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San Francisco 49ers Position Breakdown: Linebackers

2012-05-16T13:45:48Z

Arguably the strength of the San Francisco 49ers is their ferocious 3-4 linebacking corps, and at the nucleus, two All-Pros. The Niners have the best defense in football, largely because of the outstanding front seven. Behind the defensive line, Patrick Willis, NaVorro Bowman, Ahmad Brooks and now Aldon Smith make up one of the best linebacking groups in the NFL.

The Niners have great linebacking but will be looking to add depth this offseason, as well as smoothly transitioning last year's rookie superstar Aldon Smith into a full-time starter. San Francisco also has a great backup inside linebacker returning in Larry Grant.

As a leader in most statistical defensive categories, the 49ers linebackers led the league's No. 1 run defense with a record-setting 2011 campaign; and they only look to get stingier in 2012.

There isn't a group in the league with better tackling technique and fundamentals than the San Francisco 49ers linebackers - these guys don't miss tackles. The 49ers added two new names through the draft for depth purposes: Notre Dame's Darius Fleming (5^th round) and Virginia's Cam Johnson (7^th round).

The current roster of linebackers reads:

Eric Bakhtiari
NaVorro Bowman
Ahmad Brooks
Kourtnei Brown
Darius Fleming
Tavares Gooden
Larry Grant
Parys Haralson
Joe Holland
Cam Johnson
Aldon Smith
Patrick Willis

Unfortunately on Tuesday, rookie Darius Fleming tore his ACL at San Francisco's workouts and will likely miss the upcoming season. Fleming was the higher of the two defensive picks but Johnson had a more accomplished NCAA career and was significantly higher on most boards.

The things to watch would be the battle between Aldon Smith and Parys Haralson at that right outside linebacker spot. Smith, a high first round pick in 2011, should be in line for the starting job after a breakthrough rookie season where he registered 14 sacks. The Niners staff will want this guy on the field a lot more considering his impact as a pass rusher.

Assuming Aldon Smith wins the job, it's going to be interesting to see if there is another situational pass rusher that arises in 2012. Smith was that guy, but when he is spelled and the situation calls for a pass rusher, it might be interesting to see if there is another breakout candidate. Given his potential and skill set, Cam Johnson is a likely player to fill that role.

The good news is that the starters are the best in the business; therefor anyone playing behind them will have to be that much better. The opportunity the second-team players have to learn from guys like Willis and Bowman is tremendous, so whoever takes advantage could be in line for some situational playing time in 2012.

For more on the San Francisco 49ers, join the discussion over at Niners Nation. You can also check out everything we have to offer at SB Nation's NFL hub.

The Preakness 2012: I'll Have Another, Bodemeister Headline The Field

2012-05-16T13:01:23Z

The 2012 Preakness is nearly here and it looks like yet another strong field this time around. I'll Have Another took home the first leg of the Triple Crown, which has not been won since 1978 by Affirmed. Bodemeister was a heavy favorite at The Kentucky Derby two weeks ago, but fell short by a few feet to finish in second place. He will be the favorite once again at the Preakness on Saturday.

These are the probable horses for the 2012 Preakness, their jockey and their primary trainer. They come courtesy of the SB Nation horse raising blog, And Down The Stretch They Come:

Bodemeister - M. Smith, B. Baffert

Cozzetti - J. Lezcano, D. Romans

Creative Cause - J. Rosario, M. Harrington

Daddy Nose Best - J. Leparoux, S. Asmussen

Guyanna Star Dweej - A. Solis, D. Shivmangal

I'll Have Another - M. Gutierrez, D. O'Neill

Optimizer - C. Nakatani, D.W. Lukas

Pretension - J. Santiago, C. Grove

Teeth of the Dog - J. Bravo, M. Matz

Tiger Walk - K. Desormeaux. I. Correas

Went the Day Well - J. Velazquez, G. Motion

Zetterholm - J. Alvarado, R. Dutrow

For full 2012 Preakness Stakes analysis, don't miss SB Nation's horse racing blog And Down The Stretch They Come.

