Jon Jones went from pound-for-pound the best fighter inside the octagon to just plain pounded. Jones took a beating, the worst one of his record reign, in a bout against Alexander Gustafsson that knocked the light heavyweight champion on the canvas for the first time in his career and put his belt in jeopardy. Looking as human and humbled as ever, Jones wouldnt let his hard-earned championship slip away easily and gutted out another title defence -- a UFC record sixth straight -- that set up him up to find another challenger of the month. Enter Glover Teixeira. Teixeira boasts a whopping 20-bout winning streak that dates nine years and is coming off a first-round TKO of Ryan Bader. Jones (19-1) and Teixeira (22-2) fight in the main event of UFC 172 Saturday night when the promotion makes its debut in Baltimore. Phil Davis fights Anthony Johnson in the other headline bout. Jones, one of UFCs biggest active pay-per-view draws, won a unanimous decision against Gustafsson at UFC 165 in September. Gustafsson cut the champion at the right eye midway through the first round. And with a minute left, he took Jones down for the first time in the champions UFC career. Jones said he knew he was as close as ever to dropping the belt. "I realized I needed to switch up my strategy and begin improvising a little bit more, and thats what I did," he said. "I think with Gus I was trying to fight like a technical kick boxing match and I think I was losing at that. I just had to switch my style up and start flowing a little better and start winging things, making up, creating, and finding new openings." He found enough of them to escape and put his name in the record book. With the win, Jones passed UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortizs light heavyweight mark of five straight successful title defences. After beating Shogun Rua on March 20, 2011 to win the belt, Jones went on to defeat Rampage Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, Vitor Belfort, Chael Sonnen and Gustafsson.. He beat all but Evans and Gustafsson during the streak via TKO or submission, and three times earned UFC fight of the night honours. Known as "Bones," Jones said its time to return to his dominant form to keep the streak going. "Im totally prepared to fight for five rounds, but my goal in this fight is to dominate the fight in a way that no one seen possible," he said. Domination is in my psychology. Its the way I train. Its the way I eat. Its the way I visualize. Its the way I believe. "If I dont dominate the fight, Ill still be happy with the victory. But domination is what Im planning on." Teixeira, the No. 2 title contender, is 5-0 since jumping to UFC but a 5-1 underdog in the fight of his life. "My strategy against Jon Jones is simple, go out there and be myself and knock this guy out," he said. "Ive been training my whole life for this." Jones, a former college wrestler and the brother of two NFL players, nearly suffered a broken arm in his win over Belfort and broke a toe against Sonnen. Winning while hurt, then turning around the Gustafsson bout in the final two rounds, proved to Jones he can win under any circumstances. "After that Gustafsson fight, Im even more confident in my will," he said. "I know I have a lot of will. I know that Im armed with that going into this battle on Saturday night. Jones has two brothers in the NFL, including Arthur, a Super Bowl champion with the Ravens who now plays for the Colts. Arthur Jones will be at Baltimore Arena with some of his former teammates rooting on his brother for the feel of a hometown advantage. "They supported our family while he was here and thats why I wanted to fight here," Jon Jones said. "I hope his leaving doesnt change anything because I still love the fans and the support they have given to me and our family." Air Max 97 Pas Cher Chine . Those who impressed in each of the three events were asked to attend the main CFL Combine which begins Friday in Toronto. Air Max 97 Pas Cher Solde . According to the Globe and Mail, a decision between the NHL and the Players Association should come within the six months. "I can tell you, (a decision) shouldnt take all that long," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told the Globe and Mail. https://www.grossistechaussurepascher.fr...cher-52a.html.K. Subban has picked the right time of the year to go on an offensive tear. Nike Air Max 97 Pas Cher . It was a day that saw England slump off a World Cup field once again battered and bruised. This time there was no red card to wonder about, no goalkeeping error or individual mistake. They were thoroughly beaten by something they have nothing of – genuine world class ability. Chaussure Chine Pas Cher . Langer appeared to be in trouble when his second shot on the par-5 18th ended up in the rough short of the green. He hit a brilliant pitch to 5 feet and made the putt after Slumans birdie attempt rolled just wide.CHICAGO -- The Chicago White Sox have announced that Chris Sale will start Sunday instead of Monday, scuttling a potential matchup against fellow ace left-hander Clayton Kershaw. Sale, who is 4-0 with a 1.73 ERA this season, had his second start since returning from the disabled list cut short Tuesday because of a nearly two-hour rain delay. Sale threw 40 pitches. Manager Robin Ventura noted that Sale was still getting full rest between starts and that the move made sense, especially considering how short his previous outing was.dddddddddddd Sale said he had expected to pitch Monday with an extra day off, but was fine with the move. Rather than meet the Los Angeles Dodgers and Kershaw (3-2, 3.57 ERA), Sale will face San Diegos Eric Stults (2-5, 4.92 ERA) in the finale of a three-game series. ' ' '

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The intensity of the Memphis Grizzlies returned and so did the character of a team that has struggled the past two weeks. The result was a 107-102 victory over the Miami Heat on Wednesday night, keeping the Grizzlies in the hunt for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. Zach Randolph had 25 points and 11 rebounds, while Marc Gasol added 20 points and 14 rebounds as Memphis stayed within a game of the Phoenix Suns, who hold the eighth spot. The Suns defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 94-88 also on Wednesday night. "The headline of the day is the Grizzlies got the win, much needed win," said guard Tony Allen, whose defensive intensity in the second half helped Memphis force nine Miami turnovers leading to 20 Grizzlies points. "We want to continue to polish what weve got going, trying to race into the playoffs." LeBron James led the Heat with 37 points, connecting on 14 of 23 shots, including 3 of 5 from beyond the arc. Rashard Lewis scored 17, and Chris Bosh finished with 13 points. Mario Chalmers scored 12 points for the Heat. The loss, coupled with the Indiana Pacers 104-102 win at Milwaukee, dropped the Heat into the second spot in the Eastern Conference. Mike Conley finished with a team-high 26 points and handed out six assists for Memphis. Courtney Lee added 18 points. The scoring of Randolph and Gasol contributed to a 60-30 advantage in the paint for Memphis. The Grizzles outrebounded the Heat 41-27, who were without reserve frontline players Greg Oden, Udonis Haslem and Chris Andersen, along with second-leading scorer Dwyane Wade. "Obviously, those are key guys out against a team you need big bodies against," James said of the absences, and noting the double-doubles by Randolph and Gasol. "I thought for the most part, we played a pretty good game to win. The fourth quarter got a little away from us." The fourth quarter was where the intensity of Allen that had been missing in recent weeks emerged. The defensive leader of the Grizzlies acknowledged being in a funk recently, but Allen, who guarded James much of the game, returned to his frenetic ways. "When Tonys being Tony, when hes making the big plays defensively, doing the little things offensively, he picks everybody up," Conley said. "He doesnt have to say a word. You can see the energy." The teams were tied at 91 after Lewis 3-pointer was topped with a foul when Gasol bumped him. The ensuing free throw tied the game with 5:43 left. Memphis