On Tuesday, he added “NFL head coach” to his résumé, a title he’s wanted for years but one he admitted was harder to attain than he thought it would be.

“I felt that because I had played, because I had done something in this league that people will see my passion and will see that I should be a head coach,” the former linebacker said during his initial news conference. “But I learned it’s bigger than that. It’s much, much bigger than that and I’m so thankful that it did not happen before now.”

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Singletary becomes the 16th head coach of the 49ers, who abruptly fired Mike Nolan on Monday after media reports surfaced that he would be let go following Sunday’s game against the Seahawks. The 49ers have a bye Nov. 2.

While insisting those reports did not influence his decision, general manager Scot McCloughan said he didn’t want Nolan’s job status to be a distraction. He said that there had been discussions about firing Nolan for a “couple of weeks.”

Nolan hired McCloughan in 2005 to run the team’s personnel department and the two worked closely at rebuilding the 49ers. Following a 5-11 season last year, McCloughan was promoted to general manager. One of his new powers was the ability to fire and hire the head coach. McCloughan and owner Jed York told Nolan of their decision Monday afternoon.

While Singletary has interviewed for four head-coaching openings in the past three seasons, the 49ers had a more experienced candidate in former Rams coach Mike Martz, the team’s offensive coordinator. Asked why Martz wasn’t tapped, McCloughan indicated that Martz was preoccupied with the offense.

“It’s a huge role implementing this new offense and getting these guys on the same page,” McCloughan said. He also said Singletary will be considered for the head-coaching job beyond this season.

As the 49ers introduced their new coach, they also essentially introduced a new face of the franchise.

For the past decade, John York has opened every major 49ers news conference. On Tuesday, it was his son, Jed, who took the lectern promptly at noon. John and his wife, Denise, took part in the decision to fire Nolan, but from afar.

Neither attended Tuesday’s event.

York, 27, has spearheaded the team’s effort to build a new stadium in Santa Clara, but this was his first time in the spotlight regarding a football-related matter. Dressed in a dark suit and red tie, the younger York looked comfortable in the media glare, certainly more so than his notoriously camera-shy father.

“Every decision that we make is aimed at reestablishing that culture of winning,” York said, “and I promise that I won’t rest until we reestablish a championship culture.”

York said he thought Singletary would supply the missing combination of “passion and intensity” to the team.

But this week, the Seahawks are stepping into another team’s misery as they prepare to face the 49ers in San Francisco. The 49ers’ abrupt firing of coach Mike Nolan on Monday is a situation the Seahawks helped create, and one they eventually could resolve.

One of Nolan’s biggest problems during his 18-37 tenure with the club was his mishandling of former first-round draft choice Alex Smith — a once-promising quarterback prospect who went down, and out, with a separated shoulder while being sacked by Seahawks defensive tackle Rocky Bernard in the teams’ Week 4 game in San Francisco last season. Nolan prodded Smith to return too early last season, which led to his having season-ending surgery last month.

The perceived answer to everything that continues to ail the franchise, meanwhile, will be standing on the opposite sideline Sunday in the looming — and luminous — presence of Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren.

The buzz in the Bay Area is that the Seahawks’ outgoing coach is just what is needed to massage the mess that has been created by Nolan, and Dennis Erickson before him, as well as owner John York.

Be it as coach, or general manager, or a combination role, it doesn’t matter — just as long as Holmgren is on the horizon after his final season with the Seahawks.

In the San Jose Mercury News on Tuesday, columnist Ann Killion wrote: “Here’s what I’d like to see the Yorks do: Hire Mike Holmgren as the general manager. Holmgren is clearly burnt out as a coach and his lame-duck status has been a disaster in Seattle. In my perfect world, I’d like to see (secondary coach) Jim Mora take over the Seahawks right now so Holmgren can spend some recharging time with his wife, Kathy.”

In the Contra Costa Times, NFL writer Cam Inman offered: “In an ideal scenario, the 49ers play this season out under (interim coach Mike) Singletary, show progress and gain momentum for a fresh start in 2009 under different leadership. Ideally, they bring in Mike Holmgren to either coach or oversee the football operations (a la Bill Parcells’ role with the Miami Dolphins).”

This clamoring in the City by the Bay for Holmgren is nothing new. In 2002, when it appeared Holmgren might be fired by then-Seahawks club president Bob Whitsitt, the San Francisco Chronicle sent a reporter to the Seahawks’ final home game because speculation was rampant in the Bay Area that Holmgren was bound for the 49ers.

It’s also understandable.

