KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Billy Buckner needed to jog his memory to recall his previous major league win. "Its been a while," he said. "The Cubs, my last outing in 2009." Right on the money. Josh Hamilton and Hank Conger homered to back Buckners first victory in 3 1/2 years, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Kansas City Royals 7-0 on Saturday for their seventh straight victory. The resurgent Angels have outscored opponents 54-18 during their longest winning streak of the season. "It hasnt changed the expectations at all," manager Mike Scioscia said. "Obviously, confidence as a team builds as you start to move in the right direction. Right now these guys feel good because were playing the type of baseball we had hoped we would play the first month, but it didnt appear. "Its here now. I think you see guys are comfortable playing our game, and let the other team try to stop us. Thats the mode we want to get into when were at our best." The Angels lost 22 of their first 33 games this season, but the winning streak has moved them into third place in the AL West. "I kind of look at that as were not done yet," Conger said. "Weve won a lot. Weve got things rolling, but you look at the big picture. We really need to continue this momentum in order to be in the position we want to be later on down the road." The slumping Royals have lost 15 of 19, including seven straight at home. They have scored three runs or fewer in 12 of those defeats to drop a season-low four games below .500 at 21-25. "Were just not getting it done right now," centre fielder Lorenzo Cain said. "Weve got to step up and start doing better. Offensively, were struggling big-time. Its frustrating. We have a very talented lineup. It doesnt feel like we should be struggling this bad. Weve just got to find a way to score runs." Congers opposite-field shot leading off the sixth inning was the first hit off Jeremy Guthrie, who dropped his third consecutive outing after going a Royals-record 18 starts in a row without a loss. Hamilton homered with two outs in the seventh to make it 3-0, his 900th career hit. He has five RBIs in his past five games after driving in only four runs during his previous 32. "He still hasnt hit his stride," Scioscia said. Buckner (1-0), who hadnt pitched in the majors since 2010, limited the Royals to two hits over five innings. He walked three, struck out two and threw a pair of wild pitches. His previous victory came on Oct. 2, 2009, for the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Chicago Cubs. The Royals drafted Buckner in the second round in 2004 and he got his first big league victory with them in 2007. "Full circle, right back here where it all started," Buckner said. "Getting any win at this point was going to feel good. It is neat to come back to the park where it first started." Mark Trumbo hit a two-run single in the Angels four-run eighth. Mike Trout had an RBI single and scored twice, the fifth straight game in which he has scored a pair of runs. Los Angeles relievers Dane De La Rosa, Scott Downs, Robert Coello and Michael Kohn held Kansas City to two hits over four innings to complete the four-hitter. Guthrie (5-3) gave up only one hit in the first six innings but faded badly after that. He was charged with seven runs, six earned, on five hits, two hit batters and a walk in 7 1-3 innings. "I executed better today," Guthrie said. "It came unraveled in the eighth. We couldnt seem to make a play and things didnt work out for us." The right-hander allowed an unearned run in the fourth when Trout walked, stole second, advanced to third on catcher George Kottaras throwing error and scored on Albert Pujols groundout. After Billy Butler led off the Royals second with a walk, Eric Hosmer bunted him over. It was the first sacrifice bunt in Hosmers professional career, which began in 2008. The Royals threatened in the fifth when Mike Moustakas doubled with one out, went to third on a wild pitch and Kottaras walked. Buckner got out of that jam when Chris Getz rolled into a double play. NOTES: After the game, the Royals placed C Salvador Perez on the bereavement list following the death of his grandmother. C Adam Moore was called up from Triple-A Omaha. ... Getz was ejected in the sixth by first base umpire Marty Foster, his second career ejection. ... Royals pitching coach Dave Eiland was absent while attending his daughters confirmation in Florida. He will return Monday. ... Angels RHP Kevin Jepsen threw a scoreless inning Friday in his second rehab appearance for Triple-A Salt Lake. Jepsen went on the disabled list with a right shoulder strain on April 13 after compiling a 9.82 ERA in six relief appearances.

Black Friday Jerseys . Santana threw the first solo no-hitter for the Angels in nearly 27 years and exacted some long overdue revenge, leading Los Angeles over the Indians 3-1 Wednesday. Cheap Jerseys From China . Judge Ray Ryan Adelman of Maricopa County Superior Court on Sept. 25 signed an order accepting the settlement and ordering it sealed. http://www.cheapjerseysfromchinawholesale.com/. Nor have any two teams met in as many Game 7s as the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins eight - with the Bruins taking the most recent one last spring en route to a Stanley Cup win. Cheap Jerseys USA . Benitez was hoping a victory over Chelseas west London neighbour would kick start the process of winning over fans unhappy about his controversial hiring last week after the firing of Roberto Di Matteo. However this result and lacklustre performance will increase the frustration of supporters, with Chelsea creating few opportunities in a dour game. Cheap Jerseys China . Sergei Bobrovsky made 39 saves in regulation and overtime, then two more in the shootout to finish with his second career shutout -- both in the last week -- and lead surging Columbus to a 1-0 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday night, extending the Blue Jackets franchise record point streak to 10 games. AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- About a third of the way through the regular season, the Washington Wizards are at .500. Thats progress for a team thats looking more and more like playoff material in the Eastern Conference. "Its big, and we know where we want to be," swingman Martell Webster said. "At this point in the year, its a time weve got to get rolling. When teams start to click, the offensive and defensive schemes start to be all muscle memory." John Wall scored 29 points and the Wizards became the latest team to rally past Detroit in the fourth quarter, beating the Pistons 106-99 on Monday night. Washington scored the first 11 points of the fourth, a run capped by Websters 3-pointer that put the Wizards ahead 89-87. Detroit never led again. Brandon Jennings had 15 points and 14 assists for the Pistons, who have lost five of six. "We had a nice game going for three quarters, but we didnt keep playing," Detroit coach Maurice Cheeks said. "We got stagnant, and they ran pick-and-roll and kept scoring, and we didnt. In the fourth quarter, it comes down to who makes plays." Trevor Ariza scored 15 points for the Wizards, who also beat Detroit 106-82 on Saturday in Washington. The Wizards have won five of six. "Games like this are hard, especially the way we won the one back in D.C.," Washington coach Randy Wittman said. "We knew these guys were going to come out and really come after us. That first half, they did." Bradley Beal scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half for Washington. The Wizards (14-14) are at .500 after 28 games for the first time since finishing the 2007-08 season 43-39, according to STATS. "We came back and fought in the second half," Wall said. "Most of their points in the first half came on second-chance points and they killed us in the paint. We just came in at halftime and saaid we have to rebound.dddddddddddd." It was another frustrating loss for Detroit, outscored 28-12 in the fourth quarter. The Pistons (14-19) have also blown comfortable fourth-quarter leads at home against Portland and Charlotte during the latter part of December. The Wizards led 101-97 with a minute to go, and Detroits Josh Smith had his driving attempt blocked by Marcin Gortat. Wall connected from near the elbow at the other end to make it a six-point game. Detroit led 63-53 after an up-tempo first half. During one sequence, Greg Monroe dunked over Wall to give the Pistons a 24-19 lead, only to have Ariza answer with a 3-pointer seconds later. Detroit rookie Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored a career-high 17 points, all in the first half. In the second quarter, he missed a dunk on a fast break, but the Pistons came up with the ball and Caldwell-Pope was able to spot up for a 3-pointer to put Detroit ahead 49-44. "I really had a rhythm going in the first half, but I couldnt get it back in the second half. I was trying to loosen up and get back into that same feeling, but it didnt happen," Caldwell-Pope said. "They didnt take anything away from us. We just stopped moving the ball. Weve got to finish games and make plays in the fourth." The Pistons entered the game leading the NBA with 14.4 offensive rebounds per game. They had 14 in the first half against Washington. "You cant allow that to happen," Webster said. "We wanted to come out in the second half and take that away." Detroit had only four offensive rebounds in the second half. NOTES: Detroit G Rodney Stuckey (shoulder) did not play. ... Wall went 14 of 15 on free throws. The Pistons could have used some of that marksmanship -- they went 2 for 9 in the first quarter and 21 of 35 for the game. ... Wall reached the 20-point mark for a seventh straight game. ' ' '

SAN JOSE, Calif. - San Jose Sharks coach Todd McLellan refused to dwell on any negatives that came out of a wild finish. Joe Pavelski scored with just under 20 seconds left in regulation to tie the game and Logan Couture and Patrick Marleau tallied in the shootout, lifting the San Jose Sharks to a 5-4 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night. "Pav has been a real clutch player over the past two weeks for us, hes kind of the go-to guy right now, he seems to be getting it done," McLelland said. "He did it again tonight for us. Were happy for him and for us." Erik Johnson and Jamie McGinn scored goals 12 seconds apart in the final two minutes to put the Avalanche ahead. Asked about Niemi giving up the two quick goals, McLellan responded, "You know what, its Christmas. Lets all go home and enjoy it, and Ill answer those questions when we come back." Johnsons extra-man goal slipped under the left shoulder of Sharks goalie Antti Niemi to knot things, and McGinns goal also came with an extra skater as he beat Niemi to the stick side. "It was a high to tie it, a high to go ahead and then a crashing low when they tied it," Johnson said. "It was a strange game probably from the perspective of both teams. A very strange game at the end." Pavelski tied it after taking a pass from Joe Thornton, who has an 11-game point streak against the Avalanche. Matt Irwin scored a power-play goal late in the second period to put the Sharks ahead 3-2 and set up the wild finish. "We all knew we had about a minute and whatever left to get the tying goal," Irwin said. "The leadership group did a great job. They got out there and they capitalized. Joe made a great play to Joe. Thats what those guys do." Jason Demers and Brent Burns also scored for the Sharks, who have won four of six. "It was a crazy ending," Burns said. "Im sure coaches dont like seeing that too often. I think we get angry a little bit, but as a group I think were pretty confident and it was just a matter of who was going to step up and get that next goal." Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog also scored for the Avalanche, who lost for the third time in four games. Niemi made 29 saves to record his 19th victory and improve to 7-1-3 against Colorado. Semyon Varlamov stopped 41 shots to lose for the fourth time in eight games against the Sharks. "Its too bad, but at the same time we showed a lot of character," Avalanche coach Patrick Roy said. "We played well in the third period. We scored two big goals and then they made a great play to tie it." In the first of four meetings between the teams, two fights in the first nine minutes set the stage for a physical game. MacKinnons power-play goal midway through the first period gave the Avalanche the early lead. Ryan OReillys pass set up MacKinnons goal, a shot that beat Niemi to the glove side. Demers scored his second goal in two games, beating Varlamov over the right shoulder and tying the game at 1-1 with six minutes left in the first period. Landeskog scored his first goal in 11 games in the final minute to put Colorado ahead 2-1 after one period. Burns scored after taking a drop pass from Thornton six minutes into the second period to make it 2-2. NOTES: Sharks rookie F Tomas Hertl will undergo knee surgery sometime this week, the injury a result of a knee-on-knee collision with Los Angeles Kings Dustin Brown. "Its going to be longer than a month," Sharks GM Doug Wilson said. Hertl will also miss playing in the Olympics with the Czech Republic. . Avalanche D Jan Hejda played in his 500th career game. . Avalanche D Tyson Barrie had his career-high four-game point streak snapped. . Thornton has 49 points in 40 games against Colorado.

cheap nfl youth jerseys . McLendon originally made the Steelers as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2009. He has appeared in 37 games over the past three seasons and has three career sacks. cheap jerseys . Finally. After years of losing and players finding trouble, the Indiana Pacers finally gave their fans something to really cheer about. http://www.cheapjerseysfreeshipping.biz/. Coming off just their third victory of the month, the Marlins and red-hot ace Anibal Sanchez try to take the rubber match of tonights three-game series at Safeco Field. With the popular rock band U2 taking over Sun Life Stadium back in Florida, the Marlins are playing as the home team in Seattles Safeco Field. cheap nfl jerseys . Patrick Marleau had two goals and an assist and captain Joe Thornton had three assists as the San Jose Sharks won their second in a row to start the season, defeating the Oilers 6-3 on Tuesday night to ruin Edmontons home opener. cheap jerseys free shipping .B. -- Facing elimination, the Gatineau Olympiques knew they had to work hard Friday night.The Montreal Canadiens have signed free agent defenceman Francis Bouillon one-year $1.5 million contract. The 36-year-old defender scored four goals and added seven assists in 66 games with the Nashville Predators in 2011-12. This signing marks Bouillons second tour of duty with the Canadiens, who originally signed him in 1998.dddddddddddd In 676 career games between the Canadiens and Predators, scoring 29 goals and 105 assists. He played out the final season of a two-year deal he signed with the Predators in 2010 last season worth an average annual value of $1.35 million. ' ' '

The Nashville Predators are continuing negotiations with soon-to-be restricted free-agent defenceman Shea Weber, but the NHL team filed for salary arbitration today. Sources say the Predators did so in order to protect themselves from another NHL team making an offer sheet on Weber. Offer sheets are prohibited on RFAs who are being taken to arbitration. It is now up to Webers agent, Jarrett Bousquet, to elect whether the arbitration is a one-year or two-year term. That decision, though, is not required until 48 hours prior to the arbitration hearing, which cant happen until after July 20. In the meantime, Bousquet and the Predators will continue to work towards a long term contract that can be arrived at any time before the arbitration. Theyve been negotiating for the last two days. Weber is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in two years. Hes one of three finalists for the Norris Trophy as the NHLs best defenceman, which will be presented Wednesday in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, the New Jersey Devils have elected to take impending RFA forward Zach Parise to salary arbitration for the same reasons as Nashville with Weber - to protect themselves from an offer sheet. Parise can only receive a one-year arbitration award because hes an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season.

jerseys wholesale nfl . Benitez was hoping a victory over Chelseas west London neighbour would kick start the process of winning over fans unhappy about his controversial hiring last week after the firing of Roberto Di Matteo. However this result and lacklustre performance will increase the frustration of supporters, with Chelsea creating few opportunities in a dour game. jerseys nfl wholesale . Los Angeles looks to rebound this evening and avoid a season series sweep at the hands of the hosting Colorado Avalanche. Watch the game live on TSN2 and TSN Mobile TV at 9:30pm et/6:30pm pt. http://www.nfljerseyswholesalemall.com/. An in-person hearing means there is a possibility any suspension could be five games or more. Early in the first period, Kostka was gaining possession of the puck and coming out from behind his own net when he was hit into the end boards. nfl wholesale jerseys . Brayden Point and Alexander Chirva also scored for Moose Jaw (6-7-3), while Zachary Sawchenko finished with 23 saves. Griffin Foulk, Tyler Wong and Axel Blomqvist had singles for Lethbridge (2-11-2), and Boes stopped 35 shots. chinese nfl jerseys wholesale . "Im very happy to help the team," the Swiss youth international said. "It was a good start." Brazilian defender Felipe opened the scoring in the 43rd minute for Hannover, before last seasons leading scorer, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, drew the visitors level with a great individual effort in the 52nd.BOSTON -- Theres nothing like a tying goal eight seconds into the third period to shake a team out of a two-period slumber. Nathan Hortons second goal of the game keyed Bostons three-goal third period as the Bruins beat the Winnipeg Jets 5-3 Tuesday night in game that saw both teams attempt penalty shots. "Were a good enough team and a smart enough team to at least come out in the third with some desperation and some intent in our game to do the right things and find a way to win," Boston coach Claude Julien said. After Horton scored his fifth goal in four games -- off an outstanding spin and feed by David Krejci -- to tie the score, Tyler Seguin (team-leading 17th) and Benoit Pouliot (power play) followed over the next 6:33 to lift the Bruins to their 24th win in 29 games. "We knew we werent playing our best hockey in the first and second," Horton said. "But its nice to get that quick goal at the beginning and obviously when Seguin scored, it kind of gave us a little momentum." Boston goalie Tuukka Rask stopped Chris Thorburns penalty shot 5:57 into the first period and Shawn Thornton beat Winnipegs Ondrej Pavelec in the second for a short-handed goal after he came flying out of the penalty box and grabbed a loose puck. Thornton beat Pavelec with a neat toe-drag and backhander to tie the score 2-2 5:16 into the second period. Rask said it was a move the rugged winger, known more for his fists than his scoring, had tried so often in practice hed stopped trying it. "I knew he has that but I didnt know he was going to pull that off," Rask said. "He scored a goal, it was a really big goal and you could see all the players on the bench were very excited and happy for him." Thornton, who scored his fourth goal of the season and the 28th of his 407-game NHL career, added: "I havent taken a penalty shot in front of people since the Macs Milk Midget Tournament, I think. I won that shootout competition by the way -- I have the belt buckle to prove it." The last time two teams had a penalty shot in the same game was Minnesota at Phoenix on Oct. 8, 2005. This was the first time both teams were involved in such a game. The Bruins had a penalty shot for the second straight game after Daniel Paille failing to convert Saturday against Vancouver.dddddddddddd Andrew Ladd, former Bruin Blake Wheeler and Eric Fehr scored for the Jets, who got two assists apiece from defencemen Zach Bogosian and Tobias Enstrom and ended a four-game road trip 1-3. "Its disappointing. Its a disappointing game," Winnipeg coach Claude Noel said. "You play pretty solid for 40 minutes and you miss an open assignment on the opening shift of the third and youre tied. "They played, they won the battles and we didnt pay the price that was necessary at our net -- thats where they scored three of their goals. For me there is no excuses. But, were playing against a team that won a Cup and emotionally they get to a level that you know youre going to have to dig down and reach, and we didnt get it done." Rask came in with three shutouts in his last four starts while stopping 128 of the last 129 shots he faced. He led the NHL in goals-against average and save percentage, but yielded three goals on 24 shots in the first two periods. He then shut the door as his teammates took over at the other end, with 22 shots in the third period. Rask is 6-0 since his last loss, Dec. 6, with one of the wins coming in relief. Krjeci, who has a nine-game points streak, Bergeron and Milan Lucic all had two assists for the Bruins. Rask stopped Thorburn, still looking for his first goal of the season, before either team scored. It was the first penalty shot against the Bruins this season, while Winnipeg has missed all three of its attempts. NOTES: Bruins LW Brad Marchand served the first of a five-game suspension by the NHL for clipping and injuring Vancouvers Sami Salo on Saturday. "Im obviously a little disappointed," he said Tuesday. "I wasnt expecting as many games as I got, but thats the decision and we just have to move on." Bruins fans chanted "We Want Marchand on more than one occasion. ... Winnipeg D Dustin Byfuglien missed his seventh straight game due to a lower-body injury. ... Jets LW Tanner Glass took a stick from Joe Corvo to the face in the first period and didnt return. ' ' '

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Rookie Jarrod Parker chatted with teammates in the dugout and kept his same demeanour as he worked his way through seven hitless innings against the Texas Rangers. The way his changeup and fastball were working against baseballs top hitting team, there was no reason to change. Parker held Texas hitless until the eighth inning and Brandon Inge drove in four runs in Oaklands eight-run second as the Athletics beat the Rangers 12-1 on Monday night. "We went in with a really good plan and the execution of it was exactly what we wanted to do," Parker said. "Its one of those days. I had good stuff and they were off a little bit." Parker (2-2) easily worked his way through the powerful Rangers lineup in his ninth career start before Michael Young grounded a single through the middle on a slider to lead off the eighth. "I made a bad pitch and he hit it up the middle and did what he was supposed to do," Parker said. Parker got a warm ovation from the crowd of 10,120 and then recovered to get out of the inning on two more pitches -- a popup by Nelson Cruz and an inning-ending double play from David Murphy. That ended the night for Parker, who allowed one hit, walked three and struck out six. "We had a good tempo going," catcher Kurt Suzuki said. "In the beginning part he was kind of settling into his own. In the third inning he really settled in and started throwing quality pitches. Against a team like the Rangers, to do that was impressive." Inge started the scoring in the big inning with a three-run homer off Scott Feldman (0-4) and capped it with an RBI single as the As normally meek bats broke through with a big night. Kila Kaaihue added a two-run homer for the As, who had lost 10 of 11. Feldman was charged with all eight runs in the second inning and lost his fourth straight start. Things got so bad for the Rangers in their fifth loss in six games that they brought in outfielder Craig Gentry to pitch the eighth, the first position player to take the mound for Texas since Scott Sheldon on Sept. 6, 2000. Gentry allowed a two-run double to Yoenis Cespedes to give the As a season-high with 12 runs. Oakland had been shut out in seven of its previous 18 games and had just 12 runs during a recent nine-game skid. Parker did not make the As rotation out of spring training after being acquired in an off-season trade from Arizona for All-Star Trevor Cahill. He has been sharp ever since being called up from the minors allowing two runs or fewer in seven of his eight starts for a 2.40 ERA. But this was his best performance by far, as he struck out slugger Josh Hamilton twice to come close to pitching the second no-hitter in the majors in the last four nights. Johan Santana did it for the New York Mets on Friday against St. Louis. "From the side I didnt see a whole heck of a lot that he had but undoubtedly he had something going on," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "He made it through some pretty good hitters. He used his fastball, he used his changeup, he threw some good breaking balls every now and then. You have to tip your hat to him. He did a good job against us." Mike Napoli hit a solo homer in the ninth off Jim Miller for Texas only run. The first seven As batters reached safely in the second inning against Feldman starting with a walk by Cespedes and single from Seth Smith. Inge followed with his fifth homer with Oakland. Cliff Pennington added an RBI double to snap a career-worst 0-for-29 slump, Weeks had a two-run single and Smith hit an RBI single that knocked out Feldman. Inge greeted reliever Robbie Ross with an RBI single that made it 8-0. "On offence, we talk about contagious. You have nothing and then all of a sudden somebody breaks through and somebody right after," manager Bob Melvin said. "Hopefully this is something to build on." This marked the third time in the past week the Rangers had allowed eight runs in an inning. Seattle scored eight runs in the second and third innings last Wednesday in a 21-8 victory over Texas. "It was like a runaway truck with no brakes," Feldman said. "Just couldnt stop the bleeding. Thats not how you want to do things." NOTES: Theres still no timetable for Manny Ramirez to come up from the minors to join the As. Ramirez was batting .243 with no extra-base hits in 11 games in the minors through Sunday. "Its difficult to bring a guy here when hes struggling," Melvin said. ... Derek Holland (4-4) looks to bounce back for Texas from a rough start against Seattle last week when he allowed eight runs in 1 2-3 innings when he takes on Travis Blackley (0-0, 0.82) on Tuesday. ... The Rangers used all three of their draft picks Monday on high school players. After taking OF Lewis Brinson from Coral Springs, Fla., with the 29th pick, they got 3B Joey Gallo from Las Vegas at 39, and right-hander Collin Wiles from Overland Park, Kan., 53rd overall.

