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MIAMI - The Miami Heat will try to take a 2-0 lead over the Charlotte Bobcats in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals when the teams meet for Game 2 Wednesday night at American Airlines Arena. wholesale jerseys . The two-time defending NBA champions took Game 1, 99-88, on Sunday. LeBron�James and Dwyane�Wade were their future Hall of Fame selves in Game 1. The pair combined for 50 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. James made four of Miamis 11 3-pointers and finished with 27 points and nine rebounds, while Wade added 23 points and five assists. The duo shot 18-of-32 (56.3 percent) from the field, and Miami received key contributions off the bench from James�Jones and Chris�Andersen, with Jones chipping in 12 points and Andersen adding eight points and 10 rebounds while limiting Al�Jefferson on the defensive side. "Besides starting off slow in the first and second quarters I thought we played a pretty good game," Wade said. "Now were going to go look at adjustments we can make and figure out how we can be better in Game 2." Jefferson has become the story of this series. He started strong on Sunday, but was hobbled after suffering a strain to his left plantar fascia in the first quarter. "When it first happened I was in a lot of pain, but as the game went on it eased up," Jefferson said, adding he received a shot at halftime but would be fine for the remainder of the playoffs. "Its just something I have to play through." And Jefferson left no doubt on Tuesday when speaking with the media. "Im suiting up," Jefferson said. "Itll take more than that to make me sit down." He still logged 18 points and 10 rebounds on Sunday ,while Kemba�Walkers 20- point effort led the club. This would appear to be a one-sided matchup on paper. The Heat have won the last two titles and appeared in the Finals three seasons ago. They earned the No. 2 seed with another great regular-season run. The Bobcats are making their second playoff appearance in franchise history and entered the series having dropped 16 consecutive regular-season games to their fellow Southeast Division rivals. But Charlotte was game on Sunday. The score was even, 59-59, before James hit from behind the arc late in the third quarter, and the four-time league MVP beat the buzzer with another 3- pointer to send the Heat into the fourth with a 72-65 advantage. The Heat pulled away for good early in the final stanza, as Jones and Wade each connected from long range during a 13-1 surge that extended Miamis lead to 87-70 lead under 6 1/2 minutes to play. The closest Charlotte got down the stretch was the final score. Heat guard Mario�Chalmers is questionable for Wednesday with a bruised knee. If Chalmers cant go, Norris�Cole or Toney�Douglas would get the start. Game 3 will be Saturday night in Charlotte. jerseys from china . Then Ryan�Raburn came to the plate and did what he usually does against the Chicago White Sox. Raburn hit a tiebreaking single and David�Murphy drove in four runs, leading the Indians to a 12-6 victory over the White Sox. cheap jerseys from china . -- Brandon�Jennings made the most of his first game with the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night.ABBOTSFORD, B.C. -- With their playoff hopes hanging by a thread, the Utica Comets needed someone to step up Saturday night. Enter team captain Colin Stuart. Stuart scored twice to lead the Utica Comets to a 3-1 win over the Abbotsford Heat on Saturday in American Hockey League action. Stuart now has 15 goals on the year and is tied for third on the team despite scoring just twice in the previous 15 games. "We challenged our leaders to bring a better game tonight, and (Stuart) was one of the guys who stepped up," said Comets head coach Travis Green. "Hes been good for us all year. You expect your captain to make plays and step up at the right time. You need all your best players this time of the year and it was good to see him do that." The Comets had their four-game winning streak snapped Friday by the Heat, but moved to within eight points of a Western Conference playoff berth with the bounce-back victory. "I didnt like the way we skated last night and the way we competed in certain areas of the ice," said Green. "The guys responded well tonight. These are desperate times for our team and we played like it tonight." Stuart, who signed with the Comets NHL-affiliate Vancouver Canucks during the summer, played in Abbotsford during the Heats inaugural season in 2009-10. Hes now registered six points in six games against the Heat this year. "Its still neat coming here," said Stuart. "And not just the arena, but the city itself. Its interesting to see how things have changed around town. And obviously I was here in the inaugural season so it was pretty special too." Brandon DeFazio also scored for the Comets for his third goal in four games. Alex Friesen had two assists for Utica (27-27-7), while Joacim Eriksson made 38 saves in the win. "(Eriksson) was good the whole game," said Green. "I like him last night and really liked him for the last three months. Hes been real solid for us. He had a tough start to the year but hes starting to develop." Eriksson gave the Abbotsford offence fits Saturday, making several key stops. "We keyed on getting the puck to the net but obviously we didnt take away the guys eyes as well as we should have," said Heat defenceman Chad Billins. "Theyre big bodies back there and they box out very well. Weve got to get some more bodies to the front of the net. And also hhes a good goalie, so youve got to give him credit too. cheap jerseys. quot; Ben Street scored the only goal for the Heat and Olivier Roy stopped 31 shots for Abbotsford (34-21-7), which has just one win in its last nine games. The Heat actually had the best opportunities to open the scoring, getting four power plays in the first period, but had nothing to show for it, including just one shot through 10 minutes. "We had four straight power plays, and we didnt generate anything off of that," said Heat head coach Troy Ward. "We didnt gain some momentum, we didnt put ourselves in a position physically or mentally to get some emotion or get some charge out of those power plays. I thought that was one of the biggest differences in the game." Stuart mirrored that idea. "We got into a little bit of penalty trouble in the first period," said Stuart. "We just kept battling back. Wed kill off a penalty and gain back a little bit more momentum and build on it. They kept coming at us and we weathered the storm when we needed to and controlled the game when we needed to as well." The Comets finally opened the scoring at 8:47 of the second period. Yann Sauves long shot was kicked out by Roy right to DeFazio down low and he made no mistake in beating Roy stick side for his 12th of the year. The Heat had some opportunities to get on the board. Corey Locke forced a turnover behind the net and centred for Max Reinhart, but Eriksson stopped him and made it look easy as well. While Locke has 14 assists with the Heat this season, he still has not scored in 18 games. "Its frustrating," said Locke. "Ive been getting looks but cant find a way to get the puck behind that goal-line. It cost a goal today. I stayed out to try and score, extending a shift, and they go back and score that second goal. Thats unacceptable." Stuart made it 2-0 at 15:25. Friesen made a perfect pass off the boards, around a Heat defender, to Stuart and he beat Roy blocker side. The Comets captain got his second of the game at 3:05 of the third. He skated to the left faceoff dot and wired a shot short side on the Heat netminder, putting the visitors up 3-0. The Heat had a two-man advantage with eight minutes to go in the third and finally beat Eriksson. Street one-timed Lockes pass from the slot, blowing it by the Swedish netminders glove for his 23rd of the year.cheap jerseys from china cheap jerseys ' ' '

PARIS -- Dimitar Berbatov joined Monaco from Fulham on Friday in the latest chapter of the mercurial forwards career on an otherwise quiet final day of the transfer window in France. cheap nfl jerseys . Monaco is challenging fellow big-spender Paris Saint-Germain for the French title and needed to sign a striker to compensate for Colombia striker Radamel Falcaos long-term injury. Falcao is expected to miss the rest of the season after tearing a ligament in his left knee on Jan. 22. "Im happy, excited, and a little bit nervous to be honest," the 33-year-old Berbatov said. "Im looking forward to training with my new teammates and to open a new chapter in my career." Berbatov shone in spells for Manchester United, Tottenham and Fulham, scoring 94 league goals in 229 league games. Prior to that, he netted 69 goals in 154 league games for German side Bayer Leverkusen. He also scored 48 goals in 77 matches for Bulgaria before retiring from the national team. "Dimitar will bring us all his experience and talent. Of course, his arrival is connected to Falcaos injury," Monaco vice-president Vadim Vasilyev said. "Hes played in big clubs such as Manchester United and hes a great striker. We still have two competitions to play in and he will be an asset." Monaco also reinforced its defence by signing centre half Aymen Abdennour on loan from Toulouse until the end of the season, with an option to buy the Tunisia international. Meanwhile, having spent the off-season trying to sell key players in order to raise funds, Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas spent the last hours of the January transfer window turning down bids. Lyons highly-rated midfielder Clement Grenier chose not to move to Newcastle, which is trying to replace Yohan Cabaye after selling him to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday. Newcastle coach Alan Pardew had spoken about Grenier in glowing terms and the club was in advanced talks with Lyon. "Ive decided to stay with Lyon and, for me, the best place to be is Lyon," Grenier said Friday. "I had no intention of leaving this winter. We still have a lot of things we want to achieve, both collectively and individually -- with a view to the World Cup. Its the best thing for my personal improvement." There were also offers for striker Bafetimbi Gomis, who will be out of contract at the end of the season and who Aulas desperately tried to sell in August, while the player steadfastly refused to go. Marseille right back Rod Fanni also knocked back a chance to join Queens Park Rangers, which plays in Englands second-tier Championship, according to La Provence newspaper. Midfielder Joshua Guilavogui and former Bordeaux left back Benoit Tremoulinas joined Saint-Etienne on loan from Atletico Madrid and Dynamo Kyiv respectively. Saint-Etienne has an option to buy Tremoulinas for (euro)4 million ($5.4 million) at the end of the season. Nantes signed striker Itay Shechter on loan from Hapoel Tel Aviv with an option to sign him for two years. The Israel forward scored 33 league goals in 61 games during his Hapoel career. jersyes nfl wholesale .Y. - Henrik�Lundqvist wasnt happy going into Game 6 against Montreal. wholesale jerseys . -- Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian�Peterson is listed as probable to return to the lineup Sunday against the New Orleans Saints after missing the past three games with a high ankle sprain.When you win it all, as much as it is an exhilaration, it is also a relief. Its a significant accomplishment in that, for the rest of your life, you can say that, at least once, you were a part of a championship team and you have the physical reality of the ring to show it. You have a unique sense of accomplishment and an internal peace of mind that a journey was completed. With the Saskatchewan Roughriders winning the 101st Grey Cup at home last year, there was a mission accomplished mentality that began a year ago in May 2013. But what now? How do you put history behind and concentrate on the present with the same drive and dedication you held previously? Very few teams repeat and, in some ways, it is a mystery as to why. The talent changes and the coaching changes but why is it so hard to recreate? Mainly because it is not always the teams with the best talent that win as much as it is the team with the players that are at their best working together. Winning teams have exceptional unselfish chemistry, losing teams never achieve that very esoteric feeling. The challenge for the Riders is more about creating a similar feeling as much as it is playing to a high level consistently; a vague challenge hard to define and even harder to recreate. What is easy to assess is the stability in the organization on many levels but first and foremost, financially. I am old enough to remember the public telethon created about 20 years ago to save the Riders. Now that is a distant memory of painful circumstances that youthful Rider fans would have trouble comprehending. At this point in CFL history, the Saskatchewan Roughriders are a story of extreme business and football success in that, if you make the right decisions, what seems impossible to overcome is more adversity than inevitability. The positives going into the year are the continuity with Cory Chamblin back as head coach with an extended contract, Brendon Taman back in management with an extended contract and Darian Durant back with a third extended contract. jerseys from china. . On the opposite side is the absence of RB Kory Sheets and SB Weston Dressler, who were two impact players. Both may be back, or not, but that unknown is uncontrollable so you move on. Another tough moment was RB Jock Sanders going to Calgary. Though he did have injury issues, the Riders lost a player who will play against them a least three times this season and that is the most difficult personal transitions to overcome. Last year, Saskatchewan finished second in points scored with an average 28 per game and second in rushing with 128 yards per game. On the other side of the ball, it was even better. They were first in fewest points allowed, second in both second downs converted and most 2-and-outs forced on an opponent. They also finished the season tied with Calgary in takeaway/giveaway at +19. Weaknesses? Not much other than finishing seventh in red zone offence and fifth in red zone defence. The only other factor or priority improvement is pass defence that allowed 252 yards per game, fifth best in the league. All this considered though, the good outweighs the bad, dramatically. I dont think the challenges for Rider football are the tangibles such as people, places and things as much as they are the intangibles of perception, opportunity awareness and living in the present moment; allowing the past to be the past and playing with energy for the future. It is a good team that needs to improve and that truth has to be in the forefront in all players minds. Calgary, BC and Edmonton will be better and on edge to be the best because they were not at their best last year. Can all the Rider players respect the past and dismiss it as pride of that was then, this is now? Or will the success of yesterday limit the urgency of today? It is not a physical issue, it is mental. Rise to the moment of today, and only today. If they do, what happened last year can happen again. cheap jerseys from china cheap jerseys ' ' '

