DUBLIN, Ireland -- Europe captain Paul McGinley selected Sam Torrance and Des Smyth as two of his vice captains on Thursday for this years Ryder Cup against United States at Gleneagles. Torrance captained Europe to victory in the 2002 event, when McGinley holed the winning putt at the Belfry. The 61-year-old Smyth has played in the Ryder Cup twice and was Ian Woosnams assistant in the 2006 competition at the K Club. "They first came to mind to me when I was put in position as Ryder Cup captain last January," McGinley said. "These two men have been a sounding board for me, both personally and professionally, and have proved time and again to me with their ability and passion and judgment that they are ideal for the role." McGinley said his other assistants will be announced after the team is formalized in September. The 2014 Ryder Cup is scheduled for Sept. 26-28. Europe will be defending the trophy for the second time after winning 14 1/2-13 1/2 at Celtic Manor in 2010 and by the same score at Medinah in 2012. McGinley has known Smyth since he was a teenager and described his fellow Irishman as a "mentor" during his professional career. "In many ways, he was a natural choice for me," McGinley said. "As a vice captain to Ian Woosnam at the K Club, I found him to be very inspirational, astute, a voice of reason with great clarity of thought." Torrances appointment ensures there will be Scottish representation in the European team at Gleneagles. He has been a close friend of McGinley since the 2002 Ryder Cup, when Torrances decision to stack the top order of the singles with his best players made an impression on the current captain. "I felt, tactically, he made so many right calls, he understood the players, what the Ryder Cup was about," McGinley said. "His ability to motivate the players and communicate with them had a lasting impression on me." Torrance said he and Smyth would act as a buffer between the players and McGinley. "If I could do a tenth for Pauls team of what he did for my team," Torrance said, "we will both be very happy men." McGinley said Smyth will be vice captain to Miguel Angel Jimenez in the Eurasia Cup in Kuala Lumpur on May 27-29. Air Max 1/97 Sean Wotherspoon Kaufen . You can watch the game live on TSN2 and TSN Mobile TV at 9pm et/6pm pt. Jonathan Huberdeau and Quinton Howden are expected to make their debuts for Team Canada. Air Max 90 Günstig Bestellen . The Montreal Alouettes announced Tuesday that they have acquired the return specialist from Calgary, as well as the Stampeders fifth-round draft pick in the 2014 CFL Canadian Draft. http://www.shopairmaxschweiz.com/vapormax-fake-kaufen.html. The Marlies surrendered two power-play goals and failed to score on six man-advantage opportunities en route to a 4-1 defeat in American Hockey League action on Saturday. Nike Air Vapormax Billig .com) - The Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies have finalized their agreed-upon trade that sends former National League MVP Jimmy Rollins to the West Coast for a pair of minor league pitching prospects. Air Max Fake Kaufen . It was well worth the wait. Manning and the Denver Broncos waited eight long months, then another 33 minutes to get the season started because of a lightning storm.CALGARY - The Calgary Stampeders re-signed veteran long-snapper Randy Chevrier on Thursday. Chevrier, a 37-year-old Montreal native, was slated to become a free agent Feb. 15. Chevrier played in all 18 regular-season games last year without making an errant snap while registering nine special-teams tackles. He also played in Calgarys 35-13 loss to Saskatchewan in the West final. Chevrier has appeared in 157 career gammes with Calgary.dddddddddddd. "Randy has always been a reliable performer at one of the more underrated roles on a football team," head coach/GM John Hufnagel said in a statement. "In addition to his important work on special teams, his work ethic and experience makes him one of our leaders in the locker room." Chevrier joined the Stampeders in 2005 after two seasons with Edmonton. ' ' '

New York, NY - The NBA will play preseason games in five cities around the world next October. Five teams will participate in the latest global outreach that will include games in Germany, Turkey, Brazil and China. "As the passion for the game continues to grow globally we are focused on finding unique and meaningful ways to connect with fans worldwide, and the NBA Global Games are part of those efforts," said NBA commissioner Adam Silver. "Basketball brings people together across cultural and geographic lines, and these games are a great opportunity for our fans to experience the excitement of the NBA first-hand." The San Antonio Spurs will play a pair of international teams in two stops, first against Alba Berlin on Oct. 8 in Berlin, Germany. The second game will take place three days later in Istanbul, Turkey against Fenerbache Ulker Istanbul. Also on Oct. 11 in Rio de Janeiro, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat will meet. The Brooklyn Nets and Sacramento Kings will play a pair of games in China. The first will take place on Oct. 12 in Shanghai and the second will be staged three days later in Beijing. Greg Colbrunn Jersey . -- One shot came out of bottom of a cactus, the other from the base of a desert bush with rocks scattered around it. Taylor Clarke Jersey . 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. https://www.cheapdiamondbacksjerseys.us/...amondbacks.html. Its not intended to be some magical formula and doesnt apply any context, like, for example, taking injuries into account. This remedial statistical method has gone 9-5 in picks through the first three rounds. Craig Counsell Jersey . The victory strengthened Liverpools position in the top four after Tottenham lost 1-0 at Norwich in the days late kickoff, cutting the north London club six points adrift of fourth place and the final Champions League slot for next season. David Peralta Jersey . Johns IceCaps erased an early two-goal deficit to come from behind and defeat the host Portland Pirates 5-4 on Saturday in American Hockey League action.Despite holding down a top four spot in the East, Dave Nonis admitted his team has been fortunate to be in the position they currently occupy. Appearing on TSN 1050 Thursday night, the Leafs GM spoke about how he felt there iss still plenty of room for improvement” and also touched on his goaltending, the acquisition of Peter Holland and the expectations for Nazem Kadri.dddddddddddd. Nonis talks goaltending, Holland addition ' ' '

Some days - not too many, thankfully - I feel like it sucks to get old. Or, more precisely, it sucks to watch great hockey people you admire and respect grow old. Friday was one of those days. Thats when the family of 74-year-old Stan Mikita announced the Hall of Fame Chicago Blackhawk centre and beloved franchise ambassador is facing serious health issues, that he has been diagnosed with suspected Lewy Body dementia, a progressive disease and is currently under the care of compassionate and understanding care givers. On the same day as that most unwelcome Mikita news, blogger Howard Berger (bergerbytes.ca) posted a current photograph of 82-year-old former NHL defenceman and Hall of Fame coach Al Arbour, updating his condition (dementia and Parkinsons Disease) and inviting fans to send best wishes to Arbour at his retirement home in Florida. Arbours health issues were widely reported in the media last summer - it isnt necessarily news hes now suffering dementia - but whats that they say about one picture being worth a thousand words? That the failing health of these two Hall of Famers intersected, sadly, on the same day only added to the magnitude of the misfortune. At least it did for a kid who spent his formative Original Six hockey years growing up in Toronto in the 1960s, admiring the two men for very different reasons. *** I loved Stan Mikitas hockey stick before I came to fully appreciate him as a hockey player. Bobby Hulls too. The two Blackhawk stars were, of course, the most famous originators of the curved stick in hockey. I dont want to say you had to be there in the 1960s to truly comprehend the impact of that phenomenon on the game but, really, you had to be there. My friends and I were totally enthralled and captivated by it. You had to see a Mikita or Hull curved blade to believe it. Not for nothing were they called banana blades, more boomerang than blade. Perhaps not coincidentally, (then hockey equipment manufacturer) Cooper came out with what was known as the Super Blade, a plastic road hockey blade that could be affixed to a wooden stick shaft. The beauty of the Super Blade (aside from the fact it was more or less indestructible and ran more smoothly than wood over asphalt) was you could curve it as much, or as little, as you liked. Right or left, it didnt matter. My friends and I preferred a lot over a little, thanks to Mikita and Hull. You had to heat the blade over a stove top to curve it. My Mom always feared I would burn down the house while curving my Super Blade, but, truth be told, boiling the water to mold my Cooper Adanac inside-the-mouth mouth guard for real hockey was far more dangerous, but thats another story. We all wanted to be Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull when we played road hockey, the ultimate compliment coming from kids raised on Punch Imlachs Maple Leafs. If it wasnt