TORONTO – Its been a bad week for a good bullpen. Starter Drew Hutchison left after six innings with a 3-2 lead, only to watch as three Blue Jays relievers collapsed in the seventh, leading to five Baltimore runs. The Orioles wouldnt look back; in fact they would tack on, winning the game 11-4 and the series, two out of three. It was Brett Cecils turn on Thursday night. Having not allowed a run in eight-and-two-thirds innings of work this season, Cecil entered with one out and a runner on second in the seventh. He walked Nick Markakis and, after a double steal, intentionally walked Nelson Cruz. Chris Davis slapped a two-run single to left field to give Baltimore the lead. After an Adam Jones RBI double, Cecils night was over. In the end, he faced four hitters, each of whom reached base and each of whom scored. “I didnt feel like I had a good feel for anything,” said Cecil. “I was pulling my cutters and curveballs were up. Not as sharp. I thought I made a good pitch to Davis, hit the glove, hit it where (Dioner Navarro) had it and it was two or three inches off the plate. Terrible swing, but he did exactly what he was supposed to with the shift on, just a soft ground ball.” A week ago Thursday in Minneapolis, Steve Delabar, Sergio Santos and J.A. Happ cratered in the eighth inning, walking a historic eight hitters while allowing six runs on just one hit and three wild pitches. The ordeal turned a 5-3 Toronto lead into a 9-5 deficit. Aaron Loup walked the bases loaded in the sixth inning of Sundays game in Cleveland. A David Murphy bases-clearing double later and the Jays 4-2 lead was erased. The Indians didnt look back in a 6-4 victory. On Wednesday, Todd Redmond was rocked trying to protect a 6-3 lead in the fifth. In Redmonds defence, he inherited a bases loaded, none out situation against the top of the Orioles lineup. Baltimore scored six times, total, in the inning and won the game 10-8. The bullpens overall numbers arent pretty in the last seven games: 23 2/3 innings pitched, 22 earned runs, 23 hits and 24 walks. Manager John Gibbons isnt panicking. “I dont think it snowballs, at least it hasnt yet,” he said. “There are going to be some blips every now and then. I still think our bullpen stacks up as good as anybody out there. We have some key go-to guys. We had a chance to close it down there, at least get out of that inning, Davis snuck that ball through. But, no, Im not really worried about the bullpen.” Theres already chatter, less than a month into the season, about whether the bullpen is fraying under the weight of the demand on its arms. Blue Jays starters dont get deep into games often enough. Factor in Toronto relievers threw 552 2/3 innings last season, third most in baseball, and at some point, fatigue will become a problem. “I believe in that,” said Gibbons. “Over time you look at it, a lot of times its year to year. Guys that have good years and theyre used a lot one year, its usually somewhat of an off year the next year and then they bounce back. Thats kind of, just generally, the way baseball goes. Bullpens get used a lot, I dont care whether youre good or bad, in this day and age, its just baseball because its mainly a lot of one-inning guys nowadays, specialists, so they get used a lot, but thats just the way it goes. You have to be durable down there and you have to take your slumps down there sometimes. But it can definitely catch up with you, but its too early in the season to think that has anything to do with it.” One reason for optimism: its been a different guy getting beat each night. Delabar and Santos in Minneapolis, Loup against the Indians, Redmond one night against Baltimore and Cecil the next. The collective result has been abysmal of late but the individual issues have been one offs. The Jays had better hope these are, in fact, one-offs. Otherwise, a trends begun which threatens a relatively hopeful start to the year. GIBBONS CONSIDERS SIX-MAN ROTATION Drew Hutchisons six innings of work on Thursday night marked just the 10th time in 22 games a Blue Jays starter went that long. The starting rotations troubling early trend, combined with this weeks post-game admissions by R.A. Dickey and Dustin McGowan to feeling fatigue by the fifth or sixth inning, has manager John Gibbons considering his options with the schedule about to get busy. After Mondays off day, before a three-game series in Kansas City, Toronto will have only one off until June 2. A six-man rotation could be implemented. “Weve even talked about because May, its jammed up, creating our own off day, maybe just spot-starting someone in there; maybe Happ or something,” said Gibbons. The first date a sixth man would be used is the Sunday, May 3 finale of a three-game series in Pittsburgh. J.A. Happ isnt the only option. Marcus Stroman, who along with Aaron Sanchez is the organizations top pitching prospect, is off to a fine start for Triple-A Buffalo. In three starts hes posted a 2.18 ERA and 26 strikeouts against six walks in 20 2/3 innings. Stromans hit total is high, hes allowed 22, but most of those runners arent scoring. Gibbons mused that a six-man rotation could be implemented on multiple occasions leading up to the All-Star Break. This is a reaction to Wednesdays comments by McGowan, who admitted publicly to feeling fatigued in the fifth inning when, with a 6-3 lead, he walked Ryan Flaherty, gave up a single to Jonathan Schoop and hit David Lough with a pitch. McGowan was lifted for Todd Redmond, who promptly coughed up the lead. McGowan hadnt complained about fatigue to Gibbons or anyone else. His comments to the assembled media were the first the manager had heard about it, which led to a conversation between the two in Gibbonss office on Thursday. “I was curious what he had to say,” said manager John Gibbons. “He says he feels great. I guess he just answered questions or something (Wednesday) night brutally honest. Hell make his next start and well see what happens. “The thing is, I think his stamina is fine,” continued Gibbons. “He said he ran out of gas, but if you leave him in there, I guarantee you he can throw 90 to 100 pitches. Its just do you leave him in there or not. Thats my decision.” The Blue Jays continue to monitor McGowan and Brandon Morrow closely. While their respective situations are different, both have extensive injury histories. McGowan insists his arm is okay, which offers hope that his fatigue may subside if his body can adjust to the rigours of pitching every fifth day. Remember, a stomach virus shortened McGowans spring. Whats more, he hasnt been a regular starting pitcher in six years. “Weve told him, if somethings bothering you, it doesnt feel right in your arm simply because of what youve been through, let us know and hes guaranteed hell let us know,” said Gibbons. “But I think, (Wednesday) night, he was just brutally honest with you. And I kind of like that.” GIBBONS TALKS PINEDA AND PINE TAR Blue Jays manager John Gibbons believes his Red Sox counterpart, John Farrell, had no choice but to ask the umpires to check Yankees starter Michael Pineda for an illegal substance in the game between Boston and New York on Wednesday night. “You almost had to,” said Gibbons. “If you dont ask, everybodys looking at you. Youd catch heat for that.” Pineda was found with pine tar on the right side of his neck. He was ejected and on Thursday he was given a 10-game suspension. Gibbons asked the umpires to check the inside of Orioles starter Miguel Gonzalezs glove in the fifth inning of Tuesday nights game. They found nothing. “Well, you want to make sure if you do it, youre right and we werent right,” said Gibbons. “So were 0-4 with appeals and 0-1 on checking on the pitcher. Its got to get better, doesnt it?” Its generally accepted that pitchers use foreign substances, typically sprays, to improve their grip on the baseball. Gibbons believes the Pineda incident, especially considering the same substance was thought to be on his hand in a start earlier this season, is different. “I still have a hard time believing pine tar (is) not making the ball do something,” said Gibbons. “Its for your grip but its a heavier substance, so its something thats going to affect, if the wind hits that thing, its got to do something.” FRIENDLY TRAFFIC REMINDER If youre coming to Rogers Centre this weekend to see the Blue Jays take on the Red Sox, keep in mind the Gardiner Expressway closes for spring maintenance at 10 oclock Friday night. It doesnt reopen until 12-noon on Sunday. 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In the calls, Hernandez discussed the murder of Odin Lloyd, including his "belief about his criminal liability" and the "extent of his control over persons charged as accessories," according to the request filed Thursday in Fall River Superior Court.COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Connor Shaw threw for one touchdown and rushed for another as No. 10 South Carolina won its record fifth straight over No. 6 Clemson with 31-17 victory Saturday night. The Gamecocks (10-2) won their 18th straight at home, extending a school record set earlier this year. For Shaw, it capped the seniors home career at a perfect 17-0 as a starter in the sweetest way possible. The Tigers (10-2) had never lost five consecutive games to their rival in a series that began in 1896 -- which they still lead 65-42-4 all-time. The loss also left record-setting quarterback Tajh Boyd 0-for-4 against the Gamecocks. South Carolina put things away with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to break away from 17-all tie. Mike Davis had a 2-yard scoring run with 11:47 left and Pharoh Cooper threw a 26-yard TD pass to Brandon Wilds. The Gamecocks rushed to the student section in when the game ended, celebrating the unprecedented streak. South Carolina may have more to celebrate Saturday: If No. 19 Texas A&M defeats No. 5 Missouri, the Gamecocks would head to the Southeastern Conference title game to face fourth-ranked Auburn. Many in the crowd remained to watch as officials showed the Aggies-Tigers game on the stadiums 124-foot wide video board. Clemson left the field defeated again and wondering why an offence that sets records in every other game struggles at the hands of its rivals. The answer this time was easy: six turnovers, three which led to touchdowns. The most crushing miscues came in fourth quarter when defensive end Chaz Sutton ripped the ball from Boyds arms with the Tigers driving for the tying score deep in South Carolina territory down 24-17. When the Clemson forced a punt moments later, Adam Humphries fumbled the punt back to South Carolina. Thats when Cooper pass to Wilds put the game out of reach. Boyd, always a step behind in the rivalry, gave the sold-out crowd at Williams-Brice two final mistakes to cheer about with a pair of interceptions in the final four minutes. Booyd finishes his career throwing five interceptions and getting sacked 19 times in four games with South Carolina.dddddddddddd Shaw completed 14 of 26 for 152 yards and a 9-yard TD throw to Shaq Roland. Shaw also ran for 94 yards and a 3-yard touchdown. Clemson was desperately trying to escape the 365-day-a-year yoke of its long, long series losing streak coming in. Boyd, the one-time Heisman Trophy contender, has chalked up 57 school and Atlantic Coast Conference records in his career, yet had always come up short in the season-ending game. Boyd even took a sack by Jadeveon Clowney, who taunted the quarterback this summer by saying he was scared of South Carolinas defensive front. Clowney hadnt had a sack since Sept. 14 against Vanderbilt in game three, but put Boyd down to stop a second-quarter drive. Boyd ended 19 of 27 for 225 yards with two interceptions. He was sacked five times. Boyd came out firing on Clemsons first drive, going 5 for 5 and leading the Tigers to the South Carolina 30. Thats when Watkins underthrew Humphries on a half-back pass and Brison Williams moved in for an easy interception. Shaw led a steady, 17-play march down the field that ended with the seniors lunging, 3-yard TD. The 17 plays marked the longest Gamecocks scoring drive of the year. It didnt take long for Clemson to answer back, Boyd finding Watkins for a 57-yard catch and run. Two plays later, Boyd tied things on his 8-yard run. The Tigers looked like they might gain back the momentum after forcing a South Carolina punt. But Humphries and Martavis Bryant collided and Gamecock
STONEHAM, Que. -- Maxence Parrot of Bromont, Que., hopes his first career World Cup win on Sunday is enough to put him on the Olympic team. The 19-year-old rider delivered a first place finish in the mens slopestyle event to conclude the Snowboard Jamboree. Parrot, the top qualifier on Friday, earned 94.50 points in the final. Niklas Mattsson of Sweden was second at 87.50 and Torgeir Bergrem of Norway third at 83.00. Charles Reid of Tremblant, Que., was fifth at 80.50. "There were three Canadians in the final and I absolutely had to be in the top two to better my chances to go to the Olympics," said Parrot. "I definitely had an advantage being the top qualifier. I was able to watch the others and I decided to put in my big run that I had been practising all week." Conditions were a factor on Sunday with a steady snowfall and foggy conditions on the hills north of Quebec City. "I really like riding when it snows a lot, Im able to focus better," said Parrot, now with three World Cup medals. gold silver and bronze. "Still the level of competition will be higher at the Games and Ill have to prepare for that hopefully." Reid was also delighted with his result. "Ive worked so hard to get to this point," he said. "I hope my dream becomes a reality on Tuesday." The World Cup halfpipe and slopestyle events here were the last opportunity for Canadians to reach their standards for the Sochi Olympics. Riders in those events are to be announced Tuesday. Matts Kulisek of St-Sauveur, Que., was 11th, Jonathan Versteeg of Vernon, B.C., was 18th, Darcy Sharpe of Comox, B.C., was 20th and Tyler Nicholson of North Bay, Ont., finished 26th. In womens slopestyle, Brooke Voigt of Fort McMurray, Alta., took sixth in the womens final. It was her best result this season. "I really needed to come up with a big result," she said. "Making finals is pretty good. Hopefully its enough to go to Sochi, but everything is still undecided right now." Christy Prior of New Zealand won the gold medal with 89.75 points followed by Cheryl Maas of the Netherlands at 85.25 and Austrias Anna Gasser in third at 84.25. Voigt earned 37.00 points on her second run in the final. Miles Boykin Jersey . The Blueshirts hope to stay alive once again when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins in Sundays Game 6 battle at Madison Square Garden. Joe Flacco Jersey .com) - After Tom Brady added to an already illustrious legacy, Malcolm Butler established his by leaving the Seattle Seahawks, well, deflated. http://www.cheapravensjerseysauthentic.c...mcsorley-jersey. Olsen, who is 6-foot-3 and 305 pounds, can play either centre or guard. The 25-year-old Olsen played 16 games and made four starts in 2012 with the New Orleans Saints. Ben Powers Jersey . Earnshaw, 31, most recently spent time on loan in Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv from Welsh club Cardiff City, which plays in Englands second-tier League Championship. Earnshaw began his career with Cardiff Citys youth program and turned professional in 1998. Wholesale Ravens Jerseys . The 18-year-old centre was the Senators first-round pick (17th overall) in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. The six-foot 196-pound native of Salmon Arm, B.Fort Collins, CO (SportsNetwork.com) - John Gillon led all scorers with 23 points as No. 24 Colorado State opened conference play with a 71-65 victory over Boise State on Wednesday. Gillon made 6-of-11 shots from the field and was a perfect 4-of-4 from 3-point range. J.J. Avila scored 13 points and Daniel Bejarano supplied 11 points and eight rebound for the Rams (14-0, 1-0 MWC), who extended their franchise-best winning streak to open a season. Mikey Thompson paced the Broncos (10-4, 0-1) with 20 points in his teams second straight loss. Thompson hit two triples during the opening three minutes of the final stanza to restore the Broncos lead to 42-32, but again, the Rams responded. Gillon knocked down three shots from beyond and gave Colorado State its first lead since the early stages with his final one to end a 15-4 run and make it a 47-46 game with 12:45 to play. Stanton Kidds layup staked the Rams to a 62-56 lead with 5:37 left, but James Webb III went in on a layup and Thompsons thrree free throws made it a one-point game.dddddddddddd Gillon came up big as he drove through the paint for a layup and converted the ensuing free throw for a 67-63 advantage with 55 seconds remaining. Gian Clavell pulled down a key rebound off Derrick Marks miss from 3-point range, forcing the Broncos to foul. Gillon made two free throws to seal the win. Boise State got off to a hot start as Rob Heyer and Nick Duncan drained consecutive treys to give the Broncos a 22-8 lead less than seven minutes into the contest. The Rams battled back as Calvells l
Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca. Hi Kerry, In the first period of Mondays Canucks-Kings game, Tom Sestito of Vancouver was assessed a five-minute penalty for fighting, a two-minute penalty for instigating and a 10-minute and game misconduct for repeatedly punching unwilling combatant Jordan Nolan. Im a Canucks fan, but Im disgusted by these one-sided attacks and think it was the right call. Nevertheless, I was surprised that the five-minute penalty was called "fighting," as "fighting" penalties are usually given to both players involved in the fight! How come the one player fighting major isnt called for other one-sided attacks like the infamous Emery on Holtby incident on Nov. 1? In your response to that debacle you rightly emphasized the importance of referees separating the players quickly, but didnt mention they could assess a five-minute fighting penalty to one player only! Ryan McCormick,Vancouver, BC Ryan: As you pointed out, the correct penalties were assessed to Tom Sestito in his one-sided altercation/attack against Jordan Nolan. Since Nolan was an "unwilling combatant," the onus and responsibility was on Sestito to stop punching the LA King or be subjected to Rule 46.2 as the "aggressor" (the aggressor in an altercation shall be the player who continues to throw punches in an attempt to inflict punishment on his opponent who is in a defenseless position or who is an unwilling combatant). Tom Sestitos actions clearly qualified him as the aggressor in this altercation. I scored the punch count six direct hits by Sestito to the head area of Nolan. Jordan Nolan, on the other hand, was undeserving of a penalty on the play because he did nothing in response to being continually punched by Sestito; even to the point of keeping his gloves and stick in his hands. Each player is penalized based on their actions and response during an altercation. The penalties assessed to Tom Sestito became accumulative when Sestito dropped his gloves immediately after an end zone faceoff, travelled the short distance to Jordan Nolan and began unloading punches. Based on the rules, these actions qualified this altercation as a fight and clearly identified Sestito as the instigator (Rule 46.11). In the November 1 altercation you reference, Ray Emery left his goal crease and charged the length of the ice to fight with Brayden Holtby. The Washington goalkeeper reluctantly dropped his gloves and was forced to defend himself when referee Francois St.-Laurent was unable to intervene and restrain Emery from the deliberate attack. The punches that Holtby threw in self-defense were deserving of a five minute fighting major. Brayden Holtby would not have been assessed a five minute fighting major if he had turtled or failed to respond in the same manner as Jordan Nolan did last night in L.A. As you see, Ryan, it is possible for the referee to assess a fighting major to one player only. If that were the case it would be in addition to the appropriate instigator penalties. Aside from the additional minor penalty for leaving his goal crease on November 1, Ray Emery received the same penalties that Tom Sestito was assessed in last nights game; two minutes plus a 10-minute misconduct for instigating; five minutes for fighting; and a game-misconduct as the aggressor. There is no question that Vancouver intended to send the Kings a strong message and push back from their previous meeting of January 4, which sidelined Canucks goalkeeper Roberto Luongo. The fuse was lit! It only took nine seconds before Zack Kassian was penalized for dragging Dustin Brown around with his hockey stick firmly hooked between Browns legs after chatting the Kings captain up prior to the opening faceoff. Tom Sestito only lasted a second on his first shift of the game for speed bagging Jordan Nolan who, by the way, should have been penalized for charging Henrik Sedin. A timely penalty call against Nolan would have been a perfect opportunity for the refs to send a message of their own in an effort to establish some control and to bring the temperature down early. It was a gift handed to the men in stripes that was ultimately rejected! It became a constant uphill battle for them from that point in the game. In the end, it was Dustin Brown that once again did the most damage by scoring the only goal of the game early in the third period for a Kings win. I dont think the expression "time heals all wounds" will apply when these teams meet next on April 5 in Vancouver. 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They promoted infielder Jace Peterson from Double-A San Antonio and right-hander Kevin Quackenbush from Triple-A El Paso.A request by the Egyptian owner of Premier League team Hull City to change its name to Hull Tigers is set to be turned down by the English Football Association. The FA said Monday that its membership committee has recommended that the request be rejected following "consultation with stakeholders within and outside of the game." The recommendation has been passed to the FA council, which will vote on it at a meeting on April 9. Hull owner Assem Allam believes a name change will attract investors and boost the clubs marketing appeal abroad. In January, he threatened to quit if the FA turned down his request, saying: "No one on earth is allowed to question my business decisions. I wont allow it." Many Hull fans have reacted angrily to Allams controversial move, unhappy that it removes 109 years of tradition, and have made their feelings known in protests and chants during matches. Allam has injected about 75 million pounds ($125 million) into the club since 2010, when Hull was in the second-tier League Championship and on the brink of financial ruin.dddddddddddd The team secured a surprise return to the Premier League last season but Allams desire for a name change has provoked fury among many fans as well as traditionalists in English football. The backlash intensified when Allam responded to supporters chants and banners of "City Till We Die" by telling a Sunday newspaper: "They can die as soon as they want, as long as they leave the club for the majority who just want to watch good football." Allam has said the word "City" in the name is "redundant" and "irrelevant," and that he would prove to be a trailblazer for clubs changing their names "
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots must get used to playing without Rob Gronkowski again. The star tight end who missed the first six games while recovering from surgeries is done for the season after being placed on injured reserve Monday with a damaged right knee. That experience could help the Patriots handle his absence. "Id like to think theres going to be some carry-over there, not only (from) the first six weeks of the season, but the entire training camp as well," coach Bill Belichick said Monday. "Thats the way we practiced and played most of the year." Gronkowski was hurt midway through the third quarter of the Patriots 27-26 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday when he was hit on the knee by safety T.J. Ward after a 21-yard reception. The Patriots were 5-1 while Gronkowski recovered from off-season operations on his left forearm and back. In the next six games, he led all NFL tight ends with 37 catches and 560 yards receiving and they were 4-2. But the offence was much more productive. Gronkowski caught touchdown passes in four consecutive games before making just two receptions for 32 yards against the Browns. He suffered a torn ACL and damaged MCL, a person familiar with the injury said Monday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team did not release those details. Cleveland coach Rob Chudzinski said Monday he didnt know whether Wards hit on Gronkowski resulted from a reluctance to hit a player high and possibly incur a fine for helmet-first contact. "From my vantage point, I think he was trying to get Gronkowski down on the ground," Chudzinski said. "A big guy coming at you that way is tough to get on the ground, so I dont know that it has to do with the rules other than trying to get the guy on the ground. Certainly, we feel terrible about that (injury). Hes a great player, and (we) hope that he has a speedy recovery." The Patriots visit Miami on Sunday. "The thing about New England is they have an excellent offensive staff, they utilize their personnel very, very well, and they adjust," Dolphins coach Joe Philbin said. "You have to have a big enough system offensively that you can incorporate different players throughout the course of the season." The injury is just the latest to a key Patriots player. Defensive tackles Vince Wilfork and Tommy Kelly, linebacker Jerod Mayo and right tackle Sebastian Vollmer are on season-ending injured reserve. Gronkowskis injury should make it tougher for the Patriots (10-3) to hold on to the No. 2 spot in the AFC and a first-round bye. Cincinnati (9-4) is third and has beaten New England this season. "We cant sit here and try to pretend like its something thats easy and that we just can roll through. Its tough," special teams captain Matthew Slater said. "When you lose guys, and guys of this calibre, it makes it hard on your football team." The Patriots signed tight end D.J. Williams to the 53-man roster. They had released him last Wednesday after signing him as a free agent on Nov. 27. Williams played sparingly in a 34-31 win over Houston. He and Matthew Mulligan are the Patriots only healthy tight ends. Michael Hoomanawanui missed the past three games with a knee injury. "As far as (getting) more reps here or there, you just dont know," Mulligan said. "Its all game plan and well see what happens." Mulligan has just 16 receptions in five seasons. Gronkowski set an NFL record for tight ends with 18 touchdowns in 2011. "Unfortunately, weve had to take the field without him in the past and weve had to figure out ways to still be productive," Slater said. "Were going to have to do that again." Ron Hextall Jersey . And while taking highly-touted Simon Fraser offensive lineman Matthias Goossen second overall on Tuesday night will definitely help in an area of need for the club, it was a swap of draft picks that may prove to be his most shrewd move. "When Jesse Briggs started to fall a little bit, you could just see Kyle perk up in his chair. Dave Schultz Jersey .I dont think it comes to mind in this business, in this game, the Philadelphia Flyers forward said. You dont try to lose games. http://www.cheapflyersjerseyschina.com/eric-lindros-jersey/. Louis Cardinals have agreed to a one-year contract. Mark Howe Jersey . Summers has seen scant playing time with the Coyotes since being selected 29th overall by the club in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, having played in 47 career NHL games. Wholesale Flyers Jerseys . -- Craig Anderson has quite a record against his former team, the Florida Panthers.Gustav Nyquist hasnt scored a lot of goals on Jonas Gustavsson at Red Wings practice recently. "I think lately he saves them for the game," Gustavsson said. Nyquists scoring prowess has helped save Detroits NHL-best streak of 23 straight playoff appearances. Thanks in large part to Nyquists 14 goals and 10 assists in 22 games since the Olympic break, the Red Wings overcame a season rife with significant injuries to extend their playoff run. "With all the injuries weve had, its been pretty crazy," Nyquist said Tuesday in Buffalo. "But with all the injuries, I think all of us young guys have gotten more opportunity out there and (are) playing bigger minutes. ... As a young player I think that gives you confidence, knowing that you can make more plays with the puck when youre confident out there." The Red Wings injury list reads like almost like a full NHL roster. Pavel Datsyuk missed 37 games, captain Henrik Zetterberg 35 and counting, Darren Helm 40, Johan Franzen 27, Danny DeKeyser 16, Daniel Alfredsson 13 and Jimmy Howard 13. Whats even crazier is how the Red Wings seemingly havent missed a beat. And the craziest thing is that Nyquist, who spent the first 22 games of the season in the minors, still leads the team with 28 goals in just 55 games. And its not even close. "He made a splash right away: first game, two goals, when he came up, so I dont know if its a surprise," Alfredsson said. "Maybe a surprise hes been able to keep up that pace. We hadnt seen him in the NHL as much. Hes made a name for himself, a reputation for himself." Nyquist, soft-spoken and humble at 24 with 137 regular-season AHL games under his belt, wouldnt agree that he has been one of the best goal-scorers in the world lately. But with a stretch of 23 goals in 32 games, Nyquist helped the Red Wings go 17-10-5 to beat out the Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals for a playoff spot. "It feels like hes one step ahead sometimes, knowing where the pucks going to end up, and thats how he scores a lot of goals," Gustavsson said on a recent trip to Toronto. "Hes going to the right spots. Im not surprised that he has been scoring a lot for us. Maybe hes scored more than I thought right now." Certainly more than the Red Wings could have envisioned in September, when Nyquist was sent to the Grand Rapids Griffins instead of making the opening-night roster. That was more a consequence of the salary cap than an indictment of his play, as Nyquist was still exempt from going through waivers, but his three goals and three assists in 22 games last year didnt seem a preview of future NHL stardom.dddddddddddd Nyquist brings up "playing with great players" as one reason for his stellar scoring output. But after back problems put Zetteberg on the shelf, Nyquist kept scoring with Franzen, Riley Sheahan, David Legwand and Tomas Tatar rotating as his linemates. "Sometimes in the NHL if youre playing with great players, youre going to find a way to put that in, and hes done that," defenceman Brendan Smith said. "Its been huge for our club." But where did this all come from? "Gus would tell you that he was a pretty good player when he came out of college, I would assume, and that it took the coaches a long time to figure out he was good enough to play him enough to give him the confidence he needs to score enough," coach Mike Babcock said. "Thats probably his theory. My theory is you have to grow as a player and earn your way. I think hes a really intelligent player. Hes got hockey IQ off the chart. He makes good plays, he can shoot the puck, hes got a good release but he gets himself in good spots and weve needed him." Smiths time at the University of Wisconsin overlapped with Nyquists at the University of Maine. Smith can count the ways Nyquist can beat opponents. "Hes a hell of a skater, hes a great puck-mover, he makes great plays, hes got great skill, he can dangle you, hes hard to hit, hes wormy or snakey, whatever you want to call it," Smith said. "I knew he was this good, but I didnt see the scoring nature of it." It wouldve been hard for anyone to see this coming. In 40 career NHL games entering this season, Nyquist had a grand total of four goals. Maybe its just the growth and maturation of a young player, something the Red Wings organization has become very proud of over the years. Or perhaps practice makes perfect. "Hes one of those guys thats always staying till the end of the of practice putting the puck in the net," Gustavsson said. "He works hard and he deserves all the success that he has right now." Gustavsson said Nyquist is just entering his prime and
TORONTO - Although no one cared to admit it, on either side, at the outset of the evening, Mondays divisional grudge match in Brooklyn meant more to the Raptors than the game that preceded it or the one to follow. The stakes were higher, the competition more fierce and the atmosphere was that of a playoff game - something the young, upstart Raptors have five weeks to better prepare themselves for or the result will be eerily similar. If they looked out of place in that environment, its probably because they were. Torontos starting five features a fifth-year star that has yet to make a playoff appearance. Theyre the only team currently in a playoff position that starts two sophomores and its been five years since either their point guard or power forward has experienced postseason basketball. Combined that lineup accounts for 24 games of postseason experience. Staring them down in the final minute of a one-possession, high stakes game was a Nets unit that has collectively participated in 268 playoff contests. Paul Pierce alone is responsible for 136 of them while Kevin Garnett and Andrei Kirilenko - both out with injuries - would have added another 176. The Nets took a five-point advantage into the fourth quarter and, for all their hardships this season, they had only lost one of 30 games in which they held the lead after 36 minutes. Thats the difference experience makes. The Raptors, despite a valiant effort, showed up to a knife fight armed with plastic forks. "This team here in Brooklyn is a championship-caliber team," Dwane Casey said following his teams 101-97 loss. "They know the plays to make to win games. Weve still got to learn that. Were on our way but we still have some learning to do." Although the Raptors remain the NBAs best fourth-quarter team, outscoring opponents by 158 points in the final frame this season, their late-game execution continues to be a work in progress. When ahead or behind by five points or less in the final three minutes, Toronto shoots 37 per cent, the ninth-lowest mark in the league. Theyre 15-18 in games that come down to that scenario. On Monday, Pierce hit what may have been the biggest shot of the night - a cold-blooded three to break a tie with just over a minute left and the shot clock ticking down - while the Raptors wilted in the moment. Down one, 30 seconds later, Toronto got the stop it needed, leading to a five-on-four break the other way. In the midst of a brilliant second half, Kyle Lowry found DeMar DeRozan in transition, believing he would continue to go hard to the bucket. Met by Pierce in the lane, DeRozan lateraled back to Lowry, who wasnt expecting the pass and turned down the shot. John Salmons, receiving the ball from Lowry, also hesitated on an open look from the elbow, which ultimately led to Terrence Ross fumbling the ball as he looked to salvage the broken play. It was a possession mired in indecision and it sealed Torontos fate. The Nets - 10-for-14 from three-point range after the first quarter - hit big shots and made winning plays. They looked like the desperate team, and rightfully so. Had they won, the Raptors would be sitting pretty in the Atlantic Division, five games up on Brooklyn with the season-series tiebreaker in hand. Instead, Brooklyn has pulled within three games of the division lead. "[The atmosphere] was definitely a notch higher because of what was at stake," DeRozan admitted after the game. "Theyre chasing us and