for-28 (.357) with two homers, two steals and five RBI. The main scourge behind his .227/.298/.411 line remains a .260 BABIP. Owners who pick him up now likely won’t have to deal with that and can reap the benefits of hitter-friendly Rogers Centre as he heats up. He could be a sneakily cheap source of both power and steals.

4. Adam Wainwright, SP, STL: Wainwright followed up a shutout gem earlier in the week with a six inning, one run start Sunday against the Phillies, giving him just one run allowed in his last 15 innings. It’s time to buy on Wainwright. He’s seen his velocity tick up, particularly on his cutter, and that could indicate he’s returning to the form which had him competing for Cy Youngs in the latter part of the last decade.

5. Matt Moore, SP, TB: Moore’s 7 IP, 10 K, 2 ER start against the White Sox on Memorial Day was overshadowed by Chris Sale’s gem (and understandably so). But let’s not lose sight of the future ace — he now has four straight starts with at least six strikeouts and has allowed no more than three earned runs in each. He has a 30:10 K:BB ratio in those four starts (covering 22 innings) and looks like he might be turning a corner. Don’t get left behind.

5 DOWN

1. Derek Lowe, SP, CLE: Lowe was beat up in two starts this week, allowing 10 runs on 16 hits in 8.1 innings. Lowe struck out just five batters and has a swinging strike rate of just 4.6% on his career. What we saw last week is just what happens when a pitcher gives up as much contact as Lowe does – he allowed 16 hits, including a homer, and even his pristine control (just one walk) doesn’t always help with major league hitters in the batter’s box.

2. Michael Young, INF, TEX: Young has struggled mightily to open 2012, and another down week (.222/.236/.278 in 55 PA) has his overall line down to .282/.305/.379. His power is almost completely gone; he has just a .097 ISO, and at 36 there doesn’t seem to be much reason to believe it will come back. Young always seems to have fans somewhere, so a reasonable return could probably be had here, too.

3. Derek Jeter, SS, NYY: The Jeter cool-down has begun. The Captain is hitting just .250 in his last two weeks (12 games, 54 PA) despite a BABIP of .297 in that span. He’s certainly not worth giving up on – he’s probably a .280-.290 hitter with a very good run total at the end of the season – but if you can capitalize on his .338/.380/.465 start, do so and do so quickly.

4. Matt Capps, RP, MIN: Capps finally blew his first save of the season Sunday, giving up a two-run homer to Miguel Cabrera to lose the game for the Twins. The problem with Capps is that he just doesn’t miss bats any more – he has just a 4.5 K/9 and in many ways is the relief pitcher version of Lowe. He’s had exceptional control thus far, walking just one batter all year, but if he does lose track of the strike zone, it could fall apart very quickly in Minnesota for Capps.

5. Kirk Nieuwenhuis, OF, NYM: Nieuwenhuis was a darling early in the season as he put up a .325 average in April. May has not been so kind. The 25-year-old has just a .261 average in May, and he may not even sustain that going forward. He was 0-for-4 with a strikeout Sunday, his 53rd of the year in just 47 games. It’s almost impossible to maintain any sort of a reasonable batting average with a 30% strikeout rate or higher, and Nieuwenheis is now at 30.5% on the year. Expect him to be closer to .250 than his current .288 for the rest of the season.

Jack Moore is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison with degrees in Mathematics and Economics. His work can also be found at FanGraphs.com, DisciplesOfUecker.com, RotoWire.com, AdvancedNFLStats.com and ESPN. Follow him on twitter at @jh_moore.

Cabrera has continued that success this year, his age 27 season, leading the way for the Giants with a .368 average, clubbing four home runs and driving in 25 runs. He also leads Major League Baseball in hits with 74.

John Madden, a Yankees fan, told the KCBS morning crew that in Cabrera’s case, it’s all about success breeding confidence. Once he got a little success he had the confidence to know that he did belong in the majors and could play in the big leagues.

Madden said it’s also part of the nature of sports nowadays with teams trading or releasing players and rosters changing every year. He said there are certain players that might “fall through the cracks” and that all the scouts and teams miss on.

The success of Melky Cabrera truly exemplifies the rise and fall of young players. Madden said it can be really difficult for a franchise to stick with struggling youngsters because of the pressure to win right now, while the players feel that added pressure of not being able to make mistakes for fear of being benched or even worse, released.

Listen to the John Madden segment live weekday mornings at 8:15 on KCBS All News 740 AM/106.9 FM.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

When the suspended slugger is deemed major league ready, the A’s plan to promote him from Triple-A Sacramento. Oakland assistant general manager David Forst said Tuesday that team brass will receive updates each night from the Triple-A staff to determine when the 12-time All-Star might join Oakland.

Oakland Athletics Team Page

“We want to make sure Manny feels he is 100 percent ready when we pull the trigger on this move,” Forst said. “I don’t have any time frame other than we’re watching it every day.”

Ramirez was scheduled to be reinstated by Major League Baseball after the A’s 50^th game at Minnesota on Wednesday, also his 40^th birthday.

After playing the Twins, the A’s have a weekend series at Kansas City. So, the club could decide to wait it out for Ramirez through the road trip and keep him playing home games for Sacramento through Friday before the River Cats travel to Tacoma. The A’s host the two-time reigning AL champion Texas Rangers beginning Monday night.

Forst said when Ramirez does return, the A’s want him to stay in the big leagues for the remainder of the season and that is why it is best to wait for now despite the A’s offensive struggles.

Ramirez is batting .250 (8 for 32) with no home runs or extra-base hits and four RBIs with seven strikeouts and three walks in nine games with Sacramento.

“He had a good game yesterday, hit the ball hard a couple times,” Forst said. “I don’t think we have any goal in terms of performance or at-bats. I think we have seen him make progress but we have to make sure everybody feels he’s major league ready. Once we make the move we want him to be here to stay and to be able to contribute every day.”

Ramirez was scheduled to work out with the River Cats on Tuesday, but he can’t play again until he’s added to their 25-man roster Wednesday. His permitted 10-day rehab assignment ended Monday.

Ramirez, who had to serve a 50-game suspension for a second positive drug test, believes he is making progress each day he faces live pitching.

“Like I said, I haven’t played in a year,” he said Monday in Sacramento. “You miss a year, it’s going to take a lot. You see a lot of guys in the big leagues and here, they play the whole year and they’re still trying to get it. Imagine when you miss a year.”

Ramirez is hoping for a comeback in what would be his 20^th major league season. He is a career .312 hitter with 1,831 RBIs.

The A’s signed Ramirez to a one-year minor league contract on Feb. 20 that is worth approximately $500,000 if he’s added to the big league roster.

Ramirez retired from the Tampa Bay Rays last season rather than serve a 100-game suspension for a second failed drug test. The penalty was cut to 50 games because he sat out nearly all of last season.

He ranks 14^th on the career list with 555 home runs. Ramirez went 1 for 17 (.059) in five games last season for Tampa Bay.

The A’s—also missing injured slugger Yoenis Cespedes—could use a productive Ramirez. Oakland is batting a majors-low .211 as a team with 42 homers and 162 runs and 384 strikeouts to 159 walks.

“I think we’re trying not to make a short-term decision here,” Forst said. “Obviously, we’d like to improve the major league offense. We’re not even 50 games in yet. There are still four months to play. We’re trying to make a long-term decision.”

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

The 40-year-old goaltender, the team’s two big goal scorers and the new coach all have played major roles in getting the Devils back to the championship round just a year after they missed the playoffs for the first time since 1996.

The guy who tends to get lost in all the talk is Travis Zajac.

This was almost a lost season for the Devils’ No. 1 center. He tore an Achilles tendon in August, had surgery the next day and tried to come back in December. He lasted eight games before calling it quits.

Over the next two months, there were times he thought his season was over as the injury and soreness wouldn’t go away. The 27-year-old continued his rehab and eventually came back in late March. It took him a couple of weeks to find his game but one can argue he has been the best player for the Devils in the postseason, which will start its final round on Wednesday as the Los Angeles Kings visit New Jersey.

“He is the type of player who does a lot of things well, from the faceoff to the forcechecking, taking the body,” Brodeur said. “He does a lot of little things. A lot of people who are not watching him and who only look at the stats, miss a lot. He is an effective player. He logs a lot of important minutes. That’s what you have to look at, and who he plays against every single shift, and that tells you a lot about them.”

His statistics aren’t shabby either. Zajac has seven goals — tied for the team high with Kovalchuk and Parise — and five assists. His 12 points are tied for eighth best in the postseason. He also played on New Jersey’s power play and kills off penalties averaging more than 20 minutes a game, third highest among the teams’ forwards.

Not bad for player who appeared in 15 regular-season games.

“Getting this far I’m sure it’s enjoyable for everyone but it really is for me,” Zajac said after the Devils practiced Monday for the first time since winning the Eastern Conference finals against the New York Rangers on Friday night. “Playing this late in the season really makes me feel like I didn’t miss the whole season. It’s really a fun time to play hockey.”

Coming into this season, Zajac had been the Devils’ current iron man. He had played in 401 consecutive games for the team between 2006 and the end of the 2010-11 season only to get hurt working out at home before training camp.

If there has been a positive in terms of the injury, Zajac is fresh. While most of his teammates have played around 100 games, he has played in 33 and seemingly is rounding into midseason form.

Veteran forward Dainius Zubrus said Zajac’s return has been one of the keys to the Devils’ success.

Instead of gambling and making a deal for a top center at the trading deadline, general manager Lou Lamoriello stood pat and waited for Zajac to be ready.

“It took time, but the surprising thing for me is how well the guy can play after basically missing the whole year,” said Zubrus, who plays on Zajac’s right wing with Parise on the left. “He is playing top minutes, PP and PK, and all that stuff. You can’t get a player like that on deadline. When he got healthy it was a big addition.”

DeBoer said Zajac’s contributions are immeasurable.

“We wouldn’t be here without Travis,” said DeBoer, who was forced to use roughly 10 different centers this season in searching for replacement for Zajac. “The fact that we were able to fill … the hole he left is a credit to Patrik Elias, (Adam) Henrique and (Stephen) Gionta, and (others).”

“Looking back now in reflection, that was an awfully big hole,” DeBoer added.

In facing the Kings, the Devils will be taking on the NHL’s top team in the postseason. Los Angeles is 12-2 and it has barely been tested in knocking off the top three seeds in the Western Conference — Vancouver, St. Louis and Phoenix. In each series, Los Angeles won the first three games.

“They have big size up front, they check well and control the puck offensively, that’s been one of their strengths throughout the playoffs,” Zajac said. “They have some D-men who can make plays and jump up on offense.”

The Kings also play like the Devils. They roll four lines and have an outstanding goaltender in Jonathan Quick.

“There are similarities for sure, but every team at this point plays a similar style, they forecheck hard and the D keeps puck alive,” Zajac said. “I think every team that has been successful was similar structure.”

The Kings traveled on Monday to New Jersey. A media day for the teams is scheduled Tuesday.

Will Zajac and the Devils hoist the Cup? Make your prediction in the comments below!

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

It was a choppy mile and a half journey from the island to the shore, but swimmer Lisa Zinassi said with all the zigzagging, it’s more like two miles.

Another swimmer 14-year-old Abbey Hirst came all the way from Chesterton, Indiana to swim with her brother and father.

