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A few days later, Hillary ugg boots for women and I flew to Nashville for a memorial service for Al Gores father, Senator Albert Gore Sr., who had died at ninety at his home in Carthage, Tennessee. The War Memorial Auditorium was full, with people from all walks of life who had come to pay their respects to a man whose Senate service included his role in building the interstate UGG womens boots highway system, his refusal to sign the segregationist Southern Manifesto in 1956, and his courageous opposition to the Vietnam War. I had admired Senator Gore since I was a young man, and always enjoyed the chances my association with Al gave me to be with him. Senator and Mrs. Gore had campaigned hard for Al and me in 1992, and I got a big kick out of hearing the Senator give his old-fashioned stump speeches full of fire and brimstone.

The music at the memorial service was moving, especially when we heard an old tape of Senator Gore as a rising young politician playing the fiddle in Constitution Hall in 1938. Al delivered the eulogy, a loving and eloquent tribute to UGGS on sale the father, the man, and the public servant. After the service I told Hillary I wished everyone in America could have heard it.

In mid-month, just as I was about to leave for Israel and Gaza to keep my commitments under the Wye River accord, the House Judiciary Committee voted, again along straight party lines, in favor of impeaching me for perjury UGG Boots Sale in the deposition and the grand jury testimony, and for obstruction of justice. They also passed a fourth count accusing UGG boots womens me of giving false answers to their questions. It was a truly bizarre proceeding. Chairman Hyde refused to set a standard for what constituted an impeachable offense, or to call any witnesses with direct knowledge of the matters in dispute. He took the position that a vote for impeachment was simply a vote to send the Starr report on to the Senate, which could determine whether the report was factually accurate and whether my removal from office was warranted.

A bipartisan group of prosecutors told the committee that no normal prosecutor would charge me with perjury on the evidence in this case, and a panel of distinguished historians, including Arthur Schlesinger of City University of New York, C. Vann Woodward of Yale, and Sean Wilentz of Princeton, said that what I was alleged to UGGS on sale usa have done did not meet the framers standard of impeachmentthat is, a high crime or misdemeanor committed in the exercise of executive power. This had long been the accepted understanding, and their interpretation was backed up by an UGG boots outlet open letter to Congress signed by four hundred historians. For example, in the Watergate case, the House Judiciary Committee voted against impeaching President Nixon for alleged income tax evasion because it had nothing to do with his performance in office. But all this was entirely irrelevant to Hyde, to his equally hostile counsel, David Schippers, and to the right-wingers who controlled the House.

Ever since the election, Tom DeLay and his staff UGG womens boots had been firing up the right-wing networks to demand my impeachment. The radio talk shows were pushing it hard, and moderates were beginning to hear from anti-Clinton activists in their home districts. They were convinced they could get enough moderate members of Congress to forget about the popular opposition to impeachment by making them fear the retaliation of disappointed Clinton haters.

In the context of this strategy, the Hyde committees vote against a censure resolution was as important UGGS on sale as its votes for the impeachment articles. Censure was the preferred option of 75 percent of the American people; if a censure motion were to be presented to the House, the moderate Republicans would vote UGGS for cheap for it and impeachment would be dead. Hyde claimed that Congress didnt have the authority to censure the President; it was impeachment or nothing. In fact, Presidents Andrew Jackson and James Polk had both been censured by Congress. The censure resolution was voted down by the committee, again on a partisan vote. The full House would not be able to vote on what most Americans wanted. Now it was just a question of how many moderate Republicans could be persuaded.

On the morning after my speech to the Palestinians, Netanyahu, Arafat, and I met at the Erez border crossing to try to energize the implementation of Wye River and decide how to move to the final status issues. Afterward, Arafat took Hillary and me to Bethlehem. He was proud to have custody of a site Ugg boots on sale so holy to Christians, and he knew it would mean a lot to us to visit it close to Christmas.

After we left Arafat, we joined Prime Minister Netanyahu for a Uggs clearance visit to Masada. I was impressed that so much work had been done since Hillary and I had first been there in 1981 to recover the remains of the fortress where Jewish martyrs had fought to the death for their convictions. Bibi seemed somewhat pensive and subdued. He had gone beyond his political safety zone at Wye River, and his future was uncertain. There was no way to know whether the chances he had taken would bring Israel closer to lasting peace or bring an end to his government.

We bid the prime minister farewell and flew home womens UGG boots to another conflict. Six days earlier, on just the second day of renewed UN inspections in Iraq, some inspectors had been denied access to Saddams Baath Party headquarters. On the day we returned to womens UGG boots sale Washington, the chief UN weapons inspector, Richard Butler, reported to Kofi Annan that Iraq had not kept its commitments to cooperate with him and had even imposed new restrictions on the inspectors work.

The next day the United States and the United Kingdom launched a series of attacks from airplanes and with cruise missiles on Iraqs suspected chemical, biological, and nuclear womens UGG boots clearance lab sites and its military capacity to threaten its neighbors. In my address to the American people that evening, I noted that Saddam had previously used chemical weapons on Iranians and Kurds in northern Iraq and had fired Scud missiles at other countries. I said I had called off an attack four weeks earlier because Saddam had promised full compliance. Instead, the inspectors had repeatedly been threatened, so Iraq has abused its final chance.

After the committee vote, Hillary and I flew to the Middle East. We had a meeting and dinner with Prime Minister Netanyahu, lit candles on a menorah for Hanukkah, and visited Rabins grave with his family. UGG boots cheap online The next day Madeleine Albright, Sandy Berger, Dennis Ross, Hillary, and I helicoptered into densely populated Gaza to cut the ribbon on the new airport and have lunch with Arafat in a UGG boots cheap womens hotel overlooking Gazas long, beautiful Mediterranean beach. And I gave the speech to the Palestinian National Council that I had pledged to deliver at Wye River. Just before I got up to speak, almost all the delegates raised their hands in support of removing the provision calling for the destruction of Israel from their charter. It was the moment that made the whole trip worthwhile. You could almost hear the Uggs clearance sighs of relief in Israel; perhaps Israelis and Palestinians actually could share the land and the future after all. I thanked the delegates, told them I wanted their people to have concrete benefits from peace, and asked them to stay with the peace process.

It wasnt an idle plea. Less than two months after the triumph at Wye River, the negotiations were in trouble again. Even though Netanyahus cabinet had narrowly approved the agreement, his UGG boots cheap wholesale coalition didnt really favor it, making it virtually impossible for him to proceed with troop redeployment and prisoner releases, or to move on to the even more difficult final status issues, including the question of Palestinian statehood and whether the eastern section of Jerusalem would become the capital of Palestine. The previous days amendment UGG boots cheap uk of the Palestinian charter helped Netanyahu with the Israeli public, but his own coalition was a much harder crew to convince. It looked as if he would either have to form a more broad-based government of national unity or call elections.

After the announcement I drove out to Fort Myer to receive the traditional farewell tribute from the armed forces, a fine military ceremony that included the presentation of an American flag, a flag with the presidential seal, and medals from each of the service branches. They gave Hillary a medal, too. UGGS on sale Bill Cohen noted that in appointing him I became the only President ever to ask an elected official of the opposite party to become secretary of defense.

Being President carries no greater honor than being Commander in Chief of men and women of every race and religion who trace their ancestry to every region on earth. They are the living embodiment of UGG Boots Sale our national creed, E pluribus unum. I had seen them cheered in refugee camps in the Balkans, helping the victims of disasters in Central America, working against narco-traffickers in Colombia and the Caribbean, welcomed with open arms in the former Communist nations of Central Europe, manning distant outposts in Alaska, standing guard in the deserts of the Middle East, and patrolling the Pacific.

Americans know about our forces when they go into battle. There will never be a full account of the wars UGG boots womens never fought, the losses never suffered, the tears never shed because American men and women stood guard for peace. I may have gotten off to a rocky start with the military, but I worked hard at being Commander in Chief, and I was confident that I Uggs boots outlet was leaving our military in even better shape than I found it.

On Saturday, January 6, after a visit to the National Zoo to see the pandas, Hillary and I held a farewell party on the South Lawn with Al and Tipper for all the people who had worked or volunteered in the White House over the past eight years. Hundreds of people came, many from long distances. We talked and reminisced for several hours. Al womens UGGS on sale cheap got a rousing welcome when I introduced him as the peoples choice in the recent election. When he asked for a show of hands of all the people who had married or had children during our time in the White House, I was amazed at the number of hands that shot up. No matter what the Republicans said, we were a pro-family party.

The White House social secretary, Capricia Marshall, who had supported me since 1991 and had been with Hillary since early in our first campaign, had arranged a special surprise for me. The curtain behind us rose to reveal Fleetwood Mac singing Dont Stop Thinkin About UGGS on sale usa Tomorrow one more time.

On Sunday, Hillary, Chelsea, and I went to Foundry United Methodist Church, where the Reverend Phil Wogaman invited Hillary and me to make farewell remarks to the congregation that had embraced us for eight years. Chelsea had made good friends there and had learned a lot working in a distant hollow of rural Kentucky on the churchs Appalachian Service Project. The church members came from many races and nations, and were rich and poor, straight and gay, old and young. Foundry had supported Washingtons homeless UGG womens boots population and refugees in parts of the world where I tried to make peace.

