PITTSBURGH -- The lessons Chuck Noll passed down to his players -- maxims that often applied as much to life as to football -- are tacked on the wall in Mike Mularkeys office. They say things like "stress is when you dont know what youre doing" and "I wasnt hired to motivate players, I was hired to coach motivated players." They ring as true now as they did when Mularkey heard them the first time playing tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame coach 25 years ago. Its why Mularkey made sure he had a chance to say goodbye, joining Steelers past and present, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and several hundred friends and family on Tuesday for a funeral mass honouring Noll, who passed away last week at age 82. "Ive gotten more from Chuck off the field as much as I got on the field about how to do things the right way," said Mularkey, now a tight ends coach with Tennessee. "Family was important. Balance in life was important." And that, as much as the record four Super Bowls Noll won while transforming the Steelers from an NFL afterthought into a dynasty during the 1970s is what will resonate for the city he championed and the team he built from scratch. The men he moulded embraced at Saint Paul Cathedral. They clutched programs featuring a picture of a vibrant Noll wearing a polo shirt, shorts and the closest he ever came to a smile while at work. Each vowed to carry on the lessons Noll imparted from his first day of coaching to his waning days. Steelers President Art Rooney II and Hall of Fame defensive tackle Joe Greene were among the pallbearers, a responsibility Greene wished he could have avoided but one he ultimately welcomed as a final gift from the coach who changed his life. "It meant Chuck was thinking of me," Greene said, "and thats special." Noll and Greene will be forever entwined in Steelers history. Noll was a rookie head coach in 1969 when he selected the massive but somewhat unknown Greene in the first round of the NFL draft. It was a pick met with skepticism but one that changed the course of the organization and Greenes life. "If he hadnt chosen me, maybe I wouldnt have been a Pittsburgh Steeler," Greene said. "Maybe I wouldnt have had the opportunity to be coached by Chuck Noll. And that probably would not have fared very well for me." Instead, Noll and Greene served as the core of a team that dominated the 1970s, winning four titles in a six-year span thanks to a seemingly never-ending stream of Hall of Famers guided by a man who made it his mission to ensure they learned more than just Xs and Os. Greene, nicknamed "Mean Joe" for his menacing demeanour on the field, remembers destroying a door one day "when things werent going my way." Rather than let Greene off the hook or rip into the cornerstone of the "Steel Curtain" defence, Noll took a different approach. "Chuck came to the room and knocked on the door and said Thatll be $500 and that was the end of the story," Greene said. Despite rising to the top of his profession, Noll preferred not to bask in the limelight. Its telling that while Hall of Famers like Greene, Blount, running back Franco Harris and wide receiver John Stallworth sat in the pews at the cathedral -- just a few miles across town from where Noll worked at bygone Three Rivers Stadium -- they were surrounded by longtime employees of the organization and friends from all walks of life. Bishop David Zubik, who performed Tuesdays ceremony, was a young priest in the late 1970s when he somehow managed to get Noll to agree to give a speech on leadership to a group of high school athletes. They set it up in the spring of 1979. The speech wasnt until January 1980. Months passed. The season came and went, ending with the Steelers beating the Los Angeles Rams at the Rose Bowl to claim the teams fourth Vince Lombardi Trophy. Two days later back in Pittsburgh, Noll drove himself to the retreat where he found a stunned Zubik waiting for him. Noll delivered as promised, giving a rousing talk to a group of young players that included future Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino, then a local prep star. It didnt matter that Noll might have been exhausted. It didnt matter that he had every right to cancel. That simply wasnt Nolls way. He made a promise. He had to keep it. "Thats the thing about coach Noll," Zubik said. "Everybody was important." Its a legacy that will carry on in the city Noll called home and within the walls of the franchise he defined. "Four championships, youve got to feel that," current Steelers centre Maurkice Pouncey said. "We walk by those Super Bowl trophies every day here, and it all started with Coach Noll." Eric Paschall Warriors Jersey . "I love the game, its the best job you can have," he explained Tuesday as the players left Joe Louis Arena for the summer. "Ill sit down with my wife and well go from there. Patrick McCaw Jersey . Jeff Carter had two goals and an assist as the Kings stretched their streak to seven wins in a row with a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. https://www.warriorsrookiesshop.com/Omari-Spellman-City-Edition-Jersey/ . Karlovic of Croatia used his big serve to beat Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic 7-6 (6), 7-6 (7). Kohlschreiber had lost all of his three previous matches against Istomin but the German broke serve for a decisive 3-2 lead in the third set and held on to reach his first final of the year. Nick Young Jersey .com) - The Toronto Raptors set their sights on a second straight victory with the Oklahoma City Thunder visiting the Air Canada Centre tonight riding a two game streak of their own. David West Jersey . You can watch the game on TSN at 7pm et/4pm pt and listen to the game on TSN Radio 690 in Montreal. After starting the month of November on an 0-3-1 slide, the Canadiens have recorded wins in three of their last five outings (3-1-1). WASHINGTON -- If the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards meet in the first round of the playoffs, the Bulls will have a nice little blueprint to follow. The Bulls dominated from the get-go Saturday night and never trailed in a 96-78 win over the Wizards, avenging two losses from earlier in the season and providing perhaps a psychological edge if these teams are cranking up for a seven-game series in a couple of weeks. "It was definitely a statement game," Washington forward Drew Gooden said. "We were going in the mindset of this being a statement game, getting a possible matchup in the first round, and they took it the same way. They wanted to make a statement early." And they certainly did, holding the Wizards to 16 points in the first quarter and 10 in the second while building a lead that grew as large as 28 points. At one point, Washington was 0 for 7 from the 3-point line and 0 for 3 from the free throw line for the game, as well as 2 for 13 from the field in the second period. "They were taking shots they didnt want to take," Bulls forward Taj Gibson said. D.J. Augustin found plenty that he liked, as long as he was behind the arc. He led Chicago with 25 points, making 6 of 11 3-pointers but only 2 of 8 2-pointers. Joakim Noah had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Carlos Boozer added 16 points for the Bulls, who have won five straight and are tied with the Toronto Raptors for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. Augustin has averaged 19.8 points during the winning streak. Unlike the Wizards, who freely talked about a rematch in the playoffs, the Bulls didnt want to think that far ahead. "We lost to these guys at home. We lost to them here. It was just getting this win tonight," Augustin said. "Were not looking forward to the playoffs just yet, but we wanted to come out tonight and do it for ourselves." John Wall scored 20 points, and Marcin Gortat had 19 for the Wizards, who sit in sixth place in the East. If they hold that spot, they would face the third-seeded team. Several Washiington players cited fatigue as an issue on the back end of a back-to-back, but coach Randy Wittman noted that Chicago played Friday night as well.dddddddddddd. It also didnt help that Trevor Ariza played through an illness and went 1 for 9 from the field. Wittman, however, said his team wasnt ready for the Bulls intensity and aggression. "You fight aggression with aggression," Wittman said. "And it was only a one-way fight tonight." One likely difference if the teams do meet again: Wizards forward Nene, out with a sprained left knee, is expected back for the playoffs. He played in the two early wins over the Bulls. "Nene gives us another facilitator," Wittman said. "And against a team like this you need another one. Nene was another guy that kind of can play like Noah does, up at the top with the ball in his hands. Thats not an excuse why we lost. Id love to have him back, though." The Wizards made a run in the third quarter, scoring more points (35) in the period than they had in the entire first half (26). Walls 30-foot bounce pass to Trevor Booker on a fast break led to a dunk that pulled Washington within 11 and brought the crowd to its feet. But Noah took over and quickly squashed the rally. His three-point play started a 12-0 run early in the fourth quarter that put the game away. "We wanted to throw the first punch tonight, and I think we did a good job with that," Noah said. "In the beginning of the game, we were the more aggressive team. Usually, the most aggressive team wins." Notes: Noah was naturally less than thrilled that his college, Florida, lost its game in the Final Four. He opened his postgame remarks by saying: "No questions about the Gators, sensitive issue." ... The Wizards finished 3 for 16 from 3-point range. ... As the team with the NBAs only Polish player (Gortat), the Wizards celebrated Polish Heritage Night. Polands ambassador to the U.S. made a presentation to Gortat before tipoff. ... The Wizards recalled G Glen Rice from Iowa of the D-League. ' ' '
Thomas Vaneks NHL future does not appear to be with the New York Islanders. Newsdays Arthur Staple tweeted Monday morning that his sources indicate the 30-year-old Austrian has turned down a "substantial" contract offer from the Islanders. Staple added that the Islanders are now likely to deal Vanek before the NHLs Mar. 5 trade deadline. Newsday reported on its web site that the offer is "believed to be in the same range as Vaneks current seven-year, $50 million deal". The Isles acquired Vanek from the Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 27 in exchange for forward Matt Moulson and a first round draft pick. In 41 games with the Islanders, Vanek has scored 15 goals and added 23 assists. He has 19 goals and 28 assists in 54 total games this season between the Sabres and Islanders. Vanek is in the final season of the seven-year, $50 million contract he signed with the Sabres prior to the 2007-2008 season. A one-time Second-Team NHL All-Star, Vanek has scored 269 goals and 266 assists in 639 career games with the Sabres and Islanders. The Sabres originally selected him fifth overall at the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. Cyber Monday Yeezy .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. Cheap Yeezy . On Tuesday, the star questioned whether that was still the case. Speaking to reporters at a charity event, Johnson said: "I just kind of wonder sometimes: Is this still the place for me?" Johnsons comments came after he was asked why he recently skipped a voluntary minicamp. https://www.fakeyeezywholesaleonline.com/ . Trailing 2-1 from the first leg, Fiorentina levelled on aggregate in the 14th minute when Joaquin Sanchez Rodriguez headed back a long ball from David Pizarro and Pasqual smashed home an angled volley. Fake Yeezy . Portuguese sides Benfica and Porto also advanced to the last eight while Basel overcame an early red card to win 2-1 at Salzburg and progress from a last-16 second leg that was briefly suspended because of crowd trouble. Lyon, Valencia and AZ Alkmaar will also be in Fridays draw in Nyon, Switzerland, where the team to avoid will be Juventus -- even though the Italian champions made heavy work of their all-Italian last-16 match against Fiorentina. Yeezy Online . Kadri was dressed in a green jersey at Thursdays practice and skated as an extra forward on the teams fourth line as the Leafs. PHOENIX -- Add a dramatic ninth-inning moment to whats looking more and more like a breakout season for A.J. Pollock. The young centre fielder, in his second full big league season, hit a two-out, two-run homer on the first pitch he saw in the ninth to give the Arizona Diamondbacks a 7-5 victory over the San Diego Padres on Monday night. "We were standing there and we were saying Lets walk them off, lets walk them off," Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said, "and he crushed the ball." It was the first game-ending homer of Pollocks career. "A really cool feeling," Pollock said. "Thats what you do. You come in here every day and put a lot of swings in the cages and you work hard and its really cool when you actually get up there when the team needs you in late innings and be able to win a game." Pollock, hitless in his first 13 at-bats this season, went 3 for 5 to bring his season average to .296. In his last 26 games, Pollock is batting .341 (31 for 91) with five doubles, four homers and 11 RBIs. "Hes just super-talented," teammate Cody Ross said. "Hes got all the tools to be a great player and you can see that hes getting comfortable." With their fifth loss in seven games, the Padres are just 2 1/2 games ahead of last-place Arizona in the NL West. Cliff Pennington was hit by a pitch and pinch-hitter Eric Chavez hit into a fielders choice ahead of Pollocks soaring homer to centre off Kevin Quackenbush (0-1). Pollock said the pitch "was probably a little out of the zone, but I just wanted to be aggressive." Yonder Alonso homered and Everth Cabrera launched a three-run shot off Arizona starter Brandon McCarthy in the fifth inning to give San Diego a 4-2 lead. Martin Prado doubled in a run and singled for the Diamondbacks, just back from a 2-4 road trip and opening a seven-game home stand. Brad Ziegler (1-1) pitched two scoreless innings to get the win. "Great game, no doubt about that," Padres manager Bud Black said. "High intensity on both ends. We got back in the game after two nothing with a big inning. They bouncced back, we bounced back with a home run.dddddddddddd ... They got the last at-bat and put a good swing on a high fastball. " The Diamondbacks went up 2-0 in the second when Prado singled softly up the middle and Ross reached on a bloop hit to short right. With two outs, Pennington singled off third baseman Chase Headleys glove to bring in one run, and another scored when centre fielder Alexi Amarista didnt pick up the ball cleanly. McCarthy blanked the Padres through four, but just after the Chase Field roof opened Alonso hit the first pitch of the fifth inning into the swimming pool area in right. After two outs, Amarista and Tyson Ross singled, and Cabrera homered just inside the right field foul pole. Ross, San Diegos starter, couldnt hold the lead, facing five batters without an out in Arizonas three-run sixth. Pollock singled, then Gerardo Parra reached on a bunt. Paul Goldschmidt singled in a run, Miguel Montero singled home another and Prado barely missed a home run with a double into the cranny next to the Arizona bullpen, putting the Diamondbacks ahead 5-4 and ending Ross night. The lead didnt last long. McCarthy retired the first two in the seventh but was yanked after pinch-hitter Tommy Medica doubled. Lefty Joe Thatcher came on and allowed an RBI double to Cabrera and it was 5-5. Each manager challenged a call and both were rejected. Black challenged a call in the fourth when Seth Smith tried to stretch a double to a triple and was called out on an extremely close play. Gibson challenged a safe call on an attempted pickoff of Headley in the eighth. With two outs in the eighth Jedd Gyorko singled and was easily thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double. NOTES: The Diamondbacks said day-of-game ticket sales totalled 5,563, the largest at Chase since August 2008. ... In the second game of the series Tuesday, San Diego sends Eric Stults (2-5, 4.97 ERA) to the mound, while Arizona goes with Wade Miley (3-5, 4.85). ... McCarthy leads the Diamondbacks in homers allowed (11). ... The Padres opened a six-game road trip with their first game at Arizona. ' ' '