“There were some big waves and the current— I didn’t think was that bad. I did have a little trouble sighting where I was supposed to go, so I stopped a lot,” Hirst said.

KCBS’ Tim Ryan Reports:

The race begins with swimmers jumping off the CA Hornblower yacht near Alcatraz and swimming for shore.

Sidney Harnack from Edmonton, Alberta Canada won her age division with a time of 36 minutes.

“[It was] my first time in the ocean. Oh my god, it’s so much different [than a pool]. The waves were unreal, they were so big,” Harnack said.

She concluded that no one truly ever did escape from the prison island.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Gregor Blanco doubled twice and drove in a run for his second two-double game in four days and made a pretty game-ending catch on the warning track in right with two runners aboard. Blanco also scored on a double-steal to get things started in San Francisco’s three-run first.

Majors hits leader Melky Cabrera followed up his four-hit day in Sunday’s 3-2 win at Miami with a 1-for-3 outing to push his total to 74 hits—on an afternoon when home run king Barry Bonds was among the sellout crowd of 42,295 and stopped by the clubhouse for a visit before the game.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Nobody at Target Field was cheering louder at the end than his teammates.

Justin Morneau’s tying double in the eighth inning set up Capps for another dramatic save in the ninth, and the Twins rallied past Oakland for a 5-4 victory on Monday, a season-high sixth straight loss for the Athletics.

“There’s not a bigger competitor on this team than Capps, and no one wants to win more. There’s not a better teammate, either. When he has a game like this we’re all cheering for him, and when he has a game like yesterday we all feel for him,” said designated hitter Ryan Doumit, who drove in the go-ahead run off previously perfect reliever Ryan Cook (1-1) with a sacrifice fly after Morneau’s bloop down the line.

Capps bounced back from his first blown attempt of the season the day before—on a two-run homer by Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera— by striking out Jonny Gomes with the bases loaded to notch his 10th save and help the Twins stop their own five-game losing streak.

“I don’t blame people for booing. They expect us to do a job, and I’m no different from the 24 other guys in here,” Capps said.

Don’t assume he feels fine about that, though.

“I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t feel something. Nobody likes that, especially in their home ballpark,” Capps said, adding: “No matter what the fans think, this organization still expects it out of me, and I’ve got to go out and do it.”

Colin Cowgill reached on a fielding error by second baseman Alexi Casilla, who let a slow roller slide right under his glove to make the inning more challenging for Capps. Jemile Weeks walked with one out. The runners moved up on a line drive by Coco Crisp that Capps dropped but picked up and threw over for the second out. Josh Reddick, who homered and tripled earlier, was intentionally walked to load the bases.

But Capps blew a 94-mph fastball by Gomes to end that at-bat on three pitches.

“We feel comfortable with him on the mound. He’s a guy with guts,” Morneau said, adding about the booing: “It’s disappointing to see that sometimes, but obviously people’s expectations are high, just as ours are.”

Alex Burnett (2-0) gave up an RBI single to Kurt Suzuki in the eighth that put the A’s in front 4-3 after Jeff Gray walked back-to-back batters with one out, but Kila Ka’aihue grounded into a double play, the fourth of the game for the A’s. Then the Twins rallied with rare success against Cook (1-1), who entered the game without a run and just four hits allowed in 23 innings this year.

Joe Mauer hustled for an infield single and stole second base to spark the rally. Josh Willingham followed with a walk and scored on Doumit’s deep-enough fly.

“We definitely wanted to give him an ERA, I guess,” Willingham said.

Said Twins manager Ron Gardenhire: “Everybody should have stats, and he had none.”

Cook was naturally disappointed.

“You’re going to give up runs in this game. It isn’t a secret to anybody. It’s just unfortunate that I gave them up today,” he said.

Travis Blackley made his first major league start in nearly five years, giving up just one run, three hits and one walk while striking out three in five innings for the A’s. Trevor Plouffe homered in the fifth for the Twins, and Willingham’s double off Jordan Norberto in the sixth following back-to-back walks cut the lead to 3-2.

“For a guy that’s been a one-inning reliever here for the last couple of months, to give us five innings and leave with the lead was tremendous,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said.

Then Morneau tied the game with a sacrifice fly to keep starter Scott Diamond from taking the loss. The lefty struck out four with one walk, nine hits and three runs across in 6 1-3 innings.

NOTES: The Twins lead the majors in both double plays turned and grounded into. … Reddick has 10 home runs in May, the most in one month for the A’s since Frank Thomas hit 10 in Sept. 2006. … Twins RH Cole De Vries (0-1, 5.40 ERA) makes his second start for the Twins Tuesday after losing his major league debut last week. He’ll face RH Jarrod Parker (1-2, 3.38), who struck out a career-high eight batters over seven innings in his last appearance for the A’s. … Twins RHP Jason Marquis cleared waivers and was released.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Sporting (8-3-1) broke a four-match winless streak.

Simon Dawkins scored in the 72nd minute for San Jose (8-3-3), cutting it to 2-1.

Kamara set up Sapong’s fifth-minute goal with a long cross from the right flank, with Sapong finishing with his left foot from 7 yards for his fourth goal of the season.

In the 39th, left back Michael Harrington took a cross-field pass from right back Chance Myers, then fed the ball in to Kamara for a bouncing header past goalkeeper Jon Busch.

Harrington was a 23rd-minute substitute for Seth Sinovic, who fell over the end boards and sustained a cut on his left hand that required 20 stitches. Sinovic was already playing with his broken right hand in a cast.

San Jose was without its two leading scorers, with Chris Wondolowski (11) goals) on international duty and Steven Lenhart (five goals) suspended for yellow-card accumulation, but still made the game close.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

The Yankees got off to a strong start to their nine-game road trip by sweeping the three-game series in Oakland, extending their winning streak at the Coliseum to nine games. That is tied for the second-longest winning streak ever by a road team in Oakland, trailing only Baltimore’s 13-game run from 1976-79.

Derek Jeter singled to lead off the game for his 3,155th career hit, breaking a tie with Hall of Famer George Brett to move into sole possession of 14th place all-time.

“He’s been the backbone of this organization for a long, long time and when a guy like that passes you, I’d like to shake his hand and look him in the eye and say congratulations,” Brett said in a statement released by the Yankees.

The A’s managed just four hits off Kuroda (4-6) to wrap up a horrid homestand in which they went 1-5 and scored just eight runs against the Los Angeles Angels and Yankees. Oakland batted .157 for the homestand and lost the final five games for their longest skid of the season.

The lack of hitting wasted another strong home start from rookie Tommy Milone (6-4), who escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the first and limited New York to Jones’ second-inning homer before tiring in the seventh.

Milone allowed two runs and eight hits in 6 2-3 innings, leaving after Mark Teixeira hit an RBI double to make it 2-0. This was the first time in five home starts that Milone allowed more than one earned run and that proved to be far too much to overcome as the A’s were shut out for the eighth time this season.

After allowing a leadoff single to Jemile Weeks, Kuroda retired the next 11 hitters. The A’s got two hits in the fifth but Kila Ka’aihue hit into a double play after Seth Smith’s leadoff single.

The only real trouble Kuroda faced came in the seventh when the A’s put runners on first and third with one out. But Kuroda struck out Ka’aihue and got Josh Donaldson to fly out to end the threat.

Rafael Soriano pitched the ninth for his fifth save in as many chances.

New York’s bases-loaded woes once again in the first when Robinson Cano and Nick Swisher popped up to leave three runners stranded. The Yankees have one hit in their last 29 plate appearances with the bases loaded.

Jones then led off the second with his fifth home run, New York’s seventh homer of the series. That last tied the Yankees for the major league lead in homers with Baltimore at 72 as New York improved to 26-11 in games with a homer. The Yankees are winless in 10 games when they do not go deep.

NOTES: Yankees C Russell Martin sat for a second straight day with a stiff neck. … Oakland OF Coco Crisp stole two bases in the seventh to give him 29 straight successful steals, breaking Stan Javier’s Oakland record of 28. … Oakland OF Yoenis Cespedes (strained left hand) took BP before the game and will start a rehab assignment at Triple-A Sacramento on Monday. … The A’s will get 3B Brandon Inge (strained right groin) back from the DL on Monday when they open a three-game series in Minnesota. Travis Blackley will make his first major league start for Oakland since 2007 in the opener. … Orange County native Phil Hughes (4-5) takes the mound for the Yankees on Monday when they open a three-game series in Anaheim against the Angels.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Cabrera went 4 for 4 to hike his average to .369 and has 73 hits, most in the majors. He also stole two bases.

Cain (5-2) allowed two runs, one earned, and won for the fourth start in a row. Santiago Casilla gave up one hit in 1 1-3 scoreless innings for his 12th save in 13 chances.

Ricky Nolasco (5-3) allowed three runs in seven innings. Two of the runs scored on two-out extra-base hits.

The teams split the four-game series, and the Giants concluded a 4-3 trip.

The Marlins’ lineup included three position players batting under .190, and they mustered only six hits against Cain and three relievers.

Miami went 2 for 10 with runners in scoring position. Teams are batting .138 against Cain in those situations this season.

Cabrera hit a two-out homer in the first. He led off the fourth with a single, stole second and scored on a sacrifice fly by Angel Pagan.

After Cabrera singled with two out in the sixth, Buster Posey hit an RBI double off the center-field wall near the 418-foot sign to put the Giants up 3-1.

Cabrera, who totaled four hits for the third time this season, was shaken up when he slid into second baseman Omar Infante’s glove in the eighth but stayed in the game. He’s batting .426 this month.

When the Giants shifted three infielders to the right side against Logan Morrison in the fifth inning, he foiled the strategy by bunting toward third for a hit to put runners at first and second. Cain retired the next two batters before Chris Coghlan singled home Miami’s first run.

Miami scored an unearned run in the seventh after center fielder Pagan mishandled Bryan Petersen’s single for an error—the 51st by the Giants, most in the majors. Petersen came home on a two-out single by Jose Reyes that made the score 3-2 and put runners at the corners, but Sergio Romo came on to strike out Infante and end the inning.

Romo lowered his ERA to 0.61. Casilla pitched more than one inning to earn a save for the first time since Oct. 3, 2010, and he lowered his ERA to 1.29.

Notes: Before the game, the Marlins selected the contract of OF Justin Ruggiano, who was acquired in a trade with Houston. He pinch hit in the eighth and struck out. … Marlins OF Kevin Mattison was optioned to Triple-A New Orleans, and RHP Jose Ceda (right elbow) was transferred to the 60-day disabled list. … Pagan made a diving, backhanded catch of John Buck’s liner in left-center leading off the third inning. … Aubrey Huff went 0 for 3 and is 2 for 20 (.100) lifetime against Nolasco. … With a crowd of 30,199, the Marlins topped 30,000 at home for the 11th time. … LHP Barry Zito, scheduled to start Monday when the Giants play the Diamondbacks, is 4-8 in 17 games against them with an ERA of 5.36.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Giancarlo Stanton hit two doubles and scored twice while Logan Morrison drove in two runs for the Marlins. Miami is a major league best 18-7 in May. The Marlins went 19-10 in August 1997.

Buehrle (5-4) allowed two runs and eight hits while throwing 69 of 100 pitches for strikes. He was replaced by Steve Cishek after Ryan Theriot tripled to center past a diving Chris Coghlan with one out in the eighth. Cishek retired Melky Cabrera on a ground out, which scored Theriot. Buster Posey grounded out to end the inning.

