The Associated Press
NFL ROUNDUP

The Associated Press

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Sitting by himself on an airplane ride up to Green Bay on Thursday morning, Brett Favre struggled to find a sincere and graceful way to say he was finished with football.

In the end, his tears told the story.

“I know I can play, but I don’t think I want to,” Favre said, choking with emotion in a news conference at Lambeau Field two days after he announced his retirement. “It’s been a great career for me, but it’s over.”

Wearing an untucked collared shirt, blue jeans and several days’ worth of facial stubble, Favre said he was convinced he could still play on Sundays but had lost his passion to practice and prepare the way he would need to lead the Packers to another Super Bowl.

Given that fact, he could draw only one conclusion: It was over.

“As they say, all good things must come to an end,” Favre said. “I look forward to whatever the future may hold for me.”

After a farewell news conference that lasted just over an hour, Favre put his arm around his tearful wife, Deanna, and left the stage – presumably for good.

He takes with him a Super Bowl victory, virtually every quarterback record worth having and the widespread admiration of his peers and fans.

The 38-year-old Favre also leaves with graying hair and a deliberate gait – signs that the years were quietly taking a toll on the man who was celebrated for playing a serious and precise game with the carefree joy of a little boy.

He cried Thursday as he discussed his decision.

“I promised I wouldn’t get emotional,” he said. But as the tears flowed, he said, “I’ve watched hundreds of players retire and you wonder what that would be like. You think you’re prepared . . .”

Favre thanked the Green Bay Packers for letting him play.

“I hope that with every penny they’ve spent on me, they know it was money well spent,” he said. “It wasn’t about the money or fame or records. I hear people talk about your accomplishments and things. It was never my accomplishments; it was our accomplishments.”

Favre is the NFL’s only three-time MVP, and he leads the league with 442 touchdown passes, 61,655 yards passing and 160 career victories.

He started 253 consecutive regular-season games, more than any other quarterback in history.

“I’m going out on top,” he said. “Believe me, I could care less what other people think. It’s what I think, and I’m going out on top.”

Around the league

TITANS: Jevon Kearse, who had his best seasons in Tennessee, agreed to rejoin the Titans, who will use him primarily as a situational pass rusher. He was released by Philadelphia, which also cut linebacker Takeo Spikes on Thursday. Cutting Spikes saves Philadelphia $5 million in cap room.

BEARS: Receiver Marty Booker returned to Chicago, agreeing to a two-year, free-agent deal worth a reported $3.5 million. After five years with the Bears, including a team-record 100-catch season, Booker was traded to Miami during the 2004 preseason.

JETS: The New York Jets signed fullback Tony Richardson, who played the last two seasons in Minnesota after 11 years in Kansas City. He was voted to his third Pro Bowl last season.

PATRIOTS: New England, which lost cornerbacks Asante Samuel and Randall Gay to free agency, signed two defensive backs – cornerback Lewis Sanders, who played for Atlanta last season and safety Tank Williams, who was with Minnesota. Sanders is an eight-year veteran and Williams a six-year veteran.

BRONCOS: Denver signed linebacker Boss Bailey, uniting him with his brother, star cornerback Champ Bailey. Boss Bailey spent his first five seasons in Detroit.

RAMS: St. Louis re-signed guard Adam Goldberg and agreed to terms with tight end Anthony Becht.

JAGUARS: Jacksonville re-signed offensive lineman Maurice Williams.

RAVENS: Baltimore agreed to terms with special-teamer Brendon Ayanbadejo, who used to play for the Chicago Bears.

The Associated Press

MILWAUKEE – It took Arizona eight innings to hit the ball hard, and when Mark Reynolds finally did, it made the Diamondbacks a winner.

Reynolds hit a tie-breaking three-run homer in the eighth inning as Arizona beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-2 on Wednesday night to win for just the third time in 11 games.

“We needed that game bad,” said Reynolds, the rookie third baseman. “I was just fortunate enough to be up there in the right spot to help the team win. I got a good swing on it.”

Milwaukee reliever Grant Balfour recorded the first two outs in the eighth before hitting Eric Byrnes in the left arm. Byrnes stole second and Conor Jackson walked before Reynolds hit his eighth home run.

“We didn’t really have a hard-hit ball until that ball,” Arizona manager Bob Melvin said with a smile. “We got one ball in the screws and we end up winning the game.”