turned up the defence at that point and scored in its transition game. Conleys 3-pointer with just over 4 minutes left gave Memphis a 100-93 lead, causing Miami coach Erik Spoelstra to call timeout. The Grizzlies got another turnover on the next possession and Conley converted another 3-pointer to give Memphis its first double-digit lead at 103-93, completing a 12-2 run with 3:34 left and sealing the game for Memphis. "We gave up a couple of leak outs," Bosh said. "All it takes is one or two times, you dont get guys back. They got it up to an eight-point lead. In a game like this, thats like 20 against a team like this." There werent many misses to start the game. The teams combined to hit 11 of their first 12 shots. Memphis would end up starting 10 of 11, while the Heat were 6 of 7 from beyond the arc, and Randolph hit all eight of his shots in the quarter. By the end of the first quarter, the teams were 27 of 37. "Just trying to be aggressive," Randolph said of the perfection. "You know, I hit shots and guys kept coming to me." Despite Randolphs accuracy, the Heat carried a 58-54 lead into halftime. Lees 3-pointer at the close of the third period originally was ruled too late. But after review the call was overturned and the teams entered the final quarter tied at 80. "First of all, the turnovers were pick-6s," Spoelstra said of the fourth quarter. "They had more than a handful of those. "It was a tale of two halves offensively. That probably as much as anything got us in trouble." NOTES: James connected on a 4-point play early in the third quarters when he was fouled at the top of the key by Grizzlies F James Johnson. ... The Heat entered the game 27-2 when James scores at least 37 points. ... Randolphs eight field goals in the first quarter tied a franchise mark held by Mike Bibby. ... Memphis has won 12 straight at home. The Grizzlies are 9-0 when facing teams coming into Memphis on the second night of a back-to-back. The Heat lost to Brooklyn 88-87 on Tuesday night. Whit Merrifield Jersey . Toronto (11-12) gave up leads in 10-8 and 11-4 losses to the Baltimore Orioles this week. It was never close Friday as the Boston Red Sox got to Mark Buehrle early en route to an 8-1 win. A. J. Hinch Jersey .com) - Marian Gaborik scored his sixth goal in the last four games to help the Los Angeles Kings top the Arizona Coyotes, 4-2, Saturday at Staples Center. https://www.cheaproyals.com/1237a-dan-qu...sey-royals.html. Mike Vecchione tied it at 2 with 4:01 left in the first, Saskatoon native Eli Lichtenwald gave the Dutchman the lead 57 seconds later, and Daniel Ciampini capped the spree with 2:57 to go. Denny Matthews Jersey .I get texts: Do you know Drake? Have you met Drake? He sits there every night, he hears me cuss out the referees every night, Casey said, laughing. Jeff Suppan Jersey . You can watch all the action on TSN and TSN GO beginning at 8:30pm et/5:30pm pt. Minnesota dropped the first two tests of this best-of-seven set at Chicagos United Center and was outscored by a combined 9-3 margin in those setbacks. However, the Wild righted themselves at home by taking Game 3 by a 4-0 count before knotting the series at two games apiece with Fridays 4-2 triumph at Xcel Energy Center.HOUSTON -- C.J. Wilson had a simple plan for his second start after a dud in his season debut. "Just told myself Im going to pick my spot and stay with my spot and not try to overdo it," Wilson said. It was an effective approach, allowing him to pitch eight solid innings while Howie Kendrick and Raul Ibanez each drove in three runs to send the Los Angeles Angels over the Houston Astros 9-1 Monday. The Angels took three of four from Houston after starting the season 0-3. Wilson (1-1) yielded four hits and a run while fanning seven. He looked a lot more like the 17-game winner he was last year than he did in his first start this season when he gave up eight hits and six runs in 5 2-3 innings of a loss to Seattle. In that game, he said, all the hits in that game came when "I basically overthrew or did something mechanically wrong." He didnt have that problem Monday. "I was able to throw curveballs for strikes and changeups for strikes, which was big," Wilson said. "I only threw a couple sliders because I didnt really need to." Houston struggled to get anything going off of him. Jesus Guzman doubled with one out in the second before Wilson retired nine in a row. A double by Chris Carter came with one out in the fifth inning, and Wilson sat down 10 straight after that. The Astros finally got on the board when Carlos Corporan launched a 76 mph curveball into the Crawford Boxes in left field for a home run that made it 8-1. "First-pitch strikes were huge for him and when he did get behind in the count he was able to command some off-speed pitches to get back into the count," manager Mike Scioscia said. "He couldnt have really done a much better job than he did." Though he didnt need his slider to keep the Astros off-balance, he did pull out a seldom-used pitch once to try and handle Guzman. "His third at-bat I threw him a knuckleball because I literally had no idea what to throw him," Wilson said. Kendrick drove in two with a single in a three-run first inning. He added an RBI with a single when the Angels tacked on three more in the seventh. Kole&nnbsp;Calhoun homered off Jarred Cosart (1-1), sending a drive to right field for his second shot of the series to push the lead to 4-0 in the fifth inning.dddddddddddd Cosart was done in by a bad first inning where he had to use 32 pitches. He was pulled after allowing three hits, five runs and walking four in six innings. It was a disappointing second start for the 23-year-old who threw five scoreless frames for the win in his 2014 debut against the Yankees. "I spotted them three runs and with a lineup like that and with a team like that you cant do that," he said. "Its hard for our team to play from behind obviously. I kind of had us back on our heels." A pair of walks and a fielders choice loaded the bases with one out in the first inning for Cosart. A broken-bat groundout by Ibanez sent one home to make it 1-0. Carter had to navigate around the flying piece of bat that stuck in the dirt right near where he fielded the ball. Kendricks single to shallow right field pushed the lead to 3-0 in the first. Cosart settled down after the first, pitching a perfect second before walking two in a scoreless third and retiring the side in the fourth. Stewart hit a triple with one out in the sixth and scored on a sacrifice fly by Chris Iannetta that made it 5-0. Ibanez drove home two with a single to right field off reliever Brad Peacock in the seventh. NOTES: Houston CF Dexter Fowler was out of the lineup for the fourth straight game because of a stomach virus. Fowler, who spent Friday night at Methodist Hospital and was released Saturday, returned to the ballpark on Monday. He said he was feeling better but was still very weak. The already slim Fowler said he knows he has lost some weight but hadnt stepped on the scale because he didnt want to know how much hed dropped. Manager Bo Porter isnt sure when hell return to the lineup. ... Los Angeles LHP Hector Santiago opposes Seattles James Paxton when the Angels open a series against the Mariners on Tuesday. ... The Astros send LHP Brett Oberholtzer to the mound against Mark Buerhle when they open a series at Toronto on Tuesday. ' ' '