were leading in the division. It was just a big game overall. Theyve been playing well, trying to make a playoff push and were trying to sustain our position so it definitely was a big game." While the loss stings, the Raptors are still in the drivers seat, controlling their own destiny with 20 games to go. "It was a disappointing loss in the fact that theyre a team thats battling us for the division," Casey said. "Theres still a lot of basketball left to play. Weve got to stay positive. Its not the end of the world. We werent going to go undefeated the rest of the way. We knew that." Should Toronto and Brooklyn share the same record atop the Atlantic when its all said and done, with the season series now even, the tiebreaker would go to the team with the most wins within the division. The Raptors are currently 8-3 with five games left to be played against Atlantic opponents while the Nets are 7-5 with four remaining. Each of those games could be crucial - including two meetings with New York in the final week of the season - for the Raptors who are hoping to win their second division title in franchise history. Sink or swim, that will be determined by what theyre able to take out of Mondays squandered opportunity. "Its a learning experience," DeRozan said. "It was a heck of a game that we can learn from and possibly could be a team we could see in the playoffs." Wholesale Red Wings Jerseys . The Philadelphia left fielder clubbed a tiebreaking, solo home run in the seventh inning, and the Phillies edged the Red Sox, 2-1, in the middle test of a three-game interleague series at Citizens Bank Park. Cheap Adidas Red Wings Jerseys . The whole deflation of New England Patriots footballs is like a murder mystery without the violence or significance. On one side, this is a ridiculous issue. http://www.cheapredwingsjerseys.com/. The Brazil defender was substituted 13 minutes into Wednesdays 2-1 Copa del Rey win at Athletic Bilbao because of a right hamstring problem. Scans revealed a second grade tear which could keep him out for a reported four to six weeks. Cheap Red Wings Jerseys China . Not Peyton Manning. Hes holding on to the heartache to stoke his competitive fire. Cheap Red Wings Jerseys Authentic . Terrance Broadway threw for 227 yards and Hunter Stover kicked three field goals as the Ragin Cajuns won an unprecedented fourth straight New Orleans Bowl with a 16-3 triumph over Nevada. SUN CITY, South Africa -- The birdie celebrations were muted and the crowd a little quiet all though Friday. Gary Player cried on the tee before an early-morning round under grey skies and Ernie Els remembered the photo he has of himself and Nelson Mandela on his desk back at home in Florida. "It is a very sad day," Els said. "A very sad day for South Africa and the world." A sombre mood hung over the Nedbank Golf Challenge, South Africas first major sporting event since former president and anti-apartheid leader Mandela died late Thursday aged 95. Jamie Donaldson, wearing a black ribbon like all the players, emerged from the emotional day to go to 11 under and hold a three-shot lead over Ryan Moore and Henrik Stenson. The 30-man field spent around nine hours out on the course to make up for lost time when the first round was halted for lightning a day earlier. Donaldson had seven birdies and a bogey in a second-round 66 to go with his opening 67, with the Welshman saying he played "aggressive but not daft." Moore had a round-leading 65 having finished up a 71 in the first round in the morning for a share of second at 8 under with Stenson. The Swede moved back into contention with a 67 at the end of the second day. Thomas Bjorn and defending champion Martin Kaymer were tied for fourth another shot back on 7 under. Sergio Garcia had led after the first round before slipping down to a share of ninth with a 73. Perhaps struggling with the emotions, Els and the rest of the Soouth Africans failed to shine, with Charl Schwartzel the leading home player on 6 under, five off the lead.ddddddddddddEls has gone 75, 71 in the first two rounds. In the early morning, the players had stood with their caddies, some with caps removed, for a moments silence for Mandela before the first round restarted. Flags drooped at half-mast around the Gary Player Country Club. A hooter sounded to start the brief moment of reflection on the life of the beloved anti-apartheid leader. One of South Africas first sporting heroes under Mandelas presidency, four-time major winner Els had walked out of the players lounge a little after 6:30 a.m. to talk to reporters and share some of his precious memories of the time he spent with Mandela. Els said that since about 1996 and well into his old age, Mandela used to call the golfer every time he won a tournament. "They were special times and the little time we had together was very special. He was just the most amazing person I have ever met," Els said. Player, South Africas most successful golfer and whose career so often clashed with South Africas dark years of apartheid, said he and three friends had prayed and then cried together over Mandelas passing before playing a casual round first thing in the morn
OTTAWA - The Ottawa Senators have sent goaltender Nathan Lawson to their American Hockey League affiliate, meaning starting goalie Craig Anderson is likely ready to return to the NHL club. Anderson missed the Senators last two games with a stiff neck after colliding with Dallas rookie Valeri Nichushkin in a game on Sunday. Lawson was brought up from the Binghamton Senators to back up Robin Lehner for the last two games. Lehner played well in 4-1 wins over Columbus and Montreal. Anderson has a 4-4-2 record with the Senators this season with one shutout. He has a 3.14 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage. Lawson is currently tied for fifth among AHL goaltenders with five wins this season. He has posted a 2.22 GAA and a .931 save percentage through seven appearances with Binghamton. Cheap Twins Jerseys .C. United on Wednesday night. Forward Bright Dike scored the games only goal in the 85th minute on a foggy night in Bradenton, Fla. Wholesale Twins Jerseys . Mauer drove in two runs before leaving with an injury, Eduardo Nunez homered and the Minnesota Twins beat the Kansas City Royals 10-2 on Tuesday night. http://www.cheaptwinsjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-rod-carew-jersey. The world No. 1 had one of the most dominating performances in a final and was on his way to a possible shutout on Sunday until the third-seeded Berdych broke the super Serbs serve in the 12th game of the match. Cheap Twins Jerseys China . But the young forward is more than willing to shed a little blood if thats what it takes to make the team this season. "It caught me pretty good, dazed me for that shift, but I didnt want to be off the ice for too long," he said after practice, his lip still bleeding a little despite the plastic stitches holding it together. Cheap MLB Jerseys . The 18-year-old centre was the Senators first-round pick (17th overall) in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. The six-foot 196-pound native of Salmon Arm, B.ZURICH, Switzerland -- Former FIFA international relations director Jerome Champagne has confirmed his plan to challenge Sepp Blatter for the presidency next year. Champagne writes on his campaign website that he informed FIFAs election supervisor, Domenico Scala, of his decision. The French former diplomat launched his campaign in January, and said even then that he doubted he could beat Blatter. Blatter, the president since 1998, intend to aannounce his candidacy next week in Zurich after meeting FIFAs executive committee.dddddddddddd. Candidates must have support from five FIFA member federations by late January. Scala, who heads FIFAs audit and compliance committee, chairs a three-member panel overseeing the May 29 election. They will decide if Champagne is elig
NHL rosters have been finalized and with that is the knowledge of which underage Canadian Juniors will start the season in the bigs. Congratulations are in order and for the young men starting the season in the NHL, its the culmination of a life time of dreaming about playing in the NHL. Yes, theres the understanding it may be only for nine games, an audition so to speak - before another reality sets in. NHL teams are not so eager to have a year of a players entry level contract lop off if there isnt certainty, or more of one, about a players capability to sustain play over the long season. For Team Canada, reality of a different kind sets in. How would the team look if all of these players remain in the NHL and are unavailable for the World Junior Hockey Championship? As I wrote in September, it is always a matter of trying to replace skilled, top end, impact players. Teenage goalies are not going to be in the NHL any time in the future, near or long, so Canada has no worries there. On defence, Aaron Ekblad appears to be a lock to remain in Florida. A luxury to think about joining the team but a reality that is rooted somewhere around zero. I cant envision a scenario where Darnell Nurse isnt returned to junior - a reality I think is closer to 100. One thing stands out for me about the defence - they have size and they can skate. Returnee Josh Morrissey will anchor the blue line and he will have plenty of help. This will be a group that will defend well, transition well and contribute offence. A well-rounded group that will be a strength of the team. The forward group could change significantly between now and Christmas. Whats clear is that the quality of player starting the season in the NHL is of a very high calibre. Some injuries also begin to factor in. None more so than Sam Bennett, who - if he needs shoulder surgery - would all but guarantee his absence. Morgan Klimchuk suffered a broken wrist in training camp, Jake Virtanen is recovering from off-season shoulder surgery and Robbi Fabbri was injured in an NHL pre-season game. Jonathan Drouin is a player to talk about as being eligible but his availability seems to be remote. Hockey Canada eyes will closely follow the progress (or lack of progress) of Sam Reinhart, Curtis Lazar, Bo Horvat and Anthony Duclair. Those eyes will also be closely following other players as they prepare for all possibilities. Opportunity has opened up and while December seems a long way off, every game becomes important for the players who will be vying for a spot on the junior team. Ghost rosters will be contemplated over the next weeks for Team Canadas management and coaching staff as the evaluations continue both for the players in junior and in the NHL. Either way, play well and youre in. This isnt a new reality for Hockey Canada. CRAIG BUTTONS PROJECTED TEAM CANADA - OCTOBER Forwards Left Wing Centre Right Wing Nicolas Ritchie (Peterborough) Connor McDavid (Erie) Jake Virtanen (Calgary) Max Domi (London) Nic Petan (Portland) Jayce Hawrlyuk (Brandon) Michael Dal Colle (Oshawa) Robby Fabbri (Guelph) Zach Nastasiuk (Owen Sound) Morgan Klimchuk (Regina) Frederik Gauthier (Rimouski) Greg Chase (Calgary) To be determined - Jonathan Drouin, Anthony Duclair, Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart, Curtis Lazar, Bo Horvat Defence Left Right Haydn Fleury (Red Deer) Josh Morrissey (Prince Albert) Samuel Morin (Rimouski) Madison Bowey (Kelowna) Travis Sanheim (Calgary) Shea Theodore (Seattle) Dillon Heatherington (Swift Current) To be determined - Aaron Ekblad, Darnell Nurse Goaltenders Zach Fucale (Halifax) Philippe Desrosiers (Rimouski) Eric Comrie (Tri-City) Mason McDonald (Charlottetown) Candidates Left Wing Left Defence Centre Right Defence Right Wing Nick Paul (North Bay) Ben Harpur (Guelph) Brayden Point (Moose Jaw) Roland McKeown (Kingston) Nick Baptiste (Sudbury) Brendan Lemieux (Barrie) Jason Dickinson (Guelph) Chris Bigras (Owen Sound) Jeremy Gregoire (Baie Comeau) Jeremy Roy (Sherbrooke) Cheap Cardinals Jerseys .com) - Quarterback Cardale Jones will return to Ohio State next season. 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The Detroit Tigers closer blew a three-run lead in the ninth inning Wednesday night against the Dodgers.QUEBEC - The league-leading Baie-Comeau Drakkar won their 11th straight game Tuesday with a 4-2 victory over the Quebec Remparts in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League play. Maxime St-Cyr, Alec Jon Banville, Alexandre Ranger and Charles Poulin scored for the Drakkar (36-12-4), who moved three points ahead of idle Blainville-Boisbriand. Anthony Duclair, with his league-high 46th goal, and Nick Sorensen replied for the Remparts (30-14-8). Philippe Cadorette made 23 saves for Baie-Comeau. At the other end of the ice, Franncois Brassard stopped 26 shots.dddddddddddd --- FOREURS 4 SCREAMING EAGLES 2 VAL-DOR, Que. — The Foreurs overcame a two-goal deficit to blow past Cape Breton. Pierre-Maxime Poudrier, Julien Gauthier, Anthony Mantha and Nicolas Aube-Kubel had a goal apiece for Va
If you had two sets of data, one being a team’s shooting percentage, and the other being a team’s ability to generate shot-attempts, which set would be better in terms of predicting future 5-on-5 goal-scoring ability? At first blush, one may guess the former. After all, it gives us the percentage of shots on net that result in a goal. The latter set of data only tells us how frequently shots are generated, and tells us little – if anything – about a team’s goal-scoring ability. But, that’s not the case. Plenty of work has been done on this topic, particularly at even-strength. The answer is clear: shot-attempt metrics and puck possession proxies like Corsi are much more predictive than shooting percentage, primarily because shooting percentage is swamped by random variance. It’s important to note that this also holds true for special teams. While many hockey analysts appear to obsess over raw conversion rates, the same above principle – that shot generation is far more predictive of future success (or failure) than shooting percentage – is vital in forecasting future success. Why? Because shooting percentage, even in a power-play situation where scoring chances are aplenty, is not a very repeatable skill. It’s easy to illustrate this by simply grabbing a team’s shooting percentage over the first half of the season, and finding how well it correlates to the team’s shooting percentage over the second half of the season. Taken from the years 2007 through 2011: I included the coefficient of determination (0.01) – or percent of variance explained – to illustrate the randomness in shooting percentage. As you can see, a team’s 5-on-4 shooting percentage through the first 41 games of the season does nothing in terms of telling us how well it will convert on shots over the next 41 games. Shot-attempt generation, we know, is a repeatable 5-on-5 skill. Does the same hold true for 5-on-4? Let’s grab the CorsiFor/60 for the same teams in the above sample, and see if their first-half numbers and second-half numbers show similarity. The graph and coefficient of determination here are much more convincing. A team’s ability to generate (or not generate) shots through the first 41 games will likely carry over to the next 41 games, which means this particular measurement has predictive value – far more than, say, shooting percentage. More than anything else, I think this topic is timely. If you poll members and fans of the National Hockey League as to who the league’s deadliest power-play is right now, I think you’ll get a stunningly similar response in the Pittsburgh Penguins. Now, that’s a decent choice – they have a ton of talented forwards, they have exhibited ability to generate shot-attempts with frequency in every game-state, and they have puck-movers on the back-end who can whip the puck through the neutral zone with tempo. All of that is fantastic However, the primary reason I think most would select the Pittsburgh Penguins right now is conveniently tied into the fact that they’ve converted on 31.6% of their power-plays through a 17.54% shooting percentage, second-highest in the league. But, if we are trying to forecast future outcomes, we know to move away from shooting percentages and gravitate towards shot generation. How do the Pittsburgh Penguins look in that aspect of the game? Power Play CorsiFor/60 Rank Team CorsiFor/60 1. Washington Capitals 127.7 2. San Jose Sharks 114.3 3. Arizona Coyotes 113.9 4. Philadelphia Flyers 106.2 5. Chicago Blackhawks 104.2 6. Toronto Maple Leafs 102.5 7. Winnipeg Jets 102.3 8. Detroit Red Wings 101.5 9. Boston Bruins 100.9 10. Ottawa Senators 96.8 11. New York Rangers 95.2 12. Pittsburgh Penguins 95.1 In reality, what we have in Pittsburgh is a good power-play with elite scoring talent. I’m highly skeptical, however, that it’s going to be the best unit by the end of the season, because it still pales in comparison to the units established in Washington (currently 28.8% conversion rate; 2nd) and San Jose (currently a 23.8% conversion rate; 4th), both historically and through the first leg of 2014-2015. Washington’s power-play has been performance art for years, and if nothing else, these early season numbers show the kind of incredible ability they have at blitzing opposing penalty kill units. Their scheme starts with a series of well-designed neutral zone rushes, and almost always features the likes of Nicklas Backstrom and Marcus Johansson on the right-side of the ice, with Alex Ovechkin waiting in his one-time wheelhouse for cross-ice passes. Backstrom and Johansson generally engage in sequences of back-and-forth passing to draw the defense deeper towards their own crease, which sets up two other options away from the Ovechkin primary at the blueline. If the defense pays too much respect to Ovechkin, Mike Green, John Carlson, and Matt Niskanen hammer away from the point. And if the defense pays equitable respect to the point shot and Ovechkin, Backstrom and Johansson needle their way deeper into the box of the penalty kill. If teams are looking at ways to improve their power play through modelling the attacking styles around the league, they could do worse than Mike Johnston’s Pittsburgh Penguins. But, right now, the kings of 5-on-4 still reside in the D.C. area. And, the king of predictive utility for power-play performance is still embedded in shot attempts. Cheap Jets Jerseys . "Yeah, [I heard them]," he said. "They made me miss the free throw." A year ago, Lowrys post-game antics may not have been so well received but what was snide and snarky is now endearing quick wit. Cheap Jets Jerseys China . Thaddeus Young scored seven of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, Evan Turner added 22 points, and the 76ers hung on for their first road win since Nov. 1, beating the depleted Los Angeles Lakers 111-104 on Sunday night. http://www.cheapwinnipegjetsjerseys.com/. - UFC 178, previously announced for Sept. Cheap Winnipeg Jets Jerseys . Louis, MO (SportsNetwork. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . SIMONS ISLAND, Ga.Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban apologized Thursday to Trayvon Martins family over his choice of words in a videotaped interview in which he addressed bigotry and prejudice. Cuban even revealed some of his own prejudices in the interview with Inc. magazine, and said he believes everyone has "prejudices and bigotries" on some level. But after his words — which came with the NBA still dealing with the fallout over racist remarks made by now-banned Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling — created a stir in social media and other circles, Cuban took to Twitter to offer his apology. "In hindsight I should have used different examples," Cuban wrote. "I didnt consider the Trayvon Martin family, and I apologize to them for that." Cuban also said he stands by the substance of the interview. Martin was the black Florida teen who was shot and killed by neighbourhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in February 2012. Martin was wearing a hooded sweatshirt — commonly called a "hoodie" — that night, and that particular piece of clothing became a rallying cry for those who demanded justice. Zimmerman was eventually acquitted. "Were all prejudiced in one way or the other," Cuban said in the Inc. interview. "If I see a black kid in a hoodie and its late at night, Im walking to the other side of the street. And if on that side of the street, theres a guy that has tattoos all over his face — white guy, bald head, tattoos everywhere — Im walking back to the other side of the street. And the list goes on of stereotypes thaat we all live up to and are fearful of.dddddddddddd" When shown that excerpt of the interview Thursday, Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat cringed. "Its just a sensitive time," Bosh said. Cuban has not revealed how he will vote on June 3, when NBA owners are scheduled to cast ballots on a motion to oust Sterling and force him to sell the Clippers. Cuban has called the comments made by Sterling "abhorrent," adding that there is "no place for racism in the NBA, any business Im associated with." Cuban has, however, cautioned that the Sterling matter is a "very slippery slope." "While we all have our prejudices and bigotries, we have to learn that its an issue that we have to control," Cuban told Inc. "Its part of my responsibility as an entrepreneur to try to solve it, not just to kick the problem down the road because it does my company no good, does my customers no good, does society no good if my response to somebody and their racism or bigotry is to say Its not right for you to be here, go take your attitude somewhere else." Cuban also told Inc. that he knows he is not perfect, and that "its not appropriate for me to throw stones." The magazine has a 2 1/2-minute clip of Cuban speaking about the topics on its website, along with about an hourlong appearance — with the Mavs owner discussing many matters — at its Growco Conference in Nashville on Wednesday. "Were a lot less tol
ARLINGTON, Texas – J.P. Arencibia was a busy man on Friday afternoon, unable to find the time to speak to the Toronto media between advanced meetings and his pregame workout and batting practice routine. The brief reunion between Arencibia and the club that drafted him, this three-game weekend series at Globe Life Park, marks the first opportunity for the former catcher of the future to address public comments he made about the Blue Jays during a March media scrum at the Rangers spring training facility in Surprise, Arizona. "That has nothing to do with us," said manager John Gibbons, who added he wasnt previous aware of Arencibias comments. "We wish him well. Hes a good guy. He comes to play everyday. I cant get caught up in that." Arencibia seemed to spare no one and nothing, offering comment on what he perceived to be the Blue Jays misplaced priorities. "Theres not a lot of riff-raff going on except for baseball stuff," he said. "Its cool. Its refreshing to be part of something that is really baseball emphasized." The clubhouse leadership got addressed. "Elvis (Andrus), (Adrian) Beltre, you have these guys who are leaders and have been around for a while, they make it easy," Arencibia said at the time. "Its not like you come in here and youre walking on egg shells." If hes more comfortable in his new surroundings, the results arent showing it. Entering Fridays play, Arencibia had appeared in fewer than half of Texas games (19), and was hitting a measly .140/.190/.246 with one home run. This off a disastrous 2013, Arencibias last in Toronto, during which hit for a .194 batting average and posted a meager on-base plus slugging percentage of .592 despite hitting 21 home runs. He was non-tendered by the Blue Jays in the offseason and signed a one-year deal with Texas in free agency. The Rangers are missing their starting catcher, Geovany Soto, and dont expect him back from a knee injury until later in June. In the meantime, Arencibia is splitting the catching duties with Robinson Chirinos, a one-time Chicago Cubs prospect who spent the better part of a decade in the minor leagues. There is talk around Arlington that when Soto comes back, Arencibia will be the odd man out. Arencibia is, by nature, a sensitive individual who seemed to read and hear everything critical written and said about him. He took it to heart. That same personality trait affected his relationship with members of the Blue Jays organization. Coaches would offer advice, try to help, but he would perceive constructive criticism as personal slight. Toronto decided Arencibia was no longer the right fit. Despite that, Gibbons still believes Arencibia can forge a successful big league career but he has some advice. "Its the ability to make some adjustments," said Gibbons. "He can do that. Ive seen him do it but hes got to be committed to it, you know. With J.P., hes still on the younger side of this game so hes got the time." INJURIES IN BASEBALL If youre a baseball fan in Toronto, youve likely got at least one friend who isnt and who enjoys pointing out how "soft" baseball players are when it comes to injuries. Youve heard it; the old "Hockey player takes a puck in the mouth and doesnt miss a shift but the baseball player tweaks his hamstring and misses three weeks" routine. One player whos spent time on the disabled list this season suggested to TSN.ca last week that if people felt the aches and pains baseball players do on a daily basis, theyd be visiting their doctors office on a regular basis. "Canadas the wrong place to say it because youve got hockey," said manager John Gibbons. "Those guys break a leg and theyre still playing so theres probably not a lot of sympathy on that end of it." Baseball, obviously, is a different sport. Its stop and start, which can wreak havoc on muscles that are in use one moment and then not again for a number of minutes. There arent intentionally violent collisions. Remember, too, the Blue Jays play on Astroturf, which has improved over the years but remains a thick rug blanketing a concrete surface. "The toughest part about baseball is its everyday," said Gibbons. "Youre banged up and a certain part of it is skill. If youre a pitcher or something like that, if youre hurting, you cant perform because youve got to throw a baseball or something like that." NAVARRO TO RETURN ON SATURDAY Catcher Dioner Navarro, whos been on the bereavement/family emergency list since Wednesday, will return in time for the second game of the Blue Jays three-game series in Texas. The club will make a corresponding roster move prior to the game. GETZ RETIRES One week ago, Chris Getz was a Toronto Blue Jay. Today, hes a former baseball player, having formally announced his retirement. "He called me the other day and he told me its something hes been contemplating anyway," said manager John Gibbons. "Hes a smart cookie. Getzys got it all together. He ended up getting his five years in but it was something that was kind of stewing with him a little bit because in the last couple of years hes been up and down." Getz and his wife are expecting a baby. He was designated for assignment on Sunday to accommodate Casey Janssens activation from the disabled list. The 30-year-old played 459 career games for three teams (Chicago White Sox, Kansas City, and Toronto), hitting .250/.309/.307 with 50 doubles and 89 stolen bases. Cheap Flames Jerseys .com) - Stanley Johnson had 18 points and No. Matthew Tkachuk Jersey . Fellow Argentina forward Gonzalo Higuain also had a brace for Napoli. And Samuel Etoo scored for his fourth different team. On a night of standout individual performances Wednesday, Schalke goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand had a game hell want to forget. http://www.cheapflamesjerseyschina.com/mike-smith-jersey/. -- Phil Mickelson came to the St. Tanner Glass Jersey . Rudy Gay made the tying basket in regulation and a 3-pointer in overtime that gave Sacramento the lead for good, and Fredette scored a career-high 24 points to help the Kings beat the Knicks 106-101 on Wednesday night. Gary Roberts Jersey .com) - Jahlil Okafor had 21 points, Tyus Jones scored 16 with 10 assists and No.Bruce Boudreau has earned a reputation as a gambler and the Anaheim head coachs latest roll of the dice paid off in a big way. Boudreau made a surprising decision to start highly-touted goaltending prospect John Gibson in Game 4 at Los Angeles on Saturday and the 20-year-old responded by posting a 28-save shutout to help the Ducks even this Western Conference semifinals series at 2-2. Gibson and the Ducks will aim for a repeat performance when they try to take their first lead of this best-of-seven set in Mondays Game 5 against the visiting Kings. The Ducks recalled Gibson after Frederik Andersen, another rookie goaltender, was hurt late in Game 3 and had to be replaced by veteran backstop Jonas Hiller. With Andersen sidelined on Saturday, Hiller was expected to get the Game 4 start due to his playoff experience, but Boudreau instead went with Gibson, who earned rave reviews in his NHL postseason debut. "As soon as we called him up, I thought about starting him," said Boudreau. "I thought he would give us the best chance to win." Gibson had gone 3-0-0 with a 1.33 goals-against average and one whitewash in three appearances at the tail end of the regular season for the Pacific Division champions. On Saturday, he became the first rookie to post a shutout in a playoff debut since Andrew Raycroft of the Boston Bruins against the Montreal Canadiens (3-0) on April 7, 2004. "When I found out I was going to play, I was excited," Gibson said. "I knew the team had to get a win tonight." The victory knotted the series at two games apiece and continue the trend of road teams winning in this series. Los Angeles claimed Games 1 and 2 in Anaheim before the Ducks clawed their way back into the series with two straight victories at the Staples Center. Gibson will be in net again on Monday with Hiller serving as the backup. Devante Smith-Pelly and Ryan Getzlaf provided early offense for the Ducks on Saturday, as both players tallied late in the opening peeriod.dddddddddddd Anaheim improved to 23-2 all-time in the postseason when Getzlaf scores a goal. Anaheim had 11 shots in the first period, but only registered three shots on net over the final 40 minutes. The Ducks went without a shot in the middle stanza, marking the first time an NHL club was held without a shot in a playoff period since it happened to Dallas against Edmonton on May 9, 1998 in Game 2 of the WCSF. While Gibson was able to record a shutout, Kings star goaltender Jonathan Quick was pulled after the first period. Quick stopped 9-of-11 shots and Martin Jones turned aside the three shots he faced over the final two periods. Kings head coach Darryl Sutter said the decision to pull his No. 1 goaltender was a tactical one and Quick should be in net when Game 5 gets underway. "It wasnt a tough thought process. They scored two goals. I dont think our goaltending is an issue. We have to finish off our shots to be successful," offered Sutter. The Kings hadnt been blanked in a home playoff contest since May 20, 2012, a 2-0 defeat to the Phoenix Coyotes in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals. L.A. forward Anze Kopitar had his point streak halted at 10 games, as he failed to pick up a point for the first time in this postseason. He was the first King to have points in 10 straight games in one postseason since Wayne Gretzky posted a franchise-record 12-game point streak in 1993. Kopitar has four goals and 11 assists to lead all players with 15 points in this postseason. The winner of Game 5 will have a chance to close the series out Wednesday in Los Angeles. The Kings, the 2012 Stanley Cup champions, are attempting to make the conference final round for a third straight spring. Anaheim is
MILWAUKEE -- This one was for Roberto Clemente. The Hall of Famers retired jersey is still the only 21 that matters for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Pinch-hitter Travis Snider homered in the ninth inning to lift Pittsburgh to a 4-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night that clinched the Pirates first non-losing record in two decades. Clemente played right field for Pittsburgh and finished his career with exactly 3,000 hits. He died in a plane crash on New Years Eve 1972 while trying to deliver food and relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. "The one family Im happy for is the Clemente family," manager Clint Hurdle said. "They told me earlier in the season that we cant have 21 losing seasons, that weve got to find a way to not have Robertos number tied to that. I told them wed find a way to take care of that. Its been taken care of." Snider drove a 2-2 pitch from Jim Henderson (3-5) over the wall in centre for his second pinch-hit homer of the season. He also accomplished the feat against the Chicago Cubs on May 21. It was victory No. 81 for Pittsburgh, ensuring it will not finish with a losing record for the first time since it went 96-66 in 1992. More importantly, it boosted the Pirates lead in the NL Central to two games over St. Louis. "It was on our to-do list," Hurdle said. "Well move on from here. Our plans are continue to play and compete and go further." Mark Melancon pitched the ninth for his 11th save, striking out Khris Davis with a runner on second to make it four straight wins for Pittsburgh at Miller Park for the first time since 2002. The Pirates lost 44 of 51 games in Milwaukee from 2007-2012. "Weve played good baseball all year," Snider said. "To have the veterans that weve picked up, and you add them into the mix with the guys that have grinded all year, brings some great personality, some great veteran leadership and overall great players." Pittsburgh went ahead 3-2 in the eighth. Andrew McCutchen walked with one out and raced around to third when newly acquired Justin Morneau followed with a perfectly executed hit-and-run single into left field. Marlon Byrd then hit an RBI double off Brandon Kintzler into the left-field corner. Pinch-hitter Pedro Alvarez was intentionally walked to load the bases with two outs, and Kintzler got pinch-hitter Gaby Sanchez to fly out to end the threat. Morneau, who was acquired in a trade with Minnesota on Saturday, had three hits. Byrd, who came over in last weeks deal with the New York Mets, went 2 for 3 with two RBIs and has hit safely in six of his first seven games with Pittsburgh. Snider said the addition of Morneau and Byrd has supplied a big boost. "I think all of us are fortunate and blessed to have those guys on this team," he said. "To help us as a squad, the city of Pittsburgh and the fans that have been grinding for the last 20 years, give them something to be excited about and make a push on this thing." Jean Segura had two hits and Jonathan Lucroy drove in two runs for Milwaukee, which has lost five in a row. Lucroy shared Hendersons misery. "He (Snider) had fouled that fastball off pretty good right before that pitch," Lucroy said. The catcher was thinking "lets throw a slider right here and keep it down. Hell probably swing at it, if its down," he said. Problem was the pitch sailed in high. "He just hung it right into his swing," Lucroy said. "I called those pitches that got hit out. I share the blame myself." The Brewers rallied in the bottom half of the eighth against Vin Mazzaro (7-2). Pinch-hitter Caleb Gindl walked, advanced on a groundout and scored on Seguras base hit. Yovani Gallardo pitched seven solid innings for Milwaukee, allowing two runs and five hits. The right-hander, who threw seven shutout innings at Pittsburgh in his previous start, is 11-4 with a 2.59 ERA in 20 career appearances against the Pirates. McCutchen went deep with two out in the first for his 18th homer of the season and No. 100 for his career. But Milwaukee responded with two runs against Gerrit Cole in the bottom half on Lucroys two-run single to right. Cole gave up five hits over six innings. He struck out five and walked one. NOTES: Pittsburgh activated closer Jason Grilli from the disabled list. The 36-year-old right-hander had been on the DL since straining the right flexor tendon in his pitching arm during a 6-5 victory over Washington on July 22. He had been on a rehab assignment in the minors before being recalled. Hurdle said Grilli will make a couple of relief appearances in non-save situations before resuming his role as the closer. He made the All-Star team for the first time this season and was second in the NL with 30 saves at the time of his injury. ... The Pirates recalled RHP Jared Hughes, OF Andrew Lambo, LHP Jeff Locke and C Tony Sanchez from Double-A Altoona. ... The Brewers recalled 1B/OF Sean Halton and RHP Johnny Hellweg and selected the contract of RHP Jimmy Nelson from Triple-A Nashville. ... The Pirates have homered 12 times in their last 12 games. ... McCutchen is the sixth player in team history to hit at least 100 home runs and steal at least 100 bases in his career. Cheap Enos Slaughter Jersey . 