Balfour (0-1) was making his first appearance in a major league game since Oct. 3, 2004, when he pitched for Minnesota. The Australian right-hander underwent pitching elbow surgery in 2005.

“It’s frustrating, obviously,” Balfour said. “One pitch and it turns into a good outing, and one pitch makes it a not-so-good outing.”

The Brewers got the tying run to the plate with one out in the eighth, but Arizona reliever Tony Pena (4-2) got Tony Graffanino to fly out and Damian Miller to pop out to end the inning.

Pena pitched two innings and Jose Valverde pitched the ninth for his 28th save in 31 chances. Kevin Mench homered for the Brewers, who managed four hits and went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position to end their four-game winning streak.

“Right now, we’re just not really swinging the bats great,” Milwaukee manager Ned Yost said. “We’re swinging enough to score a run or two here and there.

“We’re going to have to start scoring a few more runs here in the near future,” he said.

Milwaukee starter Chris Capuano pitched seven innings, giving up two tough-luck runs on four hits and two walks while striking out five. He has not won since May 7, a span of 10 starts, and is 0-6 with four no-decisions in that time.

Arizona took a 2-0 lead in the fourth. Byrnes was credited with a double after Mench slipped in right field and fell while trying to catch a routine fly. Capuano walked Reynolds one out later, and Scott Hairston followed with a weak fly to center that fell in front of Corey Hart for an RBI single.

Chris Snyder then hit another weak fly, this one to right field, scoring Reynolds to make it 2-0.

“Capuano pitched great,” Melvin said.

In the bottom half of the inning, Ryan Braun led off with a walk and Mench hit his sixth home run of the year to the left-field second deck, tying the score at 2.

Arizona starter Doug Davis, facing his former team, gave up two runs and three hits in six innings, walking five.

UP NEXT

Thursday: (Livan Hernandez, 5-5) at Milwaukee (Yovani Gallardo 1-1), 11:05 p.m., No TV, Radio 1490

Citizen Staff Photographer

PHOTO CAPTION: Courtesy of the Department of Veterans Affairs

Citizen Staff Writer

HEIDI ROWLEY

hrowley@tucsoncitizen.com

Twelve Pima County veterans are representing Arizona this week during the 27th National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Milwaukee.

Most of the athletes have already won gold, silver and bronze medals, with more awards to come as the team sports, including basketball and power soccer, conclude this weekend.

The games run through Saturday and include more than 500 athletes from 45 states, Great Britain and Puerto Rico. A total of 15 athletes are from Arizona: 11 from Tucson, and one each from Marana, Sierra Vista, El Mirage and Phoenix.

According to event results on the Department of Veterans Affairs Web site devoted to the games, Tucsonan John “Jack” Grams, 57, has won a medal in each of his five events – javelin, slalom, bowling, shot put and discus.

Air Force veteran Pamela Foley, 42, also of Tucson, has won four medals – two silver and two gold – in motorized slalom, bowling, table tennis and nine ball.

Athletes compete within three divisions including master, for athletes over 40 years old; novice, for first-time competitors; and open, a category for anyone. Within those divisions are categories rated to the athlete’s physical abilities. There are three quadriplegic levels and four paraplegic or amputee levels.

According to Grams’ profile, the Vietnam veteran is competing in the games for the fourth time.

Veterans from Pima County are:

• Paul Cartter, 53, Air Force, is a paraplegic and amputee wounded in combat in southeast Asia.

• Erik Castillo, 23, Army, received a head injury in combat in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

• Joseph Chitty, 58, Air Force, is a paraplegic.

• Pamela Foley, 42, Air Force, has multiple sclerosis.

• John “Jack” Grams, 57, Navy, is a combat veteran of Vietnam and a quadriplegic.

• Ingolf Larsen, 71, Army, is a veteran of the Korean War and a paraplegic.

• Larry Lattomus, 74, Air Force, is a quadriplegic.

• Steve O’Brien, 38, U.S. Navy, is a combat veteran of Operation Desert Shield/Storm and a paraplegic.

• Jeffrey Odom, 30, Air Force, is a veteran of Operation Desert Shield/Storm and a quadriplegic.

• Jesus Rangel-Carpio, 29, Marine, is a paraplegic.

• Aaron Roux, 22, Marine, is a quadriplegic.

The Associated Press

The Associated Press

MILWAUKEE – The Phoenix Suns realize they might be too good for their own good.