Denver Broncos have negotiated with Ryan Fitzpatrick but will not pay his current salary demands. The Super Bowl winners are desperately seeking an answer to their quarterback troubles after Peyton Manning retired and Brock Osweiler left for the Houston Texans.According to ESPN, initial talks with New York Jets Fitzpatrick resulted in a stalemate due to the 33-year-olds financial requests. Mark Sanchez is currently Denvers top QB option but they will strive to add strength to the position Fitzpatrick, who threw for 3,905 yards with 31 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 2015, is seeking a deal worth $18m according to NFL.com but neither the Broncos nor his current employers are keen to pay that sum.The Broncos only quarterback options are Mark Sanchez, who they traded for last week with Philadelphia Eagles, and Trevor Siemian but neither are expected to be the teams first-choice throughout 2016.San Francisco 49ers Colin Kaepernick and recently released Washington Redskins enigma Robert Griffin III remain options for Denver. Also See: NFL Video Rookies guide NFL on Sky Sports Pundits Wholesale Jerseys For Sale . - Wesley Matthews got a chance to practice his bow-and-arrow 3-point celebration on Sunday night. Jerseys For Sale Outlet . No pretty goals on this night, just get to the front of the net and fight for a chance. https://www.jerseysforsalechina.com/. The No. 5 Aztecs held Burton, the Mountain Wests leading scorer, to 11 points, 10 below his average, in beating the Wolf Pack 73-58 on Saturday night. Cheap Jerseys For Sale . -- Challenged for the first time under Major League Baseballs expanded replay system, umpires got it right. Discount Jerseys For Sale . On Saturday night, Winnipegs strong offense was again accompanied by some fantastic pitching which gave the Fish a commanding victory.San Diego, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - The San Diego Padres busy offseason continued on Thursday when the club acquired power-hitting catcher Derek Norris from Oakland, according to multiple reports. Norris will be joined by left-handed pitcher Seth Streich, along with an international signing slot, in exchange for right-handed pitchers Jesse Hahn and R.J. Alvarez. The 25-year-old Norris hit a career-best .270 with 10 homers and 55 RBI this past season in Oakland en route to his first All-Star Game selection. Streich spent 2014 with Class-A Stockton and compiled a 9-6 record with a 3.16 ERA in 22 starts for the Ports. Hahn got some work with the Padres over this past season and weent 7-4 with a 3.dddddddddddd07 ERA in 14 games -- 12 starts. Alvarez, who was originally acquired by San Diego in the Huston Street trade with the Angels, had a 1.25 ERA in 38 games out of the bullpen for Double-A San Antonio and Arkansas. San Diegos need for a catcher became apparent when it reportedly sent Rene Rivera, among others, to Tampa Bay as part of a three-team deal that will bring 2013 AL Rookie of the Year, Wil Myers, to the Padres. That deal is pending physicals. In another reported deal that is all but complete, San Diego landed Matt Kemp from the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the two sides hit a snag after the results of the outfielders physical were a concern. ' ' '

It is award season. This past week the award winners in Major League Baseball were announced. Certainly, in most years the voters (players/writers) get it right more often than not. But this year they certainly missed on a few. Rookies of the YearAmerican League The Sporting News gave the award to two Florida-based players, Wil Myers (Rays, .293/.354/.478) and Jose Fernandez (Marlins, 12-6, 2.19 ERA with 187 strikeouts). Myers was the obvious winner in the AL. Jose Iglesias of the Red Sox and then the Tigers came in second followed by Myers teammate Chris Archer in third. The Rays were three games over .500 when Myers got to the big leagues but went 56-38 after his arrival. He only played in 88 games but his power and run production had a major impact as he added length and depth to the order. He hit .293 with 13 home runs and 53 RBI in those 88 games. I cant wait to see what he can do in a full season. Iglesias is a slick fielding but light-hitting shortstop who will continue to improve over time. He will be the answer for years in Detroit after they acquired him mid-season from Boston. Archer was an effective starter and there is no doubting that but he had a number of peaks and valleys to accumulate his final numbers (9-7, 3.22 ERA). He was dominating at times but was just average at times as well. AL Rookie of the Year: Wil Myers, Tampa Bay National League Jose Fernandez at the age of 20 did some remarkable things this year. He was second in ERA to CY Young winner Clayton Kershaw (1.89 ERA). He led all rookies in most pitching categories. The Marlins (62-100) went 18-10 in his starts. All really great stuff for such a young player who gained 26 of 30 first place votes. But was he really the best in the NL? Yasiel Puig came in second in the voting with only four first place votes. He was robbed. He hit .319 and slugged 19 homers and drove in 42 runs while scoring 66 in 104 games. His .391 on-base percentage and .534 slugging percentage were the best among NL rookies. The Dodgers were 23-32 before Puigs call up to the big leagues and were mired in last place in the NL West. They went 69-38 and won the division after his contract was added to the major league roster. Puig made a huge impact. He sparked the fans, which in turn sparked his teammates. One could argue that he made baseball exciting again in LA. The Dodgers were on the verge of firing manager Don Mattingly and now he is negotiating a contract extension. Puig is a handful to manage, as he is a big personality with limited boundaries in his behaviour. But boy is he great. You can make the argument that he energized all of baseball and should be a candidate for the MVP Award. He was definitely better than Jose Fernandez and deserved to win the NL award. NL Rookie of the Year: Yasiel Puig, Los Angeles Dodgers Managers of the Year The Baseball Writers vote for the Managers of the Year. Remember the votes are submitted before the playoffs begin so the award is a regular season award. The writers awarded Terry Francona in the AL for the Indians dramatic turnaround and they awarded Clint Hurdle in the NL for the Pirates first playoff berth since 1992. National LeagueIt had been an awfully long time since the Pirates last celebrated with champagne. They had shown flashes in recent years of being competitive only to fizzle out in the second half of the season. Hurdle did a remarkable job of blending youth with experience and maintaining a positive outlook even when voices of doubt might have started to creep in with his players. Clint is an inspirational story as he lives a life of recovery from alcohol addiction. He is open about it because he believes his willingness to be vulnerable cultivates trust with his players and he was proven to be right. Hurdle was the AAA manager for the Mets back when I was running the minor leagues. He wasnt as clear thinking then as he is now. We parted ways after a difficult season but rather than feel victimized Clint fought for a life of health and serenity. He found it and he now is fulfilling the promise of his abilities. I am so happy for him. I am a bit surprised the NL vote wasnt closer. Hurdle had 140 points including 25 first place votes compared to Dodgers manager Don Mattinglys second place total of 68 points and two first place votes. Mattingly did an amazing job in LA keeping things together when it looked like things were falling apart. Donnie Baseball maintained a positive demeanor even when people were calling for him to be fired. He managed his team through a tremendous amount of adversity with injuries and a change in closer. I particularly love the fact that he disciplined Yasiel Puig when his behaviour on and off the field called for it. Not every manager would sit a young stud to teach him a lesson while battling for a pennant. Mattingly didnt get the award but he will be awarded with a contract extension. NL Manager of the Year: Clint Hurdle, Pittsburgh Pirates American LeagueIn the AL, a case could be made for Indians manager Terry Francona, As manager Bob Melvin, Red Sox manager John Farrell, Rays manager Joe Maddon and Yankees manager Joe Girardi to be the manager of the year. The Yankees only won 86 games despite their lofty payroll but no team faced more injuries and adversity than the Yanks. They lost Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson, and CC Sabathia for significant amounts of time. Girardi had to blend guys who were seemingly in witness protection in recent years (Travis Hafner, Lyle Overbay, Vernon Wells and Alfonso Soriano). I have no idea with all of the injuries and underperformance how the Yankees won 86 games. Girardi may have had his best year managing. Joe Maddon always deserves recognition for getting so many young players to perform on such a consistent basis. He is a motivator and a teacher. He teaches his young guys