HOUSTON -- Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan rejoined the Houston Astros on Tuesday as an executive adviser. Vapormax Schweiz Kaufen . Ryan worked as a special assistant to the general manager in Houston from 2004 until he became president of the Texas Rangers in 2008. He added CEO to his title with the Rangers in 2011 and remained in that position until he stepped down in October. Ryan will serve as an adviser to owner Jim Crane, general manager Jeff Luhnow and his son and president of business operations Reid Ryan. "Im very excited to be back with the Astros," the elder Ryan said in a statement. "Im happy to assist Jim, Jeff and Reid in any way I can. The Astros have a solid foundation with a strong farm system. I think the future is bright for Houston and Im looking forward to my involvement." The Astros have lost more than 100 games in each of the last three seasons, but their minor league system has been ranked among the best in baseball this off-season. Crane is glad to have Ryan back in Houston after his time with the Rangers. "We will use his experience, expertise and knowledge to improve the Astros in all areas," Crane said. "He will be an integral part of our management team. Nolan wants to be a part of our success moving forward." Ryan, who played for the Astros for nine seasons, is major league baseballs career strikeout leader and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1999. "Nolan Ryans experience and insights will help us on the baseball side -- both in terms of decision-making and in maximizing the productivity of our players," Luhnow said. "Im fortunate as a general manager to get advice and guidance from great former players and Astros -- Craig Biggio, Roger Clemens and now Nolan Ryan." Ryan won 324 games and set records for strikeouts (5,714) and no-hitters (seven) in a 27-year major league career. He signed with the Astros in 1980 and helped them to their first post-season appearance that year and back to the playoffs in 1981 and 1986. Reid Ryan joined the Astros last season and is looking forward to working with his father. "The opportunity to work with my father is very special," he said. "Hes had success in baseball on many levels and will be a great addition to our organization." The team said Nolan Ryan will join the team at spring training in the next few weeks. Nike Air Max 90 Günstig Herren . -- Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Sidney Rice tweeted an apparent goodbye after a report about his pending release. Nike Air Max 200 Günstig . - Justin Turner is at his best with runners in scoring position, and he delivered again in a big spot for the Los Angeles Dodgers. http://www.shopairmaxschweiz.com/air-max-97-fake-kaufen/max-97-damen-billig.html . "This doesnt end anything," he said. "Weve got 10-1 in our last 11 games, and were going home in first place. We just have to keep playing the way we are right now.Arcadia, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Leading Canadian filly Lexie Lou will return to the races Saturday in the $200,000 La Canada Stakes at Santa Anita. Lexie Lou, trained by Mark Casse, will make her 4-year-old debut in the 1 1/16-mile stakes versus seven other older fillies and mares. The filly, owned by Gary Barber, will break from post 3 with Corey Nakatani again riding. Lexie Lou won last years Queens Plate at Woodbine versus 3-year-old males after vanquishing 3-year-old fillies in the Woodbine Oaks. The filly finished out 2014 with a runner-up result behind Callifornia Chrome in the Hollywood Derby on Nov. Nike Air Vapormax Flyknit Schweiz. . 29 over Del Mars turf course. The Canadian-bred 4-year-old has won seven of 16 career starts for $1,429,714. Here is the complete field for the 41st running of the La Canada in post position order: Fleet of Gold, Alex Solis; Sams Sister, Elvis Trujillo; Lexie Lou, Corey Nakatani; Thegirlinthatsong, Rafael Bejarano; Jojo Warrior, Martin Garcia; Une Cherise, Joe Talamo; Ramonas Wildcat, Kent Desormeaux and Colonel Joan, Gary Stevens. Post time for the La Canada will be approximately 7 p.m. ET. ' ' '

GLENDALE, Ariz. NBA Jerseys 2020 . - Shane Doan skated toward Frederik Andersen, sending a shot he intended to put between the goalies legs. Instead, Doans stick broke and the blade sailed over Andersens shoulder.Confused by what happened, Doan glanced back just in time to see the puck trickle over the line. Even then, Arizonas captain wasnt sure if the goal counted because of the broken stick.It did, giving Doan his first shootout goal since 2012 and the Coyotes a rare winning streak.Doan scored the only goal in the shootout with the broken stick, Devan Dubnyk stopped 36 shots and the Coyotes beat the Anaheim Ducks 2-1 on Saturday night.In your head, youre like: Did that really just happen? Is it going to work? Doan said. When I saw him point at the net, I was pretty excited.Zbynek Michalek scored in the first period and Arizona played well in its own end against one of the NHLs most explosive teams.Dubnyk was sharp from the start and gave the Coyotes a chance with some big saves in the third period when Anaheim picked up the pressure.After both teams failed to score the first three rounds of the shootout, Arizona coach Dave Tippett sent out Doan for the fourth.He hadnt taken a shot in a shootout this season and appeared to have no chance at scoring when his stick broke on the shot. But with the blade distracting Andersen as it sailed past, the puck trickled toward the right post and just sneaked over the line before Anaheims goalie could react.Too bad you cant get a save for stopping the blade, Andersen said. For a split second, that was my reaction (following the blade), it happened so fast. Yeah, thats a weird goal.Andersen was sharp after the holiday break, stopping 28 shots and giving up two goals on screens — one by Sam Gagner on Michaleks goal, the other by Doans stick.Rene Bourque scored for the Ducks, who are still undefeated in one-goal games (17-0-6) despite the fluky shootout goal.More power to them, Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said. Its a lucky goal, but they got it.Anaheim was arguably the NHLs best team before the holiday break, rising to the top of the NHL with 51 points while tying for the league lead with 23 wins.The Coyotes have been one of the leagues worst teams, struggling at both ends of the ice to lurk near the bottom of the Western Conference. Arizona entered the break with 12 wins — five of those against Edmonton after beating the struggling Oilers 5-1 on Tuesday night.The Ducks jumped on Arizona early, scoring in the first period when Bourque beat Dubnyk on a one-timer from just outside the crease after Ryan Getzlaf juked his way through Arizonas defence.Michalek answered 1:13 later with a hard shot from near the blue line that Andersen had trouble seeing as Gagner skated past.The score held up through the second period, thanks to the goalies.Andersen had some tough stops, splaying out on one to rob Mikkel Boedker on a rebound. Dubnyk was solid, too, the highlight a snatching glove save on Patrick Maroons shot from the left circle.Dubnyk made a few more tough saves and got a break early in the third, when a shot by Andrew Cogliano got by him but hit the crossbar. Dubnyk stopped 18 shots in the period, including a blocker stop on Maroon with a second left in regulation.Andersen made another big save late in overtime, stopping Antoine Vermette on a semi-breakaway.That set the stage for Doans stick-breaking winner, giving Arizona consecutive wins for the first time since beating Vancouver and Edmonton on Nov. 14 and 16.Ive seen a lot of things in this game for a long time and never seen that before, Tippett said. I just watched the replay and you couldnt do it again if you tried it a thousand times.Notes: The game included the players with the three longest active consecutive games streak: Cogliano (577), Vermette (428) and Arizona defenceman Keith Yandle (420). ... Doan played game No. 1,350, passing Kirk Muller for 45th on the NHLs career list. ... ... Arizona LW Lauri Korpikoski returned after missing four games with a lower-body injury. NBA Jerseys . This is not some token job for a prominent, popular former player. All of those areas need a lot of work, so Molitor is going to be busy. "Hes certainly got a history and knowledge and a high baseball IQ," general manager Terry Ryan said. Fake NBA Jerseys . - The first sign that Kansas Speedway was going to be a heartbreaker for Hendrick Motorsports should have come during qualifying when Jimmie Johnson inexplicably spun and earned one of his worst starting spots since 2005. https://www.cheapnbajerseysjustwholesale.com/ . Ashton scored a hat trick -- giving him 13 goals in 16 AHL games this season -- to power the Toronto Marlies to a 5-2 victory over the visiting Lake Erie Monsters in AHL action on Sunday.Winnipeg, MB (SportsNetwork.com) - The Winnipeg Jets will have defenseman Jacob Trouba back in the lineup for Wednesdays game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Trouba has been out since Dec. 13 with an upper body injury, having missed the teams last 16 games. The 2012 first-round pick had recorded four goals and eight assists over 31 outings prior to being sidelined. Forward Mathieu Perreaultt, still dealing with an arm injury caused by an illegal check from Chicagos Daniel Carcillo in Fridays game against the Blackhawks, was placed on injured reserve to clear a spot for Trouba being removed from IR. NBA Jerseys China. . Perreault will sit out his second straight game on Wednesday. Carcillo was handed a six-game suspension from the NHL on Monday for the incident. ' ' '

Their campaign began with a flurry of goals but it’s nerves of steel - and a run of 1-0 victories - propelling Leicester to the title now. Fake Balenciaga Shoes . How many times have I said to you about 1-0? What does it mean? It means championship form. I dont mind the 1-0s, I really dont because it tells you we are determined, were going to defend, do the right things and play as a team. - Sir Alex Ferguson, 2012These words from the legendary Manchester United manager came following a 1-0 win over Fulham on Monday Night Football in March 2012. Ferguson, of course, knows a thing or two about title races and has many fond memories of this particular scoreline. Its 20 years since the famous 1995/96 season in which Manchester United overhauled Kevin Keegans Newcastle with the help of eight 1-0 victories. Seven of them came from January onwards, with Eric Cantona scoring the only goal of the game in five of those matches.Ferguson has not forgotten it, as became clear in an interview with Sky Sports last month. We won eight games 1-0 and won the league, said the Scot. These are championship-winning games without question. And it also helps explain why Ferguson is backing Leicester to lift the title too. Leicester have been fearless in defending 1-0 leads in recent weeks The Foxes have now won seven games by one goal to nil so far this season. Remarkably, theyve won each of their last four matches by this scoreline and five of their last six. Its making for some nervy finales for Claudio Ranieris team but their levels of concentration have been impeccable.In Fergusons final season as a manager, Manchester United won 16 matches by the odd goal and there are echoes of that propensity to edge matches evident in Leicesters campaign. No team has won more than 14 games in a season this way since - but the Foxes have already done it 14 times in 2015/16. One-goal Premier League wins in 2015/16 Team Wins by one-goal margin Leicester 14 West Brom 10 Man Utd 9 Stoke 9 The consistency has been there all season, added Ferguson. If they retain that consistency I cant see anything going wrong for them. Perhaps theres only one bad omen. Though Ferguson revelled in that 1-0 win over Fulham, his side were pipped to the title by Manchester City and Sergio Aguero.Leicester will want to avoid such an outcome, but the process is nevertheless a familiar one for Ferguson and others. Winning 1-0 is not a result to worry about. Indeed, 1-0 to the champions could become a familiar refrain from Leicesters supporters in the coming weeks and months. Claudio Ranieri praised his sides fantastic effort against Southampton Also See: Ranieri hails fantastic effort Leicesters turnaround Fake Balenciaga 2020 . The 23-year-old McNabb was an All-Star with the American Hockey Leagues Rochester Americans this season, posting seven goals and 22 assists in 38 games. In 12 games with the Sabres this season, McNabb has accumulated six penalty minutes and a plus-1 rating. He has scored one goal and seven assists in 37 career games with the Sabres, who originally selected him in the third round (66th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Fake Balenciaga Cheap . Phoenix originally signed Barbosa to a 10-day contract on Jan. 8 after Eric Bledsoe injured his knee and then signed him to another 10-day deal. https://www.fakebalenciaga.com/ . Lynn was tied for 16th entering the fourth round, six shots behind leader Paul Waring. He started with two birdies and added three more on his last five holes at the Oceanico Victoria course for an 18-under total of 266.It appears the all-time leading receiver in CFL history is set to retire. TSNs Farhan Lalji is reporting that Geroy Simon is expected to call it a career after 15 seasons. Lalji says that Simon will not be in uniform on Sunday when the Saskatchewan Roughriders open training camp. The 38-year-old will retire as a member of the Roughriders after spending just one season in the prairie province, and winning his thhird Grey Cup in the process. Cheap Balenciaga. A formal press conference is expected to take place later this week. Simon spent most of his career in British Columbia with the Lions winning Grey Cups in 2006 and 2011. He spent the first two seasons of his career with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Simon tallied 16,352 yards receiving and 103 touchdown receptions over his tenure in the league. ' ' '

