Girardi said Jeter probably will be held out

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." ' ' '

The B.C. Lions signed cornerback Dante Marsh to a contract extension on Friay and released receiver Paris Jackson. Marsh, who turns 35 next week, has played 10 seasons in the CFL, all with the Lions. Last season Marsh had 73 tackles along with three interceptions. Marsh was originally signed as a free agent prior to the 2004 season. Jackson, 33, was also a career Lion, having played all 11 of his CFL seasons with the Lions. The Vancouver native compiled 5,757 yards receiving and 31 touchdowns for the Lions. "Paris has requested his release to pursue a more significant playing role on another CFL club," Lions general manager Wally Buono said in a statement. "The B.C. Lions thank him for his many contributions to our organization both on and off the field and wish him the very best." Jackson was the B.C.s first-round selection (sixth overall) in the 2003 CFL Draft.

China Jerseys . Team Canada captured its third gold medal in the past four world championships, beating Swedens Jalle Jungnell 4-3 on Saturday at the Ice Cube Curling Center in Sochi, Russia, in the final of the 2013 World Wheelchair Curling Championship. MLB China Jerseys . The Galaxy won all four meetings between the two sides last season, and a wonderful strike from 25 yards off the foot of Juninho continued that run of dominance. The best chance in a scoreless first half came from Seattles Erik Friburg, who shot just wide of the right post from outside the penalty area with Galaxy goalkeeper Josh Saunders off his line. http://www.cheapchinajerseys.biz/. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats go into the 101st Grey Cup with very little pressure and a lot of love. Cheap Jerseys . LOUIS -- T. NBA China Jerseys . Crabb, 29, spent the past two seasons playing with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League.TAMPA, Fla. -- Martin St. Louis made history. The 37-year old Lightning centre became the oldest player to win the league scoring title, finishing with a goal and an assist in Tampa Bays 5-3 loss to the Florida Panthers in the season finale for two non-playoff teams on Saturday night. St. Louis won the Art Ross Trophy with 60 points, three more than teammate Steven Stamkos. "Id trade that for a chance to play in the playoffs any day," said St. Louis, who had 17 goals and 43 assists. "You try to finish strong and play the right way," St. Louis said. "Its something nobody can take away from you. Im proud. Im very excited about it. Im not going to pretend Im not." Stamkos got the second assist on St. Louis goal, giving him one point more than Alex Ovechkin of Washington and Sidney Crosby of Pittsburgh, who ended the regular season sidelined by a broken jaw. St. Louis captured the scoring title in 2004, when Tampa Bay won its only Stanley Cup. "Its incredble," Lightning captain Vincent Lecavalier said. "Hes a smart player. His speed, hes as fast as when he was 22. Thirty-seven is just a number for him." "What a feat," Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper added. "Im really proud to be a part of history." Tomas Fleischmann scored his second goal of the game to give Florida a 4-3 lead at 13:53 of the third. Rookie of the year contender Jonathan Huberdeau had three assists, while Marcel Goc added an empty net goal in the final minute of play. St. Louis assisted on Matt Carles goaal 5 minutes into the first period that made it 1-0, and scored from in-close to put Tampa Bay up 3-2 at 5:47 of the second.dddddddddddd The right wing, with 912 points, moved past Gary Roberts in 95th place on the career list. Bobby Orr is 94th with 915 points. Tampa Bay also got a goal from Ryan Malone. Nick Bjugstad scored his first NHL goal for the Panthers. Scottie Upshall had the other Florida goal. "That was pretty exciting for me," Bjugstad said. "I didnt really expect it. Its tough in the NHL getting shots so I just put it on net and it went in." After Malone scored, Bjugstad cut the Florida deficit to 2-1 from the top of the right circle with 3:06 left in the first. Fleischmann tied it at 2 early in the second. Upshalls rebound goal at 5:30 of the third got Florida even at 3-all. "It was a nice way to finish it," Florida coach Kevin Dineen said. "They worked hard. We started well, we finished well. There were a lot of challenges in between, but we got a snapshot of our potential tonight. It was good to get that comeback and to still have some belief and keep pushing. And theyre pushing in the right direction." NOTES: Florida G Jacob Markstrom stopped Benoit Pouliot on a penalty shot 70 seconds into the game. He made 28 saves overall. ... Tampa Bay G Anders Lindback stopped 27 shots. ... Malone stopped a personal 11-game goal drought. ... Panthers LW Eric Selleck (concussion) returned after missing the previous 15 games. He assisted on Upshalls goal for his first NHL point. ' ' '

CLEVELAND - Cord Phelps will remember his first major league homer for a long while. So will the Cleveland Indians. Phelps connected with one out in the 11th inning for a three-run shot that gave Cleveland a 5-2 victory and a three-game sweep over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. "Thats my first walk-off of any kind, at least that I can recall," said Phelps, who was mobbed at the plate by teammates. "That was awesome. Really cool." Carlos Santana also homered for the AL Central leaders, who improved to 23-12 at home by pulling out a game that was delayed by rain in the eighth inning for one hour 57 minutes. "I guess it was worth the wait," manager Manny Acta said of the Indians eighth win in their last at-bat at Progressive Field. Shin-Soo Choo singled off Tim Wood (0-1) with one out in the 11th for his third hit and stole second. Wood intentionally walked Santana to face Phelps, who came up hitting .100 (2 for 20) since being called up from triple-A Columbus on June 8. "It was a fastball in," Wood said. "He did exactly what hes supposed to do with a belt-high fastball. My sinkers my best pitch. I had faced him a few times (in the minors) and got him out." Tony Sipp (3-0) worked a scoreless 11th to help the Indians win for the fifth time in seven games and move to 6-0 in interleague play. Their sweep extended the Pirates losing streak to 13 games in AL ballparks. Pittsburgh has not won a road interleague game since June 17, 2009, at Minnesota. Sipp and five other relievers worked six scoreless innings. Clevelands bullpen has not allowed a run in 22 2-3 innings over seven games. The offence has been another story. Before the game, the Indians announced that hitting coach Jon Nunnally had been replaced by Bruce Fields, the organizations minor league hitting instructor. Acta said the decision was made before Clevelands 5-1 win on Saturday night. "It was very tough, one of my toughest days of work," Acta said. "Yesterday we won the game and didnt feel like celebrating. I understand that some (players) are a little upset, but we have to do whats best for our team." Phelps liner into the right-field seats made Cleveland 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position Sunday -- and 18 for 116 (.155) since June 2. Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle lamented the Pirates offensive struggles, too. They totalled three runs in the series following a four-game winning streak. Prior to that, they scored four runs in going 1-3 "We left 14 men on base," Hurdle said. "At the end of the day, thats a lot." Acta was much more upbeat following Clevelands seventh sweep of a series of at least three games this year. "How about that bullpen?" he said. "They kept us in the game. Oh, and by the way, a pretty good series." Acta and other Indians could not stop talking about a defensive gem by Asdrubal Cabrera. The shortstop made a barehand stop of a sharply hit one-hopper on the outfield grass and threw out Brandon Wood in the top of the 10th. "Half the dugout was saying it was the best play ever," Acta said. Added Phelps: "That was nasty. I became a fan right there and said, Ohhhh!" Neil Walker and Matt Diaz drove in first-inning runs off Justin Masterson to put Pittsburgh ahead 2-0. Walker followed a one-out triple by Xavier Paul with an RBI single. Walker took third on a single by Garrett Jones and scored as Diaz grounded into a forceout at second. Santana drove Jeff Karstens first pitch of the second into the right-field seats for his ninth homer. Phelps doubled on the next pitch, moved up on a passed ball and later scored when Lou Marson bounced into a double play, tying it at two. Masterson, 0-5 in 10 starts since opening 5-0, gave up two runs and seven hits over five innings. He ran up his pitch count early, though he walked only one and struck out five. He threw 69 of 110 pitches for strikes. Karstens was lifted after the delay in the middle of the eighth. Hurdle said the right-hander would have continued if not for the rain. Karstens gave up one earned run and five hits over seven innings. He has not allowed more than two earned runs in a game since May 3, a stretch of nine starts. NOTES: The Indians retrieved Phelps home run ball and presented it to him. He said hell keep it awhile before giving it to his parents. ... The Indians said the last Cleveland player to hit a game-ending shot for his first major league homer was Ben Francisco on June 29, 2007, against Tampa Bay, according to research by the Elias Sports Bureau. ... Indians OF Grady Sizemore went 0 for 5 with four strikeouts. ... Acta made a nifty backhand grab of a woeful ceremonial first pitch from Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe DeLamiellure that was eight feet short and five feet wide. ... The series drew 100,437 fans, Clevelands largest three-game series total since September 2008. ... Pirates first-base coach Luis Silverio stayed in the game after being hit in the inner thigh by a foul line drive off the bat of Jones in the fourth.

cheap jerseys .com) - The Montreal Canadiens will try to complete a four-game road trip with a third straight victory when they visit the Winnipeg Jets for Tuesdays clash at MTS Centre. cheap jerseys from china . One of five rookies to start for the defence made the biggest play of the game. Desmond Trufant deflected Kirk Cousins pass on a potential winning 2-point conversion with 18 seconds remaining, and the Falcons edged the Redskins 27-26 on Sunday. http://www.cheapjerseyscom.biz/. That meant the best 36-hole score for Furyk in his PGA Tour career, and the worst start for Woods in nearly fourth months. Furyk had another good day with the putter, making a few birdies early and saving par from the bunker four times on the back nine at Firestone for a 4-under 66 and a two-shot lead over Rafa Cabrera-Bello of Spain. wholesale jerseys . Raffael and Peter Niemeyer scored in the 49th and 81st minutes for promoted Herthas first win at Dortmund since 2006, and only its second ever.MMA is a growing sport, and its still got a lot of growing left to do. Athletes have sited financial issues as the reason for leaving the sport. Top athletes have been busted for performance enhancing drugs due to the rigorous training and travel schedule. Not to mention the grueling nature of the sport. Fans around the world increase daily and the UFC is broadcast in over 130 countries. The UFCs economic impact when they bring an event to a new city is unquestionable. MMA has made its mark, and is still growing. With all the negatives and positives there are stories now to be told, that means its time for some amazing documentaries. Weve all heard of the Striking Truth, an amazing look at the climb of Georges St-Pierre. A film that was put together by Steven J. Wong and James Hergott, who is now releasing his next showcase "Generation Iron". Fightville is another excellent documentary that caught up and coming star Dustin Poirier before he started getting his name out in the UFC world. Poirier is fresh off a win in his last UFC outing, has a little work to do, but may one day still contend for the title. TapouT crew just released the story of Evan Tanner, its a heart wrenching journey and worth a watch by fans and by anyone with family going through tough times. The list is long, and impressive. I recently had a chance to sit down and watch the newest movie in a growing list of outstanding MMA documentaries: "Scheduled Violence" by filmmaker BJ Verot. Scheduled Violence followed one of Winnipegs local MMA Icons to the silver screen. Joe "El Dirte" Doerksen has been an innovator in the Winnipeg scene and a force to be reckoned with in international MMA competition. He has fought some of the very best in the industry, and won. It was time for a guy that is this hard working to be recognized, and to see his story in his words played on TV and on the big screen in select theatres. I asked Verot why he chose to make the film about Doerksen. "Joe is a UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) veteran with a prolific list of fights already to his credit, and hes had more fights than any other Canadian in the sport of MMA," said VVerot.dddddddddddd "Having just been cut from the UFC, easily the biggest promotion in the world, he was contemplating retirement when we crossed paths. Joe wanted to make a final run in the ultra-competitive world of MMA. He was at a point in his career that was very compelling, and he was an easy choice as a subject for the film. It was a very high stakes, all-or-nothing approach to the doc." Since the film has made it to the big screen and has created a buzz whats next? "I am co-founder of Strata Studios, alongside my business partner Brad Crawford, who served as Editor and Director of Photography on the film," said Verot. "Im currently developing an MMA doc series that is very character-driven, and has an interesting angle of approach to set it apart from the typical MMA shows that are currently out." So there is more to come from a team of MMA fans and producers, which is great news for those of us who love the sport for the history, training, and commitment it takes to succeed in the game. As for what Verot thinks about Doerksens future, he thinks the road could lead back to the big time. "If Joe comes out with another win at CFC 8, he could very easily find himself back inside the UFC octagon," Verot said prior to the event taking place. "Hes also expressed an interest in fighting overseas for the surging company in Asia, OneFC. With a potential three-fight win streak to his credit, I wouldnt count out another run in a major promotion." This is Joes passion; its all he wants to do. Thats probably why he does it so well and has over 50 fights to his credit. If you are a fan of MMA and want to watch this outstanding background story "Scheduled Violence" is currently available on MTS TVs Stories From Home, and will be submitted to screen at festivals for the 2014 circuit. Support local talent; help grow the sport at a grass roots level. Its important as fans that we see and support MMA fighters before they hit the Octagon. Fans build sports; its our job to be there before the fame. Without fans, no one wins. You can watch the trailer for Scheduled Violence by following this link ' ' '

(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 ' ' '

TORONTO, Ontario -- Will Acton came through again for the Toronto Marlies. Acton scored the winning goal early in the third period as the Marlies beat the Grand Rapids Griffins 4-2 on Saturday to even the AHL semifinal series at a game apiece. He only has two goals in the playoff, but both have been game-winners. In Round 1, he clinched the series against Rochester, scoring in overtime of Game 3 to sweep the Americans. On Saturday, he took a saucer pass from Jerry DAmigo in the slot area and snapped the puck past Petr Mrazek at 2:36 to put the Marlies ahead for good. "Willy scored a huge goal in Rochester and he did it again tonight -- another game-winner," said Greg Scott, who continued his torrid post-season play, scoring a goal and adding an empty-netter. "Hes got a shot on him and when he uses it, its a weapon." With captain Ryan Hamilton and scorer Joe Colborne up with the Maple Leafs, Marlies coach Dallas Eakins has entrusted Acton, whos on an AHL contract with Toronto, with top-six minutes so far in the post-season. "Tonight, I didnt love his first period," Eakins said. "I had to bark at him a bit on the bench. But the great thing about Willy is that you can give him a bit of a boot and he responds. Hes a diligent kid, such a hard worker and a big part of the character of our group. "Its great to see him respond like that. It was a huge goal." The series now shifts to Grand Rapids for the next three games. The Griffins took Game 1, crushing the Marlies 7-0, the worst playoff loss in Torontos franchise history. "Game 1 was a little rough," Scott said. "Our first period, I dont think we played that well, but in the second and third we got going. "The second half, we just bought into what we were doing. We were playing Toronto Marlies hockey." Ryan Lasch had the other goal for Toronto and Drew MacIntyre made 30 saves for the win. Tomas Jurco and Landon Ferraro replied for Grand Rapids. Mrazek stopped 28 shots in defeat. After a scoreless first period, the teams opened up with two goals apiece in the second. The Griffins got on the board first at 8:36 on a 2-on-1 rush. Jurco dished to Teemu Pulkkinen who poked the puck toward the Toronto goal. MacIntyre couldnt coral it and Jurco swooped in from the right side of the net to flick the puck over the sprawling goalie. The Marlies finally broke through less than two minutes later, scoring their first goal of the series. It came on the power play, when Lasch scored on his second chance at a rebound off a Paul Ranger point shot. The 5-9, 175-pound Lasch was playing his first game of the playoffs after sitting out the first four games. "Grand Rapids wants to play a skilled game," Eakins said. "Thats what Ryan Lasch can do and thats why we inserted him. We thought he could have a real profound effect against a team like this that plays a style like his." Toronto then took its first lead of the series at 15:03 when Scott scored his second short-handed goal of the playoffs. "Ziggy pinched up on their guy cutting across and knocked the puck free," Scott said. "I thought I was in alone, but they had a guy on me. I made a little move, buried my head and shot it." But Grand Rapids got its own short-handed goal 1:41 later when Ferraro scored on a breakaway after Ranger fumbled the puck at the Griffins blue-line with no one behind him to back him up. Grand Rapids owned most of the play in the first two periods, getting the first seven shots in each frame before the Marlies were able to record a shot on goal and outshooting Toronto 28-15. "We were firmly out of sorts in the first period, but Drew held us in," Eakins said. "In the third, I went with the guys who got us here and shortened the bench right up, drastically and our guys responded." "When you get saves from your goaltender, especially timely ones and big ones, it gives your team confidence, and it excites the bench," Eakins said. "The problem was we had to wait 25 to 35 minutes before we could really get going, so we dont want to go down that road too much." After Acton scored the winner early in the third period, Scott got his second of the game, an empty-netter at 18:41, his league-leading seventh of the post-season. Notes: Its the second-ever playoff meeting between the two teams. The Griffins defeated the Marlies 4-1 in the 2006 North Division semifinalsaLaschs goal broke Mrazeks shutout streak at 153:44, dating back to Grand Rapids first-round series against the Houston AerosaAnnounced attendance was 3,891.