Holmgren grew up in San Francisco and then grew into a Hall of Fame coach while serving as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for the 49ers during one of the most impressive stretches in NFL history — 1986-91, when they averaged 12 victories a season and won two Super Bowls.

Holmgren is even building a new home near Santa Cruz.

One problem: Holmgren promised his wife and family he would sit out at least one year before returning to the NFL in any capacity. It was part of the deal he made with Kathy that got her to sign off on him returning for a 10th and final season with the Seahawks.

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Either description would nicely fit Al Thornton. As expected, the Clippers on Tuesday exercised their third-year contract option on Thornton, who is in his second season with the team.

Understated?

“It tells me I’ve been doing some good things, right things,” he said before Tuesday night’s exhibition game against Phoenix at Staples Center, which the Suns won, 86-69, the Clippers’ second loss in six exhibitoin games.

Entrenched? “I’m a Clipper player,” Thronton said.

So the less-understated quotes will have to come from elsewhere. “He could be an All-Star player in this league,” said Clippers Coach Mike Dunleavy.

You could use a basketball cliche to describe the Clippers’ move with Thornton, which not only was expected but almost automatic considering his first season (he made the NBA All-Rookie team) and the early positive vibe around him.

Positive, in two ways. He has been mostly healthy (missing one preseason game), which is no small feat in Clipperville this fall, and was the team’s second-leading scorer through the first five games, trailing only rookie Eric Gordon.

Thornton, who scored 13 points in 36 minutes against the Suns, has hit double figures in all of his exhibition appearances. Clippers center Chris Kaman had 16 points and 12 rebounds Tuesday, and guard Mike Taylor scored 12 points.

The Suns were without Shaquille O’Neal and Steve Nash, and the Clippers were missing their usual cadre of injured players: Baron Davis, Marcus Camby, Tim Thomas. Dunleavy rested Cuttino Mobley.

“This was our first test in the sense that this is the first game where I think we played poorly,” Dunleavy said, talking about a loss of poise in the second half.

Said Suns Coach Terry Porter: “I don’t know if it was as much our defense as it was [their] offense. It was a mixture of both. Both teams had some bad stretches, offensively, in the fourth quarter.”

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In just his second season in the majors, the 24-year-old Lincecum was dominant. He was 18-5 with a 2.62 ERA and led the majors with 265 strikeouts in 227 innings.

“You don’t see many guys his size throwing that hard, but it’s not so much his size and deception. It’s his stuff. He has ‘A’ stuff,” Phillies second baseman Chase Utley said.

Cliff Lee tied for the major league lead with 22 wins — he finished 22-3 — and his 2.54 ERA was best in the American League. In 223-1/3 innings, the left-hander allowed just 34 walks and struck out 170.

“He’s always had the stuff, but this year he coupled that stuff with the ability to locate and trust his pitches,” Cleveland catcher Kelly Shoppach said. “He had zero fear of throwing to either side of the plate no matter who the hitter was.”

The complete Sporting News MLB Awards package will be available in this week’s magazine, where you also will find Sporting News’ Player of the Year, Managers of the Year, Comeback Players of the Year, Rookies of the Year, Closers of the Year as well as the magazine’s National League and American League all-star teams.

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“If I would have told you in March that Tampa Bay would be the American League pennant winner, you’d have laughed,” Commissioner Bud Selig said. “It’s a great story all the way around.”

Selig was also referring to the Rays’ opponent, the Philadelphia Phillies, who are back in the World Series for the first time since 1993. The Phillies have more losses than any franchise in American professional sports history. The Rays had never exceeded 70 wins until this season.

Yet the matchup may be one of the more exciting in recent memory. The future of the sport will be displayed on its grandest stage.

“The players on these two teams are going to be the guys, 10 years from now, that are the superstars in this league,” Phillies reliever Chad Durbin said. “There are some young guys on both teams that are superstars already.”

For the first time, the opening game of the World Series will feature two starting pitchers younger than 25. The Phillies’ Cole Hamels and the Rays’ Scott Kazmir are both former All-Star left-handers who are 24.

If you are 30 years old on these teams, you are ancient. Every starting pitcher but the Phillies’ Jamie Moyer is younger than 30. So are 13 of the 16 regular position players.

The clubhouses, naturally, have a youthful vibe. The Mohawk haircut is the rage for the Rays, and Phillies Manager Charlie Manuel had customized rubber ducks placed in the locker of each player before Tuesday’s workout.

When the Phillies played Milwaukee in the first round, second baseman Chase Utley said he thought Manuel was too uptight. He told Manuel to relax with a colorful suggestion involving a comical reference to a duck. It gave Manuel an idea.