PHOENIX -- Working the black worked out nicely for Bronson Arroyo. Cheap Jerseys For Sale . Enticing Houstons aggressive hitters by throwing to the corners and out of the strike zone, Arroyo pitched seven strong innings to lift the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 4-1 win over the Astros on Tuesday. "These guys are really aggressive and young, so I dont think theyd change their approach that much," Arroyo said. "It allowed me to stay on the outer half and get a lot of groundballs." Arroyo (6-4) matched Houston starter Brad Peacock through seven innings before the Diamondbacks scored two runs off Josh Fields (1-4) in the seventh. Hill hit a sacrifice fly in the inning and Cody Ross knocked him in with a double to right-centre after an error by Astros shortstop Jonathan Villar. Hill added a run-scoring double in the eighth inning to put Arizona up 4-1. Paul Goldschmidt also homered and Addison Reed worked a perfect ninth for his 16th save. Arizona has won six of eight after its latest rally-from-a-slow-start game. "Weve been pushing on, guys staying with their approach," Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said. "A lot of talking on the bench and weve made some adjustments in-game when weve had to." The Astros have been superb on the road over the past month, winning eight of their previous nine, including the series opener against Arizona Monday night. Houston had no answer for Arroyo, though, managing seven hits -- three of those by Jon Singleton -- while going 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position. "He was throwing the ball good," Peacock said. "Weve been doing a great job jumping on people, but hes one of the best starters in the game and we just couldnt get to him today." Arroyo has hit his stride since a spring-training back injury limited his effectiveness early in the season. The right-hander won his last outing, against Colorado last Wednesday, and has pitched well against the Astros, entering Tuesdays start 9-1 with a 2.05 ERA his last 12 starts against them. He laboured through the first two innings, working around six baserunners while throwing 42 pitches. The right-hander breezed through the next three innings before Matt Dominguez followed Singletons leadoff double by lining a run-scoring single through Arizonas drawn-in infield to tie the game at 1-all. Arroyo got some defensive help along the way, including a pair of strike-out, throw-out double plays and a nifty grab up the middle by Hill on a short-hop in the seventh inning. Arroyo allowed a run on six hits and struck out five. "Hes hitting his stride here, got on a pretty good roll," Gibson said. "He knows how to get guys out." Peacock won his previous three starts and was sharp in his first game against Arizona. Goldschmidt splashed a solo homer into the pool in right-centre off him in the first inning, but the right-hander allowed two more hits after that -- a pair of infield singles in the second. Peacock walked four and struck out three in six innings. "Peacock did a great job," Astros manager Bo Porter said. "Six innings, strong, he finally started to use the top of the strike zone, did a good job of keeping us right there." Notes: The Diamondbacks have hit a double in 23 straight games, longest since club-record 32-game streak in 2006. ... Peacock has pitched at least five innings and has yet to allow more than four runs in nine starts after opening the season in the bullpen. ... Houston LHP Dallas Keuchel will go for his team-leading eighth win of the season when Astros head home to face the Diamondbacks and RHP Brandon McCarthy on Wednesday. Jerseys For Sale Outlet . Infante hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning and had an RBI single in a four-run fifth against former teammate Justin Verlander, helping the Kansas City Royals beat the Tigers 11-8 Monday night. Discount Jerseys For Sale . Never caused problems. Never raised a ruckus. Never got sick or hurt while frolicking in the fields of Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky. https://www.jerseysforsalechina.com/ . Ashley Wagner will skate in the womens short program for a U.S. team thats in seventh place. Davis and White won the silver medal at the Vancouver Games and are two-time world champions.Indianapolis, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - Chris Paul scored 17 points, handed out 15 assists and pulled down eight rebounds in the Los Angeles Clippers 103-96 win over the Indiana Pacers. Jamal Crawfords 18 off the bench led the Clippers, who have won nine games in a row. Blake Griffin scored 17 with 10 boards and DeAndre Jordan chipped in 12 points with 19 rebounds. C.J. Miles led all scorers with 30 points off Indianas bench. The Pacers reserves scored 66 points in their sixth straight loss. Lavoy Allen added 14 points and 13 rebounds in a reserve role and he was joined by Luis Scola, who finished with 12 points and 14 boards. Trailing by 17 entering the final quarter, the Pacers chipped away at the large deficit. A quick 12-4 spurt, including eight points from Miles, cut the deficit to 86-77. With two minutes remaining, Allens jumper pulled Indiana within two. Crawford answered with a jumper at the other end, then Miles rushed 3-pointer the next possession did not fall. Griffin split a pair of free throws and Indiana couldnt muster any offense from there, as Paul hit two free throws in the closing seconds to account for the final margin. It was basically a replay of the first half. The starters come in and get a big lead, and the second unit comes in and loses it. The starters have to hold on, and fortunately, they were able to do it, said Clippers coach Doc Rivers. Los Angeles appeared to pull away from Indiana with a big third quarter, shooting 50 percent from the field and limiting the Pacers to 27.3 percent. After Chris Copelands 3-pointer cut the Clippers lead to two points, Paul bookended a 10-0 Los Angeles run with a pair of jumpers. Stitched Jerseys For Sale. Matt Barnes scored all 11 of his points in the third. The high-scoring Clippers got off to a hot start, jumping out to a 15-8 lead while making six of their first seven shots from the field, with the only miss being a Jordan desperation heave to beat the shot clock. Los Angeles first quarter lead ballooned to as high as 15 with 3:37 left when Paul completed an alley-oop with Griffin in transition, but the Pacers were finally able to get their footing after that. Miles hit his first of four first half 3-pointers in the midst of a 12-2 Pacers run, but Spencer Hawes hit a triple himself with two seconds left to give the Clippers a 33-25 lead after one. Ive just been able to find some creases and make some shots, said Miles. I think that Ive been able to stay on the floor consistently and practice consistently has helped me out. The Pacers continued to chip away at the Los Angeles advantage and a pair of Solomon Hill free throws with 3:10 left gave them a one-point edge. The Clippers were able to respond and went on a 10-4 run to head to the locker room with a 54-49 lead. Game Notes Los Angeles snapped a three-game losing streak against Indiana ... Los Angeles J.J. Redick scored 16 points ... The Clippers have two more games on a three-game Eastern Conference road trip ... Indiana was held to 39 percent shooting in the setback. ' ' '

SAN ANTONIO -- Although the San Antonio Spurs seem rather methodical and downright boring to some, they are enjoying themselves this season and that is ruining the fun for others. Custom Kansas City Royals Jerseys . Tony Parker scored 19 points before sitting out the fourth quarter and the Spurs beat the Boston Celtics 104-93 Wednesday night, winning their eighth straight overall and remaining undefeated at home. San Antonio had 27 assists and six players score in double figures, rallying from a lethargic start to lead by as many as 19 points in the second half. "Those moments when we start to play better D, push the ball and be more aggressive, then its fun to watch, its exciting and thats what we need," San Antonio guard Manu Ginobili said. "We are not exciting in a way that were going to have alley-oops and windmills (dunking) and stuff like that, but we pass the ball really well. We penetrate and pitch, and everybody gets involved and thats fun." Kawhi Leonard had 16 points and Tim Duncan rebounded from a poor outing in San Antonios previous home game to score 13 points. Boris Diaw had 12 points, Tiago Splitter added 11 points and 10 rebounds and Danny Green 11 points for the Spurs (10-1). San Antonio shot 48 per cent from the field and was 8 for 21 on 3-pointers as Boston struggled to close on the Spurs shooters. "Phew," Celtics forward Jared Sullinger said, exhaling when asked about the Spurs ball movement. "Theyre a tough team to play. On any given night, anybody can go off. Honestly, they move the ball. They care less about scoring; they play together as a team. "They have go-to players but they hardly ever use them because they move the ball so well and they play as a team, so theyre hard to guard. Sullinger, Avery Bradley and Jeff Green each had 19 points for Boston (4-9), which has lost five straight. There were 10 lead changes and 14 ties in the first half, as neither team was able to sustain any momentum. While the Spurs werent happy with the early efforts, first-year coach Brad Stevens was pleased with the Celtics forging a 48-all tie at the half. "The team that played tonight could be a really fun group to build with," Stevens said. "I think thats what you take from here. We talked about this early in the year. Theres going to be nights where we measure progress a little bit differently." That progress was stunted in the second half, as San Antonio was able to pull away midway through the third quarter behind strong individual efforts by Leonard, Parker and Ginobili. Leonard keyed the resurgence, scoring 10 of 12 points, including a 3-pointer that put San Antonio ahead 61-52 with 8 minutes left in the quarter. "He can do that kind of thing," Diaw said. "He is really talented and he proved that already last year. This year is no different. Sometimes, when he gets it going, it is going to be very hard to stop (him)." Leonard had 12 points, five rebounds and two steals in the third quarter, as San Antonio outscored Boston 32-22. "Im still having fun; thats why Im still playing," Leonard said. "Were winning, you cant have more fun than that, when youre winning and on a good team." Parker made two dazzling layups, first presenting the ball with his right hand to draw a defender out of the lane and spinning back for a layup between defenders and then spinning away from a defender in the lane for a layup on the right side of the basket. Ginobili literally wrapped a pass around a defender, tossing behind around a charging Brandon Bass to find Diaw cutting to the basket for a layup. Ginobili finished with five points and six assists. After scoring only two points in the Spurs previous home game against Washington, Duncan made the games first two baskets as the team targeted him early. He finished 3 for 13, but was 7 for 8 on free throws while also grabbing nine rebounds. NOTES: San Antonio is tied with Indiana for the leagues best record, but its victories have come against teams with a