cheap elite nfl jerseys .L., claimed her first Canadian title, easily winning the womens singles with 201. cheap nfl jerseys free shipping . The game will be nationally televised on MLB Network. It will highlight a series of activities, including the MLB Beacon Awards luncheon, a baseball and civil rights movement roundtable discussion and youth baseball and softball games. http://www.cheapjerseysfreeshipping.biz/.J. -- Rex Ryan bolted out of his office the moment he heard Ed Reed was cut. cheap jerseys . Mike Zigomanis, Joe Colborne and Jerry DAmigo also scored in the opening period as Toronto (23-15-5) jumped out to an early 5-1 lead. Will Acton added a goal in the third period. DAmigos goal was a short-handed score. cheap nfl womens jerseys . Ramsay, contacted on Sunday by the Winnipeg organization, has also agreed to an interview as part of the process. Although Winnipeg is considering other options, Ramsay has not been terminated.(CIS) - Basketball players Hannah Sunley-Paisley from the University of Ottawa and Justin King from Thompson Rivers University are the CIS female and male athletes of the week for the period ending Nov. 27, 2011. Sunley-Paisley, a fifth-year arts student from Toronto, recorded back-to-back double-doubles last weekend as she led the Gee-Gees (4-2) to a pair of road wins over Lakehead, 63-52, and Guelph, 68-58. The 6-foot-1 centre opened the two-game set on Friday with 21 points and 13 rebounds against the Thunderwolves and followed up with a 30-point, 14-board effort Saturday night against the Gryphons. The two-time all-Canadian currently ranks second in the country in both scoring (22.2 ppg) and rebounding (11.3 rpg). Saint Marys volleyball player Anastasia Callaghan, Carleton hockey player Tamber Tisdale and Calgary basketball player Jennna Kaye were also nominated for the womens award.dddddddddddd King, a third-year tourism student from Las Vegas, Nev., exploded for 71 points in 71 minutes of court time as the WolfPack evened their season record to 4-4 with a 91-84 win over Brandon and a 110-100 defeat of Regina. The 6-foot-4 guard led all players on the court in both contests scoring 36 points in 36 minutes on Friday against the Bobcats and 35 in 35 minutes Saturday versus the Cougars. King, a transfer student from Skagit Valley Junior College in Washington State, leads CIS in scoring going into the December break with 26.9 points per game and ranks fourth in rebounding with 10.6 boards per outing. Cape Breton basketball player Jimmy Dorsey, Laval volleyball player Tommy Bélisle and Brock basketball player Andrew Kraus were the other male nominees. ' ' '

SASKATOON -- The Brier final is familiar territory for Glenn Howard. Its not often been successful territory. In 10 previous trips to the national championship game, Howard has won three. Hell play in his 11th final Sunday. "Im proud to get to 11," Howard said Friday. "I would like to have won a lot more than that. You cant win unless you get to the finals. "I want to win this one bad like we did all the others." His Ontario team dominated Manitobas Rob Fowler 9-3 in Fridays playoff game between the top two seeds to earn a direct trip to Sundays final. Fowler shook hands after eight ends. Fowler must win Saturdays semifinal to earn a rematch. He faces the winner of the playoff Albertas Kevin Koe and younger brother Jamie of Yukon and Northwest Territories. "We got beat down, but well get up off the mat and well be here for the fight tomorrow night," Fowler said. "Weve got two wins to get to where we want to go." Howard and his front end Brent Laing and Craig Savill will play in their sixth final at the Tim Hortons Brier in seven years. Theyre 1-4 since 2006, winning both the Canadian and world championships in 2007. Third Wayne Middaugh, who skipped Ontario a national title in 1998, joined the team prior to this season. Glenn also made it to five Brier finals playing third for brother Russ. They won in 1987, when Middaugh was their second, and again in 1993. "Its quite an amazing feat to get to that many," Howard said. "Hopefully the 11th will be good to us and well get our fourth win." His Coldwater Curling Club foursome persevered through an exhausting preliminary round to finish first at 10-1. Their one loss was in an extra end -- one of five extra-end games Ontario played -- to the Territories. Savill also suffered through a vicious stomach ailment through much of the round robin. He required daily intravenous treatment for the first several days of the tournament. But Ontario seems to be hitting their stride in time for the final. In their last four games, including a 6-3 win over Albertas Koe to conclude the round robin, Howard and company controlled those games. "I like the way were playing," Howard said. "I hope we bring that Sunday night." Ontario curled 94 per cent as a team to Manitobas 83 in the 1-2 playoff game. Manitoba finished second in the preliminary round at 8-3. Alberta was third at 8-3 and the Territories fourth at 7-4. After a delicate tap for two in the first end, Howard stole two in the third, scored three in the fifth and another two in the seventh for a commanding 9-2 lead. Fowler was unable to capitalize on the few openings Ontario left them. "The sheet was faster and straight tonight," Fowler said. "Thats a common thing late in an event like this, but until you see it and feel it its sometimes hard for the throwers to adjust. "If you were to look at the two or three little misses we had early in the game that cost on the scoreboard, it was all shots that ran a little bit straighter and were thrown a little bit heavy. Tonight we got a feel for it and well be able to use that information tomorrow night to come back, play our A game and get the W we need." Manitoba third Allan Lyburn came out of the game after seven ends. Fowler says he wanted to give alternate William Lyburn, Allans brother, playing time. "Normally we would have quit after seven ends, but we had to play eight so a good opportunity to get Willy out there and he nailed down two pretty good shots," Fowler said.

Cheap Jerseys . The team also exercised the third-year options on guard Dion Waiters and forward Tyler Zeller on Wednesday. All of the moves were expected and came one week before Cleveland opens the 2013-14 season at home against Brooklyn. NHL China Jerseys .C. -- Tony Romo found a way to win a close game, something Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers are still trying to learn. http://www.cheapchinajerseys.biz/. -- Ervin Santana plans to give the ball from his 100th career win to his mother. Cheap China Jerseys . On Monday, Dr. Larry Cripe, Paganos physician, told The Associated Press that the illness which has sidelined Indys head coach for more than a month was in "complete remission. NBA China Jerseys . Heenan, an offensive lineman from the University of Saskatchewan, tops the list of 59 prospects eligible for this years CFL draft who will be tested, interviewed and evaluated this weekend by coaches and GMs at the annual evaluation camp.Gelsenkirchen, Germany - Schalke forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar will be sidelined for the remainder of 2013 because of a knee injury, Schalke manager Jens Keller said. The 30-year-old Huntelaar has been battling a knee injury recently and had hoped to return to action this week for the Champions League clash with Chelsea on Tuesday. But Huntelaar sustained a big setback this week as he limped out of training and the club has said that surgery is an option. Keller has not yet revealed if the Netherlandds international will undergo an operation, but he has said that Huntelaar will not available for the rest of 2013.dddddddddddd. "It doesnt really matter what the decision is on Klaas-Jan Huntelaar," Keller said. "He cant play until Christmas. It doesnt matter if he decides to have an operation. "He might recover without one. Both outcomes are possible. The decision has not been made yet." Huntelaar has tallied two goals in two Bundesliga games this season. ' ' '

Lawrence, KS (Sports Network) - Tyshawn Taylor nailed a pair of foul shots with eight seconds remaining in overtime, lifting No. 4 Kansas to a thrilling 87-86 win over No. 3 Missouri in the final Big 12 regular season edition of the Border War. Missouri was unable to get a shot off in the final eight seconds. Taylors free throws came right after Michael Dixon gave the Tigers a one-point advantage with a floater along the right baseline with 12 seconds left. Thomas Robinson recorded his 20th double-double of the season with 28 points and 12 boards while Taylor netted nine of his 24 points in the extra session for Kansas (24-5, 14-2 Big 12), which clinched at least a share of the Big 12 regular season conference title. The Jayhawks eroded a 19-point second-half deficit and improved to 16-0 at Phog Allen Fieldhouse this season. They shot 48.3 percent from the field and 9-of-19 from beyond the arc. Marcus Denmon scored 28 points and Ricardo Ratliffe provided 22 points and 12 boards for Missouri (25-4, 12-4), which lost its second consecutive game.

cheap nfl jerseys . Nova Scotias Queen of curling, Colleen Jones, will be back with her old rink with Kim Kelly, Mary Anne Arsenault and in a way Nancy Delahunt. This group captured five Scotties titles and two World championships from 1999 – 2004. nfl wholesale jerseys . Thats how hes scored all four of his goals this season. Brunette got the first of the Chicago Blackhawks two goals with the man advantage Wednesday en route to a 5-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks. http://www.nflcheapwholesalejerseysstore.com/. -- Long after the kids from Kansas have started raking in their NBA bucks, Askia Booker of Colorado will still be talking about the day he struck it big -- the day he made the shot at the buzzer to beat the Jayhawks. cheap jerseys . After being eliminated by Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League semifinals, Mourinho was asked if hell return to the club next season and simply replied: "Maybe not. Wholesale Jerseys . -- Isaiah Pead took a stutter step forward, then raced to the left sideline and travelled 60 yards up the field before finally getting tripped up by a leg tackle. Winnipeg Goldeyes manager Rick Forney announced today the signing of infielder Amos Ramon to a contract for the 2014 season. Ramon, 30, played in a career-high 97 games with the Goldeyes in 2013. He also matched a career-high eight home runs and posted 52 RBI. “With the addition of Amos, it certainly increases the overall depth of our infield and we are thrilled to have him back for the 2014 season,” Forney said. “Hopefully he can be an integral part to another championship for us.” Ramon started his professional career in Winnipeg late iin the 2006 season after completing his college career with Louisiana Tech.dddddddddddd He played in the Frontier League from 2007-2009 before returning to the Northern League with the Lake County Fielders in 2010. He was signed by the Goldeyes once again in 2011, but was injured on opening day and missed the rest of the season. He returned in 2012 to lead the Goldeyes to the American Association Championship and was named the playoff MVP. The Goldeyes now have 17 players signed for the 2014 season, including eight pitchers and nine position players. ' ' '

DALLAS -- Brandan Wrights season debut just happened to come on a night when Dirk Nowitzki was home sick. The trade-off worked out just fine for Dallas. Wright led the Mavericks with 19 points, Jose Calderon got the offence going early and finished with 18, and Dallas shrugged off the absence of Nowitzki and coach Rick Carlisle to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 106-93 Saturday night. Nowitzki and Carlisle missed the game with an undisclosed illness. Carlisle has been fighting an upper respiratory problem since before a four-game road trip that started last week. Wright, who missed the first 23 games with a shoulder injury, scored seven straight points in a 19-5 run that put Dallas in control, 43-26, early in the second quarter. "Im going to be aggressive either way it goes," said Wright, who was 9 of 10 from the floor and added six rebounds in 19 minutes. "If Dirk plays or Monta (Ellis) plays or none of those guys play, Ive got to play the same way. Ive got to play hard." John Henson had 18 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Bucks, who fell behind by 34 late in the third quarter before rallying in the fourth to make the final score respectable. O.J. Mayo, who played despite the recent death of his grandmother, had four points on 1-of-6 shooting in his first game in Dallas against his former team since signing with the Bucks as a free agent last summer. "We came in here and laid an egg," Milwaukee coach Larry Drew said. "We didnt play well. We had very low energy, which was disappointing." Nowitzki and Carlisle missed the shootaround earlier Saturday and werent at American Airlines Center for the game. The Mavericks dont play again until Wednesday, so they should have plenty of time to recover. Even without their star and their coach, the Mavericks were never in much trouble with assistant Monte Mathis in charge. Dallas didnt even need much from Ellis, the teams leading scorer. He had seven points and five assists and essentially deferred to Calderon, who had 16 points at halftime on 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range. "Very important, especially with Monta kind of feeling things out and not getting some of the opportunities that he typically has, its good for another guy to step up and be aggressive," Mathis said. The biggest decision for Mathis was whether to bring back any other starters after the Bucks went on a 13-0 run in the fourth quarter and eventually got within 13 in the final 2 minutes. Mathis did reinsert DeJuan Blair after Wright had returned, and the Mavericks kept the lead in double digits. "One or two more baskets," Mathis said of how tempting it was to go with Ellis and Calderon again. "We didnt want to get them in there. We wanted our other guys to finish it out." Shawn Marion had 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Mavericks. Vince Carter had 15 points and a game-high nine assists. Brandon Knight scored 16 for Milwaukee, but only four after the first quarter. "We came out flat," Henson said of the Bucks, who lost by a point to Chicago at home a night earlier and have played five sets of back-to-back games in their last 10. "The combination of these games and the travel, I think we kind of hit that wall." Wright grabbed two quick rebounds after coming in midway through the first quarter and finished the first half with 11 points and five rebounds in 10 minutes. The highlight for Wright was a putback dunk for a 79-51 lead in the third. Just 3 minutes later, Blair gave the Mavericks their biggest lead at 90-56 on a jumper. Blair had 11 points and nine rebounds. Samuel Dalembert, signed in the off-season to be the starting centre for the Mavericks, was the only Dallas player who didnt get off the bench. For Dalembert, it was something of a replay of his one season with Milwaukee, when he went through a long midseason stretch without playing and got into just one of the last 11 games. NOTES: Bucks G Carlos Delfino had surgery on his right foot performed by Dr. Donato Villani in Argentina. There is no timetable for the 31-year-olds return. ... Carlisle missed a game for the first time since the franchises only championship season of 2010-11. He missed a Dec. 27 victory at Oklahoma City a day after having arthroscopic knee surgery. Assistant Dwane Casey, now the head coach in Toronto, filled in then. ... Bucks G Gary Neal left late in the second quarter with plantar fasciitis and didnt return.