I didnt know what I was going to say, UGGS on sale but Wogaman had told the congregation that I would tell them what I anticipated my new life would be like. So I said that my faith would be tested by a return to commercial air travel and that I would be disoriented by walking into large rooms because no band would be playing Hail to the Chief. And I said I would do whatever I could to be a good citizen, to lift the hopes and fortunes of those who deserve a better hand than they have been dealt, and to keep working for peace and reconciliation. Despite my best efforts for the last eight years, that kind of work still seemed to be UGGS for cheap in strong demand.

Later that night in New York City, I spoke to the pro-peace Israel Policy Forum. At the time we still had some hope of making peace. Arafat had said he accepted the parameters with reservations. The problem was that his reservations, unlike Israels, were outside the parame-ters, at least on refugees and the Western Wall, but I treated the acceptance as if it were real, based on his pledge to make peace before I left office. The American-Jewish community had been very good to me. Some, like my friend Haim Saban and Danny UGG womens boots Abraham were deeply involved with Israel and had given me helpful advice over the years. Many others simply supported my work for peace. Regard-less of what happened, I thought I owed it to them to explain my proposal.

On the eleventh through the fourteenth, I had parties for the cabinet, the White House staff, and friends at Camp David. On the night of the fourteenth, Don Henley gave us a wonderful solo concert after dinner in the Camp David Chapel. The next morning was our familys last Sunday in the beautiful chapel, where we had shared many Ugg boots on sale services with the fine young sailors and marines who staffed the camp and their families. They had even let me sing with the choir, always leaving the sheet music in Aspen, our family cabin, on Friday or Saturday so that I could review it in advance.

On Monday, I spoke at the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday celebration at the University of the District Uggs clearance of Columbia. Usually I marked the day by doing some community service work, but I wanted to take this opportunity to womens UGG boots thank the District of Columbia for being my home for eight years. The D.C. representative in Congress, Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Mayor Tony Williams were good friends of mine, as were several city council members. I had worked to help them get needed legislation through Congress and to prevent unduly meddlesome laws from being enacted. The District still had a lot of problems, but it was in much better condition womens UGG boots sale than it had been eight years earlier when I took my pre-inaugural walk down Georgia Avenue.

I also sent my last message to Congress: The Unfinished Work of Building One America. It was based in large part on the final report of the Commission on Race and included a wide array of recommendations: further steps to close the racial divide in education, health care, employment, and the criminal justice system; special efforts to help low-income absent fathers succeed at parenting; new investments for Native American communities; improved immigration policies; passage of the hate crimes bill; reform womens UGG boots clearance of the voting laws; and the continuation of AmeriCorps and the White House Office on One America. We had made a lot of headway in eight years, but America was growing more diverse, and there was still much to be done.

On the eleventh through the fourteenth, I had parties for the cabinet, the White House staff, and friends at Camp David. On the night of the fourteenth, Don Henley gave us a wonderful solo concert after dinner in the Camp David Chapel. The next morning was our familys last Sunday in the beautiful chapel, where we had shared many Ugg boots on sale services with the fine young sailors and marines who staffed the camp and their families. They had even let me sing with the choir, always leaving the sheet music in Aspen, our family cabin, on Friday or Saturday so that I could review it in advance.

On Monday, I spoke at the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday celebration at the University of the District Uggs clearance of Columbia. Usually I marked the day by doing some community service work, but I wanted to take this opportunity to womens UGG boots thank the District of Columbia for being my home for eight years. The D.C. representative in Congress, Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Mayor Tony Williams were good friends of mine, as were several city council members. I had worked to help them get needed legislation through Congress and to prevent unduly meddlesome laws from being enacted. The District still had a lot of problems, but it was in much better condition womens UGG boots sale than it had been eight years earlier when I took my pre-inaugural walk down Georgia Avenue.

I also sent my last message to Congress: The Unfinished Work of Building One America. It was based in large part on the final report of the Commission on Race and included a wide array of recommendations: further steps to close the racial divide in education, health care, employment, and the criminal justice system; special efforts to help low-income absent fathers succeed at parenting; new investments for Native American communities; improved immigration policies; passage of the hate crimes bill; reform womens UGG boots clearance of the voting laws; and the continuation of AmeriCorps and the White House Office on One America. We had made a lot of headway in eight years, but America was growing more diverse, and there was still much to be done.

The next day, after presenting the Citizens Medal to twenty-eight deserving Americans, including Muhammad Ali, I went over to the Democratic Party headquarters to thank the chairmen, Mayor Ed Rendell of Philadelphia and Joe Andrew, and to give a plug to Terry McAuliffe, who had done so much for Al Gore and for me, and who UGG boots cheap online now was campaigning to be the new party chair. After all the work hed done, I couldnt believe Terry wanted the job, but if he did, I was for him. UGG boots cheap womens I told the people whod slaved away at the party work without glory or recognition how much I appreciated them.

On the ninth, I began a farewell tour to places that had been especially good to me, Michigan and Illinois, where victories in the primaries on St. Patricks Day 1992 had virtually assured me of the nomination. Two days later, I went to Massachusetts, which gave me Uggs clearance the highest percentage of any state in 96, and to New Hampshire, where they had made me the Comeback Kid in early 1992. In between, I dedicated a statue of Franklin Roosevelt in his wheelchair at the FDR Memorial on the Mall. The disability community had lobbied hard for it, and most of the Roosevelt family had supported it. Of the more than 10,000 photos of FDR in his archives, only four depict him in his UGG boots cheap wholesale wheelchair. UGG boots cheap uk Disabled Americans had come a long way since then.

I said farewell to New Hampshire in Dover, where almost nine years earlier I had promised to be with them til the last dog dies. Many of my old supporters were in the audience. I called several by name, thanked them all, then gave them a full account of the record their hard work in that long-ago winter had made possible. And I asked them never to forget that, even though I wont be President, Ill always be with you until the last dog dies.

On the seventeenth, I held my last ceremony in the East Room, as Bruce Babbitt and I announced eight more national monuments, two of them along the trail Lewis and Clark blazed in 1803 with their Indian guide Sacagawea and a slave named York. We had now protected more land in the lower forty-eight states than any administration since that of UGG boots sale womens Theodore Roosevelt.

After the announcement, I left the White House on the last trip of my presidency, going home to Little Rock to address the Arkansas legislature. Some of my UGG boots sale clearance old pals were still in the state House or Sen-ate, as were people who had gotten their start in politics working with me and a few who began by working against me. More than twenty Arkansans who UGG boots sale toddler were then serving or had served with me in Wash-ington joined me that day, as did three of my high school class-mates who lived in the Washington area, and several Arkansans who had served as my liaisons to the legislature when I was governor. Chelsea came with me, too. We passed two of her schools on the way in from the airport, and I thought of how much she had grown up since Hillary and I UGG boots sale usa had attended her school programs at Booker Arts Magnet School.

I tried to thank all the Arkansans who had helped me reach this day, beginning with two men who were no longer living, Judge Frank Holt and Senator Fulbright. I urged the legislators to keep pushing the federal government to support the states on education, economic development, health care, and welfare reform. Finally, I told my old friends that I would leave office in three days grateful that somehow the mystery of this great democracy gave me the chance to go from UGG boots cheap a little boy on South Hervey Street in Hope, Arkansas, to the White House. . . . I may be the only person ever elected President who owed his election purely to his personal friends, without whom I could never have won. I left my friends and flew home to finish the job.

The next night, after a day working on last-minute business, I gave a brief farewell address to the nation from the Oval Office. After thanking the American people for giving me the chance to serve Cheap UGGS outlet and briefly summarizing my philosophy and record, I offered three observations about the future, saying that we should stay on the path to fiscal responsibility; that our security and prosperity required us to lead in the fight for prosperity and freedom and against terrorism, organized crime, narco-trafficking, the spread of deadly weapons, environmental degradation, disease, and global poverty; and finally, that we must continue to weave the threads of our coat of many colors Cheap UGGS for toddlers into the fabric of one America.

I wished President-elect Bush and his family well and said I would leave the presidency more idealistic, more full Cheap UGGS sale of hope than the day I arrived, and more confident than ever that Americas best days lie ahead.

On the nineteenth, my last full day as President, I issued a statement on land mines, saying that since 1993 the United States had destroyed more than 3.3 million of our own land mines, spent $500 million to remove land mines in thirty-five countries, and was making a vigorous effort to find a sensible alternative to mines that would protect our troops as well. I asked the new administration to continue our global demining effort for ten more years.

When I Cheap UGGS with bow got back to the residence it was late and we still werent completely packed. There were boxes everywhere, and I still had to decide which clothes were going whereto New York, Washington, or Arkansas. Hillary and I didnt want to sleep; we just wanted to keep strolling from UGG boots sale room to room. We felt as honored to be living in the White House on our last night as we had when we came home after our first inaugural balls. I never ceased to be thrilled by it all. It seemed almost unbelievable that it had been our home for eight years; now it was almost over.