combined winning percentage of .408 entering Wednesdays games. Only two the Spurs wins have come against teams above .500. Their only loss was against Portland, which is 10-2 after defeating Milwaukee. ... Bostons Keith Bogans was not with the team due to an undisclosed illness. ... San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich was issued a technical foul with 4 minutes left in the game after haranguing referee David Guthrie continually for a lack of calls. Popovich smiled, appearing amused by the technical. ... The Big Three of Duncan, Parker and Ginobili have played 629 games together, which is the most amongst active teammates and fifth all-time. The trio surpassed Derek Harper, Brad Davis and Rolando Blackman of the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday and trail the leading trio of Robert Parrish, Kevin McHale and Larry Bird by 100 games played together. Raul Ibanez Jersey . Team officials travelled to Los Angeles on Thursday night to meet with the free agent, a person with knowledge of the plans said. Amos Otis Jersey . Nix is a career .218 hitter in 425 games over six seasons. The 31-year-old right-handed hitter batted .270 with a homer this spring for Tampa Bay. https://www.cheaproyals.com/1377a-danny-duffy-jersey-royals.html . The Toronto Argonauts running back hurt his left ankle during the teams practice Friday afternoon at Rogers Centre. NEW YORK -- Sean Doolittle wasnt surprised at all by the Oakland As offensive outburst in the 10th inning. Brandon Moss hit his second homer of the game leading off the 10th, and the Oakland Athletics rallied for a 5-2 victory over the New York Yankees on Tuesday night. The majors best run-producing offence then got an RBI double from Jed Lowrie and a run-scoring single from Kyle Blanks to open a big lead for Oaklands suspect back end of the bullpen. "The way the guys were swinging in the 10th inning, it was like they could smell the victory and found a way to get it done," the As reliever said. "Thats typical Oakland As baseball." Returning to the lineup after missing two games with a strained right calf, Moss drilled a full-count pitch from Adam Warren (1-3) into the second deck down the right field line for his 15th homer. That gave the AL West-leading As their first lead in a game that was delayed more than an hour at the start by rain. "We have a very confident offence," Moss said. Doolittle finished off the As fourth straight win with a perfect 10th for his sixth save. The left-hander extended his scoreless streak to 15 1-3 innings. Dan Otero (5-1) pitched an inning for the As, who improved to 7-13 when trailing after seven innings. Pinch-hitter Stephen Vogt hit a tying double off Dellin Betances with two outs in the eighth inning. Betances walked Albert Callaspo before Vogt drilled a full-count pitch into the right-centre gap. "That at-bat was incredible ... because Betances, he is a really good reliever," Moss said. "I felt like that pretty much did it for us." Betances had not walked a batter over his previous 10 appearances (15 1-3 innings). "I felt good. I just think the two out walk hurt, I had him in my head and I just did not put him away," Betances said. "I think from there I just fell behind on Vogt and just threw him a good pitch to hit. I think Callaspo, that at-bat was more frustrating." The injury-depleted Yankees came in looking hardly like the Bronx Bombers they are expected to be. With an opening-day payroll about $120 million moree than the As, New York had hit just five homers in 15 games and none in the two Mark Teixeira sat with inflammation in his surgically repaired right wrist. Ian Kennedy Jersey. Teixeira, though, woke up pain-free Tuesday and manager Joe Girardi made the switch-hitter the cleanup batter. Teixeira drove in New Yorks two runs, homering in the sixth for a 2-1 lead. "He said he was fine," Girardi said. "You know you kind of keep your fingers crossed and hope he feels good tomorrow." In contrast, Moss drive off Hiroki Kuroda into Monument Park leading off the fifth gave the slugging As at least one long ball in 11 straight games. A rainbow arcing high above the scoreboard in centre field before the rain-delayed first pitch appeared to be a good omen for New York, which grabbed a quick lead. Scott Kazmir needed four batters to warm up after a storm pushed back the start 1 hour, 12 minutes. Brett Gardner singled leading off. After Derek Jeter struck out, Jacoby Ellsbury singled and Teixeira dunked a blooper inside the right field line for a 1-0 lead. After that, Kazmir retired 16 of 17 -- including four Ks in a row -- before Teixeira sent a drive into the As bullpen in left-centre for his 10th homer -- the second swinging from the right side -- and a 2-1 lead. "He just ran out of pitches," Melvin explained why he lifted Kazmir when he did. NOTES: The As improved to 11-3 against New York since July 19, 2012. ... Ellsbury has committed $1 million to Oregon State, where he played from 2003-05. The money will go to help with the expansion of the baseball teams locker room facilities. ... The Yankees claimed off waivers LHP Wade LeBlanc from the Los Angeles Angels. ... New York OF Carlos Beltran (bone spur in right elbow) went 2 for 3 with a walk as the designated hitter in an extended spring training game in Tampa, Florida. Girardi said it was possible that Beltran could rejoin the Yankees on Friday in Kansas City. ... The Athletics put OF Josh Reddick on the 15-day DL because of a hyperextended right knee. ... Up next: Oaklands Jesse Chavez (4-3) faces New Yorks Vidal Nuno (1-2). ' ' '

Baltimore, MD (SportsNetwork. Nike Vapormax Plus Schweiz .com) - The defending AL East champion Baltimore Orioles decided to tender contracts to all 11 of their arbitration- eligible players on Tuesday. Catcher Matt Wieters, infielders Chris Davis, Ryan Flaherty and Steve Pearce, outfielder Alejandro De Aza and pitchers Miguel Gonzalez, Tommy Hunter, Bud Norris, Chris Tillman, Zach Britton and Brian Matusz were all offered the chance to return and defend their division title. Wieters was limited to 26 games last year before Tommy John surgery was required in June to repair a damaged right elbow. Davis followed up a franchise-record 53-homer, 138-RBI season in 2013 by struggling to a .196 average, 26 home runs and 72 RBI over 127 games. Pearce proved to be a useful utilityman, accumulating 21 homers, 26 doubles and 49 runs batted in while hitting .293 in 102 appearances. Gonzalez turned in a 10-9 record and 3.23 earned-run average over 27 games (26 starts) last season, while Norris finished second on the club in victories (15) and Tillman ranked third (13). Britton racked up a staff-low 1.65 ERA and 37 saves with a 3-2 record in 76 1/3 innings over 71 games. Nike Air Max Tn Damen Günstig . - The fiancee of former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez is set to ask a judge to throw out allegations that she lied to a grand jury. Air Max 720 Günstig Kaufen . Locke overcame a shaky start to pitch seven innings and Josh Harrison had three hits to extend his hot streak as the Pirates beat the Miami Marlins 7-3 on Wednesday night. http://www.shopairmaxschweiz.com/air-max-97-fake-kaufen.html . - Nikita Jevpalovs scored 6:22 into the second overtime as the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada edged the visiting Rimouski Oceanic 2-1 on Tuesday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoff action.Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. This week, they discuss the NCAAs revenue sharing, Don Zimmer, soccer language and Super Bowl 50. Dave Naylor, TSN Radio 1050: My thumb is down to world of big-time American college sports, which reminded us again this week there is no end to hypocrisy when it comes to sharing wealth with its players. This week Alabama football coach Nick Saban and Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari were rewarded with contracts worth more than $50 million each. This comes just as the NCAA is about to begin defending its right not to share revenues with players; in the lawsuit filed by former UCLA basketball star Ed OBannon, which starts on Monday. How the NCAA can argue theres not enough money in the system to compensate players when coaches like Saban and Calapari can earn more than $6 million a year should be interesting. But we just know theyll find a way to do it. Dave Feschuk, Toronto Star: My thumb is up to baseball characters. May they live forever in our memory, even as they leave us. The game lost an unforgettable one this week with the passing of Don Zimmer. In a sport built on stories, his was a pure classic. Zimmer met Babe Ruth as a boy, got married to his high-school sweetheart at home plate of a minor-league park, played with Jackie Robinson and won a World Series with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Hell probably be remembered best for charging Pedro Martinez back in 2003, when Zimmer was in his 70s at the time. As he said later, "I sure wasnt going over there to kiss him." Baseballs heroes arent always so easy to embrace. So often today we focus on money and moneyball. Zimmers life was about finding a love and fighting to keep it. He loved basebaall so much, it nearly killed him. Air Max 90 Günstig Bestellen. As a player, he survived two fastballs to the head. One put him in a coma, another caved in his face. He kept playing after both. He got fired four times as a manager, but he never retired. Nobody ever wanted him to. For characters as unique as Zimmer, there are no replacements. Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated: As I said four years ago, and plan to say again in 2018, my thumb is down to anybody in this country who plans to speak world cup soccer English for the next month. I dont want anyone saying a goalkeeper had a clean sheet. Clean sheets are in your linen closet. He had a shutout. The score, maybe, was one nothing, not one nil. And please dont tell me the United States needs a result against Ghana. A loss is a result, not a good result, but a result. And just so were clear, its not football here, its soccer. Alright, now carry on and keep calm. Dave Hodge, TSN: My thumb is up, though not for long, to the National Football League for deciding to ditch the Roman numeral "l" for super bowl 50, to be played in February of 2016. The use of Roman numerals began with super bowl 5, sorry, "v", and it has proved to be very successful - in creating confusion. Now that couldnt have been its intention, but what else, pray tell, was it supposed to do? Make the event seem bigger than it is? It needs no help from an ancient alphabet. But, as I said, the NFL is praised here only briefly, because it will return to Roman numerals for super bowl 51 - LI - and theres no end in sight, unless its super bowl 59, which will read LIX, and maybe the NFL wont be fond of Super Bowl licks, which come to think of it, was last seasons super bowl - Denver taking its licks from Seattle. ' ' '