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NEW YORK -- Brian Schottenheimer is off the hot seat and out the door. The embattled New York Jets offensive co-ordinator told the team Tuesday that he will not return next season after six years running an offence that often failed to live up to expectations. In a statement released by the team Tuesday night, Schottenheimer said he made the decision "after much thought and consideration." Schottenheimer, the son of former NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer, was highly criticized for the Jets inconsistencies on an offensive unit that ranked 25th overall and for quarterback Mark Sanchez not progressing in his third year. The 38-year-old Schottenheimer said in the statement that he was "very proud of what we have accomplished" during his time with the Jets, and thanked coach Rex Ryan and the organization. "I look forward to the exciting opportunities that lie ahead," he said. Former Miami Dolphins coach Tony Sparano is expected to be at the top of the Jets wish list to replace Schottenheimer. Sparano, fired in December and replaced by Todd Bowles, has also worked as an assistant with Cleveland, Washington, Jacksonville and Dallas. Its one of a handful of coaching moves that will shake up Ryans staff. Offensive line coach Bill Callahan and wide receivers coach Henry Ellard are both not expected back. Ryan and general manager Mike Tannenbaum said last week after the team finished 8-8 and failed to make the playoffs that they expected Schottenheimer back unless he got a head coaching job. Schottenheimer interviewed for Jacksonvilles job, which went to Mike Mularkey. Schottenheimer had two years and about US$3.2 million remaining on his contract after quietly receiving an extension in the off-season. Apparently, the sides agreed to a mutual parting after a tough season. "Brian and I talked and I understand his decision to look for a fresh start," Ryan said in a statement. "Id like to thank him for all of his contributions these past three seasons. Hes been right there with me, shoulder to shoulder, and played a key role in our success, helping us to reach two AFC championship games." Ryan added he feels "fortunate to have worked with him" and he knows Schottenheimer "will be a successful head coach one day -- probably sooner than later." Schottenheimers future had been uncertain for several weeks, despite the votes of confidence from both Ryan and Tannenbaum. Sanchez struggled mightily down the stretch as the Jets lost three straight to end the season, and was wildly inconsistent throughout as Schottenheimers offence failed to establish an identity. After going with a run-first approach, which is Ryans preference, the Jets decided to start this season by passing more with wide receivers Santonio Holmes, Plaxico Burress and the since-departed Derrick Mason in the mix. But the offensive line started poorly, unable to consistently protect Sanchez or open up holes for the running game -- creating a domino effect that led to the quarterback getting bruised and battered routinely. After a few games, Ryan then insisted the Jets go back to a "ground-and-pound" approach, which was slow to develop with Shonn Greene. There were signs of trouble early when Mason made some critical comments, saying the team had "cracks" that needed to be fixed. Mason, along with Burress and Holmes, was also mentioned in a Daily News report in October that said the wide receivers had met with Ryan individually to complain about Schottenheimers system. All three denied the report, as did Ryan, but Mason was soon traded to Houston. The Jets even brought in Tom Moore, the former Indianapolis Colts offensive guru, as a consultant to assist Schottenheimer -- and some viewed that as a clear indicator that the team was not thrilled with the offensive co-ordinator. Schottenheimer publicly said he was happy to have someone with Moores experience to lean on, and Ryan repeatedly said Moores presence was in no way a result of a lack of confidence in Schottenheimer. But things seemed to come to a head in Week 16 as the offence couldnt get much of anything done down the stretch in a 29-14 loss to the Giants that seriously jeopardized their playoff hopes. Sanchez threw 59 times in the game, something that had even the players scratching their heads. In the season finale at Miami, Holmes sulked about his role and argued in the huddle, leading to Schottenheimers last major decision with the Jets. He benched the playmaker while New York was trying to get back into a 19-17 loss. Schottenheimer was often the target of irate fans, who flocked to sports radio shows, Twitter and message boards, demanding that he be fired. Predictably, many fans also celebrated the news on Twitter late Tuesday night after the move was announced. Schottenheimer came to New York in 2006 as part of former coach Eric Manginis staff, and was praised in that first season for a refreshingly creative approach. That seemed to diminish over the next few seasons, though, but Schottenheimer also dealt with a revolving door at quarterback with Chad Pennington, Kellen Clemens and then Brett Favre. After Ryan replaced Mangini as coach in 2009, he kept Schottenheimer as his offensive co-ordinator. Ryan and Schottenheimer often talked about how they shared a common bond as sons of former NFL coaches, and were able to deal with criticism from fans and media maybe a bit better than those who hadnt grown up as they had. "I grew up in a household around a coach that took a lot of heat and got fired at 14-2," Schottenheimer said a few weeks ago, referring to his father Martys firing by San Diego following the 2006 season. "You have no control over it, so you just roll with the punches."

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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). ' ' '

Brandon Banks has a tough act to follow. His own. The five-foot-seven, 153-pound receiver/kick-returner is the reason why Hamilton will host Montreal in the East Division semifinal Sunday in Guelph, Ont. On Oct. 26, Banks returned a missed field goal 107 yards for the decisive TD in a thrilling 27-24 home win over the Alouettes. The victory earned Hamilton (10-8) second in the East and home-field advantage in a playoff rematch with Montreal (8-10). Banks, who joined the Ticats on Sept. 30, also had a 45-yard TD run earlier in the contest. Suffice to say, Banks isnt heading into the CFL playoffs under the radar. "Thats cool, thats part of football," he said. "They still have to go out there and execute and stop me or whoever is getting the ball. "I dream about (making big returns with game on the line) every week and hopefully I can make a difference. Im going to try. I want the ball in my hands and be able to go the distance at any moment." Banks has been a versatile performer for Hamilton. Offensively, he has nine catches for 95 yards and six carries for 60 yards and a TD. He has also returned punts (17 for 107 yards) and kickoffs (14 kickoffs for 319 yards). Given his diminutive stature, its no surprise Banks forte is speed. In 2006, USA Today named the native of Garner, N.C., to its all-USA high school track team after he posted a 100-metre time of 10.42 seconds. And at Kansas State, Banks returned five kickoffs for TDs. Invariably the conversation always seems to revert back to Banks compact stature, but the 25-year-old is very comfortable in his own skin. "Its kind of normal now," he said. "Ive been going through it since I was little, its a normal question for me." Little? "Actually, when I was younger, I should say," Banks said before bursting out in laughter. Banks joined the Washington Redskins in 2010 as an undrafted free agent. He appeared in 41 games over three seasons, registering 119 kickoff returns for 2,856 yards and TD, 100 punt returns for 937 yards and 11 career receptions. But ball security was an issue as Banks had 12 career special-teams fumbles and another as a receiver. Banks was inactive for Washingtons final four regular-season games last year and became an unrestricted free agent in March when the Redskins didnt tender him an offer as a restricted free agent. Banks certainly filled a need for Hamilton, which had been in the market for an explosive returner after rookie Lindsey Lamar suffered a concussion earlier this season. Former Ticats star Chris Williams was the CFLs top special-teams player last year but became embroiled in a contract impasse with the club and never reported, eventually being allowed to join the NFLs New Orleans Saints. "I like the situation Im in right now," Banks said. "I think its everybodys dream to be in the NFL but if this is the best place for me to be, Id love to stay." Banks skillset is tailor-made for the longer, wider Canadian field. Special-teams play is crucial in three-down football because not only can it result in game-winning returns but result in teams getting very good field position to start drives. "Being elusive, fast and quick . . . I definitely try to use those to my advantage," Banks said. "Speed kills in the game of football. "Special-teams here are very important because theyre a third of the game and you can average 20-some plays on special teams per game. Im trying to use the wider field and not being able to call for a fair catch to my advantage. I base my skills on doing a lot of eluding and trying to run by guys." Banks return TD gave Hamilton the season series with Montreal for the first time since 02. The Ticats have reached the East Division final once since then, that coming in 11 when they lost 19-3 in Winnipeg. The Ticats last won the Grey Cup in 99, beating Calgary 32-21 at B.C. Place under late coach Ron Lancaster. But Banks focus now remains squarely on a Montreal team Hamilton will face for the third time since Sept 21. "Of course, you want to take care of home and dont want to lose at home but I think theres pressure on both teams," Banks said. "Win or go home, right? "It will come down to execution. I think the team that has the fewest penalties in the game will win."

WHolesale MLB jerseys . Higuain was greeted by about 100 jubilant Napoli fans waving club scarves and Argentina flags when he arrived for the medical exam, and club president Aurelio De Laurentiis said on Twitter later that both players had passed. Wholesale jerseys china .ca have named the All-Time, All-World WJC team - 13 forwards, seven defencemen and two goaltenders who played in the Under-20 event with distinction. http://www.cheapjerseys-china.biz/. Sehn will have to wait until June until all countries have completed their Olympic qualifying procedures, to officially know whether it was enough to secure a second Olympic spot in the event for Canada. Wholesale NHL jerseys . 7 San Diego State avenged its only two losses of the season by upending eighth-ranked BYU, 72-54, to capture its second straight Mountain West Conference Tournament title. NFL cheap jerseys . He can change that Sunday. So could Dario Franchitti. Its been 22 years since Rick Mears became the third driver with four Indy 500 victories. NEW YORK -- One playoff victory was good enough for Mike Woodson to return as New York Knicks coach -- even with Phil Jackson lurking as a potential candidate. Woodson knows more will be asked of him now. "I know expectations are high and they should be high," Woodson said during a conference call, "and Im looking forward to the challenge." The Knicks removed the interim tag Friday and announced they had given Woodson a multiyear contract extension, rewarding him for a terrific finish to what had been a turbulent season. Woodson led the Knicks to an 18-6 record after replacing Mike DAntoni on March 14. The Knicks lost 4-1 to Miami in the first round, snapping an NBA-record, 13-game post-season losing streak by winning Game 4 for their first victory since 2001. Still, there was speculation that Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan would open one of the leagues biggest check books to go after Jackson, the 11-time champion coach and former Knicks player who sat out last season after retiring from the Los Angeles Lakers. Yet the Knicks never looked anywhere beyond Woodson, believing they can continue to improve with a full season of his coaching. "I think Woody earned the right to be the first person we talked to and turned out to be the only person we talked to because our discussions with him after the season really reflected why he was so successful during the season," general manager Glen Grunwald said. "We thought he was the right guy for this team at this time. Obviously, theres some great coaches out there that had we opened up the search would have been called, mainly Phil Jackson, whos the most successful coach in the NBA history, but we felt Woody was our guy and he showed it during the season and our discussions after the season." Woodson shrugged off the Jackson speculation. "Tremendous coach, I know his names been mentioned a lot, but that was not my concern," Woodson said. "My concern at the time was coaching the New York Knicks the period that I had to coach and Mr. Dolan decided to bring me back." Neither the Knicks nor Woodson would disclose the terms of the deal. A firsst-round draft pick of the Knicks in 1980, Woodson returned to the team last summer as an assistant coach, providing a defensive-minded voice to DAntonis staff.dddddddddddd Woodsons influence, combined with Defensive Player of the Year Tyson Chandler, moved the Knicks into the top half of the leagues defensive rankings after they had been one the worst teams for years. DAntoni resigned March 14 when the Knicks were 18-24 and in danger of missing the playoffs. Woodson won his first five games and was praised by players for holding them more accountable to playing defence. Most importantly, he got the most out of Carmelo Anthony, who was having a disappointing season in DAntonis offence but was Aprils Eastern Conference player of the month. "Mike took over the team under challenging circumstances and made it clear, starting on day one, that he was going to hold every player on our roster accountable," Dolan said in a statement. "We saw a significant improvement since Mike took over and believe our team will only keep improving under Mikes direction." Woodson denied recent reports that he had replaced agent Joe Glass under pressure from Dolan to avoid having to work again with former coach Larry Browns representation. Woodson confirmed he switched to CAA, but said it was his choice, and that agent Terry Prince had worked on his contract. Anthony, Chandler and fellow star Amare Stoudemire had all backed Woodsons return when the season ended. And his chances of improving returned when the Knicks removed the interim tag from Grunwald, his former college teammate at Indiana, late in the regular season. Woodson previously spent six seasons as coach of the Atlanta Hawks, improving his win total in every season until they went 53-29 in 2009-10. But he wasnt retained after they were swept in the conference semifinals for the second straight year. He then sat out a year before interviewing last summer for openings in Detroit -- where he was an assistant on the Pistons NBA championship team in 2004 -- Minnesota and Houston. He then was hired by the Knicks on Aug. 29. Woodson has a career 224-292 record as an NBA coach. ' ' '

Greetings folks! Here are five thoughts on the NBA for today. 1. Mario Chalmers (Heat) - Saw him yesterday in Miami. He has become a very effective three-point shooter (over 45 per cent) and has the confidence of the Big Three. Hes open on the perimeter - they give it to him. With Mike Miller and Shane Battier not shooting with consistency the Heat need Chalmers to stay hot to keep good offensive spacing and make opponents pay for doubling up on their stars. 2. Kevin Love (TWolves) - Lost his cool with Luis Scola over the weekend and gets suspended for two games. Hes a tough guy and terrific competitor yet hes a clean player. He surprised me when he did it. Havent seen that edge to his personality. His team is playing well at 12-12. Put that team in the Eastern Conference and theyre making even more noise. Keep your cool and keep producing - team needs you - dont get baited. 3. Jose Calderon (Raptors) - Received some comments about the fact that he didnt play in fourth quarter vs. Heat. Jerryd Bayless ran the team. Still has a ways to go with his point guard and decision-making skills. Calderon had five turnovers in the game which is unusual for him. He had 17 assists and almost a triple-double in the previous game. Hell be fine. Hes played well for them and I read nothing into it whatsoever. Just a coach going with the hot hand that day. Hes an important and respected piece of the puzzle. 4. Raptors on Road - Toronto plays their 17th road game here in Washington D.C. this evening. Amazing. Will be done with more than half their road games with two-and-a-half months to go in the season. Should allow for more stability, practice time, teaching and rest. That should help. Wins? Who knows, but I think their quality of play should/will improve. 5. LeBron James (Heat) - Was very impressed with the added post skills that I saw from him on Sunday in Miami. Been watching that this season from him and I must say, I love it. This development is huge for his game and he must continue to go to it. With his size, quickness, strength, skill and footwork he can become an unstoppable force in the lane. Dont get cute - overpower people every chance you get.

Cheap China Jerseys . -- Brian Unk shot a final round of 5-under 65 Sunday to finish one shot ahead of Calgarys Wes Heffernan and win his second Canadian Tour Seaforth Country Classic title. NHL China Jerseys . In a statement this week, the Malaysian-based Badminton World Federation said as part of its testing program of international level players, "Kim and Lee were required to provide whereabouts information for the BWF to conduct out-of-competition testing. http://www.cheapchinajerseys.biz/. Another training session Friday remains on the schedule before Saturdays downhill race. The weekend concludes with a super-G race Sunday. World Cup rules require at least one official training session to be held before a downhill race. China Jerseys . They observed with no surprise whatsoever their former teammate scoring what proved to be the Cup-clinching goal with 59 seconds left on the clock at TD Garden. "The more pressure, the higher he rises," former Knights teammate Dylan Hunter told the Leaf Report. NBA China Jerseys .J. -- Ed Reed is unsure what his football future holds. TREVISO, Italy -- Sprinter Mark Cavendish won the rainy 12th stage of the Giro dItalia on Thursday for his 100th career victory, while Vincenzo Nibali maintained his overall lead. Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins dropped out of contention, finishing more than 3 1/2 minutes behind the main pack as he struggled with a cold. Cavendish clocked just over three hours along the 134-kilometre route from Longarone to Treviso, which started with a few hills and ended with a long, flat finish around a circuit. It was Cavendishs third win in this years race. The British rider with the Omega Pharma-Quick Step team also won the first and sixth legs. Nacer Bouhanni of France and Luke Mezgec of Slovenia crossed second and third, respectively, with the same time. Dominique Rollin of Boucherville, Que., was the top Canadian in the stage, finishing 19thh.dddddddddddd Defending champion Ryder Hesjedal of Victoria continued to struggle, finishing 183rd. In the overall standings, Nibali, an Italian with Astana, remained 41 seconds ahead of 2011 Tour winner Cadel Evans of Australia. Wiggins Sky teammate Rigoberto Uran of Colombia is third overall, 2:04 behind. It was the 13th Giro stage win of Cavendishs career and his 39th in cyclings three Grand Tours -- the Giro, Tour and Spanish Vuelta. Stage 13 Friday is the races longest, a mostly flat 254-kilometre leg from Busseto to Cherasco, with a few hills shortly before the finish. The race hits the mountains again over the weekend, with Saturdays stage climbing Sestriere and Bardonecchia and Sunday taking riders into France and up the Col du Galibier, which is often included in the Tour de France. The race ends May 26 in Brescia. ' ' '

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.