nfl cheap jerseys online . -- Kasey Kahne is the first two-time pole winner of the season in NASCARs Sprint Cup Series after he posted the fastest lap in qualifying Saturday at Martinsville Speedway. cheap jerseys online . Vogelsong gave up five early runs before retiring his final 10 batters and helped his cause by walking with the bases loaded as the San Francisco Giants rallied for a 7-6 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Thursday. http://www.nflcheapjerseysonline.biz/. Lampard set Chelsea on its way to a 2-0 victory over former club West Ham, while Dimitar Berbatov also punished his old team as Fulham inflicted Tottenhams second successive loss with a 1-0 victory. cheap jerseys . -- Matt Pickens reached a personal milestone while shutting down Chivas USA. cheap nfl jerseys . When the Washington defenceman was asked about his feat after the Capitals beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 Friday night, Wideman said he thought his third goal went off teammate Brooks Laich.When the Carolina Hurricanes went into the 2002 playoffs, they didnt necessarily think they were Stanley Cup contenders. Then Paul Maurice worked his magic behind the bench. "We could feel it within our room, we could feel it on our bench, we could feel it on our plane" former Carolina goaltender Kevin Weekes said. "And we knew that we were a prepared group, we knew that we were a committed group, we knew we were a group that believed, and Coach Maurice went a long way in creating that atmosphere." Maurice got that group to the Cup final as part of an impressive tenure in Carolina. Almost 12 years after that run, Maurice on Sunday replaced Claude Noel as coach of the Winnipeg Jets, and a handful of his former Hurricanes players consider it a good fit based on what he did for them. "I think hes a very underrated coach," said Hall of Famer and former Carolina captain Ron Francis, who also worked as an assistant under Maurice. "Hes a very bright guy, hes good at assessing the talent he has and then structuring the system that he believes will get the most out of the lineup that he has on a game-in, game-out basis." Maurice has his fair share of issues to deal with to fix what ails the Jets, who are 10 points out of the Western Conferences final playoff spot after losing five in a row. "I would imagine the strategy for him, hed be a little bit of a detective going in there," said Jeff ONeill who played for Maurice in Carolina and Toronto. "Hes going to find out what the problems are and hes going to address the issues. And thats probably the first order of business." Its not exactly new business, either. When Maurice became Whalers coach early in the 1995-96 season, he inherited a Hartford team that missed the playoffs in each of the past three years. The Jets missed the playoffs in their first two seasons in Winnipeg and havent made it since 2006-07 as the Atlanta Thrashers. At least its a familiar challenge for Maurice. "It almost works in his favour that this is not a new situation for him," said former defenceman Aaron Ward. "Hes never really walked into a situation where hes had a cupboard full of unbelievable talent." Winnipeg doesnt have unbelievable talent, but theres a core in place beginning with captain Andrew Ladd, U.S. Olympian Blake Wheeler, Evander Kane and Dustin Byfuglien. Those early Whalers teams were led by Geoff Sanderson, Andrew Cassels and Keith Primeau. Maurice didnt turn things around right away, but by the second season of the Hurricanes after the move to North Carolina, they were in the playoffs thanks to contributions from Primeau, Sami Kapanen, Francis and goaltender Arturs Irbe. The 2002 run to the Cup final was Maurices most memorable achievement, taking an unheralded group led by Francis and Rod BrindAmour to within three victories of knocking off the talent-rich Detroit Red Wings. Even today, Francis wondered what wouldve happened if Carolina didnt lost Game 3 in triple overtime. "I think he just had the guys believing that we were capable of doing it," said Francis, whos now vice president of hockey operations for the Hurricanes. "We kept everything sort of simple and the focus on the direction it needed to be kept on, and as a result you had a team that believes in itself, believes in each other and some may say overachieved, but not according to the guys in that locker room or the coaching staff. We certainly believed we belonged right to the end." Maurice isnt the same man he was when he got his first NHL head-coaching job at the age of 28 or even the same from 2002. Maurice has coached 1,084 games with the Whalers, Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs and isnt a fresh-faced youngster anymore. "Obviously he knows what works and wwhat doesnt work now," ONeill said.dddddddddddd "I think maybe when he was younger he thought he had to be a hard ass all the time for guys to kind of buy in and believe it, and then later on the message didnt have to be that because he was established, he had coached so many games." Maurice is 46 now, armed with experience from coaching Metallurg in Russias Kontinental Hockey League and doing some television analysis. Francis worked on Maurices staff in 2009-10 and 2010-11 and saw how he matured and changed over time. Francis has no doubt Maurice has adjusted with a changing league. "Hes very bright, hes a good student of the game and hes watching whats happening and how things are evolving," Francis said. "He incorporates that into his game plan and his systems. Theres no question he doesnt get stuck on one particular thing but more or less moves with the times." Times now are about youth, as Weekes pointed out the NHL has never been younger. Maurice will be charged with figuring out how to best use defenceman Jacob Trouba, centre Mark Scheifele and others in the pipeline in Winnipeg. Based on what Maurice did at the junior level, including winning the 1995 OHL title with the Detroit Jr. Red Wings, and how much he accomplished with the Hurricanes, his former players know where his strengths lie. Most notably, he can maximize the talent at his disposal. "Its one thing to coach somebody up, its another thing to just coach and its another thing to coach somebody down," Weekes said. "Paul Maurice is somebody that Ive seen, and one of the few that Ive seen as a head coach in my time, that coached you up." If the Jets hope to make up a substantial deficit to get back into contention this season or at least make strides for the future, itll be up to Maurice to coach up like he did in Carolina. That job starts with creating an identity for a team that has been lacking one. Those Hurricanes teams are a nice blue print. "I think its a team that works extremely hard," Francis said. "I think its a team that tries to be very solid in its own end and then try to get in on the forecheck as quickly and as aggressively as possible. Those are some of the trademarks that he really liked to incorporate into his team." Personal relationships also are a trademark of Maurices coaching. Weekes said Maurice knew how to treat players as players and as people, and Francis lauded his "open-door policy," which could benefit Ladd. "At any point as a captain, if I wanted to walk in and have a conversation with him, I felt comfortable doing that," Francis said. "We could talk about everything from my individual game to team concepts and systems or strengths and weaknesses and how to adjust things. And it was no different being a part of the coaching staff. He gave everybody a voice. Youre allowed to kind of say your piece and what you thought, and at the end of the day it was his job as head coach to make the final decision. But he certainly gave you that opportunity to express what you felt." Maurice certainly hasnt been perfect. During his 13 full seasons as an NHL head coach, his teams made the playoffs five times and missed eight. But Weekes, who was part of just one Maurice-led playoff team, praised him as "hands-down" the best coach he ever played for. "He set the right tone with the staff, certainly with all of our players, and for the most part youd have to say he put all of us in a position to succeed," Weekes said. "Everything was structured, our work ethic as a team was through the roof, and I think that really reflected our coaches, starting with Coach Maurice, just in terms of the preparation, the practice detail, the tempo -- us doing all the little things that it took the be successful." ' ' '

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Bills have secured at least one half of their starting safety tandem after signing Aaron Williams to a four-year, $26 million contract extension Wednesday. A person with knowledge of the contract said Williams is guaranteed $14.625 million. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the terms were not released by the Bills. The extension locks up Williams through 2018, and comes at a time when the Bills risk losing three-time Pro Bowl safety Jairus Byrd, who is preparing to test free agency next week. "I told them I accept the role of leading this defence to where it used to be," Williams said. "Im just blessed that they gave me that opportunity, and they trusted me to be here long-term to get this team back to where it started." Williams, Buffalos second-round pick in the 2011 draft, was entering the final year of his contract. He was rewarded with the extension after successfully making the switch from cornerback to safety last season. In 14 games last year, Williams had a career-best 82 tackles and tied Byrd for the team lead with four interceptions. Overall, he has five interceptions and two forced fumbles in 34 career games. "Aaron is the type of young, core player we targeted early in the process to retain for years to come," general manager Doug Whaley said in a released statement. "We expect Aaron to continue to grow into a key contributor for the Bills organization." The question is whether Williams will continue to develop alongside Byrd. This week, the Bills decided against applying the franchise tag for a second consecutive year to retain Byrds rights, opening the door for the fifth-year player to test free agency on March 11. Williams is hoping the Bills can still reach a deal to re-sign Byrd, because the two established a solid on-field rapport last season. "If Jairus does come back, that would be the greatest thing ever, because our chemistry is unbelievable," Williams said. "If he doesnt come back, good luck to him. Were always going to be best friends. ... Well just have to move on and find another piece to try to replace his role." The Bills defence is undergoing another off-season change, with Jim Schwartz taking over as co-ordinator after Mike Pettine left to become the Cleveland Browns head coach. Schwartz has a similar aggressive defensive coaching philosophy, which is expected to ease the transition. "I feel real confident that nothing major is going to change," Williams said. "There might be a few things here and there, but I think team-wise, once we get all the pieces together we will be fine." The Bills also announced free-agent linebacker Jameel McClain had arrived in Buffalo to meet with team. Listed at 6-foot-1 and 245 pounds, McLain spent the past six seasons with the Baltimore Ravens before being released by the team last week.

cheap jerseys online . Mainz wasted a series of chances either side of halftime and it was Greuther Fuerth that took one of its very few opportunities when Klaus shot from inside the penalty area was deflected inside the far post. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting rounded Greuther Fuerth goalkeeper Max Gruen in the first half but shot wide. wholesale jerseys . Francesco Lodi converted a penalty in the 23rd minute and Catanias Argentine goalkeeper Juan Pablo Carizzo made a series of difficult saves in the final minutes. Siena remained in 17th place, just two points clear of the relegation zone. http://www.nflcheapjerseysonline.biz/. After qualifying third on Thursday the Toronto threesome all hit solid routines to finish second in the five-team final with 159.995 points. Great Britain won gold with 164.845 points and Belarus took the bronze with a score of 158. cheap authentic jerseys . The Canadiens went 2-1-1, but the real story was the long awaited return of Andrei Markov. Despite being victimized by Tyler Ennis on Monday, Markovs performance was encouraging. cheap nfl jerseys online . Mark Cueto scored a hat trick in his first World Cup appearance since the 2007 final and fellow wing Chris Ashton also crossed three times to take his tally to 14 in 16 internationals. England never threatened to match the 134-0 win it racked up against the same opponent a decade ago, but avoided being pulled into an arm wrestle with the Romanian forwards and cut out most of the breakdown infringements that marred its wins over Argentina and Georgia.CONOVER, N.C. - Bernhard Langer overcame a bad start Saturday to take a two-stroke lead after the second round of the Champions Tours Greater Hickory Classic. Second behind Kenny Perry in the Charles Schwab Cup standings, Langer bogeyed the first two holes on the reconfigured Rock Barn layout, then made six birdies for a 4-under 66. The German starr had a 10-under 130 total.dddddddddddd Michael Allen, Brad Bryant and John Riegger were tied for second. Allen shot 65, Bryant had a 66, and Riegger a 67. Bruce Vaughan, who won the qualifying tournament to make the field, shot a 62 to join Olin Browne at 7 under. Browne had a 68. Perry was tied for 17th at 3 under after a 69. ' ' '

LA QUINTA, Calif. -- Patrick Reed got an early start in golf. "When I was born, there was a golf club in my crib," Reed said. He got a big jump on the field in the Humana Challenge, too, shooting three straight 9-under 63s to take a seven-stroke lead into the final round. Struggling with the pace of his putts, he needed almost all of that cushion Sunday, closing with a 1-under 71 at PGA West to beat Ryan Palmer by two strokes. "A lot tougher than the first three rounds," Reed said. "My speed was off today. I left a lot of putts short. It seemed like the first three days the ball was just trickling over the front edge, and today it seemed like it came to a screeching halt." Finally resembling the guy who talked Saturday about being in a "putting coma," Reed ran in an 18-footer for birdie on the par-3 15th to push his lead to three strokes. "It felt comfortable. It felt great," Reed said. "I was able to play the last three holes just for par rather than trying to make birdies or trying to make something happen." He did par the last three to finish at 28-under 260 in the three-course event that he opened and closed on the Arnold Palmer Private Course. The 23-year-old Reed has two victories in his first 46 PGA Tour starts, winning the Wyndham Championship in August. He jumped from 69th to 41st in the world ranking, enough to lock up a spot in the 64-man Match Play Championship. "I always play to try to prove to everybody that I belong out here," Reed said. "As well as, I belong, not only out here on the PGA Tour, but also with the best players in the world." Reed took a call from former President Bill Clinton -- the tournament is run in partnership with the Clinton Foundation -- during his interview session. "He told me to get myself back in that zone more often," Reed said. "Because he said it was a lot of fun to watch." Palmer made a 15-foot eagle putt on the final hole for a 63. "What can you do with what Patrick did this week?" Palmer said. "Its ridiculous what he did. Amazing how good he played. Well come up a couple short, but it was a win in my game because I was playing for second today." Zach Johnson and Justin Leonard tied for third at 25 under. Johnson birdied the final five holes for a 62, the best round of the week. "I got red hot at the end," Johnson said. The Kapalua winner is taking a four-week break. "Hopefully, I can maintain where Im at," Johnson said. Leonard parred his last two for a 65. "Would love to have made a few more putts," Leonard said. Other than the 18-footer on No. 15, the longest putt Reed holed was a 5-footer for par on the par-4 13th. That was a crucial putt after he played the previous eight holes in 1 over with four bogeys and three birdies. "I knew that if I didnt make that putt, then it was going to get interesting," Reed said. "To make that putt kind of gave me a little bit more fire saying, All right, well, were running out of holes for people to make a lot of birdies." Reed missed two 6-foot par putts and an 8-footer and dropped another stroke with a poor bunker shot on the par-3 12th. "It would either just stop just short, or it would break at the very end and break off the planet and lip out," Reed said. "It seemed like nothing would go in." On Saturday, Reed broke the PGA Tour record for relation to par for the first 54 holes, finishing at 27 under. He also became the first player in tour history to open with three rounds of 63 or better. On Sunday, he became the second player in the event to lead wire-to-wire, joining 1977 winner Rik Massengale. "To have a day where I felt like I had probably about my C or D game and still shoot under par, and to close off a victory, that means a lot to me," Reed said. Reeds wife, Justine, is pregnant with their first child, forcing her to turn over caddieing duties to her brother, Kessler Karain. She has walked every hole this year and plans to caddie again after the baby arrives around Memorial Day. "I cant wait to be a dad and have a little girl running around," Reed said. After helping Augusta State win NCAA titles in 2010 and 2011, Reed drew attention in 2012 when he successfully Monday-qualified for six events. He earned his tour card in December 2012, surviving six rounds of Q-school at PGA West. "We have worked so hard at it," Reed said. "Especially, with my wife and I, how hard we have worked the past 2 1/2 years, through Q-School, through the Monday qualifiers, and through here to get two wins in less than half a year."

cheap nfl jerseys . This week, Manchester United maintained its 12-point lead atop the table with a shutout of QPR, Manchester City turned the tide and avoided losing ground with a win over Chelsea and Wigan convincingly pulled themselves out of relegation. cheap nfl jerseys free shipping .cas 2013 Play of the Year Showdown continues with our first player versus goalie entry of the showdown. http://www.cheapjerseysfreeshipping.biz/.J. -- Canadians Karina LeBlanc and Candace Chapman are headed to Sky Blue FC of Womens Professional Soccer. cheap jerseys .S. -- Vince Hinostroza scored twice and added two assists as the United States scored four unanswered goals on Sunday to beat Canada West 6-3 and win the World Junior A Challenge for the fourth time in five years. cheap jerseys free shipping .cas 2013 Play of the Year Showdown sees Bostons big-man, Zdeno Chara go head-to-head with Cody Hodgson of the Sabres.Its the kind of injury no one ever likes to see. Early in the second period of Fridays preseason game between the Oilers and the Wild, Oilers rookie hopeful Taylor Fedun went back to touch the puck for an icing call when he got locked up with Minnesota winger Eric Nystrom and slammed his knee hard into the boards. Fedun immediately hit the ice in serious pain and had to be stretchered off. The result of the play was a broken right femur. Former Oiler Kurtis Foster immediately felt for the young defender. In 2008, amidst his first tour of duty with the Wild, Foster broke his left leg in several places after crashing into the boards chasing the puck for an icing call. That injury forced him to miss the final eight games of the 2007-08 season and the first 50 of 2008-09. Last nights incident was all too familiar for Foster. After contacting Oilers forward Ryan Jones for Feduns number, he reached out to the young defender via text. He also offered his support to the Oilers medical staff should they need it. "To be honest, I was hoping and wishing I would never have to see anyone go through what I had to recover from," said Foster. "I really hope this will lead to the changees of the icing rule that need to be made! With the crackdown on player safety the NHL is currently undergoing, Foster was left to wonder how long the potentially-dangerous play would be part of the game.dddddddddddd "Touch icing is a dangerous play that is not needed in our league and maybe this will open the eyes of the NHL and the NHLPA. A fractured femur for the second time is awful, but lets hope nothing worse happens to somebody someday!" The injury delivers a serious blow to Feduns career after hed worked his way into the fight for jobs on the Oilers blue line. Fedun had been impressing Oiler management in his first pro camp and was a pleaseant surprise. Teammates were also vocal in their support for the Princeton grad. "Hoping for the best with Fedun. Need to get rid of touch icings. If not this kind of thing will keep happening," Oilers sophomore Taylor Hall said via Twitter. There has been no word yet on how long Fedun is expected to miss, only the likelihood that his absence will be prolonged, given the usual recovery time needed for femur injuries. Fedun was signed as a free agent out of Princeton by the Oilers to a two-year entry-level contract on March 8, 2011 ' ' '

LAKE LOUISE, Alta. -- A woman can sweep the World Cup ski races at Lake Louise, Alta., yet again, but its not Lindsey Vonn on the cusp of a hat trick this time. Maria Hoefl-Riesch of Germany won her second downhill in as many days with Saturdays victory at the Alberta resort. The 29-year-old from Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a contender to win Sundays super-G, although downhill is more her strength. "Im not as strong in super-G as I am in downhill, but the two races gave me lots of confidence," Hoefl-Riesch said. Vonn won all three races at Lake Louise in 2011 and 2012 and owns a record 14 victories at the venue. The U.S. ski star finished 11th Saturday, but felt she took a step forward from Fridays downhill when she finished 40th. Prior to her arrival, Vonn hadnt raced since crashing and suffering a severe right knee injury at the world championship in February. "I was more aggressive and just more confident and comfortable," the Olympic womens downhill champion said. "My whole body language was different. I still made mistakes and it wasnt my best skiing, but its a long ways from where I was yesterday." Hoefl-Rieschs time of one minute 55.09 seconds was over a second faster than in her first win. Tina Weirather of Liechtenstein was second in 1:55.43 and Austrias Anna Fenninger third in 1:55.56. Larisa Yurkiw of Owen Sound, Ont., was 26th after a career-best seventh in the first downhill Friday. "I think because I had such a rocking day yesterday, I was almost a little bit depleted," Yurkiw said. "I wanted it pretty bad and I had intensity in places I didnt necessarily need it. "Anyone would want to repeat a performance like yesterday in front of a home crowd. Im still really pleased with the way the momentum is going." Conditions were clear and sunny, but bitterly cold for a second straight day with a temperature of minus-28. FIS, the world governing body of skiing, doesnt set a minimum temperature for races. The decision rests with the race jury made up of the a FIS delegate, race referee and assistant referee and chief of race. The women wore masks or covered exposed parts of their faces with brightly coloured tape to protect themselves from frostbite as they rocketed down the mountain. Five of Hoefl-Rieschs 26 career wins have come at Lake Louise. She took both downhills in 2010 with Vonn finishing second. But Vonn beat Hoefl-Riesch in the super-G that year to kick off a run of seven straight wins. The women dont get training runs for super-G, which is shorter than downhill but has more turns. They get a single course inspection the morning of the race. "I will try to inspect very well and I hope my coaches will tell me a really good line," Hoefl-Riesch said. "Super-G is always a big challenge to be fast because sometimes you cant really know how fast you get to the rolls and turns. "Thats the art of super-G, to make a very good first run and I will try this tomorrow." The six-foot-two German felt short on speed training heading into the World Cup season. She concentrated more on slalom and giant slalom in preparation for World Cups in Soelden, Austria and Levi, Finland. Hoefl-Riesch is the reigning Olympic champion in slalom. She finished seventh in downhill and eighth in super-G in Beaver Creek, Colo., last week. "With less downhill and super-G training, I was having some troubles there," Hoefl-Riesch said. "Thats why I love Lake Louise. I think its a perfect downhill to begin the season especially when you dont have the chance for so much training. "Im really happy I had a strong comeback here with two wins." Weirather was disqualified from fifth place Friday for wearing a plastic arm protector on the outside of her suit, instead of on the inside. "I had a really bad day yesterday," Weirather said. "I was skiing well and then I got disqualified so I had some anger in myself. I tried to take it into the start house and put it into my skiing today and it worked really well." Vonn tore two ligaments in her knee and broke a bone in her lower leg at the world championships. Her comeback was on track until she partially tore a reconstructed ligament while training in Colorado last month. The 29-year-old needs surgery again, but wants to postpone it until after the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Lake Louise is a first test of how a knee that is not completely healthy will stand up to racing this winter. Vonn wasnt sure how many World Cups shell compete in this season. "My focus is Sochi and however I can come into the those Olympics the most prepared is what Im going to do," Vonn said. "Im trying to save my knee as best I can."