TSN Baseball Analyst Steve Phillips answers several questions surrounding the game each week. This weeks topics include whether the Giants World Series success this decade makes them a dynasty, what to expect out of Melky Cabrera negotiations in Toronto and how a slate of new MLB executive hires will work out. 1) If San Francisco can get by the Royals, that will be three World Series wins in the last five years. Are the Giants a dynasty? The San Francisco Giants’ success is tough to explain. They are in their third World Series in the last five years. In most any other sport, there would be talk of a dynasty if a team had this level of success. The Miami Heat went to four straight Finals in the NBA recently. The New England Patriots run of championships in the early 2000’s felt dynastic. But whenever the notion is raised about the Giants it just doesn’t pass the gut test for me. It is true that the Giants play their best baseball when the games mean the most. Once they get to the playoffs they have shown they know how to win. The dynasty argument takes a hit with regard to the Giants because they never seem to enter a season or post-season as the team to beat. We just never seem to ever consider them the best roster in the playoffs. In fact, this year they would have been my five-seed in the National League and my nine-seed overall. This alone precludes the label of dynasty even if they win the Series. To be a dynasty you can’t be a surprise team to win the championship. But having said that: THE GIANTS ARE ON THEIR WAY TO WINNING THEIR THIRD WORLD SERIES IN FIVE YEARS. The Giants’ starting pitching is good, led by their ace Madison Bumgarner, but it’s not great. Their bullpen is certainly productive as well but they are far from perfect. The offence is about average, as they don’t have great power or speed. So how is it that they find themselves in the World Series again? Brian Sabean, their general manager does a great job of finding the right second-tier players. They don’t go out and sign the biggest free agent. They don’t trade for the big name starter at the trade deadline. They just find the right players. Now they do have a great home-grown Cy Young candidate in Bumgarner and MVP-winner in Buster Posey. But beyond those two are a mix of just pure “baseball players.” Bruce Bochy, the Giants’ manager, does an amazing job getting the most out of his roster. He puts his players in the right situations to succeed. Sure, the Giants’ players have flaws and warts just like every other player but somehow Bochy utilizes them in a way to hide the warts. He also creates an environment where it is ok to fail as long as you learn from it. He has the ability to bring a diverse group of men together for a common goal and purpose and to attack it with great respect for one another. The players all have great respect for him and each other. They are truly a team. I sat in the interview room after Game 1 of the World Series as Bumgarner, Hunter Pence and Bochy all were questioned about the Giants’ victory. The level of respect shown to one another was amazing. Bumgarner is a humble boy of just 25 years of age but he has the poise and resume of a 15-year veteran. Pence is quirky and a bit peculiar, but lovable. The two spoke about each other with such reverence and respect it was amazing. It is the same respect that Bochy shared in his comments about his entire team (as well as the Royals). This is unique. So, what is the formula in San Francisco? It is less about stats and numbers and all about people. It’s about Sabean and Bochy. If you take these two decision-makers and put them in any market, I guarantee they would put a cost-effective winner together. The Giants organization and their fans are lucky that they have the Midas touch. Cooperstown will welcome both of them someday. 2) In light of the Blue Jays opening contract talks with left fielder Melky Cabrera, do you think they’ll be able to re-sign him? What do you think Cabrera is worth on the open market? I think the Blue Jays have a chance to sign Melky but they will not get a hometown discount in doing so. In fact, the Jays will have to offer the most significant contract that any team considers. Melky has not gotten a huge payday yet on his career. I know, I know. He signed a two-year, $16M contract but he has a shot at a much more significant deal than that. Melky and his representatives know this is the best negotiating position he has ever had. This is his shot at a deal to change his family’s life for generations. In order to determine how much money he will command in the market we have to determine who the players are in the negotiations. We know the Jays have interest in Melky. The Orioles will have interest in Melky if they are unable to sign Nelson Cruz or if they lose Nick Markakis to free agency once they decline his $17.5M option. The Tigers may have interest in Cabrera if they let Torii Hunter walk away. The Mariners need to upgrade their offence. There is speculation that they have interest in Cruz as well, but if he signs elsewhere, their sights will shift to Melky. The Texas Rangers suffered miserably in 2014 from numerous injuries. They are getting almost everyone back healthy next year. They had Cruz before and have interest in his possibly returning to Arlington. Like multiple other teams, Cabrera will be a fallback Plan B if they don’t land Cruz. The Mets will likely have interest in him as well. They may not have the money to go after Cruz but settling for Cabrera still helps their offence. The Reds missed Shin-Shoo Choo this season after he left to go to Texas for a big-time contract (seven years/$130M). Ryan Ludwick has an option for 2015 but the Reds can reject the option year and sign Cabrera who is a better fit for their offence. It is clear that Melky will have plenty of suitors. He will be a Plan B for teams that lose out on Cruz. He won’t get the kind of deal that Choo got but he will get more than Giants’ outfielder Angel Pagan’s four-year/$40M deal. I think Cabrera will command somewhere between four years at $48M and five years at $60M. Just for the record: I wouldn’t pay Melky that kind of money. He doesn’t have power or speed and therefore has to hit over .300 to have any real impact. Plus, Cabrera is not as good an outfielder as he once was. If his skills continue to deteriorate he will be even more overpaid at the $12M/year range. 3) Which of the new GM hires – Dave Stewart in Arizona, John Hart in Atlanta, and Jeff Bridich in Colorado – were you most impressed with? Dave Stewart has a tonne of experience that he brings to his new position. He has been a star pitcher, pitching coach, assistant general manager, agent and now general manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks. He certainly has knowledge of the game and has always brought intensity to everything he has done. One of the biggest challenges he will face is that he can’t afford to worry about being liked. As a general manager you have to make tough decisions that aren’t always popular with players. He has always been a players’ guy. As an agent he represented players. They came before the organizations. As an assistant general manger he was the liaison with the players. They went to him with questions, concerns and complaints. He went to the players to deliver messages on behalf of the manager and front office. As a general manager you can’t always tell players what you are thinking. You have to protect the players from some of the facts. Another area of concern that I have is whether he truly understands the intensity of the job of general manager. In fact, it is not a job it is a lifestyle. He will be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. It takes a toll on you. It takes pounds of flesh out of you. There is a reason I have white hair. The other interesting thing will be the relationship between Stewart and President of Baseball Operations, Tony La Russa. La Russa is always the smartest baseball guy in every conversation. He will want to be hands-on and there will inevitably be disagreements. How those get settled will be fascinating. Jeff Bridich was hired on Oct. 8 to replace Dan O’Dowd and Bill Geivett who were making baseball decisions in Colorado. O’Dowd had served as GM for 15 years. Bridich has been in Rockies organization since Dec. 2004. He was manager of minor league operations, director of baseball operations and senior director of player development before being named GM. So if we do the math he served under O’Dowd for about ten years. He is a bright young man (37). He graduated from Harvard in 2000. He can think on his feet and has the ability to connect with people. The obvious question is why hire someone who has been part of every decision over the last 10 years? He has been part of the brain trust that has only two winning seasons during his tenure. Certainly assistants that get promoted can be their own man when they take over the helm. But they will call upon their experience in many circumstances and can be stuck in old methods. I was a bit surprised they stayed in-house, not because of a judgment in his ability but because of his being more of the same that hasn’t worked. John Hart has a tremendous track record. He is a great baseball mind. He is well-respected by other executives, He has a track record of success as the general manager of the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers. He had retired from being a baseball executive on a daily basis as had served as a senior advisor for the Rangers. He also served as an analyst on MLB Network. His acceptance of the role of president of baseball operations for the Braves came as a shock. It just seemed like he was done with the daily grind. Hart and Braves President John Schuerholz are best friends and certainly that was a factor in his accepting the role with the Braves. Hart will be the most impactful of the three hires. Look for the Braves to return to the postseason again soon. Very soon. Like next season. 4) As the World Series gets ready to head back to San Francisco for Games 3, 4 and 5 we are reminded that in fact the rules will be different there than in Kansas City. Going back to the NL park, the designated hitters will move to the bench and the pitchers will hit. Billy Butler who is such an important part of the Royals lineup will be watching the game until he is called upon to pinch-hit late in the game. In Game 1, Madison Bumgarner sat and watched with his team on offence as the DH’s were used. Bumgarner is one of the better hitting pitchers in baseball but that advantage went to waste in the AL park. I am sick of the fact that each league has its own rules. Why can’t everybody come to an agreement about one set of rules? I would by far prefer National League Rules; the pitchers hitting and no designated hitter. But if it took the use of the DH in both leagues to have some level of continuity I would accept that too. One league should not hold an advantage in a Series over another because of changing rules or the structure of the roster. The playoffs are already played differently than the regular season. With all of the off-days built in to playoff series and days off in between series the structure of the roster to thrive in October is different than that from April-September. During the season clubs use a five-man rotation while in October teams can get by with three or four starters. Relievers are usually available for every game of the post-season because of the off days, whereas, in the regular season teams may play 20 consecutive days and pitchers need days off to recover. With all of the interleague play and the All-Star Game impacting home field advantage it is time to make the American League and National League play under the same rules. I know the union will throw a fit if they have to give up salaries for designated hitters but trade something for it in the next collective bargaining agreement. Maybe each team has to add a 26th player to the roster to compensate for the trade of playing by National League rules. I am hoping Rob Manfred can bring some common sense to changing the game. It needs it. Evan Longoria Jersey . Ozuna hit Reeds 2-2 pitch off the batters eye far above the 407-foot sign in straightaway centre. It was the fifth blown save in 25 tries for Reed (1-5) and the ninth home run the closer has allowed in 38 appearances. Nuno, acquired in the deal that sent Brandon McCarthy to the New York Yankees, gave up three hits, struck out a career-high seven and walked one in seven innings. Jalen Beeks Jersey .C. -- The Carolina Hurricanes have activated defenceman Joni Pitkanen from injured reserve. https://www.cheapraysonline.com/1666i-tommy-pham-jersey-rays.html . To get things started, heres a little photo tour to get you acquainted with all the main characters. Joey Wendle Jersey .com) - The San Antonio Spurs will try to even their series with the Dallas Mavericks Monday night when the two teams collide at American Airlines Arena for Game 4. Brandon Lowe Rays Jersey . The Wizards gave up two seldom-used players — forward Jan Vesely and point guard Eric Maynor. Vesely goes to the Nuggets, while Maynor gets shipped to the 76ers. Philadelphia receives two second-round draft picks, one from the Wizards in 2015 and one from the Nuggets in 2016.MINSK, Belarus -- Alex Ovechkin will miss at least one game at the world championship after injuring his right leg in a collision during Russias game against Germany. The star forward needed hospital treatment Sunday after taking a hit to his right knee from Marcus Kink midway through the third period. He stayed on the ice for several minutes before he needed assistance to leave. The International Ice Hockey Federation said Ovechkin will miss Russias final group game against host Belarus on Tuesday but remains with the team. Russias ice hockey federation said it is not clear if he will be able to keep playing at the tournament but Ovechkin posted on Twitter "alls OK" with a photo of him giving a thumbs up. "Sasha (Ovechkin) will definitely stay with the team," Russia general manager Andrei Safronov said Monday. "Even if he couldnt play hed still be here. Hes not just a part of this team, hes a leader." A medical scan of the Russia captains knee ruled out torn ligaments, providing some good news. "Hes OK at the moment," Safronov said. "Theres some pain, but hes working with the doctors." The Washington Capitals, Ovechkins NHL team, said they had revviewed available medical reports and were confident Ovechkin would be completely healthy by training camp.dddddddddddd "We will continue to monitor his progress and request additional tests and medical information for our review," the team said in a statement. "Once our medical staff receives and reviews that information, we will be able to make a better determination of the injury." Kink was not penalized for the incident during the game, but the disciplinary panel of the IIHF suspended him for Germanys last group game against the United States on Tuesday. The panel said Kink didnt intentionally try to hit Ovechkins knee, but he lowered his body and hit him with his hip, which is classified as clipping. International Ice Hockey Federation President Rene Fasel said Monday it was an "accident ... bad luck." Another Russian star forward, Evgeni Malkin, was training Monday for the first time in Minsk after his Pittsburgh Penguins were eliminated from the NHL playoffs by the New York Rangers. Malkin is expected to be available for Tuesdays final group game against Belarus. Russia has won all six of its games and is the only unbeaten team in the tournament. ' ' '
ATLANTA - Falcons running back Jason Snelling has retired, ending his seven-year career. Snelling was a seventh-round pick from Virginia in 2007 and spent his full career with the Falcons. Most of his playing time came as a backup — both at fullback and running back. He also was a strong receiver. The 30-year-old Snelling rushed for 1,420 yards with eight touchdowns and caught 168 passes for 1,249 yards and nine touchdowns. Snelling, from Tom River, N.J., said in a statement released by the team on Tuesday that he is retiring to spend time with his family. In 2013, Snelling had 44 carries for 164 yards with one touchdown and 29 catches for 216 yards and three touchdowns. He set his career high with 614 yards rushing in 2009. Scarpe Nmd Outlet . McCutchen was cut before the series opener against Seattle on Monday night, when Lewis was set for his first start for Texas since July 18, 2012. Texas selected Lewis contract from Triple-A Round Rock. Scarpe Stan Smith Scontate .ca. Hi Kerry, Love reading your column and loved watching your analysis on the TSN broadcasts!And were now in Round 2! Bruins! Canadiens! We know all about the great games of the past from the players, the broadcasters and the writers. http://www.scarpenmdscontate.it/ . Bobrovsky posted a 2-0-1 record with a 1.58 goals-against average and .950 save percentage to help the Blue Jackets (35-26-6) gain five of a possible six points last week. He capped the week by making 32 saves and stopping 2-of-4 shootout attempts in a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. Yeezy Boost 350 Outlet . Colorado came up big against Chicago last spring, and repeated that performance Tuesday night. Varlamov stopped 36 shots and Paul Stastny had a goal and an assist for the Avalanche in a 5-1 victory over the Blackhawks. Yeezy 350 Bianche Italia . If one fighter gases, he usually gets beat up pretty bad from that point on.INDIANAPOLIS - Indiana took every shot Miami could muster Wednesday night. Then the Pacers threw a couple of their own punches — and put the two-time defending champs on the mat. Paul George scored 23 points, Roy Hibbert added 21 and Indiana rallied from a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Heat 84-83, taking a three-game lead over Miami in the chase of the Eastern Conferences top seed. "Theyre the champs, theyre going to bring out the best in us," said David West, who made a 3-pointer with 50.2 seconds to go. "They bring out the best in anybody. I thought we just had enough fight." It was one of those rare grudge matches that actually lived up to the billing. Before the game, the teams chided one another with dueling comments. Afterward, nobody was ready to make up. And in between, the action got downright nasty. LeBron James needed a cotton swab in his nose to keep playing in the fourth quarter after getting whacked in the face. Dwyane Wade spent the final minute of the game icing his right hamstring. Pacers centre Roy Hibbert finished the game despite taking an elbow to the face that left him so groggy he didnt even remember getting hit. James and George both wound up taking spills into basket supports, and Lance Stephenson was ejected midway through the fourth quarter after picking up his second technical foul for celebrating a basket. The angry Stephenson waved his hand at the ref and after leaving the court, threw a towel and kicked a door. Coach Frank Vogel was not amused, saying he had a stern talk with his budding star guard before he went home. But it typified a rugged night for Miami (48-22). "It is what it is, they ref the game, we play it," James said. The NBAs best home team ended a two-game losing streak, took a 2-1 lead in the season series and now has the inside track to home-court advantage with just 10 games to play. And (52-20) Indiana still managed to do all of that on a night James seemed to be at his best. The four-time MVP finished with 38 points, eight rebounds, five assists, was 9 of 15 from the field and 14 of 15 from the free throw line. The problem: James also had six turnovers, Wade had six more turnovers and Miami managed only one basket over the final 3 miinutes, 23 seconds.ddddddddddddJames and Bosh both missed late jumpers that would have given Miami the lead, the last an airball by Bosh from just right of the top of the key as time expired. "Unfortunately, that was what I diagramed," coach Erik Spoelstra said. "It probably wasnt the best call. It might have been a little too gunslinger on my part. I just wanted an open shot." They were so hard to come by Wednesday night that James was even called for a flagrant foul when he drove to the basket and sent the 7-foot-2, 290-pound Hibbert crashing to the ground. When Hibbert got up, he stumbled. Eventually he had to leave the court to change his blood-spattered jersey, but he refused to sit against the Heat. Hibbert dominated the first half yet again, scoring 17 points. But when the Heat decided to make things tough on Hibbert in the second half, George and his teammates took advantage. George spurred the first fourth-quarter run with two monster dunks — one over the hand of a trailing James — to get the Pacers back in the game. Later, it was Evan Turner, the trade deadline acquisition, who delivered two of Indianas biggest baskets of the night. The first came after James final turnover, on a breakaway layup. The second came courtesy of Mario Chalmers turnover out of bounds. When the middle of the court opened up, Turner bolted through a clear path for an 81-80 lead with 90 seconds to go. "I know how to get my space, Ive been doing that forever, you know what I mean?" Turner said, likely adding another spark to a rivalry that needs none. "Some of my moves Ive been doing since I was a little kid, so I can walk a pretty fine line when it comes to that." After Hibbert made 1 of 2 free throws, Turner scored on the layups, West hit the knockout 3 and all Miami got was a 3 from Bosh with 2.9 seconds left. "Theyre a tough team, psychologically against most teams they have the edge," West said. "Theyve got the best player in the game. Their pedigree, their entire organization, you understand what youre going to get." NOTES: Indiana has won its first back-to-back division titles since 1998-99 and 1999-2000. ... The Heat are now 7-8 in March. ... The Pacers and Heat meet again April 11 in Miami. ' ' '