Wholesale NFL Jerseys . The all-star guard has posted a picture of Fridays agreement with Besiktas bearing his signature on his Twitter account. Williams says on Twitter: "just made it official, headed to Turkey. Cheap NFL Jerseys . This time, they found a way to avoid another meltdown. Will Venable hit his second home run of the season and the Padres pounced on Tim Lincecum in a 5-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Monday, getting a small dose of satisfaction against the defending World Series champions. http://www.cheapjerseysfootball.com/. Corey Crawford was right there when the defence collapsed. No playoff jitters this time. Instead, an impressive performance for the Chicago Blackhawks. cheap nfl jerseys free shipping . - Scott Dixon became the latest driver to deny Roger Penske an IndyCar championship, wrapping up his third title Saturday night in a race of attrition at Auto Club Speedway. jerseys from china . 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.

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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. ' ' '

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Wiping his face with a towel, Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson apologized for sweating under the hot, bright camera lights at a news conference to announce his contract extension on Monday. Jackson had better become accustomed to the limelight because he should no longer feel under-appreciated in Buffalo after signing a two-year contract potentially worth $9 million. "Its a big day," Jackson said. "Im happy to be here and Im glad that this is over with and now we can focus on playing football." For Jackson, the extension is a reward after hes led the team in rushing in each of the past three seasons. And it also eases any lingering hard feelings Jackson might have had toward the Bills after expressing concerns last year that he was underpaid under his previous four-year, $7.5 million contract. "This is a day to put that to rest," Jackson said. "We dont have to worry about that anymore." Jackson has one year left under his current deal, and the extension secures him through 2014. Jackson revealed the length of the new contract. A person familiar with the deal disclosed the monetary terms, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the Bills had not disclosed the value of the extension. General manager Buddy Nix lived up to the public promise he made in the media and personally to Jackson that an extension would be reached before the start of training camp. "Weve always said we want to try to keep our good players, and weve done it again today," Nix said. "He was a huge piece of the puzzle for us." In five seasons, the former undrafted free agent out of Division III Coe College has 3,794 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns in 66 games, including 38 starts in Buffalo. And that includes last year when he was being mentioned as an early-season NFL MVP candidate in helping the Bills get off to a surprising 5-2 start. That was before Jacksons season ended in mid-November, when he broke a bone in his right leg in a 35-8 loss at Miami. He still finished with six touchdowns and a team-best 934 yards rushing while averaging 5.5 yards a carry. Jackson has also proved to be dual threat in the passing game, with 175 catches for 1,535 yards and four touchdowns. Hes the latest member of the Bills self-dubbed "No-Name" offence to be retained by the team after quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, in October, and receiver Stevie Johnson, in March, signed contract extensions. And his new deal comes during a busy off-season in which the Bills signed free-agent defensive end Mario Williams to a six-year, $100 million contract in March. The moves have inspired a bona fide belief among the Bills that they have a chance to be competitors next season in a bid to end a 12-year playoff drought. "Im excited to sign the extension to stay here because I feel like something special is about to go down, and I want to be part of it," Jackson said. Fitzpatrick was so excited by the latest move, he showed up at the news conference wearing a T-shirt featuring Jackson and the slogan the running back has earned in Buffalo: "Fred-Ex Delivers." "For him to be locked up here for years to come is awesome," Fitzpatrick said. "He obviously means a lot to our team, he means a lot to the city of Buffalo and the fans." Jacksons past has been an inspiration to his teammates, and a reason why hes regarded as one of the Bills unquestioned leaders. Undrafted coming out of college, Jackson spent two years at the arena football league level, where he was a star for Sioux City of the U.S. Indoor Football League before catching the Bills attention. He spent the 2006 season on Buffalos practice squad before making the active roster the following year. Jackson got his chance to shine during the 2009 season when an injury sidelined starter Marshawn Lynch. Though at 31, Jackson is regarded as old by NFL running back standards, hes comparatively fresh because of his late start. And a new contract isnt going to change his mindset, especially considering hes coming off an injury. "Im here to prove to myself that this is where I belong," said Jackson, who has been cleared for practice. "Itll be another challenge, and I love challenges, so I look forward to getting out there and continuing to play well."

Cheap Jerseys . LOUIS -- Once again, the St. wholesale jerseys . On Monday, Dr. Larry Cripe, Paganos physician, told The Associated Press that the illness which has sidelined Indys head coach for more than a month was in "complete remission. http://www.stitchednfl.com/. Third-seeded Sam Stosur took advantage of shaky serving from Petra Cetkovska to win 6-3, 6-2 in the third round and earn her first back-to-back victories of the year, while fourth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska saved two set points in the first set on her way to beating Varvara Lepchenko of the United States 7-5, 6-1. Cheap NFL Jerseys . One day after the veteran defensive back was released by the BC Lions, Parker signed a one-year deal with an option with the Montreal Alouettes.FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Big-yardage games are becoming routine for Tom Brady. So is setting records. Brady threw for 423 yards Sunday -- six days after setting a single-game team record of 517 -- and led the New England Patriots to a 35-21 win over the San Diego Chargers. "It seems like hes always great," linebacker Rob Ninkovich said. "Hes the best quarterback in the league." The club record he shattered in the season opener at Miami had stood for 51 years. The NFL mark for most yards passing in the first two games of a season, 854, lasted about three hours. Carolina rookie Cam Newton set that before Brady ended the day at 940 yards. "Two pretty outstanding outings" by Brady, said left tackle Matt Light, who protects his blind side. "Hes the leader of our offence. When hes doing well, were all good." Brady became the first player in NFL history to follow a 500-yard passing performance with a 400-yard game, and the Patriots scored 30 points for the 10th straight regular-season game. He threw three touchdown passes and went 31 for 40 with no interceptions as the Patriots (2-0) scored on each of their four first-half possessions. The Chargers (1-1) turned the ball over inside the Patriots 35-yard line three times, leading to 17 points. They also were stopped on a fourth-and-goal at the one-yard line, and the Patriots started a 99-yard drive that ended with one of Bradys two scoring passes to Rob Gronkowski. Coach Bill Belichick didnt single out Brady, saying his success results from the other 10 offensive players doing their jobs. And Brady, who connected with seven receivers, said simply, "We were able to spread the ball around." Philip Rivers completed 29 of 40 passes for 378 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Chargers. They had four turnovers for the second straight year against New England after losing 23-20 in 2010 when the Patriots gained just 179 yards. "They obviously got points (almost) every time they were down (near the goal-line) and didnt turn it over and, obviously, we did," Rivers said. "That was the difference in the game." Brady had to share the spotlight and, somehow, wasnt totally obscured by the 325-pound form of defensive tackle Vince Wilfork. He got his first career interception to halt a promising Chargers drive late in the first half, rumbling 28 yards on the return. "Im a well-conditioned athlete. I didnt need any oxygen," Wilfork said with a chuckle. He said he anticipated the screen pass to Rivers right and stepped into the passing lane. "Theres no way Im ever going to see him coming," Rivers said. "I would throw that one again every time.dddddddddddd He made a great play." For the second straight game, New England had a 99-yard touchdown drive. After Stephen Gostkowskis 22-yard field goal made it 10-7, the Patriots got the ball back at their one-yard line when Jerod Mayo stopped Mike Tolbert short of the goal-line. In the 38-24 win over the Dolphins, the Patriots also took the ball over at the 1, and Brady and Wes Welker hooked up for a 99-yard touchdown on the next play. This time Brady needed 10 plays to score, completing the drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Gronkowski for a 17-7 lead. San Diego wasted an opportunity on its next series when it reached the Patriots 29 before Wilforks interception. That set up a 47-yard field goal by Gostkowski on the last play of the first half, putting the Patriots on top 20-7. After a scoreless third quarter, the Chargers made it 20-14 on a three-yard scoring pass from Rivers to Vincent Jackson early in the fourth. Then the Patriots tried for a first down on fourth-and-4 at the San Diego 49 because punter Zoltan Mesko had hurt his knee on a kick late in the third quarter. Brady threw an incompletion to Deion Branch, who led the Patriots with eight catches for 129 yards. But just three plays later, New Englands defence came through when Mayo forced a fumble and Ninkovich recovered at the Patriots 39. Brady needed just four plays to cover 69 yards and throw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Gronkowski. Danny Woodhead ran in for the two-point conversion and a 28-14 lead. The Chargers needed a comeback, but tight end Antonio Gates didnt help as he was held without a catch for the first time in 34 games. "They would put a corner or safety on me, or two safeties," he said. "They did a lot of different things to take me out of the game." The Chargers did score again on Rivers 26-yard pass to Jackson with 5:40 to go. The Patriots responded with a 16-yard touchdown run by BenJarvus Green-Ellis. But it was Brady who set that up with a 29-yard completion to Gronkowski two plays earlier. That gain put the quarterback over the 400-yard mark for the third time in his career. "Hes the best," Mayo said. "Numbers dont lie." Notes: Welker tied Ben Coates for the Patriots record with catches in 63 straight regular-season games. ... Former QB Drew Bledsoe and C Jon Morris were honoured at halftime as new members of the Patriots Hall of Fame. ... Jackson had a career-high 10 receptions. ... Rivers went over the 20,000-yard passing mark for his career with 2,374. ... The Patriots are 15-2 in their last 17 home openers. ' ' '

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Baltimore Orioles designated slumping outfielder Felix Pie for assignment on Tuesday, and recalled infielder Jake Fox and outfielder Matt Angle. Pie was hitting .220 in 85 games this season and found his playing time drop off in the past two months. He played only 17 games in July, hitting .143, and had just 17 at-bats in eight games in August. "Hopefully its a win-win for Felix," Baltimore manager Buck Showalter said before Tuesdays game against the Twins. "We were looking for ways to get him being the guy we know he might be capable of being. So, for us, we hope he clears and decides to go to Norfolk, and gets some at-bats and gets back to doing what hes capable of doing. "Somebody can pick him up, or he can become a free agent if he wants to, but we got to the point where if he cant get some at-bats and get back to being what hes capable of being then its probably not going to work out for him." Fox takes Pies spot on the 40-man roster, while he takes an open 25-man roster spot vacated when infielder Blake Davis was optioned to triple-A Norfolk following Mondays game. Angle appeared in two games in July, going 0 for 7 in his first major-league action. "Matts had a good year and its a little better fit for us right now where were going," Showalter said. "We need to get Blake Davis, very similar, his at-bats werent going to be there for him. Blake needed to get started back up again offensively and playing around a lot of different positions. Its a good move all the way around for us, but well see what it looks like down the road."

NFL . Consensus among Canadian players is that they enter Tuesdays first-place showdown with the Americans as the clear underdogs following a shootout loss to the Czech Republic on Saturday and a white-knuckle, come-from-behind win against Slovakia on Monday. NBA . -- Julio Jones may be on the verge of returning from his latest hamstring injury. http://www.ourjerseysonline.com/.P. Howell. According to MLB.com, the Dodgers and Howell are closing in on a two-year contract with a vesting option for a third. NHL .Va. -- Vijay Singh and Jeff Maggert sent reminders that theyre still able to compete with the younger crowd.CALGARY -- After throwing a costly interception in the fourth quarter, quarterback Kevin Glenn received some helpful words of encouragement from his teammates. Glenn returned to the field and led his Stampeders on a five-play, 51-yard drive that culminated in his game-winning touchdown pass to Larry Taylor as Calgary held on for a wild 31-30 win over the Edmonton Eskimos in the annual Labour Day clash between the rivals. "Larry ran the perfect route," said Glenn, who completed 23-of-30 passes for 273 yards to go with two touchdowns and two interceptions. "He was wide open and all I had to do was give him the ball." The Stampeders (5-4) offence scored the winning TD with 63 seconds remaining to edge out Edmonton (5-4). "You could see it in the guys eyes after that pick when they came to the sidelines that they still had faith," Glenn said. "They still had faith to say Hey were going to win this game, and thats big. Thats big when you get in a situation like that and still know that guys have got your back." Calgary defensive back Tad Kornegay knew that Glenn had it in him to redeem himself after Edmontons Joe Burnett picked off the errant pass and ran it back 34 yards for a touchdown to put the Eskimos up 30-25. "When Kevin went out for that last drive when we were down, I told Kevin, Be the hero. This is what we do it for. You made the mistake. You threw a pick. Who cares? We got the ball back. Be a hero. And thats what he did," Kornegay said. Rookies Bo Levi Mitchell and Matt Walter had rushing touchdowns for the Stampeders, who had lost their previous two home games. Glenn also threw a touchdown pass to Jon Cornish, Rene Paredes kicked a field goal, while Rob Maver booted a single. Filling in for injured starter Steven Jyles, Kerry Joseph plunged into the end zone for a one-yard score at 8:07 of the final quarter. Burnetts touchdown then gave the Eskimos a short-lived lead. "It was disappointing," said Joseph, who went 17-of-27 for 311 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. "We came into a hostile environment against a good football team. We fought to the end. They made some plays towards the end. We had a chance to win it at the end but we didnt. Youve got to tip your hats to those guys." Joseph also tossed touchdown passes to Fred Stamps and Hugh Charles in the second quarter, while Grant Shaw kicked three singles. "Calgary did what they needed to do to win the football game," said Edmonton coach Kavis Reed. "They executed mentally, physically and emotionally and we did not." On the last play of the game, Shaw attempted a 48-yard field goal into the wind, but the ball sailed wide to the left and Taylor ran it out of the end zone as time expired. "Its aawesome," said Taylor of making the play to preserve the victory.dddddddddddd "You have to give the guys credit up front for holding the guys at the line and giving me the chance to get it out of the end zone." The same two teams wont have much time to rest as a rematch is set for Friday at Edmontons Commonwealth Stadium. "I love it," Kornegay said. "Well both be sore still, tired ... angry. Itll be another good game." The Stampeders appeared poised to score on their opening drive of the game before Edmontons Clint Kent recovered a Nik Lewis fumble. Five plays later, Burke Dales was tackled for a loss deep in Edmonton territory after he couldnt handle a low snap from Ryan King cleanly. Calgary then opened the scoring when Mitchell plunged into the end zone for a one-yard touchdown at 8:17 of the first quarter. With the Stampeders threatening to score again in the second quarter, Edmontons Rod Williams picked off an errant pass by Glenn and ran for eight yards to give Eskimos the ball back on their own 17-yard line. Joseph then engineered a 10-play, 93-yard drive that culminated in a 35-yard touchdown pass to Stamps. On Edmontons next drive, Joseph tossed a 73-yard touchdown pass to Charles, who caught the ball at midfield and broke a tackle before running the rest of the way into the end zone. Although the Eskimos failed to convert the touchdown, Shaw booted an 89-yard single on the ensuing kickoff to give Edmonton a 14-7 lead through two quarters of play. After Shaw kicked a 67-yard punt single to open the scoring in the second half, Cornish caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Glenn at 7:15 of the third quarter. The Eskimos then had to settle for a 64-yard punt single by Shaw before Glenn led the Stampeders on a seven-play, 75-yard drive that resulted in an 11-yard touchdown run by Walter to put Calgary up 21-16 after three quarters. "He was moving like a freight train and I dont think nobody was going to stop him," said Glenn in regards to Walters TD run. It was Walters first-ever CFL touchdown. "I just wanted to make it count," Walter said. "All I wanted to do is do my part and get that thing in the end zone and show the coaches that I can play." Paredes then kicked a 43-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter before Maver booted an 85-yard punt single to extend Calgarys lead. Notes: Joseph has now rushed for a touchdown in three straight games. ... With the return of Jerome Messam to the Edmonton lineup, fellow running back Cory Boyd was a healthy scratch for the Eskimos. ... The Stamps now have a record of 31-25-1 on games played in Calgary on Labour Day, including a 21-25-1 showing against the Eskimos. ... The announced attendance at McMahon Stadium was 32,102. ' ' '

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! Hello Mr. Fraser, Im just wondering about the interference call to Matt Stajan in the second period of the Calgary/Phoenix game, where he played the puck as he left the penalty box. Ive never see a call like this before and was just curious on what the call was? Thanks,Steve Steve: Matt Stajan and Flames Coach Bob Hartley dont have a skate to stand on following the correct assessment of an interference penalty when Stajan knocked the puck off the stick (video link) of Phoenix defenceman Keith Yandle with one foot remaining on the penalty bench. Matt Stajan clearly violated Rule 56.2 which states - "A minor penalty shall be imposed on any identifiable player on the players bench or penalty bench who, by means of his stick or his body, interferes with the movements of the puck or any opponent on the ice during the progress of the play. In addition, should a player about to come onto the ice, play the puck while one or both skates are still on the players bench, a minor penalty for interference shall be assessed." This is not an infraction that happens very often, as you suggest Steve. During my 30-year NHL officiating career I had the occasion to call this penalty just one time. The player and coach in that game looked as dumbfounded as Matt Stajan and Bob Hartley did when the Referee correctly applied rule 56.2 for his poke check of the puck with one skate remaining on the penalty bench. Following the assessment of this penalty Matt Stajan return to the penalty box and a face-off resulted in the Flames zone. Phoenix centre Antoine Vermette won the draw cleanly back to defenceman Michael Stone at the point. Vermette then took the ice away from Blake Comeau as he attempted to get out to the point to check Stone. The initial detainment Comeau received from Vermette was not worthy of a penalty as both players moved to occupy open ice. Antoine Vermettes actions crossed the line, however, when he continued to slide East-West and blocked the North-South path of Blake Comeaus as the Flame centre attempted to move toward the point. Vermette finally initiated contact with Comeau that should have been deemed interference. Comeau, upon receiving the bump from Vermette, fell down in an effort to draw the Officials attention to the fact the he was being obstructed in his route and attempt to get to the shooter at the point. Michael Stone was able to walk the puck along the blue line for a clear shot on goal that ended up in the net. While Bob Hartley didnt have a skate to stand on in the Stajan interference penalty the coach had a legitimate beef when Antoine Vermette interfered with Blake Comeau following the faceoff on the penalty kill.