how to win at the major league level. His support helps his players develop a sense of baseball maturity that you dont see elsewhere. The Rays always have one of the lowest payrolls as well. Just as remarkable is the quality of performance his Rays get from reclamation projects like James Loney, Davis DeJesus and Yunel Escobar. The Oakland As surprised everyone in 2012 by winning the AL West. Bob Melvin won the Manager of the Year for his teams success; as well he should have last season. Despite their success in 2012 there were some who still didnt believe in the As this year because of their youth and low payroll. But they did it again with solid pitching, timely hitting and very good defence. Melvins calmness keeps his players focused and under control. Their talent prevailed in the end. He did another worthy job in 2013. Terry Francona was back in the dugout this year in Cleveland and he showed why he is one of the best managers in the game. He led the Tribe to a 24-game improvement over their 2012 record and a playoff berth. When the season began I didnt think there was a chance this team could make the playoffs. The pitching staff just didnt stack up. Francona did a great job setting his players up to succeed and the more they won the more their confidence grew. Francona has a unique ability to be a different manager for every player: some guys need a pat on the back and some need a kick in the pants. Francona can deliver either. Francona got 116 points including 16 first place votes while edging out John Farrell, his former coaching partner in both Cleveland and Boston. Francona had 12 first place votes and 96 total points. John Farrell was the best offseason acquisition in baseball. He went back to Boston and fixed players who had struggled for a couple of seasons. He returned and helped blend a significant number of new faces on the roster. He helped heal the emotional damage from the Bobby Valentine era in 2012. The Red Sox had a number of injuries to their pitching staff in addition to weathering a major issue at the closers role. He is stable, cool, calm and collected. His personality fit perfectly. Farrell managed his pitcher extremely well and his position players thrived. He effectively managed young players and veterans while maximizing their production. The Red Sox had a 27-game turnaround from the 2012 season - the most significant jump in baseball. AL Manager of the Year: John Farrell, Boston Red Sox Cy Young AwardThe Baseball Writers Association of America voted the Dodger lefty Clayton Kershaw and Tigers ace Max Scherzer as their respective leagues Cy Young Award winners. National LeagueKershaw won in a landslide vote, getting all but one first place tally. Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals was the clear second place finisher with young Jose Fernandez of the Marlins in third. Kershaw (16-9 1.83 ERA) won the award for the second time in three years. He won the ERA title for the third consecutive year while punching out an NL-leading 232 batters. He had the best WHIP in baseball as well. Kershaw is the best pitcher in baseball and the Dodgers need to get him locked up with an extension ASAP. This award was a no-brainer. NL CY Young: Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers American LeagueMax Scherzer won 21 games, the most in baseball this year. He finished the season with a 21-3 record and 2.90 ERA. He got off to a great start by winning his first 13 decisions. He led the league in wins and WHIP and was second in strikeouts. Scherzer was ranked fifth in ERA but overall had more dominant qualitative numbers than three of the four pitchers in front of him. I am a bit surprised that Yu Darvish didnt muster more first place votes than he did. Darvish finished a distant second with only 93 points and no first place votes compared to 203 points and 28 first place votes for Scherzer. Darvish did have a slightly better ERA than Scherzer and 277 strikeouts compared to Scherzers 240. Of course Scherzer won 21 games compared to only 13 for Darvish. But Darvish lost seven games in which his team scored three or less runs including four games he lost by a 1-0 score. Scherzer (5.59 runs per game) had the third-highest run support in baseball while Darvish (4.28) was ranked 36th. After careful consideration, it is a close call with Darvish deserving the AL CY Young Award over Scherzer. AL CY Young: Yu Darvish, Texas Rangers Most Valuable PlayersThe Baseball Writers nailed the MVP Awards. Miguel Cabrera won the AL MVP for the second consecutive year and Andrew McCutchen won the award for the NL. American LeagueCabrera (385 points, 23 first place votes) beat out Mike Trout (282 points, five first place votes) for the second straight year. Trout (.323/.432/.537) slugged 27 homers, drove in 97 runs, scored 109 runs and walked 110 times while stealing 33 bases as well. He had another great season but Cabrera may have actually outdone his Triple Crown season from a year ago. He hit a career-high .348 while tying a career high in homers (44) and driving in 137 runs. He also scored 103 runs. Cabrera put up these huge numbers with very little production coming in the month of September due to a myriad of injuries. Cabrera is clearly a first ballot Hall of Famer and is making a statement that he may be the best right-handed hitter of all time. AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers National LeagueAndrew McCutchen won the NL MVP in a landslide. It was far more lopsided than I anticipated. McCutchen received 28 of the 30 first place votes. I am sure some part of the draw to McCutchen for the voters was the fact that the Pirates hadnt made the playoffs since 1992. McCutchen hit .317 with 21 homers and 84 RBI. He also hit .360 in the final 55 games of the season when the Pirates were in the pennant race. The last few years the Pirates faded in the second half of the season but McCutchen didnt allow that to happen this year. Paul Goldschmidt (.302, 38 HR and 125 RBI) of the Diamondbacks finished second in the balloting with Yadier Molina ending up third. I really anticipated Molina to finish a close second behind McCutchen. Molina is a manager on the field as he guided the Cardinals pitching staff and shut down the opponents running game all season long. He also hit .317 with 80 RBI, 44 doubles and 12 homers. He hit .373 with runners in scoring position. He was as clutch a player as there was in the game. His contributions helped the Cards hold off the Pirates and Reds in the division race. Unfortunately for Molina his teammate, second baseman Matt Carpenter, stole some of his votes as Carpenter finished fourth in the balloting. NL MVP: Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates It was a great year in baseball with some amazing individual performances. I cant wait for pitchers and catchers to report for spring training. Scott Schebler Jersey .A. Dickey, even though he was coming off a Cy Young Award in 2012. Many felt the Jays would regret giving up righthanded pitcher prospect Noah Syndergaard and catcher Travis DArnaud over the long haul. Jack Billingham Jersey . Snedekers best result so far this year is a tie for eighth place at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March. He sits 113th in FedEx Cup standings and has dropped to 31st in world rankings — not the results expected from a player ranked fourth in the world only two years ago. https://www.cheapredsjerseys.us/805s-mar...ersey-reds.html. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. Curt Casali Jersey . The 23-year-old restricted free agent appeared in all 48 games last season, finishing second among all Sabres skaters with 15 goals and 34 points. Will McEnaney Jersey . Huntelaar also had a penalty saved by Wolfsburg goalkeeper Diego Benaglio. The two goals brought Huntelaars total for the season to 18, level with Bayern Munichs Mario Gomez for most in the league.HAMILTON, Ont. -- Another second-period collapse by the Hamilton Bulldogs ensured they would leave the weekend without a point in three games and their already faint playoff hopes made nearly impossible. David van der Gulik scored twice in just over three minutes of the second period as the Lake Erie Monsters handed the Bulldogs their third loss in as many days, 4-1 in the American Hockey League on Sunday. Hamilton head coach Sylvain Lefebvre was honest when asked to assess his teams situation. "At this point of the season, if you dont compete and you dont do it with desperate energy, you dont deserve to make the playoffs," he said. "Right now, weve dug ourselves a pretty big hole, and if weve stopped believing and weve quit, no ones going to benefit from that." Van der Gulik had three points, and Chad Hunwick and Michael Schumacher also scored for the Monsters (25-27-6). Calvin Pickard made 24 saves. Christian Thomas had the lone goal for the Bulldogs (25-28-5), who fell to last place in the AHLs Western Conference standings. They sit 11 points out of a playoff spot with just 18 games to play. Hamiltons Devan Dubnyk stopped 21 shots. Lefebvre sent a bold message to his players after losses on both Friday and Saturday, making captain and leading point scorer Martin St. Pierre a healthy scratch. "Im not happy with (St. Pierres) game," he said. "Ive been talking with him and sending him messages here and there. "Sometimes, as a coach, you have ways to get guys going, and hopefully he can rebound and get playing the way that he can." Two fighters who had met earlier this season renewed hostilities to open the game, as Hamiltons Nick Tarnasky and Lake Eries Guillaume Desbiens took part in a staged fight at the faceoff. Dubnyk looked confident in the early stages, twice denying the Monsters in close after giveaways by defender Morgan Ellis. His efforts kept Lake Erie off the scoreboard in the first period, and Hamiilton nearly opened the scoring just over 10 minutes in when Sven Andrighetto eluded coverage to slip into the low slot, but neither he nor Maxime Macenauer could get wrist shots past Pickard.dddddddddddd Hamilton finally opened the scoring at 15:55 of the first when Andrighetto slipped a pass into the high slot that set up Thomas for a crushing slapshot over Pickards shoulder. The goal was a welcome sight for the rookie, who admitted that his production of just 19 points in 39 games has not met his expectations. "It was big, because I havent scored in a while," he said. "Ive been having a slow season so far, but hopefully that gives me some confidence for the rest of it." The Bulldogs looked to build on their lead in the second when they were awarded a penalty shot when a broken stick was used to interrupt play. Andrighetto was selected to take it, but he couldnt solve Pickard. The missed opportunity proved costly when Lake Erie went to a power play, and van der Gulik scored his first of the period to level the game at a goal apiece at 16:06. He scored again just 3:06 later, when Andrew Agozzino sent a centring pass into the high slot, and van der Gulik connected with a low, one-time shot that clipped inside Dubnyks far post. Lefebvre singled out Andrighettos missed penalty shot as a turning point in yet another discouraging second period for the Bulldogs. "Our second periods have been nowhere to be found this year," he said. "We gain momentum in the first period and then we come out in the second and were flat." The Monsters added insurance with second power-play goal as van der Gulik threaded a pass from the point to Hunwick at the left circle. He had plenty of time to work with, and beat Dubnyk with a wrist shot over the shoulder at 9:11 of the third period. Schumacher added a fourth Lake Erie goal when he stole the puck from a Hamilton defender and shot through Dubnyks pads at 13:45 of the third. ' ' '

PHILADELPHIA -- Flyers coach Craig Berube wasnt surprised by the way the Philadelphia bounced back on Saturday from a blowout loss because hes seen that type of resilience all season. Wayne Simmonds had a goal and an assist to lead Philadelphia to a 4-2 victory over the New York Rangers. Vincent Lecvalier, Sean Couturier and Luke Schenn also scored for Philadelphia, which rebounded from a 7-3 home defeat to San Jose on Thursday. Chris Kreider and Derick Brassard scored for the Rangers, who lost for just the second time in their past nine games. Philadelphia came out with an edge in the first period following Thursdays loss that Berube called "embarrassing." The Flyers improved to 4-0-1 this season following games in which theyve been beaten by four or more goals. "I think our guys have good character," Berube said. "I was pretty confident wed come out and play hard." Unlike Thursday against the Sharks, Berube liked what he saw on Saturday versus the Rangers. "Theyre a fast, hard-working team and if you want to compete with them you need to play a fast, hard game," he said. The opening 20 minutes featured physical play by both sides, including big hits from Philadelphias Zac Rinaldo on Daniel Carcillo and New Yorks Derek Stepan on Steve Downie, among others. The teams lingered on the ice for several minutes after the first-period horn, with the Rangers seemingly upset by a check from Brayden Schenn in front of New Yorks bench late in the period. The Flyers scored twice in the opening period, with the goals coming 1:06 apart. Lecavalier opened the scoring at 7:04 on a goal that went off Rangers defenceman Anton Stralman. "Thats huge," Lecavalier said. "You want to get that first goal and we got that." Brayden Schenn first was credited with the goal, but it was changed in between periods. Couturier followed with his 10th goal of the season at 8:10, beautifully deking past Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist and roofing the puck with a forehand shot into an empty net from a difficult angle. It looked as if the Rangers cut the deficit in half early in the second period, but Benoit Pouliots apparent tally was waved off because Pouliot deflected the puck past Flyers goalie Steve Mason with a high stick. Mason finished with 33 saves. Mason was pulled in Thursdays defeat to San Jose, and he was happy to bounce back with a victory. The fact that he outdueled one of the games premier goalies was secondary. "It feels good," Mason said. "But I wasnt going out there (thinking) Steve Mason versus Henrik Lundqvist. I was trying to help the Flyers beat the Rangers, and thats what we did." New York got on the board a few minutes later when Kreider tipped Rick Nashs pass past Mason and just inside the post from close range. After Kreider missed a great chance to tie the game when his backhanded attempt at an empty net went wide with 10 minutes left in the period, Brassards power-play goal at 11:42 of the second tied the game at 2. Brassards slap shot from the slot after a perfect pass from Brad Richards went off Masons pads and through his legs. Simmonds beat Lundqvist through the legs on a forehand shot from a tough angle on the power play at 13:23 to put Philadelphia back in front 3-2. "I read a high shot and he went five-hole," Lundqvist said. "I thought I was patient on the shot; he just beat me. I thought overall we played a really good game and created a lot of good chances. Disappointing, obviously, but I thought we did a lot of good things." Philadelphia had an apparent goal waved off 3 1/2 minutes into the third period when the officials ruled that Lundqvist had covered the puck even though it trickled into the goal. Mason kept the Flyers in front with a strong, sprawling pad save on Stepan from just in front of the crease with 10 minutes left. Luke Schenn provided an insurance goal with 3:45 left, beating Lundqvist with a wrister from the slot. Lundqvist, who didnt start the Rangers first game following the Olympic break after helping Sweden earn the silver medal in Sochi, finished with 27 saves. He entered the Olympic break having won his last five starts. In his last 14 games against Philadelphia entering Saturday, Lundqvist was 12-2-0 with a 1.77 GAA. Philadelphia defenceman Kimmo Timonen returned to the lineup after sitting out Thursdays 7-3 loss to San Jose to rest after returning from Sochi and had two assists. Timonen helped Finland to the bronze medal. Philadelphia won for the fourth time in the past 16 meetings with the Rangers. NOTES: Rangers RW Derek Dorsett returned to the lineup for the first time since breaking his fibula on Jan. 3. ... New York centre Mats Zuccarello missed his second straight game after fracturing his left hand