cheap broncos jerseys . -- Danny Mwanga scored from 23 yards out in the 82nd minute in the Philadelphia Unions 3-2 comeback victory over Chivas USA on Saturday night. cheap nike nfl jerseys .S. Olympic Trials next summer in the hopes of qualifying for London 2012. This would be her fourth Olympic appearance, having competed in Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996 before retiring at age 24. http://www.cheapnfljerseysonline.biz/. Erik Karlsson and the Ottawa Senators felt good after their 3-1 defeat of the Washington Capitals on Monday, their first back-to-back victory in 51 days and their first three-game winning streak at the Canadian Tire Centre this season. nfl cheap jerseys . -- Canadas mens soccer team can eliminate much of the guesswork at the CONCACAF Gold Cup with a victory over Panama on Tuesday. cheap nfl jerseys online . Mathias Niederberger made 36 saves in Game 4 as Barrie doubled up Oshawa 4-2 to sweep the best-of-seven second-round matchup. The 20-year-old goaltender was steady for the Colts all series, but was at his best on the road in Games 3 and 4 as he turned away 71-of-73 combine shots.Unfortunately for the Phoenix Coyotes, the National Hockey Leagues shortened season will reportedly have no effect on Raffi Torres suspension. According to the Chicago Tribune, the Coyotes spoke to league about possibly cutting into the remaining eight games on the suspension that Torres received during the playoffs for his hit on Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa. After the hit, Torres was assessed a 25-game-suspension, which was later reduced by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to 21 games.dddddddddddd "The terms of the Torres suspension remain the same, as modified by the Commissioners decision last summer," NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told the Tribune in an email. "Neither the lockout nor the transition rules (in the new collective bargaining agreement) impacted the terms of the Torres suspension." Torres will be able to return to the Coyotes lineup on February 2. ' ' '

San Francisco, CA (Sports Network) - Tim Lincecum worked seven scoreless innings as San Francisco topped Minnesota, 2-1, in the rubber match of a three-game interleague set. Lincecum (6-6) allowed just three hits and two walks while fanning 12 en route to his first win since May 27. I wasnt worried about what would happen when I throw my pitches, Lincecum admitted. Early in the game, when I was commanding my pitches in the zone, I just opened up my mind to allow myself to become that much more confident. Miguel Tejada and Cody Ross drove in a run each for the Giants, who took the final two games in the series following a five-game losing skid. Michael Cuddyer finished 3-for-4 with two doubles and drove in the lone run for the Twins, who have lost two straight after winning eight in a row. Brian Duensing (4-7) was the hard-luck loser, charged with six hits and one run with five strikeouts and a pair of walks over 6 2/3 frames. This was just a very good pitching matchup, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. They just pitched a little better. Thats the Duensing we were looking for. He was consistent and has good stuff. Ahead by a slim 1-0 margin, San Francisco wasted a bases-loaded situation in the seventh when Bill Hall flied out, but tacked on an insurance run in the eighth when Aubrey Huff stroked a leadoff double and came in when Ross followed with a base hit. It was needed, as closer Brian Wilson looked shaky to start the ninth, walking Alexi Casilla and serving up an RBI double from Cuddyer. However, the bearded hurler settled down to retire the next two batters and see Cuddyer tagged out in a rundown to earn his 21st save. The Giants gave Lincecum all the support he needed in the second inning, as Pablo Sandoval singled with one out, moved to third on a Pat Burrell double and scored on a Tejada groundout. Hall also short-circuited a bases-loaded situation in the fifth when he grounded into a fielders choice. GAME NOTES:San Francisco has won four of the last six meetings with Minnesota dating back to their last matchup in 2005...Lincecum posted his fourth game of 10-or-more strikeouts this season, and his first since punching out 12 batters on May 4 against the New York Mets...Minnesota batters struck out 14 times in the contest.

very cheap jerseys . Overton, whose 62 topped the old mark by a stroke at The Mines Resort & Golf Club, and Jacobson, who carded a seven-under 64 on Friday, finished 36 holes at 13-under 129. Bo Van Pelt missed a 12-foot birdie try at the last, but settled for a seven- under 64 in round two. cheap nfl jerseys . Must have made the other teams in South Floridas bracket shudder just a bit, too. The Bulls introduced the Big Easts nastiest defence to the NCAA tournament on Wednesday night, allowing only 13 points in the first half of a 65-54 victory over a California team that went long stretches without a single point. http://www.cheapnfljerseysmall.biz/.Y. -- The Hamilton Bulldogs scored three unanswered goals to down the Utica Comets 3-2 in American Hockey League play Saturday. wholesale nfl jerseys . Greg Chase had a goal and an assist for the Hitmen (3-1-0), who have won three games in a row, while Brady Brassart scored once. Jaedon Descheneau led the Ice (2-2-1) by scoring twice and Jagger Dirk had the other. cheap jerseys . Yep, one of the NFLs chattiest teams went silent and got to work. No cameras. No fans. No reporters. "We just wanted to be able to focus," Sanchez said during a conference call Wednesday.Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry Fraser wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca! Hi Kerry, I was hoping you could clarify Henrik Sedins penalty in Tuesday nights Canucks game. Henrik passed his teammate his stick - with his own stick - and ended up getting an unsportsmanlike penalty. I dont understand how that was unsportsmanlike, or how he did anything bad. Thanks,Barjinder Parhar Vancouver, BC ----- Hey Kerry, During the Canucks-Rangers game, Henrik Sedin got a penalty for being "unsportsmanlike." He nudged a fallen stick back to his teammate and got penalized. Ive always wondered why, when a player loses his stick, he doesnt just pick it back up. I keep thinking, "Cmon man, your sticks only ten feet away from you! You need your stick! Pick it up!" Whats up with players losing their sticks and continuing empty-handed? Thanks. Norman Yeung,Toronto Barjinder and Norman: TSN analyst Mike Johnson immediately made the right call from between the glass in Vancouver last night on the TSN broadcast as did referee Ian Walsh from the ice when Henrik made an illegal stick pass to his teammate, Dan Hamhuis in violation of rule 10.3 Broken Stick – Player. "A player who has lost or broken his stick may only receive a stick at his own players bench or be handed one at his players bench or be handed one from a teammate on the ice. A player (Henrik Sedin) will be penalized if he throws, tosses, slides or shoots a stick to a teammate on the ice." Many pplayers (former and current) do not know this rule so helmets off everyone to Mike Johnson for getting it right.dddddddddddd Here are some other variations of the rule that might come into play. Should they occur you will be one step ahead of the correct call on the ice. Lets assume that Henrik knew the rule and picked up his teammates stick and while in the act of skating it to Hamhuis got involved in the play while he had two sticks in his hands (i.e. checked an opponent or played the puck). Henrik would receive a minor penalty as a player is only allowed to participate in the play with one stick. The same rule applies if a player retrieves a goalkeepers stick. He must physically transport it to the goalie and hand it to him or drop it in his crease to avoid a minor penalty. For violation of this rule the player is assessed a minor penalty for "throwing the stick." Under no circumstance can a player participate in the play while transporting a goal stick and would incur an automatic minor penalty for playing with an illegal stick; no measurement required here! (A goalkeeper is the only player on the ice that can play with a broken stick without incurring a minor penalty). Finally, if a player is tendered a stick thrown on the ice from the players or penalty bench he will not receive a penalty. The person responsible for throwing the stick would receive a bench minor penalty. I trust this clears up any confusion on the call that Mike Johnson and Ian Walsh made last night on Henrik. ' ' '

The Vancouver Canucks will be without David Booth for 4-6 weeks after the forward was found to have an MCL injury in his right knee. Booth suffered the injury in Tuesdays win over the Colorado Avalanche, when he was hit knee-on-knee by Kevin Porter. Porter received a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct on the play, and will have a hearing with NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan on Thursday. Booth had to be assisted to the locker room and did not return. The Canucks announced the injury to Booth on Wednesday night, as the team prepared to embark on a five-game east coast trip that starts Thursday in Montreal. Booth was acquired by the Canucks in a four-player swap with the Florida Panthers in October. He has five goals and 12 points in 19 games since being dealt to Vancouver.

China Jerseys . The Toronto Argonauts head coach needed just one phone call to find a replacement for Chris Jones, who left last month to become the Edmonton Eskimos head coach. NFL China Jerseys . After splitting two games in Los Angeles, the teams will meet again in New Orleans for Game 4 on Sunday. The Hornets have now dropped two straight since surprising the Lakers to take Game 1. Although this one was never out of reach until the fourth quarter, the Hornets never had a lead after Chris Pauls layup made it 6-4. http://www.cheapchinajerseys.biz/. Adriano scored two first-half goals to lead Barcelona, which will be returning to the Club World Cup final for the first time since 2009 when the team beat Argentine club Estudiantes. NHL China Jerseys . The NBA announced Tuesday that the Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs will play at the Mexico City Arena on Dec. MLB China Jerseys . Italian Premier Mario Montis refusal to provide financial support for Romes bid Tuesday ended the Eternal Citys hopes of bringing the Olympics back to the capital for the first time since 1960. Monti said it would be an irresponsible use of taxpayers money to fund the $12.KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Canadas mens soccer team can eliminate much of the guesswork at the CONCACAF Gold Cup with a victory over Panama on Tuesday. A win would cement Canada top spot in its group and a berth in the quarter-final round while a loss would leave the team depending on results of other games. Canada would like to have the luxury of controlling its own fate. "We need to win the game. Its really as simple as that," Canadian coach Stephen Hart said Monday. Panama sits atop Group C after beating both the United States and Guadeloupe and its success has been a surprise to everybody, it seems, except Hart. "I said before the Gold Cup and people probably laughed at me but Ive seen them play maybe 10 games," Hart said. "Theyre a very good team, they have a very good forward line, the midfield is very dynamic and everybody saw it so they are a top team." The Canadians are tied for second with the U.S. with three points, while Guadeloupe is last with none. Canada opened the tournament with a 2-0 loss to the Americans last week in Detroit before bouncing back to beat Guadeloupe 1-0 on Sunday in Tampa. The top two teams in each group move on, along with the best two third-place teams. If the Canadians lose to Panama, theyll have to wait for the results of other games to know if theyll go through. "Weve still got to stick to our game.," said Canadian captain Kevin McKenna. "Weve had our gameplan and working on our tactics for a couple years now and were hoping that its going to pay off in the game. "Theyre a counter-attacking team. Hopefully if we get at them and put them under pressure hopefully theyll make a few mistakes in their buiildup and we can catch them at their own game.dddddddddddd We know that theyre talented but obviously building up towards World Cup qualifying we need to show our strengths." The U.S. concludes Group C play against Guadeloupe following the Canada-Panama game at Livestrong Sporting Park, the new home of Major League Soccers Sporting Kansas City. The Canadians would get a more favourable quarter-final opponent -- likely either Jamaica or Honduras -- if they finish in top spot in their group. If they finish second, they would play the group B winner. Both of those quarter-finals would go Sunday in Washington, D.C. If Canada qualified as one of the best third-place teams, it would play Mexico on Saturday in East Rutherford, N.J. "You have to win and thats how we approach every game," said Hart. "We did not win against the U.S., we approached the Guadeloupe game as one we have to win and now we have to win." On the injury front, defender Marcel de Jong has returned to his club team in Germany after re-aggravating a persistent shoulder injury. Hes had a history of dislocating his shoulder and that happened in his sleep the night before the Guadeloupe game. Midfielder Atiba Hutchinson is also dealing with a nagging injury. He missed Mondays training session, remaining at the hotel to work with the teams medical staff. Hart said hell decide Hutchinsons status after speaking with the staff. Livestrong Sporting Park is Sporting Kansas Citys new stadium. Should there be a goal in the Canada-Panama game, it would be the first scored in competitive action at the stadium as the first game there between Kansas City and Chicago last week ended in a 0-0 tie. ' ' '

DALLAS -- The second makeover of the Dallas Mavericks in as many seasons just got tougher. Star forward Dirk Nowitzki had arthroscopic surgery on his ailing right knee Friday and the 11-time All-Star isnt expected to resume on-court activities for about six weeks. Dallas opens the regular season in 11 days at the Los Angeles Lakers. "Its never going to be easy to lose a game-changer for six weeks," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "Were going to have to make up for it in other areas." The 34-year-old Nowitzki has experienced swelling in the knee most of the preseason, twice having the knee drained since training camp started Sept. 29. The knee didnt improve after rest, ice and light conditioning work, leading to the decision to have surgery. The 2011 NBA finals MVP played just one preseason game -- the opener in his native Germany. The Mavericks already have the challenge of working five new players into the rotation, and one of them can play Nowitzkis position -- 13-year veteran Elton Brand. Vince Carter, another veteran who joined Dallas last season, also could slide into that spot. The Mavericks were never much of a threat to defend their 2011 title last season after deciding not to bring back several key contributors. On top of the roster shuffling, Nowitzki had conditioning trouble and a sore right knee early in the season and eventually sat four games. He didnt miss any more time after that. This is likely to be the most extended absence of Nowitzkis career. Hes never missed more than nine games in a season. "Im sure youre all not expecting us to be good now, so where is the pressure?" Carter said. "Nobodys giving us a chance with or without him, so for us weve just got to play and let the chips fall where they may." Nowitzki is the franchises career leader in points and has averaged 22.9 points and 8.3 rebounds in 14 seasons.

NFL jerseys china . Gerald Green added 19 points and Markieff Morris 12 for the Suns, who wrapped up exhibition play with a 5-2 mark. Phoenix opens the regular season by hosting Portland next Wednesday. Cheap Jerseys .ca! There is plenty of blame to be shared as a result of the most recent NHL player (Pittsburghs Brooks Orpik) to be evacuated from the ice on a stretcher following an ugly incident Saturday night in Boston. http://www.cheapjerseys-china.biz/. -- John Farrell has plenty of reasons to be bummed that the Toronto Blue Jays wont be back in Kansas City this season. Wholesale NHL jerseys . -- Dmitry Kulikov had a rough start and a smooth finish in his first game back for the Florida Panthers. NFL jerseys wholesale . -- Second-ranked Western kept its undefeated season in tact by using its dominant ground game to run past No.LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Gavin Schmitt of Saskatoon and Fred Winters of Victoria were the offensive stars for Canada on Wednesday in a three-set victory over world No. 5 Cuba at the NORCECA Olympic mens volleyball qualifying tournament. The Canadians, ranked 18th internationally, finished in first place in Group B with a perfect 3-0 mark after a 25-21, 25-17, 25-21 win over the Cubans. Canada gets a bye to the semifinal on Friday. Cuba placed second at 2-1 and faces Trinidad and Tobago in a quarter-final match on Thursday. The tournament winner qualifies for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. "We had a really good beat on Cubas offensive strategies," said Canadian setter Josh Howatson. "We made very few errors and our passing was especially strong. With every match weve played a harder opponent and weve gotten better too." Schmitt had 21 points for the Canadians while Winters added 16 and was a perfect 15-for-15 attacking. Toon Van Lankvelt of Rivers, Man., had eight points and led the Canadians with four successful blocks. "Its a total team victory," saiid Canadian head coach Glenn Hoag.dddddddddddd "We have a system that the players believe in and every one played their role. That was the biggest highlight for me. Weve seen this team grow for six years and these are the kind of performances we knew we were capable of." The Canadians capitalized on six service errors by the Cubans in the first set to grab a 1-0 lead in sets. A five point run late in the second set that included three offensive errors by the Cubans put the Canadians up for good. Schmitt collected 10 of his 21 points in the third set. In Wednesdays other matches, Puerto Rico defeated the Dominican Republic in straight sets for third place in Group B and a quarter-final berth. In Group A, Trinidad and Tobago beat Costa Rica in three sets for third spot. The United States faced Mexico for top spot later Wednesday. The second and third place teams in each group at the qualifying tournament for teams in North and Central America and the Caribbean crossover for Thursdays quarter-final. The semifinals are on Friday and the medal matches Saturday. ' ' '

NASHVILLE -- A person familiar with the situation says the Tennessee Titans will be visiting with four-time NFL MVP Peyton Manning in his search for a new team. ESPN.com first reported Titans coach Mike Munchak will meet with Manning after a session with Miami coach Joe Philbin. The person spoke to The Associated Press Monday about Mannings meeting with the Titans on the condition of anonymity because the location and time of that meeting remains confidential. Titans owner Bud Adams made it known Sunday he will do whatever it takes to sign Manning to get back to the playoffs and win his teams first Super Bowl. Adams told The Tennessean he had talked to Mannings agent, Tom Condon, asking for a visit with the quarterback. Manning has plenty of connections to Tennessee. He starred at the University of Tennessee, leading to his first name becoming a popular choice for newborns in this state. His wife is from Memphis, and Manning already knows the Titans facility a bit, having practiced against Tennessee a few years ago when the Colts came to town for some joint practices. Munchak also was a teammate of Archie Manning in 1982 and briefly in 1983 with the then-Houston Oilers. Munchak just hired Dennis Polian -- son of former Colts general manager Bill Polian -- as his assistant. But the biggest key is Adams, the 89-year-old billionaire who wants back in the playoffs. His Titans have been only twice since 2004 with both trips in 2007 and 2008 lasting only one game each. A meeting with Manning could come in Houston where Adams still lives after relocating his Oilers to Tennessee in 1997. "I want Manning," Adams told The Tennessean. "Id love to see him in Titan blue after watching him so many years with the Colts. ... I want him. I am ready to do what it takes to get him aboard, and I think hed be the guy to get us into the playoffs." The Titans already have veteran Matt Hasselbeck, signed to a three-year contract last July, and Jake Locker picked with the No. 8 overall selection in the 2011 draft. But Hasselbeck is due $5.5 million in salary this year after getting a chunk of his deal last season. So far, Manning has met only with the Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals. He was expected to be heading back to Florida, but did not show at the Dolphins headquarters Monday despite reports he would meet with the team. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross arrived at the team complex at midmorning, and several players -- including quarterback Chad Henne -- showed up around the same time to work out. Henne is a free agent and not expected back this season. A media stakeout at the complex began when a local TV station camera crew arrived at 4 a.m. Half a dozen TV cameras and a handful of reporters eventually gathered across the street. They werent allowed on the teams property, but a Dolphins official brought out water, pizza and napkins. Curious motorists occasionally pulled up to ask for an update. Manning spent nearly 6 1/2 hours at the Arizona Cardinals headquarters and training facility on Sunday in meetings designed to lure the superstar to the desert. The session followed a meeting of nearly six hours Manning had at the Broncos facility in Denver on Friday night. The two sessions were evidence that, for the time being at least, Arizona and Denver appear to be the top two contenders.

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Durant scored 44 points, but Danny Granger had 13 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter to help the Pacers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-98 on Friday night for their fourth straight win. Durant, the NBAs No. 2 scorer, posted his second-best scoring total of the season. It was the most a player has scored against the Pacers this season. "Hes probably the top offensive player in the NBA," Granger said. "Theyve got him at 6-10, but hes really 7 feet. You cant get to his jump shot, and hes got crossovers and stuff that a guy his size isnt supposed to have. Hes tough to defend. He got a lot of points, but we got the win." Roy Hibbert had 21 points and 12 rebounds, David West scored 14 points and Paul George added eight points and a career-high 16 rebounds for the Pacers (34-21), who have won eight of 10. The Pacers felt it was an important to beat one of the top teams in the Western Conference so close to playoff time. Indiana is 1 1/2 games ahead of the Atlanta Hawks for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. "Theyre fighting for a No. 1 seed," Granger said. "Were fighting for a seed in our conference. That wasnt a game that either team could afford to lose and we came out on top, so I think that says a lot about us as a team and the steps that were taking." Oklahoma City wasted an outstanding effort by Durant, who made 15 of 24 field goals and 11 of 13 free throws. The Thunder, second in the league with 103 points per game, have scored fewer than 100 in four straight games. Russell Westbrook had 21 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, but he shot 7 for 23 from the field as the Thunder lost their third consecutive game. "You cant panic," Durant said. "Three in a row is tough, especially late in the season, but you cant panic. We played hard all three games, and we came back in this one." Oklahoma City cut a 24-point deficit to 10 in the fourth quarter, but a step-back jumper by Granger with Durant in his face gave Indiana a 94-82 lead with 3:21 remaining and forced the Thunder to call a timeout. Oklahoma kept rallying as Durant was fouled on a dunk, and he made the free throw to cut Indianas lead to 96-91 with 1:08 to go. Kendrick Perkins trimmed Indianas lead to 97-933 on a reverse layup with 37 seconds left, but Darren Collisons jumper from near the free throw line with 16 seconds remaining and time running out on the shot clock gave Indiana a cushion.dddddddddddd Westbrook banked in a 3-pointer with 5.5 seconds left to cut Indianas lead to 101-98. Granger made two free throws with 4.7 seconds left to seal the Pacers win. "Its one of those situations where you try so hard a certain amount of times and just cant seem to get over the hump," Oklahoma City guard James Harden said. "But we shouldnt have put ourselves in that situation to begin with." Hibberts tip for a long putback gave the Pacers a 56-41 lead late in the second quarter, prompting Indianas crowd to stand for the final 15 seconds of the half. The Pacers shot 54 per cent before the break and held Oklahoma City to 42 per cent. Hibbert had 16 points in the first half, matching Durant. Westbrook scored three points on 1-for-8 shooting before the break. Indiana continued its strong shooting early in the second half. A bucket by West gave Indiana a 64-43 lead. Three mid-range jumpers by Granger fueled a stretch that pushed the advantage to 72-48 and forced Oklahoma City to call timeout. The Thunder missed five of six shots to start the second half. The Thunder chipped away late in the third quarter, trimming Indianas lead to 75-61 at the end of the period. The Pacers shot 7 for 26 from the field in the third quarter, but they never lost confidence. "Were resourceful," Hibbert said. "Were a different team than we have been in the past. We grind out wins. We dont crack like we used to at the end of games." The Pacers earned Oklahoma Citys respect. "They have a great team," Durant said. "They can stack up against anybody. They have inside, outside presence. They have a lot of weapons. Theyre going to be tough in the East. We got a taste of it tonight." NOTES: Indiana shot 55 per cent in the first quarter to lead 32-20. ... Hibbert had four blocks in the first quarter and Oklahoma Citys Serge Ibaka had three. Ibaka finished with seven blocks. ... Indiana went on a 12-0 run to take a 35-20 lead early in the second quarter. ... George had 10 rebounds in the first half, matching his career high. ... Indiana had a sellout crowd of 18,165 for just the fifth time this season. ' ' '