Heath Bell, who was pulled in the ninth during Friday’s game in favor of Cishek as Bell allowed two runs and retired just one batter, continued his struggles. Bell allowed a single to Angel Pagan to open the ninth and after recording an out, he walked the two next two batters ending his night early again.

Randy Choate relieved Bell and got Nate Schierholtz to fly out scoring Pagan cutting the deficit to 5-3. He struck out Gregor Blanco to end the game. It was Choate’s first save since September 23, 2009 when he was with Tampa Bay.

Madison Bumgarner (5-4) took the loss allowing five runs and seven hits in six innings. He struck out seven and walked two.

Blanco had three of San Francisco’s nine hits.

With one out in the third inning and the scored tied at 1, Jose Reyes and Omar Infante each reached with base hits and successfully pulled off a double steal with Hanley Ramirez batting. Ramirez followed with a single to left scoring Reyes. After Stanton walked, Morrison grounded into what appeared to be an inning-ending double play, but Emmanuel Burriss’ throw bounced passed first baseman Brett Pill allowing Infante and Ramirez to score giving the Marlins a 4-1 lead.

Stanton doubled to leadoff the second and scored on a single by Donovan Solano for the Marlins first run of the game. He doubled again to leadoff the sixth and scored on a Morrison double to deep center field.

The Giants tied the game at 1 with a base hit by Blanco as Burriss slide into home safely, narrowly beating Stanton’s throw from right.

NOTES: Giants LF Melky Cabrera came into the game hitting .692 (9 of 13) against Buehrle, but went 0 for 3 with a strikeout. … Giants ace Tim Lincecum fell to 2-5 with a 6.41 ERA following Friday’s loss. “He’s taking it hard, believe me,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said of Lincecum’s struggles. “We want to send a message that we know that he’s giving it everything he’s got.” … Stanton is hitting .333 (32 of 96) in May. … The Marlins will send RHP Ricky Nolasco (5-2, 4.31 ERA) to the mound Sunday in the series finale as the Giants will counter with RHP Matt Cain (4-2, 2.94 ERA). .

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Teixeira and Robinson Cano each homered for a second straight day as the Yankees added three more longballs to give them nine homers in the last three games.

Teixeira hit a solo home run in the fourth, added a two-run single in the fifth when New York broke it open and had a two-run homer in the ninth, almost single handily sending Oakland to its season-worst fourth straight defeat. Manager Joe Girardi said before the game he believes Teixeira is getting back to his former slugging self.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The memory of missing the playoffs for first time since 1996 and the ghost of an 18-year-old wound were wiped out with a sweep of rookie Adam Henrique’s stick.

The New Jersey Devils are going back to the Stanley Cup finals, thanks to Henrique, a 40-year-old goaltender and a coach who’d never been to the postseason in the NHL.

How’s that for a turnaround?

Henrique scored off a wild scramble in front at 1:03 into overtime and the Devils defeated the rival New York Rangers, 3-2, in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals to advance to their first Stanley Cup finals since 2003.

“It means a lot,” Devils leading scorer Ilya Kovalchuk said minutes after reaching the Cup finals for the first time. “It’s a great feeling. Last year was a tough one, but this year was totally different. We played well all year. The first round of the playoffs was a little tough but after that, I think we figured out our game and what it takes to win.”

After beating Florida, Philadelphia and their biggest rivals, the Rangers, only the Los Angeles Kings stand in the way of a fourth Cup for New Jersey.

The title round begins here Wednesday.

This series win came against the Devils’ most intense rival, and it was that much sweeter.

“That one was like Christmas,” said Henrique, who also scored the series winner in overtime as Devils’ first-round, Game 7 win over the Panthers.

It also was needed. The Devils blew a 2-0 first-period lead and didn’t want to head back to New York for a Game 7 on Sunday.

“It didn’t matter how it got to overtime, we were in a good position,” Devils captain Zach Parise said. “We were at home. We just needed one shot.”

Actually, the Devils needed four shots to win the game.

Henrique’s winner came after Henrik Lundqvist stopped Kovalchuk twice and Alexei Ponikarovsky. The last shot lay in the crease and Henrique tapped it home.

“We caught them on a line change and their defensemen were tired,” said Devils coach Peter DeBoer, who was fired by Florida after missing the playoffs in his three seasons. “We found a way to jam one in. That’s the only way you’re going to score on Lundqvist. You’re not going to get a clean one. You’re going to have to work for it around the net.

“And that’s what we did.”

Ryan Carter and Kovalchuk also scored for the Devils, whose biggest move this year was hiring DeBoer. He has more than proved his coaching ability.

Ruslan Fedotenko and Ryan Callahan tallied for top-seeded New York, which had a good flurry just before New Jersey scored to end it.

Henrique, who is nominated for the Calder Trophy — given to the NHL’s top rookie — skated away from the crease and jumped against the end boards in the corner as his teammates hopped off the bench and mobbed him.

The six Rangers on the ice just stayed down in disbelief and frustration. This was very much like Game 5, which the Devils won 5-3. New York carried the play after the first period and had a 35-29 edge in shots.

But when it came time for a game-deciding play to be made, it was a Devil who made it.

“When they scored, it was such an empty feeling,” said Lundqvist, who said the puck took a weird bounce on the final play. “It is shocking.”

Henrique overcame injury to score this one. He seemed to take a stick from Brian Boyle in the groin area late in the third and had to leave the ice.

He felt no pain after the game winner.

All the Rangers could do was bow their heads and then line up for the traditional handshake after losing to their cross-rival rivals in a series that was close.

“That’s playoff hockey, and that’s usually where you get an overtime goal,” Rangers veteran Brandon Prust said. “Just whacking away in front of the net, getting rebounds.”

Martin Brodeur, 40, kept the Devils alive in the third. He stopped a power-play shot by Brad Richards, made a save on Artem Anisimov between the circles and used his stick to deflect a pass from the boards by Carl Hagelin in the final minute just before it got to Marian Gaborik on the edge of the crease.

“You could tell he was in the zone. He led us,” Parise said. “He made some big saves tonight.”

Lundqvist’s best stop in the third was on Dainius Zubrus on a shot from behind the circles.

Facing elimination and down 2-0 after 20 minutes, the Rangers found their game in the second period and tied the game at 2-all on goals by Fedotenko and Callahan in a roughly four-minute span.

Defenseman Ryan McDonagh, who assisted on both goals, made the big play to get New York back in the game. He collected the puck above the left circle, skated around the net and tried a wrap around. The shot didn’t go on goal but it turned out to be a perfect pass to Fedotenko who a tap-in into an open net at 9:47.

Callahan, who had a New York goal go off his leg in the Devils’ 5-3 win on Wednesday, tied the game at 13:41 when Dan Girardi’s shot from the right point deflected off his leg into the open lower corner of the net. Callahan’s sixth of the postseason was set up when Brandon Dubinsky won a faceoff in the left circle.

Carter, who scored the game winner in New York on Wednesday night after the Devils blew a 3-0 lead, put New Jersey ahead again at 10:05 of the opening period.

The play started with a bad pinch at the point by Rangers defenseman Marc Staal. Steve Bernier led a 3-on-1 and found Stephen Gionta coming down the middle for a solo chance against Lundqvist. The Rangers goaltender stopped the shot, but Carter swatted the rebound home for his fourth of the playoffs.

Kovalchuk’s seventh goal of the postseason and fifth on the power play was a thing of beauty. All five Devils skaters touched the puck with tape-to-tape passes with Zubrus finding Kovalchuk alone low in the left circle for a shot that Lundqvist had little chance to stop.

The Devils — as is the tradition for many Cup finalists — did not touch the Prince of Wales Trophy that was presented at center ice. As the team skated off to their locker room, “Glory Days,” the 1984 hit from New Jersey rocker Bruce Springsteen serenaded them.

The game was played on the 18-year anniversary of the Rangers’ dramatic, 4-2, Game 6 victory over New Jersey at the Meadowlands, a victory that pushed that classic Eastern Conference final series to a Game 7 and eventually led New York to its first Stanley Cup in 54 years. That game, of course, was preceded by a guarantee from Rangers captain Mark Messier, who delivered three goals en route to the victory.

This time, though, there will be no Game 7.

NOTES: The Empire State Building’s tower lights were lit in red and blue on Friday to cheer on the Rangers. … Mogul and TV personality Donald Trump was at the game. … Devils C Travis Zajac left the ice briefly in the second after being slashed on the left hand by Prust. No penalty was called. … New Jersey is 4-1 in overtime in the postseason. New York finished 2-3 after regulation.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Robinson Cano also homered and Ivan Nova (5-2) allowed three runs in seven innings to win his ninth straight road decision. The Yankees have won three straight following a stretch of six losses in seven games.

Tyson Ross (2-5) allowed the three long balls which proved to be too much for Oakland’s struggling offense to overcome as the A’s lost their third straight game. Josh Reddick and Kila Ka’aihue hit solo homers for Oakland.

The Yankees have overwhelmed the A’s of late, especially in Oakland. Their last loss at the Coliseum came on April 22, 2010, in a game remembered for the dustup between Alex Rodriguez and Dallas Braden over A-Rod’s jog across Braden’s mound after a foul ball.

There were no such controversies this game as the Yankees bats show signs of waking up after scoring just 15 runs during that recent seven-game stretch. But some of their struggling high-priced stars have come through of late. Rodriguez homered twice in a win Wednesday against Kansas City to give him seven homers and Teixeira connected against the Athletics for his sixth of the season.

Home runs are a good sign for the Yankees, who are 24-11 when they go deep and winless in 10 games without a home run, and they had little trouble going deep against Ross.

Rafael Soriano pitched the ninth for his fourth save in as many opportunities.

New York scored three unearned runs in the third thanks to an error by center fielder Coco Crisp. Cano’s drive with two outs and a man on first hit off Crisp’s glove for a two-base error that scored Curtis Granderson. Teixeira followed with a drive into the seats in right field to make it 3-0.

The Yankees missed a chance to add on in the fourth when Rodriguez hit into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded. The Yankees have just one hit in their last 26 plate appearances with the bases loaded.

After Reddick hit a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth for Oakland, the Yankees broke it open in the fifth with a solo shot by Cano and a two-run homer from Swisher to make it 6-1 and knock out Ross. Ross allowed six runs—three earned—and 11 hits in 4 1-3 innings as his struggles against lefties continued. He allowed nine hits in 15 at-bats against lefties and has allowed an AL-worst .425 average against them this season.

NOTES: The A’s hope to get 3B Brandon Inge (strained right groin) back on Monday after he plays two games in Sacramento this weekend. OF Yoenis Cespedes (strained left hand) will try to take BP on the field Saturday and could start a rehab assignment next week if that goes well. … Eric Chavez, who played with Oakland from 1998-2010, returned as a visitor for the first time. He lamented how close the A’s were to winning it all in the early 2000s and then looked over at teammate Derek Jeter and said “they didn’t practice that play,” referring to Jeter’s famous relay flip that helped the Yankees beat Oakland in the first round in the 2001 playoffs. … Former Yankee Bartolo Colon (4-4) will start the middle game of the series for Oakland against Bay Area native CC Sabathia (5-2). … The Yankees signed RHP John Maine to a minor league deal. Maine, a 15-game winner with the Mets in 2007, has not pitched in the majors since 2010.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

The first hearings on transforming the crumbling and dilapidated docks at Piers 30-32 into a shiny new venue for the NBA team could be just weeks away, said Jennifer Matz, director of San Francisco’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development.