BOUCHERVILLE, Que. Jelani Jenkins Dolphins Jersey . - Cape Breton Screaming Eagles forward Francis Brunelle was handed a five-game suspension by the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League on Wednesday. Brunelle delivered a questionable hit in a game a night earlier against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. In a statement, the QMJHL said the main point of impact was the opponents head and there was no effort made to minimize the impact. Brunelle, a five-foot-11, 206-pound native of Bromont, Que., has one assist and 48 penalty minutes in 13 games this season. Black Friday Dolphins Jerseys Deals . The 25-year-old rookie forward scored the winner on his first career shootout attempt as the Philadelphia Flyers overcame an early deficit to earn a 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. Olivier Vernon Jersey . New Orleans All-Star forward would have difficulty convincing the Hawks. Davis had 34 points, including 13 in the Pelicans fourth quarter, and New Orleans beat Atlanta 111-105 on Friday night.ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Clutching the game ball tightly in his hands, EJ Manuel was making his way up the tunnel in the euphoria of a last-second victory when the Buffalo Bills rookie quarterback was stopped in his tracks. Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly jumped from out of nowhere to greet Manuel with a big bear hug and two brief words: "Good job." On the day the Bills honoured Kelly and other past stars during a halftime ceremony, Manuel provided a promising glimpse into the franchises future. The first-round draft pick out of Florida State threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Stevie Johnson with 2 seconds left to clinch a 24-23 win over the stunned Carolina Panthers on Sunday. "I cant even tell you how it felt," Manuel said of the touchdown pass. "I think I started crying right then. Im not usually an emotional guy. But Im going to enjoy these type of things." Manuel was 29 of 37 for 296 yards and bounced back after throwing an interception and losing a fumble on consecutive possessions, with the turnovers leading to field goals by Graham�Gano. He became the fifth NFL rookie since 1960 to engineer a fourth-quarter comeback in his first or second game. "Im not surprised. EJ doesnt seem like a rookie," said Johnson, who finished with 111 yards receiving. "He earned a lot of our respect." Bills defensive end Mario�Williams set a team record with 4 1/2 sacks. Fred�Jackson scored on a 4-yard run. The Bills (1-1) bounced back from the disappointment of squandering a lead in the final seconds of a season-opening 23-21 loss to New England. It was a bittersweet first victory for rookie coach Doug Marrone, who took over after Chan Gailey was fired. Marrone was in tears after the game when he revealed he was mourning the loss of a good friend, Rob Edson, the Onondaga Community College athletic director, who died suddenly Saturday. "I know that Rob was watching, and I cant stop thinking about that," Marrone said. "When that game was coming down to the end, my prayers just go out to him and his family." The Panthers are still struggling to win close games. They were coming off a 12-7 loss to Seattle and dropped to 2-14 in games deecided by 7 points or less in two-plus seasons under coach Ron Rivera.Randy Starks Jersey. "Roller coaster. Thats about as bad as it gets," Rivera said. "You had an opportunity to win the game, an opportunity to close it out, and you didnt. ... We had a chance to make a play and we didnt. Thats the thing thats hard to swallow: We just have to make one play." Cam�Newton went 21 of 38 for 229 yards and two touchdowns, a 13-yarder to Greg�Olsen and a 40-yarder to Ted Ginn Jr. "This isnt about learning hard lessons," said Steve�Smith, who had 52 yards receiving. "This is like going to the dentist and getting several teeth pulled without any anesthesia, laughing gas, nothing." The Panthers defence couldnt contain Manuel and the Bills hurry-up offence and allowed Buffalo to score on four of six second-half possessions. It didnt help that linebacker Luke�Kuechly helped keep the Bills decisive drive alive. With Buffalo facing third-and-6 at Carolinas 29, Kuechly was penalized for pass interference on Johnson with 14 seconds left. The Bills scored two plays later. And on offence, Carolina settled for field goals on its three final possessions. The first two came when the Panthers were stopped on third down inside the Bills 10. The last one came after Cam�Newton led a 12-play, 39-yard drive that ate up more than 5 1/2 minutes, capped by Ganos 39-yard field goal with 1:38 left. Manuel was unfazed as the Bills took over at their own 20 with 1:38 remaining and no timeouts. Willing to throw over the middle, he was efficient in twice getting the Bills lined up when his receiver was unable to get out of bounds. "He was focused. He was locked in," Johnson said of Manuel. "He was in there like a No. 1 quarterback." NOTES: The Bills previous single-game record was four sacks, shared by Bruce�Smith, who did it twice, and Cornelius Bennett. ... Carolina allowed 149 yards rushing after previously giving up no more than 70 in its previous five games. ... The Panthers lost S Charles�Godfrey (right Achilles tendon) and CB Josh�Thomas (concussion). ... Dan�Carpenter hit a 55-yard field goal for the Bills. ' ' '

GREEN BAY, Wis. Denard Robinson Jaguars Jersey . - For the better part of two decades now, the Green Bay Packers backup quarterback has been little more than an afterthought. No more. With Aaron�Rodgers knocked out of the game�- and perhaps longer�- by a shoulder injury on the first series, Josh�McCown and the Chicago Bears reminded the Packers why good insurance is so important. McCown, playing in place of the injured Jay�Cutler, threw for two touchdowns Monday night and led Chicago to a 27-20 victory that ended a six-game skid to its NFC North rivals. "We expected to win this game, even with the situation that happened," Jordy�Nelson said. "We had an opportunity to win the game, and we just didnt make enough plays." The loss snapped Green Bays four-game winning streak, but the far larger concern is the health of Rodgers, who hurt his left (non-throwing) shoulder when he was sacked on the first series by Shea�McClellin. Rodgers took a few warm-up throws with backup Seneca�Wallace but, after being examined by medical staff, ran into the Green Bay locker room. He wasnt seen again until midway through the third quarter, when he came back onto the field in sweats. Though he waved to fans with his right hand, and didnt appear to be wearing a brace, he kept his left hand jammed in his pocket. "He has a shoulder injury," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "They want to run more tests. They dont have an exact diagnosis. Well have more information, probably tomorrow." Pressed for more information, McCarthy insisted there wasnt any. "No timeline, no exact diagnosis," he said. "Thats where were at." Alshon�Jeffery had five catches for 60 yards, including a 6-yard grab for the go-ahead touchdown at the end of the third quarter. Brandon�Marshall, largely shut down in two games against Green Bay last year, had seven catches for 107 yards and a score. Matt�Forte ran for 125 yards and a TD, and also had 54 yards receiving for the Bears, who pulled into a three-way tie for first in the NFC North with Green Bay and Detroit. All are 5-3. "Itd be hard to find one better than this," said McCown, who was coaching high school when the Bears signed him two years ago. "Theyre all special, but this is really neat because it means so much to our team." The loss spoiled another big night by Green Bay rookie Eddie�Lacy, who ran for 150 yards and a touchdown. Green Bay has been hit hard by injuries, with James�Jones (knee) returning Monday night after a two-game absence and sackmaster Clay�Matthews (thumb) and tight end Jermichael�Finley still out. Wide receiver Randall�Cobb (leg) is also on the injured list-designated to return, and offensive lineman T.J.�Lang (concussion) and linebacker Andy�Mulumba (ankle) left the game. But there are injuries and then there are INJURIES, and a hurt Aaron�Rodgers is Green Bays ultimate nightmare. With the 2011 NFL MVP almost as durable as predecessor Brett�Favre�- he hasnt missed a game due to injury since Dec. 19, 2010�- the backup quarterback has been the most anonymous person in Green Bay. "Aarons a huge part of our offence," McCarthy said. "This is a thing thats been built over time with Aaron as the centerpiece. I dont think its realistic to put anyone in there and think theyre going to pick up and run it the way he has run it." But as the Bears know all too well, backups can be just as invaluable as a starter. After a series of forgettable backups under Lovie Smith�- Caleb�Hanie or Jonathan�Quinn, anyone?�- the Bears signed McCown when Cutler was hurt two years ago. He played well enough then to stick around, and his familiarity with his receivers and coach Marc Trestmans system was evident. McCown may not have been dazzling, going 22 for 41 for 272 yards, but he mixed his passes effectively to Marshall, Jeffery and Forte, and Forte ran roughshod on the Green Bay defence. The Bears sealed their victory with 53 seconds left with Robbie�Goulds 27-yard field goal, which followed an 18-play, 80-yard drive that ate almost nine minutes off the clock. "You understand the nature of the game and the impact that (Rodgers) has on the game," McCown said. "So when that players not on the field, your odds of winning probably increase." Better yet, McCown didnt do anything to hurt the Bears, which is more than Wallace can say. Wallace hadnt played a game since the 2011 season finale, and the rust was evident. He was intercepted on his very first series by Julius�Peppers and was sacked twice, once by Peppers and once by McClellin. The Packers had a second-and-goal from the Bears 5 late in the third quarter and were forced to settle for Mason�Crosbys 23-yard field goal after Wallace overthrew James�Jones and Andrew�Quarless. Green Bay would get no further than the Bears 39 the rest of the game. Wallace finished 11 of 19 for 114 yards. The Packers were just 1 of 9 on third down. Alan Ball Jersey . -- Oakland Raiders running back Maurice�Jones-Drew is being sued in Florida, accused of punching a bouncer at a St. Toby Gerhart Jersey . The Vikings announced Saturday they downgraded Peterson from doubtful on the original injury report to out against Detroit Sunday, when the Vikings and Lions will play the last game at the Metrodome.Daniel�Briere makes his return to Philadelphia tonight when the Montreal Canadiens visit the struggling Flyers. Viewers in the Canadiens region can watch the game on TSN Habs at 7pm et/8pm at. The game is also available on TSN Radio 690 in Montreal. The Canadiens have had a little more time to reflect on their shutout loss to the Los Angeles Kings two days ago. The Habs carried a five-game winning streak into Tuesdays home contest against the Kings and were blasted by a 6-0 margin. Carey�Price yielded four goals on 16 shots faced in almost 25 1/2 minutes of action before being replaced by Peter�Budaj, who yielded two goals on 14 shots faced. It was Montreals first regulation setback since a 1-0 loss to the New York Rangers on Nov. 16, snapping a 10-game point streak (9-0-1). "Theres nothing we can do after a loss like that," mused Habs head coach Michel Therrien. "Their second goal was a case of poor coverage. You have to give that team a lot of credit, but we have to put it aside and start all over again. If we had scored early, it might have been different. Were all disappointed." Tonights game marks a return to the Wells Fargo Center for Briere, who signed with the Canadiens this past offseason after having his contract bought out by the Flyers. Following a productive three-plus seasons in Buffalo, Briere hit the free agent market in the summer of 2007 and drew interest from a number of teams. The Quebec-born forward, though, drew the ire of Montreal natives when he decided to ink an eight-year, $52 million deal with the Flyers. Briere netted 124 goals with 159 assists for 283 points in 364 games with Philadelphia, but had just six goals and 16 points in 34 games last season. He ran out of goodwill stemming from his 30-point playoff output during the Flyers run to the Stanley Cup Finaals in 2010 and had the final two years of his contract bought out this past summer. Clay Harbor Jersey. That gave the 35-year-old the opportunity to sign a two-year deal with the Canadiens but he has struggled this season with just 10 points in 22 games. "Im expecting both the best and the worst from the fans. Ive been treated in different ways by the crowd during my career, so Im ready for pretty much anything," Briere told Montreals website. "Ill have a chance to play in front of my kids and a few good friends, so itll be easy to find the motivation to do well." The forward faced the Flyers in Montreal back on Oct. 5 and did not register a point in a 4-1 win. Price stopped 22 shots to improve to 8-8-0 with a 2.71 goals against average in his career versus the Flyers. The victory was just Montreals third in its past 11 meetings with the Flyers and it has lost five in a row in Philadelphia. The Flyers would love to extend that home winning streak over the Canadiens following a 2-4-0 road trip. They dropped the final three games of the swing, capped with last nights 7-2 setback at the hands of the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks scored five goals in the second period, while Jakub�Voracek and Steve�Downie had the tallies for the Flyers. Ray�Emery, part of Chicagos Stanley Cup-winning club last season, was shelled for six goals on 18 shots in just over two periods of work to take the loss. Steve�Mason made four stops in the third. "You cant make excuses," Emery said. "As a whole, we have to play better in the second." Mason should get the start tonight and it would be the second of his career versus the Habs. He hasnt faced them since Nov. 7, 2008 with Columbus, stopping 34 shots in a victory. Emery had made 30 saves in the loss to Montreal on Oct. 5. ' ' '