TORONTO – The Mikhail Grabovski who has emerged early in the Maple Leafs first round series with Boston does not resemble the one who meekly concluded a lost regular season. "Much different hockey player," Leafs coach Randy Carlyle stated with emphasis a day before Game 3 against the Bruins on Monday night. "Much more noticeable. Much more on the puck. Much more determined. Much more physical. Lot of muches." Returning to the feisty, aggressive template which had defined his career before 2013, Grabovski totaled nearly 17 minutes in Saturdays series-evening Game 2 victory – the most hes played in well over a month – the 29-year-old dangling a fine feed to James van Riemsdyk for the fourth and final Toronto goal. Eagerly awaiting the first postseason of his NHL career, Grabovski has admittedly been lifted by the aura and intensity of the second season, invigorated by all that is on the line. "I dont look at it like its a different season," he explained to TSN.ca on Sunday afternoon, "I just look at like its time to play hockey or time to go home. "This is what I needed," he continued of the postseason, the remnants of his worst NHL season now in the past. "Im in playoff already, flush out everything and start a new game." Grabovski played in 367 career regular season games before his first NHL playoff this spring. The early experience, he says, is reminiscent of a run to the Calder Cup with the Hamilton Bulldogs in 2007, an accomplishment "you remember for all your life". "Playoff teams are the best teams," he said of the competition and need for top performance. "Its not teams behind us, its only the best teams. Every game, every shift is like history in my life." Determination in that manner has showed itself in the opening two games with Boston. Unlike a whole string of his teammates in recent years, Grabovski has actually thrived in his career against the Bruins, posting 14 goals in 31 career games. Something about the matchup with the 2011 Stanley Cup champions inspires the Belarusian pivot. "I just enjoy playing against the best players in the world," he stated. "They won the Stanley Cup before and I know the level how you can play to beat them or play hard against this team." Whats been most striking about his performance against the Bruins, in recent years and in the first two games of this series, is a willingness at 5-foot-11 and 183 pounds to attack, most specifically against Bostons 6-foot-9 "monster of a player" as Carlyle described him, Zdeno Chara. "I really enjoy playing against him," Grabovski said of Chara, motivated by the challenge of facing the former Norris Trophy winner. "For me, I need to use my quickness because hes big and [its] pretty hard to play slow hockey with him. I need to be quicker, but its really hard." That speed and quickness has allowed Grabovski to be a "noticeable" presence in each of the first two games – one of the few such Leafs in a one-sided series opening loss – aggressive on pucks while wreaking havoc for the Bruins defence on the forecheck. The encounters with Chara over the years appear to have brought not only physical anguish – including the infamous concussion hit and comeback game-winner in 2011 – but a few lessons as well. "He teach me a lot of things," Grabovski indicated of the Bruins captain. "He teach me to be faster, he teach me to be stronger and he always hit people so I need to be careful." Rejuvenated by the atmosphere of playoff hockey and the Bruins matchup, Grabovski has also benefited from a visit with an old coach this past week. From the age of 14-18, Vladislav Astapenko was Grabovskis junior hockey coach and he just happened to be in Boston earlier this week coaching a Belarusian team at a local tournament. "Hes always supported me," Grabovski said of Astapenko, a shooting coach with whom Grabovski has worked during past summers in Belarus, likely to do so again in the upcoming offseason. "Hes excited to watch the next games because we come back to Boston for sure." Of the advice that his former coach passed along, Grabovski said most of it related to shooting the puck. "Shoot quicker," the student recalled of the wisdom. "Hes a shooting coach. He knows how to shoot properly and stick-handle so he tells me use the wrist!" The mystery still lingers as to what exactly happened to the Leafs highest-paid forward this season. In what stands as unquestionably the worst year of his career, Grabovski totaled a quaint nine goals and 16 points, a seemingly lost factor on many and most nights. A different player has shown up in the early going, however, of the Leafs first playoff run in nine years, the fiery, tenacious player of old. "Im excited about sunshine outside, excited about playing hockey in the summertime," he concluded. "And I love playing against Boston."

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ATLANTA -- Kyle Korver said Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer "laid into us" at halftime. The response from Korver and the Hawks, especially in the third quarter, earned postgame praise from the first-year coach. Korver scored 24 points, including a trio of 3-pointers in a third-quarter stretch that gave Atlanta the lead, and the Hawks overcame Kevin Loves 43 points to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 120-113 on Saturday night. Korver hit each of his four shots and had 12 points in the third, when the Hawks outscored the Timberwolves 38-21. "I thought the guys responded," Korver said. "Obviously, it was a great third quarter for us. Hopefully he doesnt have to talk to us like that all the time. It worked tonight." Budenholzer said defence sparked Atlantas comeback from an 11-point deficit in the second period. "I think the third quarter tonight was something we can reference going forward on how we want to play, particularly defensively, to hold them to 21 points in a quarter with the way they can score," Budenholzer said. Budenholzer said guard DeMarre Carroll, who had 19 points, "set a defensive tone for us and I think everybody else follows that." Paul Millsap, guarded by Love much of the night in a matchup of All-Stars, had 20 points and 13 rebounds before fouling out late in the game. Even with the dominant third quarter, the Hawks had to hold on late. A jam by Minnesotas Corey Brewer with 2:55 remaining cut Atlantas lead to 107-104. Jeff Teague, who had 19 points, drove for a layup and Carrolls free throws pushed the lead to seven points. Loves 3-pointer again trimmed the margin to three before Atlantas Gustavo Ayon banked in an unlikely scoop shot to thwart the comeback attempt. Love, who grabbed 19 rebounds while playing with a sore left ankle, had 21 points in the final period and finished two points shy of his season high. "I didnt even know I had (43) to be honest," Love said. "I think (Kevin Martin) told me after the game. I was just trying to get us back in the game by any means. My teammates set me up with a lot of good shots but, yeah, a loss right now, its just tough." Love said the Timberwolves missed centre Nikola Pekovic, who sat out his third straight game with bursitis in his right ankle. Pekovic could have been especially important against the undersized Hawks. "To not have Peck in a game like this, really the last (three) games, its really tough, just because he takes up so much space," Love said. "Youre having to make up for 20 points and 10 rebounds." Martin had 17 points for the Timberwolves (23-24), who fell under .500 with their second straight loss. Korver, guarded closely by Brewer much of the game, missed his only 3-point attempt in the first half. Korver finally broke free to sink his first 3 with 7:32 remaining in the third quarter for a 60-all tie, extending his NBA record to 115 consecutive games with a 3. Korver added another 3-pointer about a minute later and sank his third with 4:20 remaining in the quarter, giving Atlanta a 73-62 lead. "Once he got one, its tough," Brewer said. "I tried to chase him and make it tough on him all night. ... But hes a great shooter. He has the record for a reason." Minnesota opened the final period with quick 3s by J.J. Barea and Alexey Shved to trim Atlantas lead to 86-81. Barea was ejected with 6:43 remaining. He was called for a technical foul on Minnesotas end of the court and argued his case at the other end, stepping inside the 3-point arc before finally being tossed as Korver was setting up for a free throw. NOTES: Millsap fouled out with 4:19 remaining. ... Ricky Rubio had 11 assists for Minnesota. ... The Hawks signed F Cartier Martin to a 10-day contract and he was active to start his second stint with the team. He appeared in 25 games with the Hawks before he was waived on Jan. 7 and then signed two 10-day contracts with the Bulls. ... The Hawks played their first home game since Wednesday nights game against Detroit was postponed until April 8 due to the winter storm that paralyzed the city.

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MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota Twins All-Star Joe Mauer is not in the lineup for the second straight night after being scratched in the series opener against Kansas City with back spasms. The Twins put Drew Butera at catcher for the game Wednesday night. Mauers back tightened up before batting practice Tuesday and he was scratched. While he was criticized for missing too many games last season, Mauer has been one of the Twins most durable players this year. He has played in 131 of a possible 142 games entering Wednesday, splitting his time among catcher, DH and first base. Mauers absence is a big break for the Royals and Wednesdays starter, Luke Hochevar. Mauer is hitting .355 for his career against the Royals and .519 against Hochevar.

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Wholesale Jerseys China .Y. -- Wil Myers has spent this week making a major name for himself in minor league baseball.TORONTO -- Milos Raonic is the last Canadian left in the Rogers Cup mens tournament. Raonic disposed of Viktor Troicki of Serbia 6-3, 6-4 on Tuesday, while fellow countrymen Frank Dancevic and Vasek Pospisil lost their matches, Raonic said he felt no unusual pressure playing before his hometown crowd. "Obviously its a little bit different when you got on the court, but before the match I really didnt change anything the way I would normally," he said. The 21-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., appeared completely at ease as he recorded the first Rogers Cup victory in his short, rapidly rising career. His next opponent could be Olympic champion Andy Murray who plays in the tournament Wednesday. "I played him earlier this year," Raonic said. "I know if I play well, Ill have my opportunities." Earlier in the day, Juan Monaco of Argentina defeated Pospisil of Vancouver 7-5, 6-4 and Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan defeated Dancevic of Niagara Falls, Ont., 6-3, 7-5. "I dont think there was really too much nerves," Raonic said. "Maybe one ball, I maybe overran a little bit and rushed through that point. "But other than that, I sort of came out and was pretty fluid and relaxed throughout the match from the beginning to the end." Near the end, Raonic said he might have tried to force things in his return game on Troickis serve. "I was making some sloppy errors and giving away too many points at that point," he said. Raonics serve is his biggest weapon and he hammered seven aces in the match that took one hour eight minutes to play. He would like to continue to improve other aspects of his game so that as his career evolves he will be known for more than a big serve. "I hope so," he said. "Thats definitely the plan. Thats what I am going to need to do if I am going to achieve the things I want to achieve. "But no matter what, my serve is going to be my best part and probably the first thing that comes out of peoples mouths when they sort of come to describe me. Maybe at one point people will get sick of talking about it and Ill be doing something else well." Raonic gave his hometown fans lots to talk about on Tuesday. He won the first set after breakiing Troickis serve in the eighth game and then held his own serve.dddddddddddd The top-rated Canadian player broke service again in the third game of the second set. And then held his own serve again, finishing it off with an ace to go ahead 3-1 in the set. Raonic overcame a couple of double faults in the sixth game of the second set to go ahead 4-2, again finishing it with an ace, his fourth of the match. Raonic entered the tournament ranked 24th in the world and Troicki 33rd. Raonic was at the Olympics where he lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in a long, gruelling match. "As far as the Olympics goes, it was a really good experience," he said. "The best part was being around the other athletes. I didnt get to stay that many days during the competition. I stayed a few days before and the morning after the ceremony and I left and was staying close to Wimbledon and came back for two more." Raonic said the most exciting part of his Olympic experience is "the feeling of being surrounded by so much greatness." If he didnt feel any undue pressure playing at home, he said there also was no particular feeling of relief in getting the first one out of the way. "There was one point of relief," said Raonic. "At the end of the second set just because I was getting a little sloppy with my return game and just really to hold it and not have to come back and sort of regroup on that part. So I think that was a bit of relief. "But I dont think the whole -- just getting the match out of the way, I dont think of that as a relief." When he was asked if there was any result from this Rogers Cup that would leave him satisfied, he smiled and said: "No. I dont get satisfied until I achieve a lot. I expect a lot out from myself and Im going to push myself to achieve that. When I get satisfied, I think my career is going to be in trouble." Raonic then added that hes always challenging himself, no matter what the tournament. "Any tournament Im going to push myself," he said. "Im going to give it everything I have. Doesnt matter how much pain or anything I may ever be in, if its the smart choice, Im going to try to win and push myself as far as I can." ' ' '

MOSCOW -- Two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova beat Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden 6-2, 7-5 to make the Kremlin Cup quarterfinals for the sixth time on Wednesday. Meanwhile, mens defending champion Andreas Seppi broke Paolo Lorenzi twice in the second set to win the all-Italian second-round match 6-3, 6-2, and 2011 champ Janko Tipsarevic lost to Russian wild card Karen Khachanov 6-4, 6-4. Kuznetsova, ranked 23rd, overcame an early break in the second set and earned the victory on her third match point against Arvidsson, a semifinalist last year. "I was more relaxed on the court today, yet I was hurrying a bit and wanted to play more aggressive, thus making more mistakes," Kuznetsova said. "But I can say that now, at the end of the season, I am playing much better." She missed Wimbledon, among several tournaments in midseason, because of an abdominal injury. She will try to reach the semifinals for only the second time in Moscow when she faces second-seeded Roberta Vinci of Italy, who beat Elena Vesnina 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 after a first-round bye. Vesnina, who won her first two singles titles this season, broke twice in the opening set. But Vinci broke the Russian three times in the second to force a decider. The 11th-ranked Italian broke decisively in the seventh game and served out. Samantha Stosur opened her account by beating Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 6-3, 6-1. Stosur, coming off her second title this season and fifth of her career, converted four of 11 break opportunities. "I played really well and Kaia was a really dangerous opponent," Stosur said. "I really tried to start the match well, on top." Last years runner-up, Stosur has Alize Cornet of France next. Meanwhile, the 17-year-old Khachanov advanced to his first career ATP quarterfinals in hitting 14 aces past third-seeded Tipsarevic. Playing his fourth tour match, Khachanov broke Tipsarevic once in each set and didnt offer a break chance. "It was a tight match. I was trying but Karen didnt give many chances on his serve," Tipsarevic said. "Two chances he had on my serve he broke me. He plays really well for his age and if he improves his fitness he has all the potential to become a very good player." Earlier, Alisa Kleybanova advanced to her first quarterfinals since being treated for cancer, beating the sixth-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 7-6 (2), 6-4. The Russian was ranked as high as 20th, but after missing much of the last two seasons because of her illness is now 254th. She resumed her career in May and won a challenger before returning to the tour in Toronto in August. "I always liked to play with Carla and I knew it would be a tough match," Kleybanova said. "But I think that today I played more accurate on key moments and thats why I won." Kleybanova was diagnosed with blood cancer and underwent chemotherapy until December 2011. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who is looking for her third title this year, beat Russian compatriot Maria Kirilenko 6-3, 6-3.

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The NHLs Mar. 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell. Check out todays trade-related reports and speculation from around the NHL beat. And follow TSN.ca through Deadline Day for all the updates. Keep it Kul? With the Toronto Maple Leafs having cleared a bit of cap room by dealing Mark Fraser to the Oilers on Friday, reports are now shifting towards their willingness to move a bigger roster piece. TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reported on Insider Trading Friday night that the Leafs have informed teams that theyre willing to move Nikolai Kulemin. Dreger notes, however, that this isnt simply getting rid of salary to make some room for the return of Dave Bolland. The Leafs would need a substantial return, including a player and not just a draft pick. No offers have been tabled yet that make sense for the Leafs, according to Dreger. A Leg Up Kevin Allen of USA Today posted a list of the 10 most intriguing potential trade targets to watch before the deadline and while the list was populated with the usual collection of potentially-available names – Matt Moulson, Dan Girardi, Ales Hemsky and so on – he did bring up another interesting possibility. Tucked away as an honourable mention, Allen suggests that David Legwand would be a fit for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Legwand does have a no-trade clause, as Allen notes, but could he be persuaded to leave Nashville for the first time since he is in the last year of his contract? The 33-year-old has never seen a Conference Final and with Pascal Dupuis out for the year with a torn ACL, the Pens may have both the cash and the need for a player like Legwand. Captain for Hire? Friday was a busy day in the rumor mill for New York Rangers captain Ryan Callahan, with talk of a potential swap with St. Louis front and centre. With reports that at least one team has been given permission to speak with Callahans agent, the possibility of the 28-year-old getting dealt before Mar. 5 seems to be increasing. The key motivator behind the rumours appears to be Callahans expectations for his next contract. Dreger commented that “unless his contract demands soften, theres a 100 per cent chance that hes getting traded by the New York Rangers. Theyre not paying him what hes asking.

wholesale nfl jerseys . You can watch the pre-game show now on TSN2, followed by the game on TSN at 7pm et/4pm pt. One night after netting a career-best 38 points against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Lincredible run continued in Minnesota, as the point guard from nowhere scored 20 points, including a go ahead free throw with 4. cheap nfl jerseys . Chorney, 24, had a goal and three assists in 12 games for the Oilers last season. The six-foot, 193-pound defenceman has one goal and six assists in 56 career games since being drafted by Edmonton 36th overall in the 2005 draft. http://www.choosejersey.com/. Joffrey Lupuls status is now the biggest question mark surrounding the club as the Maple Leafs continue the push for their first playoff berth since 2004. cheap nfl jerseys china . Hudson allowed one run in six-plus innings, Stephen Drew had three hits and two RBIs, and Arizona beat the struggling Florida Marlins 5-1. cheap nfl jerseys paypal . -- After the Anaheim Ducks went on a frantic six-week sprint just to make the post-season, Teemu Selanne thinks its understandable they couldnt maintain that breakneck pace going into their playoff opener.DENVER -- Despite another last-place finish, the Colorado Rockies liked what manager Walt Weiss did with a banged-up team in his rookie season as manager and rewarded him with a three-year contract on Tuesday. Weiss went 74-88, a 10-game improvement over the previous season, after leaving his head coaching job at Regis Jesuit High School last fall. He managed on a one-year deal with the Rockies in 2013 after Jim Tracy stepped down following a 64-98 season in 2012. Now, there are no more questions about his security. "I think it comes down to stability -- stability for a club, from the players perspective, that a manger is going to be around," Weiss said. "They know the manager is going to be there and hes the guy running the club. I think theres something to be said for that." Weiss said hes close to filling the hitting instructors job that Dante Bichette left for family reasons and is leaning toward following the trend in baseball and use two coaches in that role. He also said the rest of his coaching staff will return in 2014. Colorado hung around and wass just 4 1/2 games behind Los Angeles at the All-Star break before the Dodgers and Rockies went in different directions.dddddddddddd After a free-fall, they went 22-24 over their final 46 games, giving them hope for a turnaround next season behind starting pitchers Jorge De La Rosa, Jhoulys Chacin and Tyler Chatwood and the core of Troy Tulowitzki, Carlos Gonzalez, Dexter Fowler, Michael Cuddyer, Nolan Arenado and Wilin Rosario. "I like the way our guys competed down the stretch, when we looked like we were out of it. Our guys still played really hard ... playing to the last out of every game, the last out of the season. For me, that was a bright spot," Weiss said. He said the Rockies need to play better on the road next season. They won just 29 games away from Coors Field. A former All-Star shortstop, Weiss spent 14 seasons in the major leagues, including four seasons with the Rockies in the 1990s. He also spent seven seasons, from 2002-08, as a special assistant to the general manager with the Rockies. ' ' '

PHOENIX -- San Antonio guard Manu Ginobili was an irritant for Phoenix long before any of the current Suns arrived in the desert. He did it again on Wednesday night. The 36-year-old Ginobili scored 11 of his 24 points in the final four-plus minutes, and the Spurs snapped the Suns five-game winning streak with a 108-101 victory. Phoenixs Channing Frye said hes seen Ginobili do this sort of thing "a trillion times." "Its like a bad nightmare," he said. "Hes absolutely amazing. He just does a good job of continuing to push. I thought he was getting tired there at the end. Obviously, I was wrong." Tim Duncan added 17 points and 13 rebounds and Kawhi Leonard scored 14 for the Spurs, who played without point guard Tony Parker after he bruised a shin in Monday nights loss to the Clippers in Los Angeles. Frye scored 15 of his 22 points in the first quarter. Goran Dragic had 18 points and Eric Bledsoe 15, but the two Phoenix guards were a combined 12 of 33 from the field. Miles Plumlee added 13 points and 13 rebounds. Led by Ginobili, the Spurs outscored the Suns 15-6 over the final 4:11 after Phoenix used a 10-0 run to take a 95-93 lead on Plumlees rebound basket with 5:10 to go. "These guys are a good team," Phoenix coach Jeff Hornacek said, praising San Antonios resiliency. "It doesnt matter if guys are out of the lineup." Ginobili had a tying tip-in, and then made a 3-pointer to put San Antonio ahead for good at 98-95 with 2:58 to play. San Antonio put it out of reach when Ginobili sank a 10-footer from the baseline, and then stole the ball at the other end and made two free throws to make it 104-97 with 47.5 seconds remaining. "Down the stretch I thought we did look like a veteran team," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. Ginobili, who also had seven assists, six rebounds and five turnovers, gave himself a so-so grade. "I played pretty well," he said. "I turned the ball over too much but in general the minutes I played I scored well and I moved the ball. I think I did OK. Im very happy that I helped the team win because we are in a tough stretch. We lost the last one, we have a tough back-to-back without Tony and then Oklahoma City." Parker will miss Thursday nights game at Golden State and its uncertain whether he will be able to play when the Spurs host the Thunder on Saturday. Leonards 3-pointer gave San Antonio its first lead at 46-45. There were five lead changes the rest of the first half, with San Antonio up 59-58 at the break. With 4 seconds left in the third, Dragic was fouled while heaving a shot from just past midcourt and Popovich drew a technical complaining about the call. That gave Dragic four free throws. He made three to cut San Antonios lead to 87-81 entering the fourth quarter. Consecutive baskets by Marco Belinelli and Patty Mills put San Antonio ahead 93-85 with 8:30 to go before Markieff Morris three-point play ignited the Suns 10-0 run. "We know that we can play well against good teams," Dragic said. "We are a young team and we have to learn a lot, especially in these types of games where, in the last three or four minutes, you have to close out the game, and I think we can get there." NOTES: Parker has returned to San Antonio for treatment. ... San Antonio has not lost two in a row this season. ... Popovich is the only NBA coach whose tenure dates to Hornaceks playing days. ... Bledsoe was 1-for-8 shooting in the fourth quarter. ... Entering the game, Duncans career minutes (42,064) were 37 more than the 13 players on Phoenixs active roster combined. ... Phoenix has not won six in a row in three years.