“We expect to have a term sheet before the Board of Supervisors and the Port Commission by Labor Day,” she said, with the environmental impact review beginning in just a couple of weeks.

KCBS’ Doug Sovern Reports:

“It’ll build off the recently completed America’s Cup environmental impact report,” Matz said, adding it could take as long as 18 months to study all the possible effects the arena might have on traffic and the San Francisco Bay.

She predicted design, review and approval of the arena would be done in two years, and estimated construction would take another three years.

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan said a call from the Warriors the night before the San Francisco deal was announced did nothing to dissuade her from plans to build a new sports complex on the Coliseum site.

The Warriors hope to open the San Francisco arena in the fall of 2017, but Quan maintains higher construction costs will ultimately sink her rival’s waterfront deal.

“It doesn’t require $100 million to build into the Bay, if they get permission to do that. And it also doesn’t include the $95 million the Warriors will have to pay if they leave before 2027,” she said.

Quan believes Oakland is in a position financially to complete the Coliseum City project much sooner than the time frame for the San Francisco waterfront proposal.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Coghlan, who has shuttled between the Marlins and the minors since winning the NL Rookie of the Year award in 2009, was batting .104 when he hit his first home run since last June 11.

San Francisco’s Melky Cabrera, who came into the game leading the majors with 67 hits, pulled his third homer of the season just inside the right field foul pole. He also tripled, but struck out against Steve Cishek with a runner at second to end the game.

Giancarlo Stanton became the first player to hit the Marlins’ home run sculpture when he connected against Lincecum (2-5).

The Giants’ right-hander gave up six runs in 5 2-3 innings, which hiked his ERA to 6.41. He’s 0-3 in his past five starts.

The Marlins improved to 17-7 this month, best in the majors, and broke the franchise record for victories in May.

Struggling Miami closer Heath Bell entered the game to start the ninth with a 7-4 lead but got only one out and blew a save for the fifth time in 12 chances. Cishek came on with runners at second and third and one out, and after Brandon Crawford hit a sacrifice fly to make it 7-6, Cabrera was called out on a 3-2 pitch.

Cishek earned his first save in three chances. Dan Jennings (1-0) pitched a perfect sixth for his first major league win hours after being recalled from Triple-A New Orleans.

The Giants outhit Miami 14-7 but went 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position.

Miami starter Josh Johnson gave up nine hits and three runs in five innings. He remained winless in six career starts against San Francisco.

The Giants’ Buster Posey went 0 for 4 with an RBI groundout on the anniversary of his season-ending leg injury suffered in a home-plate collision against the Marlins last year.

Lincecum took a 3-1 lead into the sixth but failed to make it through the inning. Omar Infante led off with a double and scored on a single by Stanton. After the Marlins loaded the bases, John Buck’s sacrifice fly tied the game.

Coghlan then pulled an 0-1 pitch over the fence, pounding his chest with his fist as the ball landed in the right field seats. That ended Lincecum’s night.

Despite his struggles, Lincecum hadn’t given up a homer in 50 1-3 innings until Stanton connected in the fourth inning. The ball landed in the base of the sculpture for the Marlins’ first run. Center fielder Angel Pagan ran out of room near the 418-foot sign and could only watch as the animated sculpture sprung into motion.

The home run was the 10th this month for Stanton, and his 11th of the season. It was the first of his career from the cleanup spot, where he began the season before being dropped in the order when he started slowly.

The Giants scored in the first when Pagan singled and later came home on a double play. They went up 2-0 in the second on singles by Gregor Blanco, Crawford and Pagan.

NOTES: The crowd of 27,123 included Miami Heat owner Micky Arison, whose team begins the NBA Eastern Conference finals two miles from the ballpark Monday. … Huff had a single and improved to 6 for 12 (.500) against Johnson. … In his past 13 home games, Stanton is batting .373 (19 for 51) with five home runs. … The Giants committed two errors and have 49 this season, most in the majors.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

The Planning Commission voted 4-1 to certify the environmental impact report for the project while the Recreation and Park Commission voted unanimously in favor of approving the plans, according to planning department officials.

KCBS’ Chris Filippi Reports:

The hearing was attended by hundreds of people, including supporters who argued the changes would increase play time and safety at the fields and opponents who said the synthetic turf and lights would hurt the park’s aesthetics and natural resources.

Patrick Hannan, spokesman for the City Fields Foundation, said the current fields are a “facility that’s in desperate need of renovation.”

Hannan said replacing the grass fields with synthetic turf and adding lighting and other amenities will triple the amount of play time at the facility. Currently, one of the four fields is always out of use to allow for grass re-growth, and the fields are all closed on Mondays for other maintenance.

Many youth soccer players spoke in favor of the project, saying that gopher holes and other problems at the rundown fields caused safety hazards for them.

Police Chief Greg Suhr also came to the meeting and said that the changes will not only help kids but the new lighting will also reduce illicit activity such as drug use and prostitution in the nearby bushes.

Opponents of the project, including the groups SF Ocean Edge and the Golden Gate Park Preservation Alliance, argued the changes would cause the loss of dozens of trees and other natural habitat, would decrease night sky darkness in the area and would infringe on the historic context of the park.

A statement posted on the website of SF Ocean Edge following Thursday’s hearing said, “It is a sad day for Golden Gate Park when the departments charged with stewardship of our parks decide to destroy our crown jewel.”

The opponents have the option of appealing the Planning Commission’s certification of the project to the Board of Supervisors.

SF Ocean Edge’s statement said the group would be “discussing our options over the next few days.”

Construction on the new fields is tentatively scheduled to begin in the summer or fall of 2013 and will last about 10 months, according to city officials.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

“We made pretty deep cuts that also reorganized the city to make sure that we could keep as many frontline services as possible, and I think Oakland is on the rise. Oakland is growing,” Quan said.

A $48 million reserve and tax revenue that is $10 million above projections make it possible to restore senior services that had been cut, Quan said, and to hold another police academy class.

KCBS’ Doug Sovern Reports:

City Administrator Fred Blackwell said there is available money for a $1.8 million environmental review on the Coliseum City project, which is also intended to keep the Oakland A’s and Oakland Raiders from leaving.

“We think we still have not only a great site for all three teams, but a very viable project, still,” Blackwell said.

City officials hope to build a news sports complex across from the current Oracle Arena and O.co Coliseum, a project Quan said is far more substantial than the San Francisco waterfront development announced Tuesday.

Quan dismissed the proposed basketball arena at Piers 30-32 as little more than an idea and a handshake that faces many obstacles.

“It’s a very tough site for them to develop,” she said.

“We don’t think the game’s over on the Warriors or any of the teams.”

KCBS, CBS 5 and Chronicle Insider Phil Matier Reports:

The balanced budget was welcome news after two years of public employee concessions, although the 2012-13 budget does not solve long-term challenges that include $1 billion in unfunded pension and healthcare costs.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

The Planning Commission will decide whether to certify the environmental impact report for the project while the Recreation and Park Commission will decide whether to approve the plans.

The meeting, which is expected to last several hours, began Thursday afternoon and was attended by hundreds of people, both supporters who say the changes will increase the amount of play time at the fields and opponents who argue it will hurt the park’s aesthetics and natural resources.

Patrick Hannan, spokesman for the City Fields Foundation, said the current fields, located at the west end of Golden Gate Park, are a “facility that’s in desperate need of renovation.”

Hannan said that replacing the grass fields with synthetic turf and adding lighting will triple the amount of use at the facility. Currently, one of the four fields is always out of use to allow for grass re-growth, and the fields are all closed every Monday for other maintenance.

Hannan said the synthetic turf would also increase safety at the fields by eliminating gopher holes and other hazards.

Police Chief Greg Suhr spoke at Thursday’s meeting, saying increasing the availability of play time at the fields “gives kids positive choices to engage in positive activities” and said the lights will reduce illicit activity such as drug use and prostitution in the area.

Many youth soccer players also spoke in favor of the project at the meeting.

Opponents of the project, including the groups SF Ocean Edge and the Golden Gate Park Preservation Alliance, say it would cause a loss of dozens of trees and natural habitat, decrease night sky darkness in the area and infringe on the historic context of the nearby Beach Chalet and windmills.

Terence Faulkner, one of the opponents, called the project “an abomination” and urged the commissioners to reject it.

However, Hannan said the project has been properly vetted and that it is time to move forward with the plan.

“Whenever you try to do good works in San Francisco, you expect and need to embrace a robust public dialogue,” he said. “This dialogue has been going on for many years and we had a thorough environmental impact report and numerous public meetings. A lot of attention has been given to make sure this project is appropriate for the park.”

If the project is approved, construction would begin in the summer or fall of 2013 and last about 10 months, according to city officials.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Vogelsong (3-2) allowed three runs in 6 1-3 innings, which hiked his ERA to 2.50. The Giants had 22 runs in his previous seven starts.

The Giants came into the game leading the majors in stranded runners, but went 7 for 17 with runners in scoring position. Their run total and 15 hits were both season highs. Angel Pagan had four RBIs, while Cabrera raised his average to .362.

Giancarlo Stanton drove in three runs and hit another tape-measure home run for the Marlins. They began the night with the best record in the majors since May 1, but lost their second in a row.

Anibal Sanchez (2-3) gave up five runs in 5 1-3 innings, his shortest and worst outing this year. He had allowed a total of three runs in his four previous starts against the Giants.

A long, humbling night for the Marlins included a botched rundown, a throwing error, two wild pitches, 11 men left on base and one pratfall. First baseman Logan Morrison ducked and landed with an awkward flop to avoid being hit in the head by a throw home from right fielder Stanton.

The bizarre moment left both players laughing.

The game was tied at 1 when the Giants wiggled out of a rundown and went on to score four runs in the sixth. Gregor Blanco tripled and was briefly hung up on a grounder back to Sanchez, but he scrambled safely back to third when catcher Brett Hayes held the ball too long.

After a walk loaded the bases, Pagan hit a two-run double, another run scored on a wild pitch and Brandon Belt blooped an RBI single over a drawn-in infield to put the Giants up 5-1 and end Sanchez’s night.

The Marlins sometimes celebrate big hits by making a “lo viste” sign—a sideways V over one eye—and a grinning Pagan borrowed the gesture after he singled home a run in the fourth inning. Houston pitcher Wilton Lopez mocked the gesture when his team played the Marlins earlier this season.

Consecutive two-run doubles by Brandon Crawford and Cabrera in the eighth put the Giants ahead 12-3.

Stanton became the first player to homer into the beer garden beyond the 427-foot sign in left-center field some 50 feet above the playing field. It was his 10th homer this season and gave Miami a 1-0 lead in the second inning.

On Monday, a grand slam by Stanton knocked out a cluster of scoreboard lights. He had a shot at his third grand slam of the season in the fifth but fouled out to end the inning.

San Francisco’s victory came at the start of a four-game series.

Miami swept three games in San Francisco early this month.

