Columbus, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Ryan Johansen was credited with the game winner in the shootout, and Columbus recovered from a Pittsburgh rally late in regulation to post a 4-3 victory at Nationwide Arena. Nick Foligno, Boone Jenner and Jack Johnson scored for the Blue Jackets, who extended their season-high win streak to six games. Sergei Bobrovsky made 33 saves, then turned away Brandon Sutter in the games final segment to lock up the win. Thats a big two points for us, Foligno said. Weve got to make sure we tighten up those 6-on-5s. Weve got to find away to be a little better, a little smarter. Its tough against a high-powered team like that. Kris Letang tallied twice, including the tying marker with less than 11 seconds to play for the Penguins, who also received a goal from Blake Comeau. Thomas Greiss stopped 24 pucks in 65 minutes of play but allowed two of three Columbus shooters to best him. Cam Atkinson and Johansen scored on the hosts first two attempts, while Letang kept the visitors in with a score on the Pens second try. Folignos backhander went wide of the net, but Sutters salvo was turned away to end the contest. Foligno slammed home a centering feed by Jenner from atop the crease just after the three-minute mark of the first to cap the games first power play. The Pens escaped unharmed after Patric Hornqvist and Letang committed minors 1:12 apart early in the second which gave the Jackets 48 seconds of 5-on-3 play. Craig Adams had a prime chance to put the visitors on the board with 5 1/2 minutes left in the period, but he shot high and wide at a half-open net from the right side as Bobrovsky couldnt scramble fast enough to get into position. Comeau did pull his club even with 4:54 left, scoring from the outer edge of the left circle on a shot which an unscreened Bobrovsky could have stopped if he was tighter to the near post. Letangs backhander to finish a 2-on-1 short-handed rush with Adams hit the net at 7:22 of the third period. Jenner was awarded a penalty shot with 7:55 left in regulation when Pittsburghs Simon Despres dragged him down on a breakaway, and the former tied the game on a quick wrister. Johnsons shot from the left circle with 2:11 on the clock put the hosts ahead, and the lead seemed safe until Letang forced overtime when his rip from the left-wing boards beat Bobrovsky to the far side with 10.9 showing. We played really well in the third period, Letang said. We were really after them. We earned that point. Bobrovsky came up with five more stops to keep his team in it while killing a penalty in the extra session. Game Notes Columbus snapped a five-game regular season losing skid to Pittsburgh since the clubs were placed in the Metropolitan Division prior to the start of last season ... The teams meet for the second of four matchups in the Steel City on Feb. 19 ... Penguins captain Sidney Crosby sat out a second straight game with an undisclosed illness which has not been confirmed as mumps ... Prior to the contest, the Penguins recalled forward Bobby Farnham from Wilkes- Barre/Scranton of the AHL. NCAA Basketball Jerseys . The senior threw for 319 yards and no interceptions in his final college game, leading No. Authentic NCAA Jerseys . -- Raiders wide receiver Jacoby Ford made it through a third straight practice without any setbacks and expects to play in Oaklands regular-season finale against San Diego. https://www.cheapncaajerseysjustwholesale.com/. As if he had been rehearsing it, Vasquez looked around with a grimacing stare as he clinched two fists and flexed his muscles. What do you think of DeMar DeRozans face after he hits a big shot, he was asked moments earlier. College Football Jerseys . Head of clinic Josef Obrist tells the Austria Press Agency on Thursday that Morgenstern "is doing surprisingly well. ... He still has a memory gap but thats nothing unusual." Morgenstern has moved to a rehabilitation clinic in Klagenfurt for further recovery. College Jerseys .NYCFC confirmed to The Associated Press on Saturday that this week Lampard signed a contract to start in July — midway through the new teams first season in MLS. LINCOLN, Neb. -- New England Patriots cornerback Alfonzo Dennard reported to a Lincoln jail Saturday to begin his 60-day term for a 2012 assault on a police officer. Dennard, 24, reported to the Lancaster County Adult Detention Facility Saturday morning, according to corrections officers with the Lincoln facility who spoke on condition of anonymity because of jail policy. The former Nebraska football standout will have to serve at least 35 days, after credit for good behaviour and the three days hes already spent in jail. In April, a judge sentenced Dennard to two years probation, 30 days in jail and community service for assaulting an officer and resisting arrest outside a Lincoln bar days before he was choseen in the NFL Draft.dddddddddddd Dennard had been projected to be a middle-round NFL draft pick, but the Patriots took him in the seventh round. The judge later extended his probation to three years and doubled the jail time after Dennard was again arrested in Lincoln on suspicion of drunken driving in July. That charge was later dismissed in exchange for Dennards no contest plea for refusing to submit to a chemical test. He was fined $500 and placed on probation for that offence. Dennard finished this season, his second in the NFL, with 40 tackles (34 solo, 6 assists) and one interception. The Patriots fell just short of the Super Bowl, losing to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship game. ' ' '
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. - For Julio Jones, eight months away from football "feels like an eternity." Jones was on the practice fields for the Atlanta Falcons organized team activities on Tuesday, but only for conditioning work. The star wide receiver said Monday his rehabilitation is progressing well but "extra precautions" have kept him from being cleared for practice. "I am ahead of schedule but were not pressing anything," Jones said. On Tuesday, Jones was on the field with the team only for exercises. That came only after he had extra time with a trainer for stretching. Then he worked on running and agility drills as other players went through practice. Jones said he cant guarantee hell be able to participate in the start of training camp next month. "I dont know when Im going to get cleared," Jones said. "Its out of my hands." Jones recovery is crucial for the Falcons, who finished 4-12 last season after five straight winning seasons. Jones, a Pro Bowl pick in 2012, was leading the NFL in receptions in 2013 when he broke a bone in his right foot in a loss to the Jets on Oct. 7. He suffered a similar injury during his college career at Alabama. "It is a freak accident, breaking the same bone," Jones said. The injury history makes it easy to understand why the Falcons have been cautious with the rehabilitation schedule. Even so, the long wait for medical clearance has been difficult for Jones. "It feels like an eternity, just not being out there with my brothers," Jones said during a promotional appearance for Vita Coco, an all-natural drink he endorses. "Its been a very difficult process as far as that aspect of it but Im just going through the treatment and just being smart about the whole situation. "Were just being careful about the situation and making sure Im 100 per cent before I go out there." Quarterback Matt Ryan said there is ample time for Jones to make up for missed time during OTAs. "Julio has been in the building pretty much every day this off-season," Ryan said. "While he hasnt been able to be out on the practice field with us yet, weve communicated a lot. Weve talked a lot and certainly have watched film together and tried to work on things in the classroom so that when we do get the opportunity to be out on the field we can hit the ground running. "Our biggest thing, and coach Smith talks about it all the time, is getting to Week 1 with all our guys fresh and healthy." White joined practice on Tuesday for the first time in OTAs. Whites brother was shot and killed outside a South Carolina nightclub last month. "Hes been through a lot the last three or four weeks with his family," said coach Mike Smith. "It was good for him to be back with his football family. He looked great." NOTES: The OTAs will continue this week and, following an off day on Monday, the teams mandatory two-day minicamp begins on Tuesday. ... Ryan said free-agent addition Devin Hester, best known as a return specialist with the Bears, has worked at different receiver spots and even in the backfield. "Im not sure exactly how its going to shake out when it comes to game planning, but certainly hes shown hes capable of being really productive," Ryan said. ___ AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFLGrayson Greiner Jersey . Kelli Stack and Alex Carpenter also scored for the Americans, who avoided a repeat of Finlands upset at the Four Nations Cup in Lake Placid, N.Y., in November. Finnish goalie Noora Raty made 58 saves in that one, but the three-time Olympian could stop just 40 of 43 U. Sergio Alcantara Jersey . LeBron James and Chris Bosh didnt need any more. Williams scored 11 points in 10 minutes, Alan Anderson scored 17 points, and the Brooklyn Nets finished the exhibition season with a 108-87 win over the Miami Heat on Friday night. https://www.cheaptigers.com/1939z-billy-...sey-tigers.html. As for regular Olympic spectators, theyre being warned that most travel insurance policies wont cover acts of terrorism or war. The Games in southern Russia, which run from Feb. 7-23, are being staged amid unprecedented security and under global warnings of danger. Cheap Tigers Jerseys .And although FIFAs investigators are preparing to release the findings of a World Cup corruption probe, Hassan Al Thawadi dismissed any chance of Qatar losing the showpiece event. Stitched Tigers Jerseys . The Montreal Canadiens goaltender has won three of his four games since returning from a lower-body injury that kept him out from the end of the Olympic break until March 15.We dont like penalty shootouts to end matches. Thats what they tell us. Play on until they score. Argentina and Netherlands may still be playing until Sundays final if that were the case. It was a drab affair, arguably the worst game of the World Cup. With so much on the line, no team came close to proving why they deserved to win it. Fittingly, the record books will show it as a draw: A stalemate in every sense of the word. It was a chess match where both players didnt make moves for long stretches. Just when it looked like either of them could capture their queen, along came two of the best pawns on the board. It was Javier Mascherano vs. Ron Vlaar. Both players were magnificent for their team but their standout performances said a lot about the oppositions weaknesses. Argentina have been waiting for a player to step up to a level that Lionel Messi has been at during this World Cup, but on a night when their current captain didnt get close to that level, their former skipper stepped up with an absolutely immense performance. Mascherano sat deep, allowed the defenders to play deep as well and flat out refused the Dutch any space in front of them. It forced their opponents to play long balls to try and get Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie into the match. In possession, Mascherano was also excellent with distribution helping his side attack down the right and target Bruno Martins Indi. Louis van Gaal reacted quickly at half-time by removing the Feyenoord man. That Argentina forced them into a move so quickly played a big part in how the game was played. When Nigel De Jong, back after a thigh injury, had to come off in the second half, suddenly van Gaal only had one move left. A move he decided to use by removing the ineffective van Persie in extra time. No one could argue that the Dutch team needed Klaas Jan Huntelaar but for a game that looked so destined for penalties, the removal of the Manchester United striker could be questioned. What definitely needs to be questioned is the order of the penalty takers for the Dutch. It was clear that van Gaal wanted to keep as many of his players in the same spot as they were used in the shootout victory over Costa Rica. That day the Dutch went four-for-four in order: van Persie, Robben, Sneijder, Kuyt. Huntelaar was the fifth taker but wasnt used. Against Argentina, van Gaal looked at his team and knew the only one he had to replace was van Persie at number one. Every credit to Ron Vlaar, the Aston Villa player, to step up and replace van Persie in the shootout but making him the first shooter was the wrong decision. In 24 previous World Cups the team that missed first lost 20 times. You cannot ask a player to take tthe first penalty in a key shootout when he wasnt even in your choice to be in the top five in the last shootout.dddddddddddd. Vlaar had had a wonderful match. Argentina tried to force things wide but ultimately they were drawn back centrally and Vlaar, in the middle of the back three, won every tackle and aerial duel he went for. After 120 minutes, though, his job was not done. Showing nerves, he stepped up quickly, from the prompt of the whistle, and it wasnt a good penalty. The moment Vlaars effort was saved by Sergio Romero the momentum changed. Lionel Messi was the right choice for Argentina to take the first penalty and, to no ones surprise, he scored. Messi had struggled throughout the game, which was the first World Cup game he has played when he didnt get a touch in the opponents penalty area. It was clear the Dutch had done their homework and their mandate was to shut down Messi. He will receive his fair share of criticism based on this performance but, once again, this match was another shining example of how much he needs his teammates to take him to glory. The Barcelona man has carried Argentina to this stage, it is only fitting that some - in this case Romero, Mascherano and the rest of the shooters - helped carry him to the final. They are, however, a team that arrives in the final with flaws. This is nothing new. Many teams have reached the World Cup Final when not playing very well but few have won it. Argentina showed a lot of grit and fight in this semifinal, just like they did in the 120 minutes against Switzerland and the narrow 1-0 defeat over Belgium. However, despite their fight they do look very ordinary. They arrive in the final after scoring just two goals in three knockout matches. The only team in World Cup history to do that was Argentina in 1990 and that was a terribly average side who frustrated Germany for over 80 minutes in arguably one of the worst games in football history. No one will be hoping for a repeat on Sunday but I am sure it will cross Argentinas mind that they will be naive to think they can play an open, expansive game against Germany. The Dutch end their quest to be world champions with their heads held high. They went further than most imagined and many of their young players, players produced by their own clubs in their own league, will grow and get better for this experience. Many will also find new clubs, too. However, they will also reflect on just how close they were – once again – to getting over a significant hurdle on penalties. Van Gaal departs for Manchester United after a very good World Cup but ultimately his decision on the order of the takers had a massive impact on this result. ' ' '
WINNIPEG -- A dispute over responsibility for covering the cost of repairs and changes at Winnipegs new football stadium has been resolved, putting the final cost of the project at $210 million. BBB Stadium Inc., the non-profit organization that built the stadium, says in a statement released Thursday it has reached an agreement with Stuart Olson Dominion Construction, which built Investors Group Field. It says the Manitoba government will kick in another $1.5 million to cover the cost of additional improvements not included in the original design, including changes to the commissary and concession areas and to the sidewalk and street at the front of the facility. BBB Stadium says the additional money boosts the stadiums final cost. The province, City of Winnipeg, University of Manitoba and the Winnipeg Football Club are the four stakeholders in BBB Stadium. Insurance will cover $450,000 in spring runoff damage to some of the stadiums luxury boxes and the visitors dressing room, although BBB Stadium says it will have to pay a $50,000 deductible. (Winnipeg Free Press) Philadelphia 76ers Pro Shop .com) - Nicklas Backstrom scored a pair of goals and Alex Ovechkin notched a highlight-reel tally, leading the Washington Capitals to a 4-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday at the Prudential Center. 76ers Jerseys China . Over the course of his career Glenn is 79-71-1 in 151 starts for a .526 career winning percentage. Since becoming a Stampeder, he has elevated his play and raised his stock around the league. https://www.cheap76ers.com/.40 metres at the Drake Relays. Drouin, from Corunna, Ont., bested his own record of 2.38 metres set in Aug. 76ers Jerseys 2020 . Raonic, the mens No. 8 seed from Thornhill, Ont., needed more than three hours to overcome Frenchman Gilles Simon 4-6, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 and become the first Canadian man into the fourth round at Roland Garros. Philadelphia 76ers Shirts . - Considering where Jeff Gordon was after Richmond, left out of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship in part due to some late-race shenanigans, he couldnt have been happier on Sunday.In an unusually blunt public warning, a vice-president of the International Olympic Committee on Tuesday called the delayed preparations for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro "the worst I have experienced." John Coates, who has made six trips to Brazil as part of the IOCs co-ordination commission for Rio, said the Brazilians are behind "in many, many ways" and are in worse shape than Greek organizers were in preparing for the 2004 Olympics. Despite the critical delays, the Australian said there is no backup plan and the games will take place in Rio. Coates noted that the IOC had taken the unprecedented step of embedding experts in the host city to help the local organizing committee deliver the games. "The IOC has formed a special task force to try and speed up preparations but the situation is critical on the ground," Coates told an Olympic forum in Sydney, outlining that construction delays are just part of the problem. "The IOC has adopted a more hands-on role. It is unprecedented for the IOC, but there is no plan B. We are going to Rio." Brazil has also come under fire from footballs world governing body, FIFA, for long delays in construction of stadiums and other infrastructure and the overdue delivery of venues for the World Cup, which kicks off in June. Two years out from the 2016 Olympics, the situation on the construction front is just as bleak. "We have become very concerned. They are not ready in many, many ways," Coates said. "And this is against a city thats got social issues that also have to be addressed; a country thats also trying to deal with the FIFA World Cup coming up in a few months." Coates said dealing with three levels of government in Brazil made it harder for local organizers than it was for the heavily criticized organizers of the Athens Games, which were also plagued by construction delays and earned a "yellow light" warning from then-IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch. "I think this is a worse situaation than Athens," Coates said.dddddddddddd"In Athens, we were dealing with one government and some city responsibilities. Here, theres three. "There is bureaucracy, there is little co-ordination between the federal, the state government and the city -- which is responsible for a lot of the construction. The flow of funds from the federal government is not happening quickly enough. We think we need to help facilitate that." Coates, who chairs the IOC co-ordination commission for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, said he thinks the IOC has put the message across in Brazil. "We have to make it (the Olympics) happen and that is the IOC approach, you cant walk away from this," he said. "If it comes off -- the first (Olympic) Games on the South American continent, in a magical city in so many ways -- itll be a wonderful experience for the athletes." Work hasnt begun at Deodoro, a complex for eight Olympics sports venues, and the course that will host golfs return to the Olympic program for the first time in more than a century doesnt have grass yet. Water pollution is a big worry for sailing and other sports. Concern over the delays has been building over time but hit crisis levels at the SportAccord meeting in Belek, Turkey, earlier this month. In a rare display of unified, open criticism against an Olympic host, 18 sports federations publicly aired concerns over Rios preparations, with some sports asking about "Plan B" contingencies. The IOC has decided to send a senior troubleshooter, IOC executive director Gilbert Felli, to Brazil as part of a series of emergency measures to tackle the delays threatening the games. Coates said other experienced, high-level staff will soon be appointed. Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes fired back last week at the complaints by sports federations, saying they were making too many unnecessary demands. Paes said the federations were asking for too many "large things" that wont be used by the city after the Olympics. ' ' '