EDMONTON -- He didnt reach all of the goals he set, but Tyler�Bunz did enough in the eyes of the Edmonton Oilers. Air Max 90 Homme . The Oilers signed the St. Albert, Alta., native and Medicine Hat Tigers goaltender to a standard three-year entry level contract Saturday, a move that was announced early Monday morning. "It was pretty special, it kind of brought me back to the day I was actually drafted," said Bunz, who was picked 121st overall in the fifth round of the 2010 NHL draft by his hometown club. "I was a bit star-struck. "Its a step in the right direction, Im hoping its one I can make the best of." In four seasons with the Tigers, Bunz has certainly made the most of his major-junior career in the Western Hockey League. He became the franchise leader in wins with 115, improved his save percentage every year and is widely considered one of the leagues best goaltenders. But thats not to say this year has been a dream season. Bunz didnt make Canadas world junior team and failed to meet a couple of personal goals. "I think I wanted my goals against to be below 2.50 like last year," he said. "That didnt happen. Its tough when you play so many games. "I wanted to get 40 wins, it was tough not to do that in the last three games but other than that, the win and loss record was more than what I expected this year." With a 2.57 goals against average and 39-17-5 record, hes still top five among WHL netminders. The biggest goal -- a league championship -- remains up for grabs with playoffs starting Friday. He was glad to get the signing out of the way early this week, and the news lit up on Twitter where hes got more than 7,000 followers. At one point Bunz was a trending topic in Canada. "I had a lot of family support, friend support, friends on Twitter and stuff, it was pretty crazy," Bunz said. "My phone lit up all day." Nike Air Max 95 Femme . A goal machine for the MLS team when healthy, the former striker is back in his native Netherlands these days. Nike Free 5.0 Pas Cher . -- Reginas Mark McMorris is taking home a silver medal and a fractured rib from Saturdays slopestyle event at the Winter X Games.LONDON -- Englands Football Association says coach Roy Hodgson will name his World Cup squad on May 12, the day after the Premier League season ends. The squad is expected to be divided into 23 players with seven back-ups, although FIFA regulations require only a 30-man provisional squad to be named by May 13. Nike Air Max 90 Femme Soldes. . The deadline for the final 23-man squad is June 2. Englands first World Cup warm-up match is against Peru on May 30, before further games against Ecuador and Honduras. England will face Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica in the group stage. cheap jerseys from china cheap jerseys ' ' '

DENVER -- Matt�Duchene was simply going for a cross-ice pass. Nike Roshe Run Kopen . A fortunate bounce turned it into the winning goal. The Colorado forward didnt know it until the roar of the crowd clued him in. Duchene scored 2:33 into overtime, and Semyon�Varlamov stopped 33 shots to lift the Avalanche to a 3-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night. "Were all pretty exhausted," Duchene said. "I felt like I was back in high school playing hockey, but those games are fun to win." Duchene got free after a nifty move in the corner and saw Ryan�OReilly on the far side. Duchene tried to thread a pass to him, only to have it hit the stick of Jets defenceman Tobias�Enstrom and bounce in the air. The puck hit Duchene in the leg, dropped down to his stick. From there he lifted it over backup goalie Al�Montoya. "I didnt even know it went in," said Duchene, who has a point in a career-high eight straight games. "I just heard the crowd cheering, and I figured it went past him. It was a good bounce, nice to get that one." Montoya was almost as surprised. "I dont even remember it. I really dont, sorry about that," he said. "I know the puck bounced in front of me, was poked in front of me, and it landed right on the guys tape." Enstrom made quite a save to make sure the game reached overtime. Late in the third period, Enstrom dove after a puck that was rolling toward the net. He swatted it away just before it crossed the line. Jets coach Paul Maurice didnt fault Enstroms attempted clear. "Just a little bad luck in front of the net," Maurice said. "Bobbled the puck and its in the back." John�Mitchell, Andre�Benoit and Duchene provided an offensive spark on a night the Avs lost another forward when P.A. Parenteau hurt his right knee early in the game. They were already without Paul�Stastny, who was sidelined because of a sore back. Avs coach Patrick�Roy said Parenteau could miss significant time with an MCL injury. "I think hes going to miss the remainder of the regular season, and well see for the playoffs," Roy said. "(Tuesday), well know more. Im just guessing right now." Winnipeg had a 2-on-1 opportunity in overtime, but Varlamov deflected Olli�Jokinens shot into the netting behind the goal. Colorado scored 4:38 into the second period on a goal originally credited to rookie Nathan�MacKinnon, when it looked as though he tapped in a pass from Mitchell. But the goal was later awarded to Mitchell after the puck appeared to hit off the stick of Jets defenceman Zach�Bogosian. The lead didnt last long as Byfuglien scored twice in a span of 1:48. He tapped his first goal past Varlamov on a power play. Later, Byfuglien bounced a puck off Varlamovs left skate from near the boards behind the net. Benoit tied it with 12 seconds remaining in the second on a slap shot from near the blue line. It was a frenetic first period that featured no scoring but plenty of big hits and a penalty shot by Jim�Slater after Marc-Andre�Cliche hooked him from behind. Slater couldnt capitalize, though, lining his shot into Varlamovs glove. Varlamov later turned back Evander�Kane on another breakaway attempt. The Jets were flummoxed by Varlamov all period, even running into the Colorado goalie twice and drawing penalties. The Avs were on the power play four times in the first period, but couldnt sneak anything past Montoya, who gave Ondrej�Pavelec the night off. Colorado lost Parenteau in a collision near the blue line with Mark�Stuart less than four minutes into the game. After a quick rest, Parenteau momentarily returned to the ice to test out the knee before heading into the dressing room. "He was in pain, but you know P.A.," Roy said. "Hes a great team guy, and he wanted give it a try." NOTES: Jets F John�Albert left in the second period because of an upper body injury and didnt return. ... F Bryan�Little recorded two assists, giving him 52 points for the season, which is a career high. ... Varlamov earned his 32nd win of the season. nike air max 90 dames. Dribbling on the perimeter with the final seconds ticking off the clock and Washington down by a point, Wall found his opening. adidas zx 700 dames .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.LOS ANGELES -- Tyler�Toffoli and Linden�Vey spent the first month of the season as highly successful linemates in the minors. Now that theyre roommates with the Los Angeles Kings, theyre still making good things happen together. Toffoli had two goals and an assist in his third game back from the minors, and Mike�Richards had a goal and two assists in the Los Angeles Kings 5-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night. While Toffoli had the first three-point game of his short Kings career, Vey earned his first NHL point with an early assist in Los Angeles 10th victory in 14 games. "Its good to get the win, especially with the rivalry between the two teams the last couple of years," said Vey, who made his NHL debut Thursday. "It was an intense game. ... I think Tof and I bring a little bit of energy and excitement. Were new to the league, so we have a lot of excitement coming into the game. We just need to keep rolling." Toffoli saw playoff action during Los Angeles run to the Western Conference finals last summer, and he teamed up with Vey on the AHLs Manchester Monarchs last month after failing to make the Kings roster out of training camp. Both were recalled a week ago to fill in for injured veterans Jeff�Carter and Jarret�Stoll. Although the youngsters are temporary solutions to the Kings injury problems, Toffoli and Vey are making a strong case for more permanent jobs in the near future. "Were pretty good friends, so it makes things a whole lot easier," Toffoli said. "We have each other to hang out, and at the same time, all of the guys have been great helping us out and making us feel really welcome." Richards, Justin�Williams and Toffoli scored in a 2:33 span midway through the second period for the Kings, chasing Vancouver goalie Roberto�Luongo in the process. Jonathan�Quick made 25 saves, and Jordan�Nolan scored an early goal on Veys pass in a game that turned out to be a showcase for the Kings two rookies. "Its exciting for them, and they bring that enthusiasm into games," said Richards, who has eight points in four games. "They have the confidence to make plays, and theyre both smart passers." Dan�Hamhuis scored in the Canucks first game against Los Angeles as division rivals since 1998. Luongo stopped 14 shots before getting pulled after the Kings fourth goal midway through the second period. "I thoought in the first two periods we had surges early, but we couldnt score," Vancouver coach John Tortorella said. nike roshe run dames. "Its a 5-1 game and you think you got spanked, but I thought Quick made some really important saves at key times. We had some breakdowns, and its in the back of our net." The Sedin twins were held scoreless for the second straight night on the Canucks four-game trip to each of the reconfigured Pacific Divisions four U.S.-based teams. "We had a few chances in the first period, but Quick played good," Daniel�Sedin said. "We didnt play terrible the first two periods, but we have to be better. We made a few mistakes and it cost us. Theyve got a very good team, for sure, and theyre well-coached. But we didnt play our best game." The Kings played without three veteran regulars due to injuries, and left wing Kyle�Clifford went down with an undisclosed injury early in the game. Carter sat out his third consecutive game, while Stoll missed his second straight and defenceman Matt�Greene was scratched with an undisclosed injury. After a wide-open few minutes in the first period, Nolan put the Kings ahead in a sequence that started when Hamhuis tumbled and lost the puck at Los Angeles blue line. Vey, playing his second NHL game, nimbly deked longtime Kings forward Brad�Richardson on the rush before feeding Nolan for his third goal. Toffoli scored late in the period after two exceptional passes by Richards and Drew�Doughty, who found the youngster with a cross-ice pass on a wobbling puck. Hamhuis scored in the second period with a long shot after a defensive scramble by the Kings. Richards answered 68 seconds later with a goal in front of Luongo, and the veteran goalies defence left him helpless again when Williams scored 1:46 after that. Eddie�Lack replaced Luongo, but the Canucks again abandoned defence and gave up a gaping 2-on-1 break to Toffoli and Richards, who exchanged the puck until Toffoli scored his second goal. NOTES: After playing eight of their last nine at home, the Kings open a four-game trip Tuesday in Buffalo. ... Richardson spent the past five seasons in the Kings organization, winning a Stanley Cup ring while playing in 13 games during the 2012 playoffs. The agitating forward signed a two-year deal with Vancouver as a free agent last summer. ... Los Angeles native Bryan Cranston visited the Kings dressing room after the game. cheap jerseys from china cheap jerseys ' ' '

MIAMI -- Indianas Paul�George will play in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, which comes as no surprise to the Miami Heat. Jose Cruz Jr. Jersey . They were expecting him there all along. The Pacers announced Friday night that George has been cleared "to return to normal basketball activity," a decision made three days after he was concussed in Game 2 of the Indiana-Miami series. "Barring any unforeseen complications, he will play" on Saturday in Miami, the Pacers said. So that settled one lineup issue. The Heat now have a lineup decision to make. Greg�Oden -- whose last post-season appearance was April 30, 2009 -- may be inserted into the Heat rotation after showing Miamis coaches in recent days that back issues that slowed him down for weeks may finally be a thing of the past. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra suggested that Oden "could" get some minutes, which would almost certainly come against Indiana centre Roy�Hibbert. "If coach needs me, Im ready to play," Oden said. "Im definitely ready whenever he needs me." The series is tied at a game apiece, with Miami grabbing the home-court edge away by rallying for an 87-83 win at Indianapolis in Game 2. The teams have been off since, which figures to be a blessing of sorts for the Pacers -- who had several players limping and ailing late in that game, with Georges concussion the most notable malady. The back of Georges head was struck by Dwyane�Wades knee as both were trying to get control of a loose ball during the fourth quarter of that game. George remained in the game but was basically a non-factor the rest of the way, and Miami owned the final minutes. The concussion came to light only after George revealed postgame that he briefly "blacked out." "I probably should have kept that to myself," George said. "It just made a mess. Thats something that, going forward, just keep that between myself and the training staff." The Heat never even considered the possibility that George wouldnt play in Game 3. "Why wouldnt he?" Heat star LeBron�James asked. Wade said he wanted to see George out there, because competitors always want to play against the best, particularly at this time of year. And in these playoffs, no one has looked better on the road -- especially defensively -- than the Pacers, who still havent won even two consecutive home games in this post-season but have won five in a row away from home. Atlanta and Washington combined to shoot only 38 per cent at home against Indiana in the opening two rounds, averaging just 84.8 points per game. The Pacers havent exactly been offensive juggernauts in those games, averaging 90.7 points themselves, but the airtight defence was enough for Indiana to save its season by winning elimination games in both matchups. "We played at a high level in the Washington series, and those last two against Atlanta when we were down in the series, we played with great desperation," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "Our guys take pride in their defence. Thats probably why you see those numbers." Then again, the Heat present a bit more of a challenge than the Hawks and Wizards. "I dont know if the home court really matters right now in the playoffs," Spoelstra said. "Its more about your collective disposition, and youre imposing that identity on the other team. I think either team could win home or away." Miami is 5-0 at home in the post-season, winning by an average of 10 points per game and shooting nearly 50 per cent from the floor. Going back to last season, the Heat have won eight straight playoff games in their own building and since James joined the club theyre 35-7 at home during the post-season. Among those seven losses? The Pacers won at Miami in both 2012 and 2013. And thats why Miami knows having the home-court edge now hardly assures a series win. "Both teams can win on each others floor. Weve proven that the last couple years," James said. "We have to protect our home, but we cant go out there saying that just because were back home we get automatic wins. Weve got to play." J.R. Richard Jersey .C. - Bernhard�Langer overcame a bad start Saturday to take a two-stroke lead after the second round of the Champions Tours Greater Hickory Classic. Jose Cruz Jr. Astros Jersey . Stairs, who holds the major-league record with 23 pinch-hit home runs, was a disappointment for the Nationals. The 43-year-old batted just .154 with two RBIs in 56 games. He was 6 for 39 as a pinch hitter.OAKLAND, Calif. -- Free-agent left-hander Scott�Kazmir agreed to terms on a $22 million, two-year contract with the Oakland Athletics on Monday, a person with knowledge of the negotiations said. The deal is pending a physical. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team hadnt finalized the deal or formally announced interest in Kazmir. Also Monday, the As reached agreement on a one-year contract with right-hander Fernando�Rodriguez. He was one of nine arbitration eligible players -- and all were tendered contracts for the 2014 season, including first baseman Daric�Barton. Barton is the teams longest-tenured player and will provide infield depth. The 29-year-old Kazmir went 10-9 with a 4.04 ERA in 29 starts and 158 innings last season for the Cleveland Indians. It marked his return to the big leagues for the first time since making one poor outing for the Angels in 2011, which followed a 9-15 performance in 2010 for Los Angeles. With the pending acquisition of Kazmir, the As have filled a rotation spot with a veteran starter as they had hoped to do. That means the two-time defendding AL West champions wont necessarily continue to pursue a new deal for 40-year-old 18-game winner Bartolo�Colon.Carlos Lee Authentic Jersey. Kazmir will join a rotation featuring Sonny�Gray and A.J.�Griffin. General manager Billy Beane said after the season he was hopeful of re-signing Colon after he received a $3 million, one-year contract and bounced back from 2012, when his season ended in August because of a 50-game suspension for a positive testosterone test. Rodriguez was acquired in a trade with Houston last February that also brought Jed�Lowrie to the As in exchange for Chris�Carter, Brad�Peacock and Max�Stassi. Rodriguez missed the season after undergoing right elbow reconstruction surgery March 27. He is 4-13 with a 4.89 ERA in 119 career relief appearances with the Los Angeles Angels and Astros. The other arbitration-eligible players tendered contracts by Mondays deadline were outfielders Josh�Reddick and Seth�Smith, infielders Brandon�Moss and Jed�Lowrie, relief pitchers Jerry�Blevins and Jesse�Chavez, and catcher John�Jaso. cheap jerseys from china cheap jerseys ' ' '