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The coach and captain credited Chris�Stewarts toughness for turning the tide in the Blues favour. Ryan Allen Jersey . It culminated with David�Backes scoring 22 seconds into overtime on a breakaway that completed St. Louis rally from a two-goal deficit for a 4-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night. St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock said Backes goal was nice, but they never would have gotten there without Stewart. "Chris�Stewart showed a lot of guts and courage," Hitchcock said. "He got into a hell of a fight. His hand was sore. He ends up scoring the tying goal. He gave us a real inspiration." Vladimir�Tarasenko scored twice, and after a bout with Dalton�Prout late in the second period, Stewart tied it with 6:27 remaining for St. Louis. The Blues entered tied for the fewest regulation losses in the league with six, and have now won three straight and four of five. Brenden�Morrow added two assists and Jaroslav�Halak made 30 saves. "Stewie coming back after a big fight to score the tying goal, shows a lot of what hes about," said Backes, the captain. On the winner, Columbus lost the puck at its blue line. Backes took it, fended off Fedor�Tyutin on a delayed penalty call then deked Mike�McKenna, calmly scoring with a high shot. "I didnt get a very good read on where his hands were going with the puck," said McKenna, who finished with 27 saves. "Its frustrating. We were right there and played well enough to get a win tonight." Backes said it served as a little bit of redemption for a team performance that was not very good. "I just tried to take it to the net and found a little bit of area there and was lucky to get it through," Backes said of his 16th. Tyutin, Artem�Anisimov and Ryan�Johansen scored for Columbus, which came out flying to take a 3-1 lead after the first period. It was a tough loss for the Blue Jackets, who had won four of five, jelling around their backup goalies with last seasons Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovksy on the shelf. Third stringer and St. Louis native McKenna was back in net for the second straight game, making his first start since 2010 while playing for New Jersey, which was also against the Blues. On Thursday, in a 4-2 win at the New York Rangers, he stopped 17 of 18 shots in relief of an injured Curtis�McElhinney. But in this one, the Blue Jackets and McKenna couldnt hold down the fort. "We had opportunities and that might be the most disappointing thing," said Columbus coach Todd Richards, who lost his first game (36-1) when leading after two periods since taking over in 2009. "I think we played hard for 60 plus minutes and it wasnt good enough. We had opportunities to put the game away and we kept them around." Trailing 3-2 to start the third period, St. Louis pulled even after Nick�Foligno and Mark�Letestu couldnt convert on breakaway chances. Seconds after Letestu fired high into the glass, a rebound off McKenna into traffic found Stewart down low. He wasted no time converting his seventh at 13:33. Tarasenko staked St. Louis to the early lead. Catching a fortuitous carom off Prout and with McKenna leaning toward the initial play, he scored from the slot at 4:10 of the first period on the Blues second shot. Columbus answered with three goals in just under five minutes. Blake�Comeau powered his way around Kevin�Shattenkirk and slid a short pass to near the crease where Anisimov chipped home his ninth at 8:49. Tyutin followed two minutes later with a blast from the point for his third after a hard Blue Jackets forecheck led to a St. Louis turnover. "Not our first period that we like to play," Backes said. "We had to dig deep and get two points somehow." Then things heated up after the whistle with Columbus on the power play. Matt�Calvert fought Ian�Cole near the Blues goal while Barret�Jackman and Folingo squared off. Cole took an extra roughing penalty giving the Blue Jackets a two-man advantage. Johansen cashed in 8 seconds later at the left dot, taking Brandon�Dubinskys feed across the circles, and firing the puck past Halak for his team-leading 12th goal. St. Louis pressed the issue early in the second period but McKenna made several nice saves, including one with his leg pad on Vladimir�Sobotka. Tarasenko finally broke through for St. Louis, notching his second and 11th of the season, snapping a screened shot from the left circle on the power play at 8:33. The teams had a combined eight minor penalties in the period with St. Louis whistled for five of them. Halak stoned Foligno from point-blank range late in the period with the Blue Jackets on another two-man advantage. "We had good early and then bad for a long stretch and then we started to come on again," Hitchcock said. "Every part of our game we had lots of good and bad throughout the hockey game." NOTES: Richards said injured F Marian�Gaborik (sprained knee) and D James�Wisniewski (upper body) may return next week. RW Nathan�Horton continues to progress in his rehab after having shoulder surgery in July. ... The Blue Jackets added Jeremy�Smith to their roster on emergency recall from their AHL affiliate to be McKennas back up. ... McKenna, who played for St. Louis AHL affiliate last season, has played in 19 games in the NHL with New Jersey, Tampa Bay and Columbus, going 5-9-2. His father is an off-ice official and scorer for the Blues. ... Johansen extended his career-high points streak to eight games, totalling four goals and six assists. ... St. Louis improved to 11-3 versus the Eastern Conference this season. ... The Blue Jackets had won four in a row at home. Stephen Gostkowski Patriots Jersey . - The NFLs officiating chief has cleared Broncos receiver Wes�Welker of any wrongdoing for his hit that knocked Patriots cornerback Aqib�Talib out of Sundays AFC Championship. Julian Edelman Jersey . -- Dwight�Howard vs.SAO PAULO, Brazil -- UEFA has relaxed Champions League sanctions imposed on Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain for overspending after accepting a request from players union FIFPro. UEFA said Wednesday that the champions of England and France only have to include five home-trained players in their 21-man squads next season instead of the expected eight. Only one of the five players needs to be trained by the club itself. The other four can have been trained at another club within Man Citys or PSGs home country. The UEFA ruling allows clubs to rely more on expensively signed players instead of promoting its own young players. Gianni Infantino,, UEFAs general secretary, said it accepted FIFPros request made last month in Lisbon, Portugal. Vince Wilfork Black Friday Jersey. City and PSG were fined 60 million euros ($82 million) spread over three years. They are required to limit their Champions League squads to 21 instead of 25 senior players after violating UEFAs financial fair play rules. "We looked at it and it was felt appropriate there for the number (of home-grown players) to be proportionally reduced as well," Infantino said. UEFA said no appeals were filed in the cases of nine clubs which violated financial fair play rules in the first round of sanctions announced last month. ' ' '