Wholesale NFL Jerseys . The Baltimore Ravens reached a tentative agreement Friday on a new deal that would make the Super Bowl MVP the highest-paid player in NFL history. Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping . Theyre nine games under .500, have a losing record at home and trail first place Boston by 10 and-a-half games in a season thats not quite five weeks old. http://www.cheapwholesalejerseysnflshop.com/. The bounce in his step after every birdie. His name at the top of the leaderboard. Cheap Jerseys From China . Adelboden race chief Hans Pieren said Friday that temperatures reached 20 C (68 F) on the course the previous day, as Europe experiences warmth while North America freezes. "It will be like spring, with water splashing up from the snow on your legs," Ligety, who won the GS race here last year, told The Associated Press. Cheap Jerseys . He crashed on Sunday and underwent surgery to pin four fractures of his right collarbone. The Swiss rider expects to resume training next week and skip the remaining spring classics one-day races. WASHINGTON -- UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz demonstrated his versatility Saturday night by winning a unanimous decision over Demetrious (Mighty Mouse) Johnson. Cruz had his hands full early on with the busy Johnson. Frustrated somewhat by Johnsons speed, the champion eventually used takedowns to control the challenger and pile up the points if not the damage. Judges, noting Cruzs Octagon control, scored it 50-45, 49-46, 50-45 for Cruz. "It was a tough fight," said Cruz. "The kids got a sick pace, man, so I had to outwrestle him. "Youve got to be able to switch everything up, you cant fight everybody the same. So I wanted to show a little bit of my grappling in this fight. I was looking for the finish but he toughed it out." In the co-main event on the televised card at the Verizon Center, six-foot-11 Dutch heavyweight Stefan (Skyscraper) Struve submitted five-foot-11 Pat (HD) Barry at 3:22 of the second round. The five-foot-eight Cruz (19-1), who has not lost since moving down to 135 pounds, defeated former featherweight title-holder Urijah Faber last time out. The five-foot-three Johnson (14-2) was coming off wins over Kid Yamamoto and Miguel Angel Torres. "I was surprised how strong he was," Johnson said of the champion. Cruz used his herky-jerky punch and kick attack, coming in from all angles. Johnson also attacked at speed, looking for an early takedown. But it was the champion who got top position first. Johnson got back up and eventually took Cruz down briefly later in the round. In the second, Cruzz started with another takedown -- but could not keep Johnson down and the busy challenger kept pressing.ddddddddddddJohnsons speed kept Cruz guessing but the champion took Johnson down in the final minute, although he was unable to do much damage. Cruz scored with a suplex in the third, ending up on top of a facedown Johnson and looking for a choke. Johnson fought his way out, however, and got back to his feet, attacking Cruz at the fence. Another Cruz takedown in the fourth blunted the Johnson attack. Cruz worked into mount position before Johnson got back into guard and then got back up. Another big suplex landed Cruz on top early in the fifth and he scored with some elbows from inside Johnsons guard. Johnson, whose left cheek was badly swollen, kept coming but Cruz took him down again and got full mount. Johnson got back up but was unable to deliver the telling blow he had looked for all night. Struve (26-5) had a 9.5-inch reach and 18-pound weight advantage over Barry in the battle of kickboxers. Barry (6-4) stalked Struve in the first round but produced little other than a few leg kicks. Struve looked to counter-punch or attack from the clinch. Barry landed an uppercut in the second and tried a head kick on his taller foe. But Struve wrestled him to the ground and worked his way into a triangle choke. Barry postured up and tried to slam Struve but the big Dutchman held on, adding an armbar, and Barry had to tap. "Im thrilled with the result, man," said Struve who called Barry "one of the coolest dudes in MMA." ' ' '

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Ottawa Senators hold on a playoff spot could be slipping away. Steven Stamkos scored his 26th goal of the season in the third period, and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Senators 3-2 on Tuesday night. Daniel Alfredsson and Guillaume Latendresse scored for the Senators, who have lost five in a row. Kyle Turris had two assists. Latendresse tied it at 2 from near the crease on a power play 21 seconds into the third. "Theres nothing real positive about it at all," Ottawa coach Paul MacLean said. "We havent won a game in it seems like forever. The league is hard, winning is hard to do. And we havent played hard enough in the last five games to produce more than what we say is good opportunities. "We need to do more. Not a whole lot more, but we need to do a little bit more." Ottawa is sixth overall in the Eastern Conference, however, ninth-place Winnipeg is just two points behind the slumping Senators. Stamkos snapped a 2-2 tie with a power-play goal from the near post off a pass through the slot by Vincent Lecavalier with 5:04 to play. Ottawa, which entered with the NHLs second-best penalty-killing unit, gave up two power-play goals in seven short-handed situations. "Were not concerned about playoff spots," Senators goalie Craig Anderson said. "Were concerned about doing things right and coming to the rink, getting better. At the end of the day, we control what we can control, and thats how we play and how we come to work. The standings, wins, theyll all take care of themselves." Ben Bishop made 31 saves for Tampa Bay. He was traded to the Lightning from Ottawa for centre Cory Conacher on April 3. Tampa Bay also got goals from Pierre-Cedric Labrie and Lecavalier. Martin St. Louis assisted on Lecavaliers goal for his 900th point. The right wing, the 98th NHL player to reach the milestone, also assisted on Stamkos goal. The Lightning, 13th in the Eastern conference, trail Southeast Division-leading Washington by eight points. "The odds are against us, and they know whats going on," Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. "They have every reason to sit here and say, this isnt going to work. I dont have to go down and block a shot. I dont have to go to the net. But, theyre not doing that." Tampa Bay took a 2-1 lead early in the second on goals by Labrie and Lecavalier. After Labrie beat Anderson from in-close at 2:35 for his first NHL goal, Lecavalier gave the Lightning a one-goal advantage during a 5-on-3 power play 1:53 later. "Were not going to quit here until you see that line across the Tampa Bay Lightning, that theyre officially eliminated," Stamkos said. Alfredsson put the Senators up 1-0 at 14:29 of the first. He swatted a waist-high puck into the net after Bishop got a piece of Turris shot with his glove. Turris hit the post shortly after Alfredsson scored and had a potential goal with 2:08 left in the second disallowed when it was ruled he knocked the puck into the net with a high stick. The call was upheld after a video review. Alfredsson has 425 goals, tying him for 70th place on the NHL career list with Brian Propp. The right wing also tied Frank Mahovlich for 56th place with 1,103 points. NOTES: Tampa Bay LW Ryan Malone played after missing eight games with a left shoulder injury. ... Anderson has played in consecutive games. He missed 19 games after hurting his ankle in late February. ... Lightning D Victor Hedman missed his third straight game because of a lower body injury. ... Tampa Bay G Anders Lindback, sidelined the past eight games with an ankle injury, has resumed working out with the team. ... Ottawa D Erik Karlsson (Achilles tendon surgery) has resumed skating. ... Labrie sat out the previous six games with an upper body injury.

Cheap NFL Jerseys . Balotelli came on at halftime for his first appearance in a Milan shirt, hours after finalizing his transfer from Manchester City. Cheap 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. http://www.stitchednfl.com/. The 39-year-old lived an emotional high Monday when Montreals win over the Toronto Argonauts was stopped on the final play of the third quarter for an on-field celebration when he broke Damon Allens all-time passing record. wholesale jerseys . Two wins on the other hand, and first place in the division was within their reach. Back-to-back wins and the Caps are five points back of the Jets. The effort by the Jets was far better than what it was Thursday, but the result was the same.A spectacular sprint finish gave Switzerlands Nicola Spirig the gold medal in the womens triathlon at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Spirig held off Swedens Lisa Norden in the final sprint, who charged down the final straightaway but came up just short. Both women finished with identical times of 148. Canadian medal hopeful Paula Findlay, competing in her first major event in over 10 months, was never in contention, coming out of the swim portion of the race in 51st, well behind the lead pack. Findlay suffered a labral tear in her right hip, leaving her participation at the Olympic Games in question until she was named in July. A two-time winner on the London course, Findlay was visibly upset as she battled to complete the final 10-kilometre run, at one point being consoled by her team on the sidelines. She finished in last. "I had nothing in my legs - I dont know what happened," said Findlay. "I wanted to pull out after that first lap on the run, but I know I have so many friends that have stayed up all night to watch me race." "This is not what I expected but the Olympics are a crazy thing. Im so sorry to everyone in Canada. I just knew finishing was better than pulling out." Folllowing her performance, Findlay received an outpouring of support via social media, including messages from Canadian Olympians.dddddddddddd. "You showed that you have the heart of a champion and in doing so won the heart of the nation," tweeted Curt Harnett, CTVOlympics track cycling analyst, and two-time Olympic bronze medal winner. "Heartbreaking for Paula Findlay but still a great future ahead," tweeted Jenn Heil, Olympic freestyle skiing medallist. "Sadder than Ive ever been. Thanks for the love. Life goes on," responded Findlay. Another Canadian, Kathy Tremblay, crashed during the bike ride, and did not finish the race. Great Britains Helen Jenkins, one of the host nations medal hopefuls, was in position for a medal, but faded late during the 10km run. She had been propelled to the lead pack in the run by a spectacular performance by team-appointed domestique Lucy Hall. She finished in fifth. "Unfortunately today I wasnt 100 per cent there on the run," said Jenkins. "I could focus on my swim and bike, and get that ready, but I didnt have enough today. If the race had been a few months ago, I wouldve been alright." Australias Erin Densham took the bronze. ' ' '

Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - The Pittsburgh Pirates and center fielder Andrew McCutchen have agreed to terms on a six-year contract with a club option for the 2018 season, according to a report by the Pittsburgh Post- Gazette. The deal will buy out McCutchens arbitration years and is reported to be worth $51.5 million with the option worth $14.75 million. The 25-year-old is coming off his best season as a pro, hitting .259 with a .364 on-base percentage, 34 doubles, 23 home runs, 89 RBI, 87 runs scored and 23 stolen bases through 158 games to earn him his first All-Star Game appearance. Pittsburgh selected McCutchen with the 11th pick of the 2005 draft and he has played his entire career with the Pirates, appearing in 420 games. He is a career .276 hitter with 95 doubles, 19 triples, 51 home runs, 199 RBI, 255 runs scored and 78 stolen bases.