in the Olympics. ... Flyers backup goalie Ray Emery (lower body injury) wasnt available. Cal Heeter, who never has played in an NHL game, was called up from the AHLs Adirondack Phantoms to back up Mason. Emery was injured in Thursdays loss to the Sharks after he replaced Mason in the second period. Berube said afterward that Emery wouldnt make the trip to Washington for Sundays game, and the coach declined to name his starting goalie for the matchup. Custom Jerseys Nike .C. - Canadian ice dancing, it seems, is in good hands. Custom Manchester United Jerseys . The win puts the final playoff berth in Group A in question. If the Czechs beat Slovakia on Tuesday, they will go through. If they lose, Germany will get the last quarter-final berth. https://www.cheapcustomjerseysonline.com...wolves-jerseys/. TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie tweeted that its believed the Flames are working towards a new contract with the defenceman. Custom Arizona Coyotes Jerseys . PETERSBURG, Fla. Custom Anaheim Ducks Jerseys . Just as the meeting was beginning, Major League Baseball unveiled Rule 7.13, an experimental rule for the 2014 season aimed at eliminating what the league calls “egregious” runner/catcher collisions at home plate.VIENNA - Austria winger Andreas Weimann has been recalled to the national team for next weeks European Championship qualifier against Russia and a friendly against Brazil.The Aston Villa forward was overlooked for the teams previous three matches but was included in the 23-man squad announced Tuesday by coach Marcel Koller.Weimann has played 12 matches for Austria since his debut two years ago but has failed to score a goal yet.Also returning was striker Marc Janko, who missed Austrias 1-0 win over Montenegro last month because of suspension, and Salzburg defender Andreas Ulmer. Defender Markus Suttner and midfielder Valentino Lazaro were both missing because of injuries.Austria plays Russia in Vienna on Nov. 15 and hosts Brazil at the same venue three days later.We arent changing much, Koller said. We are full of confidence after two straight wins and dont want to change our playing style.Austria is unbeaten since a 2-1 loss at Sweden in World Cup qualifying in October 2013. Austria leads Russia and Sweden in Group G by two points. The group also includes Moldova and Liechtenstein.The top two teams in each group and the best third-place team will qualify directly for the tournament in France, wwhile all remaining third-place teams will advance to the playoffs.ddddddddddddRussia is a very important game, Koller said. Our focus is on that match. Afterward, we can enjoy playing Brazil. You dont get the chance to play them every year so its special for us.Koller regarded Russia as the toughest opponent in the group.Ive seen a lot of games of Russia, the coach said. Its a really strong team, even when many of the names might not sound too familiar with the Austrian fans.___Austria:Goalkeepers: Robert Almer (Hannover), Heinz Lindner (Austria Vienna), Ramazan Oezcan (Ingolstadt)Defenders: Aleksandar Dragovic (Dynamo Kyiv), Christian Fuchs (Schalke), Gyoergy Garics (Bologna), Martin Hinteregger (Salzburg), Florian Klein (Stuttgart), Sebastian Proedl (Werder Bremen), Andreas Ulmer (Salzburg), Kevin Wimmer (FC Cologne)Midfielders: David Alaba (Bayern Munich), Marko Arnautovic (Stoke), Julian Baumgartlinger (Mainz), Martin Harnik (Stuttgart), Stefan Ilsanker (Salzburg), Zlatko Junuzovic (Werder Bremen), Christoph Leitgeb (Salzburg)Forwards: Lukas Hinterseer (Ingolstadt), Marc Janko (Sydney FC), Rubin Okotie (1860 Munich), Marcel Sabitzer (Salzburg), Andreas Weimann (Aston Villa) ' ' '

Youngstown, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Former Nebraska football coach Bo Pelini is expected to be named Youngstown States new head coach, according to a report. FootballScoop.com said Pelini has been verbally offered the position and plans to accept it. Pelini is a Youngstown native who will turn 47 on Saturday. He went 67-27 with the Cornhuskers over the last sever seasons, but was fired after going 9-3 this year. He will not coach them in their bowl game. He would replace Eric Wolford, who was fired by Youngstown State with a 31-26 record after five seasons, including 7-5 this year. Youngstown State won four FCS (then NCAA Division I-AA) national championships between 1991 and 97 under former coach Jim Tressel, now the schools president. Rowland Office Braves Jersey . -- The Minnesota Vikings released reserve cornerback A. Bob Uecker Jersey . Nick Holden scored two goals and had an assist and the Avalanche held off the Nashville Predators 5-4 Saturday night for their fourth straight victory. https://www.cheapbraves.com/533o-andy-me...sey-braves.html. The 25-year-old Brazilian player has only made four Premier League appearances for United this season and underwent a medical test in Italy on Friday. Bryse Wilson Braves Jersey .Y. -- Mike Zigomaniss goal at 5:53 of the third period stood up as the winner as the Rochester Americans hung on to defeat the visiting Hamilton Bulldogs 3-2 on Saturday in American Hockey League action. Jacob Webb Jersey . "You hate when they score," he said with some distaste at the thought. "You take pride in it.Sky sources are telling us Fulham have rejected two bids for striker Ross McCormack. We understand one of the bids was for £10m from Norwich City and we are told Fulham will only entertain offers of at least £12m.The 29-year-old, who scored 21 Championship goals last season, did not travel to Portugal with the rest of Slavisa Jokanovics squad as they continue their pre-season preparations. Aston Villa have also been credited with an interest in the Scotland international, who moved to Fulham from Leeds for £11m in 2014, but has since been involved in two seasons of struggle at Craven Cottage. Sky Sports Fantasy Football Pick your team here, create a league and let the mind games begin! Fulham havve already lost McCormacks strike partner Moussa Dembele to Celtic this summer and have brought in Togo international Floyd Ayite and former Hull forward Sone Aluko.ddddddddddddSky sources also understand that Norwich have rejected a bid in the region of £300,000 from Reading for Jacob Murphy. Norwich Citys Jacob Murphy Fulham begin their league campaign against Newcastle on Friday, August 5 while Norwichs quest for an immediate return to the Premier League begins at Blackburn a day later. Also See: Championship video Fixtures Table Live on Sky Get Sky Sports ' ' '

The Czech Republic will be largely leaning on undrafted NHL talent at the 2014 World Junior Hockey Championship. Only three players drafted by NHL clubs were included on the Czech selection camp roster on Wednesday. Those players were Dallas Stars 2012 first-rounder Radek Faksa, Winnipeg Jets 2013 fourth-rounder Jan Kostalek and Phoenix Coyotes 2012 seventh-rounder Marek Langhamer. The Czechs finished fifth at the 2013 tournament, losing 7-0 to the eventual-Champion American squad in the quarter-finals. Nine CHL players were included in the 27-man roster. The team will be cut down to 23 at the Czech selection camp, which begins Dec. 13 in Rokycany, Czech Republic. Of the 27 players named, 23 are eligible for the 2014 NHL Draft. See the related links for the full selection camp rosters for all 10 competing nations at the 2014 World Junior Championship. Nike NCAA Jerseys 2020 . Nikolai Khabibulin was yanked in the second period, and the Ottawa Senators looked ready to put away a big road win. Nike NFL Jerseys 2020 . Cabrera is hitting .218 with three homers and 16 RBI in 80 games this season. The Padres recalled second baseman Brooks Conrad from Triple-A El Paso to replace Cabrera on the roster. https://www.cheapmlbjerseysjustwholesale.com/. Mike Ribeiro had a goal and an assist as Phoenix held on to snap a two-game losing streak with a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Friday. Adidas NHL Jerseys 2020 . Scotlands Greg Laidlaw made one of two penalty kicks and all three conversions, and Stuart Hogg added a try in the second half. "The most important thing to come out of the game is that we did not get scored against," Laidlaw said. Jermaine Marrow Jersey . If Vettel wins at Suzuka on Sunday, and his nearest