1. AMIR JOHNSON: Nice to see him back in the lineup Tuesday night in Washington DC. Played with great energy and purpose. Its amazing when a guy gets those few precious days to recover what it does to the bounce in their step and overall game/confidence. Cheap Cardinals Jerseys . The German has taken the pole for three straight races -- winning the first two. Hes aiming for a third consecutive win at the Yeongam circuit and, most importantly, a fourth consecutive F1 championship. http://www.cheapstlouiscardinalsjerseys....er-maris-jersey. -- LaMarcus Aldridge returned to the Trail Blazers lineup, happy to know that things didnt go awry without him. Cheap Red Schoendienst Jersey . Vinci also beat Dulgheru last week in Bucharest en route to her first WTA final in a year. Vinci next faces sixth-seeded Kurumi Nara of Japan, who beat Czech qualifier Katerina Siniakova 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-2. No. Cheap Whitey Herzog Jersey . Ferrer, the two-time defending champion in Buenos Aires, is aiming to win his 21st ATP tournament. Ferrer will next face fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro, the fourth seed, who defeated Jeremy Chardy of France 7-6 (7), 6-3 in another quarterfinal match.MINNEAPOLIS - The Philadelphia 76ers avoided tying the record for the worst start to a season in NBA history, ending their 0-17 skid with an 85-77 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night.Michael Carter-Williams had 20 points, nine rebounds and nine assists and Robert Covington added 17 points to keep Philadelphia from tying the 0-18 start by the New Jersey Nets in 2009-10.The game got off to an awkward start when 16 seconds into the first quarter, referees realized that the two teams were going in the wrong direction. A foul on the Timberwolves had to be wiped away and the game restarted with a new jump ball.The Sixers shot just 39 per cent against the worst defence in the league and turned the ball over 19 times. They scored only nine points in the second quarter, but in the end there were smiles and hugs for the first time this season.Gorgui Dieng had 15 points and 16 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who lost for the 11th time in 13 games.NETS 95, SPURS 93, OTNEW YORK (AP) — Mirza Teletovic had a season-high 26 points and a career-best 15 rebounds starting in place of Kevin Garnett, and the Brooklyn Nets snapped the San Antonio Spurs eight-game winning streak with an overtime victory.The Nets regrouped in overtime after blowing a 14-point lead in the final 5 minutes of regulation and beat a team with a winning record for the first time this season.Danny Green had 20 points, 10 rebounds and the tying 3-pointer with 2.4 seconds left in regulation for San Antonio.BULLS 102, HORNETS 95CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Pau Gasol had 19 points and 15 rebounds, Joakim Noah and Nikola Mirotic each posted double-doubles, and the Chicago Bulls sent the Charlotte Hornets to their 10th straight loss.Noah had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Mirotic added 11 points and 12 rebounds as the Bulls bounced back from a double- overtime loss to Dallas on Tuesday night.It was the fifth straight game the Bulls have scored at least 100 points.Kemba Walker had 23 points and Lance Stephenson had a season-high 20 for the Hornets, who have lost 12 of 13.CELTICS 109, PISTONS 102, OTBOSTON (AP) — Jeff Green scored 32 points, including a 3-pointer as Boston opened overtime with eight straight points, and the Celtics snapped a five-game losing streak by beating the Detroit Pistons.The loss was the 10th in a row for Detroit. Greg Monroe scored 15 of his 29 points after the 3:13 mark of the fourth, when the Pistons erased an 11-point deficit. But Detroit never recovered after giving up the first three baskets — including a pair of 3-poinnters — to start the extra period.ddddddddddddRAPTORS 123, JAZZ 104SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Kyle Lowry scored a season-high 39 points on 13-of-22 shooting as the Toronto Raptors sent the Utah Jazz to their seventh straight loss.Greivis Vasquez and Lou Williams each had 17 for the Raptors.Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter scored 19 points apiece for Utah. Gordon Hayward added 16 points and Trey Burke had 15 and eight assists for the Jazz, who trailed through the final three quarters.ROCKETS 105, GRIZZLIES 96HOUSTON (AP) — James Harden scored 21 points, and Trevor Ariza and Jason Terry added 16 each to help the short-handed Houston Rockets cruise past Memphis.The Grizzlies had won five in a row, and their two previous losses this season had been by a combined five points.Memphis jumped out to an 8-0 lead in this one but couldnt do much after that. Houston didnt trail after the first quarter.Houston played without three starters, including Dwight Howard, who missed his seventh straight game with a strained right knee.MAVERICKS 107, BUCKS 105MILWAUKEE (AP) — Monta Ellis hit a wild, fall-away jumper at the buzzer, lifting the Dallas Mavericks over the Milwaukee Bucks.A night after Ellis scored 38 points in a double-overtime win at Chicago, he got 23. He had eight in the last two minutes.The Mavericks won their fifth in a row while resting Dirk Nowitzki because of a sore back. Coach Rick Carlisle called it a precautionary move.Tyson Chandler scored 18 points and added 20 rebounds for the Mavericks.Brandon Knight scored 25 points and Khris Middleton added 21 for the Bucks in their third straight loss.HAWKS 112, HEAT 102MIAMI (AP) — Jeff Teague scored 27 points, Kyle Korver scored 18 and the Atlanta Hawks handed the Miami Heat another home loss.Dennis Schroder scor
CHICAGO -- The fast start for the New York Rangers was erased by the Chicago Blackhawks in a couple minutes during the first part of the second period. Playing the Stanley Cup champions in their building, Henrik Lundqvist and Co. came up with an encouraging response. Carl Hagelin scored the tiebreaking goal in the third period to lead the Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Blackhawks on Wednesday night. "We worked so hard, so this is a big one for us," said Lundqvist, who had 35 saves. "Playing such a good team and the position were in, were desperate for points and wins, so just a great feeling the way we played and got rewarded in the end with that big goal." The Rangers (22-20-3), who began the day in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, improved to 6-2-1 in their last nine games. They were coming off a 4-3 shootout loss at home against Columbus. Asked if the victory over Chicago could be a tipping point for New York, coach Alain Vigneault responded: "All I know is beating the Stanley Cup champions in this building is not an easy task." Jonathan Toews and Brandon Bollig scored in the second period for Chicago (29-8-9), which had recorded at least one point in a season-high 10 games. Coupled with Sundays shootout loss against San Jose, the Blackhawks lost consecutive home games for the second time this season. It was Chicagos first regulation loss since it was blown out at Toronto, falling 7-3 on Dec. 14. "Weve got too many guys right now that arent contributing to that level we saw most of the season," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. Marc Staal started the winning sequence with a long slap shot that was stopped by Corey Crawford, who also got in front of Hagelins first rebound attempt. But Hagelin stayed with the play and flipped the puck into the open right side with 5:57 left. It was Hagelins fourth winning goal of the season, tops on the team. He also is tied for the team lead with 11 goals overall. "Lately, we have a lot of confidence and try not to get too frustrated," Hagelin said. "Some games the puck goes in and other days it doesnt. But I think when youre creating chances you stay positive." Brad Richards and Mats Zuccarello also scored for New York, which earned its first win in Chicago since a 3-2 victory on Jan. 16, 2009. The Rangers and Blackhawks took turns controlling the action in the first two periods. The first belonged to New York, which made the most of a disjointed start for Chicago. Richards scored on a wrist shot at 5:06 and Zuccarello made it 2-0 when he skated behind the net for a wraparound that banked off the paddle of Crawfords stick for a power-play score at 9:29. Lundqvist had the secondary assist on Zuccarellos 11th goal. It was Lundqvists second assist of the season and 14th of his career. "Especially there in the first we were sloppy," Blackhawks defenceman Duncan Keith said. "We got better as the game went along, but unfortunately, they were able to get one late." Chicago bounced back in the second, using a power play to get back in the game. With Derick Brassard in the box for interference, Toews beat a screened Lundqvist high on the stick side for a rebound goal at 6:17. It was Toews 16th of the season and first since Chicagos captain scored twice during a 7-2 victory over Colorado on Dec. 27. The Blackhawks struck again 1:48 after Toews goal. Bollig skated alone down the left side and tied it at 2 with a well-placed wrist shot into the lower left side of the net. It was Bolligs fourth goal of the season. Crawford settled down after the uneven start and finished with 29 saves. He made a nice glove save on Rick Nash on a semi-breakaway with 2:05 left in the second, keeping the game tied at 2. He also used his right pad to deny Brassard early in the third. NOTES: The 26-year-old Zuccarello is tied with Richards, Hagelin and Chris Kreider for the team lead in goals. Zuccarellos previous career high was six goals when he was a rookie with New York in the 2010-11 season. ... The Blackhawks recognized their 10 Olympians on the centre-ice videoboard during a break in the first period. ... New York C J.T. Miller and D Justin Falk were scratched. ... Defencemen Michael Kostka and Sheldon Brookbank were scratched for the Blackhawks. Doug Gilmour Jersey .ca presents its latest weekly power rankings for the 2013-14 Barclays Premier League season. Nikita Zaitsev Jersey . The New York State Supreme Court only partially dismissed the lawsuit, meaning the case could be headed for trial. The tour announced a year ago that Singh would be suspended for saying in a Sports Illustrated story that he took deer antler spray, which was believed to contain the banned substance IGF-1. http://www.cheapmapleleafsjerseyschina.com/syl-apps-jersey/. The Durban-based Sharks withstood a furious second-half fightback to beat the Queensland Reds 35-20 for a fourth straight win which gave them a five-point lead atop the championship table. The Hamilton-based Chiefs scored two late tries to beat the Cape Town-based Stormers 36-20 for their third win, after the Stormers rallied from 24-6 down to 24-20 with six minutes remaining. Adidas Maple Leafs Jerseys . GQ Lundqvist quite well.Three rounds, and nearly two months later, will the Kings have the strength to reach the summit of the Empire State to claim the cup?Truer words have never been spoken. Mitchell Marner Jersey . A last-minute leveler ensured the two-time defending champion remained nine points ahead of Roma, which drew 0-0 at bitter rival Lazio in the capital derby.BARCELONA, Spain - Cristiano Ronaldo scored from long range to seal Real Madrids 2-0 victory over the promoted Cordoba on Monday as the European champions made a winning start to the Spanish league. Karim Benzema headed in the opening goal on the half-hour mark of a first half that Madrid dominated under the direction of new signing Toni Kroos. But Cordoba surged forward in the second half, turning iits first game in the topflight in 42 years into an evenly matched contest.dddddddddddd Ronaldo shook off an otherwise drab performance with a strike that only few can match when he blasted in a right-foot shot from well outside the area in the 90th. Atletico Madrid begins its title defence later at Rayo Vallecano. Barcelona beat Elche 3-0 on Sunday, with Lionel Messi scoring twice. 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Sean Fitzpatrick says the All Blacks will survive the loss of big players thanks to development driven by Steve Hansen. New Zealand host Wales in a three-Test series starting on Saturday, with a host of familiar faces named in Hansens matchday 23.With the international retirement of Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, and Maa Nonu among others last year, there was a line of thought that the All Blacks would be ripe for the taking in 2016, but the players who have replaced them have a wealth of international experience already. New Zealand certainly have plenty of skill at their disposal, but former All Black Fitzpatrick says its the management of the players development that has been key as they build on back-to-back World Cup titles, as he singled out coach Hansen for praise.Its amazing how quickly New Zealand move on, said Fitzpatrick. The likes of Aaron Cruden, Malakai Fekitoa, Sam Cane and Kieran Read as captain all come into the fold and they bring with them new skills as well as Test experience.The fact that they have had some exposure at the top level already is a reflection on the work that Steve Hansen and his coaching staff have done to develop this team. Once again you have to give credit to Hansen, who identified his capabilities a number of years ago and gave him senior leadership roles within the squad. Sean Fitzpatrick on Kieran Read With the exception of Seta Tamanivalu, most of those players have been in or around the All Black team for some time.It is a team of form players who look like they will kick on quite comfortably from the World Cup.McCaw was not just one of the best flankers in world rugby when he retired, but also arguably one of the greatest captains of the game.Though Read will not have that experience to lean on this weekend, Fitzpatrick does not think the No 8 will have to adapt to the role as captain of the best side in the world.I think he will want to put his stamp on the leadership, but he doesnt need to do much more than hes doing.Hes had nine games as captain already but now hes the big boss. He hasnt got Richie there, which may be a good thing for him, maybe he can grow even more. Warren Gatland talks about the challenge Wales face going up against the All Blacks on their Summer Tour Hes a good person and a good leader of men, and hes the nest No 8 in the world at the moment. You couldnt ask for much more!Once again you have to give credit to Hansen, who identified his capabilities a number of years ago and gave him senior leadership roles within the squad.The former All Black hooker says the world champions will not be caught cold in their first outing of the season, as has been known to happen in the past. Kieran Read starts his tenure as full-time All Black captain against Wales Traditionally New Zealand have been slow starters, but I cant see that happening this time.I think Wales will have a proper crack at the All Blacks, theyve said as much themselves, but its easier said than done.New Zealand clash with Warren Gatlands men at Eden Park this Saturday, and the 92-Test veteran is looking forward to the tussle up front.The interesting battle for me will be watching Samson Lee up against Joe Moody. Moody was one of the big movers for me at the end of last year.He came into the World Cup in 2015 after not paying for a few weeks and he performed brilliantly off the bench against France in the quarter-final, then started in the semi-final against the Springboks and the final against the Wallabies. Alun Wyn Jones reaches 100 caps for Wales on Saturday, and he tells us about what drives him on the field Though victory will be the number one priority for those in black this weekend, the Sky Sports pundit says there are some players who need to shine through individual performance in Auckland to stake their claim for the jersey.Cruden has played pretty well in Super Rugby, but his kicking success rate is 52% so hes got something to prove in that department.Cane will have to play well because theyre looking pretty hard at Ardie Savea. Given enough time on the field he could impress.Naholo didnt quite have the expected impact at the World Cup so he will be looking to show what he has to offer.Its an exciting Test match and I cant wait to see what they produce. Also See: Cruden gets All Black nod Wales change five for NZ WATCH: Wales whos who Follow @SkySportsRugby Bob Gassoff Jersey . Dane Dobbie had four goals and two assists, Karsen Leung had two goals and two assists, and Matthew Dinsdale scored two and helped on another for Calgary (6-3). Shawn Evans and Jeff Shattler had eight-point games with a goal and seven assists apiece, and Jon Harnett and Geoff Snider also scored. Martin Brodeur Jersey . Moments after his Brooklyn Nets teammates ran out onto the court to congratulate him following their 100-98 overtime win over the Phoenix Suns on Friday night, Johnson could only shake his head at scoring only 13 points on 6-of-19 shooting. http://www.wholesalebluesjerseys.com/?ta...macinnis-jersey. - The Chicago Bears have agreed to a one-year contract with