OTTAWA - Mired in a nine-game losing streak, the Ottawa Redblacks cant be blamed for feeling desperate for a win. Tom Glavine Jersey . While players and coaches will say theyve come close and theyre doing good things, the losing streak is taking its toll. The one and only victory for Ottawa (1-11) came way back on July 18 against the Toronto Argonauts. Two weeks ago the Redblacks suffered a heartbreaking 35-32 overtime loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders despite having the lead for much of the game. Last week the Redblacks had to deal yet again with disappointment when they were unable to take advantage of what looked like perfect scoring situations and settled for a 15-7 loss to Montreal. Losing is wearing thin, and not just for Ottawa. This week the Redblacks host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (6-7) who are dealing with their own four-game losing streak. You can watch the game live on TSN1, TSN3, TSN4 and TSN GO at 7pm et/4pm pt. The next games the biggest game for us, said head coach Rick Campbell. Were scratching and clawing to get wins just like everybody else does. We have the same approach to come out flying around and try to make a couple more plays and try to get a win. Campbell says he cant allow his team to look at the Bombers as an easy target. Were focused on ourselves, Campbell said. We think we have a big future ahead of us here. Were working hard everyday to get better and we respect all the people we play and theres a lot of good teams in this league and Winnipegs no different. Theyve done a lot of great things this year and were going to have our hands full, but were going to focus on us and playing the best football we can. Still, Campbell acknowledged that the losses have taken their toll on the group. Were hanging in there, but its tough, Campbell said. Its tough to lose games and tough to lose close games, but we think we have a lot of right parts to our team here and our guys have the right attitude, but we know we have to work hard and get better as fast as we can and start winning some of these close games. It seems so long ago, but the Redblacks opened the season against the Bombers scoring on their first three drives. Ottawa went on to lose 36-28, but had a solid outing leading many to believe the young expansion team might surprise football fans. Even players admit that first game was reason to have hope. Coming out like we did and scoring on our first three drives it seemed like our season was going to be a very successful season, said wide receiver Marcus Henry. Unfortunately thats just how football is, you never know how its going to go. Were getting better and were a good team. The way weve been losing, like in the last minutes of the game, have been tough, but thats just going to build our character. Henry says despite the losses the team is able to remain resilient because theyre able to see improvement. It might not be evident in the overall standings, but Henry says there are some good things that the team can focus on. Were a lot more confident in what were doing and were used to the system now and just used to everyone thats around us so I think thats a big part of it, said Henry. What does bode well for the Redblacks this Friday is the way the defence has played at TD Place. It hasnt allowed a touchdown on home field in three of the last four games. Weve done really well on defence so far, but we still need to do better, said defensive lineman Keith Shologan. We havent won enough games, so when it comes down it we havent played good enough for that reason. Our goal is for each of us to do better, starting with (Fridays) game. Notes: Dobson Collins replaces Carlton Mitchell at receiver. Defensive back Jermaine Robinson will also be in the lineup. Rico Carty Braves Jersey . Ricciardo made it only halfway around the Jerez track before his RB10 rolled to a stop and began spouting smoke from the back. After team mechanics tended to the car, Ricciardo went back out for a mere two trips around the circuit before calling it quits. Jacob Webb Jersey . The Raptors had an early deadline Sunday, a dreaded afternoon game, and they left the bulk of their work until the last minute, as theyve done so many times before. https://www.cheapbraves.com/2893o-warren-spahn-jersey-braves.html . With timely hitting and good pitching, the Marlins are one win away from sweeping the slumping Houston Astros.Tallahassee, FL - Florida State has announced a new eight-year contract extension for head football coach Jimbo Fisher. The 49-year-old, who has guided the Seminoles since 2010, is now under contract through the 2022 season. His new deal, announced Tuesday, includes a salary increase which will make him one of the highest-paid coaches in the FBS. Following in the footsteps of the legendary Bobby Bowden, Fisher has racked up a 58-10 overall record which includes a 34-6 mark in the ACC, and has presided over four consecutive bowl victories. I am pleased that we have been able to secure Coach Fisher as our head coach for the long term, said FSU director of athletics Stan Wilcox. The commitment we are making to him is a reflection of the outstanding job he has done in leading our program to its current level of excellence. While we are delighted with the undefeated season this year and our upcoming appearance in the inaugurall College Football Playoff, we began working on this new contract before the success of this past season was in full view. Jeremy Walker Jersey. It is a great day for Florida State. Heading into the aforementioned playoff, Florida State holds a 13-0 record and has won 29 consecutive games dating back to a November 2012 loss to Florida, including last seasons victory over Auburn in the BCS Championship Game. The Seminoles take on Oregon in the Rose Bowl on New Years Day, and with a victory will head to the national championship game against the winner of the Alabama-Ohio State Sugar Bowl on January 12. I am honored to be the head coach at Florida State University, which Ive said many times before, Fisher said. I appreciate that FSU believes in what we are doing and supports our goal of maintaining one of the best programs in the country. It is a privilege to coach the young men in our program. It is truly a family. ' ' '

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. Paul George Shoes Buy . -- Josh Smith was annoyed with himself earlier in the week, when his jumper with the game on the line missed badly and Detroit went on to lose to the New York Knicks. So when Smith had the ball in the final seconds again Saturday night, he went straight to the basket. "I wanted to be aggressive," Smith said. "When I caught it, I didnt want to settle." Smiths driving, left-handed bank shot with 1.2 seconds left gave the Pistons a 110-108 win over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night. Smith finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds, and Brandon Jennings had 18 assists, the most in the NBA this season, to go with eight points and eight rebounds. Smith was involved in a few big plays in the final half-minute -- both good and bad. His 3-pointer as the shot clock expired put Detroit ahead 108-105 with 26.8 seconds left. Then he fouled Gerald Green while the Phoenix guard was shooting a 3-pointer. Green made all three free throws to tie it with 4.3 seconds remaining. The ensuing inbounds pass went to Smith near the top of the key. He drove to the right and then switched hands, making a tough shot while being tightly defended by Channing Frye. Greens 3-pointer at the buzzer from in front of the Detroit bench missed badly. "This is a great game for us, to be able to see how mentally strong we can be," Smith said. "Weve just got to be able to reflect on these games and apply it to the games that we have in front of us." Frye led Phoenix with 21 points. The Suns tied the game with a 13-3 run to start the fourth quarter, but Detroit responded with a 7-0 run. It was 105-97 before Phoenix scored eight straight points, tying it on a 3-pointer by P.J. Tucker with 51.2 seconds left. "We had one game this year where we came from 21 back, and we usually fight hard," Tucker said. The Pistons barely got a shot off on their next possession, but Smith was able to free himself on the left wing and connect from 3-point range. It was his first of two big shots at the end. "Those were two tough shots that Josh made," Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said. "We let him get to the basket at the end, but he was going in the wrong direction and still knocked that down. Before that, we play great defence, they lose the ball and they manage to bat it out to him and he hits the 3. Thats just a bad break for us." Jennings equaled team records held by Isiah Thomas with 11 assists in the first quarter and 16 in the first half. But Jennings didnt have any points, rebounds or assists in the fourth quarter. Backup Will Bynum picked up the slack a bit, scoring eight of his 16 points in the final period. "Sometimes in those fourth quarters Brandon was alone out there as far as creating and thats kind of tough on him," Bynum said. "So when were out there we help him out a lot and that spreads the court out." Detroit has been a disappointment after signing Smith and trading for Jennings in the off-season, but those two looked sharp for most of the night Saturday. In the first quarter, the Pistons looked as smooth and cohesive as they have all season, repeatedly beating the transition-oriented Suns down the court for easy baskets. Jennings tossed an alley-oop off the backboard to Andre Drummond for a 12-3 lead, and later in the quarter his alley-oop to Smith gave him 10 assists. Jennings then found Kyle Singler for a dunk that made it 35-19. The Pistons finished the quarter with 16 assists on 17 field goals -- and a 35-21 lead. Even when Jennings shot an airball at the end of the second quarter Drummond was there to tip it in at the buzzer for a 64-51 lead. Detroit had 50 points in the paint in the first half. The Pistons finished with 68. The last player with 16 assists in a half was Jason Kidd, who did it April 5, 2009, for Dallas, according to STATS. That was also against Phoenix. The last player with at least 11 assists in a quarter was Steve Blake, who had 14 for Portland in 2009. Phoenix was without guard Eric Bledsoe, who had surgery Friday on his right knee. NOTES: Thomas had 16 assists in a half against Dallas on Feb. 13, 1985. He tied the team record with 25 assists in that game. He twice reached 11 assists in a quarter. ... Ty Lawson, Kendall Marshall and Chris Paul (twice) have all had 17-assist games this season. Jennings surpassed that before the end of the third quarter. Nike Vapormax Outlet . LOUIS - The St. Air Max 97 Plus Black . Louis Cardinals won the World Series last season, but after losing first baseman Albert Pujols to free agency and manager Tony LaRussa to retirement, they opened the 2012 season in 12th spot in the TSN. http://www.wholesalenikeshoesclearance.com/cheap-max-270-shoes.html . Old times for a defence that has looked just plain old recently? "No," safety Ryan Clark said. "We used to be much better than that.Winnipeg Goldeyes manager Rick Forney announced Monday the signing of infielder Casey Haerther to a contract for the 2014 season. Haerther, 26, hit .307 with 10 home runs and a team-leading 66 RBI in 97 games with the Goldeyes last season. His 32 extra base hits were third on the team. Defensively, he had a .995 fielding percentage at first base. "He had a great season for us last year," Forney said. "Hes a very productive offensive player, but one of the things I like best about Casey is that he has a really good glove at first base. He has sure hands, good feet around the bag annd makes the routine play with consistency. Wholesale Air Max 97. He also makes the other infielders better by doing a really good job of digging balls out of the dirt. A fifth round selection by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2009 out of UCLA, Haerther played four seasons in the Angels system, including all of the 2012 campaign at Class AA Arkansas of the Texas League. Internationally, Haerther suited up for Israel at the 2012 World Baseball Classic qualifying tournament. The Goldeyes now have 11 players signed for the 2014 season, including six pitchers and five position players. ' ' '

MIAMI - Three NFL players are named in a police report involving a woman who passed out in a hotel and later woke up in a hospital not knowing how she got there, though no one has been charged with a crime, authorities said Thursday. Fake Vans From China . San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and wide receiver Quinton Patton, and Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Ricardo Lockette, were with the woman at a Miami hotel where Lockette lives, according to the Miami Police Department report. Police stressed that the report contained only unproven allegations at this point. "As far as whether there was a crime committed, its too early to say," said police spokeswoman Kenia Reyes. The account of the woman, who was not identified by police, is described in the report: The woman mixed drinks and gave the men shots, and the men told her "in order to drink the shots she had to hit the bong which contained marijuana." The four were watching a basketball game when the woman began feeling light-headed and went to lie down in a bedroom. Kaepernick came into the room, began kissing her and undressed her completely. The woman told police that they did not have sex, and that Kaepernick left the bedroom saying hed be right back. A few minutes later, the woman told police, the other two men "peeked" inside. She said to them, "What are you doing? Where is Colin? Get out." The report says the woman does not remember anything after that and later woke up in a hospital room with no memory of how she got there. The woman told police she has had a sexual relationship with Kaepernick in the past. Kaepernicks agent, Scott Smith, did not immediately respond to email and voice mail messages seeking comment. The 49ers and Seahawks issued statements saying they were aware of the incident but declined further comment. Kaepernick, 26, is one of the NFLs top quarterbacks, leading the 49ers to the Super Bowl after the 2012 season and the NFC championship game this past year. For