SAN ANTONIO -- Spurs coach Gregg Popovich admitted he is getting antsy for a loss. Kevin Kolb Jersey . Hell have to wait. Marco�Belinelli scored 18 points and San Antonio never trailed after its opening possession, extending its winning streak to 17 games with a 96-80 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night. The Spurs once again used fluid passing and tireless player movement to overwhelm an opponent. San Antonio finished with 24 assists while going 37 for 78 from the field in snapping New Orleans five-game winning streak. "They move around a lot, and run their sets hard," Pelicans guard Brian�Roberts said. "Whatever theyre running, they are moving constantly. It puts pressure on a defence to play 24 seconds worth." Roberts scored 18 points, Austin�Rivers added 16 points, Tyreke�Evans had 11 points and Al-Farouq�Aminu had eight points and 10 rebounds for New Orleans (32-41). Kawhi�Leonard and Manu�Ginobili scored 15 points each, Patty�Mills added 13 and Tim�Duncan had 12 points and eight rebounds. San Antonio (57-16) extended its lead to 3 1/2 games over Oklahoma City (53-19) for the leagues best record. In addition to winning its last 17, the Spurs have won 20 of 21 and have not lost since falling 106-85 to the Phoenix Suns on Feb. 21. "It is sweet to be a part of that," Ginobili said. "It is not something that happens very often because it is a long spread of game, a month or two. Here or there you have a bad game or the opponent has a bad one, but a lot of things have combined for us to have this type of streak. We played really well and we are healthy." New Orleans was without Anthony�Davis, its leading scorer and rebounder. Davis injured his left ankle 4 minutes into the Pelicans victory over Utah on Friday night. "Its a joint/soft tissue injury right now," New Orleans coach Monty�Williams said. "He did it in his normal routine. Hes listed as day to day. Well see how he feels tomorrow." Williams said the Pelicans would have had a tough task even with Davis and the Spurs showed why early. "They jumped on us," Evans said. "They just moved the ball hit shots and we couldnt make a shot." San Antonio opened the game on a 23-6 run, with Belinelli picked up where he left off Friday night. He was 4 for 5 on 3-pointers against New Orleans after going 6 for 9 on 3-pointers Friday while scoring a game-high 27 points in a 133-102 victory in Denver. "Hes been really steady for us and he plays a great all-around game," Popovich said. Belinelli made his first two 3-pointers against the Pelicans after opening with a 15-foot jumper off an assist from Duncan. Belinellis first 3-pointer with 6 minutes remaining in the first quarter gave San Antonio a 16-4 lead. The Spurs would never lead by less than 10 points the rest of the way. After Alexis�Ajinca hit a 17-foot jumper on the games opening possession, New Orleans did not score again until Greg�Stiemsmas dunk with 8:21 remaining in the first quarter. The three-minute drought was followed by another three-minute drought. "We couldnt finish in the paint tonight," Williams said. "We were 18 for 48 in the paint. Thats a bad number for us. Were a team that usually is high when it comes to points in the paint." Rivers layup with 30.9 seconds pulled New Orleans within 69-59 with 30.9 seconds left in the third quarter, but Belinelli hit back-to-back 3s to fuel a 12-3 run and San Antonio reasserted its control. San Antonio travels to Indiana to play the Eastern Conference-leading Pacers on Monday. NOTES: Three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson sat courtside during the game cheering the Spurs. Mickelson withdrew Saturday from the third round of the Valero Texas Open after injuring an oblique muscle. "I pulled a muscle on my downswing trying to hit the ball hard on the second hole (his 11th)," Mickelson said in a statement. "It just killed and it wouldnt subside for 10 or 12 seconds." ... Spurs W Danny�Green (right foot inflammation) and Matt�Bonner (right calf strain) both sat out the game. ... Roberts played 29 minutes after being listed as day to day with a left knee bone bruise. Lee Smith Jersey . The Michigan lineman faces three assault charges stemming from an incident in December, according� to a report from ESPN. The report states Lewan is scheduled to be arraigned in April on one count of aggravated assault and two counts of assault or assault and battery. Thurman Thomas Jersey . A few changes have been made this year, as RDS will no longer be producing it. Instead, the Canadiens have hired their own team of creative masterminds to produce the reality series.LIVERPOOL, N.S. - B.C.s Kalia Van Osch locked up a semifinal berth in womens competition at the Canadian junior curling championships Thursday with a 7-6 extra-end win over New Brunswicks Jessica Daigle. After going 4-2 in the preliminary round, Van Oschs rink won all four matches in the championship round to advance to Saturdays three-team playoff round. "Winning all four of our games was a pretty big bonus, and its a bit of a load off," said Van Osch. "We dont have to worry about playing a tiebreaker; we know were in the semi. We had a couple close games this week that we didnt win where I didnt make the last shot, so it was really nice to go out there and have to make that last shot and deal with the pressure�-- thats whats going to be coming in the playoffs. Bryce Brown Jersey. " Alberta has qualified for the playoffs. Meanwhile, in mens championship round play, Albertas Carter Lautner beat Ontarios Ryan McCrady 4-2; Saskatchewans Tyler Hartung downed B.C.s Cameron de Jong 11-4; and Manitobas Braden Calvert turned back Nova Scotias Robert Mayhew 8-2. Manitoba has already qualified for the mens final. ' ' '