“I wanted our players to be loose and I wanted them to play like they always have,” Manuel said. “So I bought them some rubber ducks. And before they go out on the field, they look up in their lockers and see a duck.”

The Phillies had plenty of time to work on duck designs. They clinched the National League title in Game 5 at Dodger Stadium last Wednesday, leaving six full days off before the World Series. The Rays finally finished off Boston in Game 7 on Sunday.

For the Phillies, that is a bad omen. In the last two World Series, a team coming off a seven-game L.C.S. victory has emphatically beaten a team with at least six days off.

“It’s obviously a good thing for us to be riding the momentum at this point, especially coming off a big win like that and going into the World Series,” Rays third baseman Evan Longoria said. “Where they’ve been kind of stagnant for the past few days waiting to see who they would play, we’ve been playing.”

The Phillies dismissed such talk, naturally, and for baseball, it would be good to have a lengthy World Series. The last four have finished in five games or fewer, the longest such streak since 1913 to 1916.

Then again, however the series goes, baseball has reason to be happy with the matchup. The sport prizes parity, and in the last four years, eight different teams have shown up in the World Series. In the last decade, half of all teams (15 of 30) have taken part.

And although the Phillies and the Rays seem like upstarts, they earned their way here: this is the first World Series since 2001 without a wild-card team.

“Any doubters now should be ashamed of themselves,” Rays outfielder Cliff Floyd said. “This is not a fluke team.”

Maybe not, but the Rays are trying to do something that has never been done. According to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com, no team in any of the four major American pro sports has had the worst record in its sport one season and won a championship the next.

For the Rays to do it, they may need more help from David Price, their not-so-secret bullpen weapon who closed out the Red Sox on Sunday in his eighth career game.

Price is not among the Rays’ four starters — after Kazmir, the Rays will start James Shields, Matt Garza and Andy Sonnanstine — but he could neutralize Utley and Ryan Howard, the Phillies’ left-handed sluggers, in relief.

“He said basically from the first pitch to the last pitch, I don’t have a problem putting you in any situation,” Price said, referring to Manager Joe Maddon. “That’s what he’s told me since I got here. It hasn’t changed.”

The Phillies know about late-arriving rookies. In 1980, when they won their only title, they let Marty Bystrom start the decisive N.L.C.S. game after just six major league appearances.

“I don’t think anybody expected Price to come out of the bullpen and do what he did,” said Dallas Green, a senior adviser for the Phillies and the manager of the 1980 club. “He just dominated a pretty good hitting team. Those are probably the kind of guys that are going to be difference-makers.”

The Rays may improvise, but the Phillies have a sure thing in closer Brad Lidge, who has converted all 46 of his save chances since opening day. Lidge’s setup men, J. C. Romero and Ryan Madson, have a combined earned run average of 0.77 this month.

The Phillies need more shutdown pitching to contain a Tampa Bay offense that has 22 home runs in 11 postseason games. The Phillies also have power, with 10 homers in nine playoff games.

“We’re at a very even level,” Hamels said. “I can’t say who to favor — I’m going to pick my side, no doubt — but I think it really is going to bring a good, competitive level to this World Series.”

NY Times

Starting today, Winslow will not be able to practice or attend meetings. After missing Sunday’s game at the Jacksonville Jaguars, he can return to the team Monday.

Unless he appeals, the suspension will cost Winslow one game check, which amounts to $235,294, 1/17th of his $4 million base salary.

The Browns announced the decision in a statement from Savage on Tuesday. Winslow is the first Browns player suspended since Savage and coach Romeo Crennel took over in 2005.

”Kellen has expressed his desire to be a productive member of the Cleveland Browns,” Savage said in the statement. ”His comments and behavior on Sunday evening, however, were unwarranted, inappropriate and unnecessarily disparaging to our organization. His statements

brought unjustified negative attention to our organization, and violated the team-first concept of our football squad. Therefore, disciplinary action will be taken in the form of a one-game suspension without pay for conduct detrimental to the club.”

Winslow revealed Sunday he was treated for the second staph infection of his four-year career while hospitalized earlier this month. He released a statement through his publicity firm, EAG Sports Management.

”I am disappointed that my organization felt the need to suspend me for speaking out regarding my medical situation with staph,” Winslow said. ”I take responsibility for the fact that there might have been a more constructive way to release this, but when I tried to do so I was discouraged from making the issue public. Regardless of how this was released, the information would still remain the same. I contracted staph, again.

”I spoke out on this because I felt it was the right thing to do and that is why I was so passionate about it. This has nothing to do with football and this has nothing to with my current contract situation. This is a health concern.”

Winslow pledged his loyalty to the Browns, but remains concerned after at least seven cases of staph have been contracted in the past four years, including receiver Joe Jurevicius this year.”

Harrison suffered a season-ending, and potentially career-ending, torn quad muscle.

Harrison, who turns 36 in December and whose contract with the Patriots is up after this season, could well have played his last down Monday night. When he was carted off the field, Harrison waved to the fans at Gillette Stadium as if he knew he was saying goodbye.

Many will root for Harrison to return, and it’s always possible he could. But if he decides he wants to play, he will be attempting an improbable comeback. This is a tough injury to overcome for an aging safety.

If he never plays again, Harrison will garner Hall of Fame consideration. A former fifth-round pick out of Western Illinois in 1994, Harrison went to two Pro Bowls, won two Super Bowls and is the only player in NFL history with at least 30 interceptions and 30 sacks.

People make these statements and everyone around them is seemingly unaware of how asinine they really are.

Everyone but me. I maintain that putting on weight and/or muscle doesn’t help prevent injuries in the slightest. In fact, it is just the opposite. The more muscle and/or weight you have, the more strain you are putting on joints, ligaments, and tendons (where most injuries occur). It works the same way for bones, too.
But then, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe if you put on muscle mass you’ll be able to “hold up” and “prevent injuries.”

Let’s go down the list:

Concussions: These are caused by getting hit on the head. So the solution? I know! SKULL MUSCLE! Then that extra muscle around your skull can ABSORB PUNISHMENT to prevent concussions!

Neck/spinal injuries: These are caused by either falling on your head or impact to your head, causing stress on your vertebrae. So the solution? Why, fabulous NECK MUSCLES of course! Should you fall on your head, your NECK MUSCLES shall lift the entirety of the rest of your body off your head, minimizing impact and PREVENTING INJURY. Yes. Oh, and should you lead with your head in trying to tackle someone and run head-first into another player, your powerful neck muscles will keep your head going forward so that you can drive through and finish the tackle. Somebody should’ve told Kevin Everett to put on 10-15 pounds of MUSCLE…because clearly, his neck muscles just weren’t strong enough!

Back injuries/back spasms: Usually caused by putting strain on the back in some way. Could be from sleeping wrong, could be from having a defensive player drag you down awkwardly. However, if you put on MUSCLE, you will never have to worry about back spasms again! When that opposing player goes to take you down, you will flex the muscles in your back and, since they are so strong, you will transfer that strength to your lower body so that you can carry them.

Torn muscles (pectoral, abdominal, anything): Usually happens during workouts. But if you have LOTS OF MUSCLE, then you can go into the weight room and NEVER TEAR MUSCLES. After all, it’s usually the skinny people who tear muscles, not the muscular guys or anything!!! Terrell Owens has a permanent abdominal/groin injury…I guess he didn’t/doesn’t do enough ab work!

Terrell Owens should've worked harder on his abs

Broken ribs: OK…now this one might be plausible. On the rare occasions in which someone actually hits you in a spot that isn’t protected by pads, yeah, that could hurt. But is muscle really going to be the difference between breaking a rib/ribs and NOT breaking it/them? Exactly how much protection does it offer? You go ahead and worry about putting wearing a winter jacket when you head into the ghetto…I’ll stand back and watch you get shot and still die.

Separated shoulder/broken collar bone: These are usually caused by falling on the shoulder. Put some muscle on it and magically, the force of being ferociously driven into the ground will be diminished and you will pop up like nothing happened!

Other breaks–arms, legs, ankles, hands, feet: Usually when you break a limb, it’s from falling awkwardly and getting the end of that limb (hand or foot) caught in ground. Ankle injuries are pretty much exclusively from that. Hand and finger breaks are usually from hitting your head on something–but there is ONE way to prevent that. HAND MUSCLES. Just put on some hand muscle and you will never have to worry about breaking the bones in your hands again! As for the feet…yeah, I know, they support the weight of your body…BUT, what better way to protect them than to do lots of foot exercises to put on tons of MUSCLE in your FOOT? Get it caught in the ground while a defensive player is dragging you down violently? Not a problem; your FOOT MUSCLES shall prevent you from EVERY GOING DOWN. That’s right–put on muscle and you never have to worry about getting dragged down again. Every single time you touch the ball, you will score a touchdown.

Torn ACL–Same as breaks. However, if you put on 10-15 pounds of KNEE MUSCLE, your ACL will be so super-strong that you can have a guy roll up into your leg while your cleat is stuck in the ground that it will hold together and repel that 200+ pound player!

Hamstrings–You usually strain your hamstrings while running. So how do you prevent it? By putting on MUSCLE, of course.

I know I’m leaving out a few other injuries, but I think you get the point. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go attempt to put on 10-15 pounds of MUSCLE to prevent finger injuries.

The New York Jets quarterback fumbled a snap from Nick Mangold on Sunday morning and knew what was coming next: his first penalty lap.

“He’s one of the guys,” coach Eric Mangini said. “You put the ball on the ground, you have to run. And that’s the way, when we talked about it, he wanted it and that’s the way I wanted it.”

So, there was No. 4 at his second practice with the Jets, jogging along the sideline with Mangold — to hearty cheers from the 4,000 fans there to catch a glimpse of their new quarterback. Favre was given the day off from speaking to the media, but commented through the team.

“It’s not punishment,” said Favre, who couldn’t recall if he had ever run a penalty lap in his previous 17 seasons. “It’s more of a team unity thing. Nick and I ran it. I told Eric, Day 1, that unless I pass out, I am going to try to do everything that everyone else does.

“I’m no different aside from being a little gray-headed and a little bit older.”

Sure, Brett. But it might have been the NFL’s first penalty lap to draw cheers.

“We missed on the exchange,” Mangold said. “You get used to a new guy and it takes a little bit of time and usually you get the luxury of doing it in the spring where no one’s really around or cheering for laps.”

Video of the disciplinary jog was already posted on the Internet an hour after the morning practice ended and had gotten over 200 hits on YouTube.

“I need to call my mom and have her tape ESPN,” Mangold said with a chuckle. “Hopefully I got on there today with a penalty lap. It was weird because it’s a penalty lap and you’re running it because you’ve done something wrong and people are cheering. It was a little different.”

Mangold, who worked mostly with Kellen Clemens and Chad Pennington during his first two NFL seasons, said quarterbacks and centers have to adjust to each other when they first start working together.

“There’s a good amount that goes on,” he said. “You have to get used to a guy’s voice, his placement of his hands, how quickly he’s getting out. You try to make it look as effortless as possible.”

Mangold asked Favre if he was at fault for the wayward snap.

“He made me feel good and said, ‘No,” Mangold said. “I don’t believe him.”

Either way, Favre took it all in stride.

“I’m not embarrassed by it,” he said. “I think it’s kind of funny, but yet serves its purpose. I think things like that are important in the fact that everyone is involved in it.”

The crowd at Hofstra University was scaled down from Favre’s first practice Saturday, which drew 10,500 fans, but was still double what the team usually attracts for a Sunday morning practice.

“It makes it fun,” safety Kerry Rhodes said. “When you come out here and the fans are going crazy and having fun, it just helps you get through the day.”

Favre, acquired late Wednesday night from Green Bay, gave the fans a few things to cheer about other than his long jog. He zipped a 15-yard pass into the hands of Laveranues Coles and hit Jerricho Cotchery for 35 yards on a go-route down the right sideline. The biggest cheers were for a pretty, long spiral that hit Cotchery in stride down the left sideline for 75 yards, about 65 yards in the air.

“There’s going to be an adjustment for us,” Cotchery said. “We’ve just got to make sure we’re handling everything around him so we have the chemistry we need to have before the season starts.”

In between Sunday’s two practices, Mangini was asked for his assessment of Favre.

“The ball comes out hard and fast and straight and long, so that’s always good,” he said with a smile. “It’s been a whirlwind for him and there’s a lot of new information going in. We’re progressing quickly.”

Favre hadn’t run the hurry-up offense yet; that will come later as the quarterback becomes more familiar with the system. Mangini also has cut down, for now, on the loud music he plays during practice to simulate crowd noise “until I can see the cadence and see the mechanics.”

Mangini understands the excitement surrounding the acquisition of Favre, and worked some humor into his opening remarks for those dying to know the quarterback’s every move.

“Brett had his two hard-boiled eggs, a little bit of orange juice,” Mangini said with the slightest grin. “There was a garnish, I think, and some hashbrowns. And I can take you through minute-by-minute after that.”

Hold on, Coach. Don’t leave everyone hanging. What did Favre eat first?

“It was a tough call,” Mangini said, smiling. “The eggs were mixed with the hashbrowns, so I don’t know which one actually hit his mouth first. I’ll film it next time.”

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press