his three-year career, Kaepernick has thrown for more than 5,000 yards and 31 touchdowns, and he has rushed for 937 yards and another nine touchdowns. Fake Vans Cheap . Top-seeded Djokovic swept to a 6-1, 6-3 win over 51st-ranked Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain in just 57 minutes, but fourth-seeded Federer had to see off a serious challenge from 48th-ranked Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic before coming through 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-3. Fake Vans For Sale . Costa Rica followed up its wins over Uruguay and Italy by holding England to a dour 0-0 draw on Tuesday, enough to finish first in Group D. https://www.vansfake.com/ . John Albert Elway, 24, was booked into jail early Saturday morning after an incident near a college campus in downtown Denver, according to jail records.Brooklyn, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Mason Plumlee had 18 points and 10 rebounds as the Brooklyn Nets pulled away in the fourth quarter to take down the Philadelphia 76ers 88-70 on Friday night. The Nets outscored the Sixers 25-10 in the final frame. Alan Anderson posted 12 points, five rebounds and three steals, while Joe Johnson added 12 points for Brooklyn, which snapped a three-game losing streak. We were more active. Lots of deflections, lots of steals, Nets guard Deron Williams said. Robert Covington tallied 20 points and six boards for the Sixers, who are 2-3 on the heels of their 0-17 start to the season. They just made adjustments and hit shots and their veteran players stepped up, Sixers guard Michael Carter-Williams said. Brooklyn was up 63-60 after three before netting the first 10 points off the fourth to seize control. Fake Vans. . Andersons reverse capped the surge and staked the Nets to a 73-60 advantage. Philadelphia never cut the gap below eight the rest of the way. The Nets used a 6-0 spurt late in the first quarter to create some distance and take a 22-16 advantage before heading into the second with a 22-18 edge. Philadelphia, though, outscored them 27-22 in the second and took a 45-44 edge heading into the locker room. Game Notes Brooklyn had 25 points off 24 turnovers. Philadelphia fell to 0-8 this season when giving the ball away 20-plus times ... Sixers guard Tony Wroten returned from a six-game absence due to a knee injury. He had 12 points on 2-of-10 shooting ... Brooklyn had dropped five of its last six at home coming in. ' ' '

CLEVELAND -- Browns safety T. Zapatillas Baratas .J. Ward has been added to the Pro Bowl roster, giving Cleveland six players at this years game. Ward was selected as an alternate and will replace Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, who is unable to participate because of an injury. Ward had a solid fourth pro season and is eligible for free agency in March. He started all 16 games and finished with a career-high 129 tackles. He recorded 15 tackles for loss and had two interceptions, returning one for a touchdown in a win over Buffalo. He also returned a fumble for a TD against Chicago. Ward has said he would like to re-sign with the Browns, who are still searching for a coach after firing Rob Chudzinski. Ward joins tight end Jordan Cameron, wide receiver Josh Gordon, cornerback Joe Haden, centre Alex Mack and tackle Joe Thomas in Honolulu for Sundays game. Zapatillas España . Fielder has been out with a herniated disk in his neck, and surgery was recommended after a follow-up exam and another scan Thursday with Dr. Zapatillas Nike Baratas Hombre . Neither player was available Saturday for the Knicks 107-98 loss in Atlanta. "Were going in a different direction and weve got to figure out another spot or two for our ballclub," coach Mike Woodson said before the game. https://www.zapatillasbaratasspain.es/zapatillas-yeezy-baratas-spain-d1188.html . The 30-year-old Texas native was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 20th round of the 2001 amateur draft. Duke spent six years in Pittsburgh and also had stints with Arizona, Washington and Cincinnati."Jingle Bells! Jingle Bells! Jingle all the way; Oh what fun it is to see Chelsea win away. Hey!" The lower tier of the School End of Queens Park Rangers Loftus Road was packed solid with a very festive-sounding Chelsea choral section in this particular part of South Africa Road London, W12. It was Boxing Day 1981. Kick-off was still 90 minutes away, scheduled for the rather peculiar time of 11:30am. Even the frigid temperature was not going to dampen spirits, especially of those who were clearly still feeling the effects of their Christmas Day excesses. Not me or one of my elder brothers though as we stood and swayed on that School End in amongst the overflowing Chelsea support, part of the wide-eyed and amazed, feeling blessed to be part of the festive football fun. Fun which began for us the moment we closed the front garden gate behind us to set out on the short hop across west London on the underground. Chelseas hideously coloured yellow away shirt, which came resplendent with a Santa red pinstripe, added to the sense of occasion, as did the weather. In the lead-up to Christmas 1981, London had been blanketed by a foot of snow. However no fear this game would be postponed. This was the era of the Plastic Pitch. An Omniturf surface had been installed at Loftus Road the previous summer. Pioneering stuff. QPR became the first English professional club to play on a non-natural surface. Some clever wag or wags with little malice intended had broken into Loftus Road ahead of the game and discovered their inner Banksy. Whitewashing in foot-high block capitals on the pitch by the halfway line over towards the touchline, a few words that in later years I would go on to recognize as a famous Chelsea terrace away-day refrain. A rare occasion in those days that the TV cameras were in attendance for a second division game was likely their motivation. Yes folks, this wasnt your globally enshrined English Premier League. This was the hard as nails English Second Division and Chelseas natural habitat through the late 1970s and 1980s. Off the pitch during this era, Chelsea was a club in shambolic disarray. Chairman Brian Mears, the grandson of Chelsea co-founder Jo Mears, led an overly outrageous attempt to redevelop and regenerate Stamford Bridge. As contrived by the property developers Mears was in bed with, their plans included Chelsea relocating to Loftus Road, with Fulham and QPR merging. Spiralling interest rates alongside economic gloom up and down the country was the backdrop. Not the cleverest of types was Brain Mears. Chelsea was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. Thank heavens for the intervention of the then Lord of the Stamford Bridge manor, Viscount Chelsea and a chap who would win two Oscars for his adaptation of Ghandi, Lord Attenborough. A club director at the time since 1993, Attenborough has been Chelseas Life Long Honorary Vice President. Chelsea had gone into the 1981 Boxing Day action at Loftus Road on the back of a five-game unbeaten streak. In a game dominated by the home team, very much against the run of play, Chelsea went ahead midway through the second half. When Clive Walkers shot from the edge of the box found the far corner of the net, this was the cue for the toilet paper and Christmas streamers from the upper tier and for the overflowing crowd in the lower tier, which was already hugging the touchline, to surge ever close to the edge of the pitch. I was so close to the action, I was half expecting the PA announcer to award me an assist on the Walker opener. Chelsea added a second shortly after and left Loftus Road with the three points. The crowd was announced as a little over 22,000. Im sure 21,998 of them arrived slightly inebriated with every one of the 5,000-plus Chelsea supporters in attendance leaving Loftus Road punch drunk. The 2012 European Champions finished that 1981/82 season though in a lowly 12th place. Worse was to befall the club the following season when but for a win in their penultimate game of the season, they staved off relegation to the English football backwaters of Division 3. Clive Walker scored the winner that day, too. Very much an old-fashioned winger with jet heels that left defenders frozen to the spot, Abramovich would likely invest £50M in today, Walker arrived at Chelsea the old-fashioned way. He earned it as a highly regarded reserve team player. Walker spent time in the NASL when Chelsea sent him out on loan to Fort Lauderdale for one off-season. There you go then. Neither Beckham nor his people invented bi-lateral soccer loan agreements between the old allies. Its been going on for roughly four decades. Speaking to much more innocent times, the earliest recorded Boxing Day game in England occurred all the way back in 1881 when Hotspur played Reading Minster in an FA Cup third round replay. It would be another decade before Boxing Day fixtures became a staple in the English Football League. Remarkably, many teams also played 24 hours earlier on Christmas Day. Imagine that, Arsene? Not that I count, but I am rigidly opposed to any form of a winter break. Whats the point? Soo Englands richest clubs can fare better against their footballing superior European counterparts? Last time I checked, English clubs seemed to be holding their own and have done since first permitted to participate on the European stage. Zapatillas Baratas Imitacion. For the inaugural 1955-56 European Cup, the predecessor of the UEFA Champions League, the English Champions were persuaded by the Football League not to participate. That so-termed club with no history, Chelsea as the champions would have had the honour of being English footballs lone representative in a brand new mid-week tournament, which today is the global standard-bearer for club football. Not to be. At least with no over-packed fixture list nor daunting travel by boat to the continent for midweek matches, Chelsea could purely focus on retaining the title. Everyone at Stamford Bridge apparently forgot to read the script. The following season, Chelsea only managed to win 14 of 42 matches and finished just above the relegation places. Please stop it now. Liverpools quite superb and highly unexpected renaissance this season is purely down to the fact they are not playing in the Champions or Europa League. Codswallop. Instead, doff your cap to Brendan Rodgers, Suarez, Henderson, et al. Do remind me again please how many times did Little Luis hotfooted it from Merseyside to Montevideo this fall for his nations Brazil 2014 cause? Then theres the ludicrous argument, the English national team would fare better than the 50 years and counting zeitgeist of invariably tripping over in the first or second knockout stage of international tournaments. Well, before we dismantle one of the last remaining century-plus traditions that is the festive fixture list, how about a government inquiry into bog standard soccer and antiquated attitudes which prevail throughout? We seem to forget back on October 26, 1863 when a number of influential gentlemen gathered at the Connaught Rooms in Central London and devised the rules of modern day football, they did so on behalf of everyone, not just a chosen few. This very select sub-set of overpaid, over-pampered and over-hyped footballers are in desperate need of instilling the more traditional football faiths and attitudes; ones which take us back to a more innocence and respect for all time. This was most famously captured when Portuguese legend Eusebio had an opportunity very late on in the 1968 European Cup Final to win it in normal time for Benfica, his close-range effort cannoning off the Manchester United goalkeeper Alex Stepney, who, on realizing he had the ball, gratefully kicked it way up-field and away from danger. This was Eusebios cue to walk over towards Stepney with an outreached hand and in that moment with a smile on his face, congratulate Stepney for the game-winning save. Somehow I cant imagine Eusebios compatriot Ronaldo doing that exact same thing in next springs Champions League Final. In recent years, more and more of English footballs traditional characteristics and codes have fallen by the wayside - victim of the modern day over-commercialization culture which sadly reigns oh so supreme. Boxing Day still stands above. Just ask the family of Gary Parkinson, who was in attendance at Middlesbrough Thursday as they played another of his ex-clubs, Burnley. The ex-professional, who started his career at Everton, attended his first professional game Thursday since been diagnosed with locked-in syndrome following a 2010 stroke. According to the BBC, Parkinson requires 24-hour care, unable to speak, move or swallow and spent two years in hospital before returning home ahead of Christmas 2012. This the best example and true testament to the deep-rooted Boxing Day soccer culture that envelops the nation which invented the modern game exactly 150 years ago. Thursday, the very full complement of 158 professional and semi-professional football clubs were in action up and down jolly old England, where, for many of the lower league clubs especially, they will have recorded their largest attendance of the season plus experienced their best action of the season at the box office and club shop. Remember all you newly recruited Chelsea supporters, your club used to be part of that lower league football fraternity not that many years ago. Then ask those, who so add to the unique English soccer culture and setting, the local traders which litter the immediate surrounding areas of the Englands sacred soccer grounds how they fared Thursday. I for one will certainly raise a glass that my children and their children will always have opportunity to experience Santa and soccer in one sleep or less. It was Boxing Day 1976 when the Sex Pistols, fronted by legendry Arsenal supporter John Lydon, went into a London recording studio located not very far from the Highbury shrine and recorded the anthemic, God Save the Queen, a song dedicated to the working class, that outstanding cloth-capped brigade on whose very shoulders the pillars of English football rest upon. Bless you Mr. Rotten. You can reach and follow Noel Butler at:Noel.Butler@BellMedia.ca @TheSoccerNoel on Twitter ' ' '