Cheap NFL Jerseys . Kory Sheets ran for a pair of touchdowns as Saskatchewan continued to set the pace in the CFL with a 30-27 come-from-behind road victory over the Edmonton Eskimos on Saturday. wholesale jerseys china . And yet he knows thats unlikely to happen. "That was felt when we got off the duck boats, knowing this was one last chance to celebrate with a million people in the city," Farrell said Monday, two days after the teams victory parade and hours before the deadline to make qualifying offers to four free agents who were key to the teams title. http://www.cheapjerseyscd.com/. The unrestricted free agent blueliner played last season for the Winnipeg Jets. The move came one day after the Hurricanes learned that defenceman Joni Pitkanen will be out for the season with a broken heel. Wholesale Jerseys . They got it when Jamar Walls blocked punt touchdown return proved to be the difference Friday, clinching the Stampeders a home playoff game with a 27-13 victory over the hapless Eskimos. Cheap Jerseys . But it got the job done, and thats the only thing that mattered to Mike Dunleavy and the Chicago Bulls.After winning their first Stanley Cup since 1972, the Boston Bruins dont need a whole lot more good news, but they have some nevertheless. Off-Season Game Plan looks at the Bruins roster and what GM Peter Chiarelli might do to give the Bruins a shot at back-to-back titles. The good news for the Bruins, unlike the 2010-champion Chicago Blackhawks, is that the Bruins are in a favourable financial position with respect to the salary cap. Through Chiarellis savvy, the Bruins should not only have the room to bring back any or all of the players from their championship team, they should still have the wherewithal to address some needs. Of course, coming off a Stanley Cup win, its not like the Bruins have massive holes to fill. They could use more skilled offensive players, whether on the wing or on defence, in the hopes that might help fix a power play that was an albatross down the stretch and throughout the playoffs. Its almost unbelievable that the Bruins could win the Stanley Cup tournament while struggling for so long with the man advantage, yet that actually happened. A factor that is already in the Bruins favour is that they have room for internal improvement, with young players like Brad Marchand and Tyler Seguin the most likely to play more significant roles going forward. "Were in a good position," Chiarelli said at a year-end press conference. "Weve got a lot of the team under contract. Were in a good cap situation for once. Weve got some young guys, weve got guys that are coming in. My charge is to win, so we have to continue to keep that standard." Certainly Tim Thomas play in goal was the backbone of the Bruins Cup-winning campaign, but a year after suffering an ignominious playoff defeat, the Bruins are now the champs, and in position to be at least as strong next year so that, even if Thomas cant duplicate his historically great season, the Bruins should have a chance to defend their title. Needing three Game Seven wins to capture the crown this year, the Bruins know that there is good fortune needed to win a championship, so all that management can be expected to do is give the team a chance and it sure looks like, barring a Cup hangover, the Bruins will have that chance in 2011-2012. GM/COACHPeter Chiarelli/Claude Julien Returning Forwards Player Rating Cap Hit Patrice Bergeron 77.49 $5.0M David Krejci 76.58 $3.75M Milan Lucic 75.06 $4.083M Nathan Horton 73.75 $4.0M Rich Peverley 68.74 $1.325M Chris Kelly 66.78 $2.125M Gregory Campbell 65.15 $1.1M Tyler Seguin 64.32 $3.55M Shawn Thornton 63.49 $813K Daniel Paille 63.27 $1.075M Marc Savard 61.30 $4.007M Free Agent Forwards Player Rating Class 10-11 Cap Hit Brad Marchand 73.08 RFA $822K Michael Ryder 70.40 UFA $4.0M Mark Recchi 68.92 UFA $1.95M Its taken a few years, but Patrice Bergeron is back to being the kind of impact player that he was before suffering his concussions. Hes not scoring 70-plus points, as he did 2005-2006 and 2006-2007, but Bergerons plus-20 rating was the best of his career and, with his strength in the faceoff circle and solid two-way play, hes capable of playing in any situation against any competition. David Krejci followed up a strong regular season, when he tallied 62 points and was plus-23, with a playoff-leading 12 goals and 23 points. While Krejci isnt very strong and is not even the fleetest afoot, his vision and anticipation frequently allow the playmaking 25-year-old to be a step ahead of the competition. The Bruins did a terrific job of finding a pair of brutes to play with Krejci. Milan Lucic, who struggled in 2009-2010 due largely to a high ankle sprain, turned in a career year with 30 goals and 62 points; he was the only player in the league with at least 30 goals, 100 penalty minutes and a plus-20 rating. Bookending Krejci, on the other side, is Nathan Horton, who had 53 points and was plus-29 despite some ups and down in his first season with the Bruins. Horton also came up big in the postseason, scoring eight goals and 17 points in 21 games before suffering a concussion in the Cup Final. A six-time 20-goal scorer, Horton cotninued his streak despite playing just 16:17 per game, his least since his rookie season. While Rich Peverley didnt produce a lot after coming over from Atlanta, scoring seven points in 23 games, he was very valuable in the playoffs, scoring 12 points in 25 games. His real value lies in his versatility as Peverley is capable of playing centre or wing and can do it either on a scoring line or a checking unit. Not unlike Peverley, Chris Kelly provided more in the playoffs (13 points in 25 games) than he did after coming over in a trade from Ottawa (five points in 24 games). Kelly is a checker, if only because he doesnt have the mitts to consistently capitalize on the scoring chances that he creates with his speed, but his reliability gives the Bruins options down the middle. Gregory Campbell is a fine depth forward, who tied a career-high with 13 goals and set a career-best with a plus-11 rating last season. Campbell is a reliable checker and plays with an edge -- he has 30 fights over the last four seasons -- which makes him a good fit among the bottom six forwards on the depth chart. He played sporadically as a rookie, but 19-year-old Tyler Seguin showed flashes of brilliance, most notably when he tallied four points in the second period of Game Two against Tampa Bay, and he should be able to take on more responsibility next season. Seguin is clearly skilled, but his speed is what makes him a change of pace for the Bruins; hes a dynamic offensive threat with star potential. Enforcer Shawn Thornton simply had the best year of his career, playing more (10:05 per game) than ever and setting career-highs in goals (10), points (20) and plus-minus (plus-8). Among players with at least 100 penalty minutes and fewer than 1000 minutes of ice time on the season, Thornton tied for the goal-scoring lead with Steve Downie and Brad Winchester. Thorntons 33, so last season may turn out to be the best he can be, but the Bruins are getting substantially more out of their tough guy than most other teams. After battling to get into the lineup all season, playing only 43 games, Daniel Paille played every game in the playoffs, showing his value as a fourth-line checker with speed and smarts. His latest concussion prevented Marc Savard from playing after January 22 and it could spell the end of his career even though he has six years remaining on his contract. Savard was struggling even before getting hurt, managing 10 points and a minus-7 rating in 25 games, so even if he gets clearance to return, its not fair to ever expect him to be the point-per-game playmaker that he was from 2003 through 2009. Naturally, when a team wins the Stanley Cup, some players will be held in much higher esteem than they were before and that will certainly hold true for Brad Marchand, who finished up his strong rookie season by scoring 11 goals in the playoffs, including five in the Final. Marchand was stuck in a depth role for the first three months of the season, scoring 13 points in 33 games while playing fewer than 13 minutes per game, but he added 28 points in the next 44 games, while playing closer to 15 minutes per game. In the playoffs, it was 19 points in 25 games while playing 16:46. One of the new breed of agitators who can further infuriate opponents by scoring, Marchand is, quite naturally, a favourite of the Bruins faithful. Mark Recchi will sail off, gracefully, into retirement as a three-time Stanley Cup winner (with three different teams), leaving Michael Ryder as the one mainstay that could hit the market as an unrestricted free agent. Ryder has a longstanding connection with Claude Julien but, after back-to-back 18-goal seasons, it may be time to let another team pay his freight. With the talent on hand, the Bruins dont need to make huge additions, perhaps a few veteran checkers (Chad LaRose, Pascal Dupuis, Mike Grier, Sean Bergenheim) to round out the lineup, as more minutes for Seguin and at least the possibility of promotion for one of the players on the farm would make sense. If Savard happened to retire, then the Bruins could afford to be even more aggressive on the free-agent market, perhaps aiming for a forward like Brooks Laich or Ville Leino that could add more offensively. Returning Defencemen Player Rating Cap Hit Zdeno Chara 74.91 $6.917M Dennis Seidenberg 71.37 $3.25M Johnny Boychuk 68.01 $1.875M Andrew Ference 67.10 $2.25M Steven Kampfer 66.dddddddddddd95 $853K Adam McQuaid 66.34 $575K Free Agent Defencemen Player Rating Class 10-11 Cap Hit Tomas Kaberle 71.00 UFA $4.25M Shane Hnidy 53.51 UFA $500K Zdeno Chara finally got to experience playoff success, captaining the Stanley Cup winners while leading the playoffs with a plus-16 rating while playing 27:39 per game, the most for any player that went more than two rounds. Chara also led the league in plus-minus during the regular season, at plus-33, giving him a plus-89 rating over the last four seasons, ranking second among NHL defencemen over that span(just behind Nicklas Lidstroms plus-91). The biggest player in the league, Chara is physically intimidating, but his games involves so much more than that and hes always taking the toughest defensive assignments, to the point that he occasionally gets overused -- leaving him more vulnerable -- but the temptation to keep throwing Chara out there is obvious because hes very difficult to play against. Partnered with Chara, Dennis Seidenberg has been an underrated and well-traveled defender, playing for four teams in four seasons before arriving in Boston before the 2010 trade deadline. Seidenberg tied a career-high with 32 points, while playing a career-high 23:33 per game during the regular season, but he took his game up a notch in the playoffs, playing the shutdown role alongside Chara and locking down some of the most potent scorers in the game. Consistency comes and goes for Johnny Boychuk, but hes climbed his way into a top-four role, capable of playing a bruising physical game or handling the puck well enough to have nine points in 25 playoff games. He didnt stick in the NHL until he was 25, after five AHL seasons, so Boychuk recognizes the effort required to stay where he is now. Andrew Ferences role increased in the postseason, when it was apparent that Tomas Kaberle wasnt the puck-moving answer on the back end, and Ference had a tremendous playoff. His regular season wasnt spectacular, even though he did register a career-best plus-22. A mobile defenceman who quickly worked his way into the Bruins lineup, Steven Kampfer was sidelined by injuries late in the year and couldnt get into the playoff lineup, but he showed plenty of promise with ten points and a plus-9 rating in 38 games. Adam McQuaid really evolved in his first full NHL season, playing 17:26 per game after the All-Star break, compared to 12:39 before. While his plus-30 rating in limited ice time was a function of favourable matchups, its better to win the favourable matchups than lose them and McQuaid provides a physical presence on Bostons third pairing. Since Tomas Kaberle struggled after arriving in Boston, the Bruins might turn their attention elsewhere when looking for an answer to their needs at the point on the power play. If the Bruins dont retain Kaberles services, Joni Pitkanen, Christian Ehrhoff and James Wisniewski are the big-ticket free agents that could quarterback the power play, while a veteran like Sami Salo, who owns a big shot from the point, might be a more economical alternative. Returning Goaltenders Player Rating Cap Hit Tim Thomas 89.75 $5.0M Tuukka Rask 72.30 $1.25M There have been few seasons in NHL history as amazing as the year that Tim Thomas just experienced, though it figures, considering Thomas path to the NHL is also one of the most unsual ever. Now 37 years-old, Thomas opened the regular season behind Tuukka Rask on the depth chart, but after Rask struggled in a few outings and Thomas continually starred -- allowing three goals against in his first six starts -- the job eventually was returned to Thomas and he responded by setting the league record with a .938 save percentage, following it up with a .940 save percentage in the playoffs on the way to winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as Playoff MVP. To put that save percentage into context, the average goaltenders stops about 91% of shots faced. Thomas .938 save percentage, while facing 1811 shots, means a difference of more than 50 goals against over the course of a season. 50 goals better than average is outrageously good so, sure, his style is unorthodox and its not always pretty, but those results are impossible to argue. It was a truly great season. As Thomas turned in a season for the ages, Rask was relegated to the backup role. Even though he had a .918 save percentage, Rask struggled to get offensive support, going 11-14-2 on the year. Hes clearly good enough to be a starter in the league, but the 24-year-old may need to wait for Thomas to falter (or get hurt) before that opportunity presents itself in Boston. Top Prospects Player Pos. Team/League Stats Jordan Caron RW Providence (AHL) 12-16-28,-7, 47 GP Ryan Spooner C Kingston (OHL) 35-46-81,-4, 64 GP Matt Bartkowski D Providence (AHL) 5-18-23,-17, 69 GP Jared Knight RW London (OHL) 25-45-70,even, 68 GP Maxime Sauve C Providence (AHL) 21-17-38,+6, 61 GP Jamie Arniel RW Providence (AHL) 23-27-50,-10, 78 GP Zach Hamill C Providence (AHL) 9-34-43,+6, 68 GP Colby Cohen D Providence (AHL) 2-12-14,+5, 60 GP Craig Cunningham LW Portland (WHL) 27-60-87,+19, 71 GP Carter Camper RW Miami-Ohio (CCHA) 19-38-57,+12, 39 GP Jordan Caron didnt show poorly in 23 games with Boston last season, his first year as a pro, but it made more sense for him to get used to playing an offensive role in the AHL because the big winger has a scoring touch and should be able to play a top-six forward role when he arrives in the NHL. Traded from Peterborough to Kingston in the OHL, Ryan Spooner had a productive year and should be ready for some time in the AHL before hes worried about challenging for a spot in Boston. Good thing, because the Bruins are pretty deep down the middle at the moment. Acquired in the Bruins deal with Florida for Dennis Seidenberg, Matt Bartkowski is an offensive defenceman who needs further refinement in his game without the puck before hes ready to take on the NHL, but the 23-year-old did have a promising first pro season. Taken in the second round last summer, with one of the picks from Toronto in the Phil Kessel trade, Jared Knight has been a productive player for London in the OHL, but will need at least a few years before hes in consideration for a spot in Boston. Maxime Sauve made a smooth transition to the pro game, scoring 21 goals in 61 games for Providence. He can still use some additional seasoning, but if Sauve keeps improving, he may have some goals to offer. The leading scorer in Providence in his second pro season, Jamie Arniel projects as a checker at the next level, which could mean opportunities to step in as soon as next year. After three years in the AHL, Zach Hamill hasnt shown a lot to justify being the eighth overall pick in the 2007 draft. Scoring just nine goals in his third AHL season isnt enough, not even for a playmaker, to put pressure on the big club for a promotion. Acquired from Colorado for Matt Hunwick, Colby Cohen is a Boston University product who missed some time with a wrist injury, but he has good size and has a heavy shot from the point, giving the Bruins organizational depth with some possible offensive upside. Craig Cunningham is a small forward who has been productive in the WHL over the past two seasons, scoring 229 points in 180 regular season and playoff games over the last two years. Now to see what he can do in the AHL. Another small winger, Carter Camper just completed a productive four-year career at Miami-Ohio, scoring 183 points in 156 career games. He got into three games with Providence at the end of the year, scoring a couple of points, and should have a chance to play a prominent role in the AHL next season as he tries to prove his mettle as a pro. Check out a possible roster, on www.capgeek.com, for next season with, understandably, few changes to the Cup-winning lineup here: http://bit.ly/lozncs DRAFT9th - Ryan Murphy, Jonas Brodin, Mika Zibenejad. FREE AGENCYAccording to www.capgeek.com, the Bruins have approximately $53.0M committed to the 2011-12 salary cap for 19 players. Needs: One top nine forward, one top four defenceman.What I said the Bruins needed last year: Two scoring wingers, one top four defenceman . They added: Nathan Horton, Brad Marchand, Gregory Campbell, Tyler Seguin. TRADE MARKET Rich Peverley, Tuukka Rask. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Off-Season Game Plan Archive ' ' '

ARLINGTON, Texas -- DeMarco Murray strolled around left end for 14 yards on his first carry. There wasnt a St. Louis defender near him until the end of a much longer run a few plays later. The Rams almost looked like they didnt remember what the Dallas running back did to them in their last meeting. Murray rushed for 175 yards and a touchdown two years after setting a franchise record against St. Louis as a rookie, and Tony Romo threw for three scores in a 31-7 victory Sunday. The third-year back had 96 yards rushing to 18 for the entire the St. Louis offence at halftime. His 41-yard run two plays into the third quarter gave him his first 100-yard game in more than a year and set up a touchdown for a 24-0 lead. Murray probably could have threatened the 253 yards he set against the Rams in 2011, but he was soaking up cheers from the crowd when the huge video board at the Cowboys $1.2 billion showplace showed him relaxing on the sideline in the fourth quarter. "When you get a runner like that going, you can feed on him," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. "He gets a little contagious for everybody. Everybody starts feeling it." Sam Bradford, Murrays old college teammate at Oklahoma, was only feeling pressure. The Cowboys (2-1) sacked him four times in the first half and had six in total after St. Louis (1-2) hadnt allowed a sack in four games dating to last season. It was the longest streak for the Rams since John Hadl was under centre for a division champion in 1973. DeMarcus Ware had two sacks and broke Harvey Martins 30-year-old franchise record of 114. Then-coach Bill Parcells and owner Jerry Jones used to have fun throwing around bets how many sacks 2005 first-round pick Ware would get. "I think of it every time I think of his number of sacks," Jones said. "I cant say that it is unexpected because of how hard he works, and his talent level, and his competitiveness." Romo, who had 210 yards passing, went 2 yards to Dez Bryant for the first Dallas score. He had a pair of 24-yarders in the second half to rookie tight end Gavin Escobar and Dwayne Harris. When the Rams finally started getting defenders around Murray at the line of scrimmage, Romo found him on the outside for a pair of catches on a drive that ended with a 2-yard run by Murray for a 17-0 lead. Murray went around left end before extending the ball over the goal line right on the pylon, and there was no review. His last 100-yard game was the 2012 opener, and he was coming off a 25-yard performance in a loss at Kansas City. "I dont know that there was anything that stood out to me, other than it was just the same commitment and drive and work ethic hes shown all year in the off-season and the first two games," Romo said of Murray, who declined to talk to reporters. St. Louis avoided the shutout on Bradfords 4-yard pass to Austin Pettis on fourth down late in third quarter after an interception by rookie safety J.J. Wilcox was wiped out by a roughing-the-passer penalty against Jason Hatcher. Bradford, who finished 29 of 48 for 240 yards, was hit eight more times in addition to the sacks. The Rams didnt get a first down until the second quarter. "In the first half, we just never got anything going, played behind the chains all day," Bradford said. "Just a very poor performance on our part today." The Rams had a chance to stay in the game on the drive after their lone score, but Bradford threw behind Chris Givens on fourth down. Dallas scored three plays later for a 31-7 lead when Romo hit Harris in stride in the back of the end zone. "We didnt run it, we didnt stop the run, we didnt throw it, we didnt stop their passing game," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. "I did not see this coming." Notes: The Cowboys won their first two home games at their new stadium for the first time since it opened in 2009. ... Cowboys WR Miles Austin injured a hamstring and didnt return. Rams backup DE William Hayes, who had been dealing with a hip problem, came out in the first half because of a knee injury.