Notes: Vogelsong struck out three times and is 0 for 15 with 13 strikeouts this year. … Omar Infante had four hits and improved to 7 for 11 (.636) against Vogelsong. … Giants LHP Javier Lopez caught a pop foul near the backstop after C Hector Sanchez was slow to react. … The game took 3 hours, 54 minutes. … Two struggling aces meet Friday when Tim Lincecum (2-4, 6.04 ERA) pitches against Josh Johnson (2-3, 4.82). … Friday marks the anniversary of Giants catcher Buster Posey’s season-ending leg injury last year. He was hurt in a collision with the Marlins’ Scott Cousins, now playing in Triple-A.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

U.S. officials said they wouldn’t consider making a bid for the 2022 Games without they deal formalized Thursday.

Andy Chapman of the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association said it’s one of the most important hurdles to clear in the bid to bring the Olympics back to Tahoe, where they were held at Squaw Valley in 1960.

Andy Wirth, CEO of Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows, told the Reno Gazette-Journal there are still other variables in the mix but it’s “nothing but positive news” and he’s “thrilled.”

Others exploring bids include Denver, Salt Lake City and Bozeman, Mont.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

NEW YORK (AP) — The Devils turned a stellar first nine minutes and an opportunistic final five into a stirring victory over the Rangers that moved New Jersey within one win of a trip to the Stanley Cup finals.

Suddenly, No. 1 seed New York is on the brink — again.

No one would have guessed when Travis Zajac scored 9:49 in to give the Devils a three-goal lead that they would be desperately looking for one more late in the third to hold off the Rangers, who had fought back to tie and appeared to have every bit of the momentum.

But the game, and perhaps the entire Eastern Conference finals, changed in the blink of an eye when Ryan Carter put the Devils in front to stay.

Carter snapped a tie with 4:24 left, and New Jersey survived en route to a 5-3 victory over New York after blowing a three-goal lead in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals on Wednesday night.

The rugged fourth-line forward, who had only four goals and four assists in 72 games with Florida and New Jersey, already has three goals in the playoffs, including two in the East finals.

The Devils, who led 3-0 before the first period was half over, have a 3-2 edge in the series and can advance to face the Los Angeles Kings in the finals with a win at home on Friday night. If the Rangers can stay alive, Game 7 would be back in Madison Square Garden Sunday.

“It’s a good feeling,” goalie Martin Brodeur said of the Devils’ status. “We worked really hard to get in that position. (There’s been) a lot of unsung heroes and guys producing at different times. Players are playing well. We’ve just got to keep going.

“Nothing is done yet.”

The Devils seemed primed for an easy win when Stephen Gionta and Patrik Elias scored within the first 4:13. Travis Zajac made it 3-0 before the Rangers woke up and began chipping away.

Brandon Prust brought New York within 3-1 before the first period was over, and Ryan Callahan made it a one-goal game in the first minute of the second. The Garden really rocked when Marian Gaborik tied it at 3 just 17 seconds into the third.

But the comeback was for naught. Carter put the Devils back in front, and Zach Parise sealed it with an empty-net goal.

“I thought,” Rangers coach John Tortorella said, “we probably played our best game of the series.”

Once Gaborik tied it with an unassisted goal that ricocheted in off the skate of Brodeur, it appeared the Rangers would ride the comeback all the way to one of the most stirring wins in team history — one that would rival victories over New Jersey in the classic 1994 East finals when the Rangers erased a 3-2 series hole behind Mark Messier’s guarantee.

Carter made sure it wouldn’t happen.

“You have to (keep it together) this time of year,” Gionta said. “You have to have a short memory. Fortunately we did and came out with the victory.”

Ilya Kovalchuk knocked Michael Del Zotto off the puck in the right corner, and Gionta sent a pass in front to Carter — who had just charged in front from the bench — for a quick shot that beat Henrik Lundqvist.

“A great play by Kovy to separate their (defensemen) from the puck,” Carter said. “Gio scooped the puck up, took a look and made a fantastic pass to me. All I had to was redirect it.”

New Jersey was outshot 28-17 overall and had only six shots in the third period, but two of them went in. Now the Devils are on the verge of their first Cup finals appearance since they won their third title in 2003.

Brodeur, the backbone of every New Jersey title, kept his focus throughout the third when he was loudly taunted with chants of “Mar-ty, Mar-ty” after New York got even.

“It was a mistake,” Brodeur said of Gaborik’s goal. “I’m pretty happy that the boys bounced back and made this a win for us. It would have been tough and people would have blamed that mishandle.”

The Rangers were ultimately done in by another terrible start. For the 13th straight game in these playoffs, the team that scored first in New York’s contests has gone on to win. The Rangers had been on a pattern of win-one, lose-one, but now they are on the verge of elimination with their second two-game losing streak in a series this year.

The only time the Rangers have won two straight in a playoff series is when they overcame a 3-2 hole in the first round and knocked out Ottawa. They have faced elimination three times already this postseason.

“We have to. There is no other way around it,” Lundqvist said of the Rangers’ comeback chances. “We have to bring all the good things we did and keep doing them in the next game. We played really well in the second and third period.”

They couldn’t say the same about the first.

“It’s different when you go down 3-0. You don’t have a whole lot to lose,” Rangers forward Brian Boyle said. “It was good nonetheless. Now it’s 3-2. Now we have to win two. That’s the bottom line.”

The Rangers burned their timeout early, and Devils coach Peter DeBoer spent his with 10:17 left. Parise implored his teammates on the bench to, `Come on boys.’ and the messages from the coach and the captain did the trick.

New Jersey surely never thought it would be in this kind of fight after storming in front early.

“It wasn’t pretty by any means, what we did tonight,” Parise said. “But we’re going home with a 3-2 lead.”

Not only didn’t the Rangers have the strong start they craved and insisted they needed, they were practically run out of their building less than 10 minutes in.

The same problems that plagued New York in its 4-1 loss in Game 4, when the Devils jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period, cropped up again in front of the home fans that grew frustrated and angry early.

Gionta got the Devils going 2:43 in when he gathered a rebound of Mark Fayne’s shot right in front of Lundqvist, steadied himself without any pressure from the defense, and slipped in his third goal of the playoffs to start the barrage.

Elias made it 2-0 just 1:30 later on New Jersey’s fourth shot of the night.

After Kovalchuk fumbled the puck just inside the blue line, he dived to keep it from leaving the Rangers’ zone. The puck eventually came to Adam Henrique at the right point for a shot that was stopped by Lundqvist. Elias got it in front and scored his fourth.

Tortorella used his timeout then, but it made little difference. He appeared to be calm as he moved back and forth behind the bench while talking to his players. Whatever the message was didn’t sink in.

The Devils shrugged off a few scoring chances by the Rangers, and padded their lead again.

Just 5:26 after Elias’ goal, Zajac made it 3-0 with his seventh of the playoffs. Bryce Salvador wiped out Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh in the New Jersey end and started the play going the other way. Zajac got a clean shot from just inside the right circle that sailed past Lundqvist and beat him inside the left post at 9:49.

The tide began to turn the Rangers’ way the rest of the period as they allowed only one shot the rest of the period and began cutting into the deficit.

Prust, making his return following a one-game suspension for an elbow he delivered to the head of Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov in Game 3, showed off a bit of scoring touch when he converted on a breakaway with 4:19 left in the first.

The Rangers outshot the Devils 9-6 in the lopsided first period, but continued their sudden defensive dominance well into the second. Then they cut the Devils’ lead down to a goal just 32 seconds into the second.

Brandon Dubinsky, back from a foot injury, fired a shot from the left point that was deflected in front and caromed toward the left corner. Artem Anisimov flung the puck back toward the crease and it struck the left skate of the driving Callahan and got past Brodeur. The goal stood up after a brief video review.

New Jersey didn’t record its first shot of the period, and its second since its third goal, until Henrique put a puck in on Lundqvist at 6:23.

Lundqvist, who had stopped 94 percent of the shots he faced in the playoffs before Wednesday, made just 12 saves. The Rangers allowed five goals one game after allowing four for the first time in this postseason.

To make the finals now, New York will have to win a third consecutive seven-game series. The Rangers have already played 19 postseason games.

“We have to have a short memory,” McDonagh said. “We’ve been in this position before in this playoffs and we found a way to get it done. We don’t want to look ahead. We have to win two games, but we just have to focus on winning one.”

Notes: Dubinsky had been sidelined since he was injured in the Rangers’ victory over Ottawa in Game 7 of the first round. He sat out all seven games of the second round against Washington and the first four against New Jersey. John Mitchell was scratched to make room in the lineup. Prust’s return forced D Steve Eminger to sit out after he played the two previous games. … Kovalchuk has 10 assists in the postseason. … Prust scored his first career NHL playoff goal in his 23rd game. … The game was played on the 18-year anniversary of Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference finals, in which the Devils won, 4-1, took a 3-2 series lead, and prompted the Messier guarantee the following day.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

New York, on the brink of elimination, headed to New Jersey for Game 6.

The comparisons to 1994 were apparent before this series even started — now it’s near a crescendo. All that’s missing is a guarantee from the Rangers captain.

Just don’t tell that to the Devils.

“We won’t worry about it,” forward Patrik Elias said. “Who cares what happened way back then?”

The Devils are concerned with 2012, not what happened in a different millennium, when Rangers great Mark Messier delivered — and came through on — his stunning guarantee.

“That’s 15, 20 years ago. I don’t care,” said captain Zach Parise.

Meanwhile, Parise & Co. never could have imagined they would have a three-goal lead on New York less than 10 minutes into Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals at hostile Madison Square Garden. Their shock was even greater when that advantage was gone, and they were suddenly locked in a tie game in the opening minute of the third period.

In the end, it all worked out for the Devils, who got another surprising goal from fourth-line forward Ryan Carter in the closing minutes and escaped with a win that put New Jersey on the verge of a spot in the Stanley Cup finals.

Carter’s third goal of the playoffs with 4:24 remaining was the difference in the Devils’ 5-3 victory over New York on Wednesday night. The Devils have a 3-2 edge in the series, but if the top-seeded Rangers can stay alive on Friday night in New Jersey, Game 7 would be back in Madison Square Garden on Sunday.

“It’s a good feeling,” goalie Martin Brodeur said of the Devils’ status. “We worked really hard to get in that position. (There’s been) a lot of unsung heroes and guys producing at different times. Players are playing well. We’ve just got to keep going.

“Nothing is done yet.”

If the Rangers fall short, their best season in years will come to a crashing end and the Devils will move on to face the Western champion Los Angeles Kings. New York hasn’t been to the finals since 1994, when the Rangers knocked out New Jersey in the semis and then beat Vancouver for the title.

The Devils are one win away from playing for the Cup one season after their run of 13 straight postseason appearances was snapped. New Jersey went to the finals four times between 1995 and 2003 and won three championships.

“It’s a great position to be in,” Elias said. “Hopefully, we can play a better game at home. Hopefully, we’ll be the team that dictates the energy and the pace out there.”

When Travis Zajac scored 9:49 in to make it 3-0, the Devils seemed ready to cruise to victory. But the Rangers roared back and appeared to have every bit of the momentum.

Then the game, and perhaps the entire series, changed in the blink of an eye when Carter put the Devils in front to stay. Parise added an empty-net goal to make sure the Rangers had no chance for another comeback.

Carter had only four goals and four assists in 72 regular-season games with Florida and New Jersey. He has two goals in the East finals.