Raja Bell scored 27 points to lead all five Phoenix starters in double figures, and the Suns set a franchise record with their 16th straight victory by beating the scrappy Milwaukee Bucks 98-90 Friday night.

Shawn Marion grabbed 23 rebounds, and Steve Nash had 16 assists for the seemingly unstoppable Suns, who have won 32 of 34 overall. They had a 15-game winning streak earlier this season, a run that ended with a 144-139 overtime loss to Washington on Dec. 22.

Still, Nash was frustrated.

“There’s no rings for streaks,” he said. “We’ve had a tendency to really take people lightly and not be as focused as we need to be, and I think you saw that again from us tonight.”

Suns coach Mike D’Antoni didn’t sound happy about his decision to give the team the day off Thursday in Milwaukee, a mistake that won’t be repeated before Phoenix plays at Cleveland on Sunday in the fourth stop of its five-game trip.

D’Antoni said everyone was out of sync against the Bucks.

“That comes from a day off and laying around the hotel all day,” he said. “We’ll lace them up tomorrow at noon and have a little practice.”

Marion’s 23 rebounds were one off his career high. Nash had 18 points, but he committed eight turnovers.

The victory gave Phoenix a tie for the 10th-longest winning streak in NBA history and the longest since the Los Angeles Lakers reeled off 19 straight wins in 2000.

“It’s hard to feel real proud about it because we haven’t been playing as well as we can for much of the streak,” Nash said.

The Suns, now 19-1 against the East, improved to 11-0 on the road against the Eastern Conference, the best since the 1994-95 Utah Jazz matched that mark.

Amaré Stoudemire scored 21 points, Marion 11 and Boris Diaw 11 for Phoenix.

Milwaukee, which has lost six straight and 11 of 12, was led by Charlie Bell with 21 points.

UP NEXT

Phoenix at Cleveland

• When: 11 a.m. Sunday

• TV: ABC

• Radio: 1490-AM

The Associated Press

MILWAUKEE – Craig Counsell, who spent the last two years with the Arizona Diamondbacks, decided he’d rather be a backup for his hometown team than a starter someplace else.

Counsell, 36, returned to Milwaukee on Wednesday, agreeing to a $6 million, two-year contract. He is a native of the area and played for the Brewers in 2004.

He drew interest from the San Diego Padres, potentially as a starting second baseman. But his decision became easy when Brewers general manager Doug Melvin called.

“It’s a great situation for my family because I have three little kids,” said Counsell, who helped the D’backs win the World Series in 2001. “This is Milwaukee. This is where I grew up.”

Counsell knows the Brewers appear to be set on the infield, with second baseman Rickie Weeks, former Sabino High shortstop J.J. Hardy and third baseman Corey Koskie.

- The Associated Press

NBA

Nash won’t let Suns fold; ex-Cat Adams scores 16

A blown 22-point lead wasn’t enough to prevent the host Phoenix Suns from winning their fifth in a row.

Steve Nash broke out of a bad shooting night with eight points in a 19-5 fourth-quarter run, and the Suns regrouped to beat the Houston Rockets 102-91 on Wednesday night. Amaré Stoudemire had 22 points and 15 rebounds for the Suns, who dominated the boards 55-36.

In Boston, former Arizona star Hassan Adams had a career-high 16 points and eight rebounds in New Jersey’s 106-103 win over the Celtics.

Trailing 92-82 with 9:32

remaining in the game, New Jersey responded with an 11-0 run, capped by a pair of free throws by the rookie Adams, for its first lead since the first quarter.

See NBA roundup, 3C

LPGA

Ex-Cat Blasberg stays close in qualifying tournament

Former University of Arizona star Erica Blasberg is one shot out of the lead after the first round of the LPGA Tour Qualifying Tournament in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Blasberg shot a 4-under-par 68, while ex-Wildcat Jenna Daniels shot a 71 and was tied for 22nd.

Sahuaro High grad Rich Barcelo is tied for 13th at 1-under 71 after the first round of the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament in La Quinta, Calif. Ex-Cat Ricky Barnes is tied for 75th at 74.

- The Associated Press

The Arizona Republic

COMMENT by DAN BICKLEY

The Arizona Republic

GREEN BAY, Wis. – In the midst of another sucker-punch season, Cardinals owner Bill Bidwill has a rare opportunity to make a powerful statement. He can do so without saying a word.