Athletics Vs. Rangers: Oakland Heads To Arlington For 1st Time In 2012

2012-05-16T13:01:20Z

The A's will visit the Rangers for a short two-game series. It will be the first meeting of the year between the two teams.

The Oakland A's just split a short two-game series in Anaheim where they and the Los Angeles Angels swapped shutouts. The A's will definitely need to muster some runs in another quick two-game series beginning on Wednesday, as they will be tussling with the formidable Texas Rangers.

It will be the first meeting of the season between the two teams. The Rangers have a fearsome lineup of mashers who will annihilate pitching mistakes, so the A's will definitely need to be on their toes and try to scratch out some runs against the Rangers. This would be a good opportunity for the second-place A's to try and gain a bit of ground on the first-place Rangers.

TV Schedule & Probable Pitchers

On Wednesday, Tom Milone will attempt to keep his strong early season results going as he looks for his sixth win. He will have his work cut out for him as he goes up against international superstar Yu Darvish, who has proved to be a true ace for the Rangers. Darvish is 5-1 with a 2.84 ERA. The game will begin at 5:05 p.m. PT and will be televised on CSN California. You can catch the radio broadcast on 95.7 FM The Game.

Thursday's finale will have Brandon McCarthy taking the hill and going for his fourth win. Lefty Matt Harrison starts for the Rangers and will enter the game with a 4-3 record and an ERA of 5.23. The game will begin at 11:05 p.m. PT and will be televised on CSN California. You can catch the radio broadcast on 95.7 FM The Game.

Current Series

2 game series vs Rangers @ Rangers Ballpark in Arlington

Oakland Athletics Athletics Nation @ Texas Rangers Lone Star Ball Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 5:05 PM PDT Rangers Ballpark in Arlington Tom Milone vs Yu Darvish Clear. Winds blowing in from left field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 80. Complete Coverage >
Thu 05/17		11:05 AM PDT

Athletics Vs. Rangers Series Preview: TV Schedule, Probable Pitchers & More

2012-05-16T13:01:19Z

TV Schedule & Probable Pitchers

Current Series

2 game series vs Rangers @ Rangers Ballpark in Arlington

Oakland Athletics Athletics Nation @ Texas Rangers Lone Star Ball Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 5:05 PM PDT Rangers Ballpark in Arlington Tom Milone vs Yu Darvish Clear. Winds blowing in from left field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 80. Complete Coverage >
Thu 05/17		11:05 AM PDT

Joaquin Arias Leaves Game With Arm Injury, X-Rays Negative

2012-05-16T13:01:09Z

The San Francisco Giants have had to deal with plenty of injuries this season, and they saw yet another player go down on Tuesday night as they took on the Rockies at AT&T Park. Joaquin Arias has filled in at third base over the last week with Pablo Sandoval on the disabled listed with a broken bone in his wrist. Arias was hit in the wrist area by a pitch and left the game immediately.

Fortunately for the Giants, they received some good news following x-rays.

Update on Joaquin Arias - left tonight's game with a forearm contusion. X-rays are negative #SFGiants
— San Francisco Giants (@SFGiants) May 16, 2012

No timetable is given for his return, although it appears that Arias should return to the field sooner rather than later. Wrist injuries can always give a hitter issues as he attempts to regain full control of the bat, but the fact that there were no fractures in the area is great news for the team. I'd expect him back in the lineup within a day or two assuming there are no more setbacks.

For more on Arias and the Giants, be sure to check out McCovey Chronicles.

Giants Minor League Affiliate Update

2012-05-16T12:30:07Z

The Giants’ minor league teams have been doing well lately, with two of the affiliates in first place in their divisions and only one team, Augusta, under .500 for the year. Fresno in particular is playing exceptionally, with a record of 25-13. Eric Hacker put up seven innings of 1-run ball on Sunday to lead the Grizzlies to a 7-1 victory over Omaha, but on Monday the bullpen blew a late lead resulting in an 8-5 loss. This spoiled Andrew Kown’s terrific start, as he gave up two runs in seven strong innings, recording four strikeouts.