A $40 million settlement has been completed that will pay college football and basketball players dating to 2003 for the use of their likenesses in NCAA-branded videogames. Pete Rose Jersey . The payouts could go to more than 100,000 athletes, including some current players, who were either on college rosters or had their images used in videogames made by Electronic Arts featuring college teams. Lawyers for the plaintiffs say it would be the first time college athletes will be paid for the commercial use of their images. Depending on how many athletes apply for the settlement, the payments could range from as little as $48 for each year an athlete was on a roster to $951 for each year the image of an athlete was used in a videogame. "Were incredibly pleased with the results of this settlement and the opportunity to right a huge wrong enacted by the NCAA and EA against these players and their rights of publicity," said Steve Berman, one of the lead attorneys in the case. "Weve fought against intense legal hurdles since filing this case in 2009 and to see this case come to fruition is a certain victory." The settlement is with Electronic Arts and Collegiate Licensing Co., which licenses and markets college sports, and does not include the NCAA. The case against the NCAA is scheduled for trial early next year. Plaintiffs in the case, which dates to 2009, contend the NCAA conspired with Electronic Arts and Collegiate Licensing Co. to illegally use their images in videogames. U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken still must approve the proposed settlement, which comes on the eve of a major antitrust trial against the NCAA that could reshape the way college sports operate. That case, featuring former UCLA basketball star Ed OBannon and others as lead plaintiffs, goes to trial June 9 in Oakland, California. According to documents filed with the court late Friday, attorneys for OBannon and 20 other plaintiffs say they have already run up legal fees exceeding $30 million and expenses of more than $4 million in pressing their case. They are seeking an injunction that would stop the NCAA from enforcing rules that prohibit athletes from profiting from their play in college. OBannon, who led UCLA to a national title in 1995, is also part of the group settling with EA Sports and Collegiate Licensing Co. Also covered by the settlement are suits brought by former Arizona State quarterback Sam Keller, former West Virginia football player Shawne Alston and former Rutgers player Ryan Hart. According to the filing, a pool of money will be available to players after attorneys take 33 per cent of the proposed settlement and up to $2.5 million in expenses. Named plaintiffs like OBannon and Keller will receive $15,000, while others who joined the suit later would get $2,500 or $5,000. The majority of the money, however, will go to athletes who file for claims, a group that attorneys say could contain between 140,000 and 200,000 players who were on football and basketball rosters from 2003 on. The final payouts will depend on how many of those athletes file claims in the class-action case. EA Sports announced last year it would stop making the long-running NCAA football videogame series because of the litigation and other issues in securing licensing rights. Pete Rose Authentic Jersey . As the Toronto Argonauts prepare to face their hated enemies from down the QEW, the Hamilton Tiger Cats, in this Sundays Eastern Final, theyre faced with something they havent experienced all season - a healthy receiving corps. Tim McCarver Phillies Jersey . The Scotsman was dismissed only five days after being told by the club he would remain in charge for the "foreseeable future.SALT LAKE CITY - Just four days after becoming one of the most disputed all-star omissions, Kyle�Lowry received his consolation prize from the NBA. The Raptors point guard has been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, Jan. 27, through Sunday, Feb. 2, the league announced ahead of Torontos meeting with the Jazz on Monday. Lowry led off the week topping 30 points in back-to-back games for the first time in his career - including a season-high 33 points in Wednesdays win over the Magic - carrying his team to a pair of victories without injured leading scorer DeMar�DeRozan. Overall, the eighth-year guard averaged 25.0 points and 8.0 assists as Toronto finished the week with a 3-1 record. For Lowry, the recognition is long overdue. "He is one of the best point guards in the league right now," Dwane Casey said in Denver Thursday evening, hours after the all-star reserves were announced and Lowry, despite his body of work this season, was left off the list. DeRozan, a first-time all-star, was voted in by the coaches and will deservedly represent the Raptors in New Orleans later this month but Lowrys case should have been just as, if not more, compelling. Since the early-December trade of Rudy�Gay, Lowry has come out of his shell, emerging as the teams leader. Hes been the Raptors most reliable contributor and a big part of the post-trade resurgence. Toronto has won 19 of 29 games since moving Gay, recording 20 or more assists in 23 of those contests. "Me personally, I thought he should have made [the All-Star team]," DeRoozan said Thursday. Cliff Lee Jersey. "Especially [with] what he means to this team. There are not too many players that are doing the things he is doing." Lowry, sincerely happy for his teammate,�shrugged off the coaches oversight, concerning himself with team success over individual�accolades.�Similarly, he downplayed a couple nominations for earlier Player of the Week awards and will likely do the same after winning one, but after putting the team on his shoulders this past week, the honour comes well deserved. With DeRozan�sidelined for the first time this season, nursing an ankle injury, Lowry engineered a thrilling victory over the surging Nets in Brooklyn to begin the week. In that game, Lowry become the first player this season to record at least 30 points, five�rebounds, five assists and five steals, something only LeBron�James, Kevin�Durant and Kobe�Bryant accomplished last year. The 27-year-old is also having a career year from beyond the arch, connecting on 16 of his 36�attempts from three-point range last week. Lowry goes into Mondays game in Utah needing nine more threes to match his career-high for treys in a season (129). Hell also chase down Morris�Petersons franchise record for most three-pointers made in a single campaign (177). Lowry�became the fifth Raptor to win Player of the Week, joining Chris�Bosh, Vince�Carter, Mike�James and Jalen�Rose. Also left off the All-Star squad, Suns guard Goran�Dragic - Lowrys former teammate in Houston - captured the award in the West. cheap jerseys from china cheap jerseys ' ' '

CHICAGO -- Marcus�Semien simply tried to stay calm and collect himself as he stepped to the plate with the Chicago White Sox threatening to take the lead.Branden Oliver Womens Jersey . Then, he delivered. Semien hit a tiebreaking RBI double in a two-run 12th, Jose�Quintana pitched one-hit ball over seven innings, and the White Sox beat the Cubs 3-1 at Wrigley Field on Monday night. "Sometimes you get a little bit more amped up," Semien said. "But the calmer I am, the better I do, usually." Quintana and five relievers combined on a four-hitter, and the White Sox came away with the win after dropping four straight and six of seven to their crosstown rivals. The Cubs lost even though Jeff�Samardzija pitched three-hit ball over nine innings. He remained winless despite coming up big on the mound and delivering at the plate, coming through with the lone hit off Quintana and scoring the Cubs lone run. "You couldnt ask for anything more from a starting pitcher than what he gave us," manager Rick Renteria said. "So its a shame that we werent able to get (the win) for him." The winning rally started when Alexei�Ramirez singled off Justin�Grimm with two out and stole second. Tyler�Flowers walked, and Semien lined a 1-1 pitch over third baseman Mike�Olts head to make it 2-1. Grimm (1-1) plunked pinch-hitter Paul�Konerko on the left arm to load the bases and walked Alejandro�De�Aza to make it a two-run game. In the bottom half, Matt�Lindstrom walked Welington�Castillo leading off before Nate�Schierholtz bounced into a double play. He then gave up a single to Olt and struck out Luis�Valbuena for his fifth save in eight chances. Daniel�Webb (3-0) struck out the lone batter he faced for the win. Both teams got dominant starts, with Samardzija and Quintana each allowing one run on a chilly night with the wind blowing in. The only hit off Quintana was a leadoff double in the sixth by Samardzija, who scored on a sacrifice fly by Junior�Lake that tied it at 1. The White Sox threatened in the ninth when Samardzija walked Jose Abreu and Adam�Dunn with one out, but Dayan�Viciedo grounded into a double play. In the bottom half, the Cubs Anthony�Rizzo singled off Ronald�Belisario with one out and moved to second on a grounder to shortstop by Starlin�Castro, with the throw from Alexei�Ramirez deep in the hole barely beating him. The call was upheld after a replay review, and Castillo then struck out to send the game to extra innings. The Cubs left two on in the 11th when Webb came in for Scott�Downs and struck out Castro for the third out. It was another hard-luck night for Samardzija, who struck out seven and walked two while throwing a career-high 126 pitches. He is 0-3 in seven starts this season despite a 1.62 ERA, and the Cubs are 1-6 when he pitches. His most recent win was against San Diego on Aug. 24. In 13 starts since then, hes 0-5. "We come out to win games every day regardless of whos on the mound or what the lineup is or who were facing," he said. "You come out to win the game. Anytime you dont win, its frustrating." Quintana, meanwhile, retired the first 14 batters before walking Schierholtz and Olt. Still, he took yet another no-decision. He has four after setting an American League record with 17 last season. "He was great," manager Robin�Ventura said. "Both pitchers were great. Q had a little extra life on it today. Would have liked to have kept him in there. Hes not quite the hitter the other guy is. He pitched great for us. He was rolling there pretty good." NOTES: White Sox ace Chris�Sale said he felt fine after throwing his first bullpen session since injuring his left arm. Sale threw 40 pitches before Mondays game. General manager Rick Hahn said the left-hander will go on a rehab assignment in the "coming couple weeks." ... Hahn also said reliever Nate�Jones had back surgery and will be re-evaluated in a month. He is on the 60-day disabled list. ... RHP Edwin�Jackson (2-2, 5.24 ERA) starts Tuesday for the Cubs, with RHP Hector�Noesi (0-2, 11.12) pitching for the White Sox. Ladarius Green Blue Jersey .53 ERA in those games. On Tuesday night, he pitched seven solid innings and finally got his first victory as the Royals beat the Houston Astros 4-2. "Im just really proud for him because that was like his fifth time hes gone for his first win and hes had an opportunity to win ballgames two or three times and we couldnt hold it for him," Royals manager Ned Yost said. Kellen Winslow Womens Jersey . As the Toronto Argonauts prepare to face their hated enemies from down the QEW, the Hamilton Tiger Cats, in this Sundays Eastern Final, theyre faced with something they havent experienced all season - a healthy receiving corps.WINNIPEG - Jason Vega is back with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The six-foot-four, 255-pound defensive end re-signed with Winnipeg on Monday after spending this season in the National Football League. Vega was with the Bombers in 2011 and 12, appearing in 27 games. He registered 66 tackles, 12 sacks and a fumble recovery and added two tackles and a sack in Winnipegs Grey Cup looss to B. Branden Oliver Blue Jersey. .C. in 11. Vega, 26, spent this season with the New England Patriots and Dallas Cowboys of the NFL. "Jason is a character guy with great athletic ability," Bombers GM Kyle Walters said in a statement. "He is not only a great football player, but a real quality person and will be a welcomed addition to our locker room." cheap jerseys from china cheap jerseys ' ' '

Despite sitting last in the Western Conference, the Edmonton Oilers enter Thursdays tilt with the Buffalo Sabres on a two-game winning streak and are coming off Tuesdays 5-1 home victory over Nashville. Tug McGraw Jersey . Catch the game on TSN starting at 9:30pm et/6:30pm pt. Jordan�Eberle had two goals and an assist to lead the Oilers in the rout of the Predators. Ryan�Nugent-Hopkins had a goal and two assists while Sam�Gagner also scored for Edmonton. Eberle is also ailing, tending to a knee injury sustained in Tuesdays victory and will sit out tonights contest. Nail�Yakupov has been sidelined by a sore ankle and will also miss tonights action. Gagner has 10 points in his last 11 games and recently told the Oilers official web site how hes playing with more confidence since the Olympic break. "Im feeling better, Im feeling more confident," Gagner said. "Im obviously not happy with how my year has gone. I think the Olympic break was good for me to just kind of refocus and Im feeling better and our team is playing a lot better" All told, the 24-year-old Gagner has eight goals and 25 assists in 56 games in 2013-14 after recording 38 points (14 goals, 24 assists) in 48 tilts last season. Taylor�Hall added the other goal for the Oilers and Viktor�Fasth stopped 28 shots in the win. Edmonton improved to 13-16-3 at Rexall Place this season and is playing the second test of a six-game homestand tonight. The Oilers halted a six-game losing streak in the series with the Sabres by recording a 3-2 win in Buffalo on Feb. 3. Ilya�Bryzgalov made 42 saves to help Edmonton register that regulation victory, but the goaltender has since been traded to Minnesota. Ben�Scrivens gets the call between the pipes for the Oilers this evening. Meanwhile for the Sabres, it has already been a trying season. The club will try to avoid its longest losing streak of this difficult campaign when the Sabres visit the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place. Buffalo is at the bottom of the NHL standings with just 46 points. The next- worst team is the Oilers, but Edmonton is still 13 points ahead of the lowly Sabres, who have lost seven straight in regulation. The teams current skid matches a season-opening 0-6-1 stretch from Oct. 2-14 for the longest winless drought of 2013-14. Buffalo has managed just six goals over the course of its present slide. Buffalo began a five-game road trip Tuesday night in Calgary and dropped a 3-1 decision to the Flames. Mike�Cammalleri and Paul�Byron scored in the third period to help Calgary pull away for the win at the Saddledome. Drew�Stafford scored the lone goal for the Sabres, who have lost four straight on the road and are 7-22-3 as the guest this season. Nathan�Lieuwen made his first NHL start and turned aside 23 shots in the loss. Lieuwen was recalled from Buffalos AHL affiliate in Rochester on Sunday and made his NHL debut later that day in a 2-0 loss to Montreal after Jhonas�Enroth left 36 minutes in with a lower-body injury. The 22-year-old Lieuwen was playing for the fourth time in five days after starting games for Rochester on Friday and Saturday. "I thought he (Lieuwen) played well," Sabres interim head coach Ted Nolan said. "The second goal we kind of backed right into him and we lost our positioning. They got a good shot and tipped it in. Overall I thought he played well." With Enroth and fellow goaltender Michal�Neuvirth expected to miss tonights game with injuries, Matt�Hackett will get the call in net. Hackett, 24, has seen action in 13 NHL games, but last played at this level when he started for Minnesota at Dallas on March 29 of last season and he surrendered five goals on 33 shots to take the loss in that game. Hackett is 3-7-0 with a 2.64 goals against average over his 13 career outings. Buffalo still carries a three-game road winning streak in this series into Thursdays game. Cliff Lee Authentic Jersey .C. -- The Charlotte Bobcats said head coach Steve Clifford underwent a successful procedure Friday to have two stents placed in his heart. Roy Halladay Authentic Jersey . The 114th-ranked Lorenzi broke Monacos serve to go up 4-3 in the decisive set and held on to close the match in 2 hours, 34 minutes at the Ibirapuera Arena. The 32-year-old Italian squandered a match point before losing the second set, but was in control in the third to pick up the win in the ATP 250 tournament in South Americas biggest city.Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - The Philadelphia Phillies signed right-handed pitcher Chad Billingsley to a one-year, $1.5 million contract on Thursday. The 30-year-old Billingsley did not pitch in 2014 while he was recovering from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow and surgery on his right flexor tendon. He last pitched in 2013 when he made two starts for Los Angeless. Jimmy Rollins Phillies Jersey. Billingsley has pitched eight seasons in the majors, all with the Dodgers. He owns an 81-61 record and a 3.65 ERA in 1,175 1/3 innings with 1,037 strikeouts. In 2009, he was named to his only career All-Star game. To make room for Billingsley on the 40-man roster, the Phillies designated left-handed pitcher Cesar Jimenez for assignment. cheap jerseys from china cheap jerseys ' ' '

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins spot in the post-season is assured. Jimmy Foxx Jersey . The Phoenix Coyotes are living much more dangerously. For long stretches during Phoenixs 3-2 win on Tuesday night, it certainly looked like the other way around. Pouncing on a series of sloppy mistakes by the suddenly erratic Penguins, the Coyotes picked up two vital points in the chase for the eighth-seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Thomas�Greiss stopped 23 shots -- including all 15 he faced over the final two periods -- and received plenty of help as Phoenix rebounded a night after losing starting goaltender Mike�Smith indefinitely with a right leg injury in a loss to the New York Rangers on Monday. David�Moss, Antoine�Vermette and Mikkel�Boedker scored for the Coyotes, who never trailed while dropping the Metropolitan Division-leading Penguins to just 6-6-2 since the Olympic break. "It gives confidence that if you can win in Pittsburgh you can win anywhere," Phoenix forward Shane�Doan said. Jussi�Jokinen and Taylor�Pyatt scored for the Penguins. Marc-Andre�Fleury made 26 saves, but the Penguins failed to clinch a playoff berth and looked lifeless at times without centre Evgeni�Malkin, who is out 2-3 weeks after hurting his foot in a loss to St. Louis on Sunday. While hes expected by the end of the regular season, his absence is just the latest setback in a season in which Pittsburgh has lost over 400 man games due to injuries. It didnt seem to bother the Penguins as they built a seemingly insurmountable division lead. Coach Dan�Bylsma isnt sure now is the time to start throwing around blame. "I dont think injuries had anything to do with today or what you saw on the ice," he said. More disconcerting for Pittsburgh is its lack of focus. The Penguins held a brief players only meeting after the game and cancelled a scheduled practice on Wednesday. "I dont think theres anyone feeling sorry for us, but that still doesnt allow us not to have the right type of effort and work ethic," centre Sidney�Crosby said. Phoenixs play had a little bit to do with it. If the Coyotes were rattled by the loss of their franchise goaltender, it didnt exactly show. Greiss has been effective when spelling Smith this season, though he wasnt sharp while allowing the Rangers to steal two points Monday by rallying for an overtime victory after he replaced Smith with 7:32 left in regulation and the Coyotes holding a one-goal lead. No matter. Despite a short turnaround in the midst of a three-game road trip that could shape the final weeks of the regular season, Greiss kept the Penguins in check. "I thought we did a good job of being close to one another," Moss said. "It seemed like if there was a breakdown, there was support. If they had a chance, (Greiss) made a huge save." Whenever Pittsburgh made a mistake deep in its own zone, the Coyotes were there to take advantage. Moss picked up his seventh goal of the year when great forechecking by Martin�Hanzal and Brandon�McMillan produced a turnover that ended with Moss all alone in front of the Penguins net. Jokinens 18th goal of the season tied it 11:51 into the period, kind of. His wrist shot caromed out of the back of the net so quickly the goal light never came on. Play continued for nearly 3 minutes before a stoppage in play provided time for the goal to be awarded on replay. Vermette put Phoenix back in front with a power-play goal, poking a rebound between Fleurys legs. Pyatt knotted it at 2 with just 4 seconds left in the first by deflecting in Rob�Scuderis shot from the point. The back-and-forth play, however, stopped over the final 40 minutes as the Coyotes choked off the Penguins while continuing to effectively counterpunch. Boedker put Phoenix in front to stay 13:18 into the second period by grabbing a rebound in front of the Pittsburgh net and roofing it over Fleurys glove as a penalty to Jokinen expired. NOTES: Injured Penguins defenceman Paul�Martin did not skate on Tuesday morning due to an illness. Martin, who has not played since injuring his hand while playing for Team USA in the Winter Olympics, will have an X-ray on Sunday to determine his progress. ... The Coyotes recalled G Mark�Visentin from the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League to serve as the backup until Smiths status is determined. ... The Penguins host Los Angeles on Thursday while Phoenix wraps up its road trip Thursday in New Jersey. Mike Schmidt Jersey . Blown save in the ninth inning? No problem. Dave Hollins Jersey . Moore-Towers, 21, of St. Catharines, Ont., and Moscovitch, 29, of Toronto teamed up in 2009 and became Canadian pairs champions in 2011. They were runners-up at the national championships the past two years.LAWRENCE, Kan. -- The Baylor engine took a while to warm up. There was some sputtering, a little backfire from the exhaust pipes. It coughed and chugged and lurched through two offensive series. On the third, the Bears were back to humming like a sports car. Bryce Petty threw for 430 yards and three touchdowns in fewer than three quarters, Lache Seastrunk ran for 109 yards and a score and the sixth-ranked Bears eventually routed Kansas 59-14 Saturday night for their school-record 11th straight win. "We had to get in synch," explained Seastrunk, who also played little more than a half. "When you turn on a car, sometimes a car might turn on the first time. We kind of stalled out a little bit, like youre learning to drive a stick. But we got going." Once they got going, the Jayhawks were merely a speed bump. The Bears (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) piled up 500 yards of offence in taking a 38-0 lead by halftime, and then relaxed as coach Art Briles pulled many of his starters in the third quarter. The nations highest-scoring offence still finished with 743 yards, and eight of its nine scoring drives took fewer than 2 minutes. Four different Baylor players had touchdown runs -- Petty among them -- while Tevin Reese hauled in two of his three TD tosses. "It took us a while to get out there, but once we did, we settled down and played our game, and thats whats important," Petty said. "When we hone in on what we do, theres not a team in the country that can stop us, and Im very confident of that." Jake Heaps was held to just 85 yards passing and a touchdown for Kansas (2-5, 0-4), which has now lost 25 consecutive Big 12 games. He split time with freshman Montell Cozart, who was 4 of 14 for 69 yards and also lost a fumble that led to one of Baylors touchdowns. Brandon Bourbon had a 22-yard touchdown run for the Jayhawks. The Bears have scored at least 50 points six times in seven games, and the result has been the programs first 7-0 start since 1980. The once-downtrodden school hasnt lost since Nov. 10, 2012, at Oklahoma -- the same high-profile program thats next up for Baylor on Nov. 7. "We just wanted to get this winn tonight, and then we know we have OU coming up in 10 or 11 games," Briles said. Domonic Brown Phillies Jersey. "Its like we talk about every week, its a new season." The Bears struggled on their first two series, punting each time, and a paltry crowd bundled up against the chilly autumn air had reason to hope for a monumental upset. Baylor put an end to that with four brutally efficient drives. Petty started the scoring rush when he threw a 62-yard strike to Reese. After the Jayhawks went three-and-out, Seastrunk got loose on a hip-swiveling scamper over the right side that turned into a 29-yard touchdown run. Kansas went three-and-out again, and Glasco Martin capped an 82-yard drive with a TD run. Petty finished off the scoring burst with a TD run of his own. In a span of roughly 12 minutes, the Bears had built a 28-0 lead. Baylor tacked on a field goal later in the second quarter, and a 25-yard touchdown pass from Petty to Reese with 2 minutes remaining made it 38-0 at the break. It also sent the few fans that were left in the stands scattering for the exits. "Theyre very dynamic," Kansas defensive tackle Keon Stowers said. "What their receivers do, they run routes according to your set as a defensive back. So if youre set outside, theyre going to run an inside route, even if it wasnt called before that. They do a really good job." That was what happened early in the second half, when Corey Coleman ran down the sideline and caught Pettys 49-yard pass for another touchdown. That was enough for Briles to start giving his vast collection of stars the rest of the night off. Bourbons touchdown run off an option pitch got Kansas within 45-7, but Shock Linwood matched him with a TD run for Baylor. Rodriguez Coleman hauled in a 30-yard TD strike from Heaps later in the fourth quarter, only for Linwood to add a 68-yard touchdown run to cap the scoring. "When we can play that way as a football team, were going to be a tough out," Briles said. "Were playing really, really good defence, weve got guys that are very explosive offensively and we have a great offensive line. Were a tough football team." cheap jerseys from china cheap jerseys ' ' '