If he fires Dennis Green 24 hours after another whipping from a lowly opponent, he will appease a legion of irate Cardinals fans who have had enough of this horribly coached football team.

And if he hands his head coach a pink slip and a road map, thus swallowing nearly $4 million of salary left on Green’s contract, the reclusive owner will counter a prevailing perception that has dogged him for decades: He can prove that he actually cares about the product he peddles, and not just the annual profits it reaps.

“I’ll be at work (today),” Green boldly declared.

The Cardinals are 1-7 after a 31-14 loss to Green Bay on Sunday and are a lock to post their 18th nonwinning season in 19 years of football in the desert. Besides, interim coaches rarely work in the NFL, and promoting defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast hours after the Cardinals’ defense was shredded seems highly illogical.

Getting steamrolled by the Packers is simply unacceptable, and, regardless of deficiencies, the Cardinals have far too much talent to lose successive games to Oakland and Green Bay. You can put this game in the bulging scrapbook of Cardinal sins.

Many of the Cardinals are not playing hard. Given the defensive performance against the Packers, you can almost sense that they have lost faith in the offense, which supposedly is Green’s specialty. For what it’s worth, a new coach, no matter what his name or reputation, immediately would reel those guys back into the program.

“I think the team is playing hard,” Green said.

Oh, sure. Meanwhile, Green has lost 28 of 40 games since arriving Arizona, and, given the high expectations attached to this year’s team, the overall mood rarely has been worse.

Problem is, there also is a prevailing perception that Bidwill just won’t eat that much money. That he doesn’t want to let Green off the hook. That he holds Green in contempt for this mess and wants him to suffer just like the rest of us.

If Bidwill pulls the plug on Green, it will instantly invigorate the fan base. It will appear as if the old man can’t tolerate another week of this undisciplined, underperforming team.

For a man who has never has cared that much about winning, it would be a refreshing change of pace.

Besides, the Bidwills need a scapegoat like never before. Green should be quite familiar with the concept.

The Associated Press

The Associated Press

GREEN BAY, Wis. – With his team allowing too many big plays and finding ways to lose winnable games, there must have been times Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy was tempted to throw a public tantrum.

Similar to the tirade Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green went on a few weeks ago, perhaps.

But if the Chicago Bears – or New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles and St. Louis Rams – are who McCarthy thought the Packers were, he hasn’t said so.

“You’d feel a lot better if you could come up here and throw microphones back at you guys,” McCarthy said, facing reporters this week after three home losses. “Yeah, that would make me feel better, but that’s not the right thing to do. It’s not fun to come in here after a loss, and particularly the home losses.

“But that’s part of the environment we work in. Yeah, it’s a little bit of a challenge.”

McCarthy’s steady approach to the frustrating season for the Packers (2-4) starkly contrasts with the emotional manner in which Green has handled the Cardinals (1-6).

“Everybody knows my expectations and how I like to coach and so forth,” Green said. “So I think it’s been tough on everybody, myself included.”

Green pulled quarterback Kurt Warner in favor of rookie Matt Leinart and criticized his offensive line going into the Cardinals’ Oct. 16 game against Chicago. Then Green’s team blew a 20-point halftime lead to the Bears, triggering his now-infamous Monday night meltdown.

After growling that the Bears “are who we thought they were” and that his team “let them off the hook,” Green stormed out of a news conference.

The Associated Press

The Associated Press

A 60-year-old man visiting La Crosse, Wis., spent 17 hours in jail this week after a background check during a routine traffic stop uncovered an arrest warrant for a 1984 ticket.

Michael L. Saxton of Phoenix said he never knew about the citation for failure to display boat registration numbers that the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access Consolidated Court Automation Programs’ Web site listed as having been issued against him in June 1984.

Saxton, a La Crosse native, was jailed from Monday until a Milwaukee County court commissioner reviewed the case Tuesday.

The Arizona man said he believes the citation was sent to him right after he moved to Seattle in mid-June 1984.

If he known about the ticket, Saxton said, he would have taken care of it before leaving the state.

A La Crosse County official said it is common for people in the county not to show up for citations, and that county judges issue arrest warrants only for criminal offenses.

The Associated Press

MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Brewers placed Sabino High graduate J.J. Hardy on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday, one day after the shortstop severely sprained his right ankle on a play at home plate.