With the NCAA football season opening up this weekend, TSN 1050 has got you covered with the biggest stories heading into Week 1 courtesy of The College Football Show. Ryan Bolta and Mike Marshall break down the latest on Johnny Manziel, debate whether the Alabama Crimson Tide can repeat and preview each of the major conferences along with the top five games of the week including Georgia versus Clemson Saturday night at 8pm on TSN 1050. TSN 1050 Audio: The College Football Show: Week 1 Pau Gasol Jersey . -- Jim Furyk was 10 shots worse and right where he wanted to be Saturday in the BMW Championship. Wesley Matthews Jersey . Born in Berkeley and raised in Oakland, where he later pitched for the As, Ross beat the Giants for the first time in six career appearances by throwing eight scoreless innings to lead the San Diego Padres to a 2-1 victory Friday night. https://www.bucksrookiesshop.com/Eric-Bledsoe-City-Edition-Jersey/ . -- Rookie Victor Oladipo came off the bench to score 20 points and Glen Davis had 18, leading the Orlando Magic to a 112-98 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night. Khris Middleton Bucks Jersey .C. -- Marcus Paige and his North Carolina teammates have endured so many wild swings -- big wins, surprising losses, NCAA drama -- that no one can blame their Hall of Fame coach for wondering whats next. Vin Baker Jersey . First reported by FOX Sports Ken Rosenthal, its unknown if the impetus for the deferral proposal came from players or management, but it never left the preliminary stages.Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka thinks his side will be tackling the title favourites when they host Chelsea on Nissan Super Sunday. But Karanka thinks his side can take heart from their encouraging displays before the international break, which saw them earn draws at Arsenal and Manchester City either side of a home win over Bournemouth. Mboro vs Chelsea November 20, 2016, 3:30pm Live on Get Sky Sports Get a Sky Sports pass Chelsea will arrive at the Riverside on the back of five consecutive wins in the league, a run which has lifted them to second in the table and seen them score 16 goals without conceding. Its another nice challenge for us, Karanka said on Friday. To play against Chelsea in the way they are is tough.But weve worked hard to play these types of games, so its another amazing one for us. Aitor Karanka has labelled Chelsea the favourites to win the Premier League this season. Antonio [Conte] has done very well and is settling into the league very well. They are second within a couple of months and showing they are a really consistent team.I think they are really favourites to win the league, because they take advantage of not playing in the Champions League or Europa League. Six months half price Upgrade to Sky Sports to watch Man Utd v Arsenal on Saturday and get the first six months half price It was important to win against Bournemouth and our crowd deserved to go home happy. After that and the Arsenal and City games we are more confident, but we know its going to be a really tough game.We have a few doubts in terms of fitness. The players who were away have returned, but they have hadd long journeys.dddddddddddd We also have Dani Ayala out, and we have a doubt with George Friend. Friend had a knock on his knee yesterday, so we will need to check. Antonio Conte was awarded the October Barclays Premier League Manager of the Month Karanka thinks the long-term outlook is bright for Middlesbrough in general but says that, even as he celebrates three years in charge, he has to focus on the present.When I came here the team was not in a good way and I felt I could do something nice, he said. Manchester City 1-1 Middlesbrough The chairman and the club and the area deserved to be in the Premier League. Thanks to the chairman and my staff and the players, we are here.As a manager, you cant think long term. As a player you can dream about titles and trophies but, especially me, I cannot think about five or 10 or 15 years.My only concern is the Chelsea game and then the Leicester game, and then we will see how long I am here.Upgrade to Sky Sports now to watch Man Utd v Arsenal this Saturday and get the first six months half price! Also See: Costa challenge excites Gibson Mersons predictions How did your internationals do? Which boss was the best player? ' ' '
BALTIMORE -- On a night when Baltimore struggled to get hits against Texas young right-hander making his first major league start, the Orioles simply stayed patient and eventually broke through against the Rangers bullpen. Adam Jones and Ryan Flaherty hit solo homers and Baltimore beat Texas for the third consecutive game, 6-4 on Wednesday. The Rangers have lost eight consecutive road games, their longest drought since 2005. Baltimore stayed within one game of first-place Toronto, which beat Milwaukee 7-4, earlier Wednesday. The Orioles (45-39) moved six games over .500, equaling a season-high. "That was really impressive," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "That was one of the more impressive things Ive seen, to be able to bring that intensity into a game like that. The whole group, I was real proud of them tonight." The game was delayed 1 hour and 38 minutes because of rain in the bottom of the eighth inning. Jones hit his 16th home run of the season and had three RBIs. Flaherty, who started at third base in place of the suspended Manny Machado, hit his fourth homer of the season and also made several nice defensive plays. Baltimore has homered in 12 consecutive games. Orioles right-hander Brad Brach (2-0) entered in the sixth and earned the victory by throwing 1 1-3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts. Zach Britton earned his 11th save with a perfect ninth. Texas Miles Mikolas was effective in his first major league start. He allowed three runs and three hits with four strikeouts and two walks over 5 1-3 innings. Texas (37-47) has used 11 starting pitchers this year, most in the American League. The Rangers have lost 13 of their past 16 games. "It was a lot of fun being out there," Mikolas said. "I thought I pitched a pretty good game up until the fifth. Then, I had some trouble with some walks. Things kind of didnt go our way after that." Staked to a 4-1 lead, Mikolas walked Nick Markakis and Steve Pearce with one out in the sixth. Jason Frasor entered and allowed a sacrifice fly to Jones and an RBI single to Nelson Cruz. He then walked Chris Davis before allowing a game-tying RBI single to J.J. Hardy. Flaherty provided the Orioles with their first lead, 5-4, hammering an offering from Neal Cotts (2-5) onto the flag court behind right field to lead off the seventh. Jones added an insurance run that inning with a two-out single. "Its sum of the parts for sure," Flaherty said. "It cant be the same guys every night. And its an opportunity for other guys to get in there and try to contribute and help the team win." After winning his previous two starts, Baltimore right hander Chris Tillman struggled most of the game. He allowed four runs -- three earned -- and seven hits with two strikeouts and four walks over 5 2-3 innings. Texas took a 1-0 lead in the first on a two-out RBI single by Alex Rios. In 18 starts, Tillman has given up 16 runs in the first inning. "It was a grind," Tillman said. "It wasnt good. I made some pitches when I had to. I had some stuff. I was consistently behind in the count. You have to make pitches on a consistent basis." Cruz, who leads the majors with 26 homers, appeared to tie the game with a towering shot in the bottom half of that inning before Leonys Martin made a leaping catch over the fence in centre field. "That was awesome," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "He beat the ball to the fence, timed it perfectly and brought it back. Nelson can just swipe the ball in this ballpark and it will go a long ways." The Rangers added three runs in the next inning on a two-run double by Adrian Beltre and a run-scoring grounder by Rios that bounced of Tillmans lower leg. Jones homer in the fourth pulled the Orioles within 4-1. NOTES: Baltimore RHP Bud Norris (right groin strain) threw a bullpen session Wednesday and will throw again Friday. Norris, who is eligible to come off the DL July 7, likely will need a rehab start or simulated game before rejoining the rotation, Showalter said. ... Orioles RHP Suk-min Yoon, who is on the minor league DL, received a cortisone injection in his right shoulder to reduce inflammation and will be reevaluated after being shut down for a few days. ... Davis hit off the tee before the game with Showalter observing. He went 1 for 3, snapping an 0-for-21 skid with a single in the eighth. ... The Orioles will try to sweep the four-game series when LHP Wei Yin Chen (7-3, 4.19 ERA) faces Rangers RHP Yu Darvish (8-4, 2.42) on Thursday. Brian Urlacher Bears Jersey .S. routed Sweden 7-0 Sunday to win its fourth straight title and seventh overall under-18 world championship. Olson earned his third shutout of the tournament and the Americans allowed only four goals in six games to set an International Ice Hockey Federation under-18 record. Roquan Smith Bears Jersey . - A late-game interception by defensive back Malcolm Butler saved the Super Bowl for the New England Patriots. https://www.bearssportsgoods.com/Womens-Mike-Ditka-Inverted-Jersey/ . - Benched Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman said he has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and voluntarily entered the NFL substance abuse program more than a year ago after mistakenly taking a medication to treat the condition. David Montgomery Womens Jersey . Sami Vatanen had a goal and an assist and Anaheim used a four-goal first period to extend their winning streak to six games with a 5-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night. Walter Payton Jersey . Hicham Khalouas late goal improved Almerias chances of avoiding relegation in a match dominated by contentious calls, including three penalties. One day after Barcelonas 4-3 win at Real Madrid featured three penalties, referees again dominated a wide-open game that saw Almeria ultimately move out of the relegation zone and one point ahead of Getafe which took its place.CLEVELAND - LeBron James began the day by missing the morning shootaround because of a cold. A loss to the struggling Denver Nuggets didnt make him feel any better.Ty Lawson scored 24 points, Arron Afflalo added 23 and the Nuggets ended Clevelands four-game winning streak with a 106-97 victory Monday night.James led the Cavaliers with 22 points, but Denver took the lead for good early in the third quarter and was up by as many as 14 midway through the fourth.They were the more desperate team and thats why they walked out with a win, James said. I felt OK, good enough to go out and help the team win, and as a group we didnt have it.The Nuggets limped into the game having lost seven of eight and were coming off Sundays defeat at New York in which they made one field goal in the second quarter.Denver looked like a different team Monday, placing five players in double figures. Leading 90-84, the Nuggets scored eight straight points and went ahead 98-84 on Lawsons layup with 6:01 to play.Nuggets coach Brian Shaw praised his teams effort.I told the guys before the game, were under fire in a lot of different ways, but no matter what, we have to stick together in this room, he said. People are attacking us from everywhere. The only way we can shut everybody up is through our actions on the floor. This was our biggest win of the year so far. It might not have been a big game for them, but it was a big game for us.Cleveland, which hit its first 11 3-pointers Saturday against Atlanta, failed to reach 100 points for the first time in six games despite having four players score 20 or more.While some observers thought the Cavaliers would breeze through games on a nightly basis, James has said since training camp it would take time for them to come together. Cleveland lost three of four to start the season before its winning streak.Weve got to play with our back against the wall every game, he said. I think we felt good about a four-game winning streak. You have a team that hasnt been playing well this year come into your building and think its going to be a cakewalk and thats what happens.James told reporters an hour before the opening tip that Ive been better, but Im walking. He said the cold has been bothering him for a couple of days.dddddddddddd He was 8 for 18 from the field with nine rebounds and five assists.Timofey Mozgov had 14 points and 11 rebounds for Denver. Darrell Arthur scored 14 and Wilson Chandler added 12.Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters each scored 20 points for the Cavs.Clevelands winning streak began with a 110-101 victory in Denver on Nov. 7, but this matchup was a different story. Afflalo was scoreless in 31 minutes in that game and Lawson didnt play because of an ankle injury.When you play a high-profile team, you focus a little more as a group, said Afflalo, who set a season high for points. It wasnt hard to get up for this one.Cavaliers coach David Blatt wasnt surprised the Nuggets put together a strong performance.I knew going into this game that this was a dangerous game, he said. I made that point when we walked in the locker room this morning.Travelling MANNuggets small forward Alonzo Gee played the last four seasons with the Cavaliers before being traded to Charlotte on July 27. He also spent time with New Orleans, Houston and Sacramento in the off-season before signing with Denver. Gee is averaging 3.8 points in eight games.ANOTHER AWARDJames was selected the Eastern Conference player of the week for a record 46th time Monday.It means, first of all, that youre winning, and Im happy to be a part of a team that wins, he said. Any time Im awarded that award its very humbling.Blatt said: It just speaks to the true definition of greatness, which is consistency, things that you over and over do well on a consistent basis.TIP-INSNuggets: Kenneth Faried, who came in averaging 7.9 rebounds, had one. ... F J.J. Hickson (right knee) was inactive. The team is holding him out of back-to-back games following reconstructive surgery on his right anterior cruciate ligament.Cavaliers: Waiters scored 16 points in the final 15 minutes. ... The Cavaliers recalled rookie C Alex Kirk from Canton of the NBA Development League. ... Six of Clevelands next seven games are at home.UP NEXTNuggets: Return home Wednesday to play Oklahoma City.Cavaliers: Complete a three-game homestand Wednesday against NBA champion San Antonio. James will face the Spurs for the first time since they beat Miami in last seasons Finals. ' ' '
PITTSBURGH -- Johnny Cueto tossed his second three-hitter against the Pittsburgh in a week and the Cincinnati Reds eased past the struggling Pirates 4-1 on Tuesday night. Cueto (2-2) struck out four and walked three while running his career-long scoreless streak to 21 innings before giving up a home run to Andrew McCutchen with one out in the ninth. He improved to 15-4 in his career against the Pirates and became the first Cincinnati pitcher to toss consecutive complete games since Mat Latos did it in June 2012. Brayan Pena and Zack Cozart had consecutive RBI hits off Edinson Volquez (1-1) in the seventh to provide all the offence Cueto needed. Volquez allowed two runs and five hits with a walk and three strikeouts. The scene wasnt nearly as electric as Cuetos previous appearance at PNC Park, when the Cincinnati ace was pushed around early in a 6-2 loss in the National League wild-card game. At one point Cueto dropped the ball while standing on the mound then immediately gave up a home run to Russell Martin as the standing room-only crowd lustily chanted the pitchers last name. He lasted just 4 1-3 innings that night as the Pirates won their first post-season game in 21 years. Six months later, the chants would be half-hearted at best. Cueto never lost his grip on the ball, or the game. Working quickly against a team he has dominated throughout his seven-year career, Cueto needed 117 pitches to get 27 outs and nearly became the first Cincinnati pitcher to post back-to-back shutouts since Hall of Famer Tom Seaver did it in 1977 before McCutchens home run into the second row of seats in right field in the ninth. The Reds have won 6 of 9 after stumbling out of the gate while the Pirates have dropped 9 of 12. Cueto upped his record to 9-2 at PNC Park, where the Pirates appear to be no closer to solving him now than they were when they first faced him in 2009. Volquez, a former teammate of Cuetos in Cincinnati, nearly matched his old friend. Signed to a one-year deal in the off-season hoping he can reclaim some of the form that made him an All-Star in 2008, Volquez has not disappointed. The right-hander has been one of Pittsburghs biggest surprises and rolled through the Reds for six innings before Cincinnati broke through in the seventh. Jay Bruce and Todd Frazier led off with consecutive singles and Bruce trotted home one out later when Pena laced a shot to right field. The burly catcher was ruled out at second on review while trying to stretch a single into a double, but Cozart followed with a sharp double to left to make it 2-0. Cincinnati added insurance runs in the eighth and ninth, with Cueto providing the eighth RBI of his career with a single to right off reliever Stolmy Pimentel. NOTES: Cincinnati RHP Mat Latos still has not thrown since being scratched from a rehab start on April 8 due to inflammation in his right elbow. Cincinnati manager Bryan Price said Latos is "feeling better" and could begin playing catch before the end of the week. ... The Pirates have yet to name a starter for Thursdays series finale. The team placed LHP Wandy Rodriguez on the 15-day disabled list on Monday with inflammation in his right knee. ... The series continues on Wednesday. Alfredo Simon (2-1, 0.86 ERA) starts for the Reds against Pittsburghs Charlie Morton (0-2, 4.32). Cheap Adidas Nmd Shoes .com) - Pittsburgh Steelers running back LeVeon Bell, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Elvis Dumervil and New England Patriots punter Ryan Allen were selected as the AFCs top players for Week 14 of the NFL season. Adidas Basketball Shoes Wholesale . While Chelsea stayed two points behind leader Arsenal courtesy of Etoos hat trick, seventh-place United slipped 14 points from the summit this weekend. And the gap from the Champions League places is growing as well, with Liverpool six points ahead in fourth. http://www.cheapnmdsneakersireland.com/ .com) - Ben Lovejoy tallied a goal and an assist as the Anaheim Ducks cruised into the All-Star break with a 6-3 victory against the Calgary Flames. Adidas Nmd Wholesale China .C. -- Benn Ferrieros familiar with scoring important goals, just not in back-to-back games. Cheap Adidas Nmd Mens Ireland . Although Spain could still advance out of the group stage, the game may have signalled the end of the run by a generation of Spanish stars whose quick passing, "tiki-taka" style delighted the world and helped them win the last three major tournaments.PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Levi Browns tenure at left tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers is over before it even began. The Steelers placed Brown on injured reserve on Tuesday, two days after Brown tore a triceps while warming up before a 19-6 victory over the Jets. Brown, acquired from the Arizona Cardinals last week, will need surgery and is done for the year. Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin called the injury "freakish" in its timing. "Ive been in this league a number of years and this is probably only the second time Ive ever been around that," Tomlin said. The Steelers (1-4) also lost tight end David Johnson for the year with a wrist injury. This is the second straight season Johnson is headed to the injured reserve. Johnson didnt even play in 2012 due to a torn ACL in his right knee. Pittsburgh filled out its roster by signing free agent tight end Richard Gordon and promoted cornerback Isaiah Green to the practice squad and Tomlin didnt rule out the prospect of both players seeing time on Sunday when the Steelers face rival Baltimore (3-3) looking to win consecutive games for the first time in 11 months. While Johnson and Brown are gone, linebacker Sean Spence is back. More than a year after suffering a catastrophic left knee injury in the final game of the 2012 preseason, Spence has been activated off the physically unable to perform list and will work in a limited capacity, a stunning comeback for the former third-round pick whose career was in jeopardy after tearing two ligaments and dislocating his kneecap. Tomlin allowed it is possible Spence could play at some point this season. "Well see how he performs in practice and kind of let that be our guide in terms of how we progress," Tomlin said. Injuries to Larry Foote and Kion Wilson forced rookie Vince Williams to play alongside Lawrence Timmons at inside linebacker and Spence was considered the eventual heir apparent to Foote when Pittsburgh grabbed Spence with the 86th overall pick of the 2012 draft. Spence has spent the last four months either watching practice or working out on an adjoining field with other injured players. His presence in a helmet and a jersey should send a jolt through a defence that started to look like its old self against the Jets. The Steelers put toogether three sacks and forced two turnovers and despite a substandard September ranks sixth in yards allowed.dddddddddddd "I think everybody played better," defensive end Cam Heyward said. "We executed a lot better, but I dont think we schematically changed what we needed to do. We had different guys in there almost every week, and we did a good job attacking their run and not just stopping it, getting guys back and all the guys flying to the ball." Pittsburgh will try to do the same against the erratic Ravens (3-3), who are still searching for the form that led them to their second Super Bowl title eight months ago. Tomlin downplayed any talk that one of the NFLs biggest rivalries has lost its lustre now that both teams find themselves trailing front-running Cincinnati (4-2) in the AFC North. "Obviously, theyre a talented capable team led by superstars in all three phases and theyre defending world champs," Tomlin said. "They dont need an endorsement from me." Neither does tackle Kelvin Beachum, pressed into service after Brown went down less than an hour before kickoff against the Jets. Beachum struggled early but recovered in the second half to help Pittsburgh put New York away. The fact the Steelers didnt go searching for another lineman following Browns injury is a testament to Tomlins belief in the adaptable Beachum, who has already played at centre, right tackle and tight end in his brief career. It appears Beachum is entrenched — at least for now — heading into a stretch that should determine Pittsburghs season. A win over Baltimore and another one next week in Oakland and the Steelers are in the mix. Two losses and the rebuilding process can begin in earnest. Tomlin isnt quite that far down the road. He likes what he saw against New York. Now hed like to find a way to repeat it against the Ravens, who havent lost in Pittsburgh since 2010. "Obviously, our focus is and will continue to be us and how we perform and prepare to give ourselves the very best chance to play A-ball," he said. "We believe that A-ball is enough to win under any circumstance, so thats what is guiding us as we prepare for this one." ___ AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org ___ Follow Will Graves at www.twitter.com/WillGravesAP ' ' '
DOHA, Qatar -- George Coetzee of South Africa needed just 21 putts to shoot an 8-under-par 64 for a one-shot lead on the opening day of the Qatar Masters on Wednesday. Coetzee eagled the par-5 10th hole and birdied his closing three holes in a round that was just two shots more than his best on the European Tour, a 62 which equalled the Old Course record at St. Andrews in Scotland 15 months ago. "I was quite lucky to get away with a few shots," he said. "Theres a lot of luck involved in this game, especially the way I play, and I had 21 putts with a three-putt, so that goes to show." On 7 under were Dawie Van Der Walt, among five South Africans in the top 13, and Steve Webster of England, who began in spectacular manner by holing a 254-yard, 5-wood second shot for an albatross at his opening hole, the 548-yard, par-5 10th. There were only two spectators around the green, and one of them was jumping up and down and pointing in a downward motion. "I didnt know whether he was inferring it had gone over the back of the green and onto rocks, but then when I got up there he starts clapping," Webster said. "Ive never been 3 under after one hole before, so it was all a bit strange after that. You start thinking is this my day, or have I had all my luck on the first?" It was the second albatross in three events this year, whereas there was just one on the tour in 2013. Webster, who celebrated his 39th birthday last Friday, picked up five birdies over his next 12 holes to lead on 8 under, then dropped a shot at his 15th. Four players were in fourth place on 6 under, while the former British Open-winning trio of Ernie Els, John Daly and Scotlands Paul Lawrie were among a group at 5 under. Els ended the first round in his 25th anniversary pro career season holing a 35-yard bunker shot on 18 for eagle. "That was a dream finish, thats always going to put a smile on your face," said Els, the 2005 Qatar winner. "I played quite nicely all day but didnt quite get my share of putts, so that bunker shot at the last really made up for everything." Lawrie also had an eagle, on the 16th, while Daly birdied his first three holes and two of his closing three. "Ive started off this year putting really, really well, and just made three bombs to start with today," Daly said. "But I just got into trouble a couple of times with the driver, so it was my putting that kept me in there." Henrik Stenson bounced back from missing the halfway cut last week in Abu Dhabi with a 68. U.S. PGA champion Jason Dufner, competing in Qatar for the second year running, carded 70. A 30-minute delay due to fog at the start of the day meant three players were unable to complete the round due to darkness. OG Anunoby Jersey . An in-person hearing allows for Garbutt to be suspended for five games or longer as per the leagues Collective Bargaining Agreement. Garbutt delivered a high hit to Penner in the second period of Sundays game. Devin Robinson Jersey .Y. - DeMarre Carroll felt as though he couldnt miss in the second quarter as he outscored the Brooklyn Nets 14-13 all by himself. https://www.raptorsrookiesshop.com/Lucas-Nogueira-City-Edition-Jersey/ . She still remembers the massive roar of the home crowd when the Canadians walked out on the pitch before 47,784 fans at Commonwealth Stadium in 2002. Lang expects a similar reception for the Canadian team as the host nation at this years tournament, which begins Tuesday. Devin Robinson Raptors Jersey . The NFLs Defensive Rookie of the Year will be named at the NFL Honours Award show on February 1. The 23-year-old 2013 second-rounder out of Oregon becomes the third Bills linebacker to win the honour after Jim Haslett (1979) and Shane Conlan (1987. Kawhi Leonard Raptors Jersey . Canada was placed in one of the easiest groups during Saturdays live televised draw in Montreal.CONCORD, N.C. - Goodyear has warned teams that increased speeds at Charlotte Motor Speedway will put a heavy emphasis on the right front tires in Saturday nights race a€” a potentially key development for drivers trying to advance in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship.Stu Grant, general manager of worldwide racing for Goodyear, said Friday the tire manufacturer provided durability guidelines a day earlier for teams to use in their preparations.They have got to be aware of the additional load that that speed puts on that right front tire, Grant said. The air pressures that you ran in May may not be sufficient to carry the load on that right front this weekend because theyre running half a second faster than the track record. ... its important that as these guys set their cars up that theyre aware of the additional camber gain youre going to get with the additional load and you need to watch that air pressure because its got to be sufficient to carry that load.Kurt Busch set the track record in Thursday qualifying with a lap at 198.771 mph. It broke Denny Hamlins record of 195.624 set in 2013 and was the fastest lap ever recorded on a 1.5-mile track. Buschs speed was also almost 4 mph faster than the lap Jimmie Johnson turned to win the pole in May.Although the pace of Saturday nights race will slow compared to qualifying speeeds, Goodyear felt teams needed to be informed, particularly after championship contenders Dale Earnhardt Jr.dddddddddddd and Brad Keselowski both blew right front tires last week at Kansas and are in danger of being eliminated from the Chase.Keselowskis tire went back to North Carolina from Kanas with Team Penske, and was received by Goodyear on Thursday for further analysis at its Akron, Ohio, facility. Goodyear does not have Earnhardts tire because Hendrick Motorsports was doing its own examination and had yet to ship it to Akron.Goodyear officials did look over both tires at Kansas, but Grant said nothing jumped out at us. Damage appeared to be to the inside shoulder, belt-edge. In the past, Goodyear has found that teams were too aggressive with either their air pressure or camber settings, causing tire failures.Earnhardt crew chief Steve Letarte and Keselowski crew chief Paul Wolfe both told Goodyear their setups were not aggressive enough to cause tire failures.Could it have been the result of a slow leak? Possible. It may not have been anything that the teams did, Grant said. All we can do is look at what we have and do an analysis and say heres what that tire experienced. All we try to do is give the teams all the tools we can possibly give them in order to help them set their car up as well as they can. ' ' '
WINNIPEG -- The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have finally settled on their defensive coaching staff for this season, led by CFL veteran Gary Etcheverry as defensive co-ordinator. Nelson Martin is the clubs defensive backs coach and Mike Scheper will be the defensive line coach. All three have recent experience with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the team announced Thursday. Etcheverry last coached in the CFL with Saskatchewan, leading their defence to back-to-back Grey Cup appearances in 2009 and 2010. He was head coach of the Toronto Argonauts in 2002 and defensive co-ordinator of the 2004 Ottawa Renegades. Most recently he was head coach of the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees. Etcheverry has previous coaching experience in the NFL, German Football League, CIS, Canada Junior Football League and NCAA. Martin spent the 2012 season as Hamiltons defensive backs coach and before that held a similar post with Saskatchewan for two seasons. He made his CFL coaching debut with the Ottawa Renegades in 2003 as a special teams assistant. Scheper coached the defensive line at Portland State University the past two seasons and served in that capacity with Saskatchewan in 2009 and 2010. Chandler Parsons Hawks Jersey . Lineup news, Fantasy tips and more in Scott Cullen’s Statistically Speaking. HEROES Blake Comeau – The Penguins winger had a hat trick in a 4-3 overtime win against Toronto. John Collins Jersey .com) - Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Edwin Encarnacion has been named the American League Player of the Week for the period ending May 11. https://www.thehawkslockerroom.com/Ray-Spalding-City-Edition-Jersey/ . - Kobe Bryant and LeBron James traded hugs, big shots and verbal jabs all night with warmth and humour. Bruno Fernando Jersey . -- Andy Granatelli, the former CEO of STP motor oil company who made a mark on motorsports as a car owner, innovator and entrepreneur, has died. Tracy Mcgrady Hawks Jersey . Joining him in this years class were Switzerlands Patrick Huerlimann and Norways Eigil Ramsfjell. The announcement was made at the world mens curling championship at Capital Indoor Stadium in China.HOUSTON – The setting was an upscale restaurant along Dunedins pristine waterfront. It was the end of the six-week spring training grind. The 25 men who would comprise the Blue Jays opening day roster gathered with coaches, management and high-level members of the ownership hierarchy for the annual start-of-the-season dinner, held this year just prior to the departure to Montreal for two exhibition games. It was at this dinner that Blue Jays president Paul Beeston addressed the club and, according to multiple sources within the organization, pledged to the players that additional money would be made available to acquire assets in-season if they produced a winner. Playing well of late and with a record of 60-50, good for a three-game lead over the Mariners for the American Leagues second wild card spot, if this isnt a winner then its at least the closest the franchise has fielded since the heady days of the early 1990s. Yet, there was nothing at the deadline. Nothing unless you count right-handed hitting infielder Danny Valencia, acquired from the Royals for Erik Kratz and Liam Hendriks on Monday. While Jon Lester (Oakland), David Price (Detroit), Martin Prado (Yankees) and reliever Andrew Miller (Baltimore) changed addresses, the Blue Jays stood pat but the general manager said it wasnt because of budget restrictions. “We absolutely had the financial resources to add at this trade deadline. If we had a deal, obviously we were in dialogue with (president) Paul (Beeston) all the time and certainly hes keeping ownership up to date, any deal that we felt was a good baseball deal, the finances were certainly there for us,” said Alex Anthopoulos. “That has never been a problem and it was just one of those things that we couldnt find a baseball deal that made sense for us and thats really what it came down to.” Its hard to imagine, looking at the deals the Yankees made for Prado and Chase Headley (earlier this month), that finances didnt play a role in the Blue Jays losing out on both. Prado was acquired for Peter OBrien, a former second round pick who was playing at Double-A. Maybe the Jays were scared off by Prados .686 OPS in his age 30 season, a number well off Prados career .764 OPS, suggesting the start of a decline. Theres no doubt the two years and $22-million left on Prados deal would be worrisome, even though hed be an upgrade at second base. Headley was acquired for Yangervis Solarte – considered by the Yankees to be one of those “Quad-A” players, a strong Triple-A player but not someone who can put it together long enough at the big league level – and Rafael De Paula, a 23-year-old pitcher who hasnt sniffed higher than Single-A. Headley has only the prorated amount of his $10.5-million 2014 salary owed. The Jays took a pass. Lester, Price and John Lackey (St. Louis) were each swapped in deals involving big league players going both ways. Anthopoulos wasnt willing to delete from his current roster. A lack of positional prospect depth, rendering the Jays with little to offer other than whats off the big league roster, surely contributed to the quiet day. Dalton Pompey, an outfielder from Mississauga, is the only position player prospect of any consequence playing at Double-A or higher. He currently toils for New Hampshire, having been promoted from Single-A Dunedin earlier this season. You can find reasons – money, contract term, what youd give up, the type of season a guys having, attitude – that would prevent a ballclub from acquiring anyone at anytime. It seems Anthopoulos found them. His top players, including one of the games best, Jose Bautista, and the longest tenured Blue Jay, Casey Janssen, expressed dismay the club wasnt improved. “I just think from an overall perspective of all these teams getting better, we know its going to be a tough time for us,” said Janssen. “One that isnt impossible but were going to have to do everything right. Obviously, we value our prospects, we value our players, Im sure the other teams do as well. Maybe they just vaalue the player or the opportunity to get into the playoffs more.dddddddddddd. It takes something to get something and congratulations to those teams that got those guys. Bautista addressed the media, spent about six minutes with the assembled horde, and used a variation of the word “disappointed” four times. “Of course its a little disappointing that we somehow werent able to get anything done but everybody around us thats in contention, and even some teams that arent in contention like the Red Sox, somehow figured it out,” said Bautista. “Theres still time to get stuff done. Itll be a little more difficult having to put people through the waiver process but its not impossible.” Bautista believed different players would have different reactions. Approached for comment, Mark Buehrle said he didnt know enough about the state of the franchises finances or the depth of its minor league system to offer an educated opinion. He was glad Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez remained in the fold, two potential face-of-the-franchise guys who are as much contributors to the present as they will be in the future. Another player, who will remain nameless, shrugged and muttered an expletive loosely related to bovine excrement. If other teams improved and the Blue Jays didnt the club will have to await the returns of Brett Lawrie, Edwin Encarnacion and Adam Lind and hope those reinforcements are enough to propel the team to the playoffs. What happens to this team if one of its starting pitchers gets injured is another matter. Todd Redmond could backfill. Then who? Brad Mills? The rotation has held up reasonably well but remember it is trotting out a couple of 23-year-olds (Drew Hutchison, Marcus Stroman) who are entering unchartered territory. “Weve heard 92, 93 and I think were tired of hearing it,” said Janssen. “We want to put our on stamp on Toronto and across baseball. For me in my eight years here, Ive never been this close, never had such an opportunity to make it into the playoffs and I think thats where this excitement level for this trade deadline was. Its finally our time, its finally beating down the door and we wanted to come on the scene as strong as we can. Like I said, it didnt happen, we just have to regroup and go about our business again.” Anthopoulos worked the phones. “We were open minded, you definitely want to hear what other clubs have to say and what ideas they might have to say, but when you start to look at your 25-man, and youre trading some of your best players, to address an area of what might be a weakness, or a need, and youre ultimately creating another weakness, create a hole, it wouldnt make any sense for us,” he said. “We definitely talked to clubs and had dialogue and all that, just didnt find anything that made the club better.” Turning 34 in October, Bautista wants to be afforded the best opportunity to win. Now. If not, well, it seems uncertain what would become of this team in the offseason. “All I can say is it gets to a point for everybodys situation and everybodys job that trying and excuses are not good enough,” said Bautista. “For everybodys sake I hope we all play great from now until the end of the season and Im one of those guys who really wants to win. Ive been playing for a long time and never experienced it.” RASMUS DISCIPLINED Colby Rasmus was originally in Thursday nights starting lineup but, about an hour before the game, he was replaced by Nolan Reimold. The official line was an “internal team decision.” After the game, a 6-5 win over the Astros, manager John Gibbons wouldnt say why Rasmus was benched. The player offered up the reason: tardiness. “I was late getting here to the field,” said Rasmus. “I wasnt here when I was supposed to be here and they punished me as they should have.” Rasmus wife and daughter are with him in Houston. He said he was having lunch with them and then got caught in traffic on his way to Minute Maid Park. ' ' '