Im going to write�in defence of Capitals RW Alex�Ovechkin, if only because there have been some recent attacks and, while I can certainly live with them being directed at Ovechkin, the analytical process ought to be better, particularly if its going to be a hit piece on the leagues leading goal-scorer. Jose Altuve Jersey . Yes, Im writing to defend a player that is on pace for a 59-goal season, when the second-best goal-scorer in the NHL this season, Torontos Phil�Kessel, is on pace for 43. Naturally, I didnt think that Ovechkin would be a player that needed much defending, but hes taken some hits lately. Im going to largely ignore his contributions on the power play because its not in any dispute that Ovechkin is great with the man advantage and can make a difference even when he doesnt score. On one side of the discussion, we have the Toronto Star, with their Department of Hockey Analytics, and while there are plenty of flaws in Ovechkins game, they somehow determined that his goals-for/against percentage was the way to illustrate the problem. Never mind that goals for/against percentage is essentially measuring plus-minus. Ill get to that in a moment but, first, also peruse the Hockey News piece by Ken Campbell who, after Ovechkin was minus-5 against Columbus, decided that Ovechkin has to decide what kind of player he is. After all, Ovechkin was minus-17 on the season after that game. Whats odd about using plus-minus to denigrate Ovechkins contributions is that anyone doing serious analytical work in hockey has been against using plus-minus because it involves so many factors beyond an individual players control (not least of which are the contributions of nine other skaters and two goaltenders when the game is 5-on-5) and, generally, involves small samples because goals are relatively rare events. Its funny to find myself in this position, because I can be a bit of an apologist for plus-minus. You spend enough time around the game and that thinking can be pretty common, and when the sample is large enough, you can get a pretty decent list of players at both ends of the spectrum. (For example, heres the list of players with the best cumulative plus-minus since 2000, and here are the worst.) But, Ive at least learned that there are many other factors that go into whether a player is a plus or minus player, and they must be considered if youre going to attempt to pass judgment on a single season or, especially, a portion of a season. So, lets take a look at some factors that are at play to make Alex�Ovechkin a minus-17. First off, the shooting percentage of others on the ice with Ovechkin at 5-on-5 is ridiculously low. His 6.3% is only ahead of fourth-liners Aaron�Volpatti and Jay�Beagle among Capitals forwards. The suggestion could be made -- and of course it has been -- that Ovechkin isnt making those around him better, but here are the 5-on-5 on-ice shooting percentages when Ovechkin has been on the ice for the past five seasons: 10.36%, 8.62%, 8.05%, 11.76%, 9.09%. Youre really going to have to dig for reasons, other than poor luck and ineffective shooters, to explain even-strength shooting effectiveness declining by 40% over last season, especially when Ovechkin himself is shooting 10.6% (18 goals, 170 shots) at 5-on-5. Taking away Ovechkins 18 goals on 170 shots, leaves the other Capitals to score eight goals on 242 shots (3.3%) with Ovechkin on the ice. Marcus�Johansson, his most common left winger, has one goal on 51 shots. This undeniably effects plus-minus, right? Of course it does. Give Ovechkin an average on-ice shooting percentage (say, 8%) and that is a difference of about seven goals. At the other end of the rink, Ovechkin is getting burned with a .909 save percentage at 5-on-5. Naturally, the argument will be that Ovechkins defensive play is what leads to that low percentage. Keep in mind, that percentage is well below career norms for him (.922 over the past five seasons, including this one) and ranks near the bottom on the Capitals roster. Use that typical save percentage, on 439 shots against, and that becomes a difference of 5-6 goals. So, why not take a look at where the shots are coming from with Ovechkin on the ice? According to Some Kind of Ninjas Shot Tracker, shots against the Capitals with Ovechkin on the ice at even strength, come from an average distance of 34.5 feet. In the previous five seasons, it has been 34.2, 36.6, 35.8, 34.6 and 35.9 feet on average. There can be an argument made, based on those average shot distances, that Ovechkins most effective defensive performances were in 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 (the Dale Hunter season), but there really isnt a huge difference; goaltenders arent suddenly flummoxed by 34-foot shots when 36-footers are easy pickings. On top of that, best of luck trying to identify those particular seasons as anything close to Ovechkins best. Why? Because he scored 70 goals and 150 points in 157 games over those two seasons, producing the two lowest point scoring rates of his career. Yes, even lower than this season, when virtually no one else puts the puck in the net with him on the ice. Of course Ovechkin is not a defensive whiz, but that shouldnt stand as an indictment any more than it has for elite offensive players throughout the history of the game. Seriously, take a look at the Top 10 goal-scorers in the league, none of whom put the puck in the net like Ovechkin, and identify the ones that are notably strong backcheckers. Some are: Joe�Pavelski, Alexander�Steen, Patrick�Sharp, but theres no reason to believe that right wingers Kessel or Corey�Perry or Patrick�Kane are doing brilliant work in the defensive end. Heres the thing: theyre all great players! Part of the trouble for Ovechkin is that the Capitals havent been able to win in the postseason, so he gets painted with the brush of failure for a whole host of team shortcomings. Thats what comes with being a superstar. This Capitals team is flawed. They rank in the bottom third of the league in Fenwick Close (measuring shot attempts, not including blocks, at even strength, with the score close), which is a good indication of team puck possession, yet Ovechkin has relatively solid possession numbers. If you want to break down a players overall contribution, and feel that you must use one statistic in order to do so (better yet, dont), then at least reduce the impact of others on the ice and look at the possession stats, because it wont matter that linemates arent finishing or that, for whatever reason, goaltenders arent stopping the puck. Shooting and save percentages fluctuate and while they affect perception -- just ask Tyler�Bozak -- they dont get to the bottom of a players on-ice contribution, and so it is with Ovechkin this year, who is having a fine season, no matter what his plus-minus says. 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. Houston Astros Jerseys . Parmelee hit a game-ending shot in the ninth inning and the Minnesota Twins overcame David�Ortizs big night to beat the Boston Red Sox 8-6 on Tuesday. Nolan Ryan Authentic Jersey . Bryan Murray made an announcement after the GMs meetings - and as was reported by Pierre LeBrun a couple of weeks ago - that Jason�Spezza wants a trade out of Ottawa. Whats the latest on that? Pierre LeBrun: Yes, he made it public. PORTLAND, Ore. -- Damian�Lillard had 32 points and the short-handed Portland Trail Blazers rallied to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 108-97 on Sunday night. Thomas�Robinson had 14 points and a career-high 18 rebounds for Portland, which won its second straight after a three-game slump. Kevin�Love scored 31 for Minnesota, which had won three in a row. It was Loves franchise-best fifth straight game with 30 or more points. The Blazers played without All-Star forward LaMarcus�Aldridge, who missed his third straight game with a groin injury. After trailing by as many as 18 points in the first half, Nicolas�Batums fast-break layup gave Portland an 84-80 lead going into the fourth quarter. After Robinsons basket, Victor�Claver dunked to extend the lead to 88-80. It was more of the same as the Blazers continued to attack. Robinson, who sparked the second-half comeback, blocked Corey�Brewers shot on one end, Claver grabbed the rebound and Will�Barton broke free for a dunk that gave Portland a 92-83 lead. Lillards 3-pointer made it 105-91 with 4:14 left, and Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman took Love out with 3:36 to go. The Timberwolves were coming off a 121-104 victory at Utah on Saturday night. Love led the way with 37 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for his first career triple-double. Love presented a significant matchup problem for the Blazers with Aldridge sidelined by a left groin strain. Aldridge, who averages a team-high 23.9 points and 11.4 rebounds, is expected to be re-evaluated in the next few days. Aldridge wasnnt the only Blazer hurting: The team was also without forward Joel�Freeland because of a right knee sprain and centre Meyers�Leonard because of a left ankle sprain. Jose Cruz Jr. Authentic Jersey. Love finished with 10 rebounds. The Timberwolves continued to miss centre Nikola�Pekovic because of a sore right ankle and Kevin�Martin because of a fractured bone in his left thumb. Love got off to a fast start with seven points as the Timberwolves built an early 18-9 lead. By the end of the opening quarter, Love had 13. Minnesota extended the lead to 43-28 early in the second quarter on Shabazz�Muhammads short jumper. The Timberwolves stretched the lead to 52-34 after a short jumper and a pair of free throws from J.J. Barea. Portland then got back into the game with an 18-8 run capped by Robinsons two layups and Nicolas�Batums 3-pointer, closing the gap to 60-52 at the half. A pair of 3-pointers from Lillard and Batum put Portland in front 74-73. It was short-lived and Love drained a 3 to give Minnesota an 80-76 lead before the Blazers furious fourth-quarter surge. Portland was coming off a 102-94 victory over the Jazz on Friday night. Lillard had 28 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter. NOTES: Love is from Lake Oswego, just outside of Portland. ... Adelman coached the Blazers from 1989-94, guiding the team to two Western Conference titles. ... Love has at least 25 points and 10 rebounds in 10 straight games, the longest run of 25-10 games since Shaquille�ONeal had 13 in a row in 2001. ... Love has an NBA-high 47 double-doubles. cheap jerseys from china cheap jerseys ' ' '

ST. Cheap Jerseys From China . PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Nyjer�Morgan used his speed to get two key infield hits early in the game. His rare long ball provided an important late run. Morgan and Michael�Bourn both drove in two runs, Josh�Tomlin won his second straight start and the Cleveland Indians beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-5 on Sunday. "He always plays with energy," Indians manager Terry Francona said about Morgan. "We were looking for a way to get him in there today and Im glad we did." Morgan had an RBI infield single that rolled to a stop near the line between home and third before Bourn hit a two-run double as the Indians took a 3-1 lead in the second. Morgan also hit his first major league homer since July 30, 2012, an eighth-inning solo shot that made it 6-2. "I had to get something out of the infield today," a smiling Morgan said. Tomlin (2-0), who pitched just once in the big leagues last season after right elbow surgery in 2012, allowed two runs and six hits over six innings in his second outing this year. "The guys made the plays in the outfield and the infield, and thats the reason I won a game," Tomlin said. Cleveland took two of three in the series after entering with a seven-game road skid. "This is a tough place to play," Francona said. "Finding a way to beat them here is great. Ive sat in this chair too many times and been miserable." Matt�Joyce homered and had two RBIs for the Rays, who went 1-5 on their homestand. Chris�Archer (2-2) gave up four runs and eight hits in five-plus innings. "I think very simply put, were not playing the calibre of baseball right now that is a winning calibre of baseball," Rays third baseman Evan�Longoria said. A three-run eighth pulled the Rays to 6-5. Ben�Zobrist scored the first run in the inning when reliever Marc�Rzepczynski made an errant throw to second on what could have been an inning-ending double play. Cody�Allen allowed Wil�Myers RBI single and hit Desmond�Jennings with a pitch to load the bases. Yunel�Escobar hit a sacrifice fly. "I had plenty of time. ... I rushed it," Rzepczynski said. "When I get those, I get super excited. Throw better sinkers to second than I do home sometimes." Bryan�Shaw pitched a perfect ninth in place of demoted closer John�Axford for his second save. Yan�Gomes hit a leadoff homer that chased Archer during a two-run sixth that gave Cleveland a 5-2 advantage. Morgan reached on a bunt single off Brad�Boxberger when a call was overturned on replay. Morgan advanced on a balk and wild pitch, then scored the innings second run on Mike�Aviles sacrifice fly. Joyce hit a first-inning solo homer off Tomlin. Joyce, who is 6 for 12 with two homers against the right-hander, had an RBI single in the fourth. Cleveland threatened in the first but Michael�Brantley was thrown out trying to score on Carlos�Santanas two-out double. Santana went 2 for 3 with two walks and increased his batting average 12 points to .148. Brantley extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a third-inning single. NOTES: Francona tweaked his rotation for a three-game series at Toronto. RHP Danny�Salazar (1-3) had his start pushed back to Thursday from Tuesday so that RHP Justin�Masterson (2-1) and RHP Corey�Kluber (3-3) can pitch Tuesday and Wednesday on normal rest. ... Tampa Bay RHP Jeremy�Hellickson (arthroscopic right elbow surgery) hopes to resume throwing curveballs during bullpen sessions in a week. ... Indians 1B Nick�Swisher was given the option by Francona to have a day off and took it. ... Rays LHP Cesar�Ramos (1-1) and Mariners RHP Felix�Hernandez (3-1) are Monday nights scheduled starters in Seattle. ... With the Rays road trip theme being "Woodstock," manager Joe Maddon looked the part from the 1969 concert, wearing a long-hair wig, sun glasses and tie-dye shirt. Cheap Jerseys . Madrid lost Cristiano Ronaldo to injury early in the match and failed to create any clear scoring chances after the Portugal forwards exit. His team now trails city and Champions League final rival Atletico Madrid by four points with two games to play. Wholesale NFL Jerseys . Bjoerndalen, who had failed to win any major race for two years before Sochi, writes in a Facebook entry that he is "full of energy and inspiration" after winning the 10-kilometre sprint and mixed relay at last months Olympics.Pittsburgh Penguins forward James�Neal and Detroit Red Wings forward David�Legwand have bobth been handed $5,000 fines by the National Hockey League on Friday. Legwand has been for butt-ending Penguins forward Evgeni�Malkin in in Detroits 5-4 overtime victory on Thursday. The incident occurred at 16:14 off the third period. Wholesale Jerseys. Legwand was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for butt-ending. Neal was fined for cross-checking Red Wings forward Luke�Glendening in the same game. Neals incident occurred at 5:19 of the second period. Neal was assessed a minor penalty for cross-checking. cheap jerseys from china cheap jerseys ' ' '