free-agent centre Brian de la Puente. Shayne Corson Jersey . -- Edwin Encarnacion hit a three-run homer, Colby Rasmus drove in two runs and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Detroit Tigers 9-4 on Saturday. Robert Bortuzzo Jersey .C. -- The Charlotte Bobcats said head coach Steve Clifford underwent a successful procedure Friday to have two stents placed in his heart.ATLANTA -- Atlanta Hawks general manager Danny Ferry took an indefinite leave of absence Friday, making the move under fire for his racially charged comments about a player. Hawks CEO Steve Koonin has resisted calls for Ferry to be dismissed, but said the 47-year-old GM asked for the leave. My hope that this time away from the Hawks organization allows him the privacy he needs to listen to the community, to learn about his mistakes, and to begin the long process of personal healing, Koonin said in a statement. Ferry issued his own statement, saying he plans to undergo sensitivity training and meet with local leaders. He gave no indication that he plans to step down. My focus moving forward is to tirelessly work to rebuild trust with this community and with our fans, he said. Ferry made an inflammatory assessment of Luol Deng during a conference call with the Hawks ownership group in June as the team was pursuing the free agent. The GM described Deng as someone who has a little African in him. Hes like a guy who would have a nice store out front and sell you counterfeit stuff out of the back, Ferry said on the call, which was recorded. Deng, who was born in what is now South Sudan, signed with the Miami Heat but didnt know if Ferrys comments until this week. Deng said he was proud of his African roots, while adding he was saddened and disappointed that this way of thinking still exists today. I am even more disturbed that it was shared so freely in a business setting. Koonin said Ferry was disciplined for his comments, but refused to disclose the punishment. Both Ferry and Koonin have said the GM was merely repeating statements made by others in scouting reports on Deng. Former NBA great Magic Johnson is among those who have recommended that Ferry step down. An internal investigation into Ferrys comments uncovered an unrelated email sent two years ago by the teams controlling owner, Bruce Levenson, who theorized that black fans were keeping suburban white fans from attending games. Levenson said he was embarrassed by what he called an ill-advised attempt to improve the teams attendance and that he intends to sale his share of the Hawks. The whole affair has been another embarrassment to the NBA, which only last month forced Donald Sterling into selling the Los Angeles Clippers after he was heard on secretly recorded conversations with his girlfriend asking that she not to bring African-Americans to his games. Steve Ballmer bought the Clippers for a record $2 billion. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who quickly issued a lifetime ban against Sterling, said he supported Levensons decision to sell the Hawks but doesnt think Ferry should lose his job. No words can adequately describe my remorse for the hurt that I have caused many people through the statements I repeated, most importantly Luol Deng, Ferry said in his statement.dddddddddddd While these were not my words, I deeply regret repeating them. Almost all the background information I provided during the lengthy presentation regarding Luol was positive and my personal and professional recommendation during the call was very much in favour of adding Luol to our team, but I never should have uttered those offensive remarks and for that I apologize. Ron Klempner, acting executive director of the NBA Players Association, said the union was pleased to learn that Ferry acknowledges his statements were offensive, has extended a personal apology to Luol Deng and the other Atlanta Hawks players, and that the Hawks organization has determined that discipline of Ferry was warranted. After listening in on the conference call, co-owner Michael Gearon Jr. sent a letter to Levenson recommending that Ferry resign or be fired. That led the team to hire a law firm to investigate the matter, which led to the discovery of Levensons email. Koonin said Ferrys comments were deeply troubling but added that the matter was exasperated by discord among the ownership group, presumably referring to Levenson and Gearon. At the heart of this dispute is an unfortunate disagreement amongst owners, Koonin said. That said, we have taken several steps to address what we can do as an organization to be better and stronger, including working with a diversity consultant to examine us and to train us to ensure something like this never happens again. Koonin said the team plans to hire a chief diversity officer and will consult with community leaders, though a scheduled meeting this week with civil right activists was cancelled by the team. Coach Mike Budenholzer will take over as the head of basketball operations during Ferrys absence, reporting directly to Koonin. The Hawks, who have made the playoffs seven years in a row, have largely assembled their expected roster for this season. Ferry has been credited for his efforts to overhaul the team and build a culture modeled on reigning NBA champion San Antonio, where he worked before joining the Hawks in 2012. Two of his most lauded moves were dumping the big-money contracts of Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams. Now, Ferry is fighting for his future with the team. I realize that my words may ring hollow now and my future actions must speak for me, he said. I will maximize my time during this leave to meet with community leaders and further educate myself and others on the extremely sensitive issues surrounding race, diversity, and inclusion. I will find a way to make a positive difference in this area. There is other important business, as well, The process of selling the team, which is to remain in Atlanta, Koonin said, is already underway. 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MILWAUKEE -- Yovani Gallardo pitched like an ace for the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday. Gallardo, who came off the disabled list Friday, gave up three hits in 6 1/3 innings to lead the Brewers to a 2-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds. Gallardo, who strained his left hamstring July 30, did not give up a hit until the fourth inning when Brandon Phillips singled after Joey Votto walked. But Phillips was caught in a rundown after the ball got away from Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy. He threw just 82 pitches even though it took him 18 pitches to get out of the first inning. "I felt really good tonight," he said. "I was able to get everything working." Gallardo (9-9) has struggled at times this season, posting a career-high 4.68 ERA. He had also lost five of his past seven home starts prior to Saturday. "Obviously it has not been the year I wanted to have," he said. "But that is in the past. My focus is on finishing the season strong and today was a good step forward." Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said he was pleased that Gallardo pitched as well as he did after coming off the disabled list. "To be out that long and to come back with that kind of command, I was pleasantly surprised," he said. "This was really good to see." The other star of the night for the Brewers was centre fielder Logan Schafer, who broke out of a 0-for-21 slump with a two-run double. Schafer said he was just happy to get a hit after his recent struggles at the plate. "Its always nice when you hit the ball where theyre not," he said. "I was looking for something up and over the plate so I could drive it. It felt good to contribute to a win." The Reds threatened to score in the seventh inning as Gallardo gave up a one-out single to Phillips. Gallardo was replaced by Brandon Kintzler, who gave up consecutive singles to Jay Bruce and Ryan Ludwick. But Kintzler got pinch hitter Xavier Paul to ground into a double play to end the inning. "We had the right guy up there against the right kind of pitcher. He hit the ball hard, but right to him and its a double play," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. Kintzler pitched a scoreless eighth inning and Jim Henderson struck out the side in the ninth for his 18th save in 21 chances. Mat Latos (12-4) pitched seven innings for the Reds, giving up two runs and six hits. The two runs he gave up in the fourth inning snapped his scoreless streak at 19 innings. Lotus career high is 21 consecutive shutout innings, most recently accomplished April 19 to May 5. Baker said Cincinnati hitters did not give Latos much room for error by not scoring any runs. "He had some trouble out there and his pitch count got kind of high in the middle, but he gave us a chance to win," he said. "We had bases loaded a couple times, but we couldnt keep the ball off the ground, hitting into a double play." The Brewers scored the only runs of the game in the fourth inning. Khris Davis and Scooter Bennett singled with two outs. Schafer followed with a double to right field to score both runners. Notes: Brewers All-Star centre fielder Carlos Gomez missed his second straight game. He is listed day to day with a sprained right knee after making a catch at the wall during Thursdays 2-1 loss to Cincinnati. ... Ludwick got his first hit of the season in the fifth inning. Ludwick returned to the lineup this week after missing most of the season with a right shoulder injury. ... RHP Wily Peralta will start the series finale on Sunday for the Brewers. He will be opposed by the Reds Homer Bailey. James Johnson Jersey .I get texts: Do you know Drake? Have you met Drake? He sits there every night, he hears me cuss out the referees every night, Casey said, laughing. Alonzo Mourning Jersey . "[People] keep asking that question and its not a legit question because we dont have that right, we havent arrived yet," Casey responded. "Weve got to take each game at a time, each possession at a time and look at it that way. http://www.cheapheatjerseys.com/.Stanton suffered fractures in his face and other injuries when he was hit by a pitch Sept. 11. The Marlins are confident hell fully recover and be ready for spring training, and they hope to reach a long-term agreement with him. Edrice Adebayo Jersey . The Montreal Alouettes announced Tuesday that they have acquired the return specialist from Calgary, as well as the Stampeders fifth-round draft pick in the 2014 CFL Canadian Draft. Cheap Heat Jerseys China . Spieth again showed game well beyond his 20 years with a 9-under 63 on the North Course, giving him a one-shot lead over Stewart Cink going into the weekend at the Farmers Insurance Open.UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Scottie Upshall and the Florida Panthers have had little to celebrate this season. But four unanswered goals to secure a 5-3 win over the New York Islanders was reason enough to savour the moment. Upshall scored twice in the third period as part of the four-goal outburst as the Panthers snapped a four-game losing streak and sent the Islanders to yet another discouraging loss Sunday. Upshalls 11th of the season broke a 3-3 tie at 10:31 of the final period. The goal came on the rebound of shot by Shawn Mattias, who also scored two goals for the Panthers. Upshall tapped the loose puck past backup goaltender Anders Nilsson, who started in place of Evgeni Nabokov. He scored again at 15:26 on the power play to make it 5-3. Tim Thomas made 35 saves for the Panthers (23-31-7). "We came out determined in the third," said the 30-year-old Upshall, a first-round pick by Nashville in 2002 who almost completed a natural hat trick with two minutes left. "We needed a spark and we found it. And we played with an edge." The Islanders entered the third with a 3-1 advantage after Thomas Vanek scored twice in the first and Ryan Strome added a goal late in the second. But Floridas Marcel Goc and Matthias scored early in the third to tie the game at 3 before Upshalls late scores. Vanek opened the scoring at 6:41 with his 20th of the season and added his 21st on the power play at 7:39. The goals were his first since Jan. 25. Vanek was a major acquisition by the Islanders from Buffalo on Oct. 27 and has 17 goals in 47 games for New York. The Austrian left wing said he wants to test free agency this summer. Thus, the Islanders might try to trade him before Wednesdays deadline while they can still garner assets in return. The Islanders lost for the ninth time in 11 games. And it was the 12th time in their disappointing season in which they surrendered a two-goal lead, winning only two of those contests. "We seem to find ways to lose," said Andrew MacDonald, also a pending free agent who could be traded. "Its tough to see games slip away. When you get the lead, you should be aable to hold it, most of the time.dddddddddddd Its discouraging." MacDonald also addressed the idea he could be leaving the only NHL organization he has known. "I thought about it today, it weighs on your mind," the 27-year-old defenceman said. "You try not to let it get to you." After Matthias scored for Florida to make it 2-1 at 18:15 of the second, Strome restored the two-goal margin for the Islanders 59 seconds later with his second of the season. Gocs 11th of the season at 3:16 of the third came on a 40-foot floater from just inside the left point to make it 3-2 early in the third. Matthias scored his second of the game and ninth of the season at 4:18. The afternoon matchup was chippy from the start. Rival tough guys Krys Barch of the Panthers and the Islanders Eric Boulton squared off 2:25 into the game. Eight seconds later, a skirmish ensued between Brian Strait of the Islanders and Jonathan Huberdeau of Florida. "We didnt quit, we stayed involved," added Matthias. "We played a real gritty game and were glad to get the two points." The Islanders beat Toronto in overtime last Thursday in their first game back following the Olympic break. But they were drubbed 6-1 on Saturday by the New Jersey Devils as Jaromir Jagr scored his 700th career goal. The Islanders played without defenceman Travis Hamonic, suspended one game for instigating a fight near the end of Saturdays loss. NOTES: The Islanders activated forward Frans Nielsen before the game and sent Mike Halmo to AHL Bridgeport. Nielsen, who has 18 goals, suffered a broken hand when he was slashed against Colorado on Feb. 8. ... The Islanders (23-32-8) head out for a four-game Canadian road trip -- Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver before returning home to face San Jose on March 14. ... The Panthers have played 30 one-goal games this season, with a 12-11-7 mark. ... Florida was without forwards Alex Barkov (knee) and Tomas Kopecky (upper body) while the Islanders also missed forward Matt Martin (lower body). ... Florida scratched captain Ed Jovanovski and forward Scott Gomez. 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OTTAWA -- Alex Stalock waited a long time for his first NHL start, but says it was well worth it. The 26-year-old stopped 38 shots and was instrumental in leading the San Jose Sharks to a 5-2 win over the Ottawa Senators Sunday night. Stalock, who previously had made just three appearances in relief of starter Antti Niemi, admitted he was nervous and excited. "I think it helped a lot being a five oclock game for me and not having to sit around all night and come to the rink and go through the routine," he said. "It was a little easier than sitting around all day in my hotel room." Stalock made 16 saves in the first period and helped the team jump out to a 3-1 lead after 20 minutes of play. "Maybe its a good thing that I saw a lot early and was able to feel it," said Stalock. "They were kind of shooting it from everywhere, which I was kind of expecting they would, but not being in a game yet I was lucky enough to make saves." Stalocks teammates were happy to see him pick up the win and were thrilled to be able to give him a few early goals to help with his confidence. "Hes been patiently waiting behind (Niemi) and to come out with a performance like that was huge for us," said Sharks captain Joe Thornton. Tomas Hertl, Andrew Desjardins, Tommy Wingels, James Sheppard and Joe Pavelski scored for the Sharks (10-1-1), who were playing their fourth of a five-game road trip. The Senators (4-5-2) received goals from Erik Karlsson and Marc Methot, who picked up his first of the season. Craig Anderson made 24 saves in defeat. This marked the first time this season that the Sharks had been outshot in a game. The Senators have few answers for their play of late, but realize things have to change. For the second straight game Ottawa allowed the opposition to jump out to a 2-0 lead. "We cant spot good teams leads," said Senators captain Jason Spezza. "We get behind and then it doesnt matter what we do, were chasing the whole game." The Senators lack of urgency proved costly as the Sharks scored two early third-period goals to put the game out of reach. Sheppard scored his first of the season as he beat Anderson far side and Pavelski made it 5-2 after burying a big rebound. Trailing 3-1 to start the second period, the Senators gave the home crowd something to cheer about when Methot closed the gap with a bullet from just inside the blue line. A poor start by Ottawa proved to be the difference yet again. "I just thought we chased the game the whole night," said Ottawa coach Paul MacLean. "Im very concerned about the way that weve played to this point in the season." In the past the Senators would often struggle at the start of games, but were resilient and became known for their ability to come back late. "Our identity in the past has been a hard-working group thats very competitive and comes to play the whole game and plays hard the whole game," added MacLean. "Right now we dont do that. So what is our identity?" The Senators were chasing the Sharks nearly from the start of the game. Hertl opened the scoring at 1:16 as the puck bounced over Senators defenceman Joe Corvos stick, allowing Hertl to quickly put it between Andersons legs. Just over five minutes later sloppy play by the Senators in their own end allowed Desjardins to make it 2-0 as he picked up a rebound and scored off his backhand. Ottawa cut the lead in half midway through the period, as Karlsson was able to score through traffic. With Senators forward Cory Conacher creating a screen Stalock barely had a chance to see the shot until it was behind him. Any momentum from the Ottawa goal was lost after giving up a short-handed goal with less than two minutes remaining in the period. Karlsson bobbled the puck at his own blue line and San Joses Logan Couture took off on a breakaway. While Anderson made the initial save the puck rested in the crease and Wingels banged it in to restore the two-goal lead. "Right now we make a mistake and it ends up in our net," said Anderson. "Im not sure how you change that. Obviously you need a little bit of luck, but at the same time youve got to limit the amount of mistakes you make." This was the second and final meeting between the two teams this season. Notes: Ottawas LW Clarke MacArthur missed Sundays game with what the Senators described as a minor injury, LW Matt Kassian and D Eric Gryba were healthy scratches for the Senatorsa San Jose remains without RW Brent Burns (puck in the mouth, day-to-day). RW Marty Havlat (pelvis, undetermined), and D Dan Boyle missed his sixth straight game. LW Matthew Nieto was a healthy scratch. Tracy McGrady Jersey . He was with the New York Jets in 2011 when the NFL locked out their players after they failed to agree on a new contract. Willy went undrafted but was given a look by four NFL teams before heading north. Fred VanVleet Jersey .com) - Richard Shermans two interceptions highlighted a dominant defensive effort, as the Seattle Seahawks routed the San Francisco 49ers in a highly anticipated NFC West Thanksgiving clash. http://www.cheapraptorsjerseys.com/?tag=...