The Grizzlies’ hitters are also doing well, with Justin Christian having recorded four consecutive multi-hit games and sporting a .378 batting average. He has a nine game hitting streak overall. The Grizzlies will travel to Round Rock from May 17-20. They are in first place in the Pacific Coast League’s Pacific Southern Division.

Richmond had the day off on Monday, but won on Sunday 5-4 despite a shaky start from Justin Fitzgerald. IF Daniel Mayora is in the midst of a 9-game hitting streak. Richmond is 19-18, in fourth place in their division, and will wrap up a series with Harrisburg at home on May 17^th.

San Jose lost to Modesto 5-3 on Monday night despite outhitting Modesto 15-5. They are still in first place in their division by two games despite the loss with a record of 24-14. San Jose pitching is dominating the California league, with the staff leading the league in ERA, shutouts, and home runs allowed. They will wrap up the Modesto series tonight and then travel to Visalia from the 17^th to the 19^th.

Augusta won 1-0 over Rome despite hitting into four double plays in the game, on the back of Shawn Payne’s solid start. Payne went five scoreless, scattering five hits and striking out one. Augusta is 17-18 sitting in fourth place in the South Atlantic League’s Southern Division. They close out the Rome series tonight and travel to Savannah for a four game set starting Thursday.

2012 Tour of California, Stage 4: Preview Of Stage Shows Chance For Upset, Will Test Peter Sagan Over Repeated Climbs

2012-05-16T12:01:03Z

Stage four of the 2012 Amgen Tour of California goes from Sonora to Clovis, 130 miles that just might turn out to be the most difficult of the entire race. The route has climb after descent after climb after descent, but to describe it as "rolling" wouldn't do it justice. Race leader Peter Sagan has put on an inspired performance thus far, but this kind of stage is what truly measures a young rider.

A rough estimate from the profile has the riders doing over 5000 feet of climbing, and this comes the day before the individual time trial. That gives the breakaway a great chance at taking the stage, as a team with a serious GC contender is going to think twice about burning up their legs the day before biggest test of the riders indpendent skill. That said, there's a long descent and a flat finish, so any breakaway that wants to stay away is going to have to put in a stellar effort to avoid being caught. Santa Rosa based Bissel Pro Cycling has seen Jeremy Vennell in more than one break; does he have another in him? There are six climbs with King of the Mountain points attached, so anyone with their eye on the polka dot jersey could really help themselves out on stage four. However it plays out, a bike race traveling over a profile as pretty as that one won't be boring.

The GC Standings after stage three:

1 Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale 14:34:54

2 Heinrich Haussler (Aus) Garmin - Barracuda -:12

3 Jeffry Louder (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team -:24

4 Fred Rodriguez (USA) Team Exergy -:26

5 Ben Jacques-Maynes (USA) Bissell Cycling -:26

A host of others sit 30 seconds out, including the main GC contenders. With things that close, any stage with this many hills could see some big changes.

SB Nation Bay Area will continue to bring you previews, updates and more from the 2012 Amgen Tour of Caliofornia. As always, SB Nation's cycling blog Podium Cafe is your source for news and analysis.

Preakness 2012: I'll Have Another Looks To Win Again

2012-05-16T06:07:49Z

More: Derby payouts are here.

After much anticipation and a day full of pageantry and hullabaloo, the 2012 Kentucky Derby was run on Saturday, culminated in the 138th winner at Churchill Downs. I'll Have Another took home the top prize with a thrilling last-second win. Bodemeister came in second. Dullahan took third place. I'll Have Another had 14-1 odds against at race time.

The morning line favorite on Saturday was Bodemeister, but Union Rags seemed to capture the imagination, or at least the attention, of most bettors and became the favorite to win as the day progressed.

The Run for the Roses now complete, speculation can turn to the other two legs of the Triple Crown. I'll Have Another will now attempt to win one of the most elusive championships in sports. I'll Have Another will go for wins in the Preakness and Belmont Stakes in an attempt to become the first horse to take all three wins since Affirmed took the Triple Crown back in 1978.

For complete coverage throughout the day, including a recap of the 2012 Kentucky Derby, check out the SB Nation Bay Area StoryStream.