Janie McCauley

SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif. – Gunnar Sandberg pulled Easton-Bell’s prototype of a protective pitcher helmet over his high school baseball cap and immediately deemed it comfortable. His father thinks it looks cool, too. The Sandbergs now plan to work on convincing others of the importance of such headgear for safety.

SAN FRANCISCO – The laptop screen showed that Cody Doolin’s heart rate had reached the red zone, meaning he was giving his maximum effort during a recent basketball practice at the University of San Francisco. The freshman guard is one of the team’s hardest workers and among its fittest players, typically burning 1,700 calories over the course of a 40-minute game. These days, the coaches know this not just based on a hunch but because they have scientific evidence to prove it.

STANFORD, Calif. – Josh Owens scored the go-ahead basket on a left-handed tip-in with 29 seconds left and Stanford stunned No. 17 Washington 58-56 on Thursday night to stay unbeaten at home this season. Scott Suggs missed a baseline 3-pointer moments later for Washington after he knocked down a tying 3 with 1:08 left. Stanford’s Jeremy Green was whistled for a foul against Justin Holiday on the rebound, but Holiday missed both free throws with 2.5 seconds on the clock.

SAN FRANCISCO – Rick Ankiel and the Atlanta Braves came through with another comeback when they absolutely needed one. Ankiel splashed a tiebreaking home run into McCovey Cove in the 11th inning for his first postseason clout and Atlanta rallied from a late four-run deficit to beat the San Francisco Giants 5-4 on Friday night, tying their N.L. division series at a game apiece.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – One key swing by Brian McCann pulled the National League out of the All-Star shadows. McCann’s three-run double in the seventh inning provided the N.L. all the offense it needed to capture its first Midsummer Classic since 1996 with a 3-1 victory Tuesday night.

TEMPE, Ariz. – Jake Peavy is pitching again with a clear head. At last, the 2007 N.L. Cy Young Award winner is at the point where he doesn’t think about his tender ankle or worry about what might happen next to derail his young tenure with the Chicago White Sox.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Tim Lincecum stayed under cover on the dugout steps and quickly assessed the heavy rain soaking the San Francisco Giants’ spring training field. Then he was off, headed to the weight room for a workout. Entering his third full major league season, the two-time reigning N.L. Cy Young Award winner knows he needs to take his routine up a notch to maintain his dominance on the mound.