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The Georges St-Pierre saga took another strange turn Thursday when the former welterweight champion told ESPN Brazil that he would consider a superfight against former middleweight champ Anderson Silva. Terry Bradshaw Jersey . St-Pierre, who decided to step away from the UFC and give up his welterweight title in November for personal reasons, said that if the conditions were fair he would consider stepping into the octagon for what would likely be the biggest fight in the sports history. "It has to respect my conditions, all I ask is a fair fight. Right now I need to take some time off. But if they have an offer with something good, maybe," he said. St-Pierre discussed past rumours of a possible bout between the two but said there was never a level playing field to attract the Saint-Isidore, Québec native. "There were conversations before but they were talking about me going up at 185. I weigh 190 pounds, the guy weighs 230 pounds when he is off season. Im 190 pounds off season. Right now Im 195 at maximum. My friends saw him and he is now 230, 235," he said. "I know people who know him. He is very big. Its not a fair fight for me. Before, Anderson Silva was in my size when he used to fight in Japan but he is very big now." St-Pierres comments dont realistically bring the fight any closer to reality due to the fact that GSPs future with the organization is uncertain and Silva is recovering from a broken leg suffered during his middleweight title rematch against reigning champion Chris Weidman at UFC 168 in December. However, if the interest is there on both sides it might be too good an opportunity to pass up. "If we were able to pull something like that off, it would be a win-win for everybody - the fans, the UFC," Silvas manager Ed Soares told USA Today back in January. "I think that would be awesome." Martavis Bryant Jersey . Moulson left late in the third period of Thursdays 3-2 win in Phoenix with an undisclosed injury, which the club revealed on Friday was an upper-body issue. Heath Miller Jersey . Taylor Hall had a hat trick and rookie Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had five assists, and the Oilers snapped a four-game losing skid in a big way with a 9-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday.PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. -- Ever since the game was invented, before television or even radio existed, baseball counted on the eyes and ears of umpires on the field. Starting this season, many key decisions will be made in a studio far away. Major League Baseball vaulted into the 21st century of technology on Thursday, approving a huge expansion of instant replay in hopes of eliminating blown calls that riled up players, managers and fans. "I think its great," San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "Its about getting it right." Acknowledging the human element had been overtaken in an era when everyone except the umps could see several views over and over in slow-motion, owners and players and umpires OKed the new system. Now each manager will be allowed to challenge at least one call per game. If hes right, he gets another challenge. After the seventh inning, a crew chief can request a review on his own if the manager has used his challenges. "I tell you the fans will love it," baseball Commissioner Bud Selig said after owners met and voted their unanimous approval. "Its another in a long list of changes that will make this sport better than it already is." Baseball was the last major pro sport in North America to institute replay when it began late in the 2008 season. Even then, it was only used for close calls on home runs. The NFL, NBA, NHL, some NCAA sports and major tennis tournaments all use a form of replay, and even FIFA and the English Premier League have adopted goal-line technology for soccer. Not that managers wont still occasionally bolt from the dugout, their veins bulging. The so-called "neighbourhood play" at second base on double plays cannot be challenged. Many had safety concerns for middle infielders being wiped out by hard-charging runners if the phantom force was subject to review. Ball-and-strike calls cant be contested. Neither can check-swings and foul tips. Nor can obstruction and interference rulings -- those are up to the umpires judgment, like the one at third base in St. Louis that ended Bostons loss in Game 3 of the World Series last October. All reviews will be done by current MLB umpires at a replay centre in MLB.coms New York office. To create a large enough staff, MLB agreed to hire six new big league umpires and call up two minor league umps for the entire season. A seventh major league umpire will be added to replace the late Wally Bell. The umpires on the field will be able to talk to the command centre. The replay umpire will make the final decision -- that could include where to place runners if, say, a call is reversed from out to safe on a trapped ball in outfield. In addition, managers and others in the dugout will be allowed to communicate by phone with someone in the clubhouse who can watch the videos and advise whether to challenge a call. "Im excited to see how it works out. I am interested to see how the flow of the game is affected," Oakland catcher Stephen Vogt said. "Its a good use of the technology that we have, the fact that we will be able to get more calls corrected and fixed." Joe Torre, MLBs executive vice-president of baseball operations, said work continues on a proposed rule that would ban home-plate collisions between runners and the catcher. The rule has not been written and talks on its content are ongoing bbetween MLB representatives and the players union, he said. Hines Ward Jersey. Even since William McLean became the first professional umpire when he worked a Boston-Philadelphia National League game on April 22, 1876, baseball has celebrated its old-fashioned traditions. Having umpires make the calls on the field was one of them. So were arguments between managers and umpires, often to the delight of fans. Worries that replays would slow the pace even more were offset by this: Replay decisions cannot be argued. Replay umpires will make their final rulings in no more than a minute to 90 seconds, MLB Executive Vice-President of Baseball Operations Joe Torre estimated. "With our technology today we can do that in a way I dont think we will interrupt the flow of the game," Bochy said. To make reviews uniform, cameras will transit 12 angles from each ballpark. MLB Chief Operating Officer Rob Manfred said it was uncertain whether the replay system will be in place in Australia for the season-opening series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers. "For some, the discussions regarding expanded replay appeared to move too slowly, too deliberately," said Brian Lam, the lawyer for the World Umpires Association. "But there were technical and operational challenges that needed to be addressed, and that took time. With so many competing interests and opinions, it is unlikely that all will be completely pleased at the end of the day, but thats often the nature of things." MLB had talked for a few years about expanding replay to include fair-or-foul calls and traps. Several missed calls in the post-season ratcheted up the debate. The players union gave its approval for the 2014 season. "The players look forward to the expanded use of replay this season, and they will monitor closely its effects on the game before negotiating over its use in future seasons," union Executive Director Tony Clark said in a statement. Selig said the replay expansion ranks "very, very high" when compared with other moves made during his time on the job. The new rule allows ballparks to show fans the same replays on stadium video screens. But only plays under review can be shown on the screen in slow motion. "Its the first time in the history of the game that a manager has the opportunity to change the call of a play that may have adversarily affected their team," said Atlanta Braves President John Schuerholz, who chaired the committee that came up with the replay plan, "that may have cost them the game, that may have cost them the division, that may have cost them a World Series." The existing rule on umpires calling for a review of whether a hit was a home run or not will remain, although the review will be done by the umpire in New York. Torre said the number of manager challenges were limited to a maximum of two to maintain "the rhythm of the game." "Were going to start this way and if we feel something has to be adjusted were certainly going to be aware of that," he said. Torre and MLB executive Tony La Russa, both ex-managers, joined Schuerholz on the replay committee. "Were really going for the dramatic miss, not all misses," La Russa said. "...This is a challenge for a game-changing play that goes against you, and now you can correct it." wholesale nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' ' |