rival Fernando Alonso finishes worse than eighth, the German driver will join his compatriot Michael Schumacher and Argentine Juan-Manuel Fangio as the only men to win four consecutive titles. MINNEAPOLIS -- The playoff scenario for the Cleveland Indians is simple: win Sunday and they are in. The Indians moved into sole possession of the AL wild-card lead on the next-to-last scheduled day of the regular season, beating the Minnesota Twins 5-1 Saturday behind Scott Kazmirs strong start to extend their winning streak to nine. Seeking their first post-season appearance since 2007, the Indians (91-70) took a one-game lead over Tampa Bay and Texas (both 90-71). "We want to keep this roll going. This is so much fun," Nick Swisher said. Cleveland is assured of at least a tie for the AL wild card. With three teams seeking the two wild cards, Sundays results could decide the matter or lead to one or two tiebreaker games at the start of next week. Carlos Santana homered for the Indians, who have won 14 of their last 16. If the three teams are tied after Sunday, Cleveland would host Tampa Bay on Monday afternoon, with the winner advancing to the post-season. The loser would play at Texas on Tuesday afternoon for the second wild card. In the event Sunday ends with a tie for the second wild-card berth, Texas would be home against Tampa Bay in a one-game tiebreaker Monday night. The two wild cards would then meet in a post-season game Wednesday night to determine which advances to the division series. "Every time you win, it makes the next day that much more important, so we get to show up tomorrow and see if we can win a game," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "We need to be one run better tomorrow and then we go from there." After a rain delay of 2 hours, 26 minutes at the start, Kazmir (10-9) allowed one run and six hits in six innings, and Marc Rzepczynski, Cody Allen and Joe Smith each followed with an inning of hitless relief. Kazmir won his second straight start after going 1-5 with a 5.82 ERA in his previous seven outings. He is 3-0 against Minnesota this year with a 1.45 ERA. "I was able to attack the strike zone and expand," said Kazmir, who struck out 11 and has 43 strikeouts in 28 innings during Septtember.dddddddddddd "Im going out there and getting them in swing mode, and once I get two strikes, I have quite a few pitches Im able to set them down with." Seven of Clevelands first 11 hitters struck out before Jason Kipnis singled in the fourth and Santana hit a two-run homer. "Carlos swing was huge," Francona said. "It helped loosen up everything." Eric Fryer singled in a run in the bottom half for Minnesota, but Michael Bourn had a two-run triple in the fifth and scored on Kipnis single for a 5-1 lead. "Were still very hungry, so were going out there every day and grinding at-bats and making quality pitches," Kazmir said. "Thats something we can carry into the post-season." Hoping to make Minnesotas 2014 rotation, Cole De Vries (0-2) allowed five runs and six hits in five innings. All five runs off him came with two outs. "You usually want to put teams away when you get two outs. Thats tough, but its kind of the way it works sometimes. What are you going to do?" he said. Minnesota has lost nine of 10, and Twins manager Ron Gardenhire will not win his 1,000th game this season. Gardenhire, who is not under contract for next year, is two victories shy. "We just have not played good and its not been a lot of fun," he said. "I had more than one of them come up and apologize to me. I dont need that. I know what theyre giving me. Theyre giving me a lot. I appreciate the efforts and they dont have to apologize for anything. They come and play. We just werent good enough this year." NOTES: Cleveland is 20-6 in September, its first month of at least 20 wins since August 1995. ... Indians DH Jason Giambi left the game with left forearm cramping. He is day to day. ... Bourn returned after missing three games with a sprained right wrist. ... Minnesota C Josmil Pinto did not play after being hit on the right hand by a pitch Friday. He is expected to play Sunday. ... Clevelands Ubaldo Jimenez (12-9) is scheduled to pitch Sunday against Minnesotas Scott Diamond (6-12). ' ' '

DW: You are of course the younger brother of NFL Hall of Famer Marcus Allen – did the two of you ever get to play together on a team, whether it was in peewee or high school or whatever?DA: No, we never got a chance to play together because hes three years older than me, and so the closest we got to play with each other was on the street playing street ball against other neighbourhoods. We lived on Weston Drive, and Weston Drive was a force to be reckoned with growing up as kids. But we didnt get to play professionally because he played in the NFL, and I came to the Canadian Football League and we pretty much stayed in our leagues and divisions, so we never got a chance to play. We always desired to play with each other if I had of been in the National Football League. #53179647 / gettyimages.com DW: You played your entire career in the CFL, but when a player like Doug Flutie returned to the NFL and had success, did you consider giving the NFL a shot?DA: Well, I did consider it but I think the number a major reason why I came to the Canadian Football League was because Warren Moon was my hero growing up, and knowing that my size was always a factor when I came out of college at Cal State Fullerton, scouts were always wondering and questioning if I could handle the physicality of the National Football League because I was only around 61” and 150 something pounds coming into the professional ranks my first year in Edmonton. Now I was an athletic quarterback, and I dont think they were prepared for someone who could run and throw in that era because if you werent 64” and 220 pounds, and a pocket passer you werent going to play quarterback in the National Football League in that era in the 80s.(Image courtesy of AJ Sports World)DW: Your were in attendance at the Raptors game a few weeks ago – are you a big Raptors fan, and what do you think of the success theyve been having?DA: Im a huge sports fan in general, but I do enjoy going to National Basketball League games, the Raptors are doing an outstanding job. The way theyve slowly built their team, and I think the biggest change this year is that their bench is much deeper, and I think those guys understand their roles and I think all the great basketball players on their team are playing very well. I mean, the latest loss is even due to one of their starters going down. But theyre a sound basketball team that plays hard and I enjoy watching them play. To #RaptorsNation pic.twitter.com/LW1AtrLsY5 — Hall of Famer (@damonallen9) October 22, 2014DW: I know you also enjoy a good game of golf – first of all whats your handicap, and also whats your favourite part of the game?DA: I play to around a five handicap. I think the one thing I do like about golf is throughout my whole life Ive always been around team sports, and I think golf is somewhat individual, even though when you look at the structure of golf, the individuals do have teams around them that make sure they stay on top of their game. Even golf is starting to be more of a team sport because you have a fitness specialist, and philosophy person, a psychology expert, everything, trainers, and so golfers are much more prepared and its not just them versus the course. But that is the one aspect I like about golf, when it comes down to just you challenging the course, or challenging your foursome or the individual youre playing with. #165009962 / gettyimages.com DW: A few hockey questions for you now – are you a big hockey fan?DA: Im a big hockey fan! I started my career off in Edmonton and I was able to see a few Stanley Cups in Edmonton and get to know [Wayne] Gretzky and [Mark] Messier and all those guys during that era. I came from a city of champions, so that was my first introduction to hockey, and I think every since that Ive really enjoyed the game and I have great friends around the NHL. I try to go to some games, and see the good teams when they come to town. Im a good friend with P.K. Subban and Kevin Weekes and yeah, I do always have a great time at