Cheap Jerseys Online . Gretzky was asked if he believes Montreal Canadiens defenceman PK Subban should be on Canadas blueline in February at the Sochi Olympics. "Im not going to get in the middle of that controversy because Stevie Yzerman obviously knows what hes doing, he won a gold medal in 2010," said Gretzky. Cheap Jerseys From China . JOHNS, N. http://www.cheapjerseysfromchinawholesale.com/. Valpo (22-10), the fourth seed in this years event, also saw Cory Johnson and Howard Little score in double figures with 15 and 14 points, respectively. The ninth-seeded Penguins (9-21) were paced by Damian Eargle with 21 points, nine rebounds and five blocked shots. Cheap Jerseys USA .ca. Hi Kerry, I enjoy reading your column - hope you keep it up! In the final seconds of the third period of the Winnipeg/Montreal game, Brendan Gallagher looked like he was attempting to get back on-side. Black Friday Jerseys . As a rookie this year, the 27-year-old Lough batted .286 with five homers and 33 RBIs in 96 games. He played all three outfield positions.MELBOURNE, Australia -- Tour de France champion Cadel Evans says cycling deserves more credit for its efforts to combat the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Evans said Friday that the UCI, the world cycling federation, still has more work to do -- "I wont say its a never-ending fight, but its a complicated job like fighting crime in modern society." The Australian, speaking after a parade in his honour in Melbourne, said " you cant eliminate it completely, but theyre doing well and Im just a bit sorry theyre not praised for their effortts just a little bit more -- a little bit of encouragement and optimism.dddddddddddd" Evans has in the past been reluctant to comment on doping in cycling. "The sport has always been winning, but its a hard and complicated fight," Evans told Australian Associated Press after a victory parade in Melbourne on Friday. "From what I see, its really improving. What we see inside and what we say and whats reported in the press arent always quite the same ... sometimes I think what Im speaking is falling on deaf ears." ' ' '

SELANGOR, Malaysia -- Bo Van Pelt birdied five of the last eight holes for a seven-under 64 to win the Asia Pacific Classic by six strokes over fellow American Jeff Overton on Sunday. Van Pelt, the winner of the PGA Tours 2009 U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee, finished at 23-under 261 at Malaysias Mines Resort and Golf Club, bettering the previous tournament record by two strokes. He earned US$1.3 million from the $6.1 million purse, the biggest payday of his career. His previous best tournament winnings was $720,000. "I played well all day, didnt have any bogeys," the 36-year-old said. "I had a couple of chances to win this year but didnt come on them. It was a tough pill to swallow and learn to do a better job when I got the lead. I take great satisfaction on how I played today." Van Pelt had a one-stroke lead over Overton going into the final round of the second-year event sanctioned by the U.S. PGA Tour and Asian Tour. He pulled away with birdies on Nos. 13-15, hitting within a foot on the par-4 13th and par-3 14th and holing a four-footer on the short par-4 15th after driving into a greenside bunker. He added a two-putt birdie on the par-5 17th. Overton shot a 69, but bogeyed the fourth, 12th and 13th holes to wipe out his hopes for a first-ever U.S. PGA Tour victory. Fredrik Jacobson had a 68 to finish third at 16 under, and Cameron Tringale (64), Camilo Villegas (66) and Mark Wilson (69) were 15 under.

Cheap Jerseys . Then, Boston refused to take it easy on Detroits relievers. Jacoby Ellsbury hit a three-run homer off Max Scherzer in a five-run second inning, and hot-hitting Boston went on to rout the Tigers 14-1 in an eight-inning, rain-shortened game Thursday. Cheap jerseys china . -- Colleen Jones was a teenager the last time she handled sweeping duties at a national womens curling championship. http://www.cheapjerseys-china.biz/. Beckham joined the club amid a whirl of flashbulbs last week in an unexpected move, signing a five-month deal until the end of the season. NFL cheap jerseys . This week they discuss the failure of upstart football leagues, the Baseball Hall of Fame, Cadel Evans and Tristan Thompson. Wholesale jerseys china . Jeff Francis tossed five solid innings and four relievers combined to shut out Philadelphia the rest of the way Thursday night in the Rockies 4-1 victory over the Phillies.ST. LOUIS -- Before hiring Gregg Williams as his defensive co-ordinator for the second time, St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher cleared it with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Williams was part of Fishers first staff with the Rams in 2012, but only for a few weeks before getting suspended for his role in the Saints bounty scandal. After a news conference to introduce Williams Thursday, Fisher said hed been in contact with Goodell throughout the process two years ago and "I wanted to inform him about the direction I was thinking about going." "He was very excited, and he endorsed it." Before signing Williams, Fisher said the two spent a few days revisiting the 2012 experience. The suspension left the Rams in a bind and they went without a co-ordinator in 12. Fisher said then that the suspension was "warranted" and asked if hed consider Williams in the future said hed "cross that bridge when we come to it." After the 2012 season he fired Williams son, defensive line coach Blake Williams. During his suspension, Williams had no contact with the Rams but said he attended all of the home games. He was a defensive assistant last year at Tennessee and called it a "good stop." "His handprint was all over the Tennessee defence, it was obvious that hed gone in there and had a significant impact," Fisher said. "Id say 60-70 per cent of our terminology is his. I just really felt strongly about just pulling together." Fisher initiated contact a few weeks after the season ended, and believes hed surprised Williams. He made room by firing Tim Walton after one season, telling Walton hed done nothing wrong but that Williams had been his first choice. The 55-year-old Williams was defensive co-ordinator under Fisher with the Titans from 1997-2000. "Things are in perspective, things are behind him, his past is his past," Fisher said. "The arrows going up with the defence and I just felt like Gregg was the person to make sure that happens." Williams shed no light on the discussions, saying "Those are things that are between Jeff and I." He deflected a question about how hes changedd as a coach since his suspension, saying every coach must adjust, but thought the familiarity would make this a good fit.dddddddddddd "Its fun to be back with people who think and believe the same way you are," Williams said. "So now you get a chance to spend more time with the players, because youre spending less time having to sell or defend yourself with your staff before you ever get with the players." Fisher said the hire got a big thumbs-up from players, adding "my phone was blowing up." Middle linebacker James Laurinaitis, who was at Rams Park for a workout, anticipates a more aggressive approach. The Rams have one of the NFLs top pass rushes but enter free agency and the draft needy in the secondary. "Win or lose, I want to know that were going to go down swinging," Laurinaitis said. "Everyone Ive known that has played for him just absolutely loves the guy." Williams, who grew up in Missouri, said he hoped this was his last coaching stop. Williams scoffed at a claim from a player who said the coach bragged about using a stolen playbook to help Tennessee beat Jacksonville in the 1999 AFC championship game. Williams called the allegation by former Jaguars defensive end Renaldo Wynn "a joke" and added he had every teams playbook. "Every time a free agent walks in a building, he gives you the playbook," Williams said. "We all have everybodys playbook. When you turn the film on, do you have their playbook? "How much traction did Omaha get when Peyton (Manning) said Omaha 46 times one game on TV? Whats that mean? It doesnt mean anything." Williams said hes watched all of the Rams games from last season but declined to discuss specific needs. Fisher wants his new co-ordinator to concentrate on improving a defence that was ranked 15th overall. "I told Gregg this time around hes going to be the mad scientist," Fisher said. "Hes not going to do a lot of player evaluations, Im not going to take up his time evaluating unrestricted free agents and getting ready for the draft. "I want him to take this defence and run with it." ' ' '

JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- The Seattle Seahawks were focused on turnovers -- creating them on defence and not making them on offence -- at Super Bowl practice Thursday. It was "Turnover Thursday" for Pete Carrolls team, an approach that has worked well for the Seahawks this season. Seattles stingy defence led the NFL with 39 takeaways, a fact Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos are well aware of. Quarterback Russell Wilson prefers to call the 90-minute session "No-Turnover Thursday" for the offence, which doesnt want to give the Broncos any extra opportunities with fumbles or interceptions. "Turnover Thursday" followed "Competition Wednesday," a game-like practice session in which the Seahawks run a live scrimmage that includes a play clock.

cheap jerseys . Theyre ready for a "street fight," if thats the route to the NBA finals. James came up big down the stretch to finish with 29 points, Dwyane Wade scored 24 and Miami beat the Chicago Bulls 85-75 Wednesday night to tie the Eastern Conference finals at one game apiece. very cheap jerseys .C. -- Eli Manning didnt need a fourth-quarter comeback Thursday night. http://www.cheapnfljerseysmall.biz/. For his star power, he still ranks ahead of any other athlete. Woods, whose last win came 18 months ago at the Australian Masters, will drop to at least No. cheap nfl jerseys . Must have made the other teams in South Floridas bracket shudder just a bit, too. The Bulls introduced the Big Easts nastiest defence to the NCAA tournament on Wednesday night, allowing only 13 points in the first half of a 65-54 victory over a California team that went long stretches without a single point. cheap jerseys from china .E.I. Rocket, Josh Currie has never produced the way he is right now.The NHLs Mar. 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell while figuring out which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. Check out todays trade-related reports and speculation from around the NHL beat. And follow TSN.ca through Deadline Day for all the updates. Rafas All-Out? The Montreal Canadiens may be in the thick of the Atlantic Division playoff race but that might not mean they wont look to move some players out before the deadline. The Montreal Gazette speculates that defenceman Raphael Diaz could be a contract casualty before Mar. 5, as the Swiss puck-mover is a pending unrestricted free agent. Diaz – who has 11 assists through 46 games this season could get priced out of Montreal, whose top priority of the summer will likely be getting P.K. Subbans name down on another contract. No Jackets Required The Columbus Blue Jackets enter Saturdays games with a hold on the third playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division, despite having none of their players listed amongst the NHLs top 50 scorers. Could that pave the way for them to add an impact scorer before the deadline? The Hockey News speculates that the Jackets – a team with good depth bothh on their NHL roster as well as in their prospect pool – could be a team to watch on the trade front in the coming weeks.dddddddddddd The Jackets have one of the NHLs deepest prospect pools and could potentially afford to part with their first round pick in Junes draft, netminder Oscar Dansk or even one of the three players they took in the first round of the 2013 NHL Draft like Alexander Wennberg or Kerby Rychel in search of the right offensive upgrade. Hockey News Writer Ken Campbell warns, however, that with a team performing at such a high level (see: their current eight-game winning streak) as a collective may be best left as it is. Do the Bart Man The Bruins could still be looking to upgrade their D in the wake of the season-ending injury to Dennis Seidenberg last month. Bruins Insider Joe Haggerty believes that the Bs could be dangling 25-year-old blueliner Matt Bartkowski in efforts to bring in a veteran D-man, such as the Ottawa Senators Chris Phillips or the New York Islanders Andrew MacDonald. Bartkowski is no stranger to the rumour mill, however, as he was reportedly part of the package the Bruins offered up just a year ago in efforts to get Jarome Iginla out of Calgary. ' ' '

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A finger blister, not the Kansas City Royals, knocked Tampa Bay rookie Alex Cobb out of the game Sunday. He held the Royals on six singles in seven scoreless innings and Ben Zobrist had three hits and drove in two runs to help the Rays beat Kansas City 5-0. Cobb developed a small blister in the seventh inning that led to Rays manager Joe Maddon going to his bullpen. "Its unfortunate because his pitch limit was in great shape," Maddon said. "He had plenty left in the tank." Cobb (3-0) struck out two and walked none to pick up the victory and lowered his earned run average to 2.57. He has allowed one earned run in 13 innings in two starts since being recalled July 18. Relievers Cesar Ramos, Joel Peralta and Jake McGee held the Royals to one hit the final two innings to finish off the Rays eighth shutout of the season. "It was a big disappointment," Cobb said of the blister. "I wanted to throw at least eight innings, maybe nine. Were short in bullpen. I would have liked to have been able to help that out." It is uncertain whether the blister will prevent Cobb from making his start Saturday at Seattle. What is certain is he wont be going back to the minors. This is Cobbs third stint this season with the Rays. He said he used to sit at his locker wondering whether he would be tapped on the shoulder and told to report to Maddons office for another trip to triple-A Durham. "Ill keep a lookout after every outing, but seven shutout innings never hurts your cause," Cobb said. Cobb, a 2006 fourth-round pick, is unbeaten in his first seven major league starts, the first Rays pitcher to accomplish that. "This is why we went to a six-man (rotation)," Maddon said. "This is the exact reason. You cant do it unless you have a pitcher that is that effective and big league-ready and Alex is. Theres no tapping on the shoulder." When Cobb gave up two singles to leadoff the sixth and seventh innings, he quickly worked out of the jams. "No panic," Maddon said. "He threw strikes, let the defence play. He made the hitters swing the bat, wasnt walking people and getting into bad counts. Thats why he was able to get through that relatively easy." The Rays scored two runs with two out in the sixth on one hit, a Sam Fuld single, three hit batters and a walk. After Fulds hit, Felipe Paulino hit Sean Rodriguez and Desmond Jennings with pitches to load the bases. Blake Wood replaced Paulino and walked Johnny Damon, scoring Fuld. Wood hit Zobrist with a pitch to bring home Rodriguez. Paulino (1-4), who lost for the fourth time in his past five starts, gave up four runs on seven hits, while walking two and striking out six. The Rays scored a pair of runs in the third with Evan Longoria driving in Damon with a single. Matt Joyces sacrifice fly scored Zobrist with the other run. Cobb did not allow a runner past first base until the sixth when Matt Treanor and Chris Getz led off with singles. Eric Hosmer and Mitch Maier opened the seventh with singles, but Mike Aviles grounded into a double play. "We just didnt come to play today," Royals left-fielder Alex Gordon said. "I dont say this a lot, but we deserved to lose. We didnt do much. We just didnt show up to play." The loss snapped the Royals four-game winning streak, matching their longest of the season. The Royals have not had a winning streak of five or more games since Sept. 7-11, 2009 when they won five straight. Notes: Rays CF B.J. Upton was held of the lineup as stories continue to circulate he would be traded by July 31. "I dont know where I might be going but I dont want to go nowhere." Upton said. "This is just a day off. Its becoming comical for me. Its something new everyday. Its gotten to the point where I just dont care. If it happens, it happens." ... C John Jaso, who is on the Rays 15-day disabled list with a right oblique strain, could join the club Friday in Seattle to workout with the team, but is not ready to be activated. Maddon said Jaso probably would need to go on a minor league rehab assignment before returning. ... SS Alcides Escobar, the only Royal to play in all the first 100 games, and RF Jeff Francoeur were given the day off. Aviles and Maier replaced the two. ... The Royals hit four Rays batters to tie a franchise record. It was the sixth time in club history with the previous being June 12, 2010 at Cincinnati. The Royals hit 10 batters in the six-game homestand.

nfl jerseys china . Zimmermann (7-1) allowed nine hits and two runs in 7 2/3 innings, struck out five and walked none. Harper left the game in the fifth after hitting the scoreboard wall face-first while tracking a ball hit by A.J. Ellis over his left shoulder. He never looked at the wall and when he finally turned, he was on top of it. wholesale jerseys china .500 after a brief skid tonight, as they kick off a three-game interleague series with the visiting Baltimore Orioles at PNC Park. http://www.chinajerseysnfl.com/. The cornerback returned a fumble 58 yards for a touchdown with 3:47 left on Sunday, rallying the Cincinnati Bengals to a 34-30 victory over Green Bay in a game of wild momentum swings set up by nonstop turnovers. cheap nfl jerseys . An official of the security department for the province of Buenos Aires, who asked not to be identified, said the traffic accident occurred in the Buenos Aires suburb of Ezeiza where Maradona lives. cheap jerseys china . But the Montreal Alouettes kicker found himself sharing the spotlight Wednesday with quarterback Anthony Calvillo (outstanding player) and injured tackle Josh Bourke (top lineman) as division nominees.CHARLOTTETOWN -- The Halifax Mooseheads demolished the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies with an 15-5 victory in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action Friday. Both teams were tied at four after the first period, but Halifax (13-8-0) scored five goals in the second and six more in the third while outshooting the Huskies 47-29. Andrew Ryan, Nikolaj Ehlers and Brent Andrews led Halifax with two goals and three assists each. Danny Moynihan and Jonathan Drouin also scored twice, while Brendan Duke, Jesse Lussier, Darcy Ashley, Matt Murphy and Austyn Hardie also scored. Jean-Sebastien Dea scored twice for Rouyn-Noranda (10-6-2), and Marcus Power, Mathieu Lemay and Julien Nantel added singles. Both teams needed two goalies each to finish the game. Kevin Darveau finished the game for Halifax with 17 saves after Zachary Fucale was pulled for giving up four goals on 11 shots. In the Huskies net, Alexandre Belanger stopped 20-of-26 shots before being replaced by Carl Hozjan, who gave up nine goals on 21 shots. --- SCREAMING EAGLES 4 TITAN 1 SYDNEY, N.S. -- The Screaming Eagles opened a 2-0 lead in the first period and never looked back. Charles-Eric Legare, Kyle Farrell, Loic Leduc and Julien Pelletier each scored for Cape Breton (8-9-2). Patrick Walsh had the lone goal for Acadie-Bathurst (6-10-2) in the second period. Chase Marchand made 24 saves for the Screaming Eagles. Titan goalie Jacob Brennan meanwhile allowed all four goals on 24 shots. --- WILDCATS 6 SEA DOGS 2 SAINT JOHN, N.B. -- JC Campagna scored twice during a five-goal run by the Wildcats. Mathieu Olivier, Christophe Lalonde with a short-handed goal, Ivan Barbashev and Garrett Johnston also scored for Moncton (8-11-1). Spencer Smallman and Oliver Cooper scored for Saint John (5-11-2), which held a 2-1 lead until the Wildcats went on a roll. Wilcats goalie Alex Dubeau stopped 26 shots, while Sebastien Auger allowed all six goals on 42 shots for the Sea Dogs. --- ARMADA 7 SAGUENEENS 2 CHICOUTIMI, Que. -- Seven different players scored for Blainville-Boisbriand, which padded its stats against the Sagueneens. Marc-Olivier Roy scored and had three assists for the Armada (14-1-1), while Philippe Sanchee, Danick Martel, Christopher Clapperton, Ryan Tesink, Emil Aronsson and Nathanael Halbert also scored.dddddddddddd Charles Hudon and Sebastien Sylvestre replied for Chicoutimi (11-9-0). Etienne Marcoux made 21 saves for the Armada, while Julio Billia had a tough night for Chicoutimi with 28 saves on 35 shots. --- FOREURS 4 REMPARTS 1 VAL-DOR, Que. -- The Foreurs offence was too much for Quebec to handle. Maxime Presseault, Randy Gazzola, Anthony Mantha and Louick Marcotte scored for Val-dOr (10-8-0). Kurt Etchegary had the lone goal for the Remparts (9-6-4). Val-dOr goaltender Keven Bouchard made 32 saves, while at the other end of the ice Francois Brassard stopped 42-of-45 shots. --- PHOENIX 4 ISLANDERS 3 CHARLOTTETOWN -- Jean-Francois Plante scored the lone goal in the shootout to lead the Sherbrooke. Simon Desbiens scored twice for the Phoenix (7-11-2) while Jeremy Roy added a single. Bradley Kennedy, Matej Beran and Daniel Sprong each scored for Charlottetown (10-5-2), which blew a 2-0 lead in the first period. Phoenix goaltender Francis Desrosiers finished with 35 saves and was clean in the shootout, while Charlottetowns Antoine Bibeau stopped 36 shots. --- TIGRES 5 CATARACTES 2 VICTORIAVILLE, Que. -- Angelo Miceli scored twice for the Tigres, who opened the game with three unanswered goals. Jan Mandat, Carl-Antoine Delisle and Luke St-Amand also scored for Victoriaville (9-8-1). Francis Beauvillier and Ilya Zinoviev had goals for league-worst Shawinigan (2-14-2). Brandon Whitney made 33 saves in net for the Tigres. Storm Phaneuf meanwhile stopped 26 shots for the Cataractes. --- DRAKKAR 4 OCEANIC 3 BAIE-COMEAU, Que. -- Nicholas Halagian scored once in regulation and again to end a nine-round shootout as the Drakkar rallied past the Oceanic. Jeremy Gregoire and Alexis Vanier also scored for Baie-Comeau (13-4-3), which forced extra time with three straight goals in the third period to tie Blainville-Boisbriand for the league lead. Michael Joly scored twice for Rimouski (9-6-4), and Alexis Loiseau added another. Philippe Cadorette stopped 28 shots for the Drakkar, while Philippe Desrosiers made 39 saves in the loss. ' ' '

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Dwight Howard got in the way when Mike Conley drove the lane in the waning seconds, doing his delicate best to alter Conleys potential game-deciding shot without fouling. When Conley couldnt score over Howard, the Los Angeles Lakers could exhale — one more victory in their desperate playoff push. Kobe Bryant had 24 points and nine assists, Pau Gasol added 19 points, and the Lakers stayed in the final playoff position in the Western Conference with an 86-84 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night. Howard hit a free throw with 4.1 seconds left before playing solid defence on Conleys final shot attempt, and the Lakers won their third straight in the final weeks of their push for a post-season spot. Los Angeles (40-36) barely leads Utah (40-37) — and everybody on the Lakers high-priced roster is aware of their situation. "This is the big push for us," Bryant said. "Weve got a very tough stretch, and were excited. You want to be going into the playoffs feeling like youre playing good ball against tough opposition. Its been a lot of figuring out we had to do, but its better late than never." Howard had nine points and 10 rebounds, while Earl Clark and Antawn Jamison contributed 13 points apiece off the bench as the Lakers won without injured starters Steve Nash and Metta World Peace. Los Angeles also avoided getting swept in its season series with the Grizzlies, whose four-game winning streak ended. But it wasnt over until Conley, who scored 21 points in a stellar performance, missed a potential go-ahead jumper with 5 seconds left and another layup before the buzzer. The playoff-bound Grizzlies couldnt score in the final 2 1/2 minutes, and they gave some of the credit to the Lakers desperate defence. "We just didnt get a loose ball or rebound that we needed in the whole game, especially late in the fourth quarter," Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. Memphis Marc Gasol had 11 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in a lively matchup with his brother. Zach Randolph added 15 points as the Grizzlies fell one game behind Denver for the fourth seed in the West. Los Angeles tumultuous season will come down to the final two weeks, with the high-powered Lakers hoping just to reach the playoffs as the eighth seed. To make the post-season for the 16th time in Bryants 17 seasons, the Lakers must finish one game ahead of Utah, which kept pace with a 95-83 win over New Orleans earlier Friday night. "I dont want to be on the Laker team that didnt make the playoffs," said Clark, the first-year Lakers forward who had a second straight standout game. "I dont want to be remembered that way, so Im just coming out and giving it my all." The Jazz appear to have an easier schedule down the stretch than the Lakers, who must visit the Clippers and Portland while also hosting playoff-bound San Antonio, Golden State and Houston. Nash missed his second straight game with hamstring problems, while World Peace is out following knee surgery. Until the final seconds, Conley dominated his matchup with Nashs replacement, Steve Blake, who had six points and five turnovers. The teams traded the lead down the stretch of a tense fourth quarter. Randolphs jumper with 2:32 left put the Grizzlies up 84-83, but Bryant fed Gasol for a driving layup with 1:36 to play to put the Lakers back ahead. After Jerryd Bayless missed an open shot, Los Angeles took roughly a full minute off the clock with an offensive rebound and another miss that went out of bounds off the Grizzlies. Bryant missed a 20-footer with 17 seconds left, but Conley missed an open jumper. Howard grabbed a one-armed rebound while getting fouled, and the All-Star centre made one of two free throws. Memphis went right back to Conley, but his twisting drive into the lane didnt produce any points or a foul. "We executed like we were supposed to, and tried to get a shot up," Conley said. "We tried to get some penetration and see what we can make out of it, but it just didnt work out." Bryant sat out just 79 combined seconds of the past two games while pushing the desperate Lakers to victories, even racking up his 19th triple-double Tuesday against Dallas. With an afternoon game against the Clippers looming on Sunday, played a mere 42:32 against the Grizzlies. NOTES: With his first basket against Memphis, Bryant broke his sixth-place tie with Elvin Hayes in NBA history with the 10,977th field goal of his 17-season career. ... More than five years after his departure for Los Angeles, Pau Gasol is still the Grizzlies franchise career leader in points, rebounds and blocked shots. ... Marc Gasol got a personal foul and a technical foul for arguing in the second quarter after he appeared to clip his brother in the head with an accidental elbow.