CHARLESTON, W. Andre Reed Blue Jersey .Va. - New York Jets quarterback Geno�Smith is eager to work with Michael�Vick, even if it means a hotly contested competition for the starting job. "Awesome, man. Vicks my guy," Smith said during a fan signing event Saturday in West Virginia. "We needed to find a guy that was legitimately a guy that could come in and play. I think thats what we did. "Mission accomplished." Vick signed a one-year deal with the Jets on Friday, the same day New York released former starter Mark�Sanchez. The Jets hope Vick, who spent the last five seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, will be able to push Smith during training camp. Vick is "going to be a guy I can work with, have a really good working relationship with and also compete with," Smith said at the Charleston Civic Center. Smith was unfazed by Vicks comments Friday night on a conference call with New York-area reporters that he wouldnt necessarily be content standing on the sideline all season. "Thats every quarterback," Smith said. "I understand where Mikes coming from. No one wants to sit the bench. I dont know a player that does." Smith threw for 12 touchdowns and 21 interceptions in his rookie season while starting all 16 games after Sanchez injured his right shoulder in the preseason. He drew praise from coach Rex Ryan for a strong finish in which the Jets won three of their last four to finish 8-8, but Smith expects to have "an open competition" with Vick for the starting job � just like it will be for every position on the team. "Its just good to have a guy to compete with like Mike," Smith said. "Were going to compete. Were not going to say, Hey, youre the starter. And well leave it at that. We want to get better. "I love it. Its really making everyone work harder and keep you right on your toes because you dont have a moment to be satisfied or just say Ive arrived. Youve got to continue to work at it." Smith respects the opinion of Vick, who first reached out to him during Smiths senior season at West Virginia in 2012. Smith, a second-round pick, recalled that the NFL draft process and how to handle expectations were among the topics they discussed. "Some of the things I asked him was, How did you deal with being THE guy?" Smith said. "I was in that situation last year. As soon as I walked into the locker room, I was expected to produce. And as we all know in the league, its hard to do that. If youre not on a team thats already set up to win, youre going to have your struggles. "It was more about me just having an understanding of the position that Im in and just continuing to grow."Andre Reed Womens Jersey . It offers no assurances and doesnt apply any context, like, for example, taking injuries into account. Last year, this method forecasted the first round at a 7-1 clip; this year it was 5-3, with losses on Columbus, Colorado and San Jose. Andre Reed Bills Jersey . Free agent John�Axford, who had 46 saves for Milwaukee in 2011 but has struggled the past two seasons, agreed to a one-year, $4. FRANKFURT, Germany -- Hoffenheim scored three goals in quick succession late in the first half to beat Wolfsburg 6-2 in the Bundesliga on Sunday and dent its hopes of qualifying for the Champions League. In the late match, Alexander Meier scored in the 89th minute to give Eintracht Frankfurt a 2-1 comeback victory over Stuttgart, which fell to its eighth consecutive defeat and is now one place above the danger zone. Hoffenheim is the third highest scoring team in the Bundesliga after Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund and it took only four minutes for Roberto Firmino to put the host side ahead with a perfectly weighted lob. Bas Dost equalized for Wolfsburg in the 15th with a header. Niklas Suele began the three-goal flurry with a header in the 37th. Anthony Modeste then scored twice, with a low shot in the 39th and a header in the 43rd. Ivan Perisic pulled one back for Wolfsburg, before the home side struck twice more. Sejad Salihovic converted a penalty and Sven Schipplock completed the win. Wolfsburg finished with 10 men, after Christian Traesch was sent off in the 80th for a foul on Kevin Vollland that resulted in the penalty. Cyrus Kouandjio Bills Jersey. Hoffenheim, undefeated in five games, ended Wolfsburgs run of four consecutive wins and prevented the visiting team from overtaking fourth-place Schalke. Wolfsburg remained fifth and Hoffenheim 10th. In Frankfurt, Stuttgart went ahead in the 31st minute after Eintracht lost possession in midfield. Alexandru Maxim found Martin Harnik on the left and the midfielder slotted low inside the near post. Stuttgarts goalkeeper Sven Ulreich went on to make several outstanding saves, including a one-handed tip-away from a header by Stefan Aigner. But it was his kick-in that resulted in Frankfurts equalizer in the 80th through substitute striker Jan Rosenthal. Marco Russ headed the ball from the centre circle back into Stuttgarts half and Rosenthal raced through to slot past Ulreich. Eintracht secured the win in the 89th when Johannes Flum slipped the ball through the legs of Georg Niedermeier and squared it back for Meier, who drove it home with a low shot. Eintracht jumped to 12th place and is six points away from the relegation playoff place. cheap jerseys from china cheap jerseys ' ' '

VAIL, Colo. Chris Canty Ravens Jersey . -- Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, whose arm was broken at UFC 140 in Toronto, has had a plate and 16 screws inserted in his arm. The surgery is detailed in an entry on the Brazilian heavyweights website attributed to Dr. Tom Hackett of the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colo. "Im feeling better," Nogueira tweeted. Nogueiras humerus was broken when he refused to tap to a Frank Mir kimura on Dec. 10 at the Air Canada Centre. Initial reports were that surgery was not needed. But Hackett says the radial nerve, which affects power and sensation to the hand, was affected. "The nerve was in the area of the fracture and the bone was pinching the nerve," Hackett wrote. "Prior to the surgery he had very little strength in his hand and no strength in his thumb." Since the surgery, function is returning to the hand. "If everything goes well he will begin full training in the next several months and should be 100 per cent for competition fighting in six months or less. We anticipate a complete and full recovery." Joe Flacco Jersey . Westbrook had a triple-double in 21 minutes to win the matchup of talented point guards and help the Oklahoma City Thunder defeat the woeful Philadelphia 76ers 125-92 on Tuesday night. Crockett Gillmore Authentic Jersey . -- If the Bears make changes this off-season, it will not be at quarterback.LENZERHEIDE, Switzerland - Maria Hoefl-Riesch was taken to a hospital with a shoulder injury after crashing in a downhill race on Wednesday, allowing Anna Fenninger of Austria to move atop the overall World Cup standings. The final downhill of the season was won by Lara Gut of Switzerland, the Olympic bronze medallist , but the drama centred on 2011 champion Hoefl-Riesch. The 29-year-old German was taken by helicopter off the slope and then brought to a nearby hospital for treatment. "She has pain in the shoulder and back on the right side. We dont know yet but we dont expect any fracture or (dislocation)," Germany team spokesman Ralph Eder told The Associated Press by telephone. Fenninger was sixth-fastest before Hoefl-Riesch started last in what has shaped up as a back-and-forth duel for the overall title. Hoefl-Riesch crashed midway down when her skis slipped away beneath her at a sharp right-hand turn. She slid off course and became tangled in the safety nets. With Fenninger failing to win the race, Hoefl-Riesch had clinched the season-long downhill title minutes before entering the start gate. But she missed valuable points toward the bigger prize. The downhill trophy ceremony went ahead after the race with an empty top step on the poddium and the German anthem playing as the helicopter landed nearby. Elvis Dumervil Ravens Jersey. Fenninger earned 40 points to take an 11-point lead overall. That could be enough for her first title if Hoefl-Riesch is unable to compete in the three remaining races this week. "I hope Maria can race again. I dont know how she is," Fenninger said. "My focus is on the next two races. What she is doing, I cant change." The 24-year-old Austrian will start in super-G on Thursday and the season-ending giant slalom on Sunday. Hoefl-Riesch was scheduled to start all four races at the World Cup Finals. She is chasing a second overall title after getting her third Olympic gold medal in Sochi last month. Still, no woman has won more World Cup races this season than Gut, who got her sixth victory and second in downhill. Gut won in 1 minute, 32.31 seconds, beating Elisabeth Goergl of Austria by 0.05 seconds. Fraenzi Aufdenblatten of Switzerland was third, 0.57 behind, in her final World Cup race before retiring. The womens race started two hours after the men went down the same 2.3-kilometre (1.43-mile) Silvano Beltrametti course. Gut was 2.32 seconds slower than mens winner Matthias Mayer of Austria, giving her the 18th fastest time of the day. cheap jerseys from china cheap jerseys ' ' '

DETROIT - The streaking Toronto Blue Jays will have their work cut out for them if they want to complete a sweep of the Tigers, as they face Justin�Verlander in todays matinee finale of a three-game series in Detroit. Justin Upton Authentic . The Blue Jays will not have Edwin�Encarnacion in their starting line-up. The slugger left Wednesday nights game in the ninth inning with tightness in his back. The right-handed Verlander is coming off a 6-3 win over the hosting Seattle Mariners on Friday, giving up three runs on five hits and a walk over 7 2/3 innings. It was his longest outing since going eight frames on April 6, and his seven strikeouts against the Mariners was his highest total since also fanning seven on May 4 at Kansas City. Verlander is 6-4 with a 3.99 earned run average on the year and 3-2 lifetime against the Blue Jays with a 4.02 ERA. Toronto left-hander J.A.�Happ will make his seventh start of the year and had won three straight outings before a 6-1 loss to the Royals on Friday. It was an odd game for Happ, who logged a season-high 7 2/3 innings, but also yielded a 2014-worst six runs on nine hits and two walks. Happ, 31, dipped to 4-2 with a 4.10 ERA in nine total appearances on the season and will face the Tigers for the third time in his career and for the second time as a starter. He has held them to a run over 9 1/3 innings without a decision, striking out eight. The red-hot Blue Jays are looking to sweep the Tigers for the first time since April 5-7, 2004 and won their fourth straight overall with last nights 8-2 win. Melky�Cabrera had three hits, one a homer, and three runs scored, while Jose�Bautista also chipped in with three hits and a pair of RBI. Adam�Lind drove in three runs in his clubs 13th victory in 15 games. R.A.�Dickey (6-4) gave up both runs on seven hits and four walks in five-plus innings, while four relievers combined to yield zero hits the rest of the way. That includes Aaron�Loup, who took over in the sixth inning for Dickey after he had yielded a pair of walks around a single to load the bases with nobody out. However, Loup fanned J.D.�Martinez and then induced weak pop flies in foul territory to both Rajai�Davis and Ian�Kinsler. "Tonight, I guess was one of those lucky nights where you kind of pull a rabbit out of your hat," said Loup. "Usually you dont get out of situations like that." Miguel�Cabrera and Kinsler had solo homers to produce the two Detroit runs, while Rick�Porcello (8-3) was charged with three runs on six hits over seven innings. "We had some opportunities. We were unable to come up with the big hit tonight," Tigers manager Brad�Ausmus said. The Tigers have lost four straight. Everth Cabrera Authentic . 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. Wil Myers Authentic . -- If this was Aaron Gordons final home game at Arizona, and it almost certainly was, then he went out in style.IRVING, Texas -- With tape still wrapped around his bruised throwing hand after practice, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony�Romo insists he will be ready to play in what is essentially a playoff game against the New York Giants. "Everythings coming together like we thought, just each day its getting a little bit better," Romo said Thursday. "Well be good to go this weekend." Romo wore the protective wrap on his swollen right hand, the one he banged on a defenders helmet on the opening series Saturday against Philadelphia before coming out of the game. The wrap leaves his fingers and thumb free. He wasnt wearing anything on the hand Wednesday. The Cowboys go on the road to face the Giants on Sunday night, a matchup of 8-7 teams that will decide the NFC East and fill the NFCs last playoff spot. Romo, who played through a broken rib early this season, said he isnt worried about whether he will feel normal Sunday. "You have to go out there and practice all week and get yourself ready to go to the game on Sunday. Im excited that were in this position and we have an opportunity to go and play in a big game like this," he said. "This is when it gets fun. No matter what, youre not going to sit one of these out." During the few minutes early in practice open to reporters Thursday, Romo came out of the locker room wearing the protective wrap and made a few soft tosses. He was also bantering with teammates. "Tony did a little bit more today than he did yesterday. I wouldnt constitute a full practice, but hes making some progress," coach Jason Garrett said. "The swelling still is there. ... All the functional things that a quarterback has to do, he has to be able to do by game time, and hes making progress in all those areas." Garrett said backup quarterback Stephen�McGee, who finished Saturdays game after Romo got hurt, got some work with the first-team offence again Thursday. Wil Myers Blue Jersey. Even with the rib injury in Week 2 and not playing much last week against Philadelphia, Romo has already thrown for 3,895 yards and 29 touchdowns. He still has a chance for his third 4,000-yard passing season and his second year with at least 30 TDs. No other Dallas quarterback has reached 4,000 yards or 30 TDs in a season. Romo threw for 321 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions in a 37-34 home loss three weeks ago against the Giants, who overcame a 12-point deficit in the final 3 1/2 minutes. Dallas might have already clinched the division had it won that game. "Its obvious that this is basically a playoff game. For us, its been great energy all week. Guys are ready to go, and theyre excited," Romo said. The quarterbacks bruised hand just adds another twist to the important game. "A lot of quarterbacks throughout the league play through stuff every week," Romo said. "Sometimes it can be magnified because youre playing in a game thats like this. "No one cares, and once you get out there, its about winning and losing, so thats all its going to be about." Romo said he wont decide until later this week about whether to wear tape on his hand during the game. He never said how much pain he was feeling, saying only that, "like anything, you just have to deal with it and overcome it." Notes: Just like last week, the Cowboys are easing Pro Bowl defenders DeMarcus�Ware (neck) and Jay�Ratliff (ribs) into practice this week. Neither practised Wednesday, and were limited Thursday ... RB Felix�Jones (hamstring tightness) was limited again in practice, but Garrett said hes looking good in the work hes doing. ... LB Sean�Lee missed practice for the second day in a row because of illness. cheap jerseys from china cheap jerseys ' ' '

OTTAWA -- The Western Mustangs top the CIS football national rankings for the fourth consecutive week after wrapping up the regular season with a perfect 8-0 mark for the first time since 1998. Dan Fouts Blue Jersey . Western and the second-ranked Laval Rouge et Or (7-0) once again received 20 and 10 first-place votes from the Football Reporters of Canada panel, respectively. Rounding out the Top 10 are the Calgary Dinos (7-0), Queens Gaels (7-1), Guelph Gryphons (7-1), Montreal Carabins (5-2), Bishops Gaiters (5-2), McMaster Marauders (5-3), Manitoba Bisons (4-3) and the Saskatchewan Huskies (4-3) Western crushed York 50-10 last Saturday in its league finale to secure first place in the OUA standings and a bye in the first round of the conference playoffs. It was the seventh 50-plus-point effort of the regular schedule -- a CIS mark -- for the Mustangs, who finished conference play with an OUA-record 458 points scored. The second-ranked Rouge et Or clinched first place in the RSEQ for the ninth year in a row and extended their CIS-record streak to 62 straight wins on home turf, dating back to 2004. Junior Seau Chargers Jersey . -- Jayce Hawryluks second goal of the game with 29 seconds left lifted the Brandon Wheat Kings past the Regina Pats 5-4 in Western Hockey League play Wednesday. Kellen Winslow Blue Jersey .C. -- J.B.�Holmes was a 3-foot putt away from winning the Wells Fargo Championship when he backed away to size up the situation. HAMAR, Norway -- Canada picked up its third straight win at the sledge hockey world championship on Wednesday, setting up a semifinal clash with a familiar opponent. Dominic Larocque, Adam Dixon, Kieran Block and Greg Westlake scored as Canada defeated Norway 4-1 to advance to Thursdays semifinal against the rival Americans. "Both teams bring the best out of each other and its going to be a real competitive game," Canada coach Mike Mondin said. "Its going to be highly emotional and we know that we have to be well prepared physically and mentally. "Our guys are up for that task." Westlake said his team has improved with each game at the tournament. The winner Thursday will take on the Czech Republic or South Korea in Sundays final. "Were expecting a tough game," he said. "Its a little different in the sense that now that theres something on the line I think its going to be a little bit less chippy than usual," the Canadian captain said. "When we get (the U.S.) in an exhibition game theres lots of stuff after the whistle, a lot of big hits. "Tomorrow its about hockey. Its about winning the game." Norway came out strong against Canada on Wednesday, with Magnuus Bogle opening the scoring just 1:59 into the first period. Doug Flutie Blue Jersey. But Larocque tied it just 51 seconds later and Dixon scored to give Canada the lead at 8:04. Block made it 3-1 at 8:17 of the second before Westlake added his second goal in as many games at 8:58 of the third period to seal the win for the Canadians. "(Westlake) is so consistent every shift," Mondin said. "Hes a competitor and that clearly shows in his work ethic, his skill level and his determination to lead this team." Corbin Watson made his second straight start in goal for Canada, stopping nine shots for the win. Canada finished with 20 shots on Norways Roger Johansen. The Canadians ran into some penalty trouble in their second group game against South Korea, but still came away with a 2-0 win. Westlake said the focus was on discipline against the Norwegians and will be the same against the Americans. "No knock on international reffing, but flip a coin," he said. "You never know what youre going to get. I think you have to play safe, worry about body position and where the puck is going to be. "It took a little while to adjust but I think made a big stride in that department." cheap jerseys from china cheap jerseys ' ' '