NEW YORK -- The last time the New York Rangers had a game to forget, they responded with five straight wins that put them on the cusp of the Stanley Cup finals. They are still there, and the Montreal Canadiens arent going away without a fight. New York needs one more victory to reach the championship round for the first time in 20 years. The Rangers know that Game 6 at home on Thursday is their best chance to get it. They returned home from Montreal on Wednesday, one day after a wild 7-4 loss cut their series lead to 3-2. If New York doesnt end it Thursday, the Rangers will have to go back to Montreal for a deciding Game 7. New York, which went the full seven games in each of the first two rounds of this years playoffs, will be playing its 20th post-season game. No team that played a pair of seven-game series before the conference finals has reached the Stanley Cup finals. "Its an opportunity to win the game to go to the Stanley Cup final," Rangers forward Brad Richards said. "I think everybody is alert and ready that way. We were talking about it all (Tuesday) how excited we were to get on the ice and start playing. "We had some mental breakdowns, but I dont think it had anything to do with (fatigue). Weve had a lot of rest this series. The opportunity that faces us right now, were pretty excited about it. I dont think there is too much letdown." In the second round, a poor performance at home in Game 4 against Pittsburgh dropped the Rangers into a 3-1 series hole. But New York won Game 5 on the road, took Game 6 at home, and won the clincher back in Pittsburgh to set up the matchup with Montreal. Now that the Canadiens have staved off elimination once, the Rangers are wary of giving them any more hope they can turn the tables. "You learn a lot from it. Thats why experience is experience," Richards said. "You go through many situations. (Tuesday) night was a bad feeling, but today were getting on a plane to go back to our city, and we get to play in front of our fans. "Its always, forget as quick as possible and try to remember the good things that were doing. It was one bad night, but weve been doing a lot of good things in this series." The Rangers won the opening two games in Montreal and then split a pair of overtime decisions at home. Even though they have had success on the road and in recent Game 7s, they know that going the distance again works against them. "Its a desperate time," Richards said. "You dont want to go back to a Game 7 where anything can happen. We want to get this done. Theyre a good team anywhere. "Were going to have to be a lot better, and we will be." This is as far as New York has advanced since captain Mark Messier led the club to the 1994 Stanley Cup title -- breaking the Rangers 54-year drought. The Garden will be ready to celebrate again Thursday. After the Rangers lost Game 4 to Pittsburgh, the loyal fans thought they might not see their team again until next season. That will be the situation again if the Canadiens pull off another victory. "You win a game, and things change in your locker room and you start feeling better about yourselves," Rangers defenceman Marc Staal said. "We know how it feels coming back in a series, but it doesnt change anything in our room. We are as confident as ever going into our building, and looking forward to it." So are the Canadiens. They know that if they wouldve scored in overtime of Game 4 as they did in Game 3, they wouldve had a two-game sweep at the Garden and would be the ones looking to advance Thursday. "Well be ready for one of those tight-checking games," defenceman Josh Gorges said Wednesday after an optional practice in Montreal. "Im sure it will be again one of those hard-fought games that well have to make sure that were even better than we were last game." Montreal will have rugged forward Brandon Prust back in the lineup after he served a two-game suspension for a late hit on Derek Stepan in Game 3 that broke the Rangers forwards jaw. Stepan returned Tuesday and scored two goals while wearing a full faceguard. The Rangers will be without defenceman John Moore. He was suspended for two games Wednesday after receiving a match penalty Tuesday night for a hit to Montreal forward Dale Weises head. Henrik Lundqvist will be back in goal for the Rangers after he was pulled in Game 5 on a rare off night in which he allowed four goals on 19 shots in less than two periods. He avoided the loss when New York rallied from a 4-1 deficit to get even. Backup goalie Cam Talbot gave up two goals in relief. "(Tuesday) night was probably the best game weve played in this series," Canadiens forward Lars Eller said. "If we keep doing a lot of those things, I think the end result will be good." Wilson Chandler Nets Jersey . But Paul Osbaldiston, Hamiltons assistant special teams and kicking coach, said the team still relished the championship game workout. Kyrie Irving Nets Jersey . -- Jake Peavy arrived at Bostons spring training complex on Monday with a large white bandage covering his left index finger, the result of a weekend accident. https://www.netsrookiesshop.com/Deandre-Jordan-City-Edition-Jersey/ . 4 jersey of former defenseman Rob Blake this coming season. The ceremony will take place prior to the Kings January 17 game against Anaheim. Drazen Petrovic Nets Jersey . He was 26. Edwards, the Supercup Championship leader, was in the passenger seat as an instructor for a private training session at Queensland Raceway at Willowbank, outside Brisbane, Porsche Motorsport said. Kenneth Faried Jersey . -- Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf has been suspended two games for his hit from behind on Kevan Miller of the Bruins.What is it about the Whitecaps and spectacular goals to salvage games that end 2-2? Saturdays stunning howitzer from Uruguayan marksman Sebastien Fernandez will go down as one of the great finishes in the Caps short MLS era. A monstrous tackle from Steven Beitashour kept the game alive, when it seemed referee Kevin Stott was ready to blow for time. And like a basketball player whose internal shot clock was down to 0.5, Fernandez took a quick look up before unleashing a 35-yard rocket that even Nick Rimando couldnt stop. The scenes at Rio Tinto stadium were as contrasting as youll ever see in a regular season game; the Whitecaps and their staff leaping and hollering like 12-year-old kids whove won an imaginary World Cup, while a devastated Real Salt Lake team lay strewn about the pitch in disbelief. Its not the first time a stunning strike has rescued a point for the Whitecaps in a 2-2 game. They did it a week ago against LA, when it was Kekuta Manneh who bombed home a cracking equalizer in the 86th minute. Late last year, in a wild affair with Portland, Camilo Sanvezzo sideways scissored a goal of the year winner, only sseconds after the Whitecaps had fallen behind.dddddddddddd And in June of 2011, Eric Hassli should have earned goal of the year honours for his late, sensational volley that dropped into the top corner past Kasey Keller, only moments after the Whitecaps had fallen behind in Seattle. Four point-earning goals with aesthetic beauty, individual brilliance, against Western rvals, all while the Whitecaps were trailing. But there was something extra special about the rally at Real. It was executed by kids. The midfield and forward six combined to average 22.6 years of age. The RSL team that tried to hang on averaged 29.45 years, among them captain Kyle Beckerman, who sarcastically sneered a good luck making the playoffs in Darren Mattocks direction. As Carl Robinson continues to shape his squad and older players move on, you just wonder how the young Whitecaps will look when they learn how to start games the same way theyve been finishing them. In the meantime, another 2-2 scoreline, which seemed improbable until the 86th minute will be savoured by a Whitecap fan base that has already been spoiled by late-game dramatics. ' ' '
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Andrew McCutchen went 4 for 5 and finished a home run short of a cycle, and Jordy Mercer drove in a career-high four runs to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to an 8-2 rout of the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday. Mercer had two of Pittsburghs 13 hits, and each of the Pirates eight position players who started the game had at least one. Pittsburgh jumped on starter Roberto Hernandez in the first inning and scored four runs on five hits and sent nine men to the plate. All the runs scored with two outs against Hernandez, who threw 45 pitches in his inning. Gerrit Cole (7-4) made his second start since coming off the disabled list after he had right shoulder fatigue. Hernandez (3-8) settled down after the rough first and pitched 5 2-3 innings. He gave up five runs, 10 hits and four walks, and struck out three. Hernandez was pulled in the sixth after he walked Starling Marte with two outs. Marte got the Pirates first inning surge going with a one-out single, but he was thrown out at the plate by shortstop Jimmy Rollins, who fielded a hit by McCutchen in shallow left that bounced off the glove of third baseman Cody Asche. After Neil Walker walked, Russell Martin and Josh Harrison connected for RBI singles. Mercer drove in two runs with a single after Gaby Sanchez walked, giving the Pirates a 4-0 lead. They added a run in the fourth when Gregory Polanco singled and scored on McCutchens double to left. Cole threw just 80 pitches in five shutout innings and allowed only one hit innings. He walked one and struck out five before being removed from the game because of right lat soreness. Philadelphia got on the board in the sixth against reliever Stolmy Pimentel, who walked three of the four hitters he faced and didnt record an out. After Pimentel walked Ben Revere and Rollins, Chase Utley singled down the right field line to make it 5-1. Jared Hughes replaced Pimentel after a walk to Ryan Howard. Marlon Byrd hit into a double play that scored Rollins, before Hughes struck out Asche looking. The Pirates answered Philadelphias two runs with two in the seventh when Mercer doubled in Martin and Sanchez. McCutchen drove in his second run in the eighth with his second double, scoring Polanco from first after he led off with a walk. Justin Wilson, Tony Watson and Jeanmar Gomez each worked a perfect inning to finish off Pittsburghs win. NOTES: Philadelphia has lost only twice on Independence Day in 11 years, both times at PNC Park. The Phillies previous July 4 defeat was 8-5 in 2009. . The attendance of 38,977 was a Pirates record for a July 4 game. ... Pittsburgh RHP Edinson Volquez (6-6, 4.07 ERA) matches up with Philadelphia RHP David Buchanan (4-4, 4.86 ERA) on Saturday in the second game of the three-game series. Nmd Günstig Fake .C. - Nick Merkley and Damon Severson each had a goal and two assists as the Kelowna Rockets downed the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds 6-3 on Saturday in Western Hockey League playoff action. Adidas Gazelle Schweiz . According to a report from ESPN, Lynch wants a new contract from the Seahawks, and will likely skip all off-season workouts until he can renegotiate his deal with the Seahawks. http://www.nmdschweizkaufen.ch/ . This week, they discuss the NCAAs revenue sharing, Don Zimmer, soccer language and Super Bowl 50. Ultra Boost Schweiz . Golden States second straight road win wasnt painless. David Lee scored a season-high 29 points -- 13 in the fourth quarter -- and Nate Robinson added 17 points, leading the Warriors to a 105-95 win Tuesday night over the road-worn Cleveland Cavaliers. Ultra Boost Kaufen Schweiz . The 33-year-old Spaniard, who held the lead since the second round, turned in a solid final round that featured six birdies and two bogeys to finish on 22-under 266. The victory is Garcias first this year with his last win coming at the Johor Open, an Asian Tour event in Malaysia last December.If Martin St. Louis still looking for a way out of Tampa Bay, the 38-year-old NHL veteran isnt showing his cards. When asked Wednesday about his name surfacing in trade rumours ahead of the Mar. 5 NHL trade deadline, St. Louis told reporters: "Ive had conversations with Steve (Yzerman) about my future with the team and Ill leave it at that." St. Louis has been rumoured to be unhappy in Tampa after being left off the initial 2014 Team Canada Olympic roster by Yzerman - general manager of both the Lightning and Team Canada. St. Louis was later named to the team as Steven Stamkos injury replacement. "Out of respect for my teammates I think thats all Im going to say about that," St. Louis continued. "Im not going to get into answering this question every day." Yzerman also declined to give any details on the speculation. "Im not going to comment on trade rumors in this situation or any situation," he said. "Thats just the way it is." Appearing in five games with Team Canada at the Sochi Gaames, St.dddddddddddd Louis was held pointless in Team Canadas gold medal effort. St. Louis, in the third season of a four-year deal he signed with the Lightning prior to the 2010-2011 season worth an average annual value of $5.625 million, is the Lightnings leader in both goals (25) and points (56) this season. Originally undrafted, St. Louis has fought his way to a long and productive NHL career, scoring 365 goals and 603 assissts in 1,037 career games with the Lightning and Calgary Flames. A six-time NHL All-Star, St. Louis is the reigning Art Ross Trophy-winner for most points in the 2012-13 NHL season. He has twice won the Art Ross, his previous win coming in the 2003-04 season in which he also won the Hart Memorial Trophy and Lester B. Pearson Awards for Most Valuable Player as voted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association and the NHL players, respectively. St. Louis won a Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2004 and has won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy as the NHLs Most Gentlemanly Player in three of the past four NHL seasons. ' ' '
John Ferguson Jr. has left the San Jose Sharks to become the Boston Bruins director of player personnel. The Bruins also announced that Scott Bradley has been promoted to assistant general manager and Ryan Nadeau promoted to director of hockey operations and analytics, per a team release. Ferguson was named general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs in August, 2003, taking the job over from Pat Quinn who remained on as team coach. He would remain Leafs GM after the cancellation of the 2004-05 season due to a lockout and would fire Quinn after the Leafs failed to make the playoffs the following season. He was dismissed as Leafs GM in January, 2008 after failing to lead the Leafs to the playoffs in the two seasons following the lockout. He was replaced by Cliff Fletcher on an interim basis before the Leafs hired Brian Burke in November of that year. In the years since leaving Toronto, Ferguson has served as the director of pro scouting with the Sharks. Wes Martin Jersey . To get things started, heres a little photo tour to get you acquainted with all the main characters. Sam Huff Redskins Jersey . Off-season additions Jermain Defoe and Michael Bradley did not train with the club today, prompting Nelsen to declare its too early to tell if either will be ready for Saturday. https://www.redskinssportsgoods.com/Womens-Bryce-Love-Inverted-Jersey/ . A spokeswoman for the NLRB says its "a very incremental move" and does not necessarily indicate the board is close to a finding in the case. NFL owners filed an unfair labour charge against the players union in February, arguing that the union was not negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement in good faith. John Riggins Womens Jersey . Hamilton signed offensive linemen Mike Filer, Joel Reinders, Landon Rice and Carson Rockhill. Bryce Love Redskins Jersey . Coach Randy Carlyle didnt know the severity of Bozaks injury. Bozak left the bench and went down the tunnel early in the second period, returned to play a handful of shifts and then did play in the third.SAN DIEGO - David Robertson is leaving the New York Yankees after one season as closer, agreeing to a $46 million, four-year contract with the Chicago White Sox, according to two people familiar with the negotiations.The people spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press on Monday night because the agreement had not been announced.Chicago also acquired right-handers Jeff Samardzija and Michael Ynoa from Oakland on Tuesday for right-hander Chris Bassitt, catcher Josh Phegley, first baseman Rangel Ravelo and infielder Marcus Semien. Samardzija had pitched for the crosstown Cubs before he was traded to the Athletics in July.A right-hander who turns 30 in April, Robertson had spent his seven-year big league career with the New York Yankees. He took over from Mariano Rivera as New Yorks closer last season and saved 39 games in 44 chances.New York had prepared for the possibility of Robertsons departure by agreeing last week to a $36 million, four-year contract with left-hander Andrew Miller, who joins Dellin Betances in the back ennd of the Yankees bullpen.dddddddddddd New Yorks offer was for far less than Chicagos, another person familiar with the talks said. That person spoke on condition of anonymity because the amount was not revealed.Robertsons deal has an average salary of $11.5 million, falling $1 million below the average of Jonathan Papelbons four-year deal with Philadelphia that began in 2012.Robertson will be joining a team that finished fourth in the AL Central at 70-92, one whose saves leader was rookie Jake Petricka with 14.The agreement with Robertson stunned at least one of Robertsons new teammates. Outfielder Adam Eaton tweeted the message Wow, along with a photo of Sesame Streets Bert with the caption mind blown.Because the White Sox had among the top 10 initial picks in next years amateur draft, they lose a second-round selection next June rather than their first-round choice, which is eighth overall. The Yankees receive an extra pick between the first and second rounds.___AP Sports Writer Howie Rumberg contributed to this report. ' ' '