too cold out, you could take your Super Blade and add extra curve to it by sticking it in the sewer grate and bend it to absurd proportions. Mikita and Hull, of course, were so much more than their curved sticks. Hull was The Golden Jet, along with Gordie Howe, the biggest name(s) in the game. Mikita, as much as he was a star, was also complex and contradictory, so many things to so many people. My Dad often referred to Mikita as a, dirty S.O.B. And, for a time, he was. In his first six years in the NHL, Mikita had 100 or more penalty minutes in each of four seasons (154 was his personal best or is it worst?), 97 in one of the two years he didnt hit the century mark. Stosh, as he was known, was mean, not afraid to use his stick for more than scoring goals. No one ever doubted his skill and offensive ability – in his second NHL season he played a significant role in the Hawks 1961 Stanley Cup victory and was legitimate star who won four NHL scoring titles in a five year stretch between 1963 and 1968 - but Mikita was often one nasty bit of business. If the advent of the curved stick revolutionized the game on one level, Mikita effected what had to be one of the most remarkable individual transformations in the history of hockey on another. So, in back-to-back seasons (1966-67 and 1967-68), Mikita not only won the Art Ross Trophy as NHL leading scorer and Hart Trophy as NHL MVP, but he also won the Lady Byng Trophy as the leagues most gentlemanly and sportsmanlike player. It was a stunning reversal. Two scoring titles, two MVPs, two most gentlemanly player awards, with penalty minute totals of 12 and 14, in two years after being one of the NHLs most notorious bad boys and stick men. He remains the only NHL player to win those three trophies in the same season, and he did it twice. Mikita was a special player. Only a special person could re-define himself the way he did. If I went to my uncles house on a Saturday night, when the Hawks were playing the Leafs, Mikita was a revered figure there. My uncle married into a Polish family, and though Mikita was born in Czechoslovakia (he moved to Canada when he was eight), that was close enough for fellow Eastern Europeans to identify with. They loved him. We knew from Mikitas hockey card that his original name was Stanislav Gouth, born in Czechoslovakia (Slovakia actually). He was raised in St. Catharines, Ont., by his aunt and uncle and took their last name - Mikita. By any name, he was extraordinary. His innovating ways didnt end with the curved stick. Mikita was reportedly knocked unconscious by New York Ranger defenceman Rod Seiling in a 1968 playoff game. According to accounts, Mikita left the game for a few minutes and came back to lead his team to victory. He subsequently helped to design and wore what became known as his trademark bulbous Stan Mikita model helmet, one of the first NHL veterans to opt for protective headgear. Al Arbour, meanwhile, could not have been more different than Mikita. He wasnt an offensive star; he wasnt a star at all. He was a defensive defenceman who had to battle just to hang on in the NHL. Funny enough, and I didnt know this until now, Mikita and Arbour were teammates on the Cup-winning 1961 Hawks. For the better part of the 60s, between 1962 and 1967, Arbour was more an American Leaguer with the Rochester Americans than he was a Maple Leaf. That, I always knew. A kid growing up in Toronto in the 1960s knew em all, the Leafs and the wannabe Leafs in Rochester. The Amerks even played some games at Maple Leaf Gardens and Id go to watch them there. Then there was Arbours hockey card. My friends and I were fascinated by it. We loved that Arbours name was, in fact, Alger, but more importantly, that he wore glasses, both in the photo in his hockey card and on the ice. That alone distinguished him from every other hockey player. As such, we reserved a special sort of attention for this Alger Arbour fellow. Then expansion came in 1967 and he was off to St. Louis to become captain of the Blues and, ultimately, to make a far greater impact as a coach than a player. *** That kid in Toronto never would have imagined growing up one day to work in the hockey business, getting up close and personal with the faces and people he had only ever saw on TV or on a hockey card. That experience can be a double-edged sword because thats when you find out some of your childhood heroes or hockey stars may not be exactly who you thought they were. Suffice to say that never happened with Stan Mikita or Al Arbour. Post retirement - chronic back woes forced Mikita to call it quits during the 1979-80 season -- any occasion I came across Mikita, he was so cool and charismatic. He had a regal air about him. He was the nattiest of dressers, a real sharp-dressed man. When Bobby Hull and Mikita were at functions together, Bobby could be ribald and crass, Stan would be smooth as silk and all class, though you knew he still, in a very good way, had a little bit of the devil in him, too. When the new regime of the Blackhawks finally welcomed their superstars – chiefly Hull and Mikita – back into the fold after decades of neglecting them, Stan the Man took his ambassadorship to heart and assumed, quite rightfully, exalted status within the organization. Hes a veritable icon in Chicago and has the statue outside the United Centre to prove it. By the time I started covering the NHL in 1982, the still bespectacled Arbour was in the midst of coaching the four-Cup dynasty of the New York Islanders and well on his way to becoming a legendary bench boss, who even today is second only to Scotty Bowman in career wins. He was always patient and caring and friendly with inquisitors and for a young media guy breaking into the business that was appreciated more than he would ever know. Arbour and his boss, Islander general manager Bill Torrey, were great at their jobs. At their very core, though, you could tell they were just good people. Als players loved him. Over the years, when I would work in TV with former Islanders, first Glenn Healy and now Ray Ferraro, they would always speak so lovingly of him. They had great insights into him as a coach and wonderful, funny stories of him as a man, which made him all the more endearing. Their respect, admiration and affection for him came off them in waves. *** Diseases that attack the brain are insidious things. I know this only too well. My maternal grandfathers quality of life - and ultimately his actual life - were taken by a degenerative neurological disorder that eventually robbed him of his ability to walk, talk and engage in any semblance of coordination. My Dad died of brain cancer, a tumour. It was astonishing how quickly after he was diagnosed that he was robbed of his faculties. Intellectually, mentally, he was long gone before the cancer claimed his physical life. It isnt pretty watching someone go down that road, whether its cancer, Alzheimers, Parkinsons, dementia, Lewy Body or otherwise, and who knows what other neurological time bombs that may be out there. Im sure many of you know that only too well from your personal experience, just as the loved ones and friends of Stan Mikita and Al Arbour are dealing with it now. The same goes for the Gordie Howe and his family, who have been dealing with Mr. Hockeys dementia for years, quite aside from his recent health scares involving stroke(s). As much as I can relate to that, Im also a journalist, curious by nature, and as sad and empathetic as I was with Fridays news, I must admit I also wondered if there might be any connection between the brain diseases afflicting Mikita and Arbour (Howe, too) and having played professional hockey, possibly suffering brain trauma along the way. I am not a doctor, too dumb to have even considered the notion. I also know millions are afflicted with dementia or Alzheimers or Parkinsons and most of them never played so much as a game of hockey or football or anything that caused repetitive brain trauma. These things often just seem to happen, especially with those in their seventies and eighties. Maybe thats simply the case here. We dont know; were not likely to ever know. Still, that doesnt stop me from wondering. We cant ignore the reality of what has gone on in sports and medicine in the last 10 years, especially in the National Football League: all the research that has been done by forensic pathologist Bennett Olamu, Dr. Ann McKee, a neuropathologist, and Dr. Robert Cantu, a neurosurgeon, as well as so many others who have linked, in varying degrees, repetitive head trauma in football, boxing, wrestling, hockey and other contact sports, to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a progressive degenerative brain disease that, for now anyway, can only be definitively diagnosed after the patient has died. If you havent read the book, League of Denial: The NFL, Concussions and the Battle for Truth, by Steve Fainaru and Mark Fainaru-Wada, you really should. It chronicles not only the NFLs reticence to deal with the head trauma/CTE issue but the in-fighting amongst medical practitioners to be at the forefront of the movement. Its a fascinating read, a subject that isnt going away. Mostly, though, the book specifies the tragic lives and deaths of football players with CTE who were afflicted with a wide range of early onset neurological disorders that quite likely contributed to their deaths. Medical evidence isnt as plentiful, at