Sports

"I want him to play 100 miles an hour with his hair on fire. " - Washington Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo , to the Washington Post, rejecting suggestions that Bryce Harper should play cautiously in the outfield after injuring himself crashing into the wall at Dodger Stadium. "I don't answer to fans. They don't play this game. … They have absolutely no idea what it means to be a professional teammate at this level. " - New York Mets Manager and former Angels manager Terry Collins , on criticism for using Jordany Valdespin to pinch-hit one day after Valdespin angered the Pittsburgh Pirates with a bat flip and slow trot after homering in a 7-1 loss.

SAN JOSE - Jonathan Quick waved his stick and yelled at both referees as he left the ice after the Kings' 2-1 overtime loss to the Sharks on Saturday night, irate over the third-period penalty calls that put the Kings at a two-man disadvantage and tested their mettle as much as it challenged their penalty killing. Quick is normally the calmest man on the ice, stoic in the face of barrages of shots and of beefy forwards crashing his crease. But even he had his limits, and for his trouble he got a game misconduct for abuse of the officials as the Kings contemplated having their series lead narrowed to 2-1. Was Robyn Regehr's hooking penalty at 19:18 of the third period a legitimate call?

ATLANTA - There is a new-age school of thought that believes teams should use their best relievers the way the Dodgers are using Kenley Jansen - in potentially game-altering situations, often in innings other than the ninth. But Manager Don Mattingly said his decision to use Jansen in this manner is based on his team's needs rather than a desire to revolutionize the modern bullpen. Even with Brandon League struggling, Mattingly has hesitated designating Jansen as the closer because doing so would severely limit his options leading up to the ninth inning.

Not all playoff victories are created equal. Nor are losses. But the way the Kings won Game 2 could loom large over this Western Conference semifinal series, with Game 3 on Saturday night at San Jose. The Sharks had rallied from a two-goal deficit and were carrying a lead into the final two minutes of play Thursday night at Staples Center. Normally, if a team scores three times against Kings goalie Jonathan Quick, that is enough to win, a point on which both coaches agreed. "First off, if you score three goals you should win in the playoffs," Kings Coach Darryl Sutter said.

For cornerback D.J. Hayden, the ability to thrive in one-on-one situations sets him apart. It was teamwork, though, that saved his life. Hayden, drafted 12th overall by the Oakland Raiders last month, nearly died on the University of Houston practice field Nov. 6, when a seemingly routine collision resulted in an injury that left doctors and trainers in utter disbelief. He suffered a torn vein to the heart, an injury that most often occurs in motor-vehicle accidents or on the battlefield, and, his doctors say, has a mortality rate of 99%. But for the urgent precision of medical personnel - coupled with some unbelievable good fortune - he almost certainly would not have survived.

Giant vulnerability? The San Francisco Giants rode their starting pitchers to two World Series championships in three years, and starters renowned for their health are at it again. None of the Giants' five starters has missed a turn this season. They have not missed a lot of bats, either. Ryan Vogelsong has an 8.06 earned-run average, the worst of any major league starter. Matt Cain has a 5.43 ERA, and he has given up the most home runs in the majors. This is stunning, considering the relative talent and the home parks involved: The Giants' starters have a higher ERA than the Colorado Rockies' starters.

We haven't seen the last of David Beckham. Oh, sure, we may not see him on a soccer field now that he's announced he will retire after Paris Saint-Germain's final game on May 26. But we will see him in many other places - billboards, magazines, TV - for years to come. There are still Beckham-backed shoes, cologne, cell phones and watches to sell. And sports drinks, vitamins, books and clothing lines. There may even be a sewing machine in the works. "Mend it Like Beckham" anyone? "Commercially, David Beckham is the most successful footballer ever produced in England," says David Haigh, chief executive of Brand Finance, a global consultancy firm.

2 San Antonio vs. 5 Memphis Season series: Tied, 2-2. Key stat: Memphis is averaging a league-low 11.1 turnovers a game in the playoffs, with point guard Mike Conley averaging only 1.9 turnovers in 38.5 minutes. Outlook: Both teams will have to hit the reboot button to prepare for a dramatically different opponent than they faced in the previous round. Having vanquished guard-oriented Golden State, San Antonio must deal with the interior tandem of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, who are averaging a combined 38 points and 17.2 rebounds in the playoffs.

BALTIMORE - Chances are, the horse racing public will get it wrong again. When Oxbow went wire-to-wire in Saturday's Preakness, again ruining a chance for a Triple Crown, it is likely to prompt hand-wringing among those who see it as the ultimate boost for a sport in need of one. Like so many great hopes since Affirmed won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont in 1978, Orb didn't get it done. After an impressive Derby victory, he was widely hailed as Secretariat-like. It was ever thus.

BALTIMORE - Gary Stevens on Saturday became the oldest jockey to win the Preakness, and the Hall of Famer has Clark Masterson to thank. Masterson, a personal trainer based in Bellevue, Wash., helped the 50-year-old jockey lose 25 pounds and nearly 8% body fat during two months of workouts last year. It allowed Stevens to come out of retirement after seven years and resume a riding career that produced eight Triple Crown victories and nearly 5,000 other victories. Running in his 17th Preakness, Stevens rode Oxbow to his third win. Stevens also won the race in 1997 (aboard Silver Charm)