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Its not something that were coming together before the game and saying, Come on guys lets keep the streak going.TORONTO - For many, it would have already become an elephant in the room, an awkward matter best ignored. For Kyle Lowry, its become an accepted reality. He will be traded. The question is, when and where? The Raptors point guard is widely believed to be next on general manager Masai Ujiris chopping block after the first domino - Rudy Gay, Lowrys best friend - fell last week. On Thursday, multiple outlets - namely ESPN and Yahoo Sports - linked Lowry to trade discussion with a number of interested teams, including the Knicks and the Nets. A day later, as the Raptors got set to host the road-weary 76ers, the easy answer for Lowry would have been none at all. He could have brushed off the reports, spouted off cliches or dodged the media all together. But he did no such thing. "Honestly, I started hearing [the rumours] once I left here for practice [Thursday] and then it was crazy for, like, four hours," he said Friday morning. "At night, I turned my phone off and went to sleep. I wake up, if Im traded, Im traded and if not, Ill come to shootaround." "Everybody read everything yesterday, seen everything yesterday. To this point, Im still a Raptor and Im focused on tonight, playing against the 76ers." Moving Lowry, who was acquired by the previous regime prior to last season, has become a priority for Ujiri. Averaging 14.6 points and 6.7 assists through 20 games, Lowry - owed $6.2 million this year - will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and its clear he is not part of the Raptors long-term plans. Lowry has not been in contact with Ujiri regarding his future and doesnt plan to reach out. "If he trades me, then Ill talk to him," Lowry said. "Hes always been a GM thats been kind of in the background. Hes not in the forefront, he lets us play and thats how hes been this whole year." Although one report stated that hes wanted to be moved for most of the season, Lowry clarified that he has not asked the Raptors GM for a trade. "No, none whatsoever," said coach Dwane Casey, askedd if Lowry has expressed a desire to be traded.dddddddddddd"Thats the first Ive heard of that and Ive never heard of Kyle or sensed Kyle wanted to be traded at all. I have no knowledge of that." While the market for Gay was limited, leading to Sundays sudden seven-player deal with Sacramento, theres far more interest in Lowry and his affordable, expiring contract. With that in mind, Ujiri will not be rushed into moving his starting point guard. Lowry is a professional and has obvious motivation to continue playing hard, auditioning for his next contract, but his inevitable departure is an obvious distraction to him and the rest of the team. "Yeah of course, I mean no one can say it doesnt [weigh on them] but at the same time, you have to know that this is a business," he stated. "You have to know the situation you are in, the situation that youre going to be in. You cant let it affect you too much because you still have to go out here and do a job and try to win for the team youre playing for." He and his teammates are trying their best to approach the seemingly uncomfortable situation with a sense of humour. "We all read HoopsHype," he admitted with a smirk on his face. "You see it everyday, you see it whenever they update it and everyone talks about it. But we joke about it a little bit. We make it more of a lighter-type thing, dont make it a heavy-hearted thing, make it like a joke, like hey man, you still here?" For now and until Ujiri finds an offer he likes, Lowry remains a Raptor. He will continue to play and play hard, because its the right thing to do but mostly because its in his best interest. All the while, his eventual replacement and newly-acquired point guard Greivis Vasquez will back him up and even spend some time alongside him in the Raptors backcourt. The situation is what it is. It will be as awkward as the team allows it be, until - in the very near future - its dealt with, until speculation finally becomes reality. Until then, we wait and so does the team and its point guard. ' ' '

SAN ANTONIO -- The NBAs Competition Committee is recommending an expansion of instant replay to include late-game reviews of block/charge plays, the first time the league is considering reviewing judgment calls by a referee. NBA executive vice-president of basketball operations Stu Jackson announced the decision on Wednesday after the committee met during the NBA Finals. Current rules only allow officials to see if a players feet are in the restricted area under the basket or out of it in the final two minutes of the game or in overtime. The change would allow officials to get a closer, slow-motion look at a collision between two players to deem if it was a blocking foul on the defence or a charging foul on the offence, one of the most disputed and difficult-to-call plays in the game. "This is significant," Jackson said at an NBA Cares event to celebrate a new learn and play centre at Wheatley Middle School. "Its our first foray into utilizing instant replay for a judgment call. It at least cracks the door open." When Commissioner David Stern addressed the media before the start the finals, he said that expanding replay and using the technology that was available was a priority. "Weve always taken the stance that we want to look at ways to expand instant replay review, just because it makes sense," Jackson said. "The referees themselves have supported it because they just want to get the plays right. Were constantly looking for ways to utilize review." The committee also is recommending to the NBAs board of governors that replay be expanded to include off-the-ball fouls on inbounds plays and made free throws. The committee discussed an idea by Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle that would give each coach one challenge to in the last 2 minutes of playoff games to contest calls. If a coach has a timeout and the ball during that time, he could challenge a play. The play would then be reviewed off site by a group of league officials, similar to the way the NHL handles replays. But those ideas are still under discussion. "Its not fleshed out enough to make a recommendation, but were going to continue to talk about it," Jackson said. The committee is also recommending that a new rule be put in place to prevent players from standing out of bounds on offence in halfcourt sets. Jackson said this is an increasing trend that they have seen this season, with players on offence standing out of bounds in half-court offence in an effort to suck the perimeter defence further away from the paint and create better spacing. Under the proposed change, any player committing what would be a new infraction would be whistled for a violation, and the ball would change possession. Jackson said this wouldnt apply to a player who runs out of bounds while curling around a screen or trying to separate from a defender, only when he is stationary and standing out of bounds during a halfcourt offensive set. Stern also said last week that he thought the league has made great strides by instituting a fine system for players who flop, but felt even more needed to be done to continue to discourage the behaviour. Jackson said the committee discussed increasing the fines or other punishments, but was not making any recommendations for changes at this time. "It was unanimous among the committee that the flopping system, the policy, has worked this year," Jackson said. "But there was also an acknowledgement that were open to discussing how we continue to enforce the flopping policy." The committee also is recommending a change in the wording for clear-path fouls that it hopes will eliminate some of the need for replay reviews of those plays.

Wholesale Jerseys . -- Kaitlyn Lawes was given a tremendous opportunity in 2010 when she joined an experienced and successful Winnipeg rink skipped by Jennifer Jones. wholesale jerseys china . Manager Jim Leyland says Peralta will leave Wednesday for the instructional league in Florida, where hell play in the outfield. Peralta was Detroits starting shortstop, but the Tigers acquired Jose Iglesias from Boston just before Peralta was suspended following baseballs investigation into Biogenesis of America, a Florida anti-aging clinic accused of distributing banned performance-enhancing drugs. http://www.cheapjerseyscd.com/. Fiorentina took the lead following a terrible blunder from Morgan De Sanctis. The Napoli goalkeeper rushed out of his area to intercept a long pass from Facundo Roncaglia by the halfway line, but completely misjudged the ball which bounced over him and into the goal. Wholesale NFL Jerseys . LOUIS -- Adam Wainwright refused to relax against a makeshift San Francisco Giants squad. Cheap Jerseys From China . - Scott Dixon became the latest driver to deny Roger Penske an IndyCar championship, wrapping up his third title Saturday night in a race of attrition at Auto Club Speedway. ST. LOUIS -- Blues backup goalie Brian Elliott finally got his wish -- a total team effort in a win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Elliott stopped 19 shots, and defenceman Kris Russell scored in his St. Louis debut to lead the Blues to a 3-0 win over the Lightning on Saturday night. St. Louis improved to 5-0-1 in its last six home games. The Blues have earned five points in three games under new coach Ken Hitchcock, who replaced Davis Payne on Sunday. Tampa Bay had a three-game winning streak snapped. Elliott (6-1) recorded his second shutout of the season and 11th of his NHL career. He has two shutouts in his last four starts. Elliott made 32 saves in a 3-0 win over Vancouver on Oct. 26. He stopped 11 shots in the third period on Saturday and kept the Lightning in check during a frantic final minute. Elliott and his teammates had been searching for a solid performance throughout the lineup, and they got it. "That was the complete game weve been wanting," Elliott said. "Everybody was hustling. Everybody was working hard. No one took a shift off." Russell, acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday, netted his third goal of the season late in the first period. Kevin Shattenkirk and T.J. Oshie also scored for the Blues. Shattenkirk converted off a 2-on-1 break late in the second to make it 2-0. The defenceman has two goals and is tied for the team lead with 11 points. Oshie, who scored the Blues first short-handed goal, has five goals this season and four in five games. Elliott faced just eight shots over the first two periods but took over down the stretch. "He was tremendous," Shattenkirk said. "Hes battled for us all year. Were gettting used to him in there saving us.dddddddddddd" St. Louis centre Alex Steen said the duo of Elliott and Jaroslav Halak have been the key to the Blues 8-7-1 start. "As a one-two punch, theyve been great," Steen said. "(Elliott) made some key saves in key moments." Russell performed well in his St. Louis debut. He got the ball rolling with an early goal after a cross-ice pass from Evgeny Grachev. "I was fortunate," Russell said. "We had bodies in front, and I just wanted to get it on net." Tampa Bay goalie Mathieu Garon fell to 3-3-1. The Lightning, who had a season low in shots, were shut out for the first time this season. Lightning coach Guy Boucher wasnt pleased with his teams performance. Tampa Bay had won four of five and seven of nine. "The first and second periods, sloppy all the way," Boucher said. "Thats the story of the game." He didnt get any argument from his players. "I dont think we played well enough," defenceman Eric Brewer said. "They kept moving forward much more than we did." Hitchcock improved to 2-0-1 in his first week with St. Louis. "There are things that we are still learning to do," he said, "But tonight, we managed the game properly. We didnt get frustrated when we didnt score." NOTES: Tampa Bay G Dwayne Roloson didnt play despite being 7-2-1 with a 1.58 goals-against average in his last 10 starts against St. Louis. ... Tampa Bay has been outscored 19-11 in the first period this season. ... The Blues have scored at least one third-period goal in the last nine games. ... Shattenkirk had a team-high four shots on goal. ' ' '

Top Canadians: Slotback Dave Stala and centre Marwan Hage were the East Divisions Most Outstanding Canadian and Offensive Lineman respectively in 2010. Breakout Canadian: Cornerback Ryan Hinds created some breathing room ratio-wise last year when he earned the wide side starting job at midseason. Other Potential Canadian Starters: OG Peter Dyakowski, OG Simeon Rottier, WR Matt Carter, FS Dylan Barker, OT Wayne Smith, DT Eddie Steele Canadian To Watch: With new defensive coordinator Corey Chamblin emphasizing versatility in the secondary, Barker, the first overall pick in the 08 Draft, may see less time at free safety this season. Top Canadian Rookies: Chris Rwabukamba provides depth behind Hinds at corner. Maurice Forbes should help fill the void at defensive tackle with Matt Kirk opening the season on the injured list and Jermaine Reid now in Edmonton via free agency. In The Pipeline: Aside from Forbes, the Ticats entire 2011 draft class (OL Pascal Baillargeon, DE/LS Marc-André Fortin, LB Patrick Jean-Mary, TE Tyrell Francisco, DE Jadon Wagner) can all be considered “futures”...but the pipeline player whom Hamilton will monitor most closely is New York Giants receiver Sam Giguere, who was a first round pick in 2008.

Cheap Jerseys From China . Then seldom-used guard Rodrigue Beaubois gave Dallas the scoring punch it needed to turn away the Cleveland Cavaliers. Beaubois scored 18 points off the bench and keyed a fourth-quarter run to lead the Mavericks past the Cavaliers, 96-86 on Friday night. Wholesale NFL Jerseys .com) - A highly anticipated battle between teams that swapped head coaches during the offseason is on tap today, as John Tortorella and the Vancouver Canucks visit Alain Vigneaults New York Rangers for a clash at Madison Square Garden. http://www.cheapwholesalejerseysnflshop.com/. - The football world will have to wait another day to find out if Tim Tebow was only keeping Kyle Ortons seat warm or whether hes pushed the veteran to the end of the bench. Cheap NFL Jerseys . In a statement this week, the Malaysian-based Badminton World Federation said as part of its testing program of international level players, "Kim and Lee were required to provide whereabouts information for the BWF to conduct out-of-competition testing. Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping . The Padres may not even need Bell to close things out, but could always use his services in crunch time. They will try to avoid going to their closer tonight in the opener of a three-game interleague series versus the Kansas City Royals at Petco Park. MIAMI -- Once the Miami Heat started running away from the Orlando Magic, they simply did not stop. LeBron James scored 19 points, roster hopeful Terrel Harris added 16 and the Heat outscored the Magic by 29 points over the games final 27 minutes, cruising to a 118-85 win in the pre-season opener for both teams. "The adrenaline and energy was certainly pumping early on," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Our starters set the tone. Then the young kids came in there and took advantage of the opportunity." Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh each scored 14 for Miami, which got 12 points in 14 minutes from Derrick Byars and 11 points and nine rebounds from Udonis Haslem. "Its good to be back," James said. "Its good to have our fans back." Ryan Anderson and J.J. Redick each scored 22 for Orlando, which lost for the first time in 22 pre-season games dating to October 2008. The Magic allowed Miami to shoot 71 per cent in the second half and 82 per cent in the fourth quarter -- while making 31 per cent of their own shots after halftime. "When you have a team outscore you 22-0 on fast-break points, theyre clearly playing at a pace and an energy level higher than what you are," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "And we could nnot keep up.dddddddddddd" The Heat scored 36 points in the fourth quarter, using mostly end-of-the-bench players. "We practice against the best players in the world every day," rookie point guard Norris Cole said. "When we get out there and get to go against high competition, the work that gets put in shows." The subject of trade talk throughout training camp, Dwight Howard finished with only five points on 2-for-9 shooting. Afterward, Howard said his status is not a distraction for the Magic. "They look like a seasoned team," Howard said. "We were off for seven months. And guys are trying to get back in to it. Theres no need for us, anybody, Magic fans, whatever, to stress about the first game. Theres a lot more games to be played." Magic point guard Jameer Nelson missed all 10 of his shots and forward Hedo Turkoglu left late in the first half with a bruised left hip. Jason Richardson was the only Magic starter to reach double figures, scoring 11 points. "I know in the grand scheme of things, pre-season isnt a big deal," Magic forward Quentin Richardson said. "But I dont care if were playing pickup. I dont want to lose by 40. Thats just me." The teams play again in Orlando on Wednesday. ' ' '

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- San Jose Sharks talented rookie forward Tomas Hertl will miss at least a month after being hurt in a knee-on-knee collision with Los Angeles Dustin Brown. General manager Doug Wilson said Saturday the team is waiting for more information before knowing exactly how long Hertl will be sidelined after injuring his right knee Thursday. "The swelling is pretty extensive still," Wilson said. "Well know more hopefully in the next week or so. The projection is probably a minimum of a month right now." Brown received a major penalty and game misconduct for the hit on Hertl. Wilson would not say whether he felt more punishment was warranted. Hertl leads all rookies with 15 goals and 25 points so far this season. He has teamed with captain Joe Thornton and Brent Burns on a very productive line. Coach Todd McLellan will be forced to shuffle his combinations to make up for his absence. The Sharks recalled forward Matt Nieto from San Francisco of the ECHL to take Hertls place. The 20-year-old Hertl is also a candidate to play for the Czech Republic in the Olympics in February if he is healthy. Wilson said its too early to know whether thats an option. "Right now the prognosis is a month, but we are prepared that it could be longer," Wilson said. "How much longer, we dont know."

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He was playing his game the other night and the ref comes over and says he is going to give him a delay of game penalty if he continues to push the snow from his crease by the goal posts. As in - you are putting too much snow by the goal posts! Cmon Ref! Does such a penalty actually exist? Hope you are great. Mark Dear Readers: This is the first time that the Cmon Ref mail bag has received a question from someone within TSN let alone at the top of the corporate ladder. It demonstrates the passion that this game invokes from hockey fans (and particularly parents of young players) and the thirst for expert analysis no matter what their background or occupation. Under Mark Milliere as Senior Vice-President, Production, he is one of the reasons that TSN is recognized as Canadas Sports Leader. Without Marks primary support and blessing, in addition to Steve Dryden, the Cmon Ref column would not exist! You have them to thank for this column and my analyst work with TSN. With that said, when the boss asks Cmon Ref a question it would be wise to exercise my "best judgment" and provide him with an answer. Heres hoping he likes it... As strange as it may sound, there actually is a rule against piling snow in the crease. In the NHL rule book, 67.3 states, "A goalkeeper shall be assessed a minor penalty when he deliberately piles up snow or obstacles at or near his net that, in the opinion of the Referee, would tend to prevent the scoring of a goal." Additionally, Rule 67.5 - Awarded Goal, refers to when the goalie goes to his bench for an extra attacker; "When a goalkeeper, prior to proceeding to his players bench to be replaced by an extra attacker, intentionally leaves his stick or other piece of equipment, piles snow or obstacles at or near his net that, in the opinion of the Referee, would tend to prevent the puck from entering the net, a goal shall be awarded. In order to award a goal in this situation, the goalkeeper must have been replaced for an extra attacker; otherwise a minor penalty shall be assessed. This rule was already in the book when I first arrived at the NHL training camp for officials in 1972. The reason it was in the book was because it happened at least one time in an NHL game. Some wise goalkeeper piled up some snow to keep a slow moving puck from crossing the goal line or left his stick guarding the open cage when he bolted to the bench for an extra attacker. In the practical application the "obstacle" would have to prevent the puck from entering the goal. If a shot went wide of the net an awarded goal or minor penalty should not be assessed. That being said some referees interpret the rule book literally as opposed to using it as a guide to utilize common sense and good judgment! During my career, excessive amounts of snow accumulated around the goal crease and at the players benches prior to the NHL implementation of the snow removal people that come onto the ice during each commercial timeout. In many arenas attractive female skaters in "costume" perform the important task of clearing away the buildup of snow. My, how far the game of hockey has come from the early days when the goal judges stood on the ice behind the net to "flag" a goal and the referee rang a bell as opposed to blowing a whistle to stop play! It sounds to me Mark that the referee in your sons game was overly officious and his communication skills need some work. Theres a lesson to be learned here from your question. My objective was to get players to play on my terms without having to impose myself and create a confrontation where none was required. Prior to the "snow angels" many goalies deliberately piledd snow at the corner of their goal posts (both inside and outside of the net.dddddddddddd Most goalies are very sensitive to their crease area. Some were more sensitive than others; especially Billy Smith, Ron Hextall and Ed Belfour. Do you see a common pattern here folks? These guys were all really intense. Often when I looked inside their mask I saw eyes blazing back at me. Here is how I handled a buildup of snow in the crease involving these guys and others. First I would inform the goalie that as per a rule the snow had piled up in and around their crease and we needed to removed it; always making the request with a "please" attached. I would ask them if they minded if I took care of it for them or if they preferred to clear it well away from the cage with their goal stick. Some guys would say go ahead. Eddie Belfour, the newest addition to the Hockey Hall of Fame, would say Ill take care of it, which he did. Belfour didnt allow anything to go inside his net; not even a piece of tape, broken stick or even snow. I made the mistake of attempting to throw a piece of tape I picked up into his cage and he snapped, "DONT throw that in there!" I put the tape in my pocket. You didnt want to touch his water bottle or put it in the sleeve on top of the net without his expressed permission either. Eddie the Eagle was very superstitious and in the zone. Other guys were free spirits. One night in Hartford Greg Millen had built a minor snow bank along the goal line inside the net which almost extended from post to post. I asked him if he was building a snow fort. There is a proper way to handle every situation and I asked Greg if he preferred me to get a shovel, a plow or he could use his goal stick but one way or the other it had to go. Millen smiled as he cleared out the snow bank with his stick and I told him Id throw the first snow ball if he attempted to build another igloo. I believe this approach is much better than the one that your sons referee appeared to utilize. In youth hockey, no differently than professional ranks, the referee can educate players and solicit their cooperation. I dont imagine your son knew there was a penalty for piling snow? Thats just what goalies do - housekeeping in and around their crease. The first thing this amateur referee should have done was politely ask your son if he knew there was a rule and a penalty for piling snow that might prevent the puck from entering the net. He could then say I think we are at that point and could you please remove the snow either deep into your net or away from the posts where it wont interfere with the puck. The ref should then finish up by saying I really appreciate your help with this. I never had to impose a penalty for piling snow during my 30-year NHL career nor did I have a confrontation with a goalie over its removal. One penalty that I did have to call and your son should be aware of is when a goalie throws the puck forward toward his opponents goal and is picked up by the goalies teammate. Reggie Lemelin threw the puck out to his teammate at the blue line and was penalized. Another time Andy Moog threw it to the top of the faceoff circle and Messier took off with the puck. Neither goalie knew the rule until I called it against them. I hope this helps clear up any confusion, Mark. Goalies are a special breed of player and can cause the ref all kinds of problems as we are seeing now in the NHL with body contact. I did my very best to establish a good working relationship with them and get them to play on my terms without creating excessive anxiety. I suggest your son should print up this column and present it to the referee as a gift from Cmon Ref. He should also tell the referee that he now understands that he cant pile snow to excess at his goal posts. Bring on the "ice angels" at all levels of the game. Kind Personal Regards,Kerry ' ' '

(SportsNetwork.com) - Postseason baseball returns to the Steel City for the first time in 21 years on Tuesday when Justin Moreau, Russell Martin and the Pittsburgh Pirates host Joey Votto and the Cincinnati Reds in the National League wild card game at PNC Park. There have been over 600 playoff games contested in Major League Baseball since the Pirates lost to the Atlanta Braves in Game 7 of the 1992 NL Championship Series. None of those games, though, have included the Pirates, who are back in the postseason for the first time since their last winning season way back in 1992. This will be the first playoff game in Pittsburgh since Game 5 of that 1992 NLCS. "Thats a long wait," said Pirates second baseman Neil Walker. "Our focus is winning games and series, and we play for each other more than anything else. But we also play for the city and the fans. After teasing its fans with two straight second half collapses, Pittsburgh put it all together this season behind NL MVP candidate Andrew McCutchen and ended the year, 94-68. The Pirates spent a good deal of time atop the NL Central and were 26 games above .500 on Aug. 8. However, they were a .500 team in 48 games after that, but won five of six to close the campaign. In fact the Pirates cemented their season by sweeping the Reds over the weekend to secure homefield advantage for the wild card game, outscoring their NL Central foes, 16-6 in the process. "Itll be electric," Bucs outfielder Marlon Byrd said. "This city, its sports fans ... they love their sports. Theyve had their Steelers and their Penguins, and have been waiting on their Pirates. And here we come. "We wanted to make sure were able to bring it back to Pittsburgh. One game. Now its time to get it done." Pittsburgh had five All-Stars at this years Midsummer Classic, but none shined brighter than McCutchen, who continued to state his case as one of the best young players in the game. McCutchen hit .317 with 21 home runs, 84 RBI, 27 stolen bases, a .404 on-base percentage and .508 slugging percentage in 157 games. He became just the fourth major league center fielder since 1947 to have consecutive seasons of hitting .300 with a .400 slugging percentage and .500 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, joining Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and Ken Griffey Jr. In addition to the great McCutchen, a big reason behind the Pirates success was the man that will be taking the ball on Tuesday, left-hander Francisco Liriano. Signed as a free agent this winter, Liriano missed the first month of the season recovering from a broken arm, but showed no ill effects of the injury upon his return and ended the year, 16-8, while pitching to a 3.02 ERA. Liriano, the Pirates first postseason starter since Doug Drabek, struggled against the Reds, going 0-3 with a 3.70 ERA against them in four starts. However, the Dominican hurler was terrific at PNC Park, where he has just one loss in 11 starts (8-1) with a sparkling 1.49 ERA. Pittsburgh, as a team, was 50-31 in front of its fans this season. While the Pirates are back in the postseason for the first time in over two decades, Cincinnati is making its third appearance in four years after going 90-72. Like Pittsburgh, the Reds were in cruise control for the better part of September, despite being six games back in the NL Central as late as Aug. 10. Still and all, Cincinnati essentially knew it would be postseason bound in some capacity after taking three of four from Arizona from Aug. 19-22. The Reds, though, enter the postseason riding a five-game losing streak after losing three straight home games to the Pirates. "Youve got to block it out," manager Dusty Baker said of the rough finish. "Its a situation where its a new season. What you did previously, it doesnt matter. What you didnt do previously doesnt matter. Now you start the season all over." Cincinnati has something to prove this October after an awful collapse in last years NLDS. The Reds had won the first two games of that series with the San Francisco Giants, only to lose the final three at home in the best-of-five set to the eventual World Series champions. Johnny Cueto made only eight pitches in that series before leaving Game 1 with a strained oblique and will take the ball for the Reds Tuesday following an injury-plagued 2013 that saw him make three trips to the disabled list. "Its a really meaningful game for me," Cueto said via translator Tomas Vera. "This is the most important game of the season. All I have to do is keep doing my job. Baseball is still the same. I hope to do what I have to do." After missing 2 1/2 months with a lat strain Cueto returned to make two starts late in the season and allowed just one earned run in 12 innings. He ended his year 5-2 with a 2.82 ERA. "Im going to be normal. Im going to be the same guy," Cueto said. "What happened to me in San Francisco, I was excited. I was so emotional for the game and I think I overdid it too much. I really dont know what happened that day or how I got to that point." As bad as Liriano was against the Reds this season, Cueto has been the exact opposite versus Pittsburgh, posting a 13-4 lifetime mark against the Pirates with a 2.37 ERA in 21 starts. "They have a great team," Cueto said. "They have really good players so Im going to have to do my job as well." The matchup between Cueto and Liriano is just the third in postseason history between two starting pitchers from the Dominican Republic. In both 1999 and 2004, Pedro Martinez faced off against Bartolo Colon. "I want to tell my people in the Dominican Republic to follow this game," Cueto said. "There are two Dominicans on the mound. I want to give advice to all the youth in the Dominican that you have to work hard and continue working hard to do things like this." The Pirates took 11 of their 19 meetings with the Reds, including five of the nine matchups in Pittsburgh. Tuesdays winner will face NL Central champion St. Louis in the NLDS beginning on Thursday.

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Williams will make his debut as a major league manager with the Washington Nationals, a hiring announced by Rizzo on Thursday, one day after the World Series ended. "Matt played with intensity as a player, but he also was a terrific teammate.CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Rory McIlroy went home to Northern Ireland after the Masters and left his clubs behind in Florida. He didnt touch them again until he returned last week to start gearing up for a big summer that includes his title defence at the U.S. Open. The Wells Fargo Championship will be only his second tournament in the last two months. Its an example of how McIlroy, who turns 23 on Friday, already is learning to find balance in a life that is more public than ever and getting increasingly busy. He was in Germany to watch his girlfriend, tennis star Caroline Wozniacki, and he brought her home to Holywood in County Down on a whim. He even had occasion to chat with the Queen of England during a horse race at Newbury. "For me, theres more to life than just golf," McIlroy said Wednesday. "I dont know if people are surprised to hear that, but I have a lot going on in my life than just golf." McIlroy is growing into his role as the biggest of the games rising stars -- on and off the golf course. When he arrived at Quail Hollow, he made time Tuesday to film a commercial for the PGA Tour and its support of the St. Judes Children Hospital. McIlroy appears in the commercial with Shaun White, a two-time Olympic gold medallist in snowboarding, and a 7-year-old boy named Dawson who is undergoing chemotherapy. McIlroy is not even playing the St. Jude Classic next month, which benefits the hospital. No matter. Boy Wonder is touched by children, as he showed last year during a UNICEF trip to Haiti. And he was especially moved by Dawson. "If Im going to do anything like that, I want it to be with kids, because I feel like I can relate to them a little bit better than anything else," McIlroy said. "To see someone go through what hes going through, and to have all this positivity coming out of him, it just makes you realize how lucky and how fortunate we are. I know if I was going through an illness like what Dawson has, I dont know if I would be as bright as and as happy and as cheery as he is. Its definitely inspiring to see." McIlroy said there was one moment during the video shoot when the director told the boy that he could use a TelePrompTer if he forgot his lines. "And he goes, I dont know how to read," McIlroy said. "So he memorized his lines, and he was brilliant. He was more of a pro than I was. It was cool to see." Conor Ridge, his agent at Horizon Sports Management, said White asked for McIlroy to be part of the commercial. "Watching him react with Dawson was unreal," Ridge said. "You forget how young Rory is." Its easier to forget considering what he already has achieved. McIlroy twice has reached No. 1 in the world this spring, only for Luke Donald to wrest it away from him last week in New Orleans. Its a battle that could go on during the summer, with perhaps Lee Westwood rejoining the fray. McIlroy or Westwood could go to No. 1 with a win this week. Donald is not playing. "IIt would be nice to assert my authority in that No.dddddddddddd1 position and keep it for a while," McIlroy said. Quail Hollow again has attracted a strong field on one of the top golf courses on the PGA Tour, so good that it already has landed the PGA Championship for 2017. Tiger Woods, who won here in 2007, makes his first start since his worst Masters -- a tie for 40th, and heavy criticism for kicking his 9-iron after a poor tee shot on the 16th hole in the second round. Woods did not make himself available for interviews. Instead, he answered 19 questions that fans submitted on Facebook and Twitter and posted the video on his website Monday. His spokesman said he would not be taking questions after his pro-am Wednesday, and several cameras followed him as he left the 18th green and signed autographs. That didnt stop a few players from having fun with his decision. "You guys didnt see my video, huh?" Phil Mickelson playfully asked when he sat down for his interview. Hunter Mahan, who shares the same swing coach as Woods, said with a smile at the end of his press conference, "I was going to announce that Im only doing webcasts from now on." Woods won by five shots at Bay Hill in his last start before the Masters, so his performance at Augusta National was a surprise. He said on his video that his posture was slightly off, and that it has been fixed since returning to practice. McIlroy won his first PGA Tour event at Quail Hollow in 2010 when he closed with a 62, the sign of big things to come. He shot 63 at St. Andrews that summer to tie the major championship record, then shattered the U.S. Open scoring record at Congressional last year to finish at 16-under 268. If nothing else, he should be fresh for this week. McIlroy finished third at Doral, and then took three weeks off before he tied for 40th at the Masters. He went to Europe for two weeks, and then last week worked hard in the gym and on the practice range to get ready for this big stretch. He has Quail Hollow and The Players Championship, over to England for Europes flagship event at Wentworth, back to America for the Memorial and then the U.S. Open. He hopes to play no more than about 24 events on both tours this year. The last few months have been important for him to do very little on the course. "Basically, the most important time for me in the golf season is from the start of April until the end of August. Thats when all the big tournaments are and thats when you want to play your best golf," McIlroy said. "All the stuff either side of that is more preparation work and making sure that your game is getting ready and your body is physically ready for that time of the year. "Ive got a busy stretch coming up now," he said. "I know Ive been criticized a little bit for not playing as much as some other guys leading into these few weeks, but I know Ive got a big stretch coming up, and I want to be as fresh as possible for this." ' ' '