-leonard-jersey. His big 2-minute outburst in the fourth quarter Tuesday night is all that really mattered for the Dallas Mavericks. Cheap Raptors Jerseys China . The former Edmonton Oilers defenceman was with the St. Louis Blues in training camp on a professional tryout. Whitney, 30, had four goals and 13 points in 34 games with the Oilers last season. Lucas Nogueira Jersey . Returning to Davis Cup tennis, Federer cruised past Ilija Bozoljac, winning 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 in less than two hours. Federer faced little challenge from Bozoljac, who served well but still was no match for his Swiss opponent.The Oakland As continue to rule the TSN.ca MLB Power Rankings, taking top spot for the fourth consecutive week, ahead of the Milwaukee Brewer and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, both up one spot. Despite injuries to their pitching staff, the As keep rolling and lead a powerhouse American League West that has three of the top six teams. The Seattle Mariners make the Gillette Move of the Week, up from 12 to six, after winning seven of their last nine games. Pitching has kept the Mariners in the playoff hunt and their 3.26 staff ERA ranks second in the American League, behind only the As. Four straight wins pushes the Minnesota Twins from 23 tto 17, and winning four of five results in the New York Mets rising, from 26 to 21.dddddddddddd Heading the other way, the Toronto Blue Jays are slumping and have lost second baseman Brett Lawrie to a broken hand, so they slide from two to nine. The Atlanta Braves, home of the slumping Uptons, are down from seven to 15, and the reeling Texas Rangers have crashed from 17 to 26, as injuries decimate a pitching staff that was questionable to begin with. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. 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HOUSTON -- On a day when he had everything going, the only thing that frustrated Minnesota pitcher Kyle Gibson was he had to leave the game. The Twins right-hander was dominant in a 3-1 win against the Houston Astros, allowing six hits and one run in 7 2/3 innings on Wednesday. Gibson, who struck out four and walked two, took a shutout into the eighth before Chris Carter drove home Jose Altuve with s single. "Its never too frustrating when you win a game but I definitely wanted it thats for sure," Gibson said. "That last inning I knew every pitch was important to keep the pitch count down and be able to go back out there for the ninth. "That infield single that just didnt get hit hard enough and a bloop that just didnt get hit hard enough cost me the opportunity." Gibson (11-9) was well under 100 pitches going into the inning and nursing a 3-0 lead thanks to a sixth inning home run by Joe Mauer and a two-run RBI single in the seventh by Kennys Vargas. "I was sitting right there with him," said Twins manager Ron Gardenhire. "I said If he gets through the eighth inning under 100 pitches we let him go back out there and take a shot at it. Hes earned that. Unfortunately they got a run on him and we had to get him out of there. I was thinking right along with him. I thought he was in control of the game." Mauer gave Gibson some cushion when he hit a 2-2 pitch into the right field bullpen in the sixth inning to break up a scoreless tie. Mauer, who extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a first inning single, drove the Brett Oberholtzer (4-8) pitch on a line to give the Twins a 1-0 lead. "Id like to have that back," Oberholtzer said of the pitch Mauer hit out. "Hindsights 20-20 but its a two-two count and I challenge there with nobody on to start the inning and he made me pay for it." Glen Perkins pitched a perfect ninth inning to earn his 30th save of the season. Oberholtzer pitched well over seven innings. The left-hander allowed six hits and struck out four. "Oberholtzer threw the ball well, "Astros manager Bo Porter said. "He did a tremendous job, and offensively we didnt swing the bats. So he ends up being the tough luck loser." TRAINERS ROOM Astros: First baseman Jesus Guzman will begin a rehab assignment Thursday with Triple-A Oklahoma City. Guzman was placed on the 15-day disabled list August 3rd with back spasms. Twins: Ricky Nolasco is on schedule to make his first start since going on the disabled list July 8th after a second successful rehab outing August 10th. Gardenhire said after the game that right-hander Anthony Swarzak sprained his ankle on the last pitch of Tuesday 10-4 Astros win. The manager said the pitcher is day-to-day. UP NEXT Astros: Scott Feldman will look to extend his August win streak to three against Boston Thursday against Red Sox right-hander Allen Webster. Twins: After two rehab starts, Nolasco is scheduled to come off the disabled list Friday to face Kansas City and will be looking for his third win against the Royals in 2014. MAUER AND OBERHOLTZER CONTINUE STREAKS Mauers hitting streak is one shy of his career high of 16. Oberholtzers streak of quality starts is four. FOWLER RETURNS TO LINEUP Dexter Fowler was back in the Astros lineup for the first time since June 26th and went 1-for-4 with a walk and a single. The club optioned Domingo Santana to Triple-A to make room for his return. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . Although taking two of three from the Baltimore Orioles wasnt nearly as uplifting as winning the World Series, it still felt pretty darn good. Felix Doubront and four relievers combined kept Baltimores potent lineup in check, and David Ortiz had three of Bostons 12 hits off Wei-Yin Chen in a 4-3 victory Thursday night. Cheap Adidas Islanders Jerseys . Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, the Houston Texans No. 1 pick in the draft, was on the field Tuesday for the first time with former NFL Defensive Player of the Year J. http://www.cheapislandersjerseys.com/. Trailing by a goal after 20 minutes of play, Joe Pavelski responded with three goals and an assist as the Sharks snapped a two-game losing skid with a 5-2 victory over the struggling Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. Cheap Islanders Jerseys China .J. Barea during a three-game shooting slump that was getting him booed off his home court with regularity. Cheap New York Islanders Jerseys . Rinne had surgery on his left hip May 9 and recovered in time to start the season. He then had arthroscopic surgery on Oct. 24 because of a bacterial infection in his hip.ST. LOUIS - Kenny Britt, Jared Cook and a group of St. Louis Rams pass-catchers made a statement before the game started. Then their teammates joined in for an entirely different kind of statement on the field.Five Rams players came out of the tunnel with their hands up in a demonstration related to the unrest in the St. Louis area after a grand jury decided not to indict a police officer who fatally shot an unarmed teenager in the suburb of Ferguson.In some ways, the silent gesture was louder than the teams dominant 52-0 victory on Sunday against the Oakland Raiders.Everything about the situation touched me because it could have happened to any of us. Any of us are not far from the age of Michael Brown and it happened in our community, said Cook, referring to the teenager who was killed in August. We are part of this community. We are people of this community, so everything about it just touched me.I wouldnt want to be in any one of those guys situations that it happened to.A peaceful protest was held outside the Edward Jones Dome with the Rams (5-7) already firmly in control of the game. Rookie Tre Mason ran for 117 yards and two touchdowns — including an 89-yarder that made it 28-0 less than 19 minutes into the game — and added 47 yards receiving and another score on a 35-yard screen pass.He and Britt also did the hands-up gesture — a reference to the claim by some witnesses that Brown might have had his hands up when he was shot — after his touchdowns.I dont want the people in the community to feel like we turned a blind eye to it, said Britt, identified by teammates as the orchestrator of the demonstration. Let them know that were going to sit here and were going to support them.What would I like to see happen? Change in America.Stedman Bailey, one of four receivers who took part in the pregame demonstration along with tight end Cook, had a career-high 100 yards receiving. Shaun Hill threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, his first rushing TD since the 2008 season finale with San Francisco.Trumaine Johnson had two interceptions, returning the second one 43 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.The Raiders committed five turnovers — including two interceptions by Derek Carr and an interception and fumble by Matt Schaub, who replaced him in the fourth quarter. But most of the damage was done before then, with Oakland going three-and-out on its first three drives, and St. Louis capitalizing for touchdowns each time.Here is what else should be known about Sundays game:QUICK-START RAMS: The fast-starting Rams took their early dominance to another level. Already among the top NFL teams in first-quarter scoring margin with a 65-32 advantage, St. Louis scored touchdowns on its first five possessions and led 21-0 after the first quarter and 38-0 at halftime.The Rams have built double-digit, first-half leads in five straight home games. They squandered a 21-0 lead against Dallas and a 14-point edge against San Francisco before closing out victories against Seattle and Denver.The 38-point margin was the biggest halftime lead in Rams franchise history, surpassing the 44-7 cushion they had in a 51-21 victory against Green Bay on Sept. 21, 1980. That game represented the teams biggest first-half scoring output.RUSTY RAIDERS: Given three extra days to prepare after their only win this season, the Raiders couldnt carry over any momentum from thheir 24-20 win against Kansas City last Thursday night.ddddddddddddhe margin of defeat was the second-largest in franchise history. Only a 55-0 loss to the Houston Oilers on Sept. 9, 1961, was worse.I had my fair share of losses, but I guess my memory deleted all those other ones, like I hope it does this one defensive end Justin Tuck said. I cant think of anything of this magnitude.Raiders coach Tony Sparano said he didnt see the blowout coming, and he wants his players to remember both the feeling after last weeks victory and what it felt like to lose so badly.This hurts. This is bad, said Carr, who was 24 for 39 for 173 yards. This is a bad feeling, but we know its really tough right now. Are we going to turn on each other? Are we going to hold hands? Obviously, were going to stick together and see what happens.The Raiders had only given up 50 or more points in five other games, including one each of the past two seasons. It was their first shutout loss since a 28-0 whitewash against Kansas City on Oct. 23, 2011.We got hit in the mouth and didnt punch back, receiver James Jones said.OUT TOO LONG: Defensive end Chris Long returned to the Rams lineup after missing 10 games with an ankle injury sustained in the season opener. He logged two tackles, a fumble recovery, and his first sack of the season. He also pressured Carr on the first drive of the game when he started out standing up in the middle of the line instead of his usual spot at defensive end.It felt really good, Long said. Its tough. You prepare for the season and then youve got to watch your buddies out there going through good and bad. I just was really happy to be a part of it.With Long back, St. Louis notched its first shutout since Dec. 17, 2006, also against the Raiders.NO PROTECTION: Despite their nearly across-the-board struggles this season, Oakland had generally been solid at protecting its quarterbacks. The Raiders had allowed only 13 sacks through their first 11 games, with only Denver (12) giving up fewer.The Rams bucked the trend by sacking Carr and Schaub six times. Robert Quinn, who led the NFC in sacks last season before a slow start to 2014, got to Schaub twice in the fourth quarter and knocked the ball out twice.When youre able to rush with one of the best in the business, its a lot of fun coming to work every day, said Long, who pounced on Schaubs first fumble.The Raiders Kevin Boothe was able to cover the second one to allow Oakland the chance to punt.QUICK HITS: In a game featuring two teams rumoured to be considering a move back to Los Angeles, fans behind the north end zone held up white letters spelling out KEEP THE RAMS IN ST. LOUIS. It could be seen on television during extra-point attempts in the second quarter. ... The Rams biggest shutout was a 59-0 victory against Atlanta on Dec. 4, 1976. ... Masons touchdown reception was the first of his career. ... The Raiders lost right tackle Menelik Watson to a left ankle injury in the second quarter. Tight end Brian Leonhardt was evaluated for a possible concussion sustained in the first quarter. St. Louis guard Rodger Saffold, who signed with Oakland in the off-season before having his contract voided because of concerns about a shoulder injury, hurt his left shoulder in the second half. He has started every game this season.___AP NFL websites: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFLCheap Buffalo Sabres GearWholesale Calgary Flames JerseysCheap Adidas Colorado Avalanche JerseysMontreal Canadiens Outlet StoreWholesale New Jersey Devils JerseysAdidas Arizona Coyotes JerseysCheap Adidas Boston Bruins JerseysCheap Adidas Carolina Hurricanes JerseysChicago Blackhawks Shop Free ShippingWholesale Columbus Blue Jackets JerseysDallas Stars Shop Free ShippingCheap Adidas Detroit Red Wings JerseysAnaheim Ducks Jerseys ChinaWholesale Edmonton Oilers JerseysFlorida Panthers Shop Free ShippingWholesale Los Angeles Kings JerseysMinnesota Wild Outlet StoreCheap Adidas Nashville Predators JerseysCheap Adidas New York Islanders JerseysNew York Rangers Winter Classic JerseysCheap Adidas Ottawa Senators JerseysCheap Adidas Philadelphia Flyers JerseysWholesale Pittsburgh Penguins JerseysCheap Adidas San Jose Sharks JerseysSt. Louis Blues Winter Classic JerseysWholesale Tampa Bay Lightning JerseysToronto Maple Leafs Outlet StoreVancouver Canucks Outlet StoreCheap Adidas Vegas Golden Knights JerseysCheap Adidas Washington Capitals JerseysCheap Adidas Winnipeg Jets Jerseys ' ' '