LAKE FOREST, Ill. - Chicago Bears left tackle Jermon Bushrod suffered a knee injury in practice, throwing his status for this weeks game at Carolina into question.Coach Marc Trestman wouldnt say how the injury happened on Wednesday, other than Bushrod fell and it was an accident. He said he wasnt sure how severe the injury is.Bushrods injury comes as centre Roberto Garza and left guard Matt Slauson appear close to returning. They have been sidelined by ankle injuries since the season opener.If Bushrod cant play, Michael Ola could move to left tackle after filling in for Slauson.Defensive tackle Jeremiah Ratliff (concussion) sat out Thursday. He still has to pass some tests to be cleared.___Online:AP NFL websites: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFLFake Air Max 97 . The Red Wings hadnt played the night before. The Boston Bruins had. A month from now, or two months from now, it doesnt matter. But right now it does matter, when you start and you play back to back, its wear and tear on you for sure, Babcock said. Fake Air Max Plus . Casey Janssen was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday due to a strain in his left abdominal area and lower back. http://www.fakejordancheap.com/wholesale...mour-china.html. Woods said Friday that his charity event, which attracts a world-class field even without being part of any tour, will move in December 2014 to Isleworth, the course where he honed his professional game from 1996 until moving away to south Florida two years ago. Fake Jordan Outlet . -- Brad Gushue of St. Cheap Fake Yeezy Boost 350 . But the young forward is more than willing to shed a little blood if thats what it takes to make the team this season. "It caught me pretty good, dazed me for that shift, but I didnt want to be off the ice for too long," he said after practice, his lip still bleeding a little despite the plastic stitches holding it together.Morne Steyn was timely as South Africa continued its perfect run at the 2014 Rugby Championship with a 33-31 victory over Argentina on Saturday. The Springboks overcame a 12-point deficit in the 55th minute to claw back within one point in the 73rd. Substitute flank Marcell Coetzee scored a try off a driving maul to give South Africa a lead in the 68th, but a long penalty from Marcelo Bosch would undo the lead and give Argentina a one-point advantage with just sevenn minutes remaining in the match.dddddddddddd However, Steyn would complete South Africas thrilling win with a penalty just three minutes from the final whistle, securing the 33-31 score. With the victory, South Africa stays atop the table with eight points. The toughest part of their schedule awaits after the bye week, though, as the Springboks travel to Perth to face Australia on Sept. 6 before a date with the All Blacks in Wellington on the 13th. ' ' '
She describes herself on Twitter as 70 per cent professional athlete, 10 per cent rockstar and the rest involves doughnuts. Outside of the pool, swimmer Fran Halsall admits to showing off, dancing at every opportunity, listening to 70s rock and taking her hairy hound Blu to important meetings.In the coming weeks, that 70 per cent will rise for the GB star who has qualified for her third Olympics and was recently Queen of the European Championships, winning five medals, including three gold. But dont think the fun will completely cease in Brazil. The Southport-born 26-year-old opens up about her character in and out of the water, how the pain of missing out on a medal at London 2012 is driving her on and how being Sky Academy Sports Scholar boosted her.If I had to sum myself up, Id say confident, smiley and resilient. Im Xena: Warrior Princess!Its just that I can be a bit of a diva when I want to be. My coach would suggest I like to be the centre of attention - or a show off!If there was karaoke on Id be the one dancing. I love music - from Deep Purple to Taylor Swift. It depends on what mood Im. I like to listen to gangsta rap before I race. I wont be the one with my head down and headphones on, Ill be the one singing trying to get everybody to sing along with me!What Ive learnt in over 10 years on the British team is that being resilient is a very important part of being an athlete. Halsall (second right) and current Scholar Siobhan-Marie OConnor (right) enjoyed relay glory at the Euros Its how you deal with the poor performances and not meeting targets and turning it into a positive. Not achieving hurts but its the analysing what you did right and what you did wrong. The quicker you understand that the better it will be for you to move forward in your career.That was the main thing that followed London 2012. That was hard and every athletes dream is to win an Olympic medal so it took time to deal with that. Now Im just excited to be going to another Olympics. The London Games was an amazing experience in front of a home crowd and watching everybody else in Team GB in all the other sports. But I missed a medal by 0.08 seconds in the 50m freestyle.So London was a bitter / sweet experience for me. My race I just didnt get right and I was very disappointed. I took two months off after the Olympics and reassessed everything.I got a new coach and a new programme and set myself new targets and became more focused on the 50 rather than the 100. I won a bronze at the World Championships in Barcelona so that was a nice year after London. Xena: Warrior Princess is probably pretty handy in the pool as well It was all about taking some of the pressure off and enjoying it again. I was delighted with that.Being on the Scholarship scheme in the build-up to the 2012 Games was amazing for me though. Even after London I came back to Sky Sports and did work experience.Im interested in the media and what happens behind the scenes so I learnt loads of things like how to build and develop a story. I met some of the presenters and looked at all these things thinking about what I could do after my swimming career.The link with Sky and getting access to that has been brilliant.Seeing my big face on the billboards was interesting! Luckily I had goggles on so you couldnt tell it was me so much!One of the other Scholars Liam Tancock trains in my squad and Ive got a great relationship with him. Its been amazing sharing experiences and talking about preparations and getting an insight to other athletes and what they go through. Thats all been fantastic. Fran secured five medals at the European Championships in London The last few weeks in the pool have been great. I did really well at the Europeans and I got through the Rio trials which is actually tougher than the Olympics.Its all about qualifying and I did! It was a good week. After January I put in plenty of work and hopefully that should stand me in good stead for this Olympic cycle.Its the 11th time Ive won at a British Championships and so its like a time trial rather than an actual race. I find it hard to get myself up for it and motivated.You think about a World Championship or Commonwealth Games when all the best swimmers are there and the atmosphere is electric. In a race like a 50m sprint that helps. You get the extra adrenaline and atmosphere builds.At a trials there are few people watching like its just mum and dad in the stands! I find that difficult. Im just so pleased I was able to put in a world class performance.Most of us didnt know we had made the Rio squad until a week after. For London it was announced there and then and there was a parade which was nice but it was good getting all emotional telling my parents Id made Rio on the phone. Fran and her trusty four-legged friend Blu Im very excited about the Olympics but I dont want to get too excited too soon! I want to build it up nicely. Now weve had the Euros it starts to get tense with a big block of work. I just want to make sure my skills are right and my fitness is good.Im not thinking about Olympic medals or anything like that. Its just about getting from A to B. Having said that, if I got on the podium there would be some Prosecco and Id be with my boyfriend, parents and my dog.My dog is a sproodle - a cross between an English Springer Spaniel and Poodle. Hes crazy as anything but hes so cute. He comes everywhere with me - he even came to Glasgow for the trials.He also goes into the changing rooms at the rugby with my boyfriend [St Helens rugby league captain Jon Wilkin]. Hell also have a haircut with me at the same time and I take him to meetings with solicitors - hes more of a rock star than me. WHATS COMING UP FOR OUR SCHOLARS27 MAY: Lucy Garner, Boels Hills Classic29 MAY: Lucy Garner, Gooik10-16 JUNE: IPC Athletics European Championships in Grosseto, Italy23-26 JUNE: Lucy Garner, National Road Cycling Championships in Stockton-on-Tees Also See: About the Scholarship Meet the athletes Blogs Videos Galleries Ab McDonald Jersey . In a pregame tribute commemorating his final contest at Coors Field on Wednesday night, Helton caught the ceremonial first pitch from his daughter with his wife, younger daughter and good friend Peyton Manning watching from the field. Paul Martin Jersey . PAUL, Minn. https://www.cheappenguinsjersey.com/2021...y-penguins.html. 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. Rick Macleish Jersey . Chelsea took until the second half to trouble the leagues bottom team, but Schuerrle then ripped through the defence with ease at Craven Cottage to keep Jose Mourinhos side on track for the title. Jean-Sebastien Aubin Jersey . The No. 23 seed at the first Grand Slam event of the tennis season has worked out all the details, from his training regime right down to where hes going to eat dinner.NEW YORK, N.Y. - Forget slapstick and sex in Super Bowl ads: This year, serious was the name of the game.Nationwide ran an ad on preventable childhood death. Carnival struck a sombre note with a voiceover by John F. Kennedy speaking lyrically about the sea. And a public service announcement by coalition No More depicted a chilling 911 call from a battered woman to demonstrate the terror of domestic abuse.Other advertisers had positive, albeit equally serious themes: McDonalds said it would let some customers pay with acts of kindness, Coca-Cola showed online negativity and bullying turning positive and Procter & Gambles ad for its Always feminine products brand tried to redefine what it means to do things like a girl.Its a shame there arent any commercials for antidepressants because these commercials make me want some, said Jon Early, who was watching the game in New York with friends. Football is supposed to be an escape.The serious tone is an effort to win over Americans who have a lower tolerance for crass ads with an overuse of sexually explicit themes and sophomoric humour. They also have short attention spans these days, thanks to the bite-sized communication of social media.The serious spots were a continuation of a trend that started last year when advertisers shied away from the tactics that had been commonplace during Super Bowl. The difference this year is that many of the serious ads had an overarching message to live better, think better and be better.With 30-second ads costing $4.5 million for the chance to market their brand to 110-plus million Americans, advertisers were trying to stand out by marketing socially conscious messages. In the process, they hoped to boost the image of their brands.The Super Bowl reflects whats happening in the country, said Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Maybe in the country today were a little more reflective and a little more pensive.SERIOUS TONEA Microsoft ad with a voiceover by rapper Common told the story of Braylon ONeill, a boy who was born missing the tibia and fibula bones in both of his legs so he had to learn to live with prosthetic legs developed by Microsoft.The ad struck some similar notes with Toyotas Camry ad, which featured Paralympian Amy Purdy, who also has prosthetic legs snowboarding and dancing set to a speech by Muhammad Ali that ends Ill show you how great I am.Some serious ads bordered on sober. Nissan returned to the Super Bowl after 18 years with an ad featuring the story line of ann up-and-coming race driver and his wife struggling to balance work and raising their son.dddddddddddd In a jarring detail that many on social media pointed out, the ad was set to Cats in the Cradle by Harry Chapin, who was killed in a car crash.And a Nationwide ad showed a boy riding a school bus and lamenting hell never learn to fly, or travel the world with my best friend, or even grow up, because he died in an accident. The ad was aimed at stopping preventable childhood accidents, but Charles Taylor, marketing professor at the Villanova School of Business in Pennsylvania, said it received the most negative response from his ad viewing panel.Its just playing with fire focusing on an adolescents death in the context of the Super Bowl, he said.POSITIVE BUT SERIOUSOther advertisers tried to implore people to do positive things.In apparent commentary on how heavily food companies market to Americans, Weight Watchers Super Bowl debut ad showed pizza, doughnuts in large portions with an ominous voiceover saying You gotta eat, right? A tagline said Weight Watchers can help members take control.But it didnt resonate with all viewers, many of who were at Super Bowl parties eating snacks. Some people are saying it made them want to eat more than anything, said Villanovas Taylor.Meanwhile, fast food chain McDonalds announced it will randomly select customers who can pay for their food with acts of goodwill, such as calling their moms and telling them they love them as part of a Valentines Day promotion that starts Monday.Humour IN BETWEENNot all ads were serious, though.Nationwides other ad showed Mindy Project star Mindy Kaling walking around New York believing she is invisible and doing scandalous acts, including sitting naked in Central Park and going through a car wash. Then, she tries to kiss actor Matt Damon, but as it turns out, he can see her. The idea is Nationwide doesnt treat customers like theyre invisible.Naomi Zikmund-Fisher, a psychotherapist watching the game in Ann Arbor, Michigan, said the ad appealed to her. It sucked you in as a plot and then ruined it for her, she said.Another ad scored early. Chevrolets spot before kickoff appeared to be a live game feed that turned into static and a blank screen, shocking some viewers. Chevrolet used the trick to show that its Colorado truck has 4G LTE Wi Fi, allowing for live game streaming in the truck.That one got all of our attention, said Kirin Jessel, who watched the game with co-workers in Oakland, Calif. We were thinking Oh my God, whats happening. ' ' '
The Ultimate Warrior has passed away. The pro wrestling legend born Jim Hellwig was 54 years of age. WWE Executive Vice-President Paul Levesque (Triple H) first tweeted the news on Tuesday evening before WWE.com confirmed his passing. Hellwig, who legally changed his name to Warrior, was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on Saturday evening in New Orleans and appeared live on Monday Night RAW, his first such appearance in 18 years, on Monday night. He had mostly retired from the public eye following his retirement from the ring, but maintained an online presence. The Warrior had a falling out with World Wrestling Entertainment, but his appearance in this past falls WWE 14 video game signalled a warming in relations. "WWE is shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the passing of one of the most iconic WWE Superstars ever, The Ultimate Warrior," the WWE said in a statement. "Warrior began his WWE career in 1987 and quickly went on to become one of the biggest stars in WWE history." Hellwig is survived by his wife and two young daughters. Matt Guokas Jersey Signed . Now Arizonas new manager is hoping Yasmany Tomas can have the same effect on the Diamondbacks. Korleone Young Jersey Signed . Bowditch, the 30-year-old Australian seeking his first PGA Tour title, shot a 4-under 68 to reach 12 under at TPC San Antonio. Matt Kuchar and Andrew Loupe were tied for second. Kuchar shot 65, and Loupe had a 70. https://www.cheapnbajerseysjustwholesale...-jersey-signed/. Ashton scored a hat trick -- giving him 13 goals in 16 AHL games this season -- to power the Toronto Marlies to a 5-2 victory over the visiting Lake Erie Monsters in AHL action on Sunday. Fake NBA Jerseys . Correia pitched six innings of one-run ball, Eduardo Escobar homered, and the Minnesota Twins pulled away late to beat the Colorado Rockies 9-3 on Saturday. Trey Johnson Jersey Signed . - Chelseas 1-0 win at the Etihad, spoiling Manchester Citys perfect home record continues to be the talking point of the week.With the news of MLSE reaching out to Brendan Shanahan for a front office job with the Leafs coming on the heels of Trevor Lindens hiring in Vancouver, there appears a clear trend of teams hiring former stars – and preferably alumni – to run their hockey operations. Joe Sakic is running things in Colorado; Steve Yzerman is in charge in Tampa Bay; and Ron Francis, currently the No. 2 in Carolina, is widely expected to one day take over the Hurricanes hockey ops. There are several success stories with this business model, the benchmark perhaps set by former Bruins great Cam Neely who has been President and Alternate Governor of the team since 2010. But it doesnt always work, as some Edmonton Oilers fans would surely argue. Pat Lafontaines short-lived period as Buffalo Sabres Prresident of Hockey Operations serves as a cautionary tale as well.dddddddddddd The move can make sense from a business standpoint. A flashy hire of a former fan favourite can do a lot to curb poor season ticket sales – a rumoured consideration in the Canucks hiring of Linden – although that wont factor into any Leafs decisions. Toronto went down this path before, hiring former Montreal Canadiens great Ken Dryden as President in 1997. He lasted seven years with the Leafs, overseeing some of the most successful Leafs teams in recent memory. Will a similar hire lead to comparable results, or - Leafs fans hope - even better ones? Is hiring a former star player to run hockey operations a good move for a team? Youve heard what weve had to say, now its your turn. As always, its Your! Call. ' ' '