cheap jerseys .Y. -- Wil Myers has spent this week making a major name for himself in minor league baseball. cheap nfl jerseys . Leino scored twice in the games first 3:44 and Miller was solid, finishing with 32 saves, as Buffalo chased Roberto Luongo from the game early en route to a 5-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. http://www.cheapjerseysus.biz/. The Red Sox right-hander pitched well enough for Boston to win 9-5 on Wednesday night, improving to 4-0 against the Yankees this season with a 1. cheap nfl jerseys china .E.I. Rocket 6-4 in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Abeltshauser scored short-handed at 6:51 of the third to tie the score 4-4 and Desjardins gave Halifax its first lead at 7:22. cheap jerseys american . The Red Sox right-hander pitched well enough for Boston to win 9-5 on Wednesday night, improving to 4-0 against the Yankees this season with a 1.As the MLS Playoffs resume this weekend with the second leg of the Conference Semifinals, Canadas three teams will be watching on from afar. Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC failed to make the postseason while Montreal Impact fell at the first hurdle losing heavily to Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round. This year the leagues Golden Boot did head north for the first time courtesy of Camilos 22 goals for the Whitecaps but none of Canadas teams have ever been close to being an MLS Cup contender. What if you could pick a team using players from the three Canadian MLS teams? Who would be in your starting lineup? Heres mine in a 4-3-3 formation, based on performances from the 2013 season. Goalkeeper - Joe Bendik: This one was a close call with Montreals Troy Perkins having a strong season and Vancouvers David Ousted a formidable presence between the posts following his mid-year move from Denmark. If I had a full season to judge Ousted, he may have been my choice but Bendik was excellent throughout the whole year for Toronto FC in his first season as the clubs number one goalkeeper. He was handed the opportunity following an injury to Stefan Frei and he grabbed it with both hands. The 24-year-old Georgia born keeper saved TFC on countless occasions while having to deal with a constantly changing back four in front of him. Right Back - YP Lee: At 36 years of age, YP Lee brought an illustrious career to a close in 2013, retiring from the game at the conclusion of the Whitecaps season. The South Korean international appeared at three World Cups during his career and was an extremely valuable player for Vancouver during his two years with the club. Although Lees performances in 2013 did not meet the heights of the previous year when he was named the teams MVP, the veteran provided a steadying presence at full back. He is positionally very strong and good defending one-on-one, but it is his ability to get forward down the right, especially during home games that stood out. Lee narrowly beat out Montreals Hassoun Camara for a spot in my fantasy starting lineup. Central Defender - Matteo Ferrari: Ferrari was a calming presence in Montreals defence in 2013 as he draws on his vast experience in Europe to be a big asset for the Impact in his second MLS season. He is aerially strong, very athletic and has a good positional sense. Ferrari is also a handful in the opposition penalty area as a threat in the air from set pieces. Central Defender - Steven Caldwell: The former Scottish international was the main reason for Toronto FCs defensive improvement in 2013. A defence that set a league record for the number of goals conceded in 2012 was tightened up considerably and Caldwells leadership was a key. He reads the game very well and is a commanding presence in the air. Had Jay DeMerit not missed a large part of the season due to injury, the Whitecaps captain would likely have been a strong contender for one of the two central defensive positions. Left Back - Jeb Brovsky: Brovsky was defensively solid as Montreals first choice left back and has really settled into that position well. He also likes to get forward down the left and finished the year with two goals and two assists. He played in every match until needing surgery with four games to go. Brovsky battles hard, and is also an excellent character to have in the locker room. Midfield - Matias Laba: 2013 will be remembered as the year Toronto FC over-promised and under-delivered, but for all the signings that didnt materialize, there was one high profile addition that will prove to be a major piece of the club moving forward. 21-year-old Argentine Matias Laba grew in stature with each gaame he played as he settled into MLS and has the potential to be one of the best players in the league in his position.dddddddddddd His distribution is superb. He is tenacious in breaking up play and he also showed good ability to burst forward from a holding midfield role. Midfield - Patrice Bernier: The Canadian midfielder can be an impact player in both defensive and attacking aspects of the game. He has the qualities to win possession and then when he gets the ball, he has excellent distribution. Bernier can pull the strings in midfield, start attacks and also provide the killer pass that can lead to a goal, he finished the season with a total of eight assists for the second consecutive year. Bernier also has a perfect record from the penalty spot since joining Montreal two years ago, having scored all 10 of his spot kicks. His absence due to injury in the final weeks of the season left a hole the Impact were unable to fill. Midfield - Nigel Reo Coker: An experienced, fearless leader, Reo Coker had an excellent first year in Major League Soccer. He is strong in the tackle, positive with distribution and his lung-bursting runs forward can change defence into attack in the blink of an eye. When Reo Coker speaks, his team responds, and there was evidence of that on a few of occasions this year when the London born midfielder lifted the Caps team on his shoulders. He is also versatile; most at home as a central midfielder, he can also be effective on the right side of midfield and as cover at right back. Forward - Kekuta Manneh: The teenager didnt get the opportunity to be a regular starter for the Whitecaps in his rookie season but showed enough during his limited appearances to prove he has the ability to be a match-winner, finishing the year with six goals. He is a raw but exceptional talent with great speed and composure in front of goal, as he showed when scoring his hat-trick at Seattle in early October. With a run of games and experienced heads around him, Manneh can blossom into one of the most dangerous attacking players in MLS. I originally had Vancouvers Kenny Miller in the lineup instead of Manneh, but at just 18 years of age, the Gambians potential edged him ahead of the veteran Scot to give a youthful spark to the team. Forward - Marco Di Vaio: The Italian may be getting towards the end of his career, but he made an exceptional impact for Montreal on and off the field during the season. He was in the chase for the Golden Boot until the final day of the regular season, finishing with 20 goals. Di Vaio is one of the fittest players on the team and is an excellent example for the younger players on the team. He reads the game superbly and his intelligent running creates opportunities for himself and others. He is one of the best, most clinical finishers in MLS. Forward - Camilo: The Brazilian had the best season of his career, finishing as the leagues Golden Boot winner with 22 goals and being named to the MLS All Star team. There was great variety amongst the goals he scored including two diving headers at Seattle, a free kick against Sporting Kansas City, and of course the spectacular finish against Portland Timbers. He also finished the year with six assists. At the age of 25, he has some great years ahead of him.So there is my starting 11. There were plenty of close calls and a couple of decisions that Im still not certain about, but there will never be a perfect answer. The lineup I have chosen would play a 4-3-3 formation but could also switch to a 4-4-2 with Kekuta Manneh and Nigel Reo-Coker playing wide in midfield. Feel free to send me your thoughts on who should be in the 11 - @lukewileman on Twitter. ' ' '

VANCOUVER -- Nick Diaz will give up his Strikeforce title to challenge UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre in October, says UFC president Dana White. The two are slated to face off at UFC 137 on Oct. 29 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. White said a fight will be held to decide who gets the vacant Strikeforce belt. While parent company Zuffa owns the UFC and Strikeforce, the latters TV contract with Showtime in the U.S. has complicated the movement of fighters. "People were screaming for it and clamouring for it," White said of the GSP-Diaz fight. "We went and talked to Showtime and Showtime was cool with it." White said he is able to access Strikeforce talent but wants to respect the deal with Showtime. Plus he does not want to cannibalize Strikeforce. "Were trying to figure this thing out. We have a deal with Showtime and were going to honour that deal with Showtime. And Showtime has worked with us really good ... Well see what happens. Hopefully we can make this thing work." St-Pierre (22-2) is coming off a decision win over Jake Shields at UFC 129 in Toronto. The 30-year-old from Montreal has defended his 170-pound title six times since winning it back from Matt Serra at UFC 83 in April 2008. Like St-Pierre, Diaz (14-6) has not lost since 2007. The 27-year-old stopped Paul (Semtex) Daley in the first round last time out in Strikeforce. Diaz fought in the UFC from 2003 to 2006 but wore out his welcome, thanks to incidents like a post-fight brawl with Joe Riggs in hospital. "I think he has a completely different attitude than he used to have in the UFC," said White. Diazs younger brother Nate also fights in the UFC. The UFC president said Nick Diaz now has a UFC contract, but could go back to Strikeforce on the same terms if he lost to GSP. He said he hopes to find ways to bridge the two promotions. "We want to make this work for them and us," said White. "The big question with Strikeforce is can we make this thing work on Showtime so that we dont get murdered and lose a bunch of money."

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After his 100-meter jump, Gruber pulled away from Wilhelm Denifl of Germany who won the jumping section, and cruised to his third career World Cup victory, covering the 10-kilometre distance in 27 minutes, 29. wholesale nfl jerseys . Top Picks: With 128 points over the last two seasons, John Tavares ranks sixth, and hes the one driving the Islanders offence. It would be easier to raise expectations if the Islanders provided him with a better supporting cast, but hes a reliable point-per-game option who would be higher than a top five fantasy centre if he could become a stronger plus player.SALT LAKE CITY -- Devin Harris was the other point guard in last years blockbuster Deron Williams trade, overshadowed even by Utahs acquisition of power forward Derrick Favours in the same deal. Now Harris is finally on a roll offensively, and it comes at a critical time, with eight games left and Utah (30-28) trying to sneak into the playoffs. Entering Tuesday, the Jazz were 1 1/2 games out of the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot. "Hes been making timely 3-pointers for us of late," Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said Tuesday. Can the 6-foot-3 guard keep it going, especially with the Jazz starting a three-game road trip Wednesday in Houston? "I think he can," Corbin said of Harris, who averages 10.9 points, five assists and 1.7 rebounds a game. "Hes worked his butt off all year to get to this point and now the work is starting to pay off for him." Harris has averaged 23.7 points a game in the last three, and has made 11 of 22 3-pointers in that span. But his breakout probably came in the last meeting with the Rockets on Feb. 29, when he was sick to his stomach. He had 19 points in that blowout win before leaving in the third quarter, prompting big man Al Jefferson to proclaim: "Thats the Devin I used to love and hate (in Dallas)." Six years ago, Harris was a member of the Mavericks team that advanced to the NBA Finals. The following year, he was in the playoffs for the third straight season with the Mavs. Since then, not a sniff, not in New Jersey after he was traded for Jason Kidd in 2008; not when he was an NBA All-Star in 2009; and not last year with the Jazz after the February trade. "As a young player, you kind of take it for granted, making the playoffs every year," said Harris, now in his eighth season. "Its been quite a while." While Utahs management has embraced him and staved off all the new Harris trade rumours, he acknowledges its taken a while for him to settle in with the Jazz. "Ive had flashes, especially the second part of the season after the All-Star break," Harris said of playing up to his old level. "But Im trying to find a level of consistency." As Harris goes, so do the Jazz, and an up-tempo attacker is the player Utah needs. Hes playing with the speed that earned him a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2009 as the fastest to go baseline to baseline. "On a good day, I could match it, yeah," Harris said. Corbin wouldnt doubt it. "Its his speed," he said.dddddddddddd "Hes doing a great job of pushing the ball down the floor. His confidence in his jump shot has gotten better this year because hes making shots. But he uses his speed to get on top of the basket and break defences down, and he can finish in the lane." Harris went on a personal 11-0 run in the fourth quarter Monday night to spark Utahs 91-84 win over the star-less San Antonio Spurs. It was the third time this season hes had a personal 10-0 run in the fourth quarter. It starts with defence. "Ive got to continue to shoot, continue to be aggressive," Harris said. "A lot of what we do depends on our defence. If we can get in transition, were very good. When we tend not to get stops and have got to play a half-court game, a lot of teams set up on us and were not as effective." With the Jazz short-handed, theyre even using a double-point guard set, and may continue with Harris and Jamaal Tinsley or former NBA D-League sharpshooter Blake Ahearn, who joined the team at practice Tuesday. Harris feels comfortable with that role as well. "In Dallas I played a lot with Jason Terry in the backcourt, so Im used to a small lineup, another ball handler," he said. "I can be effective either way, and we have been effective with that lineup." Getting those 3s to fall, however, will be key. Harris gives some credit to second-year pro Gordon Hayward, who has dueled with him in a pregame shooting contest since the season started. Harris holds a slim one-game lead in their season series. "His trash-talking along with his competitiveness really gets me going, especially in the (actual) games," Harris said of the sarcastic Hayward, who also has found his niche and is now third on the team in scoring (11.3-point average). "He says that I only make shots (when) he passes me the ball, which is true. I live off those shots and we kind of look for each other." Harris, however, is the one with the playoff experience. But first the Jazz have to get there. After Houston is a road game at Memphis. They also play Monday against the Mavs at home, where Utah plays four of its last five. "I think hes starting to finally play with confidence and be comfortable on the court and not think so much," Hayward said. "Thats his biggest thing." "Obviously if he plays like that," assistant coach Jeff Hornacek said, "we have a good chance, so hopefully it continues." ' ' '

(Sports Network) - Two pitchers looking to bounce back from dreadful outings will collide this evening at AT&T Park in the finale of a three-game set between the San Francisco Giants and the Cleveland Indians. The Indians, who will try to avoid a sweep, will turn to Fausto Carmona, who is coming off a poor effort against Colorado. In less than five innings of work Carmona surrendered seven runs on nine hits and also walked two batters. It was the sixth loss in the last seven starts for the right-hander, who is now 4-9 with an atrocious 5.98 earned run average on the year. Most of Carmonas problems this season have come away from home, as the crafty veteran is just 2-5 with a 6.31 earned run average in eight outings. The Giants will also send a pitcher to the mound looking to forget his last start, and that is Madison Bumgarner. Bumgarner had one of the worst performances of all-time, as the young hurler surrendered eight runs on nine hits and only recorded one out before leaving the game. It was the third loss in the last four starts for Bumgarner and it also dropped his mark on the season to just 3-9. Surprisingly, Bumgarner is still in search of his first home victory. In seven starts at AT&T Park the southpaw is 0-5 with a poor 5.82 earned run average. Yesterday, Miguel Tejada scored on a bases-loaded balk in the seventh inning as the Giants took a 1-0 win over the Indians. The miscue by Tony Sipp made a winner out of Matt Cain (7-4) and lifted the Giants to their fourth straight win. Cain gave up just four hits and a walk with six strikeouts in seven-plus innings. Justin Masterson (5-6) was saddled with the loss as he was charged with the unearned run and four hits with two walks and five strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings. Thats the way it goes sometimes, Cain said. You have to find ways to get runs across and do whatever you can. Us, as a staff, have to keep that lead when we get that chance. Michael Brantley went 3-for-4 for the Indians, who have lost four of their last five. We didnt lose the game because of a balk, Indians manager Manny Acta said. We lost the game because of errors and walks and we left guys on base. San Francisco won two of three encounters with Cleveland from June 24-26, 2008, while the Indians recorded a three-game sweep as the visitor back in the 2005 campaign.

cheap jerseys . The Sharks centre scored twice in the second period as San Jose defeated the Calgary Flames 4-1. The 33-year-old from Aneroid, Sask., has scored 30 or more goals in four consecutive seasons and has six overall in his career. cheap jerseys free shipping . After a running play in the first quarter, Little found himself on his back at the bottom of a stack of players. He said Ihedigbo, who was on top of him, put his hands around his neck and choked him. http://www.cheapjerseysfreshipping.biz/. Thats when Vancouver rookie Cody Hodgson ensured the Oilers road woes would continue. Hodgson slipped a puck between the legs of goalie Devan Dubnyk to give the Canucks a 3-2 victory over Edmonton Tuesday night, handing the Oilers their sixth straight road loss. cheap nike nfl jerseys . Johns N.L., 6-4 in Draw 9 of the Players Championship curling event. McEwen grabbed a 4-3 lead with one in the fourth before Gushue responded with a single of his own in the sixth.TORONTO -- Quarterback Anthony Calvillo, who helped the Montreal Alouettes snap a two-game losing streak, was named the CFLs offensive player of the week Tuesday for the third time this season. Calvillo threw for 421 yards and four touchdowns in leading Montreal to a 43-13 home win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The win moved the Alouettes into sole possession of second place in the East Division standings. Defensive tackle Khalif Mitchell of the B.C. Lions was named the top defensive player. Mitchell had three sacks and tied a career high with five tackles in his clubs 228-6 home victory over the Toronto Argonauts.dddddddddddd Lions kicker Paul McCallum captured special-teams honours for the second this time year. McCallum hit all four field goals he attempted against Toronto and also averaged 45.3 yards on his four punts. Craig Butler, a rookie safety with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, was named the top Canadian. The former Western Ontario Mustangs star had two interceptions, six tackles, a sack and recovered a fumble in a 45-23 road win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The weekly awards are sponsored by Gibsons Finest ' ' '

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Phil Jackson is retired, the triangle offence is out, and Mike Brown is in. And the Los Angeles Lakers are still Kobe Bryants team. Brown made it clear Tuesday during his introduction as Jacksons successor that Bryants role wont change under his regime. He said his first meeting with the superstar who owns five NBA championships "went very well." "This is still his team. Well make sure that hell have the ball in the sweet spots that he likes," Brown said. "He has a great understanding of my vision and hes onboard." Bryant, Derek Fisher and Andrew Bynum had publicly supported longtime Lakers assistant Brian Shaw in his bid to replace Jackson, who retired after Dallas swept the two-time defending champions out of the second round. Besides meeting with Bryant and talking on the phone with his wife, Vanessa, Brown said hes talked to Fisher and his wife, Pau Gasol, Bynum and Ron Artest. Public reaction to Browns hiring has been mixed. "Everybody is entitled to their opinion, I respect that," he said. "Winning will cure all of that." General manager Mitch Kupchak said he, owner Jerry Buss and Jim Buss, the owners son and an executive with the team, interviewed three people for the unenviable job of following Jackson, who owns the most titles in NBA history. Besides Shaw and Brown, Rick Adelman also was in the running. The elder Buss said that initially he didnt think Brown "would be the man." "Then when he started talking to us, he said how he would handle this team. He was very prepared," Buss said. "I liked his Xs and Os, his visions for our future. Very few people understand that our job is to try and remain on top forever. He likes that philosophy. I like that." Shortly before his introduction, Brown signed a four-year deal worth roughly US$18 million. He has yet to hire a coaching staff. Matt Barnes was the only player on hand for Browns introduction at the Lakers practice facility, stopping after a rehab session nearby. "Coming here is tough. Hes coming to L.A., one of the biggest markets, one of the best teams in sports history," Barnes said. "To carry himself the way he did, and answered all the questions and didnt really shy away from anything just showed a lot that hes ready and hope hes got his thick skin." Barnes told reporters he will exercise his $1.91 million option to return to the team next season. He was limited this season after undergoing right knee surgery. Brown and Kupchak have yet to discuss the teams aging roster, although the new coach doesnt expect a major overhaul. "I still believe this core group of guys can go get it done," Brown said. The 41-year-old Brown led Cleveland to the 2007 NBA finals and went 272-138 with the Cavaliers, becoming the most successful coach in franchise history while compiling the leagues best regular-season record in each of his last two seasons. He got fired last year before LeBron James packed his bags for Miami. Brown had been working as an ESPN analyst. Brown knows there will be endless comparisons and references to Jackson, and hes ready for it. "Im not sure what size shoe he wears, but Im not here to fill his shoes," he said. "Im here to help this team and organization carve our own path to success." That includes dumping the famed triangle offence that Jackson employed to such success in both Los Angeles and Chicago. Unlike Jackson, Brown may call more timeouts, too. "Were not going to run the triangle offence, but we will have bits and pieces of it that will be incorporated," said Brown, adding that his offence will be tailored to seven-footers Bynum and Gasol, similar to what was run for big men Tim Duncan and David Robinson during his time as an assistant in San Antonio. Brown was on the Spurs staff when they won the 2003 NBA title. Brown ticked off his top three essentials on both offence and defence. "If they dont buy in right away, they will," he said. "If they dont, theres going to be a problem because Im going to hold people accountable." Brown said he wants to foster a culture that includes trust, communication, defence, a no-excuses mentality, a family environment, and a determined work ethic. "As long as the group is willing, which it sounds like it is, well get it done," he said. "We want to be at the top forever."