Hardy is expected to miss two to six weeks, and the Brewers recalled outfielder Corey Hart from Triple-A Nashville to take Hardy’s place on the 25-man roster.

Hardy sprained a ligament in his ankle when he slid into Philadelphia catcher Sal Fasano at home in the eighth inning of Tuesday’s 3-2 victory over the Phillies.

Hardy, who was thrown out on the play, had to be helped off the field after the play.

- The Associated Press

The Arizona Republic

By PAUL CORO

The Arizona Republic

MILWAUKEE – Just when you thought things could not get worse for the Phoenix Suns, a team talking title with Amaré Stoudemire back just five days ago found new depths yesterday.

In 38 years, the Suns had never shot as poorly as they did Monday. And in 38 years, the Suns have never lost consecutive games as badly as they did with yesterday’s 132-110 loss to Milwaukee following up New Jersey’s 38-point drubbing Monday.

The Suns bench looked like it was watching a funeral procession for the second straight night as Phoenix tested the extremes of playing poorly two different ways. In between, they learned that Stoudemire’s return has been called off with his season and the team championship hopes attached to his comeback now in question.

Phoenix followed up dreadful 26.8 percent shooting in New Jersey by yielding 60.5 percent shooting to the Bucks yesterday. The Suns’ city park defense allowed Milwaukee to make 30 of 38 shots in the middle quarters and 14 straight in one stretch.

“It’s been hectic around here for the last couple of weeks,” Suns star Shawn Marion said. “We have to band together like dogs and get it done.”

The focus may be on missing Stoudemire, but the importance of Kurt Thomas has been glaring. Phoenix is giving up 108.5 points per game in the 17 games he has missed since a stress fracture was found in his foot.

The Suns got by for a while but have gone 5-6 since March 9. Without Thomas’ trusty post defense, Phoenix has to double the post and winds up scrambling to stop shooters. To that end, Milwaukee was spotting up, taking a bounce and waving to family in the stands as it made a franchise record 18 three-pointers.

“We dared them to make shots and they made them,” Suns guard Raja Bell said.

“We’re playing with a little bit of fire because it’s late in the season and we want to go on an upswing into the playoffs.”

The Bucks dropped 11 threes in the third for a NBA record in any quarter.

The Suns could only manage 72 points Monday, but had that many and the lead four minutes into the third quarter yesterday. But Phoenix is losing steam in the grind of March, a month in which they have almost lost as many times (six) as they did in January and February combined (seven).

“We’re kind of broken right now,” Suns coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We’ll lick our wounds.”

Pistons 97, Mavericks 90: At Auburn Hills, Mich., Chauncey Billups scored eight of his 31 points in the final three minutes to help Detroit win.

SuperSonics 98, Grizzlies 97: At Memphis, Tenn., Ray Allen made an off-balance 19-footer with 0.3 seconds left, and Seattle overcame Pau Gasol’s franchise-record 44 points to snap the Grizzlies’ seven-game winning streak.

Bobcats 125, Hawks 117: At Charlotte, N.C., Gerald Wallace scored 18 of his career-high 41 points in the fourth quarter, and Charlotte pulled away.

Magic 97, Bulls 93: At Chicago, Jameer Nelson scored 24 points, Hedo Turkoglu hit two key jumpers in the closing minutes and Orlando rallied.

Wizards 97, Kings 84: At Sacramento, Calif., Caron Butler scored 23 points, Antonio Daniels added 17 and Washington snapped an eight-game losing streak in Sacramento even while playing without Gilbert Arenas, who had the flu.

Spurs 98, Clippers 87: At Los Angeles, Tim Duncan had 20 points and 13 rebounds, Michael Finley also scored 20 points, and San Antonio broke open a tight game in the third quarter.

The Associated Press

The Associated Press

MILWAUKEE – With 19 points and 14 rebounds, top draft pick Andrew Bogut had already played perhaps his best game as a pro. A blocked shot to win the game sealed it.

Bogut made two free throws late in overtime, then blocked ex-Arizona Wildcat Jason Terry’s potential game-tying shot at the buzzer to lift the Milwaukee Bucks over the Dallas Mavericks 113-111 last night.

“Just seeing Terry running at me full speed, I was thinking about taking the charge,” Bogut said. “Then he slowed up. I don’t know what I was trying to do, but I just got a hand up there.”