CALGARY -- Mike�Cammalleri is going to have precious little time to readjust to life in Calgary before being thrown right in the middle of the Flames playoff push. Patrick Chung Jersey . He cant wait to get started. "Im excited to be back," Cammalleri said Friday, one day after Calgary acquired him from the Montreal Canadiens in a multi-player deal. "Its been a whirlwind. Its nice to get here, get here in the locker-room and get ready to play hockey again. I cant wait." Calgary hasnt made the playoffs since the 2008-09 season, when Cammalleri had career highs in goals (39) and points (82) before leaving for Montreal as a free agent. The Flames are hoping Cammalleri can quickly find chemistry with his ex-teammates again, but hell just have Saturdays game-day skate to get reaquainted before stepping right into game action that night with the Los Angeles Kings at the Saddledome. The Kings are currently in eighth place in the Western Conference, three points ahead of the Flames. "Hes going to be thrown right into the fire," says Flames coach Brent Sutter. "There isnt going to be any practice time or anything like that, but hes a smart player and he knows the game and hell adjust very quickly." Sutter, who has never coached Cammalleri before, has not yet made up his mind on who his newest acquisition will play with. Jarome�Iginla and Cammalleri played well together three years ago when Cammalleris 39 goals led the team. But the Flames top unit of Olli�Jokinen centring Iginla and Curtis�Glencross is currently red-hot and its doubtful hell break up that trio. Cammalleri is just happy to be in the hunt for a playoff spot with players he knows. "I had such a great experience here my last time here. Theres so many familiar people for me in this locker-room," he said. "I know where the team stands right now. Its an exciting thing to be a part of to be three points out of a playoff spot right here and coming in for a big push here on this end of the season. Its exciting for me, so it means a lot to be back. "I would have liked to stay the first time around. The experience was great and I thought we had a pretty good team at the time. It was exciting then too." Cammalleri will be looked upon to inject some scoring into an offince that ranks in the bottom third in the league. "One of the main reasons I was brought here is to produce offensively," he said. "Thats something Ill look to provide for sure. "I would imagine Ill be pretty excited. Itll be fun for me to get out there. Ill probably go out there really anxious and excited and be exhausted after 10 seconds and make it a quick short one." Cammalleris presence will give the Flames an emotional boost against the Kings, and it comes after they got some good news Thursday with the return of steady defenceman Mark�Giordano, who had missed 21 games with a hamstring injury. "I know Cammy personally. I played with him before and know him from back home. The guy works exceptionally hard off ice and on ice and we all know what kind of damage he can do around the net with the puck," Giordano said. "Any time you see guys like that who take a lot of pride in off-ice stuff and commitment in the gym and carry it over onto the ice. "Cammy, hes a very confident player and that rubs off on guys." Cammalleri will be wearing jersey No. 93, a departure from his No. 13, currently worn by Jokinen. With Jokinen wearing No. 21, the two were teammates for the latter part of the 2009 season after Jokinen was acquired in a trade with Phoenix. "I didnt have a lot of options. Theres a lot of numbers taken," said the native of Richmond Hill, Ont. "Pretty simply put, I thought of Dougie Gilmour. He played here. I know he was wearing No. 39. I grew up in Toronto as a kid watching him play for the Leafs with 93. That was one of the kind of five numbers that was sent in a text message to me with kind of some options. I said sure." Perhaps no one on the Flames is yearning for playoff hockey more than defenceman Jay�Bouwmeester. The leagues reigning ironman with 551 consecutive games played in the regular season, the 28-year-old has yet to appear in a playoff game in his eight seasons. "Whenever something like this happens, it shakes things up," says Bouwmeester. "Were playing a little better now with three wins in a row and hopefully this adds to that and we can keep rolling and keep moving up the standings." Calgary is currently tied with Phoenix for 11th in the Western Conference, three points out of the final playoff spot. "All you really have to do is get in, then its a fresh start for everyone," said Bouwmeester. "It seems like every year there is at least one or two lower teams, whether its the eighth seed or whatever, that end up going a long way. So, right now the focus is just to get there." -- With files from Laurence Heinen. Tom Brady Patriots Jersey . And former Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson certainly knows his pain. "Its pretty hard to coach there without allowing some of these things to kind of affect you," Wilson told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun in his ESPN. John Hannah Patriots Jersey . More than a month after signing the free agent centre, Bynum is expected to make his debut with Indiana on Tuesday night against Boston.Dario Franchitti kept racing after the death of best friend Greg Moore. He continued on following the death of former teammate Dan Wheldon. He was eager to drive into his early 40s. He wont get the chance. The three-time Indianapolis 500 winner and four-time IndyCar Series champion reluctantly and abruptly retired Thursday, saying doctors told him it would be too dangerous for him to continue racing because of injuries sustained in a harrowing crash last month. "Racing has been my life for over 30 years, and its really tough to think that the driving side is now over," Franchitti said. Franchitti fractured his spine, broke his right ankle and suffered a concussion in the Oct. 6 race at Houston, where his car made contact with Takuma Satos car on the last lap and sailed into a fence. Debris from the accident injured 13 fans in the grandstands and one IndyCar official. The 40-year-old Franchitti underwent two surgeries on his ankle and recently returned home to Scotland to recover. "One month removed from the crash, and based upon the expert advice of the doctors who have treated and assessed my head and spinal injuries post-accident, it is their best medical opinion that I must stop racing," Franchitti said. "They have made it very clear that the risks involved in further racing are too great and could be detrimental to my long term well-being. Based on this medical advice, I have no choice but to stop." Franchitti did not use the word "retire" in a lengthy statement released through Target Chip Ganassi Racing, the team he joined in 2009 following a brief stint in NASCAR with Ganassi a year earlier. Franchitti was unstoppable upon his return to IndyCar. Teamed with Ganassi and driving the feared red No. 10 Target car, Franchitti reeled off three consecutive championships and won 12 races. Two of the wins were Indy 500s. He became the face of the series -- Franchitti always had crossover appeal for IndyCar thanks to an 11-year marriage to actress Ashley Judd, which ended in January -- because he was personable, well-spoken, popular in the paddock and passionate about the sport. It resonated with fans and made Franchitti one of IndyCars all-time greats. His 31 victories are tied for eighth on the all-time list, and his 33 poles are sixth. "Dario Franchitti has done so much for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, so it will be very disappointing to not see him in our cars next season," Ganassi said. "But simply put, Dario is a motorsports legend and will be sorely missed on the race track by everyone in the paddock and in the stands. His contributions to the sport of motor racing are too many to list, but I can tell you that they go way beyond what he has done on the track." Asked on Twitter if Franchitti had indeed retired, Judd replied: "Yes, with an extraordinary career, legendary achievements, aplomb & style." Franchittis last victory was the 2012 Indy 500, an emotional race that came seven months after defending winner Wheldon had been killed in a crash at Las Vegas. Franchitti battled teammate Scott Dixon over the final third of the race, jockeyed with Sato in the closing laps until Sato spun to bring out a caution, and led Dixon and Tony Kanaan across the finish line as three of Wheldons closest friends finished 1-2-3. It was a poignant moment for Franchitti, who was too familiar with death in the sport he loved. Moore died in the 1999 season finale at Fontana, and Franchitti to this day remains deeply affected by the loss. "Ill forever look back on my time racing in CART and the IndyCar Series with fond memories and the relationships Ive forged in the sport will last a lifetime," he said. "Hopefully in time, Ill be able to continue in some off-track capacity with the IndyCar Series. I love open-wheel racing and I want to see it succeed. Ill be working with Chip to see how I can stay involved with the team, and with all the amazing friends Ive made over the years at Targget. Chandler Jones Black Friday Jersey. "As my buddy Greg Moore would say, See you up front." Word of Franchittis decision spread quickly and drivers who never raced against him reacted with sadness. "I think to have him around and on the circuit is far better than him going an injuring himself again against doctors advice," said Nigel Mansell, who was at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, for this weekends Formula One race. But those closest to Franchitti were most affected. "Dario was a hell of a driver and will be missed -- missed by everyone in racing around the world," said 1963 Indy 500 winner Parnelli Jones. "He was my kind of guy. He wasnt afraid to put his foot down and go. It is really hard to believe that he had to give up racing, I know would he would have won more races, and maybe Indy a couple more times, had he been able to continue driving." Michael Andretti, who fielded Franchittis car for his first Indy 500 victory and first series championship in 2007, said he was shocked. "I thought he had one good year left in him, and I know he wanted to race beyond IndyCar," Andretti said. "So thats what I feel most bad about -- hes being parked by a doctor. Hes not going to be able to race the sports car stuff he had talked about. He wont race with his brother (Marino), Le Mans, all the things he wanted to fulfil." Dixon, who won the 2008 championship while Franchitti was in NASCAR, called his teammate a motorsports legend. "More importantly, I can call him a best friend," Dixon said. "There are very few people that have achieved as much in auto racing and knowing Dario, he wont go far as IndyCar racing is in his blood and I am sure he will stay involved somehow." Franchitti had lured good friend and former Andretti teammate Kanaan to the Ganassi stable for 2014, an announcement that was made at Houston two days before Franchittis accident. Kanaan said he was counting the days "to be his teammate again," but is grateful Franchitti will still be in the IndyCar paddock next season. "As much as it hurts not seeing him compete with me in IndyCar, Im delighted that he got out of that accident and is still here with us," Kanaan said. Franchitti defeated Will Power three consecutive years to win the IndyCar championship and the two developed a rare rivalry for the series. "We had some real battles out on the track over the last few years and I appreciated how fierce of a competitor he was," Power said. "His accomplishments in IndyCar are incredible and the sport will definitely miss him." His retirement leaves Helio Castroneves as the only active three-time Indy 500 winner trying to join A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears and Al Unser Sr. as a four-time winner. "I know he will continue to be a great ambassador for our sport and Im sure Dario has a lot more to contribute to racing, it will just be in a different way than driving an IndyCar," Castroneves said. Foyt, the only driver with more IndyCar titles than Franchitti with seven, said: "If the doctors tell him he should quit then he should listen to them. Im the opposite and never would listen, but I probably would have been a lot better off if I did. But Darios won a lot of races and championships so he has a lot to be proud of. My hats off to him." Franchitti could find a role with the Ganassi organization, or perhaps land in the television booth. Andretti suggested Franchitti would be a good fit as a consultant to a manufacturer. For now, everyone was still trying to adjust to the idea of racing without Franchitti on the track. "You pinch yourself everyday as firsthand you are witness to the talent, ability, work ethic and start-versus-win ratio of Dario Franchitti," Ganassi team manager Mike Hull said. "Having Dario represent all of us is whats right about motorsports. His representation of the integrity of a true champion is what sets him apart." ' ' '