Edmonton Oilers forward Nail�Yakupov is making strides towards a recovery from an ankle fracture. Jason Castro Authentic Jersey . Oilers head coach Dallas�Eakins announced Tuesday that Yakupov will resume skating later this week. Yakupov has been out of the Oilers lineup since March 16 but originally suffered the injury on February 28 after being struck by a shot. The first overall pick of the 2012 NHL draft has 11 goals and 13 assists in 63 games with the Oilers this season. He is last in the NHL with a minus-33 rating. Jose Cruz Jr. Authentic Jersey . Whether starting or coming off the bench, Johnson has always accepted his role in stride, part of whats made him the Raptors unsung hero for the better part of the last three seasons. Jason Castro Astros Jersey . The new Romo deal, which is being reported by the Dallas Morning News, will save the team another $10 million. According to the report, the new deal drops Romos salary-cap figure from $21.The Edmonton Oilers agreed to terms with centre Anton�Lander on a one-year contract extension on Monday. The 23-year-old Lander split the season between the Oilers and their American Hockey League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Barons. He appeared in 27 games with the Oilers, posting one assist and four penalty minutes. Last season, he captained the Oklahoma City Barons, recording 52 points, 30 penalty minutes and a plus seven rating in 53 games. Jose Altuve Astros Jersey. His 52 points ranked second on the team, as well as ranking second in assists and power play goals. He also tallied two points for the Barons in three playoff games. The native of Sweden has registered eight points and 18 penalty minutes in 94 career NHL games. Lander was selected by Edmonton in the second round, 40th overall in the 2009 NHL Draft. cheap jerseys from china cheap jerseys ' ' '

CAMPINAS, Brazil -- Cristiano Ronaldo again wore a brace on his troublesome left knee Friday, triggering a new wave of questions over his health as his Portugal team held its final World Cup training session before departing for a crucial game against the United States. Billy Hamilton Red Jersey . The reigning world player of the year took part in some light workouts with the first team, followed by stretching. He was smiling and appeared at ease at practice at the team base in Campinas, northwest of Sao Paulo, as he took part in a playful game of keep away from teammates. The team was set to leave later in the day for Manaus for its matchup with the U.S. on Sunday. Portugal was humiliated in a 4-0 defeat by Germany in their opener. Another loss and the fourth-ranked team in the world could be eliminated even before its final Group G game against Ghana. Ronaldo has been hampered by tendinitis and a muscle injury since before the tournament, creating plenty of speculation about how he would perform in Brazil. He was doubtful to play before the Germany game, but declared himself fit and went on to produce a subdued performance that only added to the usual drama and scrutiny surrounding the player. Team officials dismissed reports suggesting that Ronaldo could be risking his health by playing, saying they were tired of having to deny every rumour about a player many consider to be the worlds best. They noted, however, that he often plays with a brace and said hes healthy and would play against the U.S. Teammate Helder Postiga also expressed frustration over the media circus around Ronaldo. "I have already answered so many questions about Cristiano Ronaldo. Actually we speak about him every day. If I am sick of it, imagine how he is feeling," Postiga said. "If he is available enough to train with us thats probably because he is feeling well. Hes been training with us all these days and as usual he always gives his best. Hes just fine." Ronaldo has been one of the best players in the world for about a decade, and last year he even passed Lionel Messi by ending the Argentina forwards streak of winning the FIFA Ballon dOr. He has also excelled on the world stage, helping Portugal reach the 2004 European Championship final and the 2006 World Cup semifinals. The team also advanced out of the group stage at both Euro 2008 and the last World Cup, and then reached the semifinals at Euro 2012. Although he is Portugals all-time record scorer with 49 goals in 111 appearances, Ronaldo scored just twice in the last two World Cups. Johnny Cueto Authentic . Olivieri, at city hall to help kick off ticket sales for the Aug. 5-24 event to be held in four Canadian cities, said Wednesday that Canada has a new generation of talent on the rise that can make its name just as Sinclair did at the same event in 2002 in Edmonton. Aroldis Chapman Red Jersey . Virtue, from London, Ont., and Moir, from Ilderton, Ont., gave Canada nine points in the multi-stage event with a score of 72.98. Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the United States finished first with 75.MONTREAL -- Rachel Homans Canada team defeated Val Sweetings Alberta rink 8-6 to win a second consecutive Scotties Tournament of Hearts on Sunday night. The Ottawa team of Homan, lead Lisa Weagle, second Alison Kreviazuk and third Emma Miskew, defended the Canadian womens curling championship they won last year in Kingston, Ont. At 13-0, they are the first since Linda Moores rink in 1985 to go undefeated at the tournament. Homan took early leads all week and did it again by posting three points in the second end, although Sweeting answered with a hit for two in the third. Sweeting was a tad strong on a raise in the fourth and Homan came around the right side to hit for two. Alberta got one back in the fifth. Canada was in trouble in the sixth when a Sweeting draw left Alberta with three stones near the button, but Homan scattered them with a hit to salvage one point. Sweeting drew for two in the seventh to close the gap to one point, only to see Homan pick off two Sweeting draws to score two in the eighth. A Sweeting bid for a double takeout fell short and the Alberta skip was forced to draw for one in the ninth, handing Homan the hammer and a two-point lead going into the final end. Canada ran them out of rocks to clinch the victory. Prime Minister Stephen Harper witnessed the win from the grandstands at the Maurice Richard Arena. He was wearing a Canadian Olympic team jacket and posing for pictures with fans between ends. Harper has been to the mens Brier, but a curling official said it was his first visit to the Scotties Manitobas Chelsea Carey won the bronze medal game 7-3 over Saskatchewans Stefanie Lawton. It offered some consolation for not reaaching the final. Pete Rose Red Jersey. "The disappointment doesnt go away, but you want to at least salvage what you can out of it," said Carey. "I dont agree with this even being a game. I never have. "The Page (playoff) system builds in a bronze medallist. But, as much as I disagree with the game, its nice to win a game to get there." Carey made two perfect draws to score two in the eighth end for a 4-3 lead. Lawton blanked the ninth and had the hammer going into the final end, but then disaster struck. Second Sherri Singler threw a flash, third Sherry Anderson hit a guard and soon there were five Manitoba stones ringing the button. Lawton tried to sneak in an angled raise with her last shot, but it couldnt get through and Carey got a steal of three. "It was worth a try,"said Lawton. "It was there...I had to stick it right on the nose. I couldnt roll off. But it was a bit too hard. We didnt leave ourselves in a great position to score one that end. "It would have been nice to finish with a medal, but Im proud of our girls. It was a great tournament for us. Its unfortunate how it ended." The winning team splits $25,500 and gets gold rings with a diamond, while the silver medallists get $15,500 plus a gold ring with a ruby. Careys squad gets $12,000 and a gold ring with an emerald. Because of her repeat win, the Homan teams diamonds will be twice the size of last year. Lawtons side gets $7,000. All 12 teams get $4,167 for wearing title sponsor crests. The winner usually gets $40,000 from the Own The Podium program, but in Olympic years that goes to the team that qualifies for the Winter Games. cheap jerseys from china cheap jerseys ' ' '

MANCHESTER, England -- Manchester United slumped to a 2-1 loss at relegation-threatened Stoke in the Premier League on Saturday to puncture the optimism generated by Juan Matas arrival and leave the reigning champions with a huge task to finish in the Champions League positions. wholesale nfl jerseys . Uniteds eighth defeat of a wretched campaign means Liverpool, which currently occupies the fourth and final Champions League place, could go nine points clear of its fierce rival by beating West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Charlie Adam scored both of Stokes goals at Britannia Stadium either side of Robin van Persies equalizer, with a miserable day for seventh-place United capped by first-half injuries to centre halves Jonny Evans and Phil Jones that forced them off. It was Stokes maiden win over United in the Premier League, and first since 1984. "I dont know what we have to do to win," said United manager David Moyes. Everton bounced back from its derby thrashing by Liverpool in midweek by coming from behind to beat Aston Villa 2-1 and climb to fifth above Tottenham, which drew 1-1 at Hull. Cardiff climbed off the bottom by scoring two goals in 73 seconds at the start of the second half to defeat Norwich 2-1. That left Fulham, which was overwhelmed 3-0 at home to Southampton, two points adrift in last place. West Ham completes the bottom three even though it beat Swansea 2-0 thanks to a brace by Kevin Nolan. That win was marred by a red card to striker Andy Carroll for elbowing an opponent. The other match saw Sunderland earn a second straight 3-0 win at Newcastle in the northeast derby, sparking anger and frustration by home fans disillusioned by the sale of star player Yohan Cabaye to Paris Saint-Germain this week. Such is the tightness of the bottom half of the table, Sunderland -- like Stoke -- is now nearer mid-table than the relegation zone. With Mata joining from Chelsea for a club-record fee last week and both Wayne Rooney and Van Persie back fit, things looked like turning around for United and its under-pressure manager David Moyes. Most thought the comfortable 2-0 win over Cardiff on Tuesday would be the first in a run of victories to lift the champions up to the top four, but they came unstuck at the hands of a gutsy Stoke side managed by a former United favourite, Mark Hughes. "I thought we were, to a man, fantastic," said Hughes, who played 467 games for United. "We got a great reward for a huge amount of effort." Stoke enjoyed some fortune with the first goal, with Adams long-range free kick in the 38th taking a wicked deflection off Michael Carrick and flying into the far corner past stranded goalkeeper David de Gea. Mata set up Van Persie to make it 1-1 in the 47th but Adam grabbed what proved to be the winner from 25 yards five minutes later. "It is a massive result against a great team," Adam said. Belgium forward Kevin Mirallas popped up with Evertons winning goal from a free kick in the 85th minute, after Steven Naismith had cancelled out Leandro Bacunas opener for Villa. Everton is provisionally a point behind neighbour Liverpool, which beat its Merseyside rival 4-0 on Tuesday. Tottenham moved four points clear of United after Paulinhos 61st-minute goal earned a draw against Hull, which took the lead through Shane Longs first goal for the club since his recent move from West Brom. wholesale jerseys . "It is my feeling the club is at a stage that is critical to our on-field expectations and this move was necessary," Hervey told a news gathering hours after he informed Reed he was gone after three years as head coach. jerseys from china . Forte was injured on a run deep in Chicago territory midway through the first quarter, when Kansas Citys Derrick�Johnson hit him in the knee.INDIANAPOLIS -- Roy�Hibbert threw all the inside body jabs Tuesday night. Paul�George finished it off with the knockout blow. Together, the Pacers devastating one-two scoring punch did it again to the champs. Hibbert finished with 24 points, George made two big 3-pointers during a 15-point second half scoring spree and Indiana rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit to take Round 1 against Miami 90-84. "It was fun, a real intense game," George said. "Both teams were playing at a high level. You could see an urgency to win this game tonight." While Indiana extended its franchise-record home start to a perfect 10-0 and took a three-game advantage over Miami in the early chase for home-court advantage, this was no ordinary regular season game. During pregame media availability, Indianas Lance�Stephenson said this game felt like a championship matchup. Two of Miamis big three, Chris�Bosh and Dwyane�Wade, tried to downplay that sort of talk by explaining this was not a win or go home night. The hometown fans didnt care what the Heat thought. They were already in post-season form, booing loudly at the officials, chanting "Hes a flopper" on some contestable foul calls and eventually serenading Miami players with those familiar chants of "Beat the Heat." But the Pacers (19-3) also understood this was only be the start of a season-long quest that could pit the two best teams in the East in the conference finals for a second straight year. First, theres the rematch in Miami on Dec. 18. They wont meet again until March 26 in Indy, then head back to Miami on April 11 before what most expect to be a third straight meeting in the playoffs. If those games have as much intrigue and pizazz as Tuesday nights showdown, they may be the most compelling all season. And the Pacers cant wait to show how much they can improve -- even on a win over the two-time champs and four-time MVP LeBron�James. "Its just one game," Hibbert said. "Were going to learn from it. Its a learning experience. Its still early in the season. We have a lot more work to do." To the average fan, it looked a lot like last seasons playoff series, which Miami won in seven games. Hibbert dominated the middle, scoring nine of Indianas first 11 points and making a season-high 10 baskets -- most from point-blank range -- despite playing in the second half with cotton in his nose. David�West added 17 points, nine rebounds and four assists including a left-handed 4-foot runner that gave Indiana an 88-81 lead with 388. cheap nfl jerseys. 9 seconds to go. James defence and Miamis physical double-teams frustrated George most of the night, but when George finally got free late, he made three big 3-pointers s to help the Pacers pull away. George, the NBAs No. 4 scorer, finished with 17 points, three rebounds and four assists. "I knew it was going to be a night when I was going to explode offensively," George said. "I knew I had to move the ball and share it." Chasing George all night apparently took a toll on James and the Heat (16-6). While James, the leagues No. 2 scorer did get 17 points, 14 rebounds and six assists, he was just 3 of 11 from the field with nine points over the final 36 minutes -- three quarters when Miami failed to top the 20-point mark and had five turnovers. Wade also finished with 17 points, while Bosh added 12. It was Miamis third loss in five games. "I thought we brought it tonight," James said. "We know theyre a very good defensive team. I thought they hit some tough shots and they attacked the rim real well but even though they had us down by 10 rebounds, I thought we rebounded well and we battled." Aside from the slow start, the Pacers couldnt have produced a better script. After Miami took a 13-pont lead midway through the second quarter, Indiana charged back to get within 47-40 at halftime. Indiana then opened the third quarter with back-to-back baskets to close the deficit to four. The Pacers finally tied it at 55 on George�Hills 3 with 8:15 to go in the third, and Hibbert gave the Pacers their first lead, 58-57, on a three-point play 2 minutes later. George helped keep the Heat at arms length after finally making his first basket with 3:51 left in the third, and Miami never tied the score or regained the lead. "Anytime you get into this kind of a slugfest with them, where youre down six to eight points, it feels like its a 20-point lead," Bosh said. "We know theyre a good team. We know what their goals are, we know what our goals are, we want to keep building to be a complete team for the spring." NOTES: Singer Justin Timberlake, Jim Courier and Hulman & Co. CEO Mark Miles were among the familiar faces in the crowd Tuesday night. ... David�West recorded his 5,000th career rebound in the first quarter. ... Indiana had a season-high 21 turnovers. ... Miami shot just 42.9 per cent from the field and was a dismal 4 of 21 from 3-point range, scoring just 54 points over the final three quarters. ... The Pacers improved to 10-2 this season when trailing at halftime. cheap jerseys from china cheap jerseys ' ' '