“They’ve been great the whole playoffs,” Elias said of the fourth line. “It’s not always the top guys who win you hockey games.”

Stephen Gionta and Elias scored within the first 4:13 before Zajac made it 3-0. Then the Rangers woke up.

Brandon Prust brought New York within 3-1 before the first period was over, and Ryan Callahan made it a one-goal game in the first minute of the second. The Garden really rocked when Marian Gaborik tied it at 3 just 17 seconds into the third.

But the comeback was for naught.

“We probably played our best game of the series,” Rangers coach John Tortorella said.

Once Gaborik tied it with an unassisted goal that ricocheted in off Brodeur’s skate, it appeared the Rangers would ride the comeback all the way to one of the most stirring wins in team history — one that would rival victories over New Jersey in the classic 1994 East finals when the Rangers erased a 3-2 series hole behind Mark Messier’s guarantee.

Carter made sure it wouldn’t happen.

“You have to (keep it together) this time of year,” Gionta said. “You have to have a short memory. Fortunately we did and came out with the victory.”

New Jersey was outshot 28-17 overall and had only six shots in the third period, but two went in.

Brodeur, the backbone of every New Jersey title, kept his focus throughout the third when he was loudly taunted with chants of “Mar-ty, Mar-ty” after New York got even.

“It was a mistake,” Brodeur said of Gaborik’s goal. “I’m pretty happy that the boys bounced back and made this a win for us. It would have been tough and people would have blamed that mishandle.”

The Rangers were ultimately done in by another terrible start. They had been on a pattern of win-one, lose-one, but now they are on the verge of elimination with their second two-game losing streak in a series this year.

The only time the Rangers have won two straight in a playoff series this postseason is when they overcame a 3-2 hole in the first round and knocked out Ottawa.

“We have to bring all the good things we did and keep doing them in the next game,” Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist said. “We played really well in the second and third period.”

They couldn’t say the same about the first.

“It’s different when you go down 3-0. You don’t have a whole lot to lose,” Rangers forward Brian Boyle said. “It was good nonetheless. Now it’s 3-2. Now we have to win two. That’s the bottom line.”

The Rangers burned their timeout early, and Devils coach Peter DeBoer spent his with 10:17 left. Parise implored his teammates on the bench — “Come on boys!” — and the messages from the coach and the captain did the trick.

“It wasn’t pretty by any means,” Parise said. “But we’re going home with a 3-2 lead.”

Not only didn’t the Rangers have the strong start they craved and insisted they needed, they were practically run out of their building.

The same problems that plagued New York in its 4-1 loss in Game 4, when the Devils jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period, cropped up again in front of the frustrated fans.

Gionta got the Devils going 2:43 in, and Elias made it 2-0 1:30 later on New Jersey’s fourth shot.

Tortorella used his timeout, but it made little difference. He appeared to be calm as he moved back and forth behind the bench while talking to his players. Whatever the message was it didn’t sink in.

The Devils shrugged off a few scoring chances by the Rangers, and padded their lead again.

Just 5:26 after Elias’ goal, Zajac made it 3-0 with his seventh of the playoffs. Zajac got a clean shot from just inside the right circle that beat Lundqvist inside the left post.

The tide began to turn the Rangers’ way, and they allowed only one shot the rest of the period.

Prust, making his return following a one-game suspension for an elbow he delivered to the head of Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov in Game 3, showed off a bit of scoring touch when he converted on a breakaway with 4:19 left in the first to make it 3-1.

The Rangers outshot the Devils 9-6 in the lopsided period, but continued their sudden defensive dominance well into the second. Then they cut the Devils’ lead to a goal just 32 seconds into the second.

New Jersey didn’t record its first shot of the period, and its second since its third goal, until Adam Henrique put a puck in on Lundqvist at 6:23.

Lundqvist, who had stopped 94 percent of the shots he faced in the playoffs before Wednesday, made just 12 saves. The Rangers allowed five goals one game after giving up four for the first time in this postseason.

To make the finals, New York will have to win a third consecutive seven-game series.

“We have to have a short memory,” Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh said. “We’ve been in this position before in this playoffs and we found a way to get it done. We don’t want to look ahead. We have to win two games, but we just have to focus on winning one.”

What’s your prediction for Game 6? Sound off in the comments below!

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

The Earthquakes (8-2-3) went into the 75th minute down 2-0, but Steven Lenhart scored off a corner kick and Khari Stephenson converted a penalty kick to tie the score. Just seconds before time expired. Gordon finished a bouncing cross for the winning goal.

“I just was following up the play, I think there may have been a little bit of hesitation on their part and I was just seeing the play through,” said Gordon after scoring his fourth goal of the season. “They hesitated, I didn’t, I finished it. Forwards get lucky sometimes, I got lucky, who cares, I put it in, end of story period.”

Hector Jimenez and Mike Magee scored for Los Angeles.

The Galaxy went ahead in third minute when Jimenez sent a

close-range shot past San Jose goalkeeper Jon Busch for his first MLS goal.

Los Angeles played a man down after Jimenez received a red card in the 60th minute for a tackle on Earthquakes defender Steven Beitashour. Still, the Galaxy doubled their lead on Magee’s goal in the 73rd minute.

In the 76th, Lenhart scored off Marvin Chavez’s corner kick. Just six minutes later, Stephenson tied it on a penalty kick that was set up when referee Jair Marrufo called a handball on David Beckham in the box.

The comeback was complete four minutes into stoppage time when a Galaxy turnover led to in a Jason Hernandez cross that Gordon headed in for the game winning goal.

After extending their winless streak to six matches, the defending MLS Cup champion Galaxy (3-7-2) were left searching for answers.

“We know we played well but also we’re extremely disappointed.

We can’t be up 2-0 at home and they get three unanswered goals. That’s just unacceptable,” defender Sean Franklin said. “It just seems like we can’t get any luck to go our way—a bounce, a call, something. It just seems like things aren’t going the way we wanted them to go.”

The Earthquakes scored in th 88th minute or later for the fifth time this season—with four of those ending in either a win or a draw.

“We just like to make the game exciting. Goonies never say die,” Lenhart said. “I think we are prepared this year. We have put in the work in training and we like each other, we show up every day and we all know we are committing to the 90 minutes, to play together and work for each other. It may not look that pretty but we know we are going to get the most out of our guys at the end of the day.”

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Now Lee and his booming leg will be a part of the 49ers even longer.

San Francisco signed the three-time All-Pro punter to a six-year contract extension Wednesday that will keep him keep him with the franchise through the 2018 season.

“Sometimes it’s underestimated probably,” 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said of his punter. “Andy is one of those guys that wins games for our football team. And it’s great to see guys that play all the games, play all 16, 17, 18 games and help our football team win games, get rewarded with a new contract. So we’re all really excited and happy for Andy about that.”

Lee has been a major—if not often overlooked—asset since San Francisco drafted him in the sixth round in 2004.

The 29-year-old has played in 128 games for the 49ers and holds team records in punts (723), yards (33,069), gross average (45.7), net average (38.9) and punts downed inside the 20-yard line (209). Since 2007, Lee’s gross punting average (47.9) and net average (40.7) rank second in the NFL.

Lee also set the NFL single-season record last year in net punting average (44.0) and his gross average (50.9) ranked third in league history.

“They did a good job signing other guys to just keep this team intact so we can make a run at the Super Bowl,” Lee said. “It makes me feel really good and makes me feel respected by this team and organization.”

Lee always expresses appreciation for long snapper Brian Jennings and his fellow special-teamers for the success.

David Akers—who set a single-season NFL record with 44 field goals last year—made the All-Pro team. And special teams coach Brad Seely has been a big part of the unit’s success, too.

Lee, who was set to become a free agent after this season, was thrilled he’ll stay a part of the close-knit group beyond this year.

“I think it’s a great thing to know where I’m going to be and be able to plan our future and know my family is going to be financially secure with certain things,” he said. “It was a good thing to get worked out. I gave a little on my part, I think they gave a little bit on their part. It’s a good feeling for both sides.”

Terms of the deal were not immediately disclosed.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) — Hundreds of children didn’t get the chance to play baseball this year in San Francisco because there were simply not enough fields to accommodate demand.

Despite heroic efforts by both San Francisco Little League and San Francisco Youth Baseball League, the little league dream of so many kids was just that, a dream.

Then one day, two coaches from SFYBL, Victor Reed and Brian Ingram, decided to do something about it. They agreed to coach a team that would include 12 kids from the waiting list. While this didn’t answer the prayers of the majority of kids without a team, it did give a handful the chance to play ball. And so, the Spiders were born.

From the beginning, the challenge was a laborious study in fundamentals and patience for coaches Reed and Ingram. After all, this was the first time several of the kids had played baseball. Most couldn’t judge a fly ball, catch a ground ball, or hit a pitch.

The losses mounted, but not the frustration of the coaches. Sometime around the sixth week, the team’s uniforms finally arrived. And ironically, so did their ability.

Remember the fabled movie, “The Bad News Bears?” An outfielder named Lupus finally makes a catch in the outfield. It’s a startling revelation when he discovers the baseball sticking in his glove. A symbolic change occurred on the team and the Bears go on to the little league championship game. And like the movie, one of the Spiders players is girl, the team’s center fielder.

One of the great joys of watching little league kids and coaching them, is the moment that they learn how to catch a fly ball, field a ground ball, or whack a base hit. The look in their eyes is a priceless look into the wonderment of life. An astonishing discovery that, “yes, I can do this.”

This week, the Spiders will play in the SFYBL Championship game. Twelve kids who wouldn’t have had the chance if not for Victor Reed and Brian Ingram.

And this story is why I love my job.

See you on TV.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Jarrod Parker had his strongest outing yet for the Athletics in a 3-1, 11-inning defeat to the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday, yet he didn’t get enough support from the offense.

“We’re not stringing hits together and getting guys on base,” Melvin said. “We have to swing the bats better. We’re going to face a lot of good pitchers. There’s no excuse. We got four hits.”

Alberto Callaspo delivered a go-ahead two-run double in the 11th against Justin Norberto (0-1).

Kendrys Morales drew a one-out walk in the 11th and was lifted for pinch-runner Peter Bourjos, who moved to third on Howie Kendrick’s two-out single. Callaspo then drove them both home with a double to left.

Jordan Walden (1-1) pitched a 1-2-3 10th, and Ernesto Frieri finished by striking out the side for his first major league save on a day the Angels couldn’t provide enough offense to back starter Jered Weaver.

Frieri hasn’t given up a hit while striking out 19 in 8 2-3 innings since he was acquired from San Diego on May 3.

“I was waiting for this for a long time with the Padres, and they wouldn’t give me a chance,” said Frieri, a 26-year-old righty who has pitched in parts of four major league seasons. “The Angels trust me a little more. Mentally, I was ready.”

Parker struck out a career-best eight and walked one in seven innings, allowing one run and five hits. The right-hander is winless in four starts since beating Boston at Fenway Park on May 1 for his lone victory. Parker’s one walk was a positive sign, considering he had issued at least four in each of his previous three outings.

Making his first career start against the Angels, Parker bounced back with a solid day after he was tagged for a career-high six runs in a career-low two innings in Friday’s 8-6 loss at San Francisco.

“I wanted to get out there and have a good one after the last one,” Parker said.

Melvin called it Parker’s “best stuff of the year.”