Terry had 37 points for Dallas, but wanted his final attempt, a running 10-footer to the right of the lane, back.

“I should have pulled up for the three on the road,” said Terry, who missed a shot at the buzzer in regulation that would have won it, one night after winning the game with a running jumper at the horn at Toronto.

“That was the play we wanted,” he said. “It was just on me whether I took the 3 or the 2. I just can’t make that mistake in that situation.”

T.J. Ford had a career-high 24 points, including a key 3-pointer with 31 seconds remaining for Milwaukee, which was playing without leading scorer Michael Redd. Bobby Simmons led the Bucks with 26 points.

Milwaukee, which had shot below 40 percent in each of its last four games, made 49 percent of its shots and was 6 of 11 on three-pointers.

Milwaukee outrebounded Dallas 46-37.

“The defense was horrible,” said Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki, who was just 5 of 22. “It wasn’t great from the beginning on. We were trading baskets, and we’ve got be better than that.”

• Rockets 100, Hawks 85: At Houston, Tracy McGrady is back. Maybe now Houston can finally recover from its dismal start.

Sidelined since Nov. 18 with a back injury, McGrady returned to score 25 points and the Rockets snapped a seven-game losing streak by beating Atlanta.

Yao Ming scored 25, and Juwan Howard and rookie Luther Head each added 12 points for Houston, which reached 100 points for the first time this season.

Joe Johnson scored 17 and Al Harrington and ex-Arizona Wildcat Salim Stoudamire added 14 points apiece for the Hawks.

• Clippers 93, Timberwolves 84: At Minneapolis, Sam Cassell shook off flulike symptoms to hit a big three-pointer down the stretch, staving off a furious rally by his former team and Los Angeles over Minnesota.

The Clippers led by 16 points with 10 minutes to play in the game before Kevin Garnett and the Wolves responded with a 14-0 rally. Garnett finished with 29 points and 13 rebounds.

The Timberwolves cut the gap to two points down the stretch before Cassell hit his three-pointer from the left elbow with 2:45 to play, giving the Clippers a five-point lead that was too much for Minnesota to overcome.

• 76ers 107, Trail Blazers 83: At Philadelphia, Allen Iverson scored 38 points and Chris Webber had 16 points and 15 rebounds, leading Philadelphia over Portland.

Kyle Korver added 16 points for the Atlantic Division-leading Sixers (8-7). Philadelphia had lost four of its previous five games after winning six in a row. The Sixers outrebounded the Blazers 60-30.

• Spurs 90, Lakers 84: At San Antonio, Manu Ginobili scored 15 of his 22 points in the second half as San Antonio fended off a late charge by Los Angeles.

The win was the Spurs’ sixth straight over the Lakers, who played their first game in San Antonio under coach Phil Jackson since a victory over the Spurs in Game 5 of the 2004 playoffs on a last-second basket by Derek Fisher.

Kobe Bryant, averaging better than 40 points in his last five games, struggled to get open shots while being defended by Bruce Bowen. Bryant finished with 25 points, but shot 9 for 33.

• Bulls 85, Magic 76: At Chicago, Kirk Hinrich scored 20 points and tied a career high with 14 assists to lead Chicago over Orlando.

The second-year pro had 14 assists for the third time in his career.

Luol Deng tied his season high with 21 points, and Michael Sweetney scored 12 for the Bulls in their first home game since Nov. 12. It was Chicago’s fourth straight victory.

• Pacers 84, Jazz 60: At Salt Lake City, Jermaine O’Neal got his fifth double-double in the last six games with 21 points and 15 rebounds, and Indiana increased its winning streak over Utah to six.

Jamaal Tinsley added 14 points for the Pacers, who have won five of six overall. Indiana has won the first two of a five-game road trip, which continues tonight at Phoenix.

• Kings 110, Bobcats 92: At Sacramento, Calif., ex-Arizona Wildcat Mike Bibby scored 25 points and Sacramento reached the .500 mark for the first time this season, beating Charlotte for its third straight victory.

Bibby scored 25 or more points for the fifth straight game, making his first six shots and finishing 9 for 11 from the floor with four three-pointers. Brad Miller added 20 points and nine assists as the Kings concluded a four-game homestand with a lopsided win in which the reserves played the entire fourth quarter.

Sacramento also welcomed back leading scorer Peja Stojakovic after he missed the previous three games with a sprained right pinkie finger that he hurt Nov. 20 in Seattle. He had five points in 23 minutes.