In Canada, we expect to win gold in Olympic hockey and now the same can be said in Las Vegas. According to bodog.net, Canada is favoured to win gold in both mens and womens hockey in Sochi. On the mens side, Canada is the 2-1 favourite to skate away with the gold medal with host Russia next at 9-4. Sweden is third in terms of odds at 9-2 while the United States is 6-1. Austria and Slovenia are the biggest underdogs at 1,000-1. On the womens side, Canada is the 5-6 favourite to repeat as Olympic champions. The United States is next at 10-11 is what should be a two-team race. Finland and host Russia are at 18-1 and 22-1, respectively. The biggest longshot is Japan at 150-1. Fake Nike Air Max Shoes . The club announced Friday that Mauro Biello will be kept on as an assistant to coach Jesse Marsch when the Impact join the MLS in 2012. Nike Air Max Clearance . -- The Sacramento Kings have claimed forward Travis Outlaw off waivers under the NBAs new amnesty provision, filling out the frontcourt with another veteran. https://www.fakeairmaxwholesale.com/ . The Blue Jackets announced the injury through their official Twitter account Friday afternoon. Gaborik, 31, has scored five goals and six assists in 17 games with the Blue Jackets in 2013-14. Fake Nike Air Max . Brassard and Coyotes defenceman Derek Morris were battling for position in the crease when a nudge from Morris sent Brassard on top of Smith late in the third period. Nike Air Max Discount . Amaro broke the NCAA all-time record for receiving yards in a season for a tight end with 1,352 during his junior campaign, eclipsing the mark of 1,329 set by Rices James Casey in 2008.MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Kei Nishikori of Japan successfully defended his title at the U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships, beating Ivo Karlovic of Croatia 6-4, 7-6 (0) on Sunday. Nishikori won his fourth career title along with the $103,100 winners check and 250 points on the ATP Tour by making this event at The Racquet Cluub his first successful title defence.dddddddddddd He became the first back-to-back winner since Tommy Haas won in 2006 and 2007. Karlovic came in having not been broken even once this week and looking for his sixth career title. The big-serving Karlovic and his 20 aces couldnt counter Nishikoris precision ' ' '
BOSTON -- Jason Kipnis delivered three singles for the Cleveland Indians, and then he helped them out with his glove. The Indians second baseman snagged a hard-hit grounder from Red Sox slugger David Ortiz to start an eighth-inning double play. Instead of facing a late Boston rally, the Indians held on for a 3-2 victory on Saturday that snapped a four-game losing streak. "He hit it pretty hard," Kipnis said. "You guys know as well as I do: Youve got some time with him going down the line. All he has to do is jog, with most of his hits." Asdrubal Cabrera and Michael Brantley each had a pair of hits for Cleveland, which had lost eight of its past nine games at Fenway Park. The Indians scored two runs in the seventh to take the lead on an error by catcher A.J. Pierzynski and a bases-loaded walk. "Were going to have to win some games like that," said Cleveland manager Terry Francona, whose team stranded 13 base runners and went 0 for 11 with runners in scoring position. John Axford (2-3) earned the win with one scoreless inning in relief of T.J. House, and Cody Allen pitched the ninth for his seventh save. Craig Breslow (2-2) took the loss, allowing two unearned runs and two hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning. Boston starter Jake Peavy left with a 2-1 lead but remains winless in his past nine starts. "You just try to do what you can do to win," said Peavy, who entered the game with the second-lowest run support in the AL. "Obviously, its been tough to score on my day, thats something Im not going to shy away from. Im not blaming anyone. I have to be better. Guys have to find a way to be better on my day to win. Its frustrating, no doubt. At the end of the day its frustrating to lose." The Red Sox led 2-1 when Breslow relieved Peavy to start the seventh. Cabrera hit a grounder behind second base that shortstop Jonathan Herrera grabbed with a diving stop, but his throw to first short-hopped Mike Napoli and popped off the heel of his glove. Michael Brantley singled to right, then second baseman Dustin Pedroia tried to come home on Kipnis grounder but Pierzynski couldnt come up with the ball. Home plate umpire Sean Barber initially signalled out, but changed the call when he saw the ball rolling in the dirt. "You cant second-guess that," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "Thats a good, aggressive defensive play. Then unfortunately we started to nitpick a little bit on the outside of the strike zone." Two outs later, David Murphy walked to load the bases and, after Junichi Tazawa relieved Breslow, Carlos Santana walked in the go-ahead run to make it 3-2. Jonny Gomes and Brock Holt had two hits apiece for the Red Sox, who scored a season-high 10 runs on Friday night. Boston had won seven in a row at home. Ortiz doubled in a run in the first inning for Boston. It was his 422nd career double in a Red Sox uniform, tying Wade Boggs for fourth on the teams all-time list. NOTES: Peavy is 0-4 with a 5.46 ERA in his past nine starts. ... Red Sox SS Stephen Drew missed his sixth straight game with a right side muscle injury. Farrell said he will be available on Sunday. ... RHP Clay Buchholz (right knee) OF Shane Victorino (right hamstring) and 3B Will Middlebrooks (right index finger) all made rehab appearances for Triple-A Pawtucket. ... Francona, who led the Red Sox to the 2004 and 07 World Series titles, got a big cheer when he came out to check on Michael Bourn after his third-inning single. Black Friday Nike Air Max 97 . The mixed zone is not a place to make friends. Nike Air Max 97 Sale . -- With his team down 16 points in the second quarter and headed for another blowout loss at home, Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson yelled out to his players to keep shooting and keep fighting on defence. https://www.fakeairmax97wholesale.com/ . They actually finished with a better record in ‘07 than they did in ‘06 but only marginally, going from 61 victories to 66. Nike Air Max 97 Outlet . The 55th-ranked Istomin saved 11 of 14 break points to win in just over two hours, setting up a second round meeting with Australian Marinko Matosevic. It was the Uzbeks third win in three matches against fifth-seeded Kohlschreiber, the 2007 and 2012 tournament winner. Discount Nike Air Max 97 . The Major League Soccer teams were scheduled to play on Saturday night, but their game was rescheduled after Stu Tudor was hit during a pregame storm. The 54-year-old lieutenant in the Columbus Fire Department is in critical condition in the intensive care unit of the Ohio State Medical Center.TORONTO -- Bullying is often associated with children, but former Toronto Argonauts star Mike (Pinball) Clemons isnt surprised that a burly NFL player was antagonized to the point where he left his team midway through the season. Offensive tackle Jonathan Martin left the Miami Dolphins last week after reportedly receiving constant harassment from teammate Richie Incognito. Incognito, a starting guard, was suspended indefinitely for conduct detrimental to the team for his interaction with Martin, a 2012 second-round pick from Stanford. Dolphins coaches reportedly asked Incognito, a nine-year veteran who is white, to toughen up Martin, who is bi-racial, after he missed a voluntary workout last spring. Incognito is accused of using a racial slur to describe Martin and also sending him threatening text messages. "What it really shows is bullying is a microcosm of society, that its in our daily lives," Clemons, the former Argos star player and coach whos now the CFL teams vice-chair, said in a telephone interview. "Bullying is often associated with kids but its full grown, its everywhere. "Its in the office, its on the playground. Everywhere we work, live and play bullying is present and the more we see it and understand it, I think the more capable we are of dealing with it." Incognito has made headlines before. He was suspended during his college career with Nebraska after getting into an altercation with a teammate, and also had legal issues while with the Cornhuskers. Incognito has also earned a reputation of being one of the NFLs dirtiest players and in 09 was released by the St. Louis Rams for undisciplined play. But in Miami, Incognito was voted by teammates to serve on the clubs player council. Bullying is a subject near and dear to the hearts of Clemons and the Argos. The CFL club has been involved in the Huddle Up Bullying Prevention Program for over a decade. Argos players and officials annually visit area schools to educate students about bullying, encourage them to stop doing it to one another and how to help those they see being bullied. And Clemons said bullying can take place in even the most simplest forms. "We do little things on a daily basis that bully people," Clemons said. "We lay on the horn when somebody is in traffic.dddddddddddd "They cant control traffic, they cant do anything but were mad at the car in front of us. Or were in a hurry because we didnt leave ourselves enough time and so were mad at the car thats going the speed limit. We do this in our everyday lives but the key is most times we keep ourselves from going too far." The reality in sports -- especially the pro ranks -- is all players are subject to some form of rookie hazing or initiation. Football is no different, with first-year players often having to carry teammates helmets and shoulder pads after practice and being responsible for covering the cost of the veterans dinners. But the prospect of a six-foot-five, 312-pound All-American offensive lineman being bullied to the point of leaving his team to seek counselling is difficult to comprehend. "Once you break training camp, the guy is no longer a rookie, hes a part of your team," Clemons said. "There are places where it lasts lightly for that rookie year, they have to do little things like bring doughnuts when you have an early flight . . . but after that (rookie year) it stops." Despite his diminutive size, the five-foot-six, 170-pound Clemons said he was never the victim of bullying but was forced to deal with racism growing up. Clemons believes Martin took the right approach in handling his situation. "He took the absolute right route because he did what he thought was proper," Clemons said. "You can deal with the guy personally, and whos to say he didnt try? We dont know that. "You can take it to the organization or do what he did, which was walk out and when they followed up on it said "This was why I did what I did. In a school situation we always say you need to let someone in authority know." Clemons said while bullying is a very serious issue, hes hopeful lessons can be learned from this. "Many times we think of the kid being bullied is a kid that looks like me, tiny and diminutive," Clemons said. "This guy is a big dude . . . its not always the small guy. "Hopefully better things will be ahead because of this. Its hard to think of this process as being a good process but I believe it could have many good outcomes." ' ' '
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. - The Cleveland Browns left Buffalo with a dent in their playoff hopes and a big question at quarterback.Rookie Johnny Manziel provided a lift by scoring his first touchdown on a 10-yard run, but it wasnt enough in a 26-10 loss to the Bills on Sunday.Sometimes you just need change for the sake of change, Browns head coach Mike Pettine said. We were down and needed a spark.Manziel did just that, coming in with 12:01 left after starter Brian Hoyer threw his second interception, which set up Dan Carpenters 34-yard field goal that put Buffalo ahead 20-3.The Browns responded behind Manziel, who enjoyed his most significant playing time of the season and in his first appearance since a 23-21 loss to Baltimore in Week 3. The rookie first-round pick capped an eight-play, 80-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown run that cut the Bills lead to 20-10.The Bills then put the clamps on Manziel on Clevelands next possession. The Browns gave up the ball on downs, when Manziel completed a 5-yard pass to Miles Austin on fourth-and-6.Its been a long time. So it felt very good to get back out there, Manziel said. Its been my job all year to make sure Im ready when my name is called.Now that question is who will get the start against Indianapolis on Sunday after the Browns (7-5) fell 1-1/2 games behind NFC North-leading Cincinnati. Pettine, who spent last season as the Bills defensive co-ordinator, said its too early to tell.Im not going to put it all on Brian, Pettine said of Hoyer, who has now thrown six interceptions in his past three starts. Well scope it out to a staff decision, and well make the evaluation.Hoyer insisted that this is still my team, but acknowledged the decision is out of his hands.Im never going to hang my head and feel sorry for myself, he said. We have four games and whatever coach decides to do, Ill be here to support this team.As for Manziel, he capped a tumultuous nine-day stretch. It began with him being confronted during an altercation with an aggressive fan in the lobby of his apartment last weekend. And now theres a chance he could be in line to start.Thats up to coach Pettine, Manziel said. But if that is the case, and my name is called, I definitely will be ready.Hoyer went 18 of 30 for 192 yards. Manziel finished 5 of 8 for 63 yards, and two carries for 13 yards. After going 0 for 1 in a 26-24 win over New Orleans in Week 2, Manziels first NFL completion was a 12-yard strike to Austin on his first attempt Sunday.The Bills (7-5) took control by scoring two touchdowns in a 10-seconds span midway through the third quarter.Kyle Orton capped an eight-play, 84-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Chris Hogan with 8:04 left. On the Browns next play from scrimmage, defensive end Jerry Hughes stripped the ball out of rookie running back Terrance Wests hands and returned the fumble 18 yards for a score.Carpenter then sealed the win by hitting all four field goals in the fourth quarter.The Bills matched their best start to since 2000, when their 14-year playoff drought began.The Browns, by comparison, squandered a chance to win eight of their first 12 for the first time since a 9-3 start in 1994.I blame it on me, West said. Turnovers killed us.The Bills were back home after a severe snowstorm forced them to relocate to Detroit, where they routed the New York Jets 38-3 on Monday night. With temperatures in the mid-50s on Sunday, there were only a few remnants of the 6-plus-feet of snow that fell on the Buffalo region.NOTES: Browns DB Joe Haden had an interception and blocked Carpenters 53-yard field-goal attempt at the end of the second quarter. Safety Jim Leonhard intercepted Ortons pass into the end zone early in the second quarter. ... Josh Gordon had seven catches for 75 yards in his second game since serving a 10-game NFL suspension for violating the leagues substance abuse policy.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFLOakland Athletics Store . According to Dave Stubbs of The Montreal Gazette, preliminary talks have begun between Markov - an unrestricted free agent this summer - and general manager Marc Bergevin. Oakland Athletics Shirts . - Dominika Cibulkova erased three match points in the second set Wednesday and beat Agnieszka Radwanska 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the Sony Open. https://www.cheapathleticsonline.com/ . -- The Windsor Spitfires were left with just one goaltender Tuesday after having their starter walk out on them midway through Game 3 of their Ontario Hockey League playoff matchup with the London Knights. Athletics Jerseys 2019 . 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. Athletics Jerseys 2020 . Langer appeared to be in trouble when his second shot on the par-5 18th ended up in the rough short of the green. He hit a brilliant pitch to 5 feet and made the putt after Slumans birdie attempt rolled just wide.The Los Angeles Kings agreed to terms on a four-year, $10 million contract with defenceman Matt Greene on Tuesday. Greene was slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. In only 38 games with the Los Angeles Kings in 2013-2014 the 31-year-old Greene scored two goals and added four assists with a plus-6 rating. He missed a considerable amount of time last year with a concussion suffered in January.dddddddddddd The American is coming off the final year of a five-year contract worth an average annual value of $2.950 million. He won a Stanley Cup with the Kings in 2012. In 504 career games with the Kings and Edmonton Oilers, Greene has 13 goals and 56 assists for 69 points. He was originally selected in the second round (44th overall) of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by the Oilers. ' ' '