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Jose Reyes scored twice and R.A. Dickey was effective over 7 1/3 innings as the Blue Jays defeated Tampa Bay 6-3 on Friday night at Rogers Centre. TORONTO -- It didnt take long to realize there was something wrong with Brandon Morrow. His velocity was down, his slider wasnt working and the opposing team was taking advantage. Through two laborious innings Morrow was tagged for four runs, two earned, before the Toronto Blue Jays yanked their starting pitcher. The Braves then went to work on Torontos bullpen, which gave up three home runs. Brian McCann hit a pair of homers -- including a tiebreaking solo shot in the 10th inning -- as Atlanta edged the Blue Jays 7-6 on Tuesday afternoon. Morrow said his right forearm has been sore since his last appearance. Theres no pain, just a lingering discomfort that hampered him on the mound. "It wasnt explosive, the ball wasnt coming out of my hand really well," he said. "It was just like there wasnt anything in there. Torontos troubles started with Morrow, who initially felt the soreness last week against Baltimore. He said it affected his grip on the ball. "Like I couldnt let it go," he said. "Maybe on the slider it was probably the worst just because youve got to get on top of that ball a little bit more. "Thought my splits and curveballs were all right. When I was out there, just trying to stay in the middle of the plate with the fastballs and change speeds." Morrows day was done after 47 mostly off-speed pitches. His fastball has averaged 93.6 miles per hour this season according to FanGraphs, but dipped during the game to 91. Morrow said he plans to let the forearm rest and still expects to make his next start Sunday in San Diego. With Morrow gone, the Blue Jays turned to reliever Ramon Ortiz for three innings. Ortiz held on until giving up back-to-back homers by Evan Gattis and McCann that gave Atlanta a 6-4 lead. The bullpen rebounded for Toronto (22-30) with scoreless innings from Aaron Loup, Brett Cecil and Steve Delabar. But in the 10th inning, McCann turned on the second pitch from Thad Weber (0-1) for his first multi-homer game of the season and the ninth of his career. After the game, Weber was optioned to triple-A Buffalo, Ortiz was designated for assignment and the team announced closer Casey Janssen had been held out of the game with mild soreness in his shoulder. Blue Jays manager John Gibbons was left shaking his head at the bad luck that continues to haunt his team. "Its part of baseball," said Gibbons. "You deal with it. Everybodys trying to win the game. Everybody you got on your team, you have them here for a reason. You think they can play, they can help you. So just go with whatever you got." Jordan Schafer also homered for the National League East-leading Braves (31-20) and closer Craig Kimbrel worked the 10th inning for his 16th save. "Its the way were built," said McCann. "We hit a lot of home runs and were going to strike out. But you put up seven runs, theres nothing bad about that at all." Braves starter Paul&nnbsp;Maholm allowed five runs on 10 hits over six innings of work and reliever Cory Gearrin (2-1) picked up the win.dddddddddddd. Jose Bautistas 12th homer of the year gave the Blue Jays a 5-4 lead in the fourth to the delight of the 45,224 fans at Rogers Centre, many of whom were students bussed in for the matinee. Bautista recovered after falling back to avoid a Maholm pitch that whistled by his head before sending a full-count offering into the left-field stands. In the seventh, Toronto tied the game at six on a double by J.P. Arencibia that scored Bautista, and the bullpen held firm until the extra inning. It was the Blue Jays fielding that looked atrocious during a busy opening frame. Braves centre-fielder Schafer, who went hitless at the bottom of the batting order Monday, got things started with a leadoff double and moved to third on a single by Andrelton Simmons. Morrow struck out Jason Heyward but Freddie Freeman doubled on the next at-bat, scoring Schafer. Simmons also scored on the play after Bautistas throw to third from right field sailed over Mark DeRosa for an error. Another error cost Toronto a run before Atlantas inning was over. McCann hit a routine grounder to the first-base side but Edwin Encarnacion lobbed the ball over Morrow as the pitcher was running to first. That allowed Freeman to score, giving the Braves a 3-0 lead. Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez revelled in playing in the American League where he could put Gattis in as a designated hitter. "That big three there of Freeman and Gattis and Mac did a hell of a job for us, kept us in the game," he said. The Jays replied with four runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. Bautista singled off Maholm then scored on a hard double by Encarnacion that bounced off the centre-field wall. The Braves also made a costly miscue in the first after Arencibia hit what looked to be an easy pop-up. Heyward and Freemans miscommunication allowed the ball to drop between them and Arencibia moved to second. On the next at-bat, DeRosa made them pay with a ground-rule double that scored Encarnacion and Arencibia. DeRosa then scored on a single by Colby Rasmus on the fifth hit of the inning to give the Blue Jays a 4-3 lead. The Braves tied the game in the second. Schafer duelled Morrow for eight pitches before cracking the ninth over the right-centre wall to tie the game. Notes: Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie remains day to day after spraining his left ankle sliding into second base Monday. Gibbons said the team may need to add an extra position player if Lawrie remains out Wednesday for the start of the Jays two-game series in Atlanta. Gibbons added they would not move Encarnacion to third, despite the sluggers past experience at the position. ... Right-hander Esmil Rogers (1-2), who has only pitched out of the bullpen so far this season, gets the start Wednesday for Toronto. Hell face Braves righty Kris Medlen (1-5). ' ' '

LAHTI, Finland -- Canadas Alex Harvey raced to a bronze medal in a skiathlon World Cup pursuit race Saturday, his second podium finish of the season. The 23-year-old from St-Ferreol-les-Neiges, Que., crossed the finish line just 4.2 seconds back of winner Dario Cologna of Switzerland. "It was a good race today for me. Every time I am on the podium its good," Harvey said. "With 90 skiers on the start line the race was tight especially in the corners. I had to be careful but luckily nobody crashed before me. I like mass starts, I like the adrenaline." Cologna extended his overall World Cup lead with the win, while Therese Johaug led a Norwegian sweep in the womens race. Cologna pulled away from his rivals over the last couple of kilometres and then held off Norways Martin Johnsrud Sundby to complete the 30-kilometre race in one hour seven minutes, 30.5 seconds. Johnsrud Sundby was 3.7 seconds back. Most of the top skiers were still together after the 15K classical style portion, and Cologna went up in front early in the freestyle leg but couldnt pull away until the end. "It was really tight, but you have to stay on top of your game," said Harvey, who moved up one spot into sixth overall in the World Cup standings. "I tried to stay out front between five and 10th spot, and on the outside on corners. The key is to be able to react if something happens." Harvey, who won a silver medal in the second-last stage of the Tour de Ski earlier this year, recently returned from an altitude camp, and could still feel the effects in his legs. "I feel in good shape, I just feel I dont have the speed that I usually have which is normal after being at altitude," Harvey said. Devon Kershaw of Sudbury, Ont., was 14th and remains in a tie for third in the overall standings. Ivan Babikov of Canmore, Alta., was 36th. Earlier in the day, Johaug had a more dominant victory after pulling away early from the main pack and maintaining the gap until the end. The 23-year-old Johaug finished the 15K race in 36 minutes, 52.6 seconds. Fellow countrywomen Marit Bjoergen and Heidi Weng were second and third, respectively. Daria Gaiazova of Banff, Alta., was 37th, Perianne Jones of Almonte, Ont., was 50th, while Alysson Marshall of Salmon Arm, B.C., was 52nd. Bjoergen finished 10.2 seconds back in second place to overtake Polands Justyna Kowalczyk for the lead in the overall World Cup standings. Weng earned her first individual podium finish by coming in 1.1 seconds behind Bjoergen. Kowalczyk was eighth.

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Michael Turner ran for 139 yards and two touchdowns, Matt Ryan scored the tie-breaking TD with 7 minutes remaining, and Corey Peters came up with a huge interception that helped the Falcons seal a 31-17 victory over Newton and the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.NEW YORK - Sometimes a little bit of confidence goes a long way. Looking at the standings - where the Raptors sit atop the woeful Atlantic Division - wins in Dallas and Oklahoma City count just the same as less impressive victories over the 76ers and Jazz. Internally, those triumphs have meant everything to this young, impressionable Raptors team. Whether theyre facing a late-game deficit, protecting a lead, or staring down one of the leagues elite teams, the Raptors believe they can win. "It does give you confidence to know you went out and beat [some] of the best teams in the league on their home floor," Dwane Casey said before his team rallied back to defeat the division-rival Knicks, 95-83 at Madison Square Garden on Friday. "That should help us know that hey, you can do it." Having played 36 minutes of lackluster, uninspired basketball against an undermanned club that was nearly as lethargic, the Raptors looked like a team that believed, that knew they could flip on the switch when it mattered most. Trailing by as many as 12 points in the third quarter, Toronto held the Knicks to 5-of-19 shooting in the fourth, outscoring the home team 29-12 in the final frame. Once again, the Raptors showed supreme confidence in the face of adversity on the road. They found a way to win, a notable step for a franchise that has historically found creative ways to lose. "You definitely feel good once youre winning games," said DeMar DeRozan, who led the Raptors with 25 points, including eight in the pivotal fourth quarter. "You gain all the confidence game-in and game-out, especially playing all these teams, knowing we could beat them." "We understand were never out of the game until that last second runs out of the clock. It definitely helps, because last year we were in a ton of late-game situations we couldnt pull out. Wed kind of fold, get frustrated, let a big shot frustrate us. Now we dont let any of that frustrate us." The difference is noticeable. A year ago, the Raptors were 3-36 when trailing after three quarters. Two months into the season, they already have four comeback victories. Most impressively, Toronto is the NBAs third-best fourth-quarter team in terms of point differential. Outscoring opponents by 59 points in the final period, the Raptors rank behind Indiana and Miami, the cream of the crop in the Eastern Conference. “I think weve got some good closers," Kyle Lowry said after a 15-point, 11-assist performance, his 19th straight game with six or more dimes. "I think weve got guys who dont care about the moment, they just want to win games." Confidence has been the most crucial factor in the continued development of franchise centrepiece Jonas Valanciunas, who had a coming out party on the NBAs biggest stage Friday. Facing Tyson Chandler, one of the leagues toughest match-ups at his position, the Raptors sophomore registered a career-high 18 booards to go along with 16 points.dddddddddddd Valanciunas was not fazed by the moment or his competition, he held his ground and played up to it as much or more than he has before. "JV just be all over the place," DeRozan said with a chuckle. "Sometimes weve just got to tell him to calm down. He just wants it that bad. Youve got to love having a guy like that on your team." Lowry has been as tough on the 21-year-old as anyone in the organization. Routinely reprimanding him after missed assignments or botched pick-and-rolls, even Lowry sees and applauds the growth of the Raptors prized second-year centre. "It just makes me proud because Im on him more than everybody but when he does well I congratulate him and I appreciate what he does," Lowry said of Valanciunas. "I just want to see him be the best player he can be." "Ill buy him dinner one day," the veteran point guard joked. For Valanciunas, it was a big night, whether he cares to admit it or not. The witty, albeit soft-spoken, seven footer refused to bite on questions regarding his individual performance after the game. "I was just playing my game, Im trying to help the team," he maintained. "Thats all I do every game." "Im not trying to show swagger or something. Im a simple guy and Im just trying to play hard." Like the sinking Atlantic Division itself, one of these teams was going to win this game and through three quarters, that seemed like a maddening thought. Both teams got off to a sluggish start, especially the Raptors, coming off a brief Christmas break earlier this week. Toronto shot 38 per cent from the field and committed 10 turnovers in the first half before tightening the screws in the third quarter and running away with the game in the fourth. "We were playing in mud in the first half," Casey said. "Our effort was there it was just one of those games where we couldnt get going and I think it was a little bit because of the break, coming back, trying to get things going. We turned it on in the second half and its good to be able to not play your best game and still come out with the win against a very powerful offensive team in New York." The Knicks are a sinking ship, desperately trying to stay afloat in the division for as long as injuries remain a viable excuse for their failures. Carmelo Anthony, the NBAs second-leading scorer, missed Fridays game with an ankle injury and will not travel to Toronto for the back end of a home-and-home set with the Raptors Saturday. In many ways, Fridays game was the epitome of what has become the leagues most ridiculed division. More often than not it was painful to watch. As the Knicks, last seasons division champions, were booed off their home court it became clear; these are two teams headed in opposite directions. One with more confidence than theyve had in some time, the other losing hope with each passing day. ' ' '

The Washington Capitals have signed unrestricted free agent left winger Chris Bourque to a one-year contract. The 25-year-old forward, split time last season between Lugano of the Swiss-A league and Mytishchi Atlant of the Kontinental Hockey League. In parts of three NHL seasons, Bourque has one goal and three assists in 33 NHL games played with the Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins. He was originally drafted by the Capitals in the second round in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

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PETERSBURG, Fla.ARLINGTON, Texas -- While Joe Nathan was accepting congratulations from Texas Rangers teammates for his 300th career save, Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon was arguing with umpires about the final strike before they left the field. The home-plate umpire later admitted Maddon was right. Despite umpire Marty Fosters postgame admission, Nathan still had his milestone save after a 5-4 Rangers victory Monday night that ended on a curveball that was low and outside. "I saw the pitch and of course dont have the chance to do it again," Foster told a pool reporter after the game. "But had I had a chance to do it again, I wouldnt call that pitch a strike." After Ben Zobrist took the full-count pitch, he started toward first base and even Nathan appeared to anticipate a ball being called. But Foster called strike three. Zobrist put both hands on his helmet and took it off in disbelief. Maddon argued with Foster and the other umpires for several minutes after the game ended. Soon after that Maddon tweeted, "That cant happen in a major league game." When talking to reporters after the game, Maddon said he "saw it clearly" when it happened, but looked at a replay afterward "to reaffirm what Id seen. Again, it just cant happen in a Major League Baseball game." Foster said Maddon was very professional. "He was frustrated and I understand," Foster said. "He acted probably the best he can under that situation." Umpire crew chief Tim Welke indicated that he didnt foresee a scenario in which Maddon would be disciplined. Nathan had allowed an RBI single to Sean Rodriguez, who was still on base when the game ended to make Nathan the 24th major leaguer with 300 saves. "Fortunately I got a decent call there at the end. Ive seen plenty go the other way," Nathan said. "The umpires have a tough job too. Hes back there for three hours, seeing a lot of pitches. Ive seen plenty of close calls go against us. "I threw the pitch where I wanted to. He didnt offer like I thought he was going to," Nathan said. "Its pretty safe to say we got a very fortunate call there, but well take it." A.J. Pierzynski, the new Rangers catcher who was once traded for Nathan, said he heard the umpire call strike three, and went out to congratulate his teammate. "Umpires make mistakes just like players do. It was a tough time to have a bad call," Zobrist said. When asked about the games last pitch, Rangers manager Ron Washington said, "We won the game, of course I liked it." Asked if he had seen a replay, he responded, "No, not interested." After Pierzynskis first hoomer for Texas, a two-out solo shot in the fourth that made it 2-1, Mitch Moreland pulled a 428-foot shot deep into the Texas bullpen in right-centre field.dddddddddddd Elvis Andrus, in a 2-for-18 slide before singling in the fifth, added a two-run single in the Rangers seventh for a 5-1 lead. Alexi Ogando (2-0) allowed only one run on three hits, but needed 89 pitches to get through 5 1-3 innings. The right-hander walked three and struck out two five days after getting a career-high 10 strikeouts in 6 1-3 innings at Houston. Jeremy Hellickson (0-1), starting on his 26th birthday, gave up three runs and five hits over five innings. He needed 30 pitches to get out of the first, including a nine-pitch leadoff walk by Ian Kinsler, and threw 98 pitches overall. Texas was leading 1-0 in the first when Lance Berkman scored from first base on Adrian Beltres two-out bloop double. Left fielder Sam Fuld made a diving attempt to catch the ball, which instead went under his glove and rolled behind him. Tampa Bay got even in the second. Evan Longoria drew a leadoff walk and scored when second baseman Kinsler made a throwing error trying to complete a double play. Right fielder Nelson Cruz made a running, over-the-shoulder catch later in the inning to prevent a run. Longoria was 3 for 3, all singles, including one in the eighth when the Rays loaded the bases and scored twice. He is hitting .417 (10 of 24) with only singles. This is the furthest hes gone into a season without a home run. He was on deck when the game ended. Ogando, an All-Star starter in 2011 before working out of the bullpen last season, got into the sixth before walking Zobrist and giving up another single to Longoria. Joe Ortiz, the 22-year-old rookie lefty who is only 5-foot-7, got out of that jam with a pair of grounders and then worked a 1-2-3 seventh. NOTES: Hellickson pitched on his birthday for the second year in a row. On his 25th birthday, his 2012 debut, he pitched 8 2-3 scoreless innings in the Rays 3-0 win over the New York Yankees. ... Pierzynski became the seventh different player to homer for the Rangers in their seven games. ... Beltre, the Gold Glove-winning third baseman, started the game with a standout play. He was up on the grass when Desmond Jennings hit a shot down the line. Beltre dove at an angle going backward to make a backhanded stab, then got up and threw out the leadoff hitter. ... Tampa Bays first error of the season came in the second when 2B Zobrist was unable to snag Pierzynskis grounder. ... Nick Tepesch, a 24-year-old right-hander, will be called up for the Rangers to start in his major league debut Tuesday. ' ' '

CALGARY -- The Regina Cougars were given the No. 1 seed for the CIS womens basketball Final 8 tournament on Sunday. The Cougars, who had their undefeated streak snapped at 23 games in the Canada West final against UBC, were awarded the top seed after holding that ranking all season in the CIS Top 10. Regina earned a ticket to the Final 8 after winning the West Regional on Saturday with an 85-62 win over Brock. The UBC Thunderbirds have the No. 2 seed, followed by the Ottawa Gee-Gees at No. 3. The defending champion Windsor Lancers are the fourth seed and the Acadia Axewomen have the fifth seed. The Saskatchewan Huskies have the No. 6 seed, followed by the McGill Martlets at No. 7 and host Calgary at No. 8. Play begins Saturday with quarter-final games. The eight-team competition wraps up March 19 with the championship game.

cheap nfl jerseys wholesale . Ross had 16 points midway through Fridays game in Denver, connecting on six of his seven field goal attempts, none more memorable than his final bucket of the half. cheap jerseys . Seabrook said that he did not want to go inside to a quiet room to be assessed, but that his trainers forced him to follow the NHLs new mandate. The protocol was not initiated after the first hit by Torres, even though Seabrook stayed down on the ice for a few seconds. The NHL believes the case was handled appropriately since Seabrook showed no visible disorientation at the time and had no trouble getting to his feet after the Torres hit. http://www.cheapnfljerseysmall.biz/. Jair Jurrjens pitched six strong innings to become the first 10-game winner in the NL and the Braves had eight extra-base hits in a 10-1 victory over the San Diego Padres on Saturday night. wholesale jerseys . The Senegal striker finished off well-worked moves either side of a solo effort by French playmaker Hatem Ben Arfa, virtually securing victory for Newcastle by the 34th minute at The Hawthorns. West Brom improved after the break, with substitute Shane Long reducing the deficit in the 52nd after a defensive mix-up, but Newcastle held on to move level on points with fifth-place Chelsea. cheap jerseys from china .C. -- Rams coach Jeff Fisher says quarterback Sam Bradford will have an MRI on his left knee Sunday night after the team lands in St.BEAVER CREEK, Colo. -- Standing in the start gate, Lindsey Vonn experienced something she typically doesnt -- pressure. And lots of it. She knew that down below her hometown fans were packed tightly into the stands, hoping to celebrate her first World Cup win on a U.S. slope. She realized that some of the local kids had even been excused from school to take it all in. Vonn didnt want to disappoint. So she charged down the demanding super-G course on Wednesday, holding little back despite hardly ever running this hill before. The nerves faded with every turn she made. Upon crossing the finish line and seeing her time, Vonn pumped her ski poles in jubilation. This was a winning run shell cherish forever. Vonn finished in one minute 10.68 seconds, holding off Fabienne Suter of Switzerland by 0.37 seconds. Anna Fenninger of Austria was third. "I still dont believe it, really," said Vonn, whos from nearby Vail. "Getting a chance to win at home, with a home crowd here, its just more than I couldve expected." Marie-Michele Gagnon of Lac-Etchemin, Que., did not finish the first run. Usually reserved for the men, the challenging Birds of Prey course hosted its first womens race and Vonn successfully conquered it like so many other hills before. Shes now won an American-record four straight Alpine races. Vonn has been so focused on the slopes even as shes going through a divorce away from it. "With the nerves I had, I was surprised I was able to make it down," Vonn said. "I know now that if I put my mind to it, I can do anything. This is just going to give me more confidence for the future. I know I can handle any situation." The 27-year-old Vonn had plenty of support Wednesday as fans rang cow bells, blew on horns and held signs aloft that read, "Shred it, Lindsey" and "Go, Lindsey!" Its not often the womens World Cup circuit is this close to Vail. But a lack of snow in Val dIsere, France, forced the International Ski Federation to move the super-G to this venue. Instantly, that brought jitters for Vonn. For a week, the nerves have been slowly building. She had so many family and friends in the stands that she didnt want to let them down. "In the start, I was probably the most nervous Ive ever been," Vonn said. "It wasnt my best run. I almost went off course a couple of times, but I was able to charge on the bottom and make up some time." While Vonns 46th World Cup win moved her into a tie with Austrias Renate Goetschl for third on the career list, she will remember this victory more for finally breaking through in Colorado. "Its been an amazing day," she said. Vonn has been skiing so well of late that her rivals are trying to find a way to somehow keep up. "Shhes really, really on it," said Julia Mancuso, who finished eighth, 1.dddddddddddd48 seconds behind. "She doesnt make a lot of mistakes." Suter had a solid run on a course she didnt know that much about, picking up confidence as she went along. "It was a little bit difficult for us, because we know its a mens slope," Suter said. "But I really enjoyed the run. Its a nice hill for us." One that Vonn would like to lobby to have added to the already full slate of races. For Vonn, theres nothing better than getting a good nights sleep in her own home before a big race. "From everyone Ive talked to, theyre extremely excited about being able to race here. Everyone loved the trail," Vonn said. "They thought it was a great, great World Cup race. Im hoping FIS sees that and maybe can add that to the World Cup schedule in the future." Before stepping on the top step of the podium at the post-race ceremony, Vonn dropped to a knee with her skis in her hand and struck a prayer pose. She was simply joining the "Tebowing" craze. Out of respect for Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, though, she asked his brother, who was at the race, if it would be disrespectful. Vonn was given the green light. "I said that if I won in Colorado, or at home, that I would do it," said Vonn, who befriended Tim Tebow at a charity golf tournament over the off-season. "Go Broncos. I did it. Got to represent." These days, nothing slows Vonn down -- not even an unfamiliar course. The only time shes ever skied this hill was when she side-slipped the course during the 1999 championships as a teenager. The course was tamed down a little bit for the womens race as the skiers went around the famed Golden Eagle jump. Vonn was bummed when she heard about the course switch, but quickly shrugged it off. Just like her turmoil away from the slopes. There were those who wondered how Vonn would do without her husband, Thomas Vonn, serving as an adviser and personal coach. But a network of family, friends, coaches and teammates has stepped in and supported her through a difficult time. Being on the hill has become her escape, the one place where she can tune everything out and concentrate on what she does best -- ski fast. In Lake Louise last weekend, Vonn cleaned up, winning two downhill races and a super-G. She carried that confidence over to Colorado. "I wanted to win at home so badly," Vonn said. "There are so many reasons why today is so special." To say thanks to her fan base, Vonn signed autographs for a long line of kids after the race. "Im going to sign as many jackets and helmets as it takes to make sure no one gets in trouble for missing school," Vonn said. ' ' '

WALTON ON THE HILL, England - Rory McIlroys unwillingness to adapt his game to links golf led some of the sports elder statesmen to say his attitude must change. Less than a month after winning the U.S. Open at Congressional by eight shots for his first major title, McIlroy struggled last week in the wet and windy British Open at Royal St. Georges. Closing rounds of 74 and 73 left the 22-year-old Northern Irishman not only tied for 25th, but disillusioned about the harsh nature of links golf. After the final round, McIlroy said he wasnt a fan of tournaments where the "outcome is predicted so much by the weather," adding that "theres no point in changing your game for one week a year." On Wednesday, 1991 Masters champion Ian Woosnam and three-time major winner Nick Price said McIlroy had to be ready to adapt his game to links conditions. "Hes only a young kid, hes going to say the wrong things every now and then and hes probably now thinking, What the hell have I said," Woosnam said a day before the start of play in the Senior British Open. "Of course, to be a true golfer, you have to be able to play around the world, play in different kind of golf conditions. Tiger (Woods) adapted, (Jack) Nicklaus adapted, (Arnold) Palmer adapted. They all adapted. He needs to adapt. Its his age, but hes got the ability to do whatever he wants to do." Price, who mastered links conditions to win the British Open at Turnberry in 1994, was surprised that McIlroy held such views given that he grew up playing so much links golf in Northern Ireland. "He has to get his mind set right for that — hes going to have 20 or 30 Open Championships in his career and he doesnt want to have that attitude," Price said. "Hed better get out there and start liking those courses and figure out a way to play. If hes a good enough player, he will do that. "Every great player adapts to the conditions. He may not like it as much as playing on parkland courses but he will learn, I guarantee it." McIlroy did find an unexpected ally in Tom Watson, however. The 61-year-old American is a five-time winner of the British Open and widely regarded as the finest exponent of links golf around, demonstrating his prowess last week by producing a brilliant 72 in horrific conditions in the third round. Still, Watson knows exactly what McIlroy is going through. Hes been there himself. "Honestly, he sounded like I did when I was his age playing links golf," Watson said. "I did not like links golf. I did not like the bounce. I did not like the firmness of the greens, and the wind so much, and I didnt like the uncertainty. When I hit a shot the way I thought it should go, it should stop. In American golf, it stops where you want it. "Hell change. Hell get to a point where hell understand the difficulties in the way that you have to manage yourself on links golf courses." Asked how many years it took him to come round to links golf, Watson replied: "Four. It just so happened I won two of them." Woosnam said he believes McIlroys attitude will change. "I think its difficult for the kid. Everyone was comparing him to Tiger Woods but at the end of the day hes only won three tournaments. And one of them was a major," said the 53-year-old Welshman, who captained Europe to Ryder Cup success in 2006. "I think weve got to ease off on the kid. Hes got to develop."