least not yet anyway, in hockey as it has been in football, but Dr. McKees work with the Boston University brain bank – where the brains of deceased athletes are studied for CTE – has yielded connections between deceased NHLers and CTE. Original Six tough guy/enforcer Reggie Fleming had a long history of behavioral and cognitive issues. After his death in 2009, at the age of 73, his post-mortem brain examination confirmed the presence of CTE. Similar autopsies on ex-Buffalo Sabre star Richard Martin, who died of a heart attack at age 59 with no apparent or overt neurological disorders, and legendary NHL tough guy Bob Probert, who died in 2010 at age 45 of an apparent heart attack, also confirmed the presence of CTE. Most recently, a brain autopsy on NHL tough guy Derek Boogaard, who died at age 28 in 2011 from what was deemed to be an accidental death (mixing alcohol and oxycodone), also revealed CTE. In the wake of that, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was quoted as follows: There isnt a lot of data, and the experts who we talked to, who consult with us, think that its way premature to be drawing any conclusions. Fair enough. Its a serious issue and it deserves to be treated seriously, with empirical data and hard evidence. Time will tell how it all plays out for hockey. But as someone whos been around this game for the better part of my life – recognizing I certainly have none of that hard evidence or empirical data -- I do sometimes get a terrible sense of foreboding, that as the speed of the game has dramatically increased every decade since the 1960s, both the quality and quantity of impact to the players brains have increased, too. Perhaps were only looking at the tip of a very large iceberg in hockey. I know some retired NHL players who played in the 1980s and 1990s who estimate theyve suffered 10 to 15 concussions, experiencing all manner of symptoms and issues. Ive talked to these players; Ive worked alongside some of them in television. I wont lie. I fear for them and hope beyond all hope my fears are unfounded, that hockeys terrible day of reckoning on head trauma exists more in my mind than reality. In the meantime, me wondering about the possible causes of Stan Mikitas and Al Arbours neurological afflictions, as well as where brain trauma in hockey may be headed, doesnt alter my feelings from Friday in any way: that is, the sadness and empathy I have for two marvelous hockey men I so admired when I was a kid. NHL Jerseys 2020 . LUCIE, Fla. Wholesale NHL Jerseys . 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Cheap NHL Jerseys . -- Colin Kaepernick insists he just happened to pull on a pair of socks with dollar bill prints all over them Wednesday morning -- before he learned he had struck a new fortune with the San Francisco 49ers.Santa Clara, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - The third-ranked Oregon Ducks will have revenge on their minds when they take on the eighth-ranked Arizona Wildcats in the Pac-12 Conference Championship game at Levis Stadium on Friday night. On Oct. 2, the then unranked Wildcats stunned the second-ranked Ducks, 31-24, in Autzen Stadium. The win was the second straight for Arizona over Oregon, with the Wildcats also logging a 42-16 triumph last season. Oregon still leads the all-time series, 24-16. It will be even more desperate to capture the 25th all-time win against the Wildcats this week. Were just going to play our game, Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota said. Arizona did a great job setting and dictating tempo in the last meeting. If we go out and execute to the best of our abilities and execute the game plans that are put in front of us we should hopefully be successful. After defeating the Ducks, Arizona lost two of three games, including a 17-7 setback on the road against UCLA. However, the Wildcats resurrected their conference title hopes by winning their next four games, including a 42-35 victory over in-state rival Arizona State last Friday. With that win, the Wildcats improved to 10-2 overall, marking their first 10-win season since 1998. They are still alive in the hunt for the College Football Playoff as well, but they would need to win their first-ever Pac-12 title, and first league title since tying for the Pac-10 crown back in 1993, to have a chance at the final four. Since losing to the Wildcats, Oregon has been red hot, ripping off seven straight victories. The Ducks average margin of victory during the lengthy win streak is an astounding 24.2 points per game. The setback against Arizona was the only one they suffered during the regular season, as they finished at 11-1 overall following last weeks demolition of Oregon State (47-19) in the Civil War. Oregon won the first-ever Pac-12 title in 2011 after notching back- to-back Pac-10 championships, but it has failed to get into the title game the last two seasons. A victory on Friday would all but guarantee the team a slot in the inaugural College Football Playoff. This contest promises to be quite the offensive exhibition, as both squads have had their fair share of success on that side of the ball this season. The Wildcats finished the regular season ranked fourth in the Pac-12 in both total offense (481.3 ypg) and scoring (36.7 ppg). The success of the team in that area, as well as in the standings, earned Rich Rodriguez Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors. One of the best decisions Rodriguez made all season occurred back in August, when he chose redshirt freshman Anu Solomon has his starting quarterback. Solomon rewarded Rodriguezs faith by turning in a strong campaign, completing 58.2 percent of his pass attempts for 3,424 yards, 27 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. His yardage total is fifth-best in the conference, although his completion percentage (.582) ranks 12th. Solomon was solid last week against Arizona State, accumulating 208 yards and two touchdowns on 15- of-21 passing. Samajie Grant was exceptionnal in that win, picking up 91 yards and two touchdowns on four receptions.dddddddddddd Grant (40 receptions, 645 yards, five TDs) is part of a trio of receivers who have been instrumental to Solomons success. Cayleb Jones (63 receptions, 831 yards, eight TDs) and Austin Hill (42 receptions, 586 yards, four TDs) are both dangerous as well and they will be needed even more this week, as Grant will not start after being cited on suspicion of driving under the influence last weekend. Of course it wouldnt be a Rodriguez offense without a strong running game, and Nick Wilson has made sure the Wildcats have one. Wilson (1,263 yards, 15 TDs) may not have had the explosive campaigns of KaDeem Carey, but he did rank fourth in the Pac-12 in rushing yards and second in rushing touchdowns. The real star for the Wildcats isnt on offense, however. Scooby Wright was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, and for good reason as he led the Pac-12 in tackles (140) and tackles for loss (28.0), while logging 14 sacks. Despite those efforts, Arizona is still a run-of-the-mill defensive squad, allowing 25.5 points and 434.7 yards per game. Wright and company know just how challenging it will be to slow down Oregon again. The Wildcats limited the Ducks to 446 yards in the meeting earlier this season. Repeating the accomplishment will be tough against an Oregon team that ranks fourth in the country in total offense (539.5 ypg). The top priority will be slowing down Mariota, a task Rodriguez knows is nearly impossible. I dont think you can say that we stopped him. If you look back at his stats, he got a lot of yards and big plays, but we got a couple turnovers, Rodriguez said of his defenses performance earlier this season. We have just been really lucky to get some things offensively and keep him off the field more often. Mariota, who was an easy choice as Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year, turned in a regular season for the ages, throwing for 3,470 yards and 36 touchdowns, with only two interceptions. As if his ability to throw wasnt frightening enough, Mariota also ran for 636 yards and 11 scores. Even if Arizona manages to cause some problems for Mariota, it still has to contend with a number of talented skill position players. Royce Freeman (1,185 yards, 16 TDs) was the teams leading rusher during the regular season. He has had at least 100 yards in five of the last seven games. Byron Marshall can run a bit as well (352 yards, TD), but he has been exceptional as a receiver out of the backfield, leading the Ducks in receptions (56) and receiving yards (791). Devon Allen (36 receptions, 638 yards, six TDs) and Dwayne Stanford (37 receptions, 557 yards, six TDs) are two targets Mariota favors as well. While it laid waste to regular season opponents on offense, Oregon was less dominant on the defensive side of the ball. The Ducks rank eighth in the Pac-12 in total defense (429.6 ypg), although that is partially a symptom of the quick-strike scheme of the offense, which often requires opposing offenses to be on the field more often and throw the ball more frequently. ' ' '