TORONTO -- Issey Nakajima-Farran walked past a reporter recently, confiding with a smile that he had finally got a TV for his new apartment. Yeezy Boost 350 V3 For Sale . The Toronto FC midfielder was looking forward to being able to watch soccer again. The MLS newcomer was starting to put down roots in Toronto. An artist as well as a soccer player, he had deliberately chosen a slightly grittier part of town to make his home, to get a taste of the town. The Canadian international will be looking for a new cable provider and home after being traded Friday, on his 30th birthday, to the Montreal Impact for American Collen Warner and allocation money. The move, the first ever trade between the two teams, clearly came as a shock. "Birthday surprise!! Wow! Just like that. Its not right. Surreal. .mlssoccer .Inhumane," Nakajima-Farran tweeted. "Still in the dressing trying to soak it all in. My cargo box still hasnt arrived from Spain. Was ready to call this home! Life goes on." he added in another tweet before thanking the Toronto fans, players and everyone who had helped him settle. Nakajima-Farrans last kick in a Toronto uniform was the penalty shootout winner Wednesday that sent the Reds past Vancouver into the final of the Amway Canadian Championship. For Toronto, the deal is a chance to bolster a midfield that will be without Michael Bradley until his World Cup duties with the U.S. team are over. It also offers manager Ryan Nelsen a different piece in the midfield puzzle. When healthy, Toronto has options on the flank in Brazils Jackson, Alvaro Rey and Dwayne De Rosario. Nelsen also likes to use Jonathan Osorio there, allowing the creative Canadian to drift in and out. In central midfield, the options were fewer outside of Bradley and Osorio, especially with Jeremy Hall still working his way back from injury. Canadian Kyle Bekker has shown great growth but more help was needed. Warner is a holding midfielder who can play elsewhere along the middle. "Ive liked Collen for a long time, to tell you the truth," Nelsen said after practice Friday. "He gives us options in that midfield that we just didnt have," he added. Warner has 92 appearances, including 64 starts, with Montreal and Real Salt Lake since emerging from the football factory of the University of Portland. A holding midfielder, the 25-year-old has started all nine of Montreals MLS games this season but was sent off for handball last time out in a 3-0 loss to Sporting Kansas City. Nakajima-Farran has two goals in five games since signing with Toronto, second only to Jerman Defoes three. He had been with the team since training camp but did not sign until late March. "I feel sorry for Issey," Nelsen said. "Because since we brought him in, hes done nothing wrong. Hes such a great guy and hes done really well. "But unfortunately when we have all our players back, it probably would have been hard to see him starting on the team. Where with Collen, hell start. Hes a starting player .... Hes a guy we targeted and Im glad hes going to be walking in the door." Nakajima-Farran will offer Montreal some creativity and flair in the attacking half of the park. But with seven goals for and 17 against, the Impact needs help at both ends. Toronto FC captain Steven Caldwell was sorry to see Nakajima-Farran go. "Its horrible and thats just the game we play, especially in this (MLS) environment with the trading and different things that go on," said the Scot, no fan of the trades allowed in the North American league. "We wish him all the best. He was an important member of our squad. We enjoyed his play and his company and everything about him. A fantastic lad. "But decisions are made and we move forward. Were getting an excellent player coming in. Isseys going to a great football club as well. Hopefully everyone benefits from it." Born in Calgary to a Japanese mother and a British-Canadian father (who was born in Rhodesia), Nakajima-Farran moved to Tokyo when he was three and London when he was 10. He spent his teenage years in the British capital, playing in the Crystal Palace youth system before heading to Japan to begin his pro soccer career. He went on to play in Singapore, Denmark, Australia and Cyprus. "He is a player whose qualities will fit well within our group and style of play," Impact head coach Frank Klopas said in a statement. "We feel his experience with both the national team and abroad will benefit our team." Impact owner Joey Saputo has promised changes to his 1-5-3 team. The allocation money obtained in Fridays deal may help that cause. Nakajima-Farrans salary is listed at US$110,000 by the MLS Players Union, compared to US$143,000 for Warner. Cheap Vapormax China .Y. -- Phil Jackson lost out on his preferred coach, but hes working hard on keeping his star player. Nike Air Max 720 Wholesale .The Ottawa Senators winger was relegated to a corner seat in the locker-room to allow Daniel Alfredsson to return to his regular stall one last time. http://www.brandshoescheaponline.com/wholesale-air-max-china/max-plus-clearance-sale.html .com) - Markus Granlund scored the game-winning goal as the Calgary Flames used an early offensive flurry to defeat the Los Angeles Kings, 2-1, on Monday. PHOENIX -- When the Suns sent Luis Scola to the Indiana Pacers over the summer, the highlight of the trade for Phoenix seemingly was getting a first-round draft pick. Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee? Green had bounced around the NBA when he wasnt playing overseas. The Pacers gave up on Plumlee after just one season. Now Green and Plumlee are key cogs in the Suns surprising breakout season. Green hit six 3-pointers and scored 22 points, while Plumlee added 17 points and grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds Monday night in a 117-90 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. "When you get players from other teams that may not have gotten the chance they think they deserved, you get the best out of them," Suns forward Channing Frye said. "Thats what theyre doing." Plumlee, who played in just 14 games for the Pacers as a rookie a year ago, had his way inside with an ailing Pao Gasol in the Suns third straight win. Green, who has played for seven NBA teams, has hit 16 3s over the past three games. "These stretches that he gets on, I dont know if theres many guys in the league that can do that," Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said. "We didnt anticipate that." Marcus Morris added 19 points on 5-of-6 shooting from 3-point range for Phoenix, which held a 62-39 edge on the boards in their eighth win in nine games. "Right now Phoenix is a better team than us," Lakers coach Mike DAntoni said, "especially in the condition we are in." Nick Young scored 19 points and Jodie Meeks 18 for the undermanned Lakers, who fell to 1-2 since Kobe Bryant was sidelined with a knee injury. Gasol, who sat out Saturdays loss to Golden State with an upper respiratory infection, started but had little energy as Plumlee scored on alley-oop dunks, post moves and putbacks. The second-year player from Duke hit 8 of 14 shots and blocked two shots as the surprising Suns moved to 17-10, their best start since 18-9 in 2009-10. "We dont know any different," Frye said of his young team. "We like winning." Gasol had 10 points and four rebounds in 20 minutes before he left the game for good midway through the third quarrter after bumping heads with Plumlee. Balenciaga Shoes Wholesale China. That opened a gash that left him bleeding from the corner of his right eye. It was that kind of night for the Lakers, who watched the Suns hit 14 3-pointers in their sixth loss in nine games. "Why would I be discouraged?" a testy DAntoni said. "We are fighting with a bunch of good guys that played well before and they will play again. If (the fans) are discouraged, then find another team to root for. We are not going to give up. "Are you kidding me? Discouraged? That is not even fair to these guys. Theyre going to fight." The Lakers only healthy point guard was ex-Sun Kendall Marshall, signed last week and who committed four turnovers in six minutes in his debut Saturday. He didnt play until the game was decided in the fourth quarter. The 6-foot-6 Xavier Henry again started at point guard with Steve Blake (elbow), Jordan Farmar (hamstring) and Steve Nash (back) all sidelined. Despite being outrebounded by Plumlee alone (9-8) and committing 10 fouls in the first quarter, the Lakers only trailed 28-24. Then the Suns got hot from the outside -- again. After hitting just 1 of 7 3-pointers in the first quarter, Phoenix drained seven of their first nine in the second, including four from Green as the Suns built a 62-46 lead. The Suns, who extended their team record of hitting at least seven 3s to 19 games, built a 24-point third-quarter lead behind Plumlees work inside and Greens from the perimeter. "Weve pretty much simplified it for them," Frye said. "Gerald, come of the screen and shoot the ball. Miles, come off a screen and dunk the ball. "Its pretty simple, and I think theyre growing inside those roles." NOTES: DAntoni is "optimistic" Farmar will return Wednesday vs. Miami. Farmar will meet with doctors Tuesday. . While Blake is still weeks from returning and wearing a brace on his right arm, hes been able to work on his opposite hand and said he can now consistently make free throws lefty. . About the only thing Plumee did wrong was air-ball a first-quarter free throw. "I needed to take a bigger breath," Plumlee joked. ' ' '