MILAN, Italy -- AC Milan midfielder Kaka officially left the Serie A club on Monday to join Orlando City Soccer Club. A statement on the Milan website said it had come to a "mutual agreement (with Kaka) to end the Brazil stars contract but there is no doubt that the mutual feeling of love and respect will always be there." Kaka flew to the United States on Monday night to sign with his new club. Upon arriving at the terminal at Orlandos airport, he was greeted by about 200 Orlando City fans who pounded drums, and mobbed him for pictures and autographs. He will be formally introduced by the team on Tuesday afternoon. The 32-year-old player is expected to return on loan to his first club, Sao Paulo, before joining Orlando City SC in January 2015 for its first MLS season. Kaka scored 104 goals in 307 appearances during his two spells at Milan, interrupted by a four-year stint at Real Madrid. Kaka, the World Player of the Year in 2007, helped Milan to the Champions league title and Serie A success before joining Real Madrid in 2009. He also helped Brazil win the World Cup in 2002. "I will always be a Milan fan, my heartfelt thanks to everyone," Kaka said. "I hope to send soon messages to (Milan vice-president Adriano) Galliani that I have sent in the past: we are the champions of Italy, we are the champions of Europe. "It has been a difficult year for all Milan fans, but for me to come back to Milan, to reach the total of more than 100 goals was important: it was something that I couldnt not do, to extend my history with this club." Kaka will fly to the United States from Brazil on Monday night to sign for Orlandos new Major League Soccer franchise. Kaka will return on loan to his first club, Sao Paulo, before joining Orlando City SC in January 2015 prior to its first MLS season. Kaka, who was named World Player of the Year in 2007, helped Milan to the Champions league title and Serie A success in his first six-year spell at the club before joining Real Madrid in 2009. His return to the club was less successful and was blighted by an immediate injury layoff, during which he renounced his salary. Milan finished eighth, failing to qualify for Europe for the first time in 16 years. "My choice isnt linked to the fact Milan isnt playing in the Champions League, its something else," Kaka said. "I wont anymore wear the number 22, I want to also leave this symbol to the Milan fans. I think I will wear the number eight in Brazil and the 10 in America. "I took this holiday to think about things, I always said I wanted to play in America one day and now I have reached an agreement to play there. Now I will go on loan to Sao Paolo and then I will start my adventure in America." Wholesale Penguins Jerseys .C. Lions 35-14, was named the CFLs offensive player of the week Tuesday. Sheets recorded his ninth 100-yard rushing performance of the season to tie the Riders club record. Ron Francis Jersey . "All he says is, its crazy," DeMar DeRozan told reporters following Torontos win over the Pistons Wednesday. The Raptors longest-serving members, Johnson and DeRozan have had two coaches and 56 different teammates in five seasons with the club, all without appearing in a single playoff game. http://www.wholesalepenguinsjerseys.com/...y-crosby-jersey. -- Gary Harris gave No. Conor Sheary Jersey . -- Jerome Williams glanced at Philadelphias schedule and realized he would be facing the Oakland Athletics yet again, with another new team. Cheap Penguins Jerseys For Sale . Scheffler told The Associated Press on Wednesday he made the choice because he had three concussions over the past four years.KATOWICE, Poland -- Top-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland was overcome by Alize Cornet of France 0-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the Katowice Open semifinals on Saturday. Cornet will face first-time WTA finalist Camila Giorgi of Italy. Radwanska didnt concede a set to Cornet in three previous matches, including at Indian Wells last month, and the hometown favourite won the first set quickly. Cornet levelled, but Radwanska had a point ffor 4-0 in the third when she began to unravel.dddddddddddd. Cornet won six of the last seven games for only her second career win over a top-three player. She will play for her fourth career title against Giorgi, who beat third-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 7-6 (2), 6-4. Giorgi, who hadnt reached a WTA quarterfinals until this week, beat two top-20 players in the same tournament for the second time. 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The sale of Swansea City to American businessmen Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan will be concluded within a week. Sky Sports News HQ understands more than six months of negotiations will be concluded in the days following the Swans visit to Newcastle this weekend.Levien and Kaplan are purchasing a controlling stake in a deal worth approximately £110m - and will invest between £30m and £50m in the Liberty Stadium, training facilities and playing staff. It is thought the Supporters Trust, which owns more than 21 per cent of the club, will remain as the second largest shareholders, and Huw Jenkins will continue in his role as the clubs chairman. Swansea boss Francesco Guidolin says safety is nearly sealed after beating Chelsea. Levien is a former lawyer turned agent who is currently General Managing Owner of MLS side DC United, based in Washington.Kaplan is currently co-executive chairman of the NBAs Memphis Grizzlies and founder of Oaktree Capital Management.Levien is expected to travel to Newcastle to see this weekends fixture. Any deal will be subject to Premier League approval. Also See: Swansea will not change managerial plans Swansea scared into takeover Sigurdsson aiming for record Guidolin: Swansea safe now Cheap Wade Boggs Jersey . Winners of two straight, the Flames will try to become the first team in 25 years to go three consecutive games without taking a penalty Saturday night in San Jose. Cheap MLB Jerseys .com) - The Toronto Raptors are paying Rudy Gay a visit on Wednesday night when they head into the Sleep Train Arena to take on the Sacramento Kings. http://www.cheapredsoxjerseys.com/. The Leafs were back on the ice Wednesday following an 10-day break. It apparently wasnt long enough, as Team Canadas 2-1 win over Latvia didnt conclude before the Leafs began practice. "I was thinking we might get a little delay, but it was nice to get out there," said Tyler Bozak of watching Wednesdays game. Cheap David Ortiz Jersey .ca MLB Power Rankings, the third consecutive week that the As have held top spot and the third straight week that they have been one ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays. Cheap Bobby Doerr Jersey . Meeks has agreed to a $19.5 million, three-year deal with Detroit, a person familiar with the situation said Tuesday night. The person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because free agents cant sign contracts until the leagues moratorium ends July 10, also said Cartier Martin had agreed to a one-year contract with the rebuilding franchise. LOS ANGELES -- Vin Scully, one of baseballs most beloved broadcasters, will return to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a record 65th season in 2014. "I can tell you from the bottom of my heart that I have always felt that I am the most ordinary of men who was given an extraordinary break of doing what I love to do at a very early age," Scully said on Friday. "I pray that Ill be allowed to do it for at least one more year. "As far as Im concerned, it could have been one line in the note sheet tonight. But I dont take any of it for granted in any way, shape or form. I know that this miracle was given to me, and I could lose it in 30 seconds between the time I leave here and go up to the booth. Im just so blessed to be doing what I love to do and full of thanks." The 85-year-old Scully said he is quite impressed by what the new ownership group has brought to the Dodgers, along with the energy fans are creating at the ballpark. The club has surged from last place in the NL West to a lead of 9 1-2 games. "I do think that the success of the team had something to do with it," Scully said. "These last 50 games, coming to the ballpark and watching them pull out some miraculous victories, it was so thrilling -- even for someone who had seen however many games Ive seen before. "It became so much exciting again and so much fun. I dont really know how I would have felt had they stayed in last place with 30 some-odd games left. I probably would have come back, anyway, because I love it so much, but this made it pretty easy. And as long as I feel the emotion, I feel like I should be here." Scully began his professional baseball broadcasting career in 1950 with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and he has called three perfect games, 25 no-hitters, 25 World Series and 12 All-Star games. With every passing year, the adoration of Dodgers fans and the city of Los Angeles has humblled him even more and made him want to continue his lifelong passion.dddddddddddd. "The thought of just suddenly walking away from all these friends in the ballpark, and this great game, and this very exciting team, and this fandom thats so thrilled with whats going on, I thought theres just no way," Scully said. "The best way that I could describe it was the night of the bobblehead, a couple of weeks ago, and they played that little tribute on the screen. And the ovation was overwhelming. I was as close to crying as Ive been in a long long time." Scully will work all Dodgers home games and road games in California and Arizona that arent nationally televised. He will call all nine innings of the teams television broadcasts on Time Warner SportsNet LA beginning in 2014, with the first three innings of each of his games simulcast on the radio. When Scully began broadcasting, the Dodgers had yet to win a World Series. Three years later, at 25, he became the youngest person to broadcast a World Series game. In 1955, he had his most memorable moment behind the microphone, as he called the Dodgers only championship in Brooklyn. "The Dodgers are overjoyed to have Vin back with the team in 2014," Dodgers Chairman and Owner Mark Walter said. "Vin IS Dodger baseball. The Dodgers, the sport of baseball and the city of Los Angeles are extremely fortunate to have him in our midst." Scully also has called Dodgers World Championships in 1959, 63, 65, 81 and 88, and he was elected the top sportscaster of the 20th century by the American Sportscasters Association. "Vin brings a unique perspective to Dodger baseball," Dodgers President and CEO Stan Kasten said. "Everyone in the Dodger family and within the sound of his voice benefits each and every time we are afforded the opportunity to hear him call a Dodger game. 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HOUSTON -- Mike Moustakas homered in the 11th inning to lift the Kansas City Royals to a 6-4 win over the Houston Astros on Wednesday night. Moustakas has been off to a tough start this season and was hitting .098 before his solo shot to the seats in right field off Jerome Williams (0-1) to lead off the 11th. A small group of Royals fans stood and yelled Moooooose as he rounded the bases after his first homer this year. Jarrod Dyson singled and added an insurance run on a fielders choice. Danny Duffy (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings for the win and Greg Holland allowed a hit and a walk in a scoreless 11th for his fifth save. Jason Castro and Marc Krauss both had two-run home runs for the Astros. Heralded Houston prospect George Springer made his major league debut, batting second and playing right field. The 24-year-old, who hit 37 homers combined in Double-A and Triple-A last season, singled and walked, but struck out with one out and a runner on first in the 11th. Danny Valencia had a solo homer in the second and Salvador Perez tied it up in the seventh with a two-run single. The Astros went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position and left 12 men on base. Eric Hosmer had two hits for his fourth multi-hit game. He led the American League last season with 60 such games. Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar singled with one out in the seventh inning and Hosmer walked with two outs to load the bases. A sharp groundball single by Perez off Matt Albers rolled just out of reach of a diving Marwin Gonzalez and into left field to score two and tie it at 4-4. The homer by Krauss put Houston up 4-2 in the sixth inning. Alex Gordon drew a one-out walk in the fourth inning before a single by Valencia. Dallas Keuchel plunked Justin Maxwell on the right hand to load the bases and Gordon scored on a groundout by Cain to tie it at 2-2. Springer got his first major league hit on a dribbler that travelled just a few feet down the third base line with one out in the third inning. His parents were sitting behind home plate and his mother stood up and waved her hands in the air when he reached first base. Castros opposite field homer to left field followed to put Houston up 2-1. Valencias shot to the Crawford Boxes in left field gave Kansas City a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Springer drew a leadoff walk in the fifth inning, but was caught stealing in a rundown later in the inning. Hosmer made a nifty play on a grounder Matt Dominguez hit off the end of his bat for the second out in the eighth inning. He grabbed it on the run backhanded and flipped it to pitcher Kelvin Herrera, who was covering first. NOTES: Cain was initially credited with a single to start the ninth inning, but Houston manager Bo Porter challenged the call and officials found he didnt beat the throw. ... Right-hander Brad Peacock will take Lucas Harrells spot in the Astros rotation. Harrell was designated for assignment on Wednesday after starting the season 0-3. ... LHP Bruce Chen has been scratched from Thursdays start for Kansas City because of a sore back. RHP James Shields will start in his place in the finale against Scott Feldman. Chen should be able to start on Saturday. Tomas Hertl Jersey . Halak did not get the start in the Washington Capitals Tuesday night game against the St. Tim Heed Jersey . But this time, the Gunners weathered the storm. Arsene Wengers team was on the ropes in the early stages of a lively FA Cup tie, until Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored a goal against the run of the play. http://www.cheapsharksjerseyschina.com/.com) - DAngelo Harrison posted 21 points to guide No. Brenden Dillon Jersey . In the late match, Shinji Okazaki scored two goals to pace Mainz to a 3-2 victory at Werder Bremen. Goals from Milan Badelj, Maximilian Beister and Hakan Calhanoglu ended Hamburgs two-match losing run and kept Hannover winless in seven games. Aaron Dell Jersey . - Zac Leslie scored two goals and assisted on two more, and Justin Nichols made 34 saves as the Guelph Storm blanked the Kitchener Rangers 6-0 in Ontario Hockey League action on Sunday.When I look at the Hall of Fame ballot and wonder how baseball will ultimately deal with the likes of Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, I try to think back to when the game and its ethics really changed. I cant pinpoint a date, but I do remember a player from my youth. Brian Downing was with the Chicago White Sox at a time when I listened to every game I possibly could on the radio. That particular season the late great Harry Caray was calling the White Sox games. What struck me as unusual was Caray almost seemed to have a vendetta against Downing. He was always finding fault with him and ultimately the pressure of playing in Chicago wore Downing down. On December 5, 1977, Downing was part of a huge six-player trade with the Angels that sent him back home to California. Downing had always been a player who battled adversity and beat the odds. He made his Magnolia High School team, but hardly played and was cut. Same story pretty much at Cypress College. It looked as though his baseball dream was over. But then he went to a White Sox open tryout camp and was signed. When Downing played his first game with the White Sox he was a third baseman and believe it or not on the very first pitch he severely damaged his knee when he tried to make a diving catch near the dugout and tumbled down the steps. When he returned, he was converted to catcher and became a back-up to veteran Ed Herrman. But he never was much of a hitter and could never please Harry Caray. Downing didnt fare much better in his first year with the Angels and realizing his career could be slipping away, he committed to a "serious weight training" program in the off-season of 1978, changed his batting stance dramatically and even had a batting cage installed in his home. From there his career began to take off, though not particularly fast. Downing was so good at getting on base he often batted lead-off and he once led the American League in walks. He ran into more adversity in 1980, when he suffered a broken ankle and was ultimately forced to move to left field. Though not a great fielder, through hard work, he become more than adequate and actually didnt make a single error in the 1982 season. Downing played with the Angels right through the 1990 season before the Angels effectively forced him out in a bit of contract dispute. He played his final two yeaars in Texas as a designated hitter.dddddddddddd By the time he left the Angels though Downing had built up franchise record numbers in games played, at-bats, runs, hits, total bases, doubles, home runs, RBIs and walks. He retired on the final day of the 1992 season at age 41. His final game and last at-bat came at the Angels ballpark, and he ended his career with a pinch-hit single off his former teammate and future Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven. Downing received a prolonged standing ovation. Ten years later Brian Downing was honoured as a member of the Angels All-time team and still later on August 27, 2009 he was named to the Angels Hall of Fame along with his former teammate Chuck Finley. The point of this is, Brian Downing was one of the very first to get involved in weight training. By all accounts, he transformed his long lanky body into a muscular physique with nothing more than dedication and extremely hard work. Others perhaps inspired by Downings success followed his path. Others learned of the shortcuts to building a new body with PEDs and created the era that still clouds baseball to this day. Downing carved out a career that is to be admired, but his nickname then - "The Incredible Hulk" - is strangely ironic now considering the brand of baseball it may have helped span over the last 35 years. Changes in Philly It was sad for me this week to see that Chris Wheeler and Gary Matthews were let go by the Phillies as broadcasters. "Sarge", as Matthews is affectionately known, had a great career as a player and worked with the Blue Jays as a batting coach, and even spent two years in the Toronto radio booth with Tom Cheek and Jerry Howarth. I only had the pleasure of working with "Sarge" for one year, in 2001 and enjoyed every minute of it. He was insightful and funny and a good friend. He is apparently staying with the Phillies in another capacity but he will be missed on the air. A couple of interesting notes on Gary Matthews playing career. He slugged seven homers in 19 career post-season games. If thats not impressive enough, in his final Major League at-bat "Sarge" singled off Texas lefty Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams, only to be immediately picked off first base to end the game. What a way to end your career. All the best "Sarge"! 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