Kishi gives Takeda a lesson in playoff baseball

TOKOROZAWA, Saitama Pref. — Shota Takeda has all kinds of talent. At the tender age of 19, the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks right-hander made 11 starts this season, winning eight and finishing the year with a 1.08 ERA.

Hear me roar: Former Japan Series MVP Takayuki Kishi helped the Lions avoid elimination on Sunday. KYODO

It could probably be said that Takeda has more raw talent than the Seibu Lions' Takayuki Kishi, the pitcher he opposed on Sunday at Seibu Dome. Kishi, however, is a veteran of six seasons and a former Japan Series MVP.

Talent can take you many places, but sometimes winning comes with experience.

The prodigious talent Takeda failed badly in his first postseason appearance, giving up five runs — four earned — and lasting just 2 1/3 innings in the Hawks' 8-0 loss to the Lions in Game 2 of the Pacific League Climax Series first stage.

"He's in his first year out of high school and doesn't have experience on a big stage like this," Lions shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima said. "I think that affected him."

Takeda, the first rookie to start a Climax Series game after being drafted out of high school, walked three batters in the third inning, which in turn helped lead to a seven-run Seibu outburst that Hawks wouldn't recover from.

"Our batters tried to study his pitches, draw walks, and put pressure on him," Lions manager Hisanobu Watanabe said. "Takeda is a young pitcher, and we got to him nicely."

Kishi, on the other hand, got himself in trouble early, but was able to work through it.

He gave up a one-out double to Yuya Hasegawa and a single to Seiichi Uchikawa to put runners on first and third in the opening frame. He threw three balls to cleanup hitter Wily Mo Pena before finally retiring him and struck out Nobuhiro Matsuda to end the inning.

"We were in a pinch in the first, but Kishi was patient and managed to get out of it," Watanabe said. "It was big that we didn't give up a run there.

"When our starting pitchers allow opponents to get on the board first, we have a higher tendency to lose, so it was really huge."

Kishi was given a big lead to work with after the Lions put up seven in the third, but worked hard to maintain his focus.

"I was a little relieved," he said of the run support, "but tried to stay balanced and and focus on what I needed to do on the mound. The thing is, no matter how big of a lead you get, you don't want to give up any runs."

Growing pains: Hawks rookie Shota Takeda had a roughing outing in his first postseason start. KYODO

That may have been the difference between the two starters on Sunday. Takeda burst out of the gates, all smiles and bluster, and got off to a good start. He couldn't maintain that pace and once things went south, he couldn't stop his outing from falling apart.

Kishi on the other hand, kept his cool, relied on his experience, and paced himself from the beginning.

He wasn't fazed when he got into trouble, even though he had reason to be. Kishi had finished 1-3 with a 3.18 ERA in five starts against Softbank during the regular season, and was coming off a dismal September that saw him go 0-3 with a 3.21 ERA in five starts.

"Today's not the last game we play, but I'm relieved I could give us a chance to win," Kishi said afterward.

Once he'd pitched his way into trouble, there was no panic. Kishi simply made the pitches he needed to make and reaped the rewards when his offense gave him a big lead.

For all his talent, Takeda didn't have what it took to overcome adversity in the biggest game of his young career. Kishi gave him a crash course on how to win in October, and because of that, the Lions will live on to roar another day.

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Opening day gives hint of things to come in 20th season

Help wanted: Cerezo Osaka's Kim Bo Kyung (7) tries to dribble through the Sagan Tosu defense on Saturday. KYODO

The future is hardly set in stone after one round of matches, but as the J. League kicked off its 20th season on Saturday, there were some tantalizing glimpses of what lies ahead.

The day began with a poignant meeting between two teams who were temporarily displaced from their stadiums after last year's March 11 disasters, with Vegalta Sendai beating Kashima Antlers 1-0 thanks to a typically robust header from new signing Taikai Uemoto. Vegalta defied expectations with a best-ever fourth-place finish last season, and after deftly handling an experienced Kashima side, Makoto Teguramori's men may well prove to be more than just a flash in the pan.

Ambitious Vissel Kobe put their money where their mouth is with a 3-2 win over Gamba Osaka, for whom the defensive frailties of previous manager Akira Nishino's reign were as pronounced as ever under new man Jose Carlos Serrao, despite the presence of star signing Yasuyuki Konno.