SAN DIEGO -- At the end of the longest nine-inning game in San Diego Padres history, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle summed it up best Monday night. Fred Lynn Angels Jersey . "Its time to go home," he said. Jordy Mercer homered and matched a career high with four of Pittsburghs 16 hits in a 10-3 romp over the Padres. Neil Walker added three hits and three RBIs, and Josh Harrison also had three hits to help Pittsburgh win for the ninth time in 13 games. The Pirates are enjoying their West Coast swing so far. After taking three of four at Dodger Stadium, they headed south and won again in a game that took 4 hours, 4 minutes. "It was a long one, thats for sure," Mercer said. "But it is always good when you score a lot of runs." Charlie Morton (2-7) tied a career best with nine strikeouts in five innings. He allowed two runs and three hits in winning for the first time in five road starts this year. Three relievers finished the five-hitter after Mortons curveball baffled the Padres. "He was still dealing with baserunners," Hurdle said. "But he was able to compete and get outs when he needed to. He gave us five solid innings." Mercer scored four times from the No. 8 spot in the batting order and went 4 for 5 to raise his average 20 points to .219. He entered with one home run and seven RBIs in 146 at-bats. "The people believe in me here," Mercer said. "Having that support, having that confidence every time, its nice." Hurdle talked about how dangerous this Pirates lineup can be. Mercer agreed. "I think when we all get hot theres no telling what we can do," Mercer said. "The skys the limit for us because we can hit the ball out of the ballpark, we can run, we can do all sorts of stuff. Its just a matter of us all clicking together." Tim Stauffer (2-2) lasted only 2 2-3 innings, his second consecutive disappointing start since being inserted into the rotation because of elbow injuries to Andrew Cashner and Robbie Erlin. "The first two innings were pretty good, then he seemed to lose the feeling for his pitches," San Diego manager Bud Black said. The Padres threw 249 pitches, the most ever by their staff in a nine-inning game. "It was just unfortunate it unraveled the way it did," Stauffer said. The Pirates broke open the game with three runs each in the seventh and eighth. The big blow was Walkers two-run double in the seventh, propelling Pittsburgh to its sixth win in the last nine road games. Four times in the previous six innings the Pirates loaded the bases but scored only one run. They stranded a season-high 16 runners. The teams combined for 12 walks and six hit batters. Through the first four innings, Morton didnt allow a run or hit -- although the Padres reached on an error, two walks and two hit batters. But in the fifth, Everth Cabreras double drove in Alexi Amarista after he opened the inning with a single. Seth Smith drove in Cabrera with a single, trimming the Pirates lead to 3-2, but pinch-hitter Tommy Medica struck out with the bases loaded. Pittsburgh had extended its advantage to 3-0 on Mercers RBI single in the fourth. Starling Marte scored after he was hit by a pitch from reliever Alex Torres. Mercer snapped a scoreless tie with a home run to start the third inning, a 414-foot shot into the second deck beyond the left-field fence. Ike Davis sacrifice fly scored Harrison for a 2-0 lead. NOTES: Cashner threw a four-inning simulated game and didnt report any discomfort. Cashner, on the DL since mid-May with a sore right elbow, could start this weekend. "That was a good step forward," Black said. Cashner said hes adjusted the grip on his slider to take pressure off his elbow. ... Erlin hasnt been cleared to resume throwing. Hes on the DL with a sore left elbow. ... Pirates RHP Stolmy Pimentel (right shoulder inflammation) made a rehab start at Class-A Bradenton, throwing two scoreless innings. ... Harrison has batted leadoff 15 straight times, the longest stretch by a Pirates player this season. ... RHP Gerrit Cole (5-3, 3.80 ERA) faces Padres RHP Jesse Hahn on Tuesday. It will be Hahns major league debut after appearing in 10 games with Double-A San Antonio, where he was 2-1 with a 2.20 ERA. Kean Wong Jersey . Jonathan Crompton led the team to a 40-9 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Crompton threw three touchdown passes - two to Duron Carter and one to Brandon London - and Sean Whyte connected on four field goals to power the Alouettes to the win. Matt Thaiss Angels Jersey . The team of Lars Nelson, Daniel Richardsson, Johan Olsson, and anchor Marcus Hellner cruised to victory in the 4x10 km event, winning in a time of one hour, 28 minutes, and 42. https://www.cheapangels.com/113j-vladimir-guerrero-jersey-angels.html . Detroits powerful offence made that unnecessary. Scherzer allowed two hits and struck out seven, and the Tigers backed their star right-hander with three early homers in an 8-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday night.DAVIE, Fla. - Running back and kick returner LaMichael James agreed to terms with the Miami Dolphins to join their practice squad. The deal Tuesday came after James was released Sept. 8 by the San Francisco 49ers, who took him in the second round of the 2012 draft. The Dolphins have five other running backs under contract, including Knowshon Moreno, who has missed the ppast two games because of an elbow injury. Andrew Heaney Jersey. James was frustrated by his lack of playing time with the 49ers and has 41 career carries while averaging 4.5 yards per attempt. He was used mostly on returns, averaging 10.9 yards on punt returns and 28.4 on kickoffs. James finished third in Heisman Trophy voting in 2010 and 10th in 2011 at Oregon. ' ' '

TORONTO -- Jonas Valanciunas cherished the chance to think about nothing but basketball Wednesday night. Custom New York Giants Jerseys . The Raptors sophomore centre cast aside his off-court troubles to score a career-high 26 points and grab 12 rebounds in Torontos 125-114 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers -- less than three days after he was charged with drunk driving. "It has been a rough couple of days, but I had to find energy to come out and fight. I felt really good fan support -- thank you to them. I felt great, because everybody supported me," said Valanciunas, addressing the media for the first time since his arrest early Monday morning. "I say sorry, and (am) learning to be better. "Its been a really good two-and-a half hours (playing)," he added. Kyle Lowry topped Toronto (46-32) with 29 points in his first game back after missing three with a bruised kneecap. Patrick Patterson finished with 17 in the Raptors fourth straight victory and seventh in eight outings. DeMar DeRozan added 17 points before leaving the game with a minute to play with a nasty gash over his left eye that required three stitches. The swirling trouble surrounding Valanciunas didnt show in his game. He scored the Raptors first points of the night, then grabbed a rebound on the Sixers first shot, and scored on a thunderous dunk on a pass from DeRozan on Torontos next trip down the floor. "I expected it," Lowry said. "He was going to play like trash or he was going to play amazing. And he played amazing like we expected. "Its a tough situation for him to handle, but this is our sanctuary, basketball. We get a chance to be away from everything and basketball is our space, our secret spot. Thats where guys can release a lot of energy and intensity." Henry Sims scored 22 points, Michael Carter-Williams added 19, and Thaddeus Young finished with 16 for the Sixers (17-61). The Raptors are headed for the post-season for the first time in six years, and a victory on Friday versus the visiting New York Knicks will clinch the Atlantic Division. It will also tie their franchise record for wins of 47 -- set in 2000-01 and 2006-07. But the Raptors were coming off a tougher-than-expected 102-98 win over the last-place Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, and the lowly Sixers -- who recently tied the league record for most consecutive defeats with 26 -- gave Toronto a decent game for much of the night. "These are the dog days, teams that dont have anything to play for, our guys see the computer, they see the standings and all the records. But we cant play that way," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "I told them weve got to pick our defence up and not have the mental letdown." The Raptors led by only a point midway through the third quarter before taking a 98-89 advantage into the fourth in front of an Air Canada Centre crowd of 18,789. "I think for the most part we went out there and played a solid game, (the Raptors) are a good team," Young said. "They are a playoff contending team, third in the East, they have proven it day in and day out. They have a lot of key guys that can make shots and score the basketball." The Sixers trailed by just six points with 2:44 to play after Young drained a 17-foot fadeaway jumper. But Lowry proved once again how valuable he is down the stretch, sinking consecutive baskets to give the Raptors a 10-point lead with 1:52 to play, and the Sixers never threatened again. "Im just happy to be back out there with my teammates, honestly," Lowry said. "When you miss games you feel that you are letting the team down and its great to be back out there with the fellas." There were questions about Valanciunas playing Wednesday in the wake of his arrest, and Casey was asked pre-game about what message that sends. "We sent a message," Casey replied. "We sent a message that we dont condone it, were disappointed in him. By playing him, were not saying were condoning it." Valanciunas was arrested early Monday morning in Wasaga Beach, Ont., and charged with having more than 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. Police say they began investigating after a report that a vehicle went through a drive-thru with open beer bottles visible. DeRozan was pleased Valanciunas "came up big" against the Sixers. "I hope everybody leaves him alone," DeRozan said. "(His game) just shows you hes not letting everything else affect him, everything thats going on, or the situation that happened. Hes just going out there playing, he did what he did, its over with, he apologized to us, and understands whats at stake." Valanciunass first court appearance is scheduled for Collingwood on April 22. The 21-year-old is not required to attend so a lawyer will stand in for him. He could receive a suspension from the NBA, but that would be pending the results of a trial which would likely be during the off-season. Raptors starting forward Amir Johnson missed his fourth game with an ankle injury. Casey said the hardworking forward, who has long battled bad ankles, isnt 100 per cent, but "hes pretty close." "Probably if he had to go tonight he probably could go, but again, were trying to make sure, trying to get him ready for the next couple of weeks," Casey added. The Raptors led for all but a few seconds of the first quarter, and went up by nine points when Lowry converted a three-point play with 23 seconds left. A three-pointer by Elliot Williams cut Torontos advantage to 34-28 heading into the second. The Raptors continued to build on their lead, and Pattersons three-pointer with just under three minutes to go in the second put Toronto up 62-49. The Raptors went into the dressing room at halftime up 68-60. The Sixers opened the third with a 17-10 run, capped by Andersons three-pointer with 6:23 to go that cut the Raptors lead to just a point. The Raptors finished the quarter with a run of their own to give themselves a nine-point lead with a quarter to go. NOTES: The Raptors host the New York Knicks on Friday, then play the Pistons in Detroit on Sunday. They host Milwaukee on Monday then play their regular-season finale next Wednesday at Detroit. 23:08ET 09-04-14 Custom Los Angeles Chargers Jerseys . Starting from pole, the 26-year-old Vettel turned in a trademark clinical performance to win the Indian Grand Prix on Sunday and join F1 greats Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher as just the third driver to win four consecutive championships. Custom USA Soccer Jerseys . "First, I would like to offer my deepest and sincerest apologies for any harm I have inflicted on University of Missouri defensive lineman, Michael Sam," the statement read. https://www.cheapcustomjerseysonline.com/custom-japan-soccer-jerseys/ .com) - The Carolina Hurricanes placed defenseman John-Michael Liles on injured reserve Tuesday.LONDON -- One in four professional footballers said they suffer symptoms of anxiety and depression in a new study into the sports largely unexplored "dark side" of mental illness. The mental health of recently retired professional footballers was even more worrisome, with one in three reporting signs of anxiety and depression. Some 300 current and former professionals -- from the Netherlands, Major League Soccer, Scotland, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand -- took part in the study for the players union, FIFPro. While football can draw on reams of scientific study about players physical injuries, little research has previously been done into their mental health, and mental health problems have remained very much taboo in the sport, FIFPro chief medical officer Vincent Gouttebarge said. "There is definitely some dark side of professional football," he said in an interview. "We dont talk about mental health issues in football, or we didnt talk about this issue," he added. "Its quite a macho culture so people do not talk about it." Gouttebarge said the studys findings suggest that professional footballers are no less prone to mental illness than other younger people in the general population. He said that might surprise fans who believe footballers live comfortable, worry-free lives, with media attention often focusing on the wealth of the most successful players. "Contrary to what people think, professional footballers experience psychological problems just like other groups in the population," Gouttebarge said. Among the 180 active footballers who responded to the lengthy questionnaire, 10 per cent reported symptoms of