CLEVELAND -- When their turnaround season hit a dead end in October, long after most expected it to stop, the Indians spent a few minutes reflecting on their six-month thrill ride and what might have been. Jason Jones Jersey For Sale . There wouldnt be any more champagne, but there was plenty to celebrate. "We proved a lot of people wrong," first baseman Nick�Swisher said. "Still, it hurts." The pain, though, was only temporary. Following a 4-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL wild-card game on Wednesday night, there were few tears as the Indians said goodbye to a year none of them will ever forget. They became a close-knit group, bonding under first-year manager Terry Francona, who not only oversaw a 24-win improvement from 2012, but made them believe anything is possible. "All this team really ever needed was a heartbeat," said 42-year-old designated hitter Jason�Giambi, "and we kept it all the way down to the end." In returning to the post-season for the first time since 2007, the Indians rekindled their on-again, off-again relationship with Cleveland fans, who had grown distant and disenchanted in recent years mostly because of the teams inability to re-sign Cy Young winners CC�Sabathia and Cliff�Lee. But although they may not have shown their support at the box office during the regular season, Indians fans were there when it mattered most. Dressed in red, more than 43,000 of them raged for three hours as they urged the Indians, a team that pulled off 11 walk-off wins and won their last 10 games to make the playoffs, to give them one more magical moment. It wasnt to be. "There wasnt one guy that didnt think we werent winning that game in the bottom of the ninth," said All-Star second baseman Jason�Kipnis. "We didnt come up with the big hit." The Indians blew several scoring chances against Tampa Bay starter Alex�Cobb., who deserves credit for making pitches when he needed to. But Clevelands failure in the clutch -- one of their strengths during the season -- can at least partially be pinned on Swisher, Kipnis and leadoff hitter Michael�Bourn. The trio went a combined 0 for 12 with four strikeouts. Its just one game, but Swishers post-season problems have trailed him from Oakland to Chicago to New York and now to Cleveland. Hes batting .165 in 47 career playoff games. With two runners on in the seventh inning, Swisher, swinging out of his cleats at every pitch to try and hit a game-tying homer, struck out on three pitches from reliever Joel�Peralta. The at-bat summed up Swishers night and further exposed one of Clevelands glaring weaknesses, the lack of a big, run-producing bat in the middle of the lineup. The Indians didnt have a player with 85 RBIs, and one of general manager Chris Antonettis top priorities in the off-season is to find a slugger. That wont be easy, but Antonetti, who has been aggressive in rebuilding the Indians -- with owner Paul Dolans financial backing -- could get creative with trades perhaps involving closer Chris�Perez, catcher Carlos�Santana or shortstop Asdrubal�Cabrera. All three had disappointing 2013 seasons and could be dealt to bolster Clevelands power. Another issue for the Indians to address is their inability to beat quality teams. They were just 14-33 against the playoff teams in both league and 54-17 against teams with under .500 records. "We had a good year, but one thing we did wrong was not play better against teams like the Rays," Bourn said "Thats something well improve on." The starting pitching, a major question mark when the season started, became a strength with Ubaldo�Jimenez bouncing back from a 17-loss season to win 13 and lead the Indians staff down the stretch -- 4-0 with a 1.09 ERA in September -- when All-Star Justin�Masterson was injured. Jimenez has an $8 million mutual option for next season with a $1 million buyout. If he chooses to venture into free agency, Jimenez could land a monster deal but he appreciated the Indians willingness to stick with him during tough times. "They did everything possible to help me out," he said. "They never gave up on me." Left-hander Scott�Kazmir, too, said he would like to return to the Indians, who signed him to a minor league deal in January and got 10 wins on a $1 million investment. Reliever Joe�Smith, another possible free agent, has told the Indians he wants to stay. Giambi, who essentially saved the season last week with a pinch-hit, ninth-inning homer to beat Chicago as the Indians were fighting for a wild card, doesnt know what his future holds. Francona has credited Giambi, more than any other player, for Clevelands stunning rebound. Giambi could receive managerial offers after nearly getting Colorados job last year, but he wouldnt mind being a part of this Indians revival. "I had the time of my life, no doubt about it," he said. "Its been fun. Ive enjoyed every minute watching this ballclub grow and being a part of it. We came together. We exceeded everybodys expectations, now guys have a little taste of what its like to go to the playoffs, so hopefully they continue to work hard and keep that push." Reggie Bush Jersey . More than a month after signing the free agent centre, Bynum is expected to make his debut with Indiana on Tuesday night against Boston. Matthew Stafford Jersey For Sale . - The Abbotsford Heat hope a last-minute goal keeps their season alive for more than one extra game.The Colorado Avalanche saved some money in a forward swap, but took the worse player in the process. Numbers Game looks at the trade that sees Daniel�Briere and PA�Parenteau switching spots. The Canadiens Get: RW PA�Parenteau and a fifth-round pick. Parenteau, 31, is a late bloomer who didnt reach the NHL for good until he was 27-years-old, but hes been a productive player, scoring 196 points in the past four seasons, which ranks 55th in the league. He fell out of favour in Colorado last season, missing 25 games with a couple of knee injuries and playing 16:57 per game, his lowest average time on ice of the past four seasons. On an Avalanche team that was among the leagues worst possession-wise, Parenteau was nearly break-even, so he wasnt particularly a problem in that respect. In Montreal, Parenteau should have a good opportunity to play in a top-six role, which is suitable for his price tag of $4.0-million over the next two seasons. A fifth-round pick brings with it a less than 15% chance of yielding an NHL player, but its a bit of a sweetener for the Habs taking on an extra year. Given that Montreal is getting the better player, that sweetener might not have been altogether necessary. The Avalanche Get: RW Daniel�Briere. Briere is a 36-year-old who is well past his prime as a scoring forward, with a serious decline in productivity over the past couple seasons, managing 41 points in 103 games over the last two years. Barry Sanders Elite Jersey. Briere was dropped down the Canadiens depth chart last season, playing 12:46 per game, his lowest since 2000-2001. While Brieres game has declined -- hes not as quick as he once was -- he does come with a rep as a playoff performer, putting up 116 points in 124 postseason games over his career, which is tied for fourth among active players. Briere signed a two-year, $8-million deal as a free agent last summer, so his deal has one year remaining. He doesnt figure to play a prominent role in Colorado, but Briere should have a shot to play in Colorados top nine. If he does, theres a decent chance that, even if he scores a little bit more with more ice time, Brieres sinking possession stats will only be exacerbated by the Avalanches puck possession troubles. In the grand scheme of things, the Avalanche got away from two years of paying Parenteau, which was their motivation, but the price to pay means taking an inferior player for one year. 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. ' ' '

ST. T.Y. Hilton Black Friday Jersey . PAUL, Minn. -- Stephan Leblanc had three goals and an assist as the Toronto Rock ended their regular season by defeating the host Minnesota Swarm 8-6 on Saturday in National Lacrosse League action. The win, combined with a Buffalo Bandits 16-14 loss to the Rochester Knighthawks, gives Toronto home-floor advantage in its first-round, single-elimination, East Division semifinal playoff game against Buffalo next weekend. Rob Hellyer and Josh Sanderson each had a goal and three assists for the Rock (9-9), who led 7-2 after three quarters before giving up four goals in the final 15 minutes, while Nick Diachenko, Kasey Beirnes and Ethan OConnor added a goal apiece. Shayne Jackson and Logan Schuss each had a pair of goals for the Swarm (4-14) and Tyler Hass and Kiel Matisz had the others. Torontos Brandon Miller made 47 saves for the win while Minnesotas Zach Higgins turned away 52-of-60 shots in defeat. Cory Redding Colts Jersey . First reported by FOX Sports Ken Rosenthal, its unknown if the impetus for the deferral proposal came from players or management, but it never left the preliminary stages. Pat McAfee Colts Jersey . The Arena das Dunas in the northeastern city of Natal sustained minor damage during the protests, but demonstrators stayed away on Sunday and officials said the stadium passed its first test, with only minor adjustments needed going forward.SHANGHAI, China -- Dustin�Johnson tied the course record with a 9-under 63, four shots better than anyone else Friday, and built a five-shot lead in the HSBC Champions. It was the kind of score that might make everyone else wonder which course he was playing. Except that Graeme�McDowell saw the whole thing. Crouched behind the 10th green at Sheshan International, McDowell looked over at the powerful American and said, "Ive probably seen 18 of the best drives Ive seen all year in the last two days." Moments later, after Johnson blasted another one down the middle, McDowell saw No. 19. It was an impressive display, Johnson at his very best with the most important club in his bag. He ran off six birdies in his opening seven holes. He never hit more than 8-iron into a par 4. He twice came within 15 yards of driving the green on par 4s -- once with a 3-iron. "I really drove the ball really well," Johnson said. "For me, thats a big key." Johnson became the sixth player with a 63 at Sheshan International, last achieved by Martin�Kaymer in the final round in 2011. He was at 12-under 132, five shots clear of Rory�McIlroy (72), Bubba�Watson (69) and Boo�Weekley (67). McIlroy couldnt keep up. No one could. McIlroy, who started the second round of this World Golf Championship with a two-shot lead, made three birdies on the front nine to stretch his lead to four shots. At that point, Johnson was just getting warmed up. And it wasnt long before McIlroy started to cool off. He drove into the same bunker he was in on Thursday and made another bogey, and he didnt give himself any birdie chances over the last six holes. On the par-5 14th, his wedge went just over the green and forced him to hit a delicate chip to save par. On the reachable par-4 16th, he drove into a tiny pot bunker left of the green and took two to get out, again scrambling for par. And on the par-5 18th, McIlroy hit his second shot into the water and made bogey. "I just hit a couple of bad shots, and then I guess I let it affect me a little bit, and then I started to doubt myself sometimes," McIlroy said. "I didnt hit a lot of quality shots on the back nine." At least hes still in the hunt for his first win of the year. And if Johnson loses his stride, there are plenty of players behind him who are poised to make a move. McDowell, Ernie�Els, Sergio�Garcia, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Ian�Poulter were among those at 6-under 138. Phil�Mickelson, trying to recover from his quadruple bogey-bogey finish to the opening round, had a 68 and was seven shots behind. Adam Vinatieri Colts Jersey. "Im making a lot of birdies," Mickelson said. "But Ive had too many mistakes. Im going to continue to play aggressively out here, because I have to make birdies to catch the lead. And hopefully, Ill eliminate a few mistakes here or there." The one positive from his finish Thursday? The last time Mickelson made a quadruple bogey was in the first round of the 2009 Tour Championship. He went on to win. Even so, catching Johnson suddenly looks like a monumental task. "It was kind of tough to focus when playing with Dustin�Johnson hitting it 350 yards in the middle of the fairways," McDowell said after his 69. "It was a little demoralizing at times. But I was happy that I hung in there. If he keeps playing the way hes played the last two days, hell be tough to catch. "Whats possible for an athlete like him who just rips it, thats not whats possible for the rest of us sometimes," McDowell added. "It was probably one of the best driving displays Ive seen this year, for sure. It was pretty immense. Hes got a short game to match, as well. When hes in the mood and when hes on form, hes pretty prolific." Johnson wasnt in much of a mood when he took double bogey on his fourth hole of the tournament and made the turn in 1-over. Starting with his eagle on the par-5 second hole of his opening round, he has played his last 26 holes in 13-under par. His tee shot was so long on the 10th hole that it was through a cart path that crosses the fairway. His only mistake was forgetting that the green falls off to the right, which he didnt realize until his shot tumbled down a steep slope. That led to his only bogey. About the only thing that really tripped him up was a question from a Chinese reporter asking if he was aware he had so many female fans in China and if he brought his girlfriend with him. Indeed, Paulina Gretzky followed him around the course. "Its my fiancee," Johnson said. Weekley is no stranger to China, having played the World Cup at Mission Hills. He qualified for the HSBC Champions by winning Colonial, and he has played solidly for two days. Johnson did not make the Presidents Cup, so he had a month off before going to Perth for a European Tour event. This is his first PGA Tour event of the 2013-14 season. He won the first event of the 2013 season, at wind-blown Kapalua in the 54-hole Tournament of Champions. "It still hasnt hit me that this is a new season," he said. "Id like to get off to a good start. I just want to play well the next two days." ' ' '