Weaver allowed one run and three hits in eight innings but missed a chance to become the majors’ first seven-game winner.

Weaver surrendered a tying solo home run to Seth Smith on a changeup in the sixth and gave the Angels another strong performance following a one-hitter by C.J. Wilson and Frieri a night earlier in a 5-0 win.

Scott Downs also pitched a hitless inning of relief—giving the Angels plenty of options in their suddenly reliable bullpen late in the game.

“It was only a matter of time before those guys turned it around,” Weaver said.

Maicer Izturis hit an RBI single in the third inning against A’s starter Jarrod Parker, but that wasn’t enough to hold up for Weaver. The right-hander is 2-0 with a 1.66 ERA in his last three starts at the Coliseum.

Oakland has been without its best bats with Brandon Inge and Yoenis Cespedes both on the disabled list, and Melvin said before the game suspended slugger Manny Ramirez might not be ready to be promoted from his Triple-A stint on May 30 — his 40th birthday—as planned when he’s eligible. Ramirez has been dealing with a wrist injury.

“Offensively we have to get a lot better. We’re putting a lot of weight on our starting pitchers,” Oakland’s Jonny Gomes said. “We’re not getting run out of the stadium every day. It’s not like it’s 10-9. It’s 2-1 or 1-0. We’re in every game. We need to find ways to get guys on base.”

Albert Pujols went 1 for 4 and recorded a hit for 11th time in his last 12 games. The slugger singled in the sixth but was thrown out at third trying to take an extra base on Morales’ single.

The Angels won for just their third time in the last eight meetings with the AL West rival A’s. Oakland leads the season series 5-4.

Angels shortstop Erick Aybar had most of the day off to rest a day after he was hit in the right knee by a pitch in the seventh inning. He flied out as a pinch-hitter in the 10th. Aybar said he feels much better and expects to start Thursday at Seattle.

Los Angeles rookie Kole Calhoun doubled in the fifth for his first major league hit. He made his big league debut Tuesday night as a ninth inning defensive substitute in right field for Mark Trumbo.

NOTES: Injured A’s CF Cespedes tested his strained left hand with 40 swings off a tee. … The Angels have scored 18 runs over their last eight games vs. Oakland. Los Angeles heads to Seattle for four games to finish its 10-game road trip, and is expected to get RF Torii Hunter back from the restricted list next week after he returned to Texas following the arrest of his teenage son. … Pujols is batting .378 (14 of 37) with five doubles, a home run and four RBIs in seven games vs. the A’s this year.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

The career home run leader filed a 60-page brief on May 3 with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and the government’s response had been due June 4.

The court granted the request prosecutors filed Wednesday and gave Bonds until 14 days after the government brief to file his optional reply. The delay likely pushes back oral arguments until October or November, and decision by a three-judge panel until late 2013 at the earliest.

Bonds was convicted in April 2011 of one count of giving an evasive answer in 2003 to a grand jury investigating illegal steroids distribution.

A jury deadlocked on three counts charging him with making false statements.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Complete Game Box Score | Giants Team Page

Zito (3-2) allowed eight runs—four earned—five hits and four walks in three innings, dropping to 0-4 with a 7.67 ERA in eight starts at Miller Park.

Jose Veras (3-1) struck out three over two hitless innings in relief of Marco Estrada, who left after injuring his right leg while running out a first-inning double. John Axford pitched the ninth for his seventh save in eight chances.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Manager Bob Melvin says the A’s want to make sure Ramirez is fully prepared and comfortable with his swing before he plays in major league games following his stint with Triple-A Sacramento. Melvin still hopes that could be on time.

Ramirez turns 40 on May 30, the day he could come back in Minnesota. His 100-game suspension for a second positive drug test was cut to 50 games after he sat out most of last year.

The dreadlocked designated hitter is a .312 hitter with 555 homers and 1,831 RBIs. The 12-time All-Star faced a 50-game suspension for a second positive drug test.

This will be his 20th major league season.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Penner gathered a bouncing puck and beat Mike Smith between the pads for the game-winner, extending the Kings’ road winning streak to an NHL-record eight straight games. Anze Kopitar scored a short-handed goal, Drew Doughty had a goal and an assist, and Mike Richards also scored for Los Angeles.

“I got a lucky bounce,” Penner said. “I just waited for it to settle down, and I got a chance to get it in the net.”

The first team to go undefeated on the road en route to the Stanley Cup finals, the Kings will play Game 1 on May 30 at either New Jersey or New York.

Los Angeles is in the final round for the first time since 1993, when Wayne Gretzky and the Kings lost to the Montreal Canadiens in their only finals appearance.

Taylor Pyatt had a goal and an assist, Marc-Antoine Pouliot and Keith Yandle also scored for the Coyotes in their first trip to the Western Conference finals.

Game 5 Photo Gallery (Photo by Maxx Wolfson/Getty Images)

Los Angeles blew one chance to put away the pesky Coyotes.

Leading the series 3-0 and playing at home, the Kings couldn’t match Phoenix’s intensity in Game 4 and lost 2-0, giving the Coyotes a glimmer of hope.

What they didn’t want to do is give them momentum.

Phoenix has been as good as any team in the league when the confidence is rolling, using an 11-game winning streak in February to get back into the playoff race and a five-game streak to close out its first NHL division title.

The Kings had come through in this spot once before, beating top-seeded Vancouver on the road after failing to complete the sweep at home in Game 4.

They didn’t appear ready to do it again.

Riding the confidence carryover from Game 4, the Coyotes dominated early, controlling the puck, giving the Kings little room in the neutral zone or anywhere else. Phoenix had some good scoring chances early and Pyatt cashed in on a power play, redirecting Martin Hanzal’s one-timer in the slot 4:20 into the game.

“The first period was tough,” Penner said. “They threw everything at us. (Goaltender Jonathan) Quick hung in there for us, made some big saves, and we battled back. We couldn’t have done it without him.”

The Kings snatched a little momentum back with their fifth short-handed goal of the playoffs. Kopitar got it, redirecting a shot by Doughty past Smith off a faceoff after Phoenix’s goalie was called for icing.

Then it turned into a shootout in the second period.

Pouliot gave Phoenix the lead back by flipping a backhander past Quick on a loose puck in front midway through for his first career playoff goal. Doughty tied it a few minutes later, scoring from just inside the blue line on a shot Smith had trouble seeing through traffic.

Richards scored on rebound to put Los Angeles up 3-2, Yandle tied it again after a pass by Pyatt caromed off his right leg past Quick.

Both teams had numerous scoring chances in a hectic third period, but both goalies made some superb saves.

They went back and forth in the overtime, too, until Penner finally ended it when a shot by Jeff Carter caromed out front to him in the slot.

With it, the Kings, after a 19-year wait and some dicey moments against the Coyotes, are finally headed back to the finals.

“It feels great,” Penner said. “We just had to worry about ourselves. And we were able to battle back.”

Notes: Coyotes RW Radim Vrbata had an assist on Pyatt’s goal for his first point in eight games. … Los Angeles was 2 for 27 in the series on the power play after going 0 for 4 in Game 5. … Yandle has nine points in the playoffs, matching Dave Babych’s team record for a defenseman set in 1985. … Los Angeles has won 10 straight road playoff games over two seasons, an NHL record.

2012 Stanley Cup Final Schedule

Game 1 Wed., May 30 8 p.m. S
Game 2 Sat., June 2 8 p.m.
Game 3 Mon., June 4 8 p.m.
Game 4 Wed., June 6 8 p.m.
*Game 5 Sat., June 9 8 p.m.
*Game 6 Mon., June 11 8 p.m.
*Game 7 Wed., June 13 8 p.m.
* – If necessary
All times listed are Eastern Time

Albert Pujols homered for the third time in seven days while Mark Trumbo and Howie Kendrick both had RBI singles for the Angels, who had scored only five runs in their previous three games combined.

A day after losing its third consecutive one-run game, Los Angeles took a four-run lead after three innings and coasted the rest of the way to give Wilson (5-4) his first win in nearly three weeks.

Cliff Pennington had the only hit—a one-out single in the fifth—for Oakland, which had won five of the previous seven meetings between the teams this season.

Pujols, who signed a $240 million, 10-year deal with the Angels in the offseason, continued to show signs of heating up after a slow start with his new club.

He drove in the Angels’ first run with a sacrifice fly in the first inning then hit his fourth homer of the season with one out in the third, a towering solo shot to left off A’s starter Graham Godfrey. It was the 449th homer for Pujols, tying him with Vladimir Guerrero and Jeff Bagwell for 35th on the all-time list.

More importantly for the Angels, Pujols has 15 RBIs in his last 16 games after having only two through his first 18 games with Los Angeles.

That’s an encouraging sign for a team that began the day seven games under .500

Collectively it was one of the Angels’ best offensive performances this month despite some shaky baserunning early.

Los Angeles scored three runs in the first but Trumbo was tagged out by A’s catcher Anthony Recker after a failed squeeze attempt in that inning. One batter later, Kendrick was thrown out by Oakland right fielder Collin Cowgill trying to score from second on Erick Aybar’s single.

Los Angeles hurt itself again in the second when Mike Trout struck out and was called for interference while John Hester attempted to steal second. Home plate umpire Bill Miller quickly ruled Hester out, and Angels manager Mike Scioscia came out to argue briefly.

It didn’t matter much with the way Wilson (5-4) was pitching.

Facing an Oakland lineup minus three starters, the Angels lefty didn’t give up a hit until Pennington in the fifth and faced only three batters over the minimum to earn his first win since May 5. He had seven strikeouts with two walks.

Frieri pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to secure Los Angeles’ sixth shutout this season, most in the majors.

Godfrey (0-4) didn’t stick around long in his return to the big leagues and remained winless this season.

The A’s right-hander, called up earlier in the day to replace injured starter Brandon McCarthy, threw only 53 pitches and left after allowing four runs and six hits over three innings. Godfrey has lost six consecutive starts dating to last season.

Oakland reliever Travis Blackley pitched well but allowed an unearned run in the seventh after Kendrys Morales reached on an error by third baseman Josh Donaldson. Jim Miller replaced Blackley and gave up a hit and walk to load the bases before hitting Aybar on his right knee to force in Morales and make it 4-0.

Aybar was replaced by a pinch-runner and is listed as day to day.

Oakland was blanked for the seventh time this year, second-most in the majors behind the Angels (eight).

Notes: Pujols has homered against all but three teams—Texas, Baltimore and St. Louis. … A’s OF Yoenis Cespedes did some light hitting in the batting cage with three different-sized fungos but there is still no timetable for when the Cuban slugger will return from his injured left hand. Cespedes was leading all major league rookies in RBIs and stolen bases when he was placed on the DL May 12. … Oakland LHP Brett Anderson’s rehab from elbow-ligament replacement surgery took a brief pause last week when he was shut down after experiencing forearm tightness but trainer Nick Paparesta is optimistic Anderson will remain on schedule in his recovery. … To make room on their roster for Godfrey, the A’s sent LHP Pedro Figueroa to Triple-A Sacramento. Figueroa had a 2.00 ERA in eight appearances with Oakland. … RHP Jered Weaver will attempt to become the AL’s first seven-game winner when he pitches in the series finale Wednesday. Weaver is 7-7 lifetime against Oakland. … RHP Jarrod Parker (1-2) will try to rebound for the A’s after getting shelled in his previous outing.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Sporting a Chicago Bulls cap, a T-shirt and a new look on life, Williams spoke for the first time this spring since his two fumbles in the NFC championship game ended San Francisco’s season. For more than six minutes, Williams stayed serious and intense, making it clear he’s unfazed by all the criticism.