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Alabama coach Nick Saban can make more than $55 million over the next eight years with the Crimson Tide. A unanimous vote by the Alabama system trustees compensation committee Tuesday made Sabans new deal official nearly seven months after the university announced the agreement. The 62-year-old Saban will make $6.5 million in base pay and what the university describes as a "talent fee" plus a $400,000 completion bonus for each year. Its a seven-figure raise over the eight-year contract worth about $5.6 million annually he received in March 2012. New offensive co-ordinator Lane Kiffin will make $2.074 million over three years. Alabama athletic director Bill Battle said that Saban, often rumoured for other college and NFL jobs, will "be our head football coach for many years to come." "He is the best coach in the country and hes brought Alabama back to the pinnacle of college football," Battle said in a statement released by the university. "His success on the field is obviously second to none, but Coach Sabans influence on academics and all the other areas of our athletic programs are equally impressive to me." Saban is one of four coaches in The Associated Press poll era to win four national titles, joining Alabamas Bear Bryant, Southern Californias John McKay and Notre Dames Frank Leahy. "We are honoured by the commitment the University of Alabama has made to us with this new contract," Saban said in the prepared news release. "It is certainly a mutual agreement in terms of our commitment to the University of Alabama. We will continue to work hard to keep our football program among the nations elite. My passion has always been to develop young men to their full potential as student-athletes. "Weve had great success in that area at Alabama and Im appreciative of all the support and the resources we receive from the administration in order to make that happen." Saban has led the Crimson Tide to three national championships in seven seasons. Trustees also approved details on the contract for Kiffin. The former Tennessee and Southern California coach will make $680,000 salaries each of the next two years and $714,000 in the final year ending Feb. 28, 2017.. Other coaches got raises while defensive co-ordinator Kirby Smart had his deal extended one year through Feb. 28, 2017. He signed a three-year contract worth $3.85 million in 2013. Cheap Air Max 270 China . Picard had a goal and two assists to help Canada improve to 2-0 at the tournament. Seven different players scored for the two-time defending champions. "Today all four lines played excellent," said head coach Laura Schuler. Air Max Tn Wholesale China . Scheffler told The Associated Press on Wednesday he made the choice because he had three concussions over the past four years. http://www.cheapairmaxchinawholesale.com...-tn-outlet.html. FIFA said the suspension was requested by ethics prosecutor Michael Garcia, making Beckenbauer the first person to be punished as a result of the case. Beckenbauer refused "repeated requests for his assistance, including requests that he provide information during an in-person interview or in response to written questions provided in both English and German," FIFA said in a statement. Nike Air Max Outlet Sale . A spokeswoman for the NLRB says its "a very incremental move" and does not necessarily indicate the board is close to a finding in the case. NFL owners filed an unfair labour charge against the players union in February, arguing that the union was not negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement in good faith. Air Force 1 Cheap Outlet .The Hanwha Eagles said the team was impressed with Morgans contact ability and base-running skills.The 34-year-old debuted with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2007 and hit .An eye-opening 3-0 start following a tumultuous 3-15 season has more than a few across southern Manitoba and the entire CFL landscape taken aback by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and their surge out of the gate to start 2014. But dont think for a second the clubs rookie head coach is surprised. Answered in language reminiscent of a coach delivering his halftime speech in a Hollywood underdog story, Winnipegs Mike OShea responded matter-of-factly when asked if he was surprised by his teams 3-0 start. "No. No. This is what you put the work in for. This is why you make the decisions you make. This is why you keep the players you keep, and this is why you coach them as hard as you do. You do it because these guys want to win, and you need to give them your best shot," OShea told TSN 1290 Radio. "The group of guys weve got in here and how quickly theyve bought in to what were trying to do and accepted some change is just a credit to those guys. The guys in the room are the ones that get it done on the field." But neither the coach or the players are resting on the laurels from a quick start to the season. "Were not satisfied with what weve done so far," said OShea. "Were satisfied with the fact weve got six points (in the standings), but when we look at the film and we see the number of mistakes and the number of penalties and the decisions were making that cost us plays and drives, were not satisfied with that by any stretch of the imagination. Were not pleased." Early success and finding it were part of OSheas plan to help turn the Blue Bombers franchise around and get it back on a track to sustained success. "I said it right from the start. We need to win and win early to get this started. To get whatever this buy-in, the feeling, to be able to exhale and let stuff go from the prior year. But, once again, I wasnt here last year so I dont now how beaten-down they were." The last coupple years in Winnipeg have been rough on those in the football club, and thats putting things mildly.ddddddddddddOShea wants to ensure any lingering negativity from seasons past is wiped away, and that veteran Blue Bombers are ready to move on. "The idea that its not here we go again. I think with some teams you can sense it. You can sense the attitude just changes to, oh, here we go again, and it was important that we got rid of that very quickly. This isnt, here we go again. This is something completely different. We should be past that stage now. With these two last wins, coming from behind, I think were past that now, so whatever that next challenge is it gets revealed in the next tight game. Weve got to be able to conquer that too." That next challenge will likely come in the first marquee matchup of the 2014 CFL season, as the Week 4 schedule kicks off with a battle of the undefeated Thursday night. The 3-0 Edmonton Eskimos enter Winnipegs Investors Group Field looking to knock off the 3-0 Blue Bombers and grab sole possession of first place in the West. -- In addition to the return of defensive tackle Zach Anderson from a heel contusion, the only major change to Winnipegs lineup this week is at boundary wide receiver. Aaron Kellys left knee injury, deemed by Mike OShea as "a pain management" issue, will keep the receiver on the sidelines. Starting in his place will be 34-year-old Romby Bryant, who makes his first start in Blue and Gold since he was traded to Calgary back in 2009. "It feels good to get out there and get another chance, and play where it all started at," said Bryant, who began his CFL career with the Blue Bombers in 2008. "Thats how Im looking at it, is coming full circle. Do it for the fans that embraced me when I first got here." Bryant was released by the Toronto Argonauts earlier this season and signed with Winnipeg as a free agent in late June. ' ' '

DETROIT - Right from the start, it was easy to see which team had fresh legs.Gustav Nyquist and Pavel Datsyuk each scored twice to lead the Detroit Red Wings over the Los Angeles Kings 5-2 on Friday night.Nyquist had a pair of power-play goals, and Datsyuk and Tomas Tatar also scored in a four-goal first period to help the Red Wings win their third straight at Joe Louis Arena.Jimmy Howard made 28 saves — one on Dustin Browns penalty shot — for his fifth victory of the season. Detroit outshot the Kings 35-30 and kept the Stanley Cup champions winless on the road.The Kings took the ice a night after being shut out in Pittsburgh. The Red Wings, meanwhile, had Thursday off, and their fresher legs were obvious in the first period.We got off to a really good start. The power play was magic, said coach Mike Babcock, whose team started the game 25th in the NHL in power play efficiency.The schedule favoured us tonight and we were able to jump on L.A. early.Alec Martinez flicked a rebound past Howard midway through the second period to put the Kings on the board, and Tyler Toffoli added a short-handed goal early in the third.Los Angeles had a chance to make it a one-goal game when Brown was awarded a penalty shot 3 minutes into the third, but Howard made a pad save to maintain the two-goal cushion.The goalie had a bit of help.I think with all the rain today it was a bit humid tonight so it probably wasnt the best ice for him to do a move, Howard said. So I just stayed patient.Detroit scored on the games first power play when Nyquist sent home Henrik Zetterbergs centring pass 6 minutes into regulation.Datsyuk swiped the puck from Dwight King deep in the Kings zone midway through the first and made it 2-0 with his third of the season. Nyquist added his second goal and assisted on Tatars goal later in the period. Datsyuk added an empty-netter in the final minute.It was the first multigoal game of the season for Nyquist, who scored in each of the Red Wings first five games.Jonathan Quick had 30 saves for Los Angeles after giving up four goals on 12 shots in the opening period.I dont think we came out the right way and we were behind the whole game, Toffoli said. We just have to find a way to come out strong in the first period; not necessarily score goals but play our game.The Kings are 0-2-1 on a quick four-game road trip that ends Sunday at Carolina.The bottom line is weve played three games in four nights and theyre sitting here waiting and theyve got defencemen who can move the puck, coach Darryl Sutter said of Detroit. Thats whats going to happen.Fans found Get Well Gordie signs on their seats when they arrived for Detroits first home game since Hall of Famer Gordie Howe suffered a stroke Sunday at his daughters house in Texas. The sellout crowd held up the signs and stood for an extended ovation after being told Mr. Hockey was watching the game on TV.The 86-year-old Howe has difficulty using the right side of his body and is recuperating in Lubbock, Texas, with his family.The teams went to the first intermission with 1:52 left in the period to allow workers to replace a shattered pane of glass in one of the corners. Players returned to the ice to finish the first, then started the second period after a short break.NOTES: Detroit defenceman Kyle Quincey left in the first period with an ankle injury and did not return. Babcock said the team should know more Saturday. ... Los Angeles centre Anze Kopitar missed his third straight game with an upper-body injury. Teammate Marian Gaborik missed his eighth game with a similar injury. ... The Red Wings are the NHLs best penalty killers and kept the Kings scoreless on two chances to improve to 0 for 20 at home. ... Kings centre Trevor Lewis had an assist in his first game after missing three weeks with an upper-body injury. Greg Colbrunn Jersey . She was a pioneer. She did things on skis that made the birds take notice. Zac Gallen Jersey . -- Jacksonvilles offensive makeover is just getting starting. https://www.cheapdiamondbacksjerseys.us/. He was 40. Firefighters were called about 11 a.m. Friday because Brown was unresponsive at his home near the Inner Harbor, fire spokesman Battalion Chief Kevin Cartwright said. He said Brown was dead when firefighters arrived. Mike Morgan Jersey . - Titans quarterback Jake Locker will miss the rest of the season with a Lisfranc injury to his right foot, leaving Tennessee trying to rally with Ryan Fitzpatrick. Matt Mantei Jersey . LOUIS - Two-thirds of the St.SASKATOON -- A junior hockey player hospitalized in Saskatoon with meningitis remains in critical condition, but is stable and improving. A statement by the Saskatoon Health Region says doctors are slowly trying to wake Tim Bozon from a medically induced coma. His family has indicated he is responding to verbal stimuli. Bozon plays for the Kootenay Ice of the Western Hockey League and is a prospect with the NHL Montreal Canadiens. The 19-year-old was admitted March 1 to Saskatoons Royal University Hospital where he was diagnosed. His parents, Philippe and Helene, say they have been overwhelmed by email and social media messages of support from people around the world. "The family is very appreciative and will respond sometime in tthe near future," said the statement released Thursday.dddddddddddd "The family also wants to express thanks to the doctors and staff at Royal University Hospital for the care Tim has received." The Western Hockey League has established a trust fund to assist the Bozon family with medical and rehabilitation costs not covered by insurance. Details are to be released later this week. Bozon fell ill following a game Feb. 28 against the Saskatoon Blades. Health officials have been working to make sure anyone who may have come into contact with the bacteria that causes the illness receives appropriate treatment. Bozon was selected in the third round, 64th overall, by Montreal in the 2012 National Hockey League draft. ' ' '

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- David Lee had 23 points and 11 rebounds, Klay Thompson scored 18 points and the Golden State Warriors held off the Sacramento Kings 101-92 on Wednesday night in a game both teams played short-handed. Stephen Curry added 13 points and eight assists for the Warriors (32-22) in the first game following the All-Star break for each team. Golden State is 3-0 against Sacramento this season. With both centres out with injuries and a shorter roster from trades each team made earlier in the day, the depth of the Warriors was just too much for the Kings to overcome. Isaiah Thomas had 26 points and seven assists, and Travis Outlaw scored 18 points for a Sacramento (18-36) team thats headed for an eighth straight losing season. Quincy Acy grabbed a career-high 12 boards to help the Kings outrebound the Warriors 49-35, but Sacramento committed 21 turnovers, fading in the closing minutes. The game was played in the aftermath of a busy day for both Northern California teams. The Kings traded guard Marcus Thornton to Brooklyn for veterans Jason Terry and Reggie Evans in the afternoon. Just before tipoff, the Warriors acquired point guard Steve Blake from the Los Angeles Lakers for reserves Kent Bazemore and MarShon Brooks. Andrew Bogut also missed his fifth straight game for the Warriors with a left shoulder injury. DeMarcus Cousins, who strained his left hip flexor in Sacramentos final game before the break in New York, also sat out. Both centres are day to day. The Kings dropped to 0-8 without Cousins this season but still led 76-75 entering the fourth quarter. The Warriors quickly put together a pair of scoring spurts to pull away. Lee converted a layup through traffic, Thompson made a 3-pointer and Andre Iguodala hit a fadeway jumper in an 8-0 run that gave Golden State an 86-79 lead early in the fourth. After the Kings started to rally, Iguodala found Draymond Green for a dunk, and Lee followed with a layup that put the Warriors up 94-84 with 3:28 remaining that all but sealed it. Most of the game played out in similar fashion. The Warriors went ahead by 10 points in the first quarter and 15 in the second, spreading the floor and moving the ball fast without any true centres on the court. The Kings had come back each time, though, playing just like the two-faced team theyd been before the All-Streak break -- prone to scintillating scoring spurts but, at times, lacking defence and discipline -- that buried them at the bottom of the Western Conference standings. Sacramento scored the final nine points of the third quarter, including the last six by Thomas, to take a 76-75 lead before the Warriors pulled away for good. NOTES: The teams meet for the final time this season April 4 in Oakland. ... Recently retired NFL tight end Tony Gonzalez, a former star at California, sat in a courtside seat between Kings owner Vivek Ranadive and team executive Chris Mullin. ... The Warriors are hoping Blake will be in uniform when they host Houston on Thursday night in Oakland. ... Terry and Evans should have plenty of time to make it to Sacramento before the Kings host Boston on Saturday night. Alex Kovalev Jersey . Three pitches later, he was hugging Mike Napoli at home plate after his teammates winning home run. Napoli and Ortiz hit consecutive homers with one out in the 10th inning and the Boston Red Sox rallied past Minnesota 2-1 Wednesday, sending the Twins to their fifth straight loss. Penguins Jerseys 2020 . "Youre next." Hardly. Iguodala tormented his former team with a game better than any he ever played in eight seasons with the 76ers. https://www.cheappenguinsjersey.com/. Sources tell TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun the international tournament will likely return in September 2016 rather than 2015. Rick Kehoe Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Pascal Dupuis Jersey . Last July, F1 teams held in-season testing sessions at Silverstone to assess new tires provided by Pirelli after several blowouts on the same circuit at the British Grand Prix in June prompted a furious response from drivers and even a boycott threat the following week.Ronnie OSullivan will face David Gilbert in the first round of the World Championship, with the match starting on Sunday. Former potato farmer Gilbert, 34, is enjoying the best season of his career and was a runner-up at the International Championship in China in November.The Tamworth man secured his place in the main draw for Sheffield with victory over Jack Lisowski in the final qualifying round on Wednesday. Five-time champion OSullivan, 40, is the favourite for the Crucible title, having already triumphed at the Masters and Welsh Open this year.Defending champion Stuart Bingham begins his challenge on Saturday with a tough opener against two-time beaten finalist Ali Carter.Other highlights of the first-round draw include the all-Scottish clash of Stephen Maguire and Alan McManus, Judd Trumps match against Liang Wenbo and a repeat of last years quarter-final between Shaun Murphy and Anthony McGill. Stuart Bingham will start his title defence against Ali Carter Four-time champion John Higgins plays Ryan Day first, Mark Selby tackles Robert Milkins, while Chinas former world No 1 Ding Junhui, who was widely considered the qualifier best avoided, was handed a tie against Martin Gould.Former world champions Mark Williams and Graeme Dott go head to head.The only debutant in this years tournament, Birminghams Mitchell Mann, will play former semi-finalist Mark Allen. World Championship First Round Draw Stuart Bingham v Ali Carter Stephen Maguire v Alan McManus Ricky Walden v Robbie Williams John Higgins v Ryan Day Judd Trump v Liang Wenbo Martin Gould v Ding Junhui Mark Williams v Graeme Dott Neil Robertson v Michael Holt Shaun Murphy v Anthony McGill Marco Fu v Peter Ebdon Barry Hawkins v Zhang Anda Ronnie OSullivan v David Gilbert Mark Allen v Mitchell Mann Joe Perry v Kyren Wilson Michael White v Sam Baird Mark Selby v Robert Milkins Also See: Mann ready for Wembley Ding targets Crucible seeds Maximum heartbreak for Un-Nooh White beaten in qualifying ' ' '

NEWARK, N.J. -- Matt Prater was at home in bed late last week, trying to recover from a nasty illness, when he flipped on his TV. There at the bottom of the screen was a line that made him feel even more queasy: "It said, Matt Prater questionable for Super Bowl," the Denver Broncos kicker said with a laugh during media day Tuesday. "I was like, Where is that coming from? It was definitely strange, but I guess for the Super Bowl, everythings a big deal." Prater found that out firsthand after he missed practices from last Thursday through Saturday when he was sent home by the team so he could recover in time for this week -- and not get any of his teammates sick. "Im feeling a lot better and I should be fine Sunday," Prater said, showing no signs of sniffles from the flu bug that he couldnt kick for a few days. "I mean, I wasnt dying. I was definitely really sick and I was basically useless for four days. I felt like a truck hit me, but I wouldve still tried to play in the Super Bowl even if I was sick." The big-legged kicker who set an NFL record with a 64-yarder on Dec. 8 in Denver wasnt concerned about the chances of not being at full strength for the big game against Seattle. Prater kicked Monday at practice for the first time since the AFC championship game against New England. "I didnt feel too rusty," Prater said. Prater is 30 of 31 on field-goal attempts this season, including 5-for-5 in the playoffs. The only miss was a 52-yarder that was barely wide left on Dec. 1 at Kansas City. The next week at Denver, he booted the record-breaker in icy conditions. "I remember the first time he kicked a ball in front of me and it jumped off his foot, I was amazed how hard he kicked it," said second-year long snapper Aaron Brewer. "Its comforting to know he can kick it from anywhere." Prater also led the NFL with 81 touchbacks and was 12 of 12 in kickoff touchbacks in the Broncos two home playoff games. It will have been five weeks by the time the Super Bowl rolls around since the Broncos special teams unit covered a kickoff. So, Praters leg strength could be a factor if hes not ready to boom kicks out of the end zone. The site and conditions could also play a role. In the Broncos game against the Giants at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 15, five of Praters eight kickoffs were returned, his season-low touchback rate -- and that was in 70-degree, sunny conditions with minimal wind. The temperatures are expected to be in the 30s around kickoff Sunday. "I feel pretty good," Prater said. "I just need to get my bearings back a little bit. Maybe it was good to have a few days off. Im just hoping to get completely healthy and be ready for Sunday." Prater plans to line up from about 65 yards out before the game, just to gauge his range. The fact MetLife Stadium has FieldTurf is a plus, too, because it provides what he called "perfect conditions" no matter the weather. With the Broncos top-ranked offence going up against the Seahawks No. 1 defence, theres a chance it could be a tight game that comes down to a field-goal attempt. "Weve done it so many times and Matts so good that I almost feel like theres no pressure on me and all the pressures on him," said punter Britton Colquitt, whos also the holder on field goals. "He even says, I dont care about the laces or anything. Just put it down, and Ill kick it. Hes very confident." And for good reason. Prater, in his seventh season with the Broncos, has converted 47 of 50 career field goals in the fourth quarter, and is 4 for 4 in overtime. He also has the best field-goal percentage from 50-plus yards (.778, 21 of 27) in league history among players with 20 or more attempts who began their careers after 1970. Despite all those gaudy stats and clutch kicks, Prater would rather Peyton Manning and the Broncos offence make it a rout Sunday. "It would be an awesome game if Im just kicking extra points," he said, laughing. "Ill take a three-touchdown win." Elandon Roberts Jersey . Francis told several hundred members of the European Olympic Committees that when sport "is considered only in economic terms and consequently for victory at every cost . Gino Cappelletti Jersey . -- DeMarcus Cousins had 25 points and 16 rebounds to help the Sacramento Kings snap a seven-game losing streak by defeating the Chicago Bulls 99-70 on Monday night. https://www.patriotsjerseysale.com/911p-...y-patriots.html. He made the comment at a media availability Saturday prior to Game 2 of the Boston-Montreal playoff series when a Quebec reporter said there is sentiment in Quebec that the NHL looks more favourably on Seattle than Quebec City when it comes to future expansion. Jason McCourty Jersey . The 36-year-old Colts receiver is going back to the playoffs as a division champion. Damien Harris Jersey .Y. - Everyone expected Clayton Kershaw to pitch a shutout, and he did — a unanimous choice for the NL Cy Young Award.CLEVELAND -- Billy Cundiff didnt make Browns fans forget kicker Phil Dawson. However, he did make them miss him a little less. Cundiff, who had the unenviable job of replacing Dawson last season, agreed Thursday to a one-year, $1.02 million contract with the Browns. Cundiff was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent last week, but Cleveland locked him up for another year. After the Browns front office allowed the popular Dawson, a Pro Bowler the previous season, to leave and sign with San Francisco last year, Cundiff made 21 of 26 field-goal attempts and 32 extra points in 16 games. Cundiff also set a franchise record with 42 touchbacks. Of Cundiffs 62 kickoffs, the oppoosing team started at or inside their own 20-year line 53 times.dddddddddddd The 33-year-old Cundiff, who began his NFL career with Dallas in 2002, made the Pro Bowl with Baltimore in 2010. He kicked in five games for the Browns in 2009 and has also played for New Orleans and Washington. He was in training camp with the New York Jets last summer before he was waived on Aug. 28. The Browns signed him Sept. 3 and he was able to adequately fill in for Dawson, who had kicked for Cleveland since the franchises expansion rebirth in 1999 and holds most of the clubs kicking records. During his pro career, Cundiff has converted 76 per cent (122 of 160) of his field-goal attempts. ' ' '

BOSTON -- Manny Ramirez apologized Wednesday for his behaviour with the Boston Red Sox in his first public appearance since being hired as a minor league player-coach with the Chicago Cubs. His apology came before a pregame ceremony in which the team honoured its 2004 team that won Bostons first World Series championship since 1918. "I realize that I behaved bad in Boston," Ramirez said. "The fans were great. I also played great when I was here, but I realized I behaved bad. I apologize for that. Im a new man." He said he has been attending church for almost a year. During seven-plus seasons with Boston, Ramirez hit .312 with 274 homers and 868 RBIs before being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008. While with Boston, he often jogged to first base and after fly balls, had a physical altercation with travelling secretary Jack McCormick and exhibited quirky behaviour that led to the phrase, "Manny being Manny." Ramirez was the last of more than 30 members of the 2004 team introduced before Bostons game against the Atlanta Braves. He was the MVP of that World Series sweep over St. Louis. He threw the ceremonial first pitch, but Johnny Damon cut it off, rolled to the ground and relayed the ball to catcher Jason Varitek behind the plate. It mimicked a play in 2004 when Damon fielded a ball off the centre-field wall and threw toward third base. But Ramirez inexplicably dove and cut it off rather than let it go through, allowing Baltimores David Newhan to get an inside-the-park homer. Ramirez received a warm reception as he entered the field through a door on the left field scoreboard in the Green Monster. He occasionally would use the door to go into the cramped area behind the scoreboard during pitching changes. On Wednesday night, the crowd chanted "Manny, Manny," when he was introduced and walked toward the infield. Current designated hitter David Ortiz is the only Red Sox player remaining from the 2004 team. "Now that I see David and the rest of the guys, I wish I could have done better," Ramirez said. "I wish it turned out better than it did." Now he hopes to make a good impression on players in the Cubs farm system. "Im looking forward to that," Ramirez said. "I can go over there and meet those kids and teach them what to do in the field and what not to do off the field. Its going to be a blast. Were going to have fun out there." Other players from the 2004 team who received loud ovations where pitchers Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling and outfielder Kevin Millar. Schilling, who has skipped other Fenway Park events this season while being treated for cancer, was accompanied by his son Gehrig as they walked in together from left field. Keith Foulke, who was on the mound for the final out of the 2004 World Series, carried the championship trophy as he made his way to the infield. "You work your entire career and you always dream of being on top for at least once," Foulke said before Wednesdays game. "Were honoured to be a part of something that, unfortunately, had been set up by a lot of failure. Were proud to be a part of it, Ill tell you that." Ramirez appeared with a haircut in which the sides of his head were shaved, leaving hair only on top. "Its Manny," Foulke said, with a laugh. Wholesale Vapormax . He just didnt expect them to be this good. Darrun Hilliard scored 19 points to lead No. 6 Villanova to a dominating 77-59 victory over Georgetown on Saturday, preserving the Wildcats hopes of a No. Cheap Air Force 1 Outlet .Patterson marked his anniversary by proving his worth — once again.Lou Williams poured in 26 points, and Patterson drained two huge three-pointers late in the fourth quarter, as the Raptors topped the Denver Nuggets 112-107 in overtime Monday. http://www.fakejordancheap.com/wholesale...-350-china.html. MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez also will attend the session, which was announced Monday. The league has discussed placing its next two expansion teams in Miami and Atlanta. Fake Jordan Shoes . Lack replaced an injured Roberto Luongo late in the first period then watched defenceman Chris Tanev score the winning goal midway through the third as the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Jets 2-1 in a tight NHL game. Fake Air Force 1 . The motion to expand the stadiums capacity passed through by a count of 39-3, with Toronto mayor Rob Ford being among those in opposition. MINNEAPOLIS -- The Oakland Athletics brought Jim Johnson into their bullpen when they lost All-Star closer Grant Balfour in free agency. Two weeks into the season, Johnson is 0-2 with an 18.90 ERA and one blown save in five appearances for the Athletics. Manager Bob Melvin couldnt afford to wait while the former Orioles closer got into a groove, removing him from that role on Thursday. Melvin will proceed with a closer-by-committee approach. "Theres no timetable," Melvin told As beat writers before the team played their series finale against the Minnesota Twins. "Lets just get him straightened out. And we have plenty of options. Thats the good thing about our team, our versatility. Well play it by ear based on how the games going, whos available on that particular day." Hes allowed at least two runs in three of his five appearances, his seven total runs allowed is tied for the most in the AL among relievers. Hes allowed moore walks and hits than any other reliever in the league.dddddddddddd. Its a far cry from the dominant reliever who saved 50 games for the Orioles last season, tied with Atlantas Craig Kimbrel for the most in the majors. The As were in the market when Balfour, who had 38 saves last year to help Oakland win its second straight AL West title, signed with the Tampa Bay Rays over the winter. Johnson is making $10 million and will be a free agent at the end of this season, but the As can take heart that he has recovered from similar funks before to post solid seasons. Last year, he was charged with three losses and four of his nine total blown saves during a tough six-game stretch in the middle of May. He allowed 12 runs over five innings in that stretch, but posted a 1.52 ERA in his other 69 appearances. Oakland will use Dan Otero, Ryan Cook, Luke Gregorson and Sean Doolittle in save situations, depending on the matchup. ' ' '

You may or may not be aware that I am a massive baseball fan. I love it. You, however, may not be and you are probably expecting a column on soccer in this spot of the site. Dont worry, it is coming. Stay with me. The 2014 Major League Baseball season is not yet three weeks old and it is in a bit of a mess. I often use that great sport as a companion in my down time, away from the beautiful game I am blessed enough to cover. During this time I will watch many games, very often not complete ones, around the continent by using my remote control to allow me to jump into numerous different ballparks. I will read plenty and listen to many smart baseball media personalities talk about the game. Except, this season has been very different. Those pages I turn, the sites I visit and the podcasts and stations I listen to have been flooded by debates about replay, challenges and rule changes. When is a runner out at first base? Where does the ball need to land in the glove? When is a lane not being opened for a runner heading from third for a play at the plate? When is the catcher breaking the rules by blocking the plate when in possession of the ball? Why is a Yankee being called safe, even after a replay call, when the world can see on their own monitors live that he was tagged by a Red Sox player while his foot was off the bag? Why, while dealing with replay issues, is the sport taking a moronic approach to another fight about the transfer of the ball to the glove after a catch? Blah blah blah. My ears hurt. Back to soccer. For a minute. One of the true charms of the sport, for me, has always been the amount of discussions that surround what actually happens to the players between the white lines. Yes, the sport has a gambling and a fantasy component but most discussions about the sport are about the sport. In fact now, more than ever, thanks to the fine work being done by tactical writers like Michael Cox and analytical, statistical authors like Simon Gleave and many others, more than ever we are surrounded by insightful analysis around incidents and conclusions that have been determined on the pitch. Pundits like Gary Neville on Sky Sports has also taken his industry to a different level and I like to think the fine team here at TSN that I am a part of helps to deliver a similar message. Entertain and inform the audience about what is happening on the field. Compare this to the NFL, which in the United States is as enormous as the Premier League is in England. Except, the analysis around it is much different. The majority of their fans desire discussions on betting lines and fantasy previews. While this is being delivered to them, what actually is happening is the audience is getting less educated about what kind of players play the game. They see their wide receiver, for example, on their fantasy team and look for his stats but they dont know what kind of routes he runs to confuse defensive backs. Theyll hope their fantasy quarterback will deliver the goods on Sunday but if he doesnt most arent told why not and by Tuesday they dont care as the planning goes into the following fantasy week matchup. Over the last decade, Formula One racing has mastered a way to feed hungry fans with a lot of stories away from their races, because, quite frankly, many on-track narratives in the last few years havent been interesting enough. Baseball, for me, was always different. I love hearing why players are struggling or improving and so many other nuances on the diamond that make it so great. Except now the sport is searching for perfection in an imperfect world. One respected writer said this week the replay system is not a mess, sure its got problems but they are still now getting more calls correct than they used to. Yes, but at what cost? The sport is all over the media and for the wrong reasons. Or, perhaps, the right reasons and not just the reason I want. Despite record revenues and attendances, baseball does worry about his lack of coverage compared to other big sports like football and basketball. Maybe this is a way of combating that. Maybe. Soccer certainly does not need such attention. As the world evolves in front of our very eyes, attention spans are getting smaller and smaller yet more people than ever are watching the game globally. And in a World Cup year that number will grow again. Eyes in every nation across the world will focus on what is happening between the white lines. For a sport that plays shorter games than most and nowhere near as often as most, that is a significant achievement for both those who cover it and those who watch it. Combined in 2014 they have managed to accomplish what the purpose of sport is in the first place. Anything with large sums of money involved will always have complications and politics, but throughout that it is important for us all to never be distracted from the magnificent accomplishments athletes reach on a daily basis. They are the reasons people flock to watch professional sports and they are deserving of the coverage. They bring great joy and pleasure to lives that can be full of difficulties. When the public actually gets time to read, watch or listen to their sport they deserve to be told more about the people who attracted them to the sport in the first place. And this brings me back to my original point. Technology does not have every answer to questions thrown up by the game. Goal-line technology is now here to stay and does not disrupt the game or dominate news cycles for weeks on end but that is where is must stop. There are many ways for the sport to progress and help referees but further technology is not one of them. Yes, mistakes will continue and during the World Cup this summer one will likely happen where more people will call for technology to change the game. Except, it doesnt just change the game, it changes the focus. Sure, if you have time this summer read up all on the politics of Brazil 2014, the bidding process around the next two World Cups, the issues with stadiums and potential crime but if you are a true fan of the sport nothing should be more exciting for you than Brazil vs Croatia on the opening day. Eight weeks today it kicks off. I can hardly wait. Fake Raptors Jerseys . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins (5) – He had a brilliant game; it was a huge response for his average games before. Toronto Raptors Shirts .C. - Nick Merkley and Damon Severson each had a goal and two assists as the Kelowna Rockets downed the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds 6-3 on Saturday in Western Hockey League playoff action. https://www.cheapraptors.com/. It was a loss. But it was also a learning experience. Deron Williams and Joe Johnson had 24 points each to lift Brooklyn to a 94-87 win over the Raptors, making their first playoff appearance since 08. "I thought we played a little bit as expected as it is our first playoff game," Toronto coach Dwane Casey said. Toronto Raptors Pro Shop . The Redblacks are taking on the Edmonton Eskimos in their second regular season game Friday night. Catch the game live on TSN as the back end of a doubleheader starting at 10pm et/7pm pt. Wholesale Raptors Jerseys . Or how his team has defended Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Or just about anything that has happened on the court in the first-round playoff series. Instead, Rivers and his players spent Saturday talking about how they would respond to an audio recording of a man identified as Clippers owner Donald Sterling telling his girlfriend not to bring black people to games.FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - Saying his team followed every rule to the letter, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick described in detail how his team prepares its footballs on game day and defended his players from chatter that they made it to the Super Bowl by cheating.At no time was there any intent whatsoever to try to compromise the integrity of the game or to gain an advantage, Belichick said in an unscheduled availability on Saturday afternoon, eight days before the Patriots will play the Seattle Seahawks for the NFL championship.Quite the opposite: we feel like we followed the rules of the game to the letter, he said. We try to do everything right. We err on the side of caution. Its been that way now for many years. Anything thats close, we stay as far away from the line as we can.Speaking once again with authority on a topic he previously professed ignorance of, Belichick said the team conducted an internal study on the process of getting game balls ready.Most of the steps are designed to make them tackier, which has a noticeable effect on how it feels, he said, but the process could also affect the pressure inside the ball, which is harder to tell by touch.Im not a scientist. Im not an expert in footballs; Im not an expert in football measurements, Belichick said. Im just telling you what I know.The Patriots reached the Super Bowl for the sixth time in Belichicks tenure when they beat the Colts 45-7 in the AFC championship game on Sunday. But later that night, Indianapolis TV station WTHR reported that some of the game balls provided by New England for the use of its offence werent sufficiently inflated.The NFL said its initial investigation confirmed that some of the footballs used in the first half of the conference title game were underinflated. On Thursday, Belichick deferred questions on the game balls to Brady; the quarterback also denied any impropriety.Wide receiver Matthew Slater, who also serves as the teams union rep, said Saturday that the players had been instructed by the NFLPA not to comment on the situation.But in the slow news off-days before Super Bowl week, the allegations received disproportionate attention — and Twitter hashtags such as Deflategate and Ballghazii — along with comparisons to the videotaping scandal of 2007, when the Patriots were hit with unprecedented penalties after Belichick was caught recording opposing coaches sending in signals from the sidelines.ddddddddddddBelichick denied that there is a pattern of rule-breaking, or even of pushing the rules to their limit.It was wrong. We were disciplined for it. Thats it. We never did it again. Were never going to do it again, Belichick said of the scandal that came to be known as Spygate. And anything else thats close, were not going to do either.A football lifer who only seems happy on the sidelines, if at all, Belichick is known for an absolute attention to detail that prepares his team for every imaginable situation.But instead of getting ready for the Super Bowl, he said he has spent far too much time the past week studying the science and learning about bladders, air gauges, stitching, pressure, game day football preparation, rubdowns and so forth.Im embarrassed to talk about the amount of time that Ive put into this relative to the other important challenge in front of us, he said. It sounds simple, and Im not trying to say that were trying to land a guy on the moon, but there are a lot of things here that are a little hard to get a handle on.But Belichick seemed most emotional when he came to the defence of his team. Among the questions he and his players have been asked this week is whether they cheated to get to the Super Bowl.Belichick praised his players, who went 12-4 in the regular season, won an 11th division title in 12 years, made a fourth straight trip — and ninth overall — to the conference championship game, and have a chance for a fourth NFL title in his tenure.Theyre a physically and mentally tough team that works hard, that trains hard, that prepares hard and have met every challenge that I put in front of them, he said.This team was the best team in the AFC in the regular season. ... The best team in the post-season, thats what this team is. I know that because Ive been with them every day. And Im proud of this team.___Follow Jimmy Golen on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/jgolen .___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '

Bad Gastein, Austria - Second seed Sara Errani, former champion Andrea Petkovic and a pair of Americans landed in the semifinals at the Nurnberger Gastein Ladies tennis tournament. The former French Open runner-up Errani came from behind to beat South African Chanelle Scheepers, 2-6, 6-1, 6-3, at this clay court event. Erranis opponent on Saturday will be American Shelby Rogers, who upset seventh-seeded rising Italian Camila Giorgi, 6-1, 7-5, on Day 5. Rogers is a 21-year-old qualifier from Charleston, South Carolina. The 147th- ranked American hadnt beaten a top-50 player prior to this week, but has already vanquished world No. 16 Carla Suarez Navarro and the No. 40 Giorgi. Meanwhile, a fourth-seeded Petkovic, who was the Bad Gastein champion in 2009, blew past Swiss Stefanie Voegele, 6-3, 6-2. Up next for the German "Petko" will be American Grace Min, who ousted eighth- seeded Czech Karolina Pliskova, 6-2, 6-1. The 138th-ranked Min is a 20-year- old native of Atlanta, Georgia. Sundays titlist will claim $47,000. Air Max Baratas Spain . Long snapper Patrick Mannelly announced Friday that he is retiring after a 16-year-career with the Bears, a span in which he played in a team record 245 games and snapped the ball 2,282 times. Yeezy Mujer Baratas . Neither made it that far in 2013. Not even close. Federer lost his second match at the All England Club. Nadal exited in the first round, a year after bowing out in the second. https://www.zapatillasbaratasspain.es/za...line-d2288.html. No surprise there. Kershaw, who also earned the title after throwing his first career no-hitter in June, had a 1. Zapatillas Baratas . That was OK with him. He was just happy his team came away with two points. Letestu redirected Jack Johnsons shot from the point with 2:38 left, lifting the Blue Jackets past the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 on Monday night. Air Jordan Falsas . 22 because of a bruised foot and have added forward Sean Collins to the roster on emergency recall from Springfield of the AHL.The Ottawa Redblacks garnered the most attention with their trades during the CFL Draft Tuesday night, but the Edmonton Eskimos also made a significant move to land a solid, veteran player. As part of their return for sending the third overall pick to the Toronto Argonauts, who used it to select running back Anthony Coombs, the Eskimos received veteran offensive tackle Tony Washington. Washington spent the past two seasons with the Argonauts after starting his career in Calgary, helping the Double Blue win the 100th GGrey Cup in 2012.dddddddddddd The move reunites Washington with head coach Chris Jones, Torontos defensive coordinator the past two seasons. Along with Washington, the Eskimos also received Torontos first and second round picks, selecting wide receiver Devon Bailey and running back Aaron Milton, defensive back Otha Foster, and a negotiation list player. As part of the deal the Eskimos also sent their third round pick to Toronto, with the Argonauts using it to select defensive lineman Jaskaran Dhillon. ' ' '