(SportsNetwork. Charles Mann Jersey .com) - The Winnipeg Jets hope to set into motion a losing streak for the Colorado Avalanche this evening. You can catch all of the action on TSN Jets and TSN 1290 at 7pm ct. Winnipeg continues to lose ground in the Western Conference playoff race as it sits six points out of the second wild card position. The Jets snapped a six- game slide with a 7-2 win over Dallas on Sunday, but fell in defeat the following night 3-1 to the St. Louis Blues. Eric�ODell scored the Jets lone goal and the clubs were tied until the Blues David�Backes scored a power-play goal with 6:51 to play. Winnipeg went down a man when Evander�Kane went off for slashing. "We just cant be in the box there," Winnipeg head coach Paul Maurice said of Kanes penalty, which occurred in the offensive zone. "Thats the bottom line on that play." Al�Montoya allowed two goals on 25 shots for the Jets. It is unknown when Ondrej�Pavelec will be ready to return from a lower-body injury, so Montoya will get the start again tonight. He has good numbers versus the Avalanche, going 2-1-2 with a 2.14 GAA and one shutout. Dustin�Byfuglien will miss his first game of the season tonight due to a lower-body injury.� Head coach Paul Maurice hopes hell be able to play Saturday against Carolina.�Eric Tangradim, who has been a healthy scratch for the last four games, replaces Byfuglien. The Avs are coming off just their third setback in the past 10 games, losing in head coach Patrick�Roys return to Montreal. Roy starred for the Canadiens franchise for 10-plus seasons before a trade to the Avalanche in 1995 and received a warm reception during the game. The home cheers eventually went to Montreals Thomas�Vanek, who notched a hat trick to help hand Colorado a 6-3 loss. Jamie�McGinn had a goal and an assist for the Avalanche, who also got goals from Nathan�MacKinnon and Maxime�Talbot. Jean-Sebastien�Giguere turned aside 30-of-35 shots. "I didnt want them to feel pressure of winning a hockey game for their coach. Its all about our team here," Roy said. The Avs fell into a tie with the Chicago Blackhawks for second place in the Central Division, eight points back of the first-place St. Louis Blues. Theyll try to avoid losing two straight for the first time since Feb. 4-6. Reto�Berra, the third goaltender on Colorados roster, will get the start tonight and it will be his first with the Avalanche since they acquired him from the Calgary Flames. Berra, signed to a three-year extension by the Avs last Friday, was 9-17-2 with a 2.95 goals against average in 29 games (27 starts) with the Flames. That includes a 1-1-0 mark versus the Jets with a 4.32 GAA. The Avs have won three of four versus the Jets this season, including a 4-3 shootout decision on Dec. 12 in the lone encounter in Winnipeg. DeSean Jackson Jersey . Jarome�Iginla and Zdeno�Chara each had two goals, Tuukka�Rask made 25 saves and the Bruins beat the Philadelphia Flyers 6-1 Saturday. Tress Way Red Jersey . Ekblad led all defencemen with 23 goals and finished tied for fifth in scoring among blue-liners with 53 points in 58.The United States Patent and Trademarks Office (USPTO) has today ordered that six Redskins trademark registrations be cancelled on the basis that they are "disparaging to Native Americans". �Five Native Americans initiated the cancellation proceeding pursuant to the U.S. Trademarks Act, which "prohibits registration of marks that may disparage persons or bring them into contempt or disrepute."�There has been some talk that the registrations have been cancelled, that the Redskins have lost all their trademark protection and that anyone can now go out and start selling Redskins merchandise without the permission of the team.�All that is wrong.�The trademark registrations have not been cancelled as of yet. The ruling was to cancel the registrations, but they remain in good standing, and will for some time. Challenging the decision will buy the Redskins time. The team will appeal the decision, and in the meantime, the trademark registrations will remain active. The Redskins can appeal the decision to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. They may also start a court action in District Court for the District of Columbia. They may also request reconsideration of the decision with the USPTO. �Expect the Redskins to take its case to District Court since that will give them the opportunity to introduce new evidence. At the Court of Appeals level, they cant submit new evidence; rather the court is stuck with the record from the original hearing. �On to the big issue: does the cancellation mean that the Redskins lose their trademark rights?�The ruling to cancel the trademark registrations does NOT strip the team of its trademark rights or its ability to stop unauthorized parties froom using the Redskins marks. David Amerson Jersey. �The Redskins have acquired what are called common law trademark rights. These are trademark rights that arise by virtue of the use of the mark in the marketplace. By "use", I mean things like jersey sales and the mark appearing in TV broadcasts and online. �And heres the key: common law trademark rights are enforceable and the Redskins could rely on them to stop a third party from making unauthorized use of its marks. �This means that the team does not need a trademark registration to stop someone from making unauthorized use of its marks. Common law rights can be relied upon to do just that. While there are important differences between registered and common law trademarks as far as scope of protection, the fame of the Redskins mark together with national sales and use place the Redskins in a good position to stop others from using their marks. So if some guy in Wisconsin starts selling product with the Redskins trademark on it without the permission of the team, he should expect to receive a cease and desist letter from the team, and failing his agreement to stop, he could face a lawsuit.�Apart from trademarks, the Redskins could also sue for copyright infringement if someone makes unauthorized use of their logo or stylized word mark. The decision of the USPTO relates only to trademarks and has nothing to do with copyright.�While the potential cancellation is not fatal to the ability of the Redskins to enforce their rights, this is yet another blow to the Redskins team name. The pressure on the team and league to change its name continues to mount with no end in sight. Indeed, the question may not be if the team changes its name, but when. ' ' '

NEW YORK -- Major League Baseball calls Alex�Rodriguezs lawsuit against the sport a "clear violation" of the confidentiality provisions of the leagues drug program. Charley Taylor Jersey . The New York Yankees third baseman sued MLB and baseball Commissioner Bud Selig on Thursday in state court in Manhattan, accusing them of a "witch hunt" to smear his reputation and cost him tens of millions of dollars. In a statement Friday, MLB denied the allegations and called the lawsuit a "desperate attempt" to go around confidentiality rules of the leagues drug agreement with the players union. In a statement of his own, Rodriguez said his legal team is doing what is necessary to vindicate him. The union filed a grievance appealing Rodriguezs 211-game suspension for violating baseballs drug agreement and labour contract. Trent Murphy Red Jersey . Pro Bowl centre Maurkice�Pouncey ripped up his right knee and linebacker Larry�Foote ruptured his biceps during Pittsburghs 16-9 home loss to Tennessee, likely sidelining both players for the rest of the season. Jordan Reed Gold Jersey .m. Columbus, OH (Sports Network) - Seattle Sounders FC hopes to rebound from a mid-week loss at D.C. United when it travels to Columbus for a Major League Soccer clash with the Crew on Saturday.SEATTLE -- Marco Pappa, Chad Barrett and Obafemi Martins each scored second-half goals and the Seattle Sounders ended Real Salt Lakes season-opening unbeaten streak at 12 with a 4-0 victory Saturday in a game between the two top teams in Major League Soccer. Gonzalo Pineda also scored on a first-half penalty kick for the Sounders (9-3-2). Pappas goal was his first of the season. Barrett scored for the second straight game, giving him three goals for the year. Martins tallied his sixth. While Seattle won its MLS-high fifth straight home match, Salt Lake (6-1-6) fell for the first time, missing a chance to set an MLS record for longest unbeaten streak to start the year. Los Angeles (12-0 in 1996 and 10-0-2 in 2010) and Kansas City (10-0-2 in 2000) previously had 12-game season-opening undefeated streaks. Salt Lake also had an overall 16-game regular-season unbeaten streak (8-0-8) end. RSL hadnt lost since last Sept. 21 at home against San Jose, 2-1. "We talked about it before the game that we wanted to break the streak and keep the record for a couple of people," Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid said. "But mainly, we talked about us being No. 1 going against No. 2, and we have to show what were made of. "As a group, were maturing, and to be able to step into a game between first place and second place and win and have a convincing result speaks volumes for our character." Pinedas penalty kick was set up when a loose ball in the RSL box was sent toward the left post. Lamar Neagle of the Sounders chased after it, and was pushed to the ground by Aaron Maund, Pineda then beat goalkeeper Jeff Attinella to the back left side midway tthrough the 42nd minute. John Riggins Red Jersey. Pappas goal late in the 55th minute came off of a direct free kick, launched over a six-man wall from 23 yards away on the right side. Barrett made it 3-0 early in the 62nd minute with a 12-yard shot that went high into the net. Martins notched the final goal late in the 90th minute on a give-and-go with Kenny Cooper. With the upcoming World Cup shaking up MLS rosters, both teams were without key players. Among the Sounders missing was leading goal scorer Clint Dempsey (eight goals). That created an opportunity for Barrett, who started and scored for the second week in a row. "I talked to Sigi, and he said since Dempsey was going to be gone for World Cup, there were going to be opportunities to step in," Barrett said. "In the practice weeks leading up to it, I was going to make sure that my fitness was where it needed to be. Coming in here, once you get one, the goal just seems to get a little bit bigger every time." Real Salt Lake is the second-highest scoring team in MLS behind Seattle. But of those 23 goals, 14 were missing due to World Cup (two for Kyle Beckerman) or injury (six each for Alvaro Saborio and Joao Plata). "Its a tough place to play, and we dont have a full arsenal," coach Jeff Cassar said. "But I thought the guys out there did a very good job. I just told the guys to discount the third and fourth goals, because we were pushing and we knew we were going to be exposed at the back. "It was a fantastic run that we went on, but Im trying to make sure the team will react the same way I do: We have work to do, and its on to the next game." ' ' '