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September 14, 2007

Gore: Mom would have wanted me to practice

Frank Gore was back at practice this afternoon two days after his mother, Liz, passed away from kidney disease. "It's tough but I know my mom -- she'd want me to be here right now," Gore said. "That's why I had to suck it up and come (to practice)." Gore said he would play Sunday in St. Louis and would dedicate the game to his mother. Gore asked that any donations be made in his mother's name to either the American Kidney Fund or National Kidney Foundation.

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Alex Smith somehow brings out the worst in Darnell Dockett. The Cardinals defensive tackle was fined $7,500 by the league for striking Smith in the chest with his helmet on Monday. Dockett also was fined $7,500 last season for diving at Smith's knee when the quarterback was out of bounds.

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Over the years, the 49ers have been the kings of road trips, typically flying farther than any team throughout the year. This season, however, is a walk in the park. The team will travel 19,902 miles, merely the eight-highest total in the league. The road kings this season are the Rams, who will go 35,352 miles. The Jets travel the shortest distance - a yawn-worthy 9,186 miles. The 49ers fly to St. Louis today and they will have a walk-through at the Edward Jones Dome tomorrow.

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Tight end Billy Bajema (ankle) went through a limited practice today and is questionable for Sunday. Dashon Goldson (elbow), Shawntae Spencer (elbow) and Marcus Hudson (quad) are probable.

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Finally, there is a movement afoot to have the 49ers retire Roger Craig's number 33. Five players have worn it since Craig, the most recent being safety Tony Parrish. Another safety, Sean Patten, wore it in training camp this summer. Anyone interested in joining this movement can sign a petition, which can be found at:
http://www.petitiononline.com/rc33/petition.html

-- Matt Barrows

Posted by Matthew Barrows at 1:35 PM | Comments |