If Martin Brodeur had his pick on Canadas No. 1 goalie for the Sochi Olympics, it would be Roberto Luongo. The future Hall of Famer told TSNs sister station in Quebec RDS on Monday that while Luongo and Montreal Canadiens netminder Carey Price have been the countrys top two candidates, the Vancouver Canucks goaltender should get the edge for the starting job. "(Price) and Roberto Luongo are the two strongest candidates since the beginning of the year," Brodeur told RDS after the Devils 3-2 loss to Montreal. "In my book, the No. 1 goaltending spot belongs to Roberto Luongo. "The job is his and he cant lose it as I did in 2010 in Vancouver. Price must be patient, try to have the best season possible and the chance to take part in Sochi will be a very good experience for him." Luongo, Brodeurs goaltending partner at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, backstopped Canada to four straight victories against Germany, Russia, Slovakia and the United States en route to a gold medal on home ice. In 24 games this season, Luongo has an 11-8-5 record with a 2.41 goals-against average and .911 save percentage with two shutouts. Price is 12-8-2 in 22 games played this season with a 2.00 goals-against average and .937 save percentage. Swell Bottle Sales . The mixed zone is not a place to make friends. Swell Bottles Deals .Mihajlovic was sent off minutes from the end of Thursdays 2-0 win over Brescia and has been punished for using a disrespectful expression toward the fourth official and throwing the contents of a bottle of water at him, thus assuming an intimidating attitude. http://www.swellbottlesales.com/ . a€“ All signs point to the Maple Leafs having their top offseason acquisition in the lineup on opening night. Cheap Swell Bottle . -- Chicago manager Darold Butler has a message for the Windy City. Swell Bottle Outlet . "Weve given ourselves now a tougher task," said Carlyle after the Friday practice, the Toronto head coach notably chipper and upbeat throughout. "But the bottom line is we just have to win our share of games [and] not worry about what anybody else is doing. MINNEAPOLIS -- As the Minnesota Vikings filed into their locker room at the Metrodome for the last time, Leslie Frazier was there to greet them with a handshake and a hug. The Vikings picked up one more victory at the soon-to-be-demolished stadium, perhaps a parting gift for the popular coach. Fittingly, the Detroit Lions left on the losing end. Cordarrelle Patterson scored two touchdowns, including the go-ahead catch in the end zone in the fourth quarter, and the Vikings beat the Lions 14-13 on Sunday afternoon in the final game of the Metrodomes 32 seasons. From Patterson to Adrian Peterson, player after player passionately voiced their support for Frazier, whose record over three-plus years is 21-33-1. Peterson promised to make his plea directly to the owners on Monday. Frazier urged the front office to bring him and his staff back. "I just have a lot of belief in my abilities as a coach and have a lot of belief in the guys on our team and a lot of belief in our staff, and for that reason you dont have to walk in fear," Frazier said, flashing a brief smile. "You just know that things are going to work out." Owner Zygi Wilf declined to comment about a decision on Frazier, who has one season left on his contract. General manager Rick Spielman was mum, too. The Lions held Calvin Johnson out because of a nagging knee injury. Matthew Stafford stopped his turnover streak and completed 22 of 33 passes for 217 yards and a third-quarter touchdown pass to Bush, but the Lions finished 7-24 at this stadium, which was inflated in 1982. They finished the year with six losses in their last seven games despite holding a fourth-quarter lead in all of them, putting coach Jim Schwartz on the metaphorical hot seat, too. "Its definitely been very rocky, and its not been easy to deal with," said running back Reggie Bush. "Its been an emotional roller coaster, going from being in first place to where we are now, thats not how you want to end the season." Schwartz fell to 29-52 over five full years. Both he and Frazier have made the playoffs once. "We cant worry about decisions we dont make," Schwartz said, adding: "Id certainly like to be back. I think we have unfinished bbusiness here.dddddddddddd Weve come a long way in these years, but we still have some ground that we can make and Im anxious to have a chance to do that." There will be no more business in this building, which will be torn down next month to make room for a new domed venue on the same site. The Vikings will play outside the next two seasons at the University of Minnesotas facility. "I love the stadium. But when you see the pictures of the new one, youre anxious and excited to get into the new one," said Peterson, who was held out due to a sprained foot. He set the NFLs all-time single-game rushing record here in 2007 with 296 yards. Third-stringer Matt Asiata filled in with 14 carries for 115 yards. Jared Allen had two sacks to pass the double-digit mark for the seventh straight season. Cassel had the winning touchdown throw. He was the quarterback at the end of all five Vikings victories this year, two in injury relief of Christian Ponder. The Vikings also narrowly avoided setting a franchise record for most points allowed, leaving the 1984 team still holding that dubious mark. This still might not have been enough to save Fraziers job, however. "I enjoyed playing for Leslie. He came in each and every day with a demeanour to try to get this team ready to play, and I respect that about him and how he went about his business. There never was anybody, especially in his case, hanging his head when things didnt go our way," Cassel said. Patterson wasnt ready for the opening kickoff, slapping the goalpost and trying to fire up fans behind him when the ball sailed in the end zone. Chase Ford caught it for a touchback. Patterson quickly refocused, though. Late in the first quarter, he took a pitch in the backfield, immediately reversed course and ran right toward the sideline. He slipped between Ndamukong Suh and Devin Taylor, then snaked his way through the rest of the defence for a 50-yard gain, the longest rushing play in Vikings history by a wide receiver. NOTES: Patterson finished his rookie year with nine TDs, including six in the last five games. ... Bush and fellow RB Joique Bell each finished with 500-plus yards receiving. They combined for 2,709 yards and 15 TDs. ' ' '
TORONTO - The Toronto Blue Jays were swept in the Bronx last week and will try to return the favour Wednesday versus the New York Yankees at Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays lost all three games at Yankee Stadium from June 17-19, but have taken the first two installments of this set, including Tuesdays 7-6 win courtesy of a throwing error by Yankees third baseman Yangervis Solarte in the bottom of the ninth inning. Jose Reyes started the inning with a double and came around to score after Melky Cabrera placed a bunt toward Solarte, whose throw to first base was off the mark. Reyes made up for a throwing error that plated two runs during a five-run seventh inning for the Yankees. Brian Roberts hit a two-run homer in the seventh to help New York tie the game at 6-6. "I tried to make something happen after that mistake," said Reyes. "They tied the game there in that situation. I have to make a better throw than that. It is what it is. Like I said, when I came up in the ninth inning I just tried to make something happen." Dioner Navarro hit a three-run homer, Colby Rasmus drove in two runs and both Reyes and Edwin Encarnacion had two hits and two runs scored for the Blue Jays, who have won three of their last five games, and sit 2 1/2 games ahead of Baltimore and 3 1/2 games in front of New York for the AL East lead. Mark Buehrle started for the Jays and was looking for his 11th win, but did not figure into the decision after he allowed four runs in 6 2/3 innings. Casey Janssen threw a scoreless top of the ninth for the win. Toronto, which prevailed despite committing three errors, will also host the Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers on this homestand and is 22-17 at Rogers Centre. Toeing the rubber for the Jays tonight will be Drew Hutchison, who is 5-5 with a 3.86 earned run average. Hutchison was shaky in his last outing, a 6-4 loss at Yankee Stadium in which he walked four batters and allowed four runs in 4 1/3 innings of work. Hutchison is 1-2 in his last three starts after going 3-0 in his previous four trips to the hill. The right-hander is 1-3 in five home starts and 1-2 with a 7.24 ERA in three career starts against the Yankees. The Yankees failed to finish off last nights rally and lost their fourth straight game in the process. Solartes error was a costly one and reliever Adam Warren was pinned with the loss. Derek Jeter homered, while Brian McCann, Jacoby Ellsbury, Brett Gardner and Roberts all ended with two hits and a run scored. David Phelps started for the Yankees and was reached for six runs and eight hits in five innings. "That was an ugly game to watch, and if youre a fan, you should probably get your money back," said Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira, who went 0-for-5 and had hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games. New York will return to the Bronx for an upcoming homestand versus Boston and Tampa Bay, and hopes to improve its 22-19 road mark Wednesday. Its been almost a month since Hiroki Kuroda won a start and he will take the mound Wednesday for the Yankees. Kurodas last win was May 28 at St. Louis and he is 0-2 in four starts since. He did not figure into the decision of a 5-3 win over Baltimore last Friday and gave up two runs in six innings. The righty carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning. Kuroda is 4-5 with a 4.23 ERA and 1-3 in seven road starts. He has faced the Blue Jays eight times (all starts) in his career and is 4-3 with a 3.81 ERA. Kuroda made five starts against Toronto last season, going 2-2 with a 3.34 ERA. The Yankees are 5-3 against the Blue Jays this season. Brandon Roy Jersey . The group of Slava Fetisov, Igor Larionov, Vladimir Konstantinov, Sergei Fedorov, & Slava Kozlov were a dominant force for The Wings at one point in the 90s. Gary Trent Jr. Jersey . Both the top-seeded Djokovic and sixth-seeded Fish took relatively easy paths, with the Serb winning when opponent Jo-Wilfried Tsonga retired in the second set with a sore arm and Fish dominating Janko Tipsarevic in two quick sets. http://www.blazersteamofficial.com/Cj-Mccollum-Blazers-Jersey/ . The Major League Soccer teams were scheduled to play on Saturday night, but their game was rescheduled after Stu Tudor was hit during a pregame storm. The 54-year-old lieutenant in the Columbus Fire Department is in critical condition in the intensive care unit of the Ohio State Medical Center. Gary Trent Jr. Blazers Jersey . Poti played in 824 regular NHL games with four teams in his career; the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, New York Islanders and the Washington Capitals. Damian Lillard Jersey . The Pope greeted Klose at his general audience Wednesday and the pair had a long chat. Klose is German like the pope, although he was born in Poland. In Sundays derby, Lazio took the lead in the seventh minute after Maarten Stekelenburg brought down Klose, resulting in the Roma goalkeeper being sent off and a penalty that Hernanes converted.TORONTO -- Randy Carlyle stepped up to the microphone and knew the question about Dave Bollands status was coming. "Who?" Carlyle said with a laugh. "Bolly is actually having an assessment done right now and I would say that hes a probable for us for tonight." Before game time, probable became more than likely as the Leafs activated Bolland off long-term injured reserve, paving the way for his return Saturday night against the Montreal Canadiens. Bolland missed 56 straight games since suffering a severed tendon in the back of his left ankle Nov. 2 when he was cut by the skate blade of Canucks forward Zack Kassian. "Hes progressed along over the last three weeks to a point where the doctors feel, medically, that hes close to 100 per cent ready," Carlyle said. To make room for Bolland and his cap hit, the Leafs sent winger Carter Ashton to the AHLs Toronto Marlies early Saturday afternoon and then centre Peter Holland later on. Bolland was not made available to speak to reporters Saturday. When he addressed his status after Fridays practice, the 27-year-old centre said that "hopefully something clicks" that allows him to feel ready to go. "A few weeks ago when you sort of had the little doubts of when this was going to go upwards and when things were going to start getting positive, we were getting a little doubtful," Bolland said. &quuot;But things are getting up there and things are working.dddddddddddd Its been the little things in the gym that have helped this get stronger." Now that he has the green light, its full speed ahead. Bolland is expected to centre the Leafs third line between Mason Raymond and David Clarkson. That would mean Bolland is likely not to play 19 minutes 30 seconds like he did in his final full game before getting injured, but Carlyle doesnt know if hed limit his ice time. "Well see how the game goes," Carlyle said. "Obviously youd like to get more people involved the hockey game. Everybody talks about a four-line game. Four lines this, four lines that but we havent been really went that mode. "Wed like to be able to do that on a more regular basis. With an addition of a Bolland it gives you a little bit more depth throughout your lineup with a veteran guy and it slots people more into where we envisioned them at the beginning of the year." The lineup the Leafs envisioned and had at the start of the year also included goaltender Jonathan Bernier, but the Laval, Que., native wont be ready to dress against the Habs. Carlyle said Bernier is still experiencing problems relating to his groin injury. James Reimer, who did not take part in the morning skate, will make his fourth straight start. Drew MacIntyre is expected to serve as his backup. ' ' '
DAVIE, Fla. -- New Miami Dolphins general manager Dennis Hickey stepped to the microphone and apologized for his hoarse voice, explaining he wore it down in recent days trying to build a winner. Hickey then introduced a succession of big acquisitions in the first 24 hours of free agency -- 316-pound left tackle Branden Albert, 300-pound defensive tackle Earl Mitchell and 305-pound defensive tackle Randy Starks. All signed Wednesday. Starks remained with the Dolphins after a brief stint as a free agent, signing a $12 million, two-year contract. He spent the past six seasons with the Dolphins, with only one playoff game during that time. "The moves we made so far just show were close to doing something special here, and trying to bring in some people to help us get over the hump," he said. The return of Starks, a two-time Pro Bowl player, and the addition of Mitchell compensate for the loss of defensive tackle Paul Soliai, who joined the Atlanta Falcons after seven years with Miami. "Pauls a good player," Starks said. "He has been here a long time. Hell be well missed, but we have people who can step up." Hickeys shopping will continue, with additional offensive linemen, a tight end and a linebacker the most pressing needs. The Dolphins are trying to end a 13-year drought without a post-season victory, and theyre eager to put in the past their bullying scandal that involved tackle Jonathan Martin. The acquisition of Albert was a step in that direction. Hell take over the position manned at the start of last season by Martin, who was traded late Tuesday to the San Francisco 49ers for an undisclosed draft choice. "Im going to be here to play left tackle and make a difference," Albert said. "Thats the reason Im here. I feel like its a team I can help the most and make my legacy even better." Albert signed a $47 million, five-year deal that includes $26 million guaranteed. Dolphins officials, accompanied by a couple of players, treated Albert to dinner Tuesday night to celebrate the agreement. "Probably the happiest person at the dining room table was Ryan Tannehill," Hickey said. "He was really excited to have a player of his calibre on our team." Albert will protect the blind side for Tannehill, who was sacked a franchise-record 58 times last year. Mitchell was also part of the dinner celebration after agreeing to a $16 million, four-year deal. Like Albert and Starks, Mitchell envisions better days ahead for the Dolphins. "Im coming to produce and definitely trying to help this team reach new heights," Mitchell said. "Thats my reason for being here. Im trying to get us to a Super Bowl." Mitchell blossomed in his fourth NFL season with the Houston Texans last year, when he became a starter and won raves for the way he clogged the middle. He has been playing defence only since his junior year at the University of Arizona, and he and Hickey both said hes still improving. Alberts reputation has also been on the rise, and he made the Pro Bowl last year with the Kansas City Chiefs. He has had a home the past three offseasons 45 minutes from the Dolphins complex and will now move north, eager to go to work with his new team. "I live in downtown Miami, but I probably wont anymore because of the commute," he said with a smile. "Ive got to find a place close to the facility." Steve Francis Jersey . TSN 1290s Jordan Cieciwa, Big Marv and Toby are here to give their predictions on who will leave with the belt and who will take some of the other key bouts on the card. Johny Hendricks vs. Clint Capela Jersey . Halak, 28, split his eighth NHL seasons between the St. Louis Blues, Buffalo Sabres and Washington Capitals, compiling a 29-13-7 record in 52 games. http://www.therocketsofficial.com/Authentic-Robert-Horry-Rockets-Jersey/ . -- Crystal Webster avoided elimination at the 2013 Capital One Road to the Roar Olympic pre-trial curling tournament with an 8-5 win over Amber Holland on Thursday. Austin Rivers Jersey . People familiar with the case told The Associated Press on Friday that arbitrator Fredric Horowitz could issue his decision this weekend. Tracy McGrady Rockets Jersey . In Englands first game since its worst-ever World Cup showing, Roy Hodgsons side rarely looked like scoring against unambitious opposition and the breakthrough in the friendly only came when Raheem Sterling was tripped in the penalty area.Avondale, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - The elimination race in the Eliminator Round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship takes place this Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway. Phoenix, a flat 1-mile racetrack, will decide which four drivers will battle for the Sprint Cup Series championship in the Nov. 16 season-ending race at Homestead. None of the