Cheap Jerseys From China .com) - The Montreal Canadiens embark on their first road trip of the season as they head out west to battle the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. Cheap Jerseys . Anderson (3-4) allowed three hits, fanned four and walked three, needing just 105 pitches to complete his outing. Brett did a heck of a job. He located well, had a decent fastball. All the guys in the lineup had a hit and thats encouraging, Athletics manager Bob Geren said about his clubs victory. http://www.cheapjerseysfromchinawholesale.com/. Hes also one win away from a trip to the Winter Games. The reigning Canadian champion remained undefeated at 6-0 with a 5-4 victory Thursday night over veteran Kevin Martin, clinching a spot in Sundays final of the Canadian Olympic curling trials. Cheap Jerseys Online . Louis Blues lost in the first round of the playoffs, but theyre not that far away from where they need to be. Cheap Jerseys USA . And keeping up the polls distinctly German flavour over the past month, Miroslav Klose -- Germanys second-highest scorer -- is the player of the week after grabbing five goals in just 40 minutes for Lazio in its 6-0 thrashing of Bologna in Serie A.Guy Boucher is headed overseas to continue his career behind the bench, as SC Bern announced Monday that the Swiss League club has hired him as their new head coach. Boucher previously coached the Tampa Bay Lightning and had a 97-78-20 record over two-plus seasons. He was dismissed by the team last March after the Lightning struggled in the lockout-shortened season with a 13-18-11 record.dddddddddddd Boucher, 39, was a QMJHL coach with the Drummondville Voltigeurs for three years before taking over the American Hockey Leagues Hamilton Bulldogs, the Montreal Canadiens top minor league affiliate. He led Hamilton to the second-best record in the AHL then turned down a chance to coach the Columbus Blue Jackets before joining the Lightning. ' ' '

WACO, Texas -- Turn out the lights, the fiesta is just getting started for No. 9 Baylor. These Bears are headed to a BCS game as the Big 12 champion, making a reality out of the goal that seemed so far out of reach when Art Briles became their coach six years ago. "Thats what hit me," quarterback Bryce Petty said. "This is where it is, this is where that vision was." In what became a de facto Big 12 championship game after Oklahoma States loss, Petty threw for 287 yards with touchdown passes on the first drives after halftime and the Bears beat No. 23 Texas 30-10 on Saturday in the final game at Floyd Casey Stadium after 64 seasons. "Its a defining moment for our program," Briles said, adding he hopes they can repeat it multiple times. "We always believed with him," big offensive guard Cyril Richardson said. "We werent going to disappoint him." The Bears (11-1, 8-1 Big 12), who never even had a winning record in the Big 12 before Briles arrived, have the first 11-win season in school history and are headed to the Fiesta Bowl. That is the reward for their first outright title in any league since winning the Southwest Conference on 1980 when Mike Singletary called Floyd Casey Stadium home. Antwan Goodley made a nifty one-handed grab on a slant pass for an 11-yard TD, one play after Petty overthrew his wide-open tight end at the goal line. After Texas (8-4, 7-2) went three-and-out, Lache Seastrunk had three consecutive runs for 28 yards and Glasco Martin ran 10 yards to help set up Pettys 6-yard TD pass to Levi Norwood and a 17-3 lead. Texas coach Mack Brown made joking references all week about being the only coach in America playing for a conference championship while also shrugging off speculation that he could be replaced. Well, the intense speculation about Browns future is certain to increase now. The regular season is over for the Longhorns without a Big 12 title after losing two of three games -- just like the year started before a six-game winning streak. "Im disappointed in the loss, obviously," said Brown, who didnt want to talk about his future. " I told them they played hard enough, played tough enough, but we didnt make the plays we needed to make. " Norwood came to the postgame interview wearing a cap that read "RIP Floyd Casey," and said it was hard to put into words what the final game in the stadium and the Big 12 championship meant. Ahmad Dixon, the senior safety who grew up in Waco, placed in front of the podium a sign declaring the Bears Big 12 champion. He then told everyone to hold their questions, then reached down and pulled out two bags of Tostitos, the sponsor of the Fiesta Bowl. "What does this mean to me?" Dixon said repeating a question, hold up the sign as an answer. "Thats about is. ... It was all just a dream, and that dream just became a reality." Petty finished 21 of 37, with Goodley catching eight of those for 114 yards. Martin rushed for 102 yards with 18-yard TD run in the fourth quarter, one play after officials wiped out K.J. Mortons touchdown on a 60-yard interception return when he was penalized for celebrating before getting into the end zone. Malcolm Brown ran 25 times for 131 yards for the Longhorns. Case McCoy completed only 12 of 34 passes for 54 yards, two interceptions and a touchdown. The score was a 2-yarder to Brown while scrambling on fourth down after the Longhorns took a field goal off the board after a Baylor penalty on the made kick. About the same time the coin toss was happening at midfield in Waco, No. 18 Oklahoma was wrapping up its 33-24 over No. 6 Oklahoma State (10-2, 7-2), which with convincing victories over both Baylor and Texas last month was in the position to win the Big 12s guaranteed BCS berth. Before moving next year into a new $260 million stadium on campus, along busy Interstate 35 and the Brazos River, Baylor had a memorable finish in the final game after 64 seasons at Floyd Casey. Fans in black, green or gold didnt even seem to mind the bitter cold -- the temperature was 24 degrees at kickoff with the wind chill making it feel much colder. And most stayed around to share in the celebration and a stadium closing ceremony, chanting "Big 12 champs!" and "BCS!" That ceremony ended with representatives from different eras in Baylor history turning over one of the eight light standards in the stadium. The last was Briles. "It was emotional for everybody," Norwood said. "Everybody knew it was there, whether it was outright or a share. We wanted to be Big 12 champs."

cheap nfl jerseys . A US$20-million renewal project launched in 1998 was officially completed Friday with the opening of the Esso Great Hall. cheap china jerseys . The results have been smashing. Gonzalez extended a power surge by hitting three home runs in his last three at-bats, Michael Cuddyer belted a grand slam and Dexter Fowler also homered, leading the Colorado Rockies past the Houston Astros 13-5 on Wednesday night for their third win in a row. http://www.jerseysgod.com/. And it definitely made up for the clunker they turned in the night before -- as much as it can, anyway. J.J. Barea scored 12 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter while Kevin Love sat on the bench with an injured finger, lifting Minnesota to a 101-97 win over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night. cheap jerseys from china . TSN 1290s coverage begins with Hustler & Lawless at 3:00pm ct. Rick Ralph hosts the official Jets pregame show at 5:00pm ct. Wholesale nfl jerseys . June Steenkamp, Reeva Steenkamps mother, told The Times in a front page interview published Monday: "Why? Why my little girl? Why did this happen? Why did he do this?" "Just like that she is gone," the newspaper quoted her as saying in what it described as an emotional telephone interview.Rudy Gay has only just arrived in Toronto and already Raptors Nation is abuzz with the question: "whats next?". In sending away a point guard and a power forward to acquire a new starting small forward, Bryan Colangelo left his roster significantly imbalanced and the task now is to try and iron things out before Februarys trade deadline. The most immediate need lies behind Kyle Lowry at the point guard position. John Lucas has struggled in the role of backup playmaker this season and is shooting a pathetic .353 from the field, and with Lowry struggling through injuries all season the club is going to need a more productive backup waiting in reserve. The two routes that Toronto can take to that end would be a free agent pickup or a trade. The free agency route is expected to be available to them once they waive Hamed Haddadi, which should happen as soon as all the traded players pass their physicals to complete last nights blockbuster. That will free up a roster spot for Toronto to go shopping for a bench aid, but there arent a whole of lot enticing options out there for Toronto if thats the route they choose to go down. In fact, unless they can pry breakout Euroleague star and frequent Toronto Summer League participant Bobby Brown away from Siena, the Raptors probably arent going to get a much better option than Lucas provides them with now as the primary backup point guard. What the Raptors really need is a steadier backup option like Luke Ridnour, Ramon Sessions or Beno Udrih, but it is unclear how available any of those guys are and how attractive Torontos assets are to Minnesota, Charlotte or Milwaukee. Suffice it to say that in some form or another, the Raptors will be importing some backcourt help in the next couple of weeks. Given how few shot creators the team has, especially off of the bench, finding a strong veteran presence to lead the second unit would be a great next step if Colangelo can find a way to pull it off. After that (or perhaps in tandem with that) the Raptors have to figure out what they are going to do with all of their wing players. The roster is now loaded with swingmen including Gay, DeMar DeRozan, Terrence Ross, Alan Anderson, Landry Fields and Mickael Pietrus. Even if one assumes that Gay will spend some time at the four in small-ball configurations and that Pietrus has one toe in retirement, thats still a lot of players to squeeze into not a lot of available minutes. The problem facing Colangelo is how to break up that glut. Obviously Gay is going nowhere. DeRozan and his yet-to-kick-in extension initiates salary cap and trade rules that make it hard for him to be moved along in a trade before July 1. Terrence Ross was deemed untouchable in talks with Memphis for Gay so it seems safe to assume he features heavily in Torontos long-term plans. That leaves Anderson and Fields as the odd men out, and neither one is exactly easy to trade, though each for very different reasons. Anderson is hard to move along because he is such an effective player for a guy making a league-minimum salary. With Colangelo committing so much money to guys like Gay and DeRozan, he needs more contracts like Andersons that deliver well above their hit to the salary cap.dddddddddddd. Also, given his paltry salary it is virtually impossible to trade Anderson and receive an equally effective player in return given the leagues salary-matching rules in trades. If he could be packaged up with a more expensive player to add value to a return package thats one thing, but on his own Anderson is a hard player to imagine parting with while also improving the team in the process. On the flip side of that coin is Fields. While Fields has bounced back considerably since his early-season surgery, he is nowhere close to justifying his $6.3 million per year contract. That deal was onerous before the Raptors backed up the Brinks truck to acquire Gay, and its downright crippling now. Its hard to envision any team in the NBA taking on Fields without the Raptors having to excessively sweeten the pot to push it through, yet minutes are now going to be so scarce for Fields in Toronto it will be hard for him to prove his worth without injuries opening up time for him in the rotation. So, its easy to say that Colangelo has to thin out the wings to create depth at other positions, but right now its hard to envision exactly how he does that in a way that makes Toronto a stronger team once hes done. Of course, all of this is an appetizer next to the question that every Raptor fan really wants answered: what will become of Andrea Bargnani before the February 21 trade deadline? Colangelo not-so-subtly explained that he was open to dealing Bargnani last night (and that Bargnani would welcome such a move) and so now the clock is ticking for Colangelo to ship him out of town. While Colangelo tried to temper expectations by saying he wont necessarily find a palatable trade before the deadline, his insistence on introducing the possibility to the fan bases consciousness has effectively forced his own hand. This team has been too bad for too long to now start toying with the fans and their dreams of seeing Bargnani moved out of Toronto. Colangelo laid bare his intentions for Bargnani and now he HAS to follow through on them. He opened the can and now he has to clean up all the worms. So what can he get for Bargnani? Who knows. There may not be a player in the league whose value is harder to assess, even if many cant fathom another organization taking him on. Consider this, though: Colangelo was supposedly dealing from a severe disadvantage when he was shopping Hedo Turkoglu in 2010 and yet he turned him into a cheaper, shorter contract in Leandro Barbosa. There is so much that goes into trades that fans and the media have no access to that to assume a players value must be this or that is foolish. Bargnani may be worth nothing, or he may be worth something. Until hes wearing another teams jersey, though, we wont know what hell command on the open market. So, even though the Raptors have probably made the biggest deal that they are going to make for a while, that doesnt mean that the dominoes have stopped falling. There is a lot more work to do before the trade deadline now that the Raptors got their biggest fish reeled in early. In fact, landing Gay has started knocking down a whole new line of dominoes. Well see over the next 21 days where that ultimately leaves this Raptors roster. ' ' '

GLENDALE, Ariz. - A three-goal lead nearly blown against the team they never can seem to beat, the Phoenix Coyotes could have gotten that here-we-go-again feeling. Instead, the Coyotes dug in and dug out a confidence-boosting win, finally securing that playoff berth they had been chasing for what seemed like a month. Building a big lead and withstanding a furious late flurry, the Coyotes beat back the charging San Jose Sharks 4-3 on Friday night to secure a playoff spot in their final home game. "At the start of the year, your goal is to win the division and get into the top eight to give yourself a chance to compete for the Stanley Cup," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. "Sometimes, that happens earlier than others. This year, it didnt happen until the second-to-last game of the season, but we are still in there." Phoenix had lost eight straight to San Jose and limped toward the end of the season, putting its seemingly once-certain playoff chances in doubt. The Coyotes appeared ready to end both dilemmas in one swoop, building a 4-1 lead on Shane Doans goal midway through the third period. Then they got complacent, which doesnt work against an opportunistic team like San Jose. Joe Thornton scored for his 1,000th career point, Danny Heatley knocked in his 26th goal with 3:39 and the Sharks smelled in the frozen water after that, racing into Phoenixs zone like they had 10 men on the ice. Sensing his team needed a break after an icing call kept the puck in the Coyotes end, Tippett called a timeout to set up a crucial faceoff. He also had a simple message: "Lets get it done." The Coyotes did, getting several tough saves by Ilya Bryzgalov down the stretch, including three in the final minute, to reach the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1999-2000. To reach the playoffs after struggling to get that final point and to knock off the Sharks to boot was worthy of a big celebration, from cheers and high-fives on the bench to a little dancing in the locker room. "I think the guys were a little more animated than usual," said Doan, who also had an assist on Ray Whitneys goal in the second period. Radim Vrbata scored in his 600th career game and Andrew Ebbett had his second goal of the season for Phoenix, which is tied with Nashville for fourth in the Western Conference with 99 points. The Sharks had already locked up the Pacific Division, but had a chance to secure the second spot in the West after Detroit lost to Chicago earlier Friday night. San Jose will have to wait for a rematch against Phoenix at home Saturday night to get it after falling into a big hole and coming up short on their fast-and-furious rally. "We feel good about our club and we feel confident," Thornton said. "Weve got three more periods before the big party starts so its nice. Weve got back-to-back games, go home and play these guys right back again." Phoenix seemed to be in prime position to lock up a playoff spot after a five-game winning streak in March. The Coyotes hadnt been able to finish it off, though, losing three of their previous four games, the last two in shootouts. That set up a make-or-break weekend, where the possibilities ranged from fourth in the Western Conference with a home-ice advantage to ninth and watching the post-season at home. Phoenix needed to either win one game or have Dallas lose just one, but the Stars werent co-operating; they beat Colorado for the second time in two nights earlier Friday. Worse yet, the Coyotes were facing San Jose, which had outscored them 17-6 in four games this season. Intent on ending the losing streak and finally secure that playoff spot, Phoenix came out hard at the start, knocking the Sharks on their heels. It paid off late in the first period, when hard hit by Paul Bissonette set up Ebbetts goal on pass from Kyle Turris that bounced off his skate. Ian White tied it a couple minutes later with a shot that caromed off someone past Bryzgalov, but the Coyotes seemed to take control after that. Whitney put Phoenix back up with a one-timer from Doan, Vrbata followed with a 2-on-1 one-timer from Eric Belanger 2 1/2 minutes later and Doan became the Coyotes first 20-goal scorer this season early in the third. The Sharks roared back in the final half of the period, though, getting goals from Thornton and Heatley and continuing to put pressure on the Coyotes. They just didnt have enough to finish it off, stopped by Bryzgalov, who passed Bob Essensas team record with his 130th career win. "I thought we had a number of players that had pretty good games, but a number of key people that we count on bobbled or fumbled the puck around a bit too much," Sharks coach Todd McLellan said. "The ice wasnt very good and we tried to get a little too cut at times and ended up being a little too risky." NOTES: San Jose C Scott Nichol returned after missing 19 games with an upper-body injury, but RW Devin Setoguchi didnt play after sustaining an undisclosed injury during warmups. ... Phoenix C Martin Hanzal returned after missing 14 games with a lower-body injury.

cheap nfl jerseys . -- The defence dominated, the running game clicked and the Oakland Raiders finally ended up on the winning end for the first time in seven weeks. cheap jerseys from china . That, he hinted, could come Wednesday. Negotiators for the NBA and its players met for only about two hours Tuesday and plan to resume the talks early Wednesday. Stern said that meeting will determine how soon its worth sitting down again. http://www.thecheapjerseys.com/.C. -- The B. cheap nfl stitched jerseys . The regular season has not even begun and the Ottawa Senators are already answering questions about whether or not theyve got the offence to compete. cheap stitched jerseys . Despite having a 1-0 lead was washed away after two innings and waiting two hours 55 minutes for umpires to call it, Cleveland moved within 2 1-2 games of first-place Detroit when the Tigers lost in Baltimore 8-5.WINNIPEG -- Last season, hockey fans in Winnipeg were just happy to have their beloved Jets back home. It will be a different story when they return for their second campaign, a compressed season expected to begin later this month after the NHL and its players reached a tentative collective bargaining agreement to end the lockout Sunday. After moving to Winnipeg from Atlanta, the Jets finished the 2011-12 season tied for 10th in the Eastern Conference, eight points out of a playoff spot with a 37-35-10 record. The team could have gone winless and still been cheered on a nightly basis by its adoring fans, who had waited 15 years for the NHL to return to the city. But now, after an extended off-season thanks to the work stoppage, the expectations will be higher for the Jets. Fans are expecting a tweaked roster to challenge for a post-season berth. While the team wouldnt comment on the tentative agreement or the upcoming season Sunday, head coach Claude Noel said at the end of the 2011-12 campaign that the bar has to be raised. "I was real patient this year, which was real good for me and I think it was good for the team," he said in April. "Ill be less patient next year." The Jets did more adding than subtracting to their roster before the league locked out the players Sept. 15. The top 10 scorers from last years team are all back to go along with the free-agent acquisitions of veteran forwards Olli Jokinen and Alexei Ponikarovsky. While theyll be expected to give the team some added scoring punch, the Jets success or failure in 2013 is more likely to be determined at the other end of the ice. The team finished 12th in league in goals scored last season, but was 26th in goals against. Ondrej Pavelec started 67 games in net, posting below-average numbers but making enough highlight-reel saves to earn a five-year, US$19.dddddddddddd5-million contract in the summer. It was later discovered that -- without the Jets knowledge -- he had pled guilty to a drunk-driving charge in his native Czech Republic shortly before agreeing to the deal. The only Jets player who will face comparable scrutiny this year is 21-year-old forward Evander Kane, whom the team signed to a six-year, $31.5-million deal right before the lockout started. Kane is coming off a 30-goal season, and the Jets believe he can become a superstar. But Jets fans couldnt have been happy to see their prized forward score just one goal (and add zero assists) in a 12-game stint in the KHL in the fall. Combine the financial commitment with Kanes tendency to stir up controversy off the ice -- most recently, he posted a photo of himself on Twitter holding two large stacks of cash on a Las Vegas balcony -- and patience will be thin if he doesnt score early and often. Kane was showing his support for the fans Sunday. "FINALLY! The NHL has come back to the millions and MILLIONS of the games fans," he tweeted. Several other questions will be answered soon in the abbreviated training camp: -- Will Mark Scheifele stick? The teams first-round pick in the 2011 draft had eight points for Canada at the recent world junior hockey championship, and will have a chance to make the team -- at least to start the season. -- Is Zach Bogosian healthy? The 22-year-old defenceman, who averaged more than 23 minutes of ice-time last year, had off-season wrist surgery five months ago and should be getting close to 100 per cent. -- Is Big Buff in shape? Offensive defenceman Dustin Byfuglien was never in the kind of shape the team wanted last year. With no in-person contact with trainers for nine months, his weight and conditioning is anyones guess. ' ' '