The speedy wide receiver said he’s motivated by all he has endured, including a barrage of hateful, hurtful—even threatening — comments via social media after his overtime fumble on a punt return set up Lawrence Tynes’ winning field goal in San Francisco’s 20-17 home loss to the New York Giants on Jan. 22.

Williams returned to work a week after and hasn’t stopped since.

“It’s not like you want to forget about something like that,”

Williams said. “You want to build off of that. Learn from it, take it as a mistake and build off it. It was a tough time, obviously, for me and the whole team. But the way that these guys had my back, the way that they continue to have my back, that coupled with the work ethic has been good therapy for me.”

Indeed.

Williams was made an instant villain by some. He insists part of

his job is to face the criticism and not hide when times get tough, so he has no qualms talking about the worst time of his career.

If anything, he seems to be the only one not making a big deal about what happened.

Williams credits his teammates—not a single one blamed him for the loss—following the game, starting when All-Pro linebacker Patrick Willis waited at his locker to make sure “I was good.”

Dashon Goldson, Michael Crabtree and Ted Ginn Jr.—whom Williams filled in for that game—were among the scores of teammates who left encouraging messages on his phone.

“It’s just one of those things where you can tell the kind of guys that we have in this locker room because they didn’t turn their back on me,” Williams said. “And they could have, they really could have, and they didn’t. They came to my side and they were there for me.”

That’s only the beginning of Williams’ wild offseason.

In April, the wide receiver’s name emerged as a main target in

the New Orleans Saints’ bounty program. A recording came out of former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams instructing players in January to “put a lick” on Williams to see if he had lingering effects from a concussion.

The NFC West champion 49ers, coming off a 13-3 regular season and making the playoffs for the first time since 2002, beat Drew Brees and the favored Saints 36-32 in a thrilling division round game.

“I didn’t really have a reaction to it,” said Williams, who had 20 catches for 241 yards and three touchdowns last season. ‘I’m really not going to speak about anything like that because there’s so much speculation of what could’ve been said and all that. I’m not even going to touch base on that.”

Only a limited number of 49ers players spoke Tuesday and coach Jim Harbaugh wasn’t made available after the organized team activity.

As he has done all offseason, Williams refused to wait to take another step forward. He worked out some in Arizona, where he went to high school after his family moved from Chicago, including some workouts with Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald in the Phoenix area.

Williams said he hasn’t changed his routine, “but the volume has definitely been turned up and it’s been very rigorous. I’m pushing myself to get an edge—that’s what it takes.” He also said he wouldn’t mind filling in for Ginn on punt returns and is ready to earn a spot anywhere he can in a crowded receiving group that now includes Randy Moss and Mario Manningham.

“I feel like I’m ready to take on 18 games right now,” Williams said. “I’m ready to go.”

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

The Giants won for the eighth time in 11 games despite being outhit 11-5.

The Brewers went 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position off San Francisco starter Matt Cain (4-2) and have lost six of seven.

Cain pitched out of trouble, allowing four runs on 11 hits without walking a batter and striking out eight in seven innings. Santiago Casilla pitched the ninth for his 11th save.

Milwaukee’s Shaun Marcum (2-3) gave up six runs on five hits and two walks with five strikeouts in six innings. It was the first time this season the right-hander gave up more than three earned runs.

Posey’s ground-rule double in the first scored Brandon Crawford to give the Giants a 1-0 lead. His two-run homer in the sixth ricocheted off the center field scoreboard and extended San Francisco’s lead to 6-2.

It was his sixth homer of the season and second in two days. He hit a three-run homer in the top of the first inning Monday night in the Giants 4-3, 14-inning win over the Brewers.

Posey also tagged out Norichika Aoki at home without blocking the plate on a great throw from left fielder Melky Cabrera to complete a double play in the first inning. Posey missed most of last season after injuring his leg on collision at the plate.

Joaquin Arias hit his first major-league home run off Marcum in his 331st career major-league at-bat to give San Francisco a 4-0 lead in the fourth.

Ryan Braun’s single in the seventh extended his hitting streak to 11 games and scored Aoki from third to pull Milwaukee within 6-4. Aramis Ramirez came up as the tying run, but Cain struck him out on his 115th and final pitch to end the Brewers’ threat.

After Posey’s double in the first, Angel Pagan hit a sacrifice fly to score Cabrera and give the Giants a 2-0 lead.

Milwaukee cut it to 4-2 in the bottom of the fourth when Rickie Weeks, in a 4-for-46 slump, hit a two-run double off the base of the center field wall.

NOTES: Cain has held batters to a .125 average (7-56) with runners in scoring position this year. . The Brewers are 3-24 with runners in scoring position in the first two games of the series. . Angel Pagan went 0-3 with a sacrifice fly to snap his 11-game hitting streak. . Brewers 1B Mat Gamel underwent surgery to repair his torn anterior cruciate ligament on Tuesday. . Braun, who left Monday night’s game in the 10th inning with a tight right groin, was back in the starting lineup Tuesday night. . SF INF Aubrey Huff started at 1B, his first start since April 21. He had been on the DL due to an anxiety disorder.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Decatur Municipal Judge Bill Cook convicted McClain last week of third-degree assault, menacing, reckless endangerment and discharging a firearm in the city limits last week and sentenced him to 180 days in jail.

McClain’s lawyer, Harvey Steinberg, said he will appeal to Morgan County Circuit Court and seek a jury trial. McClain is out on bail and rejoined the Raiders this week at the team’s offseason workouts.

McClain spoke to the media to give his apology and thank coach Dennis Allen and his teammates for their support. But he did not take any questions, citing the pending legal matters.

“I apologize for the bad publicity that has been put out there,” he said. “It is a legal process so I can’t talk much about it but I think in due time if the Raiders and the Raiders fans that are out there, we’ll all see, it will all come to an end and it is what it is. I can’t really talk much about it, but it will be resolved in the near future.”

The NFL is reviewing McClain’s case to determine if any punishment is warranted for violations of the league’s personal conduct policy. The Raiders will wait for the NFL to rule on discipline for McClain.

“Rolando’s part of our family, he’s part of our team,” Allen said. “We’re going to let the whole process play out before we do anything and once the whole legal proceedings are finished then we’ll determine what if any action we need to take.”

McClain was the eighth overall pick in the 2010 draft, but has failed to live up to the lofty expectations that came with that selection. He had 85 tackles, a half-sack and one interception as a rookie.

He showed signs of improvement last season with 99 tackles and five sacks but still had problems in coverage and sometimes took bad angles in the run game, leading to big plays.

McClain has allowed 73 completions in 115 pass attempts for 794 yards and seven touchdowns in his two seasons, according to STATS LLC.

“I think he’s done a real good job from a leadership standpoint,” Allen said. “I think he’s very instinctive. He’s smart out there. He’s taken command of the huddle. Those things I’ve been pleased with. Physically, I think as you look at him, I think what he needs to improve on, and he knows this, is a little bit of the pass coverage aspect.”

McClain has said he has been slowed the past two seasons by chronic pain in his knee and ankle. He told the Birmingham Press-Register earlier this offseason that he had a doctor inject fat cells from other parts of his body into his knee and ankle. McClain said he was able to sprint again without pain.

McClain took part in a voluntary minicamp last month, but missed last week’s OTA because of the trial. Allen said he has had no trouble learning the new defense.

“He’s not behind at all,” Allen said. “He’s actually ahead. He’s really smart. He understands the defense and he’s done a real good job in that regard.”

NOTES: The Raiders signed free-agent QB Kyle Newhall-Caballero, who was a two-time All-Ivy League player at Brown as the fourth quarterback. … WR Denarius Moore and LB Aaron Curry were rehabbing soft-tissue injuries on the side. DL Matt Shaughnessy (shoulder), C Stefen Wisniewski (shoulder) and WR Louis Murphy (hamstring) remained sidelined as well. … DL Tommy Kelly missed practice to deal with a personal issue, while S Mike Mitchell remained sidelined following knee surgery and likely won’t practice until training camp.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

The Golden State Warriors, who have spent the past 41 years across the Bay in Oakland, plan to build a new arena by 2017 along the San Francisco waterfront at Piers 30-32, where the team held a news conference Tuesday morning to announce the move.

The Warriors have a lease at Oracle Arena in Oakland through the 2016-17 NBA season and plan to have the new arena in San Francisco built and ready for use by the following season.

PHOTOS: Warriors Announce Move To San Francisco

Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob, whose ownership group bought the team 18 months ago, said team officials looked at several different locations before settling on the one just south of the Bay Bridge and just north of AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants.

“It doesn’t get any better than this,” Lacob said.

He said moving the team was “not an easy decision” and said he is “very, very appreciative of the home we’ve had in Oakland.”

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The new arena will be privately financed instead of using taxpayer money, Lacob said, noting that the Giants’ ballpark was also privately financed and showed “it can work very, very well.”

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee had been talking to Warriors officials for about five months prior to Tuesday’s announcement and said he was excited about the team returning to where it played from 1962 to 1971 before moving to Oakland.

“It’s time to welcome them home,” Lee said.

Lee said he has been “unabashed about pursuing this opportunity” and said he hoped Oakland city officials know the pursuit wasn’t “out of spite. We’re doing it for our own economic sake and for the development of San Francisco.”

Artist’s conception of a Warriors arena on San Francisco Piers 30-32 with AT&T Park in the foreground. (Art Zendarski/Golden State Warriors)

The new arena is expected to create thousands of jobs and will also host various entertainment events and large conventions that San Francisco does not have the space for, according to city officials.

The site is also expected to be transit-friendly, with a San Francisco Municipal Railway Muni Metro stop nearby and the Embarcadero BART station and new Transbay Transit Center within walking distance.

NBA Commissioner David Stern, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, Warriors head coach Marc Jackson and the team’s starting power forward David Lee were among the other speakers at the news conference, as well as NBA legend Jerry West, who currently serves as an executive board member for the team.

West said the team’s new owners “know where they want to go and they’re putting their money behind their mouths.”

Plans for the stadium will have to include the cost to repair the crumbling infrastructure at Piers 30-32, estimated at up to $100 million, according to city officials.

Lacob said “we’re faced with a tight timeline” in completing the arena by 2017, including what he estimated will be about two years of getting the various local and state permits approved, followed by at least two years of construction.

He said there are currently no plans to change the team’s name back to the San Francisco Warriors, which it went by during its time in the city.

“It’s going to be the Golden State Warriors. That’s our name until further notice,” Lacob said.

Officials in Oakland released a statement saying they were disappointed with Tuesday’s announcement in San Francisco, but remained bullish on plans to build the Coliseum City sports and entertainment district at the current site of O.co Coliseum and Oracle Arena.

Coliseum City is a long-term development project that was never dependent on any one tenant,” said Mayor Jean Quan in the statement.

“San Francisco has given the Warriors a waterfront offer they could not refuse,” Assistant City Administrator Fred Blackwell said.

“In the end, we will leave a space for the Warriors after they are exhausted from the CEQA litigation and cost increases required to be on the San Francisco waterfront,” Blackwell said.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)