eight drivers who are currently in championship contention won at either Martinsville (Oct. 26) or Texas (last Sunday). That means at least three of the four positions for Homestead will be determined by points. If none of the title contenders wins at Phoenix, then all four will be decided by points. Entering Sundays race at Phoenix, Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin are tied in points (4,072 each), while Ryan Newman is just two points behind them. Logano and Hamlin can both clinch a final four spot for Homestead with finishes of 11th or better, 12th with at least one lap led or 13th with the most laps led. Newmans clinching scenario is finishing ninth or better, 10th with one lap led or 11th with the most laps led. When the series most recently competed at Phoenix in March, Logano finished fourth, Newman seventh and Hamlin 19th. Basically, we want to do what we did here in the spring, Logano said. We had a good car that started up front and led some laps. We were able to have a solid day and finish fourth. All we have to do is finish 11th, but our goal is to come out here and win the race. If our goal was only 11th, we may not finish there, so we have to make sure we set our goals high like weve been doing for the rest of the season. Jeff Gordon is presently fourth in the Chase point standings (-12), while fifth-place Matt Kenseth and sixth-place Carl Edwards are both only one point behind Gordon. Brad Keselowski is seventh in the rankings (-17), followed by Kevin Harvick (-18). Harvick has the most victories in the series at Phoenix with five. He has won three of the last four races here, including the previous two. Harvick is also the only driver with a season-sweep at this track (2006). Can he get another season-sweep here? Harvick finished 33rd at Martinsville and fell 33 points behind the leader, but he bounced back nicely with a second-place run at Texas. Were excited, Harvick said. I think last week was a little bit unexpected just for the fact that we made up a lot more ground than I think we anticipated going in (to Texas). Came up a little bit short on the win, but we couldnt pick a better racetrack for us to come to next and need to try and win a race. The team is in good spirits, and we are looking forward to this weekends challenges. In Fridays lone Sprint Cup practice at Phoenix, Harvick had the quickest lap at 141.521 mph. I think you need to win this weekend, he said. I think it would leave a lot less in everybody elses hands. I think we are very capable of winning this race, and we have been fortunate to have a lot of success here in the past from my driving side and the first race this year. That would be the easiest way to do it. Gordon came to Texas as the points leader and appeared to be on his way to victory there when he held the lead late in the race, but Goordon suffered a flat tire and spun out after Keselowski bumped into him while battling for position following the restart for the first of two green-white-checkered finishes.dddddddddddd Gordon ended up finishing one lap down in 29th, while Keselowski placed third. After the race, Gordon had heated words with Keselowski on pit road while crew members from both of their teams were engaged in a shoving match. Then Harvick approached Keselowski from behind and pushed him. It sparked a huge brawl with plenty of punches being thrown. Harvick was also irritated with Keselowski for his actions on the track. Both Gordon and Keselowski suffered cuts and bruises to their faces and lips during the altercation. On Tuesday, NASCAR suspended and fined three crew members from Gordons No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team and one member from Kasey Kahnes No. 5 Hendrick team for their involvement in the physical altercation. Gordon, Harvick and Keselowski were not penalized. The thing that I feel terrible about is getting my guys involved with it, Gordon said. I feel like if we could have just had a face-to-face (conversation), there would have been no incident. Kevin played a role. Theres no doubt about that. I didnt realize who it was at the time. I thought it was him, but it wasnt until I went back and saw it later on video. I got a good chuckle out of that one. Gordon, at age 43, is attempting to win his fifth championship in the series but his first since 2001. He finished fifth at Phoenix earlier this year. We did have a good run here earlier in the year, and we had a good test here a couple of weeks ago, he said. I feel like we had a lot of confidence coming out of that test, and in practice (Friday), the track was reacting different than what we had expected. Its not going to be easy. This team doesnt seem to like to do anything the easy way, but were highly motivated and excited about our chances. For the second time in this Chase, Keselowski is on the verge of being eliminated from the championship. During the Contender Round, the No. 2 Team Penske Ford driver and 2012 Sprint Cup champion finished 36th at Kansas and then 16th at Charlotte before winning the Talladega race, which automatically advanced him into the Eliminator Round. Keselowski began the Eliminator Round with a 31st-place finish at Martinsville. He leads the series with six wins this season. If this team is in the race, then we are more than capable of winning, Keselowski said. Weve demonstrated all year long that we can contend for wins and that we are a viable threat to win every weekend...We are going into the Phoenix race with our heads up, our hearts pure and our eyes focused. Its going to be fun. Keselowski started on the pole and finished third in the spring race at Phoenix. Forty-four teams are on the entry list for the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500. Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup. Date: Sunday, Nov. 9. Race: Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500. Site: Phoenix International Raceway. Track: 1-mile oval. Start time: 3 p.m. ET. Laps: 312. Miles: 312. 2013 Winner: Kevin Harvick. Television: ESPN. Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio. ' ' '
PHOENIX -- Eric Bledsoe scored 15 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and the Phoenix Suns pulled out a 98-92 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Friday night. Goran Dragic added 20 points, 15 in the first half, and Markieff Morris scored 16 for the Suns. Rodney Stuckey scored 23 and Andre Drummond had 13 points and 16 rebounds for the Pistons in their fourth overall loss and 12th straight on the road. Bledsoe, in his biggest game since returning from knee surgery March 12, made a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired to put the Suns ahead for good 89-86 with 3:22 to play. Detroit was just 10 of 26 at the foul line, to Phoenixs 24 of 35. Phoenix outscored Detroit 12-6 over the final 3:22. The victory pulled the Suns within a half-game of Memphis for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West, although the Grizzlies have the tiebreaker. Detroits worst culprit at the foul line was Josh Smith, who had 15 points and 10 rebounds but missed all eight of his free throws. Greg Monroe scored 16 for the Pistons. After quickly erasing a 12-point Phoenix lead in the third quarter, Detroit played the Suns close and had an 82-80 lead when Drummond made one of two free throws with 6:31 left. The game was tied three more times before Bledsoe, as the shot clock neared zero, hit a 3 from the top of the key to make it 89-86. Monroe made two free throws with 3:02 left to cut it to 89-88, Morris scored on a drive, Channing Frye blocked Kyle Singlers layup try. Morris and Bledsoe each made free throws to put Phoenix up 93-88 with 1:05 to go. Will Bynum scored, then Bledsoes driving layup had the Suns ahead 95-90 with 48.9 seconds to play. Neither team led by more than six points in the first half, with Phoenix up 51-50 at the break. Dragic hit a 3 and Miles Plumlee made two free throws to put Phoenix up 51-46 with 1:59 left in the half. Drummonds layup with 1:22 left, followed by his tip-in with 6.8 seconds to go, left the Suns with a one-point halftime lead. Phoenix opened the second half with a 14-3 run to go up 65-53 on Plumlees reverse dunk on a pass from Bledsoe. Plumlee scored seven in the spurt. But Detroit responded, outscoring the Suns 14-2 to tie it at 67-67 when Drummond made one of two free throws with 3:34 left in the quarter. Smith was fouled by Dragic on a 3-point try but missed all three at the line and Phoenix led 73-71 entering fourth. Notes: The Suns Markieff Morris drew his 12th technical foul, fourth-most in the NBA. ... Detroits last road win was at Washington on Jan. 18. ... Nine of the Suns remaining 13 games are on the road. ... The teams split the season series 1-1. Marvin Jones Jr Lions Jersey . On the eve of the 2013-14 NBA season, he can finally take a step back and allow his team to do the talking. Jarrad Davis Youth Jerseyhttp://www.shopdetroitlionsnfl.com/lions-austin-bryant-black-jersey/ . The Boston Celtics hadnt played since the All-Star break. So the Suns 100-94 victory over Boston Wednesday night was an uphill affair, with Phoenix relying on balance rather than its trademark high energy. Kerryon Johnson Youth Jersey .C. - Blair Jones scored the eventual winner in the third period as the Abbotsford Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Oil Barons 3-2 in American Hockey League action on Friday. Barry Sanders Jersey .C. -- Authorities say the brother of Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White has been shot and killed outside a South Carolina nightclub.LIBERIA, Costa Rica - Canada looked to have everything under control at halftime Saturday against the European champions from Germany. After giving up two goals in three minutes in the second half, however, Canada had to settle for a 2-2 draw in their opening match of the Womens Under-17 World Cup. "We had the 2-0 lead and we gave that up, but Germany are the European Champions for a reason," said head coach Bev Priestman. "I think playing this level of opposition for all three games, I think we really need to stay focused and do the things that we do well and trust our strategy.dddddddddddd" Canada frustrated the Germans over the opening 45 minutes and went into the break up 2-0 from goals by Jessie Fleming and Marie Levasseur. Fleming gave Canada the lead three minutes into the contest and Levasseur added another in the 44th. Germany roared to life with goals in the 65th and 68th minutes by Nina Ehegoetz and Kim Fellhauer. ' ' '
Each week, well take a look at some top performers from the CFL, with an eye to looking ahead to some matchups that could be favourable for TSN Fantasy Football, CFL Edition, presented by Joseph Abboud. Here are some of the best from Week Four -- its a Lions sweep! -- and players to watch for Week Five: TOP PERFORMERS Emmanuel Arceneaux, WR, British Columbia (8 REC, 145 YDS, 3 TD vs. Montreal) - The fourth year receiver missed the first couple games of the year with a hand injury, and had a modest five catches for 53 yards against Saskatchewan in his season debut, but Arceneaux destroyed the Alouettes secondary with his most receiving yardage in a CFL game since November, 2010. Kevin Glenn, QB, British Columbia (23-for-31, 301 YDS, 2 TD vs. Montreal) - A healthy receiving corps has worked in Glenns favour as he struggled early in the year, but has come on in the past couple weeks. Last weeks 301 passing yards was the first time in nine games, going back to last season, that he passed for more than 300 yards. He still has more interceptions (6) than touchdown passes (5), but Week Four was a good one for Glenn. Andrew Harris, RB, British Columbia (150 YDS, 1 TD, 16 touches vs. Montreal) - The most dangerous offensive player in the CFL, with a league-leading 518 yards from scrimmage, Harris was efficient against Montreal, averaging 9.38 yards per touch on offence, and hes now gained 353 yards from scrimmage in the past two weeks. PLAYERS TO WATCH IN WEEK FIVE Fred Stamps, WR, Edmonton - Crushed on a hit by Blue Bombers Demond Washington last week, Stamps has apparently recovered and is back. A five-time 1,000-yard receiver, Stamps hasnt broken out for a big game yet this year and while its not like Calgarys pass defence is a weak spot (ranked fourth), the Eskimos have a pretty good passing attack (also ranked fourth) and Stamps might be overdue for a productive game. Andy Fantuz, WR, Hamilton - Theres some risk involved with any TiCats receiver, given the shaky quarterback situation while Zack Collaros is out, but Fantuz did have seven catches for 59 yards in his season debut last week. Thats enough to make him worth a look against the expansion Redblacks, who allow a league-high 287.0 passing yards per game. Taj Smith, WR, Saskatchewan - The Toronto Argonauts are no prize defensively, either, allowing 285.3 passing yards per game and that could bode well for Smith, the Roughriders top receiver, who has touchdowns in the past two games and had a season-high 82 yards receiving against B.C. in Week Three. Quarterback Darian Durant threw for 295 yards and a couple of scores when the Riders last faced the Argos, so there should be some yardage available for Smith in this matchup. 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. Clint Dempsey USA Jersey . The 20-year-old Pelicans big man glanced up and smiled widely at the well-wishers -- a fitting end to a day he wont soon forget. Davis responded to his selection earlier in the day as a Western Conference All-Star with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-91 on Friday night. Tim Ream Jersey . The Broncos quarterback earned the offensive award Wednesday after passing for 374 yards and three touchdowns in a 37-21 win over the Raiders Monday night. Manning completed 32-of-37 passes and had a passer rating of 135. http://www.usasoccerauthority.com/gyasi-zardes-usa-jersey/ .2 million deal for the upcoming season with right-hander Garrett Richards.The person spoke on condition of anonymity Saturday because the announcement hadnt been made. Christian Pulisic USA Jersey . Catch all the action on TSN starting at 10:30pm et/7:30pm pt. Toronto won at Denver and Utah, but lost in Portland and Sacramento. The Kings loss was the most recent game for the Raptors. Alejandro Bedoya USA Jersey . His chance at winning a Stanley Cup in Philadelphia is over. Same with Jeff Carter. And Brian Boucher. Throw in Ville Leino and Dan Carcillo. CHICAGO -- Michael Bourn and the Cleveland Indians are feeling pretty good heading into a big series with Kansas City. Bourn had two triples among his three hits, leading Carlos Carrasco and the Indians to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday night. Cleveland took two of three from scuffling Chicago and has won 11 of 16 overall. It begins a three-game series at the AL Central-leading Royals on Friday night. "The thing is, try not to look too far ahead," Bourn said. "Thats the biggest key -- dont focus on what everybody else is doing every day. All we can control is whats in (the clubhouse), then go play." The Indians trail the Royals by 5 1/2 games, with Detroit in second place. But the Indians have six games left against Kansas City and seven against Detroit. "Were going to fly the same flight," manager Terry Francona said. "Were going to eat the same food. I mean, its exciting. Shoot, (the Royals) are playing great, so we dont need to get ahead of ourselves." Carrasco pitched into the seventh inning for Cleveland, and Jason Kipnis and Michael Brantley each singled in a run. Alexei Ramirez had two hits for the White Sox, and John Danks (9-9) pitched six solid innings. Carrasco (6-4) improved to 3-0 with a 0.73 ERA in four starts since he returned to the rotation. The right-hander also began the year as a starter, but then lost three of his first four outings. He struck out seven in 6 2-3 innings while holding the White Sox to one run and four hits. "You know, thats what Ive been doing the last few games -- attack the hitters," Carrasco said. "I just need to do my job and keep the team in there." Cleveland grabbed the lead for good in the sixth. Jose Ramirez led off with a single and stole second. Then he advanced to third on a groundout and scored on Kipnis base hit, giving the Indians a 2-1 advantage. Brantley added an RBI single in the seventh. Danks allowed two runs and five hits while falling to 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA in five August starts. Chicago closed to 3-2 on Adam Dunns RBI single in the eighth against Cody Allen, who struck out the next four batters for his 18th save in 19 attempts. "Hes pretty good," Francona said when asked about the closeers dominant performance.dddddddddddd. "You may need to get cable or something to watch him." White Sox rookie Jose Abreu hit a run-scoring single in the third, tying it at 1. It ran his total for the season to 97 RBIs, tied with Miamis Giancarlo Stanton for the major league lead. Cleveland jumped in front when Bourn tripled on the first pitch of the game and scored on Jose Ramirezs grounder. The Indians threatened to take a 3-0 lead in the second, but Alejandro De Aza made a leaping catch above the left-field fence to rob Zach Walters of a two-run homer. LIKE OLD TIMES Francona said he keeps track of the Chicago Cubs when possible. Francona and Cubs executive Theo Epstein were part of two World Series titles with the Red Sox. "I know they have a lot of young kids coming and theyre pretty excited about it," said Francona, who has exchanged voice mails and text messages with Epstein in recent months. "Im not surprised. To anybody who ever asked me about Theo when he came to Chicago, the two things Ive said were, he wont get outworked and hes too smart not to figure it out." SAFE AT HOME Kipnis hit safely for the 25th time in 27 career games at U.S. Cellular Field. The Chicago-area native also escaped serious injury when White Sox third baseman Conor Gillaspies heel inadvertently clipped him in the face. TRAINERS ROOM Indians: C Yan Gomes is on pace to return from the seven-day concussion list before the series opener in Kansas City on Friday. As a precautionary measure, Gomes will take part in the pregame workout before the roster move is completed. ... 1B Nick Swisher is expected to spend most if not all of September in Los Angeles, where he is recuperating from recent surgeries on both knees. White Sox: OF Moises Sierra continues to work his way back from a strained left oblique. He was 4 for 12 in the first three games of his rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte. UP NEXT White Sox: In a matchup of right-handers, Scott Carroll (5-8, 5.05 ERA) will oppose the Tigers Justin Verlander (11-11, 4.82 ERA) on Friday. Indians: RHP Danny Salazar (4-6, 4.52 ERA) will take the mound against Royals LHP Jason Vargas (10-6, 3.17 ERA) in the opener of the three-game set on Friday ' ' '
Sie sind vermutlich noch nicht im Forum angemeldet - Klicken Sie hier um sich kostenlos anzumelden
11.10.2019 07:54