hockey games.DW: I was actually going to ask who your favourite player is… I guess you might say P.K. Subban?DA: Oh ya, new generation Im a big fan of P.K. Subban, Sidney Crosby, [Alexander] Ovechkin… I like individual players, not necessarily the teams they play for. I like the skillset these young guys have; its amazing.DW: Did you play at all as a kid?DA: No, not as a kid. I actually wish I had continued on my learning process when I was in Edmonton, I started off playing early in my career but I let it go once I went to Vancouver with the B.C. Lions. I regret not keeping up with the sport, I can still skate, but I wish I could play hockey well.DW: You were drafted by the Detroit Tigers, is that correct?DA: Yes, I am a baseball player, body wise and all those things, so most people actually thought I was going to be a baseball player. I grew up playing two sports all the way through college; I won a National Championship in the College World Series, and was also playing football at the same time. For me sports were always about participating in the game, and when I came out of college I was a middle reliever spot starter so there was time when you didnt play because your starter would go six or seven innings. There were times in college where you would sit around waiting to be called upon, and you dont get called. In football, I was the starting quarterback so the participation aspect was so crucial to me in my decision-making on what sport I wanted to play. I just didnt know I was going to be playing 23 years of football, thats all.(Image courtesy of Bring Back Titan Football)DW: So tell us a little about the Jack Daniels Holiday Barrel Tree event and the charity its supporting…DA: Im excited about supporting a charitable event, especially when it talks about giving back, and understanding the nature of the Jack Daniels Holiday Barrel Tree thats going to be lit in support of Dr. Jay Charitable foundation of care that helps families and children facing terminal illnesses, its just making their lives easier. I think I have a heart for giving, and giving back, especially when it comes to young kids, whether they have an illness or whether they want an opportunity to play sports. I just have a heart for it. The great thing about the tree is it will be up all the way until December 27th. It will be down their on King Street West, and my good friend Mike “Pinball” Clemons is here. Everyone should see this tree made out of barrels.DW: Yeah, it sounds really cool.DA: I think everyone whos downtown between now and the 27th should come by and see the tree. Its that time of the season where we all think about giving to others and giving back, and like I said I have a heart for it and Im looking forward to it. Cheap Nike Shoes For Sale .James scored 29 points, including 16 in the first quarter, and the Cleveland Cavaliers broke a four-game losing streak with a 106-74 win over the Orlando Magic on Monday night. Nike Shoes Sale . The Padres made the moves before Fridays game at Washington. They promoted infielder Jace Peterson from Double-A San Antonio and right-hander Kevin Quackenbush from Triple-A El Paso. https://www.wholesalenikeshoesauthentic.com/. -- The Denver Broncos locked up a shutdown cornerback, only his name wasnt Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Wholesale Nike Shoes . Rookie Christian Vazquez got his first three major league hits and drove in three runs, while David Ortiz had three RBIs to break open the game in the sixth inning and lead Boston over the Houston Astros 8-3. Cheap Nike Shoes From China .ca look back at each of the Top 10 stories of 2013. Today, we look back at LeBron James and the Miami Heat winning their second straight NBA championship.OTTAWA - Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome had a goal and two assists each in the Erie Otters 7-2 rout of the Ottawa 67s on Sunday in Ontario Hockey League play.Travis Dermott, Nicholas Baptiste, Jake Marchment, Remi Elie and Kurtis MacDermid also scored for Erie (35-10-3), which has won back-to-back games. Devin Williams made 26 saves for the win.Connor McDavid had three assists.Brendan Bell and Sam Studnicka supplied the offence for Ottawa (26-19-3). Liam Herbst stopped 13-of-18 shots for the 67s in 43:54 of work, getting pulled after Marchments goal. Leo Lazarev turned aside 6-of-8 shots in relief.The Otters were 2 for 3 on the power play, while Ottawa was 1 for 4 with the man advantage.---BATTALION 3 ICEDOGS 2NORTH BAY, Ont. — Ryan Kujawinski had two goals and an assist as the Battalion edged Niagara 3-2.Alex Henriksson also scored for North Bay (24-12-10).Brendan Perlini and Ryan Mantha had goals for thhe IceDogs (21-23-4).ddddddddddddJake Smith made 29 saves for North Bay, while Brandon Hope stopped 32 shots for Niagara.---SPITFIRES 5 BULLS 2WINDSOR, Ont — Slater Doggett had two goals and three assists to lead the Spitfires over Belleville.Luke Kirwan, Anthony Stefano and Markus Soberg had the other goals for Windsor (21-25-2).Jordan Subban and David Tomasek scored for Belleville (20-23-6).Brendan Johnston stopped 39 shots for the Spitfires. Connor Hicks had 33 saves for the Bulls.---FRONTENACS 3 GENERALS 2 (SO)OSHAWA, Ont. — Conor McGlynn scored the only goal in a shootout as Kingston edged the Generals.Glynn also scored in regulation, with Lawson Crouse providing the other goal for Kingston (19-20-7).Mitchell Vande Sompel and Michael Dal Colle provided the offence for Oshawa (38-7-4).Lucas Peressini stopped 42 shots for the Frontenacs, while Ken Appelby made 25 saves for the Generals. ' ' '

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Juan Luis Anangono headed in the tying goal from a difficult angle in the 86th minute to lift the Chicago Fire into their fourth straight draw, a 2-2 tie with the Philadelphia Union on Saturday. Anangono ran down the right endline and headed Mike Magees 42-yard free kick past Philadelphia goalkeeper Zac MacMath. The Fire are winless in five matches (0-1-4), while Philadelphia (1-1-3) collected its second tie in a row. Chicago was awarded a penalty kick just before the 5 minutes of stoppage time elapsed, but MacMath stopped Magee, the 2013 league MVP, on the original kick and a close-in rebound to preserve the deadlock. Philadelphia scored twice in a seven-minute span to erase Chicagos early lead. Midfielder Maurice Edu connected from 6 yards out in the 32nd minute after Bakary Soumare froze, believing the Union had been called for a hand ball after Vincent Nogueiras shot was blocked by the Fires Jhon Hurtado. Edu stepped up and beat goaltender Sean Johnson from the edge of the 6-yard box for his first goal in MLS play. The 27-year-old Californian had played in Europe the last four seasons. The Union took the lead on Leo Fernandes 30-yard free kick in the 39th minute. His shot from the right side of the field cleared a crowd of players and bounced in front of Johnson, who misplayed the shot, handing Fernandes his second goal of the season. The Fire opened the scoring on Magees first goal of the season in the 16th minute. Quincy Amarikwa stole the ball from Philadelphia defender Amobi Okugo, ran to the left corner and fed Magee, who was open 4 yards out. Scarpe Air Max Scontate .S. - Nova Scotias Mary Fay guaranteed at least one more match and a shot at the Canadian junior curling championships final on home ice. Nike Air Max Saldi . A little more than one year after missing a last-second tip-in that would have given the Wolverines a share of the Big Ten regular-season title, the 6-foot-8 forward scored on a layup with 7. http://www.airmaxscarpescontate.it/scarp...uomo-saldi.html. Darren Collison and Blake Griffin scored 23 points apiece and the Clippers beat the Suns 112-108 Wednesday night, their fourth win in a row and 17th in the last 19 games. Scarpe Vapormax Off White .com) - Robert Upshaw made a putback jumper to put 17th-ranked Washington ahead with 1:27 remaining in the game and the Huskies held on to beat Eastern Washington 81-77 on Sunday. Air Max 98 Saldi .com) - Cincinnati Reds pitcher Mat Latos had an arthroscopic procedure performed on his right elbow last week, the teams official site reported Wednesday.TORONTO - The CFL reached a new multi-year agreement with ESPN on Friday. A broadