SAN FRANCISCO -- Last year, Jim Harbaugh got to know San Francisco safety Donte Whitner well during a week in Ohio in the middle of the season. And so many others, too. Perhaps a little bit of bonding time together across the country will be good for Harbaughs 49ers right now after a mistake-filled 24-13 loss Sunday at Minnesota. It was a rare moment in which the Niners were outplayed on both sides of the ball. The 49ers (2-1) are practicing this week at Youngstown State to avoid a return trip to the West Coast before facing the New York Jets on Sunday. Its another destination training camp of sorts -- just like last season. It even came at the same time in late September, with the 49ers then atop the NFC West at 2-1. "We got very close and thats kind of where we got into our groove last season," left tackle Joe Staley said. The plan seemed to work after that 2011 stay in eastern Ohio: San Francisco rallied from a 20-0 deficit to stun the Eagles 24-23 in Philadelphia a week after a win in Cincinnati. After the thriller in Philly, Harbaugh said: "Thanks Youngstown, youve been good to us. Thats as good a win as I can ever remember being a part of." Harbaugh, for one, felt his body clock became acclimated to East Coast time. He wont speak for his players. "We felt like it was a good thing then," he said Monday in Ohio. "(You) take out the air travel somewhere in the neighbourhood of eight hours of flight time in what would be a five-day period. Thats one of the biggest ones. Also the ability to be here as a team in a unique way during the season, the advantages that the town provides. The facilities at Youngstown State University are excellent." As has been the case since Harbaugh arrived with much fanfare from Stanford in January 2011, his players are on board with the schedule -- even if it means being away from family and friends for a week. Yet Harbaugh points to the handful of 49ers who will have a chance to get home to their families in Ohio and on the East Coast this week. "I like that. Here, we get to go home after practice," Frank Gore said, speaking of the Santa Clara team headquarters. "We go to Youngstown, after practice were all in the same hotels. I think that makes your team grow." On Monday, Harbaugh met Hall of Famer Jim Brown for the first time when they had lunch at the team hotel in Boardman. Brown, who knows the 49ers York ownership family, was in town on business and met informally with Harbaugh, general manager Trent Baalke and some players. Gore was one of them, Harbaugh said. "All the running backs made a point to shake hands and take pictures and ask questions," he said. "It was an honour. It was enlightening. I learned some good things, talking to Mr. Brown. My family, especially my dad, has always been a big fan of Jim Brown. We covered several topics. Learned more about him, his story, how he saw the game. How he sees the game right now. That he loves football. And that he has a deep abiding respect for it. And hes someone that wants to see others benefit from what he knows. So, not hoarding that knowledge, but sharing it." Knowing Harbaugh, he will find a way to weave some of that information into his conversations with the team this week ahead of facing the Jets (2-1). Quarterback Alex Smith certainly will be eager to get back on the practice field after throwing his first interception late in the game. Same goes for Gore, who was held to 63 yards on 12 carries and lost a fumble in the fourth quarter. Smith had gone a franchise-best 249 straight passes without throwing a pick. He wound up 24 for 35 for 204 yards and a 1-yard touchdown pass to Vernon Davis on Sunday. "Didnt execute, bad execution, especially on the offence side," Smith said. "Leaving too much in the red zone. Didnt get into a rhythm. Continually putting ourselves in third down situations, makes for a long day." While Harbaugh didnt share specifics about what he said to his team after losing to the Vikings, he made it clear theyll be ready for the next one Sunday against Tim Tebow and the Jets at the Meadowlands. "What we believe in is pretty consistent. You find something to believe in and go to work on that," Harbaugh said. "What we believe in is preparation. We go to work and we attack it. Thats our message. ... We didnt play our best. Well look at the ways to go to work and fix that -- players, coaches -- thats something were shouldered with doing. Thats our responsibility to get that done." http://www.bruinshockeyproshop.com/Carl-Soderberg-Bruins-Jersey/ . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.bruinshockeyproshop.com/Terry-OReilly-Bruins-Jersey/ .S. mens Olympic basketball team beat Britain 118-78 on Thursday in an exhibition game. LeBron James added 16 points and Russell Westbrook had 15 for the Americans, who built a 40-point lead early in the fourth quarter against their inexperienced and overmatched opponent, and every basket from there seemed to be a dunk. http://www.bruinshockeyproshop.com/Bobby-Orr-Bruins-Jersey/ . Hockey Canada announced Friday that its top World Junior eligible prospects will play a four-game series - dubbed the 2012 Canada-Russia Challenge - in mid-August in lieu of its annual summer evaluation camp. http://www.bruinshockeyproshop.com/Brad-Marchand-Bruins-Jersey/ . Joseph started last week in place of Steven Jyles and went 17-of-27 for 311 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in a 31-30 loss to the Stampeders. http://www.bruinshockeyproshop.com/Tuukka-Rask-Bruins-Jersey/ . A Helsinki native, he split last season between Jokerits junior and senior clubs. He also played for Finland at the 2012 Under-18 World Championship and finished fourth on the team with eight points in six games.EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol and Jordan Hill all will miss the Los Angeles Lakers upcoming road trip with injuries, leaving the struggling club without its top three big men indefinitely. Howard has a torn labrum in his right shoulder, and Gasol has a concussion after taking an elbow in the face late in Sunday nights loss to Denver. Hill, a key backup to both starting big men, has a right hip injury. The three injuries are the latest blows for the Lakers (15-18), who still havent meshed despite a star-studded roster, a bulging payroll and an early-season coaching change. Los Angeles has lost three straight and four of five since beating the Knicks on Christmas, falling to 11th place in the Western Conference. "The NBA is unforgiving, and nobody is feeling sorry for us," Los Angeles coach Mike DAntoni said. "Theres 29 other teams that are happy, and weve got to do the best we can do. Its kind of weird coming to work thinking you have three centres, and all three of them are hurt on the same day." The Lakers biggest concern is Howard, who hurt his shoulder in last Fridays loss to the Clippers and aggravated it in Sundays loss to the Nuggets while grabbing a career high-tying 26 rebounds. The six-time All-Star centre said he wont need surgery, but hell sit out for at least a week before his injury is re-evaluated. "It depends on how fast I heal up," said Howard, who had a bulky wrap on his shoulder Monday at the Lakers training complex. "I was in pain (Sunday night), and the biggest thing right now is I have to make sure Im 100 per cent. I dont want to play with my shoulder weak. Id have a chance for more injuries. Ive got to let it heal up." After cancelling practice Monday, the Lakers announced Gasol and Howard are both out indefinitely. Hill will be examined by team doctors later Monday before getting a prognosis. When the Lakers open a stretch of four games in six days starting Tuesday in Houston, rookie Robert Sacre is likely to be their starting centre. The final pick in last Junes draft has been playing for the Lakers affiliate in the D-League. DAntoni will be forced to improvise with his three best post players sidelined from an already top-heavy roster. The coach said 6-foot-7 Metta World Peace could play centre at times as part of the small lineups hell be forced to use. "Well go small a lot, and well just have to spread the floor and get things done," DAntoni said. "Some guys are going to have to step up and put some superhuman effort into it. Well have some little guys guarding big guys, and well have to be quick. Well have to take advantage of other situations." He wont have much choice: The 7-foot Sacre and 6-foot-9 Antawn Jamison are his only players taller thaan World Peace, unless the Lakers sign a temporary big man.ddddddddddddLos Angeles cleared a roster spot by waiving rookie Darius Johnson-Odom on Monday, three days before his contract would have been guaranteed for the season. Although their wealth of problems can hardly be attributed to injuries, the Lakers havent been fully healthy for any significant stretch of the season. After Howard missed their first five preseason games while recovering from off-season back surgery, new point guard Steve Nash got a small fracture in his leg in their second game of the season, keeping the two-time NBA MVP out for seven weeks. Add in the difficulties of learning a new offence with no training camp for an older roster struggling to keep up with faster teams, and the preseason title contenders realize why theyre looking up at the likes of Golden State, Minnesota and the Pacific Division-leading Clippers in the standings. "Its almost like -- whats that game where you pop one of those things in the head and another one pops up?" DAntoni said. "Whac-a-Mole? Thats what we seem to be doing right now." Gasol got a concussion and an injured nose when Denvers JaVale McGee accidentally clobbered him under the basket with 1:05 to play. The four-time All-Star 7-footer has been struggling both with plantar fasciitis and the difficulty of adapting his game to DAntonis offence, averaging just 12.2 points and 8.4 rebounds in a trying season. Hill had been struggling with a sprained right ankle and a herniated disc in his back even before injuring his hip Sunday. He has been a consistent contributor off the bench in his second season in Los Angeles, averaging 6.7 points and 5.7 rebounds. "No one is going to feel sorry for us," said Nash, who is five assists shy of 10,000 for his career. "Weve got to take the challenge, embrace it, and no matter how many lumps we take, you cant feel sorry for yourself. Youve got to keep battling, and if you keep battling, you give yourself a chance for good things to happen." The injuries were the most concrete news on yet another ridiculously busy day for the 16-time champions. Lakers great Magic Johnson launched yet another barrage of Twitter criticism of the franchise, while Howard and NBA scoring leader Kobe Bryant both flatly denied a report of friction between them, with Bryant tweeting a photo mocking the idea they had nearly come to blows. "You feel like at some point, you hit rock-bottom, and the only place you can go is up," Bryant said. "Its just been a tough year for everybody ... but when you go through a lot of adversity, it challenges you, and then its on you, whether or not you choose to fight, or whether you choose to run away from it. I think well choose to fight it." ' ' '