"Clint, Tim?" "Hello Mr. Carlos Lee Authentic Jersey . President, hows it going?" The US World Cup campaign formally ended Wednesday with a cosy two minute chat on the phone between the President, the captain and Americas latest superhero. The team might not have scaled 2002s quarterfinal heights, but they leave Brazil with something not even Qatari petrodollars could buy. They have changed the conversation with how old football perceives soccers new frontier. No one connected with the United States Soccer Federation could have dreamt that.� Or for that matter Major League Soccer. Especially when you factor in they were drawn in a group with a nation thats made it through to 15 straight quarterfinal appearances, another still smarting from how extremely close they got in 2010 to finally become Africas first ever semi-finalist and Ronaldo who proved in the playoffs one player could indeed carry a nation. How very American of him. Bookies in London had the US at even money to finish bottom of the group. Defy those odds they certainly would. It was one thing to target victory in their opening fixture and quite another, the manner in which they achieved it. Ghana should have been home and dry well before John Brooks Jr. popped up on the edge of the six-yard line in the 86th minute. Then to discover afterwards Brooks had disclosed to a couple of team mates on the eve of the match he dreamt hed score the winner was that Hollywood moment all of America could relate to - underlined by a visit to the victorious locker room by none other than Vice President Joe Biden. On to the Amazon Rainforest and that much anticipated date with Ronaldo was next on the agenda. The drama that unfolded that particular prime time Sunday evening was watched by over 25 million. To put that into a clearer sporting perspective last falls World Series averaged just a shade over 15 million whilst the NBA Finals averaged 15.5 million. Speaking to the beautiful games growing stateside support that 25 million viewing audience represents a 20 per cent leap on the number which watched the US v England match at South Africa 2010. Going into the tournament it was well established that outside of Brazilians, the US was the second largest ticket buying nation with close to 200,000 tickets purchased from US Zip codes. What that figure didnt tell us was what percentage of those 196,000 were immigrants who would be in Brazil to cheer on their nation of birth. That question was answered by the pictures we witnessed on match day and did not go un-noticed by the English media in attendance for US games. Back home in the living rooms and pubs in cities right across the US it reinforced the message of soccers growing appeal and allure. Come Tuesdays round of 16-match against Belgium viewing parties stretched right across the MLS landscape. Fabled NFL stadiums Soldier Field and Cowboys Stadium drew crowds of 25,000 and 20,000 respectively.� As Barrack Obama and his 200 strong staff settled in to watch the game at a White House viewing party workers across the country went on a collective dental appointment which according to Yahoo Finance would cost the US economy over $700 million. These types of things were only supposed to happen in Asia, Europe or South America.�With the USs World Cup over, as MLS players return to their clubs and European based players finally get their delayed vacations now comes the hard work to ensure those part time fans become connected to soccer year round. Just because someone will willingly don the stars and stripes in support of their nation doesnt mean theyll automatically transfer that emotional connection to Major League Soccer. Certainly as in previous World Cup cycles MLS and its clubs will register an uptick at the box office and the merchandise store. This will be especially so for the clubs who had players who featured in Brazil. A nice problem MLS faces will be keeping hold of the players whose stars shone in Brazil. An entirely different one stems from yesterdays France v Germany quarterfinal. Listening into ESPN Radio a tweet was read out from a listener saying, "Im enjoying your commentary whilst spraying my corn in Alabama. Last time I checked Alabama doesnt have an MLS franchise, and yet here was a soccer diehard listening on the radio whilst working on a Friday afternoon. The defining image for me of the US World Cup wasnt a Tim Howard save, Demspeys or Julian Greens goals. Or even J�rgen Klinsmann berating the fourth official in his best Anglo-Saxon when only one minute was added to the end of extra time in the Belgium game.� Instead it came from the twitter account of Major League Baseball. "Looks like @ussoccer is the only thing that matters right now," was accompanied with various images from MLB Stadiums of players watching the big screens as they took in the action of the US v Belgium during batting practice ahead of that evenings MLB games. Bill Clintons Soccer Mom has evolved into Barrack Obamas Soccer Sophisticats. Noel.Butler@BellMedia.ca @TheSoccerNoel TSN Radio is an official licensed radio broadcaster of the 2014 FIFA World Cup� Brazil. Check www.tsn.ca/radio for the broadcast schedule in your home town. Jose Altuve Jersey . Johnson spent the last five seasons with Pittsburgh after being taken in the seventh round of the 2009 draft. He played in 52 games with 26 starts, totalling 22 catches for 216 yards and a touchdown. Jose Altuve Authentic Jersey .com) - The Edmonton Oilers have made Nail�Yakupov a healthy scratch for the second straight game for tonights game against the Washington Capitals.CLEVELAND -- Corey�Kluber allowed four runs in six innings, and Nick�Swisher hit a two-run homer in the fifth, leading the Cleveland Indians to a 7-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Friday night. Kluber (9-6), left off the AL All-Star team despite a strong first half, wasnt his usual dominant self but pitched well enough to win. The right-hander has won three of his last four decisions. Cody�Allen struck out the side in the ninth for his 11th save. Swishers homer off Hector�Noesi (3-7) to centre field broke a 4-4 tie. David�Murphy also homered for Cleveland, his first since May 21. Before Swishers home run, the biggest cheer from the crowd of 24,652 came when the Indians put a message on the scoreboard welcoming home NBA superstar LeBron James, who announced he was returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Chants of "LBJ" were heard later in the game. Adam�Dunn hit a leadoff homer in the fifth for Chicago, which has lost three straight. The Indians were helped by an overturned call on a replay in the fifth. Asdrubal�Cabrera was originally called out trying to steal second, but manager Terry Francona challenged the call, and Cabrera was ruled safe after a review. Lonnie�Chisenhalls single tied it before Swisher homered to centre. Francona and a trainer visited Kluber in the fourth after he backed up the plate, but he remained in the game. Kluber struck out five, walked two and gave up eight hits. Kluber was among the players in an online vote for the final spot on the All-Star team. The Indians massive marketing campaign for Kluber fell short, but he enters the break with a 3.01 ERA and is fourth in the AL with 142 strikeouts. Adrrian Nietos RBI double and Leury�Garcias run-scoring grounder in the second put Chicago in front. Nolan Ryan Astros Jersey. Murphys two-run homer tied it in the bottom of the inning. Adam�Eatons RBI double in the fourth made it 3-2, but the Indians quickly tied it when Chris�Dickerson drew a bases-loaded walk. Kluber retired the first batter in the second, but the next three reached base. Conor�Gillaspie doubled, took third on a single and scored on Nietos double to left. Garcias grounder made it 2-0. Swisher singled with one out in the second, and Murphy homered to right, Eatons double to left-centre scored Garcia from first base in the fourth. Dunn homered to dead centre field, the 454th shot of his career. Noesi allowed six runs in 4 2-3 innings. White Sox All-Star Jose Abreu, who leads the majors with 28 homers, was 1 for 4 with a third-inning single. Carlos�Santana had an RBI double in the seventh for Cleveland. NOTES: White Sox 2B Gordon�Beckham, 1 for 30 in his last seven games, was given the night off. Beckham has been the subject of trade talks. "When you hear trade rumours, it can bother people enough to make it a distraction," manager Robin�Ventura said. "It seems like Gordon needed a break." ... Cleveland optioned LHP T.J.�House to the minors and called up RHP Austin Adams, a reliever. House will make a start at Single-A Mahoning Valley next week and be recalled following the All-Star break. ... The White Sox signed LHP Carlos Rodon, the No. 3 pick in the draft. ... RHP Zach�McAllister (3-4) will be recalled from Triple-A Columbus by the Indians to start Saturday against RHP Scott�Carroll (3-5). cheap jerseys from china cheap jerseys ' ' '

TORONTO -- Mogul skier Philippe Marquis has been added to Canadas Olympic freestyle ski team. nike air max 90 dames . He replaces Calgarys Megan Gunning, who injured her knee while attempting to qualify for the X-Games. Marquis, from Quebec City, missed qualifying for the Canadian team on Sunday by one position, finishing eighth in moguls at a World Cup event in Val St-Come, Que. Marquis will join his teammates at a pre-Olympic camp in Tignes, France. nike air max thea sale . Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., sent a letter Friday to the chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce citing the derogatory nature of the word "redskins" and suggesting the committee use its influence to persuade team owner Dan Snyder and the NFL to change the name. nike air max 2015 dames . Wigginton, 36, was released by the St. Louis Cardinals in July after hitting .158 in 57 at-bats. Hes a career .261 hitter with 169 home runs. Marlins third basemen totalled three homers and 44 RBIs in 2013, worst in the majors in both categories.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Toronto Raptors will look to build off their most complete effort of the season when they face Dwight�Howard and the slumping Rockets in Houston Monday night. The Raptors halted a three-game slide with Saturdays 115-91 victory over the listless Utah Jazz. Tyler Hansbrough netted 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds off the bench, while DeMar�DeRozan scored 18 points and Jonas�Valanciunas followed with 14.We started out playing the game the right way and we finished the game the right way, Toronto head coach Dwane Casey said. Hansbrough was a handful. Efforts like his tonight are contagious.Rudy�Gay added 11 points and a season-high five assists.The Raptors scored 100 points for the first time this season and will try to stop a two-game road slide against the Rockets. They will also visit Memphis on this quick western road trip and were 16-16 last season when scoring 100 or more points.Raptors guard Kyle�Lowry is probable Monday with a sprained right ankle and had nine points in the win over Utah. Meanwhile, Dwight Howard and the Rockets have stumbled since a 3-0 start to the season and hope Mondays matchup versus the Raptors will get them back on track.The Rockets have lost two in a row and three of their last four games, and dropped another game to the Los Angeles Clippers. adidas zx 750 kopen. The Clippers defeated Houston at home on Nov. 4, then registered a 107-94 road victory Saturday.Los Angeles outscored the Rockets by a 40-18 margin to turn a 12-point third- quarter deficit into a 95-85 lead with 3:45 left to play.Chandler Parsons led the Rockets with 23 points and Howard totaled 21 and eight rebounds. Patrick�Beverley and James�Harden scored 19 and 12 points, respectively, for the Rockets, who shot 45 percent for the game and committed 18 turnovers, leading to 27 L.A. points.Houston has failed to reach 100 points in back-to-back games after hitting the century mark in its previous four contests.We just stopped playing the way we had played to get the lead, Howard said of the teams second-half letdown. We had to continue to do things that got us the lead and we didnt do that tonight and they capitalized on it.Houston had won five consecutive home games following a loss. The Rockets will close out a three-game homestand Monday before heading east to visit Philadelphia and New York.Toronto and Houston split two meetings a season ago. The Raptors, though, have dropped six straight and 15 of their 18 trips to Space City. cheap jerseys from china cheap jerseys ' ' '