The Arizona Republic

By BOB McMANAMAN

The Arizona Republic

MILWAUKEE – Claudio Vargas keeps delivering for the Arizona Diamondbacks with every start he makes.

So what if he wished the opposing pitcher good luck?

Vargas must have forgotten he was starting yesterday’s game when he made that kind gesture two days earlier to the Brewers’ Tomo Ohka, a teammate for the past three seasons in Montreal and until June, in Washington.

What mattered the most on this day at Miller Park was that Vargas helped pitch the Diamondbacks to a 3-0 victory over Milwaukee, avoiding a three-game sweep and keeping Arizona hot on the heels of first-place San Diego in the National League West.

“He’s been huge for us,” said closer Brian Bruney, who notched his 12th save with a perfect ninth inning. “We’ve got two starters down in Russ Ortiz and Shawn Estes, and he’s stepped right in and been awesome pretty much since the day we got him.”

Vargas (4-5) allowed six hits through six innings with one walk and six strikeouts before being lifted for pinch-hitter Alex Cintron.

“I understood that,” said Vargas, who also had thrown 97 pitches. “We had a man on second and with the pitcher’s spot coming up, you put someone up there that can hit better than me.”

First baseman Lyle Overbay, a former D’back, made a hustling play to pick up Cintron’s grounder, but he made a throwing error to Ohka, who was covering at first, that allowed Chad Tracy to score to make it 2-0 in the seventh.

Mistakes like that cost the Brewers dearly, as a wild pitch allowed Quinton McCracken to score in the third, and a throwing error on a pickoff attempt by Julio Santana allowed Troy Glaus to score in the eighth.

Cruz dejected

Center fielder Jose Cruz Jr. said he was just starting to play regularly without pain when the Diamondbacks informed him he was being designated for assignment.

Starting today, the club has 10 days to trade him, place him on waivers or release him outright.

“It’s the best I’ve felt, which is kind of ironic,” Cruz said.

He suffered a pinched nerve in his lower back while participating in a charity golf event with the team earlier in the season.

“Yeah, a mandatory charity event,” Cruz said.

Hold the mustard

Diamondbacks television analyst Mark Grace competed in the Brewers’ popular sausage race during yesterday’s game and, wearing a bratwurst costume, was credited with the victory.

It appeared he actually finished second to the hot dog, but hey, who’s counting?

“Some guys weren’t really sure it was him, though. Did you see those skinny legs?” pitcher Brandon Webb said jokingly. “I knew it was him, though, because he was wearing his World Series ring, and he waved at me while he was running by. Pretty funny stuff.”

Short hops

• Craig Counsell nabbed his 14th stolen base of the season in the third, putting him three behind the career-high 17 he collected last season with the Brewers.

• Before the game, Milwaukee designated relief pitcher Ricky Bottalico for assignment and purchased the contract of right-hander Rick Helling from Triple-A Nashville.

The Arizona Republic

By BOB McMANAMAN

The Arizona Republic

MILWAUKEE – The Diamondbacks still might consider some last-minute wheeling and dealing before Sunday’s nonwaiver trading deadline.

But their in-house shakeup yesterday indicates the team probably isn’t going to add any fresh bats to the lineup.

Otherwise they wouldn’t have asked two everyday players to switch to new defensive positions with 59 games remaining on the schedule, all to try to capture a division title that’s up for grabs in the National League West.

Just three games behind the slumping, first-place San Diego Padres, the D’backs decided to call up hot-hitting prospect Conor Jackson from Triple-A Tucson in an effort to inject some energy into their listless offense.

Jackson, 23, will share time at first base with Tony Clark in a move that will force Chad Tracy, who has started 72 games at first, out to right field. Shawn Green, who has started 97 games in right, will move over and be the everyday starter in center field.

That spot opened up when the D’backs decided to dump slumping Jose Cruz Jr. Cruz, ineffective since suffering a pinched nerve in his lower back in April, has been designated for assignment today.

“We have to try something to mix it up a little bit and get some offense,” manager Bob Melvin said. “It’s an experiment.”

The moves allow Melvin to keep the bats of Tracy and Clark in the lineup and gives the D’backs a chance to let Jackson shine after what amounts to just two full seasons in the minor leagues. A first-round pick in 2003, Jackson was hitting .354 (118 for 333) with eight homers, a team-leading 77 RBIs and 38 doubles, the most in the Pacific Coast League. Tucson manager Chip Hale called Jackson at 8 a.m. yesterday to give him the news.

“I was just waking up and I was like, ‘You’ve gotta be kidding me?’ ” Jackson said. “It hasn’t set in yet. I think it’ll hit me (today) when I step into Wrigley Field.”

Jackson has never even been to Chicago before, but he isn’t worried about making the transition to the majors, even with the pressure situation facing the Diamondbacks.

“It’s pretty much the same game,” he said. “It will be a little different atmosphere, but I’ll tell you what, besides that, you’ve just got to keep it simple. That’s the biggest thing.”

Melvin wasn’t willing to say if Jackson, a right-handed hitter, or Clark, a switch hitter with better power numbers from the left side, will get the majority of starts at first base, but he declined to call it a platoon situation.

He said he will pick his starter for that particular day based on pitching matchups, how a player is feeling and by who’s got the hot hand.

“To a man, we don’t think we’ve performed the way we know we can perform, so perhaps it warranted a shakeup,” said Clark, who is hitting .328 with 16 homers and 52 RBIs.

The D’backs clearly are forsaking some defense in the outfield to better their offense, where they ranked 10th in the NL in team batting with a .259 average, just five points better than 16th-ranked Washington.

Tracy, who came up through the system as a third baseman and only this year began playing full-time at first, has never played right field in the majors. Green, hitting .256 with 16 homers and 53 RBIs, has played center 38 times in his career, 32 of them with Toronto. He’s started only three games in center since 1998.

“It will be an adjustment transition, but I think it’ll be a bigger transition for a guy like Chad,” Green said. “We’ll get it done. We’ll work at it. It’ll be a little bit of a learning process. But it doesn’t bother me.”

Tracy, who is hitting .295, said he’s OK with the move, too.

“Especially if it helps us win games,” Tracy said. “It’s no secret the Padres haven’t been playing that well and with a couple wins here and there, we can take over this thing.”

Melvin said he expects some mistakes in the outfield but asks potential critics to give Tracy and Green a chance until they get comfortable.

“You have to cut them a break a little bit,” he said. “If you feel like criticizing someone for that, if something goes wrong out there, get me, not them.”

WHO’S ON FIRST?

The Diamondbacks called up Conor Jackson yesterday from the Sidewinde3rs and designated outfielder Jose Cruz Jr. for assignment. This has resulted in a scrambling of positions.

• 1B: Jackson and veteran Tony Clark will share this spot.

• CF: Shawn Green will move from right field to here.

• RF: Chad Tracy, who had been playing first base, moves here.

The Arizona Republic

By BOB McMANAMAN

The Arizona Republic

MILWAUKEE – If the Arizona Diamondbacks manage to lose another game in the seventh inning today as they did each of the previous two nights to the Milwaukee Brewers, at least some of them might be able to laugh about it.

Broadcaster Mark Grace is going to dress up in a bratwurst costume and participate in the fan-favorite sausage race during the seven-inning stretch.

That ought to have them rolling. The Brewers, meanwhile, are on the verge of sweeping the D’backs right out of Milwaukee County and over the state line after a 7-2 victory in front of 31,128 at Miller Park.

The Diamondbacks haven’t got hot for any real amount of time for the past three months and if they haven’t done it by now, what makes anyone think it’s suddenly going to change?

“We are due,” reliever Mike Koplove said.

Yesterday, Arizona blew a 2-1 lead when Geoff Jenkins started a six-run seventh for the Brewers with a homer to tie it at 2.

Brandon Webb then gave up a single to Russell Branyan and a double to Damian Miller before giving way to reliever Lance Cormier.

Sabino High School grad J.J. Hardy hit an RBI single over Cormier, Chris Magruder followed with a run-scoring sacrifice fly and Brady Clark tacked on a ground-rule double.

Koplove replaced Cormier and then Rickie Weeks hit a groundball that slid under shortstop Royce Clayton’s glove for a two-base error as the Brewers scored two more runs. Carlos Lee drove in his 84th run with a single to cap the scoring.

On deck

Arizona (Vargas 3-5) at Milwaukee (Ohka 6-5)

• When: 11 a.m. today

• TV: FSNA

• Radio: 1490-AM

• D’backs box and notes, Page 7C