FRISCO, Texas - A late penalty-kick goal created by a controversial handball call brought the Vancouver Whitecaps season to a frustrating end.Midfielder Michel stutter-stepped and slid his unmolested shot into the left side of the net in the 84th minute as Vancouver goalkeeper David Ousted dived in the other direction to give FC Dallas a 2-1 victory in the knockout round of Major League Soccers Western Conference playoffs Wednesday night.Dallas (17-12-6) will face Seattle in the two-game conference semifinal.The loss ended the Whitecaps five-game unbeaten streak and closed out a season in which Vancouver (12-9-14) advanced to the post-season for the second time in its MLS history. The club has now lost all six of its games at FC Dallass Toyota Stadium.This one just hurt more than the others.It was a big decision given the magnitude of the game, defender Andy OBrien said. But these are things that happen.The game kicks you between the legs sometimes, and thats how it feels tonight.The most painful kick came from referee Mark Geiger, who awarded a penalty when a bouncing ball in the Vancouver box barely glanced off the right arm of Kendall Waston as the Whitecaps defender tried to put his hands behind his back. The Vancouver players protested vehemently, but the call stood.Waston deliberately handled the ball, hence the PK was called, Geiger said.Waston disagreed with the deliberate part.I tried to put my hand on the back of my body and the ball hit me, he said. Thats different than putting your hand on the ball. But that was the decision of the referee. I respect it, but I dont approve it.The Whitecaps had extended their shutout streak to 432 minutes — surpassing a run of 427 minutes in 2012 as the longest in club history — before watching that streak disappear in the 40th minute thanks to FC Dallass surprise starter.Midfielder Mauro Diaz, making his first start since Aug. 9 and only his 10th in an injury-plagued season, turned a sliver of space into a dangerous run, slipping past OBrien and Waston near midfield to break into the clear.When defender Jordan Harvey came out to challenge Diaz, he slid a deft pass to Calgary-born Tesho Akindele, who fired a low shot just inside the far post for a 1-0 lead.I tried to stick my butt out into the guy (Diaz), and I thought Kendall was going to come and clean out, OBrien said. But he nicked past him and then he was gone.Down and seemingly out — FC Dallas had dominated possession and scoring chances in the first half — the Whitecaps rose to tie the match with a stunning goal in the 64th minute, the climax of an inspired second-half effort.The play began with a floating free kick into the Dallas box by Mauro Rosales that pinballed around before popping out to second-half substitute Kekuta Manneh. Mannehs shot was blocked, but the ball fell at the feet of Erik Hurtado, and the Whitecaps forward slammed it past keeper Chris Seitz on the right side to give his team life.Then it slipped away, to the sound of a whistle.I questioned my team at halftime because I thought we played with a little bit of fear, Whitecaps coach Carl Robinson said. The second half was the total opposite. My team gave me everything I asked and more. The performance they put in in the second half was not worthy of losing this game.Weve got Mauro Rosales in there, whos 33 years of age and whos been very successful, and hes crying his eyes out in there because he feels the result wasnt what we deserved. And I agree with him. Cheap NFL Jerseys China .The Los Angeles Lakers star passed Michael Jordan for third on the NBAs career scoring list Sunday night in a 100-94 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys . With the final four being arguably the four best – and most complete – teams from the regular season, picking a winner is not as easy as it sounds. https://www.cheapnfljerseysjustwholesale.com/. In question is whether 26-year-old Matt Frattin will be on it. A a€?mediocrea€? training camp, as Carlyle put it earlier this week, has Frattin lingering nervously on the bubble at the end of the exhibition season, pushed out of a likely job by Brandon Kozun, the small, but feisty winger determined to make the NHL for the first time. Cheap NHL Jerseys . Lisicki beat South African Chanelle Scheepers by a 7-5, 7-6 (7-1) margin. Next up for the Wimbledon runner-up will be Slovenian Polona Hercog, who outlasted Czech Petra Cetkovska 6-4, 5-7, 6-1. Authentic NFL Jerseys . - The Baltimore Ravens and tight end Dennis Pitta reached agreement on a five-year contract Friday.OAKLAND, Calif. -- One game. After a season featuring more losses than wins, thats all that separates the New York Knicks and the final post-season spot in the weak Eastern Conference standings. J.R. Smith scored 21 points, Carmelo Anthony added 19 points and nine rebounds and the Knicks moved closer to a playoff seed by beating the undermanned Golden State Warriors 89-84 on Sunday night. "We cant worry about Cleveland, Atlanta, Charlotte -- none of them guys. We control our own thing," Anthony said. "If we play like tonight and just play hard and really lock in and focus on what we have to focus on, I think well be all right." The Knicks outscored Golden State 34-12 in the second quarter to go ahead 56-44 at the half, and then held off a furious rally by Stephen Curry and the Warriors in the closing minutes. Curry scored 32 points, including a tying 3-pointer with 2:42 remaining. But he missed his last two shots from long range and also had a pass stolen on Golden States final possession. New York (31-43) is a game behind fast-fading Atlanta, which has lost six straight, for the final playoff seed. And the Knicks can credit their defence for the latest victory, holding the streaky Warriors to 35.4 per cent shooting. "Our defence finally stepped up," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. With big men Andrew Bogut and David Lee sidelined with injuries, Curry tried to keep the Warriors close. Curry connected on consecutive 3-pointers to slice New Yorks lead to 74-72 early in the fourth quarter, riling up the announced sellout crowd of 19,596 for the finishing stretch. After the Knicks went ahead 81-75, Curry & Co. roared back again. The All-Star point guard capped a 6-0 spurt with a corner 3-pointer, dancing in place after tying the score with 2:42 to play. Curry missed from long range his next time down, chasing the rebound but then forcing an errant shot while trying to draw a foul. Jermaine ONeal fouled Amare Stoudemire, who made a pair of throws to put the Knicks in front. New York forced Andre Iguodala into a miss before Anthonys pull-up jumper. Klay Thompson came back with a 3-pointer to bring the Warriors within one. Anthony hit two free throws to put the Knicks up 87-84 with 45.4 seconds left. Currys 3-point attempt over Anthony rimmed in-and-out, the Knicks grabbed the rebound but weree called for a shot-clock violation.dddddddddddd Raymond Felton closed out fast on the final possession against Curry, who double-clutched and tried to pass in the air -- only to have Shannon Brown steal the ball, make two free throws and seal a big victory for the Knicks. "If I could do it over, I probably wouldve just tried to find a way to just shoot it regardless," said Curry, who shot 10-of-21 from the floor, including 6-of-12 from 3-point range. Warriors coach Mark Jacksons team is suddenly looking like a tired and banged-up bunch at the most pivotal point of the season. Thompson finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, and Iguodala added 12 points and five rebounds for the Warriors (45-28), who are in sixth place in the tight Western Conference race. Golden State is two games behind fifth-place Portland, but only two games ahead of ninth-place Dallas -- and being out of the playoff picture entirely. Home losses to teams with losing records are piling up as fast as injuries. Bogut (bruised groin/pelvic) also is expected to miss Tuesdays game at Dallas and Wednesdays game at San Antonio -- and possibly more. The Warriors are hopeful Lee (strained right hamstring) could return during the trip after missing his second consecutive game, though the injury has kept him from even practicing lately. "We are developing and we certainly own the fact that we have lost some games that we shouldve won," Jackson said. "When you look on that floor that is a more than capable New York team that has underachieved this year, but they have talent." The game still started Golden States way. Thompson and Curry each made two 3-pointers to help the Warriors go ahead by 12 points in the opening minutes. But the Knicks outscored Golden State 34-12 in the second quarter, including a 15-0 run with Anthony on the bench to go up 56-44 at the half. It tied Golden States lowest-scoring quarter of the season. Hardaway finished with 15 points and Stoudemire had 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Knicks, who are 2-2 on their five-game road trip, which ends Monday at Utah. NOTES: The teams split the season series 1-1. ... New York hasnt won a season series over Golden State since 2000-01. ... Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob sat in a courtside seat next to rapper and Oakland native MC Hammer, who was celebrating his 52nd birthday. ' ' '
MISSISSAUGA, Ont. - Dylan Smoskowitz scored twice, including the only goal of a shootout to lead the Mississauga Steelheads to a 5-4 victory over the Sudbury Wolves in Ontario Hockey League play on Sunday. Bryson Cianfrone also picked up two goals for the Steelheads (7-7-1), Trevor Carrick added another, and Josh Burnside pitched in with three assists. Nathan Pancel scored his 14th and 15th goals of the season for Sudbury (5-3-6), and Danny Desrochers and Austin Veleke added the other Wolves goals. Mississauga goalie Dawson Carty allowed two goals on four shots through 12 minutes of play. He was replaced in the first period by Spencer Martin, who made 37 saves. Sudburys Franky Palazzese stopped 34 shots. --- STORM 7 KNIGHTS 4 GUELPH, Ont. — Adam Craievich scored twice, Tyler Bertuzzi, Steven Trojanovic, and Matt Finn each added a goal and an assist, and Justin Nichols turned away 36 shots as the Storm downed London. Brock McGinn scored his 15th of the season, Zack Mitchell added another, and Robby Fabbri chipped in with three assists for Guelph (12-3-0), who went 3-for-9 on the power play. Christian Dvorak had a goal and an assist for the Knights (8-5-1), Matt Rupert and Chris Tiemey each scored, and Brady Austin chipped in with Londons only power-play goal in six opportunities. Anthony Stolarz started in net for the Knights but was pulled halfway through the first period after allowing two goals on 11 shots. Jake Patterson made 15 saves in relief. --- BATTALION 3 BULLS 2 (OT) NORTH BAY, Ont. — Vincent Praplan scored at 1:21 of overtime as North Bay edged Belleville and give the Battalion its eighth win of the season. Defenceman Brenden Miller scored on a power play and centre Nick Paul rounded out the offence for North Bay (8-7-1), while Mike Amadio added two assists. Nick Petti opened the scoring for the Bulls (3-9-3) and Brenden Gaunce tied the game 2-2 with his eighth goal of the season at 10:37 of the third period. North Bay goalie Brendan ONeill made 24 saves while Bellevilles Charlie Graham stopped 25 shots. --- SPITFIRES 5 ATTACK 4 (OT) OWEN SOUND, Ont. — Defenceman Trevor Murphy picked a good time to score his first goal of the season as he picked up the overtime winner to lift Windsor over Owen Sound. Cristiano DiGiacinto opened the scoring, Ho-Sang Josh and Remy Giftopoulos both had a goal and an assist, and Nick Ebert chipped in with his third goal of the season for the Spitfires (8-6-0). Gemel Smith scored twice for the Attack (7-6-2), and Daniel Milne and Jaden Lindo each had a goal. Brandon Hope made 42 saves in the loss. Windsors Alex Fotinos stopped all three shots he faced in 14:22 of action. He was replaced by Dalen Kuchmey, who stopped 37 of 41 shots through 49:56. --- GENERALS 5 ICEDOGS 4 OSHAWA, Ont. — Cole Cassels and Joe Manchurek each had two goals and an assist as the Generals toppled Niagara. Josh Sterk had a goal and three assists for Oshawa (11-3-1), which trailed 4-2 heading into the final period. Jordan Maletta and Eric Ming had a goal and an assist apiece for the IceDogs (5-7-3) while Mike Robinson and Brendan Perlini scored the others. Daniel Althsuller made 21 saves for the Generals as Niagaras Christopher Festarini stopped 30 shots in a losing cause. --- Walt Weiss Jersey . Pikul Khueanpet scored early in the second half and Kanjana Sungngoen made it 2-0 in the 65th minute of the playoff. Tuyet Dong narrowed the margin with goal four minutes from time. The win gave Thailand fifth place at the Asian Cup and the last of the continents qualifying spots for the 2015 Womens World Cup in Canada. Justin Lawrence Jersey . Rosbergs time of 1 minute, 33.185 seconds at the Bahrain International Circuit was a quarter of a second faster than Hamilton, who had to abandon his final flying lap after running wide at the first corner. https://www.cheaprockiesjerseys.us/634t-...ey-rockies.html. - Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard has signed with WME-IMG, saying the sports management powerhouse will help maximize the value of my brand. Jesus Tinoco Jersey . -- Michael Bennett gambled last off-season that playing on a one-year deal in Seattle would pay off in the future with the long-term contract he always wanted. David Dahl Jersey . When a game is in the balance, however, they still have the personnel and the experience to end up with the two points.Orchard Park, NY - Buffalo Bills cornerback Leodis McKelvin suffered a fractured ankle during Thursdays game against the Miami Dolphins. Bills coach Doug Marrone on Friday said the team is still weighing its options on McKelvins status going forward with just six games remaining. McKelvin, the teams startinng left cornerback and punt returner, has 48 tackles and a team-best four interceptions in 10 games this season.dddddddddddd He has also averaged 8.7 yards on 21 punt returns. Selected by the Bills with the 11th overall pick of the 2008 draft, McKelvin has 11 career interceptions in 89 games. ' ' '
OAKLAND, Calif. - In a game where offence was an afterthought, the scoreless stalemate ended in fitting fashion: a walk-off error. Melky Cabrera couldnt corral Nick Puntos double with one out in the 12th inning, sending the Oakland Athletics to a 1-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday in front of an announced crowd of 22,322 at the Coliseum. "Im sure they were ready to go home and get the barbecues started," Punto said. Derek Norris led off the rally with a walk by Chad Jenkins (0-1), who tossed two innings of relief. After Jed Lowrie lined out, Punto poked a slicing double down the line in left. Cabrera moved to his right to cut off the ball, which squirted by his glove for an error. Norris, who runs well for a catcher, hustled from first for an odd ending to a game highlighted by stellar pitching performances by Oaklands Tommy Milone, Torontos Marcus Stroman and both bullpens. "Thats the definition of a pitching duel," Milone said. "Its exciting. Its fun to watch. But it was about that time." Dan Otero (7-1), the fifth Oakland reliever to toss a scoreless inning, earned the win. Cabrera never surfaced in the clubhouse during the time reporters were allowed in after the game. "Thats not the game," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said of Cabreras misplay. "It was great pitching on both sides." Stroman gave up seven hits in seven innings. He struck out seven and walked three. Milone allowed four hits in six innings, striking out six and walking one intentionally. The left-hander is 6-0 in his last 11 starts and hasnt lost since May 3 at Boston. The pitchers quickly erased the few chances both offences had. Jose Reyes singled on the games first pitch, but Milone didnt allow another hit until Steve Tolleson doubled on a pop fly leading off the fifth that landed between three players battling the bright sky, which caused problems all day. Tolleson advanced to third on the second of two groundouts before Milone struck out Reyes. Lowries fielding error at shortstop extended the sixth for Toronto. But Milone rebounded the way he had all afternoon, striking out Brad Glenn to strand two. "It the same thing hes been doing all season. He changes speed and locates so well," said Blue Jays centre fielder Darin Mastroianni, who singled with one out in the 12th for his only hit. Stroman kept the As off-balance and out of sync in similar fashion. He got some help from his defence, too, including Cabrera. With two on and two outs in the third, Cabrera made a diving catch on Yoenis Cespedes liner to left. Cabrera grabbed his midsection and jogged gingerly backed to the dugout afterward. Josh Donaldson started a double play by fielding Edwin Encarnacions grounder at third and threw from his backside to Punto, whose relay from second to first ended Torontos eighth. Toronto caught its own defensive break when Brandon Moss sprained his left ankle coming out of the box, and the Blue Jays easily turned a double play to end the bottom of the inning. Moss said the ankle is sore but hopes to play Saturday, though As manager Bob Melvin said Moss will likely get a day off. Oaklands Ryan Cook, Fernando Abad, Sean Doolittle, Eric OFlaherty and Luke Gregerson all pitched a scoreless inning. Jenkins, Brett Cecil, Dustin McGowan and Aaron Loup combined to throw four scoreless innings before the As broke through in the 12th. "The pitching today was fantastic across the board," Melvin said. "They came in, did their job for the inning and passed the baton to the next guy." NOTES: Blue Jays hitting coach Kevin Seitzer was ejected by home plate umpire Vic Carapazza in the sixth inning for apparently arguing balls and strikes from the dugout. ... Melvin said an MRI revealed that 1B Kyle Blanks has a slight tear in his left calf and is not expected back anytime soon. ... Scott Kazmir (9-3, 2.61 ERA) starts for Oakland opposite Torontos Mark Buehrle (10-5, 2.50 ERA) on Saturday. Nike Air Max 720 Herren Günstig . The 24-year-old Raley was 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA for Chicago in his first two career starts after being called up from Iowa on Aug. 7. He was optioned to Iowa on Monday after losing 3-0 to Cincinnati in Chicago on Sunday. Nike Air Max Billig . -- Max Gilbert captured his first pro victory at the Tour Championship of Canada. http://www.shopairmaxschweiz.com/air-max...ren-billig.html. Johns, N.L., to Thunder Bay, Ont., after a deal was announced to build a new $106-million "event centre" in the Lake Superior community. Nike Air Max 720 Schweiz . - Roger Federer squandered a big lead and lost to No. Nike Air Max 720 Billig . Forsman closed with a 3-under 69 in windy conditions Sunday for his third Champions Tour title. He beat Jay Don Blake by two shots.DUNEDIN, Florida – Blue Jays manager John Gibbons knows theres a lot at stake this season. Coming off a disastrous 2013 year, relative to expectations perhaps the most disappointing in franchise history, the club could be dealing with significant upheaval if theres continued, sustained underperformance. Gibbons sat down with TSN.ca before Thursdays Grapefruit League game against Houston to talk about his team, in which he espouses confidence. To listen to the interview, click here. TSN.ca: John, as we sit here, two weeks from tonight you guys will be flying to Montreal for the final two exhibition games of the spring. GIBBONS: Cant wait. TSN.ca: Old stomping grounds for you, right? An ex-Met, did you have some fun in Montreal in your day? GIBBONS: Yeah, you know I wasnt up with the Mets long but I made a few road trips to Montreal. I loved it. I really did. Its a neat city. Its a little different than what were used to or what Im used to but we always had a good time there. Good people. I enjoyed hopping on that subway, riding it to the stadium there so I have some good memories of that place. TSN.ca: Parlez-vous Francais? GIBBONS: Poquito. Oh thats not French, okay. You learn a lot of Spanish around here. Ill put it that way. TSN.ca: Yeah, theres no question about that in your clubhouse. So were three, three and a half weeks in since all the regulars got here. The tone of camp, at least from my point of view, John, is different from last years and there were a lot of mitigating factors with the WBC and whatnot last season. How do you feel camp has gone so far and where do you see your team at today? GIBBONS: I agree with you. I think theres a lot more focus and thats not just coming from the coaching end of it. I think the players are a lot more focused. Last year there was a lot of distraction. A lot of new faces were brought in and the high expectations, much more media coverage so the players were getting dragged in a lot of different directions. We had some celebrities on here. We brought in Dickey coming off a Cy Young. Of course Reyes and those guys coming in and everybody was tugging at all different angles so there were some distractions that way. Good distractions but nevertheless distractions and then of course some guys went off to the WBC and things like that. Its been a much nicer, simpler camp, a lot more low key and weve been able to get some great work in. TSN.ca: As you head into the regular season I think there are some questions about certain positions around the club. The starting rotation, especially the back end, has been a hot topic of conversation. More broadly speaking, the American League East, I think we both agree is always strong but has gotten better. Do you feel you have the quality of starting pitching that matches the quantity of the depth that youll have at Buffalo and in the lower minor leagues. GIBBONS: I think we do. Not a whole lot of change this year other than Navarro. You know, Alex was working all winter trying to bring in a pitcher or two, difference makers. We werent able to do that. It wasnt for a lack of effort. The money, the years, all sorts of things, their desire to go other places hampered that a little bit. There were a couple of trade opportunities but they wanted everybody and their brother top prospects in the minor leagues. After the trades with Florida and the Mets we gave up a lot of our top prospects so, I mean, theres no way you can deplete your whole minor league system to get guys who maybe arent difference makers. We sat tight there. The main reason behind that is we like what we have here. Theres much more depth, like you just alluded to, that we didnt have last year. If somebody falters or if theres an injury weve got some guys, some fallback plans that we think are pretty good that should make a huge difference. As of right now were still looking for that fifth starter. Weve got some guys that are pitching very good. Theres been some good competition down here. Right now, were probably only looking at one spot. J.A. Happ, now, hes