There was no such goal flurry in Consadole Sapporo's match against Jubilo Iwata or Sagan Tosu's clash with Cerezo Osaka, but with Consadole and Sagan both feeling their way into the first division following promotion last year, both will be happy with 0-0 draws.

A solitary point will not be enough to satisfy Nagoya Grampus over the months to come, however, with manager Dragan Stojkovic blaming eight draws for the 2010 champions' failure to retain their title last season. A 1-0 win over Shimizu S-Pulse took care of that on Saturday, and the fact that the winner came courtesy of a Josh Kennedy penalty suggests efficiency is very much Nagoya's watchword this year.

And so to Sunday, where Kashiwa Reysol began the defense of their title with a 3-3 free-for-all draw with Yokohama F. Marinos, leaving Reysol manager Nelsinho in bullish mood despite Hiroyuki Taniguchi's injury-time equalizer.

"I'm not satisfied with the result but I'm satisfied with my players' attitude," said the Brazilian. "I think you could see that we will again be aiming for the top."

After staking an early claim on the opening weekend, others will believe they can do the same.

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A slow start is becoming something of an unwanted habit for Urawa Reds.

The 2006 champions began the new campaign with a 1-0 loss to Sanfrecce Hiroshima on Saturday, making it five years in a row that Urawa has tasted defeat on the opening day of the season.

New manager Mihailo Petrovic had extra motivation to break that cycle at Hiroshima Big Arch, having joined Reds after 5? years in charge of Sanfrecce, but the Austrian knows his new team's fortunes are not going to change overnight.

"The players showed their fighting spirit," he said. "If we have that, then through more games and more training we will be able to play some good, attacking football."

* * *

It had to happen sooner or later, but Consadole Sapporo defender Tatsuki Nara made history on Saturday when he became the first player born after the J. League had kicked off its inaugural season to appear in the first division.

Nara, who was born on Sept. 19, 1993, made his debut for Consadole in J2 last year, but his presence in Saturday's 0-0 draw with Jubilo Iwata marked a symbolic moment on the first day of the J. League's 20th season.

Nara may not recall Yokohama Marinos' 2-1 win over Verdy Kawasaki that ushered in a new era back on May 15, 1993, but the defender is more concerned with 2012 and keeping Consadole in the first division.

"I want to build up my body and increase my stamina," he said.

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Quotable: "It was good reanimation from the medical staff. We gave him life elixir and now he is young again." — FC Tokyo manager Ranko Popovic explains how 33-year-old striker Lucas — who came out of retirement to help the club win the second division last season — was able to score the match-winning goal against Omiya Ardija on Saturday.

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Dzeko gives Man City win over Wigan

Wigan, England — Edin Dzeko ended Manchester City's two-month wait for an away win in the Premier League on Monday, scoring the only goal in a dour 1-0 victory at Wigan to go three points clear at the top.

The Bosnian striker brought an 11-match goal drought to an end in the first half, heading David Silva's free kick into the net.

He had not scored since Nov. 5 at Queens Park Rangers, which was City's last away win in the league before four successive setbacks.

City is three points clear of Manchester United and a further two ahead of Sunday's opponent, Tottenham.

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Lundqvist gives Rangers young guns platform to batter Isles

NEW YORK — So often, New York Rangers' winning streaks have been fueled by the stonewall goaltending of Henrik Lundqvist.

He is still a big part of the equation, but suddenly he has an ever-improving, young supporting cast that is making this group of Rangers a legitimate threat in the NHL.

Rookie forward Carl Hagelin scored twice for his second career multigoal game, and Lundqvist stopped all 28 shots he faced as the Rangers beat the New York Islanders 3-0 on Monday night for their fifth straight victory.

The names of high-priced forwards Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards are quite familiar, and they have both played a key role in the Rangers' surge to the top of the standings. But suddenly, youngsters such as Hagelin and defenseman Stu Bickel have contributed to New York's recent success.

Despite injuries to defensemen Marc Staal and Michael Sauer, the Rangers haven't missed a beat.

"There is great depth in this organization," said Hagelin, who also scored twice against Buffalo on Dec. 10. "There's a lot of guys out and it shows that the organization is doing a great job preparing guys for this. It's fun."

Hagelin, in just his 16th NHL game, scored in the second and third periods for the Rangers (22-8-4) — the Atlantic Division leaders, who leapfrogged defending Stanley Cup champion Boston into first place in the Eastern Conference.

The Rangers finished a 3-0 homestand that included a pair of victories over the Islanders in a five-day span. New York's past four victories have been against division rivals. The Rangers begin a three-game trip at Washington on Wednesday that will conclude with the outdoor Winter Classic in Philadelphia next Monday.

Lundqvist improved to 23-11-5 against the Islanders with four shutouts. He has three shutouts overall this season and 38 in seven NHL seasons.

"I don't have too many this year, but hopefully I can change that," he said.

Blackhawks 4, Blue Jackets 1

In Chicago, Viktor Stalberg scored two goals and Corey Crawford made 37 saves.

Avalanche 4, Wild 2

In St. Paul, Minnesota, Jan Hejda scored the go-ahead goal at 10:20 of the third period and Colorado snapped a nine-game road losing skid.

Canucks 5, Oilers 3

In Vancouver, Andrew Ebbett scored twice to lead the Canucks over Edmonton.

Sabres 4, Capitals 2

In Buffalo, Brayden McNabb capped the Sabres' four-goal first period with his first NHL goal.

Hurricanes 4, Devils 2

In Raleigh, North Carolina, Cam Ward made 23 saves and was credited with a bizarre empty-net goal to lead the hosts.

Kings 4, Coyotes 3

In Los Angeles, Willie Mitchell scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period, and the Kings broke an offensive slump for their second victory under new coach Darryl Sutter.

Blues 5, Stars 3

In St. Louis, Adam Cracknell, recalled from the minors earlier in the day, put the Blues ahead for good in the second period.

Ducks 3, Sharks 2

In San Jose, Andrew Cogliano scored the tiebreaking goal midway through the second period and Jonas Hiller made 36 saves as Anaheim ended a 13-game winless skid on the road.

Red Wings 4, Predators 1

In Nashville, Valtteri Filppula scored a pair of goals to lead Detroit over the Predators.

Pavel Datsyuk and Danny Cleary also scored for the Red Wings, who scored twice in a span of 13 seconds during the second period and stopped a two-game skid.

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NHL gives nod to realignment

PEBBLE BEACH, California — NHL officials approved a radical realignment plan Monday that will give the league four conferences instead of six divisions and guarantee home-and-home series among all teams.

The Board of Governors authorized commissioner Gary Bettman to implement the proposal pending input with the NHL Players' Association. It could be put in place as early as next season

The league considered two plans to accommodate Atlanta's move to Winnipeg this past summer. The first would have simply moved the Jets to the Central Division and either Detroit or Columbus to the Southeast.

"The simple one wasn't as simple as it looked when you got done with it," Bettman said.

The board opted to go with the more dramatic switch, creating four geographic conferences — two with eight teams and two with seven.

The new format will increase overall travel in the regular season, especially for Eastern Conference teams who will now have more trips West. But it cuts down on travel for some Western Conference teams, which was a critical issue for teams like Detroit, Dallas, Columbus and Nashville.

"This is not a subject that everybody is going to get their first choice on," Bettman said. "What you try to do is come up with something that everybody can live with, get comfortable with and understands the value of. Because if you ask 30 clubs, you would probably get 30 different solutions. That's what makes this a difficult process."

The new look has two conferences with seven teams all based in the Eastern time zone: New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Washington and Carolina in one and Boston, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Buffalo, Florida and Tampa Bay in the other.

The third conference consists of eight teams in the Eastern and Central time zones: Detroit, Columbus, Nashville, St. Louis, Chicago, Minnesota, Dallas and Winnipeg. The fourth conference has eight teams in the Mountain and Pacific time zones: Los Angeles, Anaheim, Phoenix, San Jose, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Colorado.

The conferences have not been named.

Bettman said he liked the current format that he devised of six five-team divisions but that Winnipeg's move from Atlanta forced some change. He didn't take a stance on either proposal, but simply explained the pros and cons and allowed the teams to vote.

PITTSBURGH — Gregory Campbell, Benoit Pouliot and Tyler Seguin scored, Tim Thomas stopped 45 shots, and the surging Boston Bruins kept rolling with a 3-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday evening.

The Bruins improved to 14-0-1 in their last 15 games, their longest point streak since the club went 17 games without a loss in 1983.

Maple Leafs 4, Rangers 2

In New York, Phil Kessel had two assists to add to his NHL-leading point total, and Toronto snapped the Rangers' five-game winning streak.

Panthers 5, Capitals 4

In Sunrise, Florida, Stephen Weiss scored two goals to lead the Panthers to a win over Washington.

Senators 4, Lightning 2

In Ottawa, Nick Foligno scored 15:33 into the third period, Zack Smith added two goals, and the Senators extended Tampa Bay's losing streak to four games.

Coyotes 4, Blackhawks 3 (SO)

In Chicago, Radim Vrbata and Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored in the shootout, and Mike Smith stopped Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa in the tiebreaker to lead Phoenix to a wild victory over the hosts.

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Oilers center Brule gives Bono a lift

Edmonton, Alberta — This was one nifty assist by an NHL player.

Edmonton Oilers center Gilbert Brule stopped this week to pick up a most unlikely hitchhiker — rock star Bono.

The U2 frontman and his assistant were walking in West Vancouver, British Columbia, on Tuesday when they got caught in the rain. Fortunately for them, Brule and his girlfriend were driving by, taking their German shepherd to a park.

Bono hopped in for a ride and offered Brule and his girlfriend backstage passes for the U2 concert Wednesday night at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium. The couple sold their tickets to Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals between Boston and Vancouver, went back to Edmonton and attended the show with Brule's mom.

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Bieksa's OT winner gives Canucks chance to play for Cup

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Kevin Bieksa scored 10:18 into the second overtime and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in 17 years with a 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night.

The Canucks ended the Western Conference finals in five games after getting even 2-2 with 13.2 seconds left in regulation when Ryan Kesler scored with goalie Roberto Luongo on the Vancouver bench for an extra skater.

It will be Vancouver's first trip to the Cup finals since 1994, when they lost in seven games to the New York Rangers. The last NHL team from Canada to win the title was the Montreal Canadiens in 1993.

Exactly 17 years to the day after they earned their previous trip to play for the Cup, the Canucks used 54 saves from Luongo and a lucky bounce to Bieksa to advance to the finals for the third time in the team's 40-year history.

The puck caromed awkwardly off the glass on the sideboards and out to Bieksa just inside the blue line. His quick shot beat Antti Niemi inside the right post before the goalie — or mostly everyone else on the ice — could find the puck.

"The only guy who knew where that puck was, was Kevin Bieksa and he almost fanned on it," Sharks coach Todd McLellan said. "It's one of those things you have no control over. We can talk about it all we want. There is nothing we can do about it."

Luongo raised his stick in celebration as his teammates jumped onto the ice. Blue confetti fell from the roof as the sellout crowd chanted, "We want the Cup."

"I think when the puck went in, the goalie was looking behind the net," Bieksa said. "It was an ugly goal, but one I will take.

"It's fantastic. It's unbelievable. To go to the Stanley Cup final is a dream come true."

The Sharks outshot Vancouver 16-9 and 56-34 overall. Despite having a 91-47 shots advantage over the final two games of the series, San Jose lost both. The Canucks won Game 4 on Sunday 4-2 even though they recorded only 13 shots.

Vancouver was down 2-1 after Luongo's gamble left Devin Setoguchi with an empty net 24 seconds into the third period.

But Kesler, who left briefly in the second period with an apparent injury to his left leg, deflected Henrik Sedin's shot through Niemi after a questionable icing call against San Jose. Replays appeared to show that the puck hit Daniel Sedin, but icing was called anyway to set up an offensive zone faceoff for Vancouver.

After claiming the franchise's first Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's top regular-season team, the Canucks are now only four wins away from claiming their first Stanley Cup championship.

Atlanta — The Atlanta Thrashers' sale and move to Winnipeg is not yet official, but Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed spoke on Tuesday as if losing the team is inevitable.

"I think anytime we lose a major sports franchise, it is tough," Reed said.

"It is going to hurt the city but we will withstand it just fine and we will get through it. We have a lot of positive things going on in the sports franchise space that I think we'll be announcing pretty soon that will offset it a bit."

An official announcement concerning a Thrashers' sale and move has yet to be made.

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