distress, five per cent reported signs of burnout and three per cent said they suffered from low self-esteem. Nearly 20 per cent reported problems with alcohol, which Gouttebarge said could include binge drinking and regularly drinking too much, and seven per cent said they smoked. TThe 121 former professionals who responded on average had 12-year playing careers and have been retired for five years. Custom Texas Rangers Jerseys. . Fifteen per cent showed signs of burnout and 18 per cent signs of distress. One in three reported drinking problems, 12 per cent smoked, and 39 per cent reported suffering from depression and anxiety. Gouttebarge said that could include worrying, mood swings, difficulties sleeping, feeling stressed, not being sociable or a combination of symptoms. "Mental illness seems to occur among former professional footballers more often than in current players, and more often than in other populations. Consequently, mental illness among former professional footballers cannot be underestimated and should be a subject of interest for all stakeholders in football," the study said. Retirement was "really a critical period," with players abruptly losing the structure of regular training and the support of being in a club, Gouttebarge said. "You have to find a new life," he said. "It can put you under a lot of stress." Long-term injuries and surgeries that take players out of the game and away from close, regular contact with teammates can also be factors in mental health problems. Being forced to stop playing professionally because of injury or because clubs wont offer another contract can be particularly hard to cope with, Gouttebarge noted. "This has been recognized in other sports as a huge cause of mental health issues," he said. "The guy who is willing to retire or to stop his career is really (in) a different kind of situation to the one who is forced to retire." He called the study "a good first step" toward identifying the scope of mental health issues in football. The survey is expanding to players in France and from French-speaking nations in Africa, with plans to also study players in Spanish-speaking countries and Japan, Gouttebarge said. ' ' '

The Canadiens and Ducks win; notes on Max Pacioretty, Nathan Beaulieu, Daniel Briere, John Gibson, Devante Smith-Pelly, Jarret Stoll and more. Nike Air Max 97 Ultra Pas Cher Vente . MAKE IT SEVEN Facing elimination, the Montreal Canadiens came out of the gate quickly to take an early lead, got a few bounces and 26 saves from Carey Price on the way to a 4-0 win, tying the series at three games apiece. Montreals big scorers came to play, as LW Max Pacioretty scored once and added an assist. It was Paciorettys second goal of the playoffs, his first of this series. Pacioretty struggled early in the series, but has been better (43 5-on-5 shot attempts for, 41 against) over the past three games. Paciorettys assist game on the first of Thomas Vaneks two goals. A couple of additions to the Habs lineup paid off in limited roles for Game Six. Veteran C Daniel Briere, a healthy scratch in Game Five, was on for nine shot attempts for and four against, anchoring the fourth line with Dale Weise and Brandon Prust. Rookie D Nathan Beaulieu, in for Douglas Murray, chipped in an assist and was one for 58.3% of 5-on-5 shot attempts when he was on the ice. Canadiens D Josh Gorges, charged with protecting the lead, played a game-high 26:19, and was on the ice for 25.0% of 5-on-5 shot attempts. With Gorges off the ice, the Canadiens held 64.3% of the shot attempts at even strength. That the series is going seven games doesnt come as a major surprise -- over the past decade, the Canadiens and Bruins have gone seven games in a playoff series in 2011, 2008 and 2004 -- but with a couple of missed opportunities earlier in the series (ie. Lost lead in Game Two, OT loss in Game Four), the Canadiens needed a really big performance to take this particular series to Game Seven. The Bruins have been the better team ove the course of this season and carried play more consistently over the course of this series, but that doesnt much matter now. Wednesday night will bring a winner-take-all Game Seven between these arch-rivals, with a trip to the Eastern Conference Final awaiting the winner. DUCKS FLYING HIGH For the first time in the Freeway Series, the home team came out on top, and the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 win in Game Five gave them a 3-2 series lead over the Los Angeles Kings. The Ducks turning to rookie G John Gibson, in their time of need, has altered the series and Gibson turned aside 39 of 42 Kings shots in Game Five to earn the win. In five regular season and playoff games with the Ducks this season, Gibson has stopped 150 of 157 shots (.955 SV%). This wouldnt be the first time that a rookie goaltender made a name for himself in the NHL playoffs, but Gibsons performance in the last two games has already tipped the series in Anaheims favour. Ducks LW Devante Smith-Pelly is taking a liking to his role on the number one line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Smith-Pelly scored a pair of goals and led the Ducks with six shot attempts and seven hits. Once the Ducks jumped out to a 4-1 lead, they went into a defensive shell as the Kings mounted a comeback attempt. LW Marian Gaborik scored a pair of goals, giving him a playoff-leading eight goals, and had seven shots on goal. Not surprisingly, the Kings top line of Gaborik, Justin Williams and Anze Kopitar carried play, all three on the ice for better than 70% of 5-on-5 shot attempts. Unheralded Kings C Jarret Stoll has been having a tremendous series. In five games, hes been on the ice for 65.8% (79 for, 41 against) of the 5-on-5 shot attempts. Hes gone without a point in the past eight games, but the puck is spending a lot of time in Anaheims zone when Stoll is on the ice. Also, in Game Five, Kings D Drew Doughty had 13 shot attempts, including a deflection in the final minute that was kicked aside by Gibson. Kings C Mike Richards played 9:50, second-lowest on the team (ahead of only Jordan Nolan) and didnt take a shift in the final 10 minutes. In 250 regular season and playoff games over the past three seasons with Los Angeles, prior to Game Five, Richards had played more than 10 minutes in 249 of those games. The Kings may hold an edge in territorial play in this series, but theyre now facing a deficit and have to win back-to-back games against the Ducks. Finding a way to get Gibson off his game has to be the priority because, right now, the kid is playing well enough to leave Los Angeles royally disappointed. 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. Air Max 97 Noir Homme Pas Cher . Stiverne stopped Chris Arreola in the sixth round Saturday night, claiming the WBC heavyweight title belt vacated by Vitali Klitschko. Air Max 90 Homme Pas Cher Francais . - Mark Sanchez found out the New York Jets had acquired Tim Tebow on a conference call with team management. http://www.outletairmaxpascher.fr/fausse-air-max-97-off-white.html . It was considered unlikely that Rielly would be loaned to Canada for the tournament, which begins Dec. 26 in Malmo, Sweden, though a stretch of three straight games in the press box made it something of a debate.BALTIMORE - The New York Yankees will attempt to end the first half on a high note tonight, as they attempt to earn a series win over the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. You can catch all the action on TSN beginning at 8pm et/5pm pt. Chase Whitley will get the call for the Yankees trying to improve upon his 4-2 record and 4.94 ERA. Whitley earned a win out of the bullpen on July 9 against the Indians with two scoreless innings, but in his previous three outings, all starts, he gave up a total of 17 runs over 10 1/3 innings of work. The rookie is 3-1 in seven road starts with a 4.86 ERA. The Orioles will respond with Kevin Gausman, whos 3-2 with a solid 3.51 ERA through six starts this season. Gausman only lasted 5 1/3 innings in a no-decision against the Red Sox on July 6, but while he worked his pitch count high he was still effective, allowing only four hits and an earned run while striking out seven. After Baltimore claimed the first game in the series on Friday, New York evened tthings up on Saturday afternoon with a 3-0 triumph behind its impressive rookie hurler. Nike Air Max Plus France. Shane Greene (2-0) was dominant in his second-career start. He pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing just four hits and two walks while striking out nine, lowering his ERA to 1.32 in the process. "We were really excited about him in spring training and what he could possibly do for us," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "We felt he could help us at some point this year, and the time is now." The Yankees got the scoring started in the third inning with an RBI double off the bat of Mark Teixeira. They added two more in the seventh with RBI hits by Derek Jeter and Jacoby Ellsbury. Chris Tillman (7-5) pitched 6 2/3 solid innings in the loss, allowing three earned runs on seven hits. The Orioles collected just five hits on the afternoon, with two coming off the bat of Nick Markakis. The Os had won three straight over the Yankees. ' ' '

OTTAWA -- The expansion Ottawa Redblacks have changed the name of their new lumberjack mascot after receiving some critical feedback on the original choice. Cheap Yeezy . The CFL team announced last week that the mascot would go by the handle of "Big Joe Mufferaw." On Monday, the name was changed to "Big Joe" in English and "Grand Jos" in French. "We unintentionally offended some with the original name and we sincerely apologize for that," said Jeff Hunt, the president of the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, which owns the Redblacks. "We hope to create a fan base that is unified in its support for the Redblacks and we will continue to strive to do our best in that regard." The team received a number of suggestions from fans before naming the mascot. Many wanted it named after late Ottawa storyteller Bernie Bedores character, which was inspired by Joseph Montferrand, a real-life Outaouais logger and defender of Francophone rights in the 1800s. However, critics felt that using the "Mufferaw" name was disrespectful. The team said it plans to continue to seek opportunities to welcome Francophone football fans from Gatineau, Que., and Eastern Ontario and engage the Francophone community with appearances by players and the mascot throughout the region. Big Joe Mufferaw was also immortalized in a famous song by Canadian country-folk legend Stompin Tom Connors. The Redblacks will kick off their inaugural season July 3 in Winnipeg. Their first home game is scheduled for July 18 versus Toronto. Replica Yeezy . Signs of a turnaround have emerged in this series at Minnesota. Brian Roberts had three doubles and a triple for the first four-extra-base-hit game of his 14-year career, and the Yankees used their bullpen to preserve a 6-5 win over the Twins on Friday. Wholesale Yeezy .Dawson also birdied two of the last four holes to reach 12-under 132 on TPC San Antonios AT&T Canyons Course. He won his only title in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event in 2002 in the Web.com Tours LaSalle Bank Open.Im not going to lose any sleep, believe me, Dawson said. I used to be a perfectionist, but my attitude now is to play like Im in the pro-am. https://www.wholesaleyeezyauthentic.com/ . Vonn had another scary moment at Saturdays World Cup downhill in Val dIsere, ending up clutching her knee in pain after losing her balance and missing a gate. But she gave a reassuring answer shortly afterward, saying no new damage had been done to the surgically repaired knee, and that her plans for the Sochi Olympics were still intact.CLEVELAND - Kyrie Irving managed to find a silver lining — and a sliver of hope for the Cavaliers playoff chances — while dealing with his latest injury. The All-Star point guard will miss at least two weeks with a strained biceps tendon, but hes hopeful his season is not over. Irving said following shootaround Tuesday at the Cleveland Clinic Courts, "If you could take a positive from the situation, obvioously that would be one, that at this point, I dont have to get surgery, which is tremendous. yeezy black friday. " Clevelands leading scorer got hurt Sunday night in a loss against the Los Angeles Clippers. An MRI taken Monday revealed the string, but not a tear, which would have ended Irvings season. Its still not a certainty hell be back, but the Cavs will rest him for two weeks before making any decisions. ' ' '