been a little bit banged up with his back so at this point, on this day, hes a little bit of a question mark. Hopefully hes going to throw in the next couple of days in a minor league game. If hes fine that should solve some problems there. You know, theres some guys in here that we think are going to have some good big league careers. Now its just are they going to get that opportunity? They may get it as we break camp as we start the season this year. It may come a month in. It may come in two months. Who knows? Weve got some players here who we think are capable of winning in the American League East. Theres some great competitors and well see where it all ends up. TSN.ca: Do you anticipate Drew Hutchison breaking camp with the team? GIBBONS: Well, Im not going to say hes on the team right now but Ill tell you what, hes pitched as well, if not better, than anybody in camp and another thing he has going for him, you know hes really bounced back from that injury, but hes pitched in Toronto before and was pitching very well before he had the injury. Hes got a little experience under his belt. Hes definitely been a standout. Hes always been thought of highly in the organization. Its just basically a matter of time when hes ready again and it sure seems like, you look at it now, he should be ready to go. TSN.ca: Do you believe in the phrase, "Its early?" Especially after last year maybe you dont but getting out of the gate strong, John, aside from having more wins than losses, just setting the right tone I think would be important for you guys this year.dddddddddddd GIBBONS: It was early three weeks ago. Its not so early anymore, a couple of weeks left. Yeah, no question, a quick, fast start is very important to this ballclub. Easier said than done, of course, you know we play some pretty good teams early. I think what it would do is give us confidence and it may quell some of the naysayers out there because until we go out and prove something on the field that were better than we were last year and we actually do have the team that we think can win here, thats always going to be hanging over our heads. These guys, theyve been working hard, theyre very focused and now the key is to come out of the gates with everything clicking. Weve got to get good pitching. Hopefully those bats are going at the right time at the beginning of the season and something thats a constant, one thing you can always control, is the way you play defense and I think that will be much, much better this year. TSN.ca: I wanted to touch on that with you because when we think of winning, youve got to score more runs than you allow and we typically always think of offense, just hit the ball out of the park or piece together runs. We dont always think of run prevention. Well cross our fingers for you guys that you have pretty good health here, and you have so far through camp and that that will carry through. But with Lawrie at third, Reyes and short and it looks like Ryan Goins at second base, as long as theyre all out there on the field at the same time, weve seen some pretty sweet double plays and some pretty nice plays made here, John. Youre going to be able to prevent more runs than you did, especially in the first half of last year. GIBBONS: We think so and we have to. You left out Melky Cabrera, who wasnt moving well at all last year and so that created a big hole out there in leftfield. With the guys you just mentioned, we think we have one of the better defenses in baseball, in our minds. As much as our starting pitching struggled last year, we didnt bail them out, we didnt help them out one bit, especially early in the season. A lot of those games, a play thats made here or there, might have got us out of an inning, a big inning and kept us in the game and we may have come back and won some of those. You look at it, you can go through any sport, if you dont play defense youre not going to win. Boston was a good defensive team last year and they won the World Series. Football, another sport I know well, the Seahawks last year, great defense, the best defense in the NFL. Theres no secret there. We think we have a good one but the key is weve got to keep the right guys on the field the majority of the season. TSN.ca: The Red Sox, maybe they didnt have the best team on paper in the majors last year but they won the World Series and there was that grind it out aspect. When youve walked around the clubhouse, talked to your players or youve had them in here one on one, do you sense that there is an unquestioned willingness to grind it out this year? Kind of a win at all costs mentality? GIBBONS: Yes, I do. Weve got a lot of proud veterans out in that room. Some guys whove had some great careers, some guys on the upswing that are going to end up having real good major league careers but everybody was a little embarrassed, the way things went last year. One thing Ill say about this group last year, through all the different changes, all the guys coming and going, there never was a lack of effort. Thats rare when some seasons go south but our guys showed up to play everyday and I tip my hat to them and thats admirable and thats the way it should be but thats not always the way it ends up. They all know they have something to prove, that were a better team than the way we played last year and I sense that. They talk about that. To get to this level as an athlete, to get to the top at anything, youve got to have some pride. We have a lot of that in that room and I think, I dont want to say necessarily that were going to surprise some people because we think we have a good team on the field, we think we had a good team on the field last year it just didnt pan out, but if we play up to our capabilities we think weve got a chance to win this thing. TSN.ca: Its an everyday game so youre always at the field and youre always thinking about, okay, what do I have to do to win today? But when you get away from the ballpark, do you think give any thought to your future and the fact that if it doesnt go well again this year, John, fairly or unfairly, itll be a hard sell to the fan base to continue with you as manager and the coaching staff? There could be changes here if it doesnt work out. GIBBONS: Oh yeah. Thats to be expected in the professional sports world. I can guarantee you one thing, I wont be here forever. Thats a fact. When that day comes, sooner or later, who knows? I dont give that much thought because I approach my job everyday to do the best job I can. I have a great responsibility to the organization whos given me an opportunity here and theres a lot that goes into that. Thats the reality of baseball. I have some fans out there but I also have a lot of detractors. When the dark clouds show up you start hearing more of those voices. If you get caught up in that kind of stuff itll paralyze you, you cant do your job so I take it all in stride everyday because I know I can do this job, I know I can run a baseball team, Ive got zero doubt in my mind about that. Things dont always work out but I think this year it will. TSN.ca: We appreciate the time, John, and all the best this season. GIBBONS: Thank you, Scott. ' ' '
SAN ANTONIO -- The San Antonio Spurs were not going to believe Serge Ibaka was really injured until the Oklahoma City Thunder took the court in the opener of the Western Conference finals without their athletic big man. Their skepticism was unwarranted. Ibaka is indeed injured and Oklahoma City needs to find a way to replace his defensive presence against San Antonio. Tim Duncan had 27 points and the Spurs took advantage of Ibakas absence to score more than half their points in the paint, beating the Thunder 122-105 Monday night in the opener of the best-of-seven series. Tony Parker did not appear limited by a hamstring injury, adding 14 points and 12 assists in 36 minutes in San Antonios first victory over Oklahoma City this season. Parker and coach Gregg Popovich both said earlier they werent sure if the Thunder would actually be without Ibaka, who injured his left calf in Oklahoma Citys series clincher against the Los Angeles Clippers. "Contrary to what San Antonio was thinking, hes not coming back," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. Thats bad news for Oklahoma City entering Game 2 on Wednesday. San Antonio had 66 points in the paint and shot 58 per cent from the field. It was the highest shooting percentage allowed by the Thunder in the post-season since relocating from Seattle. The Thunder got their usual offensive output from All-Stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, who scored 28 and 25 points, respectively. But Oklahoma Citys remaining starters, Nick Collison, Thabo Sefolosha and Kendrick Perkins, combined to score five points with 13 rebounds and one assist. Collison started in place of Ibaka and was 0 for 3 from the field with three rebounds and one blocked shot. Ibaka was averaging 12.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.23 blocks in 33.9 minutes in the post-season. "We play team defence, we dont just rely on Serge," Durant said. "He does a great job of blocking shots, but its all because of our team defence. Hes a big part of what we do. Hes a starter, had his best season this year, so of course were going to miss his presence, but we have guys that are going to step up and do it collectively." San Antonio planned to attack Oklahoma Citys interior whether Ibaka was playing or not, and found it much easier to do without the athletic 6-foot-10 forward. "We always want to try to penetrate," Parker said. "We always want our ball movement, thats how we play -- kick and pitch and stuff like that. You know, obviously its a little bit better with (Ibaka) not being in the paint, but were still going to try to penetrate and make stuff happen." The Spurs fed Duncan early and the veteran responded by scoring 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting in the opening quarter. Parker, who sustained a Grade 1 left hamstring strain in San Antonios series clincher against Portland, drove the paint and dished to Duncan early before looking for his own shot midway through the quarter. "Thats part of our game plan," Duncan said. "He knew that they werent going to let him shoot the ball like he did in the last series. They were going to try to take that away from him, so he knew he was going to have to be an assist man." Parker scored all but two of his points in the first half. Manu Ginobili took over in the second half, scoring all 18 of his points with a series of breakneck drives and 3-for-4 shooting on 3-pointers. "Just got to do a better job of closing the paint off," Westbrook said. "I thought we did a better job in the second half of just putting more pressure on them, making it tough for them to get inside the paint." After starting Collison and bringing in 7-foot post Steven Adams to spell him and Perkins, Oklahoma City continually altered its lineup in an attempt to derail San Antonios attack. At one point the Thunder had Westbrook and fellow point guards Reggie Jackson and Derek Fisher on the court with Durant playing the post defensively. Duncan responded by dropping in a running hook on Durant. "Were going to have to find lineups that work," Brooks said. "I have faith in all of our guys to step in and do the job, no matter who we put on the floor." With the exception of a pair of free throws by Fisher, Westbrook and Durant scored all of Oklahoma Citys points in a 23-22 third quarter. The Thunder rallied to take a 76-75 lead on Westbrooks 17-foot jumper with 5 minutes left in the third quarter for their first lead since the opening basket of the game. "I think we need more from everybody defensively," Brooks said. "We scored 105 points. ... We scored enough points to win a basketball game. We have to do a better job defensively." San Antonio improved to 7-1 at home in the playoffs, winning its past five games by an average of 20.6 points. The Spurs, however, remember what happened in the 2012 conference finals, when the Thunder won four straight to rally from an 0-2 deficit. "Theyre a talented team," Ginobili said. "Theyre going to watch video; theyre going to fix mistakes. Its going to be harder for sure. Its just one down." NOTES: Durant was assessed a technical foul 30 seconds into the fourth quarter after throwing his fists down in frustration after being assessed a foul. . Boris Diaw was poked in his lower right eyelid early in the game, but returned to shortly thereafter once it was determined there was no structural damage. . Play had to be stopped twice to clean up blood on Collison, who was battling Duncan and Splitter defensively. Vlade Divac Jersey . Re-signed by the club to a one-year, two-way (NHL/AHL) contract on July 5, Bass appeared in three preseason games with Columbus prior to breaking a bone in his hand on Sept. Shannon Brown Jersey .ca Fantasy Editor Scott Cullen, NFL Editor Ben Fisher, and Isaac Owusu discuss three hot fantasy football topics. https://www.lakersjerseycheap.com/721j-z...sey-lakers.html. INJURIES - Reds RF Jay Bruce is facing knee surgery for a torn meniscus and it could cost him a month of playing time. Chris Heisey, who has shown some pop (43 home runs, . Los Angeles Lakers Pro Shop . The Force had two men, including former Wallabies No. 8 Ben McCalman, in the sin-bin in the dying minutes of the match, but were able to resist a late Highlanders surge to post a four-try, bonus point win. Lakers Jerseys 2020 .40 metres at the Drake Relays. Drouin, from Corunna, Ont., bested his own record of 2.38 metres set in Aug.Paris, France - Eight-time champion Rafael Nadal and former runner-up Novak Djokovic were a pair of easy first-round winners, while third-seeded Stan Wawrinka was a stunning loser Monday at the French Open. The world No. 1 Nadal improved to an incredible 60-1 at Roland Garros by cruising past American journeyman Robby Ginepri 6-0, 6-3, 6-0 on Court Lenglen. The reigning French and U.S. Open champion has won four straight and eight of the last nine French Open titles. He beat David Ferrer in last years all- Spanish finale in Paris. Up next for Nadal will be rising Austrian Dominic Thiem. The 2012 finalist Djokovic smacked 40 winners in blowing past Portuguese Joao Sousa 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 on Court Chatrier. The struggling Sousa has now lost his last eight matches on tour. The players were forced to stop and start because of wet conditions in Paris on Monday. Djokovic was leading 4-1 when rain halted play, but the match resumed about an hour later. The former No. 1 and six-time Grand Slam champ Djokovic lost to Nadal in the final two years ago and succumbed to the mighty Spaniard in an epic semifinal here last year, including a dramatic 9-7 fifth set. Up next for Djokovic will be Frances Jeremy Chardy. Lanky Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez shocked the Swiss Australian Open champion Wawrinka in 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 6-0 fashion. It marked the first time in seven years that a third seed exited the French draw in the opening round since American Andy Roddick did so in 2007. The last man to win the Aussie Open and lose in the first round of the French Open was Petr Korda in 1998. Also on Monday, Slovak and recent Munich clay court titlist Martin Klizan ousted ninth-seeded Japanese Kei Nishikori 7-6 (7-4), 6-1, 6-2. The recent Madrid runner-up to Nadal, Nishikori, had been nursing a back injury in recent weeks. Nishikori is the highest-ranked Japanese man in history, at No. 10 in the world, one spot lowwer than his career high.dddddddddddd. Fourteenth-seeded Italian Fabio Fognini eased past German Andreas Beck 6-4, 6-4, 6-1, while 17th-seeded Spaniard Tommy Robredo, of Spain, came back to overcome Brit James Ward 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 and 18th-seeded Ernests Gulbis fought back to best Pole Lukasz Kubot 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-1. Gulbis is fresh off his clay title in Nice, his second title on French soil this season. Meanwhile, 25th-seeded Croat Marin Cilic topped Spaniard Pablo Andujar 6-0, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6); 26th-seeded Spaniard Feliciano Lopez defeated Bosnian Damir Dzumhur 6-3, 7-6 (10-8), 6-3; 27th-seeded Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut doused Italian Paolo Lorenzi 6-3, 7-5, 6-2; 29th-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon whipped Croat Ante Pavic 6-1, 6-1, 6-3; and Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili knocked out 30th-seeded Canadian Vasek Pospisil 6-4, 6-2, 6-3. The first marathon of the fortnight saw Argentine Facundo Bagnis outlast Frenchman Julien Benneteau 6-3, 6-2, 1-6, 3-6, 18-16, including a 2-hour, 23- minute final set. Total match time was 4 hours, 26 minutes. Several other men reached the second round, including Thiem, American Donald Young, Frenchmen Kenny De Schepper, Benoit Paire and Adrian Mannarino, Spaniard Marcel Granollers, Austrian Jurgen Melzer, and Dutchman Robin Haase, who rolled past former world No. 3 Nikolay Davydenko 7-5, 6-4, 6-2. Thiem dismissed Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2, while the left- handed Young edged out Israeli veteran Dudi Sela 6-1, 2-6, 6-1, 6-0. The first round is scheduled to conclude Tuesday, including matches for a fifth-seeded Ferrer, seventh-seeded Andy Murray and 11th-seeded rising Bulgarian star Grigor Dimitrov. Ferrer will take on Dutchman Igor Sijsling, while the Wimbledon champion Murray will meet Kazakhstans Andrey Golubev and Dimitrov will tangle with 6-foot-10 Croat Ivo Karlovic, who was a runner-up in Duesseldorf last week. ' ' '
PITTSBURGH -- Milwaukee Brewers centre fielder Carlos Gomez and Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Travis Snider were ejected Sunday after a shouting match quickly escalated into a full-scale brawl. Several punches were thrown and a couple of players were tossed to the ground once the benches and bullpens emptied. The problems started when Gomez paused at the plate and flipped his bat after hitting a two-out drive in the third inning off Pirates starter Gerrit Cole. The ball hit the wall and Gomez sped into third base, making a head-first slide for a triple. Gerrit, who was near third base backing up the play, stormed toward Gomez and they exchanged words. Gomez took a couple steps toward Cole before players rushed the field from both dugouts. Milwaukees Martin Maldonado threw a punch that knocked off Sniders hat. Snider, who wasnt in the game, and Gomez shoved each other, and the Brewers star fell to the ground. Pirates catcher Russell Martin had to be restrained by teammate Gaby Sanchez as he walked off the field. Brewers bench coach Jerry Narron also was ejected. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Jersey . -- The Kelowna Rockets earned their 16th straight win with a 7-2 rout of the Portland Winterhawks in Western Hockey League action Thursday. Magic Johnson Lakers Jersey . The Bruins forward has been fined $5,000 by the National Hockey League for spearing Red Wings defenceman Danny DeKeyser in the groin. https://www.lakersjerseycheap.com/1921j-...sey-lakers.html. LOUIS -- The St. Adrian Dantley Jersey . "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. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Lakers Jersey . -- For one night, Nick Calathes provided a big reason to believe the Memphis Grizzlies might be able to withstand the loss of Mike Conley on a short-term basis. OKLAHOMA CITY -- Kevin Durant drained three 3-pointers in 75 seconds. And when the crowd wanted even more, the NBAs leading scorer responded. Durant poured in a career-high 54 points in an incredibly efficient performance, helping the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Golden State Warriors 127-121 on Friday night. The 6-foot-9 forward had 11 points during one two-minute stretch in the fourth quarter, powering the Thunder to a 17-point lead. With the crowd of 18,203 chanting "MVP! MVP!" he made two foul shots with 2:45 remaining to establish a new career-best scoring total. "When youve got it going, I look at the bench and see how my teammates are reacting, and that just gives me an extra push," Durant said. "Then, I hear the fans." Durant made 19 of 28 field goals and 11 of 13 free throws in his third straight game with at least 36 points. "As a leader, my main objective is to serve my teammates, help them out," he said. "Some nights, Ive got to put it up, Ive got to score. Some nights, Ive got to do other things. Tonight, they found me and I was able to hit a few shots. I just tried to do as best as I can to lead the team and lead us to victory." It was the kind of performance that gets fans fired up about post-season awards in mid-January. "Its premature," Durant said. "Its way too early in the season. I try not to think about that type of stuff. Of course, as a player, youd love to win an MVP award, but I cant take my focus off the team. Every day, Ive just got to keep chipping away, keep enjoying the process, and well see what happens." Serge Ibaka had 21 points and eight rebounds, Reggie Jackson scored 14 points and Kendrick Perkins added 12 rebounds for the Thunder (30-10), who won for the third time in four games. Oklahoma City shot 58 per cent from the field and scored a season-high point total. Stephen Curry had 37 points and 11 assists, and Klay Thompson added 26 points for the Warriors (25-16), who shot 52 per cent but simply couldnt match up with Durant. "We battled him for the most part, and hee got hot in the fourth and knocked down some big shots for them," Warriors centre Andrew Bogut said.dddddddddddd. "Theres a reason why hes a perennial All-Star and future Hall of Famer, and possibly MVP this year." Golden State coach Mark Jackson was disappointed with his teams defence. "Were a good enough defensive team to give a little better effort, fight a little bit harder," Jackson said. Oklahoma City led 39-32 at the end of the first quarter after shooting 78.3 per cent from the field. It had a 71-65 advantage at the break after a season high for points in a half for the Thunder. Curry had 22 points and eight assists in the first half and Thompson scored 21 points before the break. The Warriors made 10 of 16 3-pointers in the first half to stay in the game. Andre Iguodala scored his first points of the game on a steal and dunk that cut Oklahoma Citys lead to 82-79 midway through the third, but the Thunder steadily pulled away the rest of the period. A mid-range jumper by Durant pushed Oklahoma Citys advantage to 96-86, and the Thunder led 101-91 heading into the final quarter. Durant then closed by scoring 15 points in the fourth. "You let a guy like KD, he leads the league in scoring, start off the game as hot as he did . It was tough to start off the game like that and then try to get stops against a dynamic scorer like that, especially when hes hitting everything," Curry said. Durant gave his teammates credit. "Its the small things that go into a game to help us win, and everybody did them tonight," he said. NOTES: The previous two meetings between the Thunder and Warriors were decided by last-second shots. In the first game on Nov. 14, Iguodala hit a fallaway game-winning jumper for Golden State. In the second game, on Nov. 29, Russell Westbrook hit the game-winner in overtime. ... Golden State G Jordan Crawford played for the first time since being acquired from Boston in a three-team trade. He finished with eight points in 15 minutes. ... Former UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture attended the game. ---- ' ' '
Vancouver, BC (SportsNetwork.com) - Linden Vey scored the eventual game-winner late in the second period, sending the Vancouver Canucks to a 3-2 victory over the New York Islanders on Tuesday night. Ryan Stanton and Nick Bonino also lit the lamp for the Canucks, who have won two in a row. Eddie Lack made 21 saves. Matt Martin and Mikhail Grabovski scored for the Islanders, who have dropped two straight since a three-game winning streak. Jaroslav Halak gave up all three goals on 20 shots. Martin gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead at 9:38 of the first when he tipped in Travis Hamonics centering pass. Stanton tied things when he put home a rebound at 12:09 of the opening frame. Bonino gave the Canucks a 2-1 lead at the 8:01 mark of the middle stanza. Kevin Bieksas shot from the point set up a rebound in front for Bonino. Vey lit the lamp on a breakaway at 17:36. Vey was not expected to play, but was inserted into the lineup because Radim Vrbata was sick. New York got within one late in the third following a Vancouver turnover. Grabovski took a pass from Kyle Okposo and ripped a shot past Lack. Game Notes New York was without forward Josh Bailey (upper body), but forward Michael Grabner returned after missing nine games with a lower-body injury ... The Islanders placed defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky on injured reserve with an upper-body injury ... Canucks forward Brad Richardson sustained a lower-body injury while blocking a shot in the second period. He did not return for the third. Fake Air Max 270 For Sale . Minutes before the final whistle of Sporting Kansas Citys 3-0 victory over a shorthanded Montreal Impact squad on Saturday afternoon, Saputo tweeted: "Our fans deserve better. Fake Vans Old Skool Cheap . Observant Muslims avoid food and liquids from dawn to dusk during Ramadan but can, and often do, skip it if travelling or doing hard physical labour. Some devout Muslim athletes choose to fast during training or competition, but it can create selection difficulties for the coaches in team sports. http://www.fakeyeezyscheap.com/wholesale...-boost-380.html. -- The way Ted Ligety carved into turns looked so easy. Balenciaga Triple s Cheap . 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. Yeezy Boost 350 v2 Fake For Sale . 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.OTTAWA -- The Ottawa Senators have signed defenceman Mikael Wikstrand to a three-year entry-level contract. A native of Karlstad, Sweden, Wikstrand had 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 19 games with Frolunda of the Swedish Hockey League. He added two points (one goal, one assist) in seven games as Frolunda was defeated in the SHL quarter-finals by Linkopings. Prior to making his SHL debut, Wikstrand registered 20 points (four goals, 16 assists) with Mora of Swedens Allsvenskan league.dddddddddddd Wikstrand helped Sweden earn a silver medal at the 2013 world junior hockey championship in Ufa, Russia, registering four assists in six games. He was selected by Ottawa in the seventh round, 196th overall, of the 2012 NHL draft. ' ' '
The Calgary Stampeders have signed import defensive back Keon Raymond to a two-year contract extension. Raymond, 31, started 15 regular-season games for the Stamps in 2013, racking up 51 tackles. He also returned two kickoffs for 79 yards including a 61-yarder. “Keon is a reliable and versatile player who has been a key member of our defence for many seasons,” said Stampeders head coach and general manager John Hufnagel. “Hes an important part of the Stampeders both on and off the field and Im pleased that he has chosen to sign an extension to remain in Calgary.” In 88 career regular-season games for Calgary, Raymond has recorded 250 tackles and eight sacks with 15 interceptions. He has five career touchdowns — three on interceptions and two on fumble returns. “Ive been so blessed for the time I have spent in Calgary so far and Im happy to continue my career with the Stampeders,” said Raymond. “I have the best teammates I could ever hope for and the support of Stampeders fans is always tremendous. Calgary is home for me and my family and Im looking forward to the new season and another opportunity to get to the Grey Cup.” Cheap College Jerseys . A Swiss Federal Tribunal ruling published Friday said that FIFAs disputes panel and the Court of Arbitration for Sport correctly imposed the sanction for Nantes enticing Guinea forward Ismael Bangoura to break his contract with Dubai club Al Nasr in January 2012. Cheap MLB Jerseys . - Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Jason Babin is now a free agent. https://www.cheapnfljerseysjustwholesale.com/. Notes on P.K. Subban, Dale Weise, Erik Haula, Mikael Granlund, Ilya Bryzgalov and more. Cheap NFL Jerseys China . It was the most lopsided loss in Lakers history. Darren Collison had a team-high 24 points while starting at shooting guard for the injured Jamal Crawford. Chris Paul added 13 points and 11 assists for the Clippers, who apparently are trying to make up for decades of humiliation at the hands of the Lakers all in one season; theyve won the last two meetings by a combined 84 points. Cheap NFL Jerseys . They kicked off the still-going trend of host cities winning the Grey Cup and sent Hall of Fame head coach Wally Buono to the front office a champion.OTTAWA, ON - Charlesbourg, Quebec will be the host of the 2015 Skate Canada Synchronized Skating Championships. The event will take place from February 27 to March 1, 2015 at the Pavillon de la Jeunesse. "Quebec has a rich synchronized skating heritage and we are elated to bring this event to Charlesbourg," said Dan Thompson, Skate Canada CEO. "The championships will kick-off an exciting time for synchro in Canada, as Hamilton, Ontario prepares to host the world synchronized skating championships later that year. I hope fans in Quebec will take the opportunity to come out and see our talented teams compete for national titles and a chance to represent Canada internationally." "The Quebec Section and CPA Charlesbourg are thrilled to be hosting the 2015 Skate Canada Synnchronized Skating Championships.dddddddddddd. This will be a fabulous opportunity for us to show off our first-class hosting abilities and our facilities," said Sylvie Simard, Quebec Section Chair. "We are looking forward to welcoming the hundreds of skaters, coaches, officials, volunteers and fans that will come out to watch Canadas best synchronized skating teams." The 2015 Skate Canada Synchronized Skating Championships will bring approximately 40 teams and over 800 skaters from across the country to Charlesbourg. Teams will compete for national titles in the senior, junior, open, intermediate and novice categories. The top two senior teams will represent Canada at the 2015 ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships from April 10-11, 2015 in Hamilton, Ontario. ' ' '
TORONTO - At the ripe old age of 27-years-old Amir Johnson, the final player to have entered the league straight out of high school, finds himself in an unfamiliar situation as his 10th NBA season approaches. Johnson has never been one to pace himself, thats what has made him so valuable to the Raptors throughout his years in Toronto, and as a result hes taken a beating physically. Since coming to the Raptors, hes been remarkably durable, especially when you factor in the countless rolls of tape used on his troublesome ankles and time spent on the trainers table each season. Hes missed just 18 games in five years but by late March and April you can expect him to be hobbling around on one good ankle, if that. Up until last seasons surprising run to the playoffs it hadnt really mattered. A second-round pick out of Westchester high school in Los Angeles, Johnson began his career playing sparingly for a contending Pistons team. Eventually he transitioned to a complimentary role in Detroit before playing out four losing campaigns as a Raptor. By the spring many of his teammates would shut it down, mentally or physically or both, but Johnson kept chugging along. Last year was supposed to be much of the same, but thats not how it turned out and now here he is, participating in his 10th NBA training camp, but first in which hes expected to play a significant role for a playoff-bound club. Hes graduated from X-factor status, a tag that implicates ones game with the unreliability commonly associated with younger players. Amirs notoriously our glue guy, said Dwane Casey, a far more appropriate label for a player that has anchored Torontos defence and produced efficient offence for years. We know who he is. More than ever before, the Raptors need him on the court, as close to 100 per cent as possible during the stretch run and into the post-season if theyre to top last years accomplishments. The question is, how do you slow down a player who has been so effective operating at one speed? Amir, if he doesnt play with energy or if he tries to pace himself, that doesnt help him and it doesnt help us, Casey said. Hes an old pro and he knows how to play. Im not really concerned about him wearing down. Hes just got to stay healthy. The onus, at least to some degree, will be on Casey and the coaching staff to monitor Johnsons usage and perhaps scale back his minutes, not excessively but sporadically throughout the year, something they implemented last March as the forward battled a series of late-season aches and pains. The teams added depth and versatility should help Casey ensure that all of his regulars - including Johnson, DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry - are kept fresh. Patrick Patterson was one of the leagues premier reserves after last seasons trade and figures to have an expanded role in his first full campaign with the Raptors. Tyler Hansbrough has earned praise in camp, having added a jump shot and improving his spacing and overall court awareness. James Johnson can also shift over to power forward, something Casey has experimented with in camp and feels comfortable deploying when they play small. Well watch his minutes, said Casey, but no ones playing that [many] minutes at the position to be overly taxed energy-wise. Johnson is doing his part to prepare for what could be his most grueling year, beginning with his work and innovative approach during the summer. The Raptors forward did not require surgery on either of his tender ankles, to his relief, instead he spent time at the P3 training facility in Santa Barbara, Calif. to help prevent the recurrence of similar injuries. It started with football players and now they expanded to a bunch of basketball players, he said of the cutting-edge sports clinic. What they do is strap you into these little light bulb suits, like they do in video games, and they have a screen where they show you every movement you do. So I was jumping up and down, sliding, seeing which way I land and they break it down to where you can see your skeleton and your bones move in slow motion, when you land and how you land. It could be something where you can just adjust your foot and kind of turn it a different way and that prevents you from maybe rolling an ankle or hurting your back. There, Johnson received feedback on how to refine some bad habits in his movement on the court - running, jumping, landing, etc. Its something he still works on implementing ahead of games and before practice. It takes repetition, but you can get used to it. So I did that this summer and I think it worked out great for me, he said, having also worked with Hall-of-Famer Hakeem Olajuwon on his post moves. Ive been working, strengthening, conditioning and keeping my body healthy. It didnt take long for Johnson to give the Raptors their first scare of the young campaign - if you can even call it a scare, given how often he hits the deck and pops back up. Johnson went down, battling for a rebound late in the second quarter of Fridays exhibition win over the Thunder. It wasnt my ankle, it was actually my foot, he clarified after sitting out the remainder of that game as a precaution. But Im fine. Perhaps his new and improved footwork, coupled with the possibility of reduced playing time, will lesson the threat of injury for Johnson in this all-important upcoming season - its also a contract year for him - but that risk will always be a factor and presumably higher than most on account of the way he plays the game. Whether theyre used to it or not, his teammates and coaches will always cringe when they see Johnson sprawled out on the court, but its par for the course. He may end up their intentionally - after diving for a loose ball or taking a charge - or otherwise, but as long as he continues to pop back up, the Raptors will live with the frequent scare. Hes that valuable. Bulls Jerseys 2019 . "I wouldnt read anything into what happened Saturday at Torrey Pines," Woods said Tuesday after an 18-hole exhibition for past winners of the Dubai Desert Classic. Bulls Jerseys China .C. -- North Carolina State coach Mark Gottfried said his team had a "golden" opportunity to help its NCAA tournament chances. https://www.cheapbulls.com/. He could have transferred when academic sanctions barred the Huskies from the NCAA tournament his junior season. Chicago Bulls Shirts . As each game passes (each has played close with the exception of last night) it becomes clearer just how evenly matched these two teams are and how one mistake, or one bad inning, is likely to sway the result. Bulls Jerseys 2020 . After missing 20 games as a rookie a year ago, Valanciunas - like the Raptors as a whole - has been fortunate to be in good health this season. As he spoke about it, the Raptors sophomore centre scanned the room for wood to knock on. "It is disappointing because we lost today so thats the worst part of the day," said Valanciunas, who left Tuesdays game with a lower-back sprain in the third quarter, missing the rest of Torontos 118-113 overtime defeat at the hands of the Hawks. PHOENIX -- Phoenix first-year coach Jeff Hornacek was one of the NBAs best shooters in his playing days. His team did him proud Saturday night. Phoenix matched its season-best with 15 3-pointers -- in 30 tries -- to beat the Dallas Mavericks 123-108 in the surprising Suns highest-scoring game of the season Five Phoenix players made at least two from beyond the arc. "Offensively, it was probably our best game," Hornacek said. Eric Bledsoe was 3 of 4 on 3s and scored 25, Gerald Green made 4 of 8 3s en route to 22 points and Channing Frye sank 4 of 6 3s and scored 18 in the Suns seventh win in their last eight games. P.J. Tucker was 2 of 3 from long-range and scored 16. Marcus Morris made 2 of 3 3s. "If you share the ball, then everybody gets a feeling of confidence that is way up," the Suns Goran Dragic said. "We are shooting the ball well. This is so much fun, playing like that. Everybody is on the same page and when we play like that I think its hard to stop us." Dirk Nowitzki scored 21 points, and Monta Ellis and Brandan Wright had 19 apiece for the Mavericks, whose only lead of the night was 2-0. The 123 points were the most allowed by Dallas this season. Both teams were playing on consecutive nights. The Suns rallied from 21 down to win at Denver 103-99 on Friday night and Dallas lost 109-108 at home to Toronto in overtime. The Mavericks were 3 of 17 on 3s, getting outscored 45-9 from 3-point range. Dallas lost despite a 62-36 advantage in points in the paint. "Every time we got close they knocked in a 3," Wright said. "They shot the lights out." Bledsoe said that teams are beginning to zero in on him and fellow guard Dragic, and that leaves shooters open. When those shots falling, life is easy in the Suns freewheeling style. "It opens up everything," Bledsoe said. The Suns set the long-range tone from the start. "They came out firing on fire," Ellis said. Phoenix made 7 of 10 3-pointers in a season-highh 38-point first quarter, leading 38-25.dddddddddddd Green led the way going 3 for 3. But the Mavericks methodically made their way back into the game, using a 6-0 spurt to cut it to 56-54 when Wright blocked Bledsoes layup try, leading to Ellis dunk with 1:30 left. Dragic somehow drove the length of the court in 2 seconds to put the Suns up 63-58 at the half. Miles Plumlees dunk on a fast-break lob from Bledsoe highlighted an 8-0 spurt that put Phoenix up 83-71 on a reverse layup by Markieff Morris with 4:22 left in the third quarter. Again, Dallas clawed back, cutting the lead to 83-78 on DeJuan Blairs inside basket with 2:03 to go in the quarter, but Bledsoe sank a 3, Plumlee dunked and Green made his final 3-pointer of the night to put Phoenix up 91-82 entering the fourth quarter. Marcus Morris opened the fourth quarter with a 3 to put the Suns ahead 94-82, then Dallas 37-year-old Vince Carter made a 3-pointer and drove the lane for a dunk, leading to an immediate timeout by Hornacek. Right after that, Markieff Morris sank a 16-footer and Bledsoe drove for a layup to boost the lead back to 98-87. Dallas cut it to 100-94 when Ellis made one of two free throws with 8:31 left, but Frye sank a 3, Markieff Morris made a 16-footer and the Suns led 105-95 with 7:16 left. The Mavericks got no closer than eight again. The final margin was Phoenixs biggest lead of the night. "I think our biggest challenge right now is to stay disciplined in some defensive situations," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "Weve had too many gambles, too many bad fouls in late shot clock and too many things that lead to chain reactions that weve got to eliminate." NOTES: Suns have made at least seven 3-pointers in 18 consecutive games. ... Phoenix is 8-5 against teams that had a .500 record or better through games played Friday. ... The Suns, expected to be one of the NBAs worst teams, improved to 16-10, sixth-best in the Western Conference. ... Dallas has lost four of six. ' ' '
SAN DIEGO - Its been a rough two weeks for the San Diego Chargers, who not only lost at home to the best two teams in the AFC, New England and Denver, but saw thousands of Patriots and Broncos fans jam into Qualcomm Stadium.The Chargers have gone from controlling their destiny in the wild-card race to needing to win their final two games and getting help from other teams to return to the playoffs.The Chargers (8-6) play at San Francisco on Saturday night and then at AFC West rival Kansas City in the regular-season finale. San Diego is tied with Kansas City and Buffalo, one game out of the final wild-card spot. The Chiefs beat the Chargers in their first meeting. San Diego and Kansas City both beat Buffalo.A week after losing 23-14 to New England, the Chargers lost 22-10 Sunday to a Broncos team led by Peyton Manning, who played despite being sick and then had to leave the game just before halftime to get treatment after he hurt his right thigh. Denver (11-3) clinched its fourth straight AFC West title.The Chargers scored only one offensive touchdown in each of the last two games. Philip Rivers was intercepted twice Sunday.You definitely want to come out and play your best ball, wide receiver Eddie Royal said Monday. You want to make a statement and win those games, especially at home. That didnt happen but it didnt take away from the type of team and type of players we know we have.Defensive tackle Corey Liuget said the Chargers need to learn from the losses and move on.We always know we can play with the best of them, but in order to be the best, to be considered one of the top three to five teams in the NFL, youve got to beat the best and we didnt prove that the last two weeks, he said. We tip our hats to those two teams and continue to move on.The Broncos also scored only one touchdown Sunday but got five field goals from Connor Barth. San Diegos Nick Novak made one field goal but had one attempt blocked and had another attempt go off the left upright.The Broncos got inside the Chargers 10 on consecutive drives in the first half but had to settle for field goals each time.If you play red-area defence the way our defence was playing the last couple of game we should win these games, coach Mike McCoy said. But its a team game.McCoy said he believes the Chargers can beat any team in the league.What you have to do against the really good teams is youve got to make the most of every possession, in all phases, and we gave a good team a number of extra opportunities — missed field goals, turnovers, third-down conversions defensively, McCoy said. You give them another opportunity to do what they do and theres a reason why theyre at the top.McCoy confirmed that inside linebacker Donald Butler has a dislocated left elbow and said he was awaiting test results. Butler was hurt after being blocked by Manning on a run by C.J. Anderson. Butler could be a candidate for season-ending injured reserve.___Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFLWhere can one buy good quality but cheap jerseys . Then again, he really was at his home away from home. "It was nice to sleep in my own bed last night," Shields said after pitching Kansas City past the San Diego Padres 8-0 Wednesday. What is a good website to buy sports jerseys . Traditional contenders Brazil, Greece and Turkey drew the other three spots to complete the 24-team field for this summers tournament in Spain, basketball governing body FIBA announced Saturday at its meeting in Barcelona. https://www.wheretobuycheapjerseys.com/.The Hamilton Tiger-Cat defensive back always has the required receipt. But he also walks around with a tangle of metal screws, rods and plates after breaking his neck in 2006 playing high school football in Louisiana. Where to Buy Cheap Jerseys . The 24-year-old Pruneau played his CIS football with the Montreal Carabins. The six-foot, 200-pound Montreal native had 41 tackles, 3. Where Can Buy Cheap Jerseys .The Hanwha Eagles said the team was impressed with Morgans contact ability and base-running skills.The 34-year-old debuted with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2007 and hit .ST. LOUIS -- Sam Bradford is done for the season, and the burden for the St. Louis Rams has just become a whole lot bigger. The quarterback will have will have season-ending surgery for a torn ligament in his left knee, a major blow to a team seeking its first winning record in a decade. He was hurt in the fourth quarter of Sundays 30-15 loss at Carolina that dropped the Rams to 3-4. "Even if Sam wasnt hurt, wed still have some heavy lifting to do," centre Scott Wells said after the game. "But this adds extra to it." The extent of the injury was revealed on an MRI exam late Sunday after the return flight, and the team announced the results Monday. Coach Jeff Fisher was to provide details at an afternoon news conference. Bradford tore his anterior cruciate ligament when he landed on his knee after being shoved out of bounds by safety Mike Mitchell. Fisher said after the game that Bradford was in "significant pain" on the sideline. Teammates feared the worst once they saw him carted off the field and on crutches in the locker room. Kellen Clemens filled in for Bradford and is the only other quarterback on the roster, with the team a week away from a Monday night home game against the Seahawks. Austin Davis, released late in training camp, is perhaps the leading potential backup. Braadford has 14 touchdown passes and just four interceptions this season.dddddddddddd Still, he has his detractors, critics who insist he has not measured up to the billing of a No. 1 overall pick. But now in his fourth season out of Oklahoma, Bradford has been nudging his way up the ladder, surely among the top half of the leagues best quarterbacks. Hes been taking charge and minimizing mistakes -- exactly what the youngest team in the NFL needed. Bradford threw for 255 yards and a score Sunday, with one interception and two sacks. He has thrown a touchdown pass in 11 consecutive games. St. Louis had won its previous two games, with Bradford throwing three TD passes in each. Bradford is no stranger to injuries. He missed six games with a high left ankle sprain in 2011. He had season-ending shoulder surgery in 2009 when he was at Oklahoma. Clemens made three starts in 2011 but hadnt played this year until replacing Bradford against Carolina. He has made 12 career starts, seven of them with the New York Jets in 2007. "Its never easy when you see a teammate go down," he said after the game. "When you see a person that you spend as much time with as I do with Sam and genuinely care about as a person. ... I have great respect for what he does on the field, but just as genuine concern for him as a person." ' ' '
SAINT-NOM-LA-BRETECHE, France -- Britain and Ireland trimmed Continental Europes lead to one point in the Seve Trophy after the second day of fourballs on Friday. Nicolas Colsaerts and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano equaled the biggest winning margin in the tournaments history with a 6 and 5 win over Britain and Irelands Paul Lawrie and Stephen Gallacher to help Europe lead 5 1/2-4 1/2. But Paul Kasey and Simon Khan beat Mikko Ilonen and Thorbjorn Olesen 3-2, Jamie Donaldson and Marc Warren won 4 and 2 against veterans Thomas Bjorn and Miguel Angel Jimenez. David Lynn and Scott Jamieson overcame Italians Francesco Molinari and Matteo Manassero by just one hole. "There is just a fraction of disappointment. We let a point go with the Italians, they had the match under control until the very end," Europe captain Jose Maria Olazabal said. "Overall (losing) 3-2 is not that bad. These guys play great golf, and you have to be on your toes. When you play at this kind of level, its decided on little things, and today was a good proof of that." Gregory Bourdy and Joost Luiten beat Tommy Fleetwood and Chris Wood by the same margin. A 6-foot birdie from Jamieson secured their win on the final hole after the Italians had been one up with two holes to play. "The golf that was played was beautiful," Britain and Ireland captain Sam Torrance said. Britain and Ireland could have finished the day all square with Europe as Fleetwood and Wood rallied from 3 down after 14 holes. Woods eagle on the 17th ensured it went to the final hole, where both he and Fleetwood had putts to halve the match, but missed. Lawrie expressed his disappointment last week that eight of his Ryder Cup teammates snubbed the tournament. Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter arent playing for Britain and Ireland. Sergio Garcia and Peter Hansen declined places in the Europe team. The Seve Trophy, which is played in non-Ryder Cup years, is named after the late Seve Ballesteros, who died in 2011. Sports Jerseys Sale . Im very excited about the playoffs, particularly in the Western Conference with amazing match-ups, as well as the wonderful local story in the Toronto Raptors. It should be a blast. Here are my predictions, but based upon my lousy prognostications during the NCAA Tournament, you might be better off going the other way on some of mine - particularly with the Raptors, who I hope and pray are able to win an incredibly difficult match-up. Cheap Sports Jerseys . Asdrubal Cabrera had four hits and three RBIs, Michael Brantley also homered and the Indians beat the injury-riddled Minnesota Twins 9-4 Thursday for their first three-game winning streak this season. https://www.discountsportsjerseyscheap.com/. - Vince Wilfork has played only two career games in Kansas City. Wholesale Sports Jerseys . Watch the action live on TSN and listen on TSN 1050 Radio beginning at 7pm et/4pm pt. The Raptors maintained their spot atop the Atlantic Friday after defeating the Wizards, 96-88, for their second win in a row. Authentic Sports Jerseys .com) - Markus Granlund scored the game-winning goal as the Calgary Flames used an early offensive flurry to defeat the Los Angeles Kings, 2-1, on Monday.VANCOUVER - The Vancouver Whitecaps are unbeaten to start the Major League Soccer season, but rookie head coach Carl Robinson knows his club is still very much a work in progress. After thumping the New York Red Bulls 4-1 in their home opener on March 8, the Whitecaps secured a pair of road draws the last two weeks — 1-1 against Chivas USA and 0-0 against the New England Revolution. Catch the action live on TSN2 at 7pm et/4pm pt. Points away from home are always a bonus in MLS, but Robinson wasnt happy with certain aspects of the games as goalkeeper David Ousted was forced to bail out his teammates on a couple of occasions. With that in mind, the Whitecaps spent time this week getting back to basics in preparation for Saturdays home date against the Houston Dynamo. "We havent played enough football in the last two games that I wouldve liked," said Robinson. "We tried to break it down into segments of building from the back at the right times with a midfield player, breaking lines in the midfield and transitioning quickly. "The boys took the concepts very well." Robinson will hope the lessons stick as Houston (2-0-0) comes to town rested, having not played since a 1-0 victory over the Montreal Impact on March 15. "A very tough game," said Robinson. "I said to the guys in the changing room that theyre always in the playoffs, theyre a very strong team, well coached ... and its going to be a stern test for us." Vancouver is 2-2-0 against Houston all-time in MLS play, including a 3-1 home victory over the Dynamo at B.C. Place Stadium back in 2012. "Its always been a fortress for us," Whitecaps captain Jay DeMerit said of his teams home field. "Throughout the years weve been able to pick up good results and well look to continue that. We know we have a tough opposition this week." Robinson, who was promoted to the top job in December after former head coach Martin Rennie was fired, has tempered expectations as he attempts to put his mark on the club and return the Whitecaps to the post-season. "I was never getting too carried away after the first game and Im not getting too down after two difficult away games," said the former Welsh international. "Its important we try and put our stamp on the game. Because were a young team with new players, its important we manage games better." That begins at the opening whistle, where the Whitecaps struggled the last two weeks to assert themselves early on the road. "A lot of teams in Major League Soccer play very well at home," said Robinson. "Its difficult to go on the road and play. The successful teams manage to find a way to win on the road. Were very good at home. We know that, and if we want to be competing for the playoffs weve got to be very good at home.ddddddddddddquot; One player the Dynamo will have to pay close attention to is Whitecaps striker Darren Mattocks, who has two assists this season, and three goals in two career games against Houston. "Mattocks is a fast guy," Dynamo defender Kofi Sarkodie told the clubs official website. "As long as we stick together as a back line as weve been doing and just kind of eliminate space in behind, I think we can nullify them throughout the match." DeMerit said the Whitecaps have had past success against the Dynamo because their style suits the matchup. "That means getting the ball down, getting our link play up and our combinations up front to create chances in our final third," said DeMerit. "The way you beat them is to pick them apart, and weve been able to do that most of the time." The Dynamo — who will face their first road test of the season — have yet to concede a goal this year, while striker Will Bruin already has three of his own to go along with an assist. "Strong team," said Ousted. "Good crosses and big guys up front that are good in the box, so we need to study up on those guys and be ready for it. Hopefully we can go in and dictate the play a little more than we did in the two away games." DeMerit will draw back into the lineup for Vancouver after a week of rest. Another change comes out of necessity, with Gershon Koffie expected to replace Nigel Reo-Coker in the centre of midfield. Reo-Coker suffered a bizarre injury on Sunday when he tripped over a bike rack in Vancouver and suffered a concussion and cuts to his face. Koffie, who has started 77 games for the Whitecaps since 2011, subbed in for Reo-Coker for the final 20 minutes against the Revolution for his first action of 2014. "Its always learning when youre on the bench," said Koffie. "Its not easy to be on the bench ... but also you have to learn from the bench." Robinson said hes pleased with Vancouvers unbeaten run to kick off the campaign but stressed its far too soon to be looking at the standings. At this point, the process is what concerns him. "We started off very well. Weve still got obviously a long way to go. Were unbeaten in three but its early stages," said Robinson. "Its important we progress every game and along the way well win games and well lose games. "But as long as were progressing in the right way and trying to put the style of play I want in the team, then were moving in the right direction." Note: The Whitecaps will honour Y.P. Lee before Saturdays game. The famed South Korean defender joined Vancouver in 2012 after a lengthy career in Europe and the Middle East before retiring in October. Follow @JClipperton on Twitter ' ' '
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The Montreal Impact keep getting in trouble with Major League Soccer. The league announced Wednesday it fined the Impact and coach Marco Schallibaum after players swarmed referee Jorge Gonzalez during a 3-0 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps. Schallibaum, who has been suspended four times for a total of five games in his first year with Montreal, was fined $2,000. The club was fined $10,000 because it violated the leagues mass confrontation policy for a third time. Vancouver received an official warning for their first violation of the season. Players from both teams were livid after Gonzalez pointed to the penalty spot after what appeared to be a hand ball by Vancouver Jun Marques Davidson in the 38th minute of the game on Saturday, but then reversed his decision after consulting the fourth official. Coincidentally, Impact sporting director Nick De Santis was serving a one-game suspension for confronting an official after a match the previous week against Columbus. The league also fined Chivas USA defender Mario De Luna an undisclosed amount for kicking out at Houston Dynamo kidfielder Brad Davis. No foul was called on the play in the 44th minute of thier match on Saturday. De Luna was suspended one game in May for shoving a ball boy during a game in Portland. Cheap Nike Shoes Authentic . The three goals bring Messis career tally for Barcelona to 371 in all games -- including friendlies -- breaking the club record of 369 held by Paulino Alcantara since 1927. The 26-year-old Messi was already the clubs all-time leading scorer in official games. Messi assured Barcelonas fans they will enjoy his goals for years to come, saying "as long as people want me, I will stay here. Cheap Nike Shoes .I shared with him how much I appreciated all he had done for us, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said of that Thursday night farewell. https://www.wholesalenikeshoesauthentic.com/. Louis Cardinals placed outfielder Allen Craig on the 15-day disabled list with a right knee contusion on Sunday. Cheap Nike Shoes Free Shipping . -- Stacy Lewis shot 7-under 65 to lead the LPGA Tour team to the championship of the 3Tour Challenge on Tuesday. Nike Shoes Sale . Duhamel, from Lively, Ont., and Radford, from Balmertown, Ont., were second with 77.01 points, just behind Olympic bronze medallists Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany. The four-time world champs lead at 79.The Toronto Raptors are having one of the best seasons in franchise history - in a year when nobody expected it. Many believed sneaking into the final playoff spot would be a success for the Raptors this season, but even that wasnt guaranteed. But with only 11 games remaining in the regular season, Toronto (40-31) sits in third place in the Eastern Conference, 2 1/2 games ahead of the Brooklyn Nets for tops in the Atlantic Division and a postseason spot all but official. This will be the first time since 2008 that the Raptors will play in the NBAs second season. With all of the good fortunes the Dinos have seen this year, who has been most integral to the teams success? DeMar DeRozan is the face of the franchise and is one of the longest tenured members of the Raptors. The 24-year-old made his first All-Star Game this season and is leading the team in points scoring 22.7 per game. This is DeRozans fifth year in the Association and he signed a four-year deal last season to stay north of the border for the foreseeable future. Will the team only go as far as DeMar will take them? Kyle Lowry has quickly become a fan favourite in only his second season in Raptors colours. The rugged point guard has shown bulldog-like toughness on a nightly basis, playing considerable minutes and being the man the team has looked to when they are in need of a spark. Analysts and fans alike thought the 28-year-old should have been in New Orleans for the All-Star Game. Averaging 17.6 PPG (scoring over 20 points in eight consecutive games) along with 7.7 assists per game makes a good case for that argument. His future is uncertain in Toronto with Lowry hitting the free agent market this summer, but the Raptors are glad to have him for the time being.dddddddddddd Is he the one to thank? Then theres Amir Johnson. At only 26, he can be considered a veteran, already playing in his ninth NBA season and is an important part of the Raps front court. He averages 11.1 PPG, 6.9 rebounds per game and is a strong force on the defensive side of the ball. Maybe the key success is coming from the sidelines. Head coach Dwane Casey is in his second year in charge of the Raptors and seems to have finally gotten through to his players. Toronto has gotten much better defensively only allowing 97.6 PPG, good enough for fifth in the NBA. Is the coachs defence-first mindset the reason the Raptors are headed to the post-season? The success could be attributed to General Manager Masai Ujiri. The Nigerian hasnt brought in a lot of highly touted talent since he took the job last off-season. Instead hes used the method of addition by subtraction to improve on the court. First, he shipped the much-maligned Andrea Bargnani off to the New York Knicks followed by sending Rudy Gay to the Sacramento Kings during the season. Toronto is 34-19 since Gay was traded out west. With the offence no longer going through Gay, the Raptors have been able to score more efficiently. Not to mention the players coming back to Toronto - namely Patrick Patterson and Greivis Vasquez – have helped the Raptors to get where they are today. Do we have to look to the front office for the reason behind the sudden improvement? So, who do you think is the most integral to the Raptors success this season? As always, its Your! Call. ' ' '
WINNIPEG -- After missing four games with an injured hand, forward Evander Kane is back in the Winnipeg Jets lineup for the first time since Paul Maurice took over as head coach. "I dont think my role changes too much," Kane said Monday, as the team prepared to fly to California for games in Anaheim and San Jose. "Obviously you are going to have to earn your ice time and play well and show him what you can do. Other guys have had three games to show what they can do and this will be my first one so Im going to have to be good." The left-winger has been out since Jan. 7 when he suffered a hand injury in a fight during Winnipegs 4-2 home loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Although hes missed 12 games due to injury this season, Kane still has 14 goals and 11 assists. The Jets (22-23-5) have won three in a row since Maurice took over but are still a point below .500 as they face two of the toughest teams in the Western Conference. Anaheim (37-9-5) leads the conference and the NHL with 79 points and hasnt lost a game in regulation time at home. San Jose is 16-2-3 in their own building. "We had as much success as we could have had this week, we won three games, so well take whatever thats worth," said Maurice. "Im much more concerned that they have confidence in each other in what were trying to accomplish becoming more clearly defined. I feel in practice that Im seeing the things weve asked them to do come a little bit easier." Maurice said Kane will skate on a line with Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler. "I like the possibilities of that line. Id like to think Im going to have some patience with it cause Id like to see it work. At the same time I do have another lineup, Ive got another place as well that I wouldnt mind seeing him because hes a real strong player and he can be a real benefit to whoever he plays with." While on paper the Jets seem no match for either Anaheim or San Jose, "Ive never felt that on a one game," said Maurice. "Over the course of the season yes, in any one game no, the best is not that far from the bottom and thats why its a competition." Kanes father will also be on the road swing, along with other dads as the team hosts a father-son trip. Wheeler says it feels a lot better heading west with three wins behind them instead of three more losses and some confidence that they are playing the way their new coach wants. "It definitely helps to have that confidence, the way were playing and what were doing," he said. He also said theyve been pretty comfortable from the start with what Maurice has been urging them to do. "I think hes trying to utilize the things we do the best to give ourselves a chance to win. Hes trying to use our team speed, use our size, things that we do well to give us an opportunity to play our best every night." Meanwhile, with Dustin Byfugliens move to forward, rookie defenceman Jacob Trouba is seeing a lot of ice time. "Were not running him against the other teams best all night long," said Maurice, but he added that he feels Trouba can hold his own and needs to learn to compete with the best. "Theres going to be some mistakes, we live with those." Trouba had a pair of goals -- including the overtime winner -- Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers. Trouba is now second among all rookie defencemen in goals with seven this season and trails only Bostons Torey Krug who has 10. In points Trouba sits fifth among rookie defencemen with 16. Fake Soccer Jerseys . - Titans quarterback Jake Locker will miss the rest of the season with a Lisfranc injury to his right foot, leaving Tennessee trying to rally with Ryan Fitzpatrick. Replica Soccer Jerseys . Chris Heisey connected for his first grand slam and Devin Mesoraco homered and drove in a career high-tying four runs as Cincinnati took advantage of Tampa Bays depleted pitching staff for a 12-4 victory on Sunday. https://www.cheapsoccerjerseysjustwholesale.com/. If there is one club built to handle an off-field controversy, its the Bill Belichick era Patriots. Even if New Englands offence stumbles a bit out of the gate, their defence can help them stay in games, especially in the AFC East with the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets in the first two weeks. Wholesale Soccer Jerseys . 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. Soccer Jerseys 2020 . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive.As teams prepare for the 2014 NHL Draft, Im digging back into past drafts in an effort to distinguish some value between picks. This is an exercise I have undertaken a few times, starting in 2009, and hope that Ive refined my approach a little bit in that time to help paint a better picture. This latest update goes through NHL Drafts from 1990 through 2009, leaving some time for the 2009 picks to establish an NHL career, and assigned a numerical value to each of the players selected, using the following guidelines: 10 - Generational9 - Elite Player8 - First Line, Top Pair D7 - Top Six Forward, Top Four D6 - Top Nine Forward, Top Six D5 - NHL Regular 4 - Fringe NHLer3 - Very Good Minor Leaguer2 - Minor Leaguer, under 50 NHL games1 - 10 or fewer NHL games A few disclaimers:- There is not necessarily an equal talent gap from 10-9-8 as there is from 1-2-3 (and there are far more ones than tens), so the average grades may not be right on target for what the average player at that slot will become but they should be in the ballpark. - Its difficult to properly evaluate players from the most recent drafts, as there is a certain amount of projection still required to determine where their careers are headed, so any evaluations from 2009, in particular, tend to be conservative, making the percentage of players "Ranked 7 or better" lower in some cases. - My focus was on the best four years of a players career, in determining whether production/usage would warrant first line, second line, third line status, but players whose careers were shortened or had a narrow peak could be knocked down a peg. - There are any number of reasons why a player may or may not make it to the NHL, so when I list players under "worst", there could be extenuating circumstances, whether its injury or being stuck as a late first-round pick trying to make a talented team. Even so, Ive removed Alexei Cherepanov (#17 in 2007), Luc Bourdon (#10 in 2005) and Mickey Renaud (fifth-round pick in 2007) from the evaluation as their NHL careers werent established enough before their tragic deaths. Below is my value for draft picks, broken down pick-by-pick for the first round, by 5-pick groups in the second round, 10-pick groups in the third and fourth round, then 15-pick groups in rounds five, six and seven. Included is the average rating for players taken in those slots for the years from 1990-2009, with best and worsts of the group included for all first round picks, then only bests beyond pick No. 30. (How would you like to determine the worst fourth-round picks of all time?). Also included are percentages of those selections that ranked at least as top-six forwards, top four defencemen or starting goaltenders and, by contrast, a percentage that maxed out as fourth-liners, depth defencemen, backup goaltenders (or worse). Then, there is a percentage of players taken in that slot that have played at least 100 NHL games, a relatively low bar to say that someone was an NHL player. For those that are just embarking on their pro careers, I tend to give the benefit of the doubt, so even if Chris Krieder has 89 NHL games, I feel pretty comfortable including him among the group that will play at least 100. Before the numbers, some observations:- There is real value to holding the No. 1 pick and its getting better. While there are slip-ups every so often, they are becoming increasingly rare. The last first overall pick that would have fallen short of being a top-six forward, top four defenceman or starting goaltender would probably be Rick DiPietro. That was in 2000 and while a cautionary tale against drafting a goaltender first overall or signing 15-year contracts, DiPietro was an above average goaltender for about three seasons (2003-2004 through 2006-2007) before injuries derailed his career. - While there is plenty of talk of the Panthers trading out of the No. 1 pick, and they very well could do that, there is an element of risk involved in sliding too far down. Some risk starts to show as early as pick three or four, but outside the top five a team is at least as likely to land a depth player as they are a significant contributor. This becomes particularly interesting when a team at the top might consider moving down to take the likes of William Nylander or Nikolaj Ehlers, skilled players with high upside, but maybe they come with a little more risk and thats the downside part of the calculation when looking further down the board. - Another point to consider about the top pick is whether it will get used on Barrie Colts defenceman Aaron Ekblad. There is more risk involved when taking defencemen at the top of the draft, but the difference isnt such that defenceman ought to be ignored altogether. Fair to question whether Ekblad has a high enough ceiling or whether his relative success in junior is predicated on a size and strength advantage that should diminish in the pros, but he shouldnt be eliminated from consideration merely because he plays defence. Teams could have taken Chris Pronger or Drew Doughty at the top of the draft and ended up quite satisfied with their selections. See the positional breakdown for the top of the draft here: Forwards in First 5 PicksAverage Rating: 7.22Ranked 7 or better: 74.2%Ranked 5 or worse: 12.9%At Least 100 NHL Games (or very likely): 95.2% Defencemen in First 5 PicksAverage Rating: 6.82Ranked 7 or better: 66.7%Ranked 5 or worse: 12.1%At Least 100 NHL Games (or very likely): 100.0% Goaltenders in First 5 PicksAverage Rating: 7.30Ranked 7 or better: 80.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 0.0%At Least 100 NHL Games (or very likely): 100.0% - What is notable is that, aside from the super small sample of goaltenders taken in the top five (Roberto Luongo, DiPietro, Kari Lehtonen, Marc-Andre Fleury, Carey Price), which is a relatively successful group, the rest of the goaltending picks in the first round are a serious roll of the dice. Even though he has nothing to do with those numbers, maybe that could affect the appeal of Thatcher Demko, the top goaltending prospect. Forwards in First 30 PicksAverage Rating: 4.96Best: Jaromir Jagr, Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin. Ranked 7 or better: 32.7%Ranked 5 or worse: 50.1%At Least 100 NHL Games (or very likely): 73.5% Defencemen in First 30 PicksAverage Rating: 4.71Best: Chris Pronger, Scott Niedermayer, Drew Doughty, Erik Karlsson. Ranked 7 or better: 29.9%Ranked 5 or worse: 53.7%At Least 100 NHL Games (or very likely): 70.6% Goaltenders in First 30 PicksAverage Rating: 4.11Best: Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo, Carey Price, Tuukka Rask. Ranked 7 or better: 27.2%Ranked 5 or worse: 61.4%At Least 100 NHL Games (or very likely): 50.0% - The 15th pick has been some inexplicable wasteland, the lowest-rated pick of the first 29 and that includes having Erik Karlsson taken there by the Ottawa Senators in 2008. Only 40% of 15th picks played 100 games in the NHL, so best of luck, Detroit. - Beyond the first round, there is better than a 34.0% chance that a second-round pick (31-60) plays 100 NHL games. This falls to about 29.3% of third-round (61-90) picks, 19.3% in the fourth round (91-120), 14.7% in the fifth round (121-150), 15.5% in the sixth round (151-180) and 9.2% in the seventh round (181-210). A neat trick to have sixth-round picks slightly more successful than fifth-round picks, but that speaks to the randomness at play by that point in the draft. Land a Pavel Datsyuk or Andrei Markov or Brian Campbell at that stage and it affects the value. - While I enjoy the draft as much as anyone, and its always interesting to see how teams approach talent acquisition, hopefully these numbers indicate the uncertainty of the process. There are very few sure things on draft day. PICK VALUES No. 1Average Rating: 7.88Best: Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin.Worst: Alexandre Daigle, Patrik Stefan, Rick DiPietro.Ranked 7 or better: 85.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 5.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 100.0% No. 2Average Rating: 7.78Best: Evgeni Malkin, Chris Pronger, Daniel Sedin, Drew Doughty.Worst: Andrei Zyuzin, Pat Falloon.Ranked 7 or better: 90.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 0.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 100.0% No. 3Average Rating: 7.00Best: Scott Niedermayer, Henrik Sedin, Jonathan Toews.Worst: Alexandre Svitov, Aki Berg, Cam Barker.Ranked 7 or better: 80.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 15.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 100.0% No. 4Average Rating: 6.13Best: Paul Kariya, Roberto Luongo, Nicklas Backstrom.Worst: Alexandre Volchkov, Jason Bonsignore, Pavel Brendl.Ranked 7 or better: 50.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 30.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 85.0% No. 5Average Rating: 6.68Best: Jaromir Jagr, Thomas Vanek, Phil Kessel, Carey Price.Worst: Ric Jackman, Stanislav Chistov.Ranked 7 or better: 55.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 10.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 85.0% No. 6Average Rating: 5.25Best: Peter Forsberg, Ryan Smyth, Oliver Ekman-Larsson.Worst: Scott Scissons, Brian Finley, Daniel Tkaczuk.Ranked 7 or better: 45.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 45.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 80.0% No. 7Average Rating: 5.40Best: Jason Arnott, Shane Doan, Ryan Suter.Worst: Ryan Sittler, Alek Stojanov, Lars Jonsson.Ranked 7 or better: 35.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 40.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 90.0% No. 8Average Rating: 4.75Best: Derian Hatcher, Richard Matvichuk, Braydon Coburn.Worst: Scott Glennie, Terry Ryan, Jonathan Aitken, Alexandree Picard, Zach Hamill.ddddddddddddRanked 7 or better: 20.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 45.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 75.0% No. 9Average Rating: 5.03Best: Dion Phaneuf, Logan Couture, Kyle McLaren.Worst: Brent Krahn, Petr Taticek, Brian Lee.Ranked 7 or better: 25.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 55.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 85.0% No. 10Average Rating: 4.68Best: Nik Antropov, Radek Dvorak, Cody Hodgson, Jocelyn Thibault.Worst: Boris Valabik, Mikhail Yakubov, Brad Ference.Ranked 7 or better: 0.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 63.2%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 80.0% No. 11Average Rating: 5.15Best: Jarome Iginla, Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter.Worst: Kyle Beach, Lauri Tukonen, Jeff Heerema, David Cooper.Ranked 7 or better: 35.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 45.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 70.0% No. 12Average Rating: 5.08Best: Marian Hossa, Dan Hamhuis, Ryan McDonagh.Worst: Teemu Riihijarvi, Hugh Jessiman, A.J. Thelen.Ranked 7 or better: 40.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 50.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 70.0% No. 13Average Rating: 5.10Best: Alexander Semin, Ales Hemsky.Worst: Michael Henrich, Marek Zagrapan, Michael Stewart, Joe Hulbig.Ranked 7 or better: 40.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 40.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 70.0% No. 14Average Rating: 5.05Best: Sergei Gonchar, Brent Seabrook.Worst: Sasha Pokulok, Michel Riesen.Ranked 7 or better: 30.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 35.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 80.0% No. 15Average Rating: 3.10Best: Erik Karlsson, Alex Kovalev.Worst: Matt Zultek, Scott Kelman, Artem Kryukov, Igor Knyazev, Jesse Niinimaki.Ranked 7 or better: 20.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 80.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 40.0% No. 16Average Rating: 3.68Best: Markus Naslund, Martin Biron, R.J. Umberger.Worst: Nick Stajduhar, Mario Larocque, Alex Bourret.Ranked 7 or better: 15.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 75.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 60.0% No. 17Average Rating: 4.26Best: Zach Parise, Barret Jackman, Martin Hanzal.Worst: Scott Allison, Brent Bilodeau, Brad Church, Alexei Mikhnov.Ranked 7 or better: 21.1%Ranked 5 or worse: 57.9%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 60.0% No. 18Average Rating: 4.20Best: Glen Murray, Petr Sykora, Brooks Orpik, Jason Smith.Worst: Jesper Mattsson, Jens Karlsson, Chet Pickard.Ranked 7 or better: 20.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 65.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 75.0% No. 19Average Rating: 4.13Best: Ryan Getzlaf, Keith Tkachuk, Martin Straka.Worst: Mark Mitera, Niklas Sundblad, Jakub Koreis.Ranked 7 or better: 25.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 70.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 40.0% No. 20Average Rating: 4.53Best: Martin Brodeur, Alexander Frolov, Brent Burns.Worst: David Fischer, Angelo Esposito.Ranked 7 or better: 25.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 60.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 70.0% No. 21Average Rating: 4.63Best: Saku Koivu, Tuukka Rask.Worst: Libor Polasek, Evgeny Ryabchikov, Anton Gustafsson.Ranked 7 or better: 20.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 55.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 70.0% No. 22Average Rating: 3.83Best: Claude Giroux, Simon Gagne, Max Pacioretty, Jordan Eberle.Worst: Curtis Bowen, Jeff Brown, Nikos Tselios.Ranked 7 or better: 20.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 70.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 60.0% No. 23Average Rating: 4.68Best: Ray Whitney, Todd Bertuzzi, Ryan Kesler.Worst: Mikka Elomo, Craig Hillier, Tyler Cuma.Ranked 7 or better: 35.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 55.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 70.0% No. 24Average Rating: 4.43Best: Mike Richards, Alexander Steen, Daniel Briere.Worst: Dennis Persson, Eric Lecompte, Luca CeredaRanked 7 or better: 25.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 60.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 70.0% No. 25Average Rating: 3.95Best: Brenden Morrow, Cam Ward, Patrik Berglund.Worst: Mikhail Kuleshov, Patrick White, Eric Lavigne, Chad Penney.Ranked 7 or better: 15.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 70.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 70.0% No. 26Average Rating: 4.10Best: Zigmund Palffy, Martin Havlat, David Perron, Cory Schneider.Worst: Nicolas Perreault, Kevin Grimes, Martin Vagner.Ranked 7 or better: 20.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 55.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 60.0% No. 27Average Rating: 3.95Best: Scott Gomez, Steve Staios, Boris Mironov, John Carlson.Worst: Ari Ahonen, Mike Morris, Philippe Paradis.Ranked 7 or better: 20.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 65.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 65.0% No. 28Average Rating: 3.70Best: Corey Perry, Justin Williams, Matt Niskanen.Worst: Brandy Semchuk, Adrian Foster, Jonas Johansson, Nick Petrecki.Ranked 7 or better: 15.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 70.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 50.0% No. 29Average Rating: 3.50Best: Niklas Kronwall, Mike Green.Worst: Chris Gotziaman, Brian Wesenberg, Daultan Leveille.Ranked 7 or better: 10.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 80.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 40.0% No. 30Average Rating: 2.70Best: Sandis Ozolinsh, Jim Slater, David Steckel, Deron Quint.Worst: Rod Pasma, Andy Rogers, Nick Ross.Ranked 7 or better: 5.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 95.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 35.0% No. 31-35Average Rating: 2.83Best: Doug Weight, James Neal, Marc-Edouard Vlasic.Ranked 7 or better: 13.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 84.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 34.0% No. 36-40Average Rating: 2.84Best: Geoff Sanderson, Jozef Stumpel, Bryan McCabe, Brendan Morrison, Jarret Stoll.Ranked 7 or better: 10.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 82.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 34.0% No. 41-45Average Rating: 3.02Best: Patrice Bergeron, P.K. Subban, Paul Stastny.Ranked 7 or better: 11.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 75.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 41.0% No. 46-50Average Rating: 2.69Best: Shea Weber, Milan Lucic, Mike Cammalleri.Ranked 7 or better: 12.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 81.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 32.0% No. 51-55Average Rating: 2.71Best: Patrik Elias, Duncan Keith, Jason Pominville.Ranked 7 or better: 10.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 82.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 33.0% No. 56-60Average Rating: 2.32Best: Zdeno Chara, Michael Nylander, Brandon Dubinsky.Ranked 7 or better: 5.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 89.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 29.0% No. 61-70Average Rating: 2.45Best: Brad Richards, David Krejci, David Backes, Kris Letang.Ranked 7 or better: 5.5%Ranked 5 or worse: 88.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 37.5% No. 71-80Average Rating: 2.32Best: Jonathan Quick, Alexei Zhamnov, Chris Drury, Vinny Prospal.Ranked 7 or better: 8.5%Ranked 5 or worse: 83.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 26.5% No. 81-90Average Rating: 2.16Best: Sergei Zubov, Milan Hejduk.Ranked 7 or better: 6.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 89.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 24.0% No. 91-100Average Rating: 2.10Best: Marc Savard, Patrick Sharp, Alexander Edler, Johan Franzen.Ranked 7 or better: 3.5%Ranked 5 or worse: 90.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 24.5% No. 101-110Average Rating: 1.85Best: Keith Yandle, Christian Ehrhoff, Niklas Hjalmarsson.Ranked 7 or better: 3.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 94.5%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 19.5% No. 111-120Average Rating: 1.68Best: Miikka Kiprusoff, Lubomir Visnovsky, Miroslav Satan.Ranked 7 or better: 4.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 94.5%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 14.0% No. 121-135Average Rating: 1.85Best: Daniel Alfredsson, Jamie Benn, Marty Turco.Ranked 7 or better: 4.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 92.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 16.0% No. 136-150Average Rating: 1.64Best: Ryan Miller, Andrei Kovalenko, Bryce Salvador.Ranked 7 or better: 2.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 94.3%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 13.4% No. 151-165Average Rating: 1.78Best: Peter Bondra, Brian Campbell, Andrei Markov, James Wisniewski.Ranked 7 or better: 5.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 92.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 15.0% No. 166-180Average Rating: 1.74Best: Pavel Datsyuk, Andrew Brunette, Marek Zidlicky.Ranked 7 or better: 2.3%Ranked 5 or worse: 94.0%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 16.0% No. 181-195Average Rating: 1.54Best: Martin Erat, Filip Kuba, Jussi Jokinen.Ranked 7 or better: 2.0%Ranked 5 or worse: 96.3%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 10.3% No. 196-210Average Rating: 1.49Best: Henrik Lundqvist, Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Kaberle.Ranked 7 or better: 2.3%Ranked 5 or worse: 96.3%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 8.0% No. 211+Average Rating: 1.61Best: Tim Thomas, Tomas Vokoun, Pavol Demitra, Kimmo Timonen, Pekka Rinne.Ranked 7 or better: 3.2%Ranked 5 or worse: 94.6%At least 100 NHL games (or extremely likely): 12.0% 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. ' ' '
ARLINGTON, Texas - Rangers ace Yu Darvish has been cleared to start his off-season throwing program.Darvish, who missed the last seven weeks of the season because of inflammation in his right elbow, had an MRI and was examined Tuesday by team physician Dr. Keith Meister.Texas said Darvish already is in his normal off-season training program and expects to start throwing in early December, as he usually does.Darvish had been home in Japan but returned for the exam. He is expected to spend at least the next several weeks working out in Texas.The right-hander didnt pitch after Aug. 9. He was 10-7 with a 3.06 ERA and 182 strikeouts over 144 1-3 innings in 22 starts in his third major league season.Darvish was put on the 15-day disabled list Aug. 13. He was shut down for the season Sept. 6 with the Rangers on way to 95 losses and a last-place finish in the AL West.Texas also announced Tuesday that the club had finalized selling the contracts of outfielder-first baseman Jim Adduci and pitchers Miles Mikolas and Aaron Poreda to professional leagues overseas. The three players were released by the Rangers last week after agreeing to the transactions.Adduci is going to the Lotte Giants in South Korea, and Mikolas and Poreda to the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants of Japans Central League. Wholesale Under Armour Shoes China . 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell. Yeezy Boost 350 China . With one penalty, Fourcade finished in 24 minutes, 58.2 seconds, just nine-tenths of a second ahead of Timofey Lapshin, who shot clean in the cold. http://www.fakeyeezyscheap.com/wholesale-balenciaga.html. Bell Medias 12-year partnership with the Ottawa Senators includes five major components: - English-language regional television broadcast rights for TSN – a minimum of 52 regular season and pre-season games - French-language regional television broadcast rights for RDS – a minimum of 40 regular season and pre-season games - English-language broadcast rights for TSN Radio 1200 – all games - French-language radio broadcast rights – all games - Telecommunications and retail sponsorship and activation rights "We recognized early on that our regional broadcast rights coming up for renewal was a very important asset," said Senators owner Eugene Melnyk. Yeezy Boost Fake For Sale . 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. Vans China Factory . Others describe it as taking the parrot for a walk.SUNRISE, Fla. -- Nick Bjugstad snapped out of his scoring slump and spoiled Drew MacIntyres first NHL start. Bjugstad had two goals and an assist to lift the Florida Panthers to a 4-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night. Brad Boyes and Brandon Pirri also scored for the Panthers. Roberto Luongo, who returned after missing Tuesdays game with an upper-body injury, made 27 saves. Bjugstads goals -- his first two after 21 games -- came less than three minutes apart in the third for his first two-goal and three-point game of his career. "It was a good night," Bjugstad said. "We had to get pucks to the net. First game for that goalie and we wanted to get shots on him. It worked out for us." Paul Ranger and Tyler Bozak scored for the Maple Leafs, and MacIntyre stopped 33 shots. The 30-year-old was making just his second appearance for Toronto this season. "Its been a long, long time but it was awesome. I have few regrets," MacIntyre said. "I was hoping it would be a win, thats how I envisioned it." MacIntyre was drafted by Detroit in the 2001 NHL Draft, which took place in the Panthers arena. "I looked up right at the end of the anthem and saw the Draft 2001 flag and I smiled at myself and said, Its been a fun ride. ... I found it so funny that this rink is my first game." The Panthers won for just the third time in 12 games. The Maple Leafs, who were in playoff contention most of the season, have lost six straight road games in regulation and are 2-11-0 in their last 13 games. The Maple Leafs were eliminated from post-season contention on Tuesday after a 3-0 loss at Tampa Bay. "Very challenging time right now for our group mentally," Maple Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said. "II thought wed have a little bit more compassion for the goaltender that was going in the net for his first NHL start.dddddddddddd... Its very disappointing." At times, the Leafs certainly played like a team that was going through the motions. "Its the first one since were officially out, so its tough. Thats no excuse, weve got to have more pride than that," Bozak said. Leading 2-1,the Panthers stretched their lead on a wraparound goal by Bjugstad, who came from behind the net and stuffed it past MacIntyre at 3:23 of the third. "Its good to get that off my back and not worry about it anymore," Bjugsatd said about ending his scoring drought. Bjugstads second goal made the score 4-1. His short-handed shot from in front off a pass from Tomas Fleischmann easily got by MacIntyre at 6:02. Rangers shot from the point made the score 4-2 with 6:03 left. Boyes broke a 1-1 tie with 3 seconds left in the second. Bjugstad brought the puck from behind the net and passed in front of the crease to Boyes on the right side. He tapped the puck past MacIntyre. The Panthers took a 1-0 lead on Pirris goal 6:06 in. Pirri fired a shot from the top of the left circle and it hit the top right of the net. Pirri has points in five of the past six games. "Getting points is nice, but the team won in the end. Thats whats important," Pirri said. "Were just trying to build every game and every day get better." The Maple Leafs tied it 1-all on the goal by Bozak. Jake Gardiner dropped a pass to Bozak in the left, who wristed to past Luongo on the glove side for his 19th goal of the season, a career-high. NOTES: Pirri celebrated his 23rd birthday on Thursday. ... MacIntyre has played for over nine different minor league teams over a 10-year career. ' ' '
SINGAPORE -- Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time in practice for the Singapore Grand Prix on Friday, while teammate and title rival Nico Rosberg and defending champion Sebastian Vettel both had setbacks. Hamiltons best time of 1 minute, 47.490 seconds at the Marina Bay circuit was a tenth of a second faster than Ferraris Fernando Alonso, who was fastest in the morning session. Pole here has always been very important, Hamilton said. Being up at the front will be crucial and thats obviously my target for qualifying tomorrow. Nico looks very quick, as do the Ferraris and the Red Bulls, but Im feeling good this weekend and Im focused on the job. Rosbergs hopes of surpassing his teammate were ruined when his lap on fresh super-soft tires had to be aborted due to a red flag caused by Pastor Maldonados heavy collision with a barrier. Rosberg was only 13th fastest. Although I didnt get the second part of that lap, though, in the first part the car felt great, Rosberg said. Its generally a great challenge driving here. This is one of the most difficult tracks out there but to fight through all the curves and bumps ... is a great feeling. Vettel came out for only the last eight minutes of the second session after an engine failure in his Red Bull at the end of the first. The German, who has won the past three Singapore races, still had enough time to vault up to fifth on the timesheets. I was not able to get the best out of the tires straight away, Vettel said. But overall I am pretty happy and I am sure we can improve the car. We should be in a good place tomorrow. While the Renault engine that failed was one that was earmarked for Friday practice sessions rather than in qualifying and the race, it did reduce the teams options to juggle its power-plants over the final races of the season. Having already used up his allowed five race engines this season, Vettels next change will trigger a 10-place grid penalty. His teammate Daniel Ricciardo, who is the only realistic challenger to the Mercedes pair for the drivers championship, was third fastest. The Australian has won two of the past three races and has 166 points compared to 238 for Rosberg and 216 for Hamilton. Ive got a feeling Mercedes probably have a bit more in the bag, Ricciardo said. We do too, but probably not enough to get on par with them yet, but hopefully a good night of homework will pay off tomorrow. Ferraris Kimi Raikkonen was fourth fastest. Neither Ferrari driver has qualified better than fourth this season. While the Italian teams pattern in 2014 has been a decline from Friday practice performance to that in qualifying on Saturday and race on Sunday, the early showing in Singapore indicated they could challenge Red Bull as best of the rest behind Mercedes in Singapore. It was also a boost after a dire performance in their home race at Monza in the previous grand prix, which precipitated the exit of long-time Ferrari company chief Luca di Montezemolo. While Ferrari was surprisingly strong, Williams would be disappointed with its lap times, with Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas down in 17th and 18th, as they struggled on the twisty circuit which negates their straight-line speed. McLarens Jenson Button was seventh fastest ahead of the Force India drivers Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg while Toro Rossos Daniil Kvyat rounded out the top ten. Wholesale Shoes Nike . The result was a game-winning, power-play goal. Chiasson snapped a third-period tie and lifted the Dallas Stars to a 3-2 victory on Monday night. Air Max Sale . Heather, the first Gaiter to win the award, set a Canadian Inter-university Sport record with 3,132 passing yards in eight league games, an average of 391.5 yards per game. That beat the mark of 3,047 set only one week earlier by Westerns Will Finch, a Hec Crighton finalist. https://www.wholesaleshoesforcheap.com/.com) - Eric Fehrs goal 42 seconds into overtime lifted the Washington Capitals to a 5-4 come-from-behind victory over Columbus, halting the Blue Jackets seven-game win streak. Under Armour Shoes Sale . In the second game of their day/night doubleheader at Minneapolis, three Blue Jays pitchers, Steve Delabar, Sergio Santos and J. Air Force 1 Sale . The 25-year-old native of Milford, Conn., has 18 points in 41 games this season. The five-foot-eight 166-pound centre also has 28 points (10-18) in 15 games with AHL Oklahoma City.TSN.ca presents its latest weekly power rankings for the 2013-14 Barclays Premier League season. Rankings were weighted evenly between separate lists made by TSN Radio host and soccer analyst Gareth Wheeler as well as TSN.cas soccer editors. *Please note the ranking changes also take into account Matchday 13 that was played November 30th and December 1st, those results are in brackets for each team. 1. Arsenal (Last Week -1) Top of the table Arsenal were solid once again in a professional 2-0 victory over Hull City. Nicklas Bendtner scored his first goal for the Gunners since 2011 in the second minute of the game setting a tone that would not change throughout the contest. Mesut Ozil scored just after halftime and any fight that might have been in Hull was quickly washed away. (3-0W vs. Cardiff) 2. Manchester City (LW-4) Looking to respond to their poor away form to start the season, City picked up a 3-2 victory away to West Brom that was not as close as the score would suggest. They built a three goal lead through Sergio Aguero and a brace from Yaya Toure before conceding twice in the final five minutes plus stoppage time to leave with a one goal victory. (3-0W vs. Swansea) 3. Chelsea (LW-2) Eden Hazard was the story for Chelsea in a wild 4-3 victory over Sunderland. He twice gave his team the lead with strikes in the 36th and 62nd minute of the contest. Frank Lampard and a Sunderland own goal provided the rest of the margin for Chelsea who held fast at the end to capture a very entertaining victory. (3-1W vs. Southampton) 4. Liverpool (LW-3) The story was Luis Suarez and the question was how many could he score against Norwich City. The answer was four goals, all of the highlight reel variety, and add an assist in a 5-1 victory. Suarez has an incredible 11 goals in five games against Norwich, though there doesnt seem to be a side that he cant dominate against right now anywhere in the League. (3-1L vs. Hull City) 5. Everton (LW-7) Bryan Oviedos 85th minute marker helped Everton do something they hadnt done since 1992, pick up a victory at Old Trafford. It looked like it was going to be a solid point for the Toffees before the defender found himself alone in the box and fired home the winner. Romelu Lukaku was strong for Everton in the victory. (4-0W vs. Stoke) 6. Tottenham (LW-9) A 73rd minute marker from Vlad Chiriches and a Lewis Holtby goal nine minute later brought Spurs back for a 2-1 victory over Fulham. The victory was the first in four League games for Tottenham who now find themselves sixth just out of the European places. They were deserved winners of this contest. (2-2D vs. Manchester United) 7. Manchester United (LW-5) Five minutes from picking up a point, United conceded the winner and fell 1-0 at the hands of Everton. Wayne Rooney struck the post and missed another great chance before halftime and two more chances went by the boards in the second half of the game. The Champions now find themselves 12 points off the top of the table. (2-2D vs. Tottenham) 8. Southampton (LW-6) The Saints fell 3-2 to Aston Villa in a game they dominated but in the end found themselves on the losing side. Before the deciding marker they found themselves behind in the game twice and both times were able to equalize including Pablo Daniel Osvaldo just five minutes after they gave up the second goal. 11 minutes after that though, they were trailing once again and this time for good. (3-1L vs. Chelsea) 9. Newcastle United (LW-8) A four match winning streak came to a crashing end at the Liberty Stadium as Newcastle fell on the road to Swansea 3-0. Swansea dominated the contest and though Newcastle had a few claims for penalties waved away, they didnt produce much else on the day. (2-1W vs. West Brom) 10. Swansea City (LW-10) It was a rather easy night for The Swans as they rolled to a 3-0 victory over Newcastle.dddddddddddd Goals from Jonjo Shelvey and Nathan Dyer as well as a Mathieu Debuchy own goal were the difference in the contest. It wasnt all good for Swansea who added striker Alvaro Vazquez to their growing list of injured offensive players. (3-0L vs. Manchester City) 11. Aston Villa (LW-12) Three goals against the run of play led Aston Villa to a 3-2 victory over Southampton in a game the Saints dominated. Gabriel Agbonlahor, Libor Kozak and Fabian Delph were all on target for Villa, with Delphs winner coming in the 80th minute to both seal and steal the three points. (0-0D vs. Sunderland) 12. Hull City (LW-14) Hull was not able to recover from giving up a goal in the second minute of the game as they fell 2-0 at the hands of Arsenal. There really werent many high points for hull in this loss as they hand trouble working their way into the game and as a result were beaten in almost every aspect of the action. (3-1W vs. Liverpool) 13. West Bromwich Albion (LW-11) A late arriving crowd and an even later comeback were the story for the Baggies as they fell 3-2 at the hands of Manchester City. Kickoff was delayed 15 minutes at The Hawthorns due to a traffic jam, while Victor Anichebes goal, late in stoppage time, was only able to make the final score-line a little closer. (2-1L vs. Newcastle) 14. Cardiff City (LW-13) Though they looked good at times in the game, Cardiff was forced to settle for a scoreless draw against Stoke in the only game on Match day 14 that didnt feature a goal. Declan John almost stole the game for his side but wasnt able to find the net for a late winner. (3-0L vs. Arsenal) 15. Stoke City (LW-15) On a day with many goals, Stoke and Cardiff played to a scoreless draw. For Stoke it was a much better defensive performance following their four goal loss to Everton in their last League game. Keeper Asmir Begovic was solid when called upon to help his team leave with a point. (4-0L vs. Everton) 16. Norwich City (LW-16) The Canaries were helpless against Luis Suarez as he tore them apart for four goals in a 5-1 loss to Liverpool. Bradley Johnson scored in the 83rd minute for Norwich, but Suarez sent Raheem Sterling in for a fifth marker to restore the four goal lead he built. It was total domination at the hands of a brilliant player. (1-0W vs. Crystal Palace) 17. West Ham United (LW-17) A headed goal conceded just before halftime was the difference in a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace. The Hammers pressed hard at the end of the game and enjoyed more of the possession throughout the contest but were not able to produce an equalizing marker. (3-0W vs. Fulham) 18. Sunderland (LW-20) The Black Cats were on the wrong end of a seven goal thriller as they well 4-3 to Chelsea. Phillip Bardsley was all over the map for Sunderland as in a two minute span he scored a goal at both ends. His Own goal proved to be the winning marker for Chelsea, while his 86th minute strike gave his team a chance to push for an equalizer that never came for Sunderland. (0-0D vs. Aston Villa) 19. Crystal Palace (LW-19) A 42nd minute marker from Marouane Chamakh was the difference as Palace scored a 1-0 victory over West Ham. This was an important victory as Crystal Palace tries to start a bid for survival in the Premier League and a first at home under new manager Tony Pulis. (1-0L vs. Norwich) 20. Fulham (LW-18) The Martin Jol era might have ended earlier in the week but Fulham are still in poor form as they fell 2-1 to Tottenham. Ashkan Dejagah gave the home side the lead in the second half before Spurs stormed back with two goals in a nine minute span to lay claim to the victory. (3-0L vs. West Ham) ' ' '
03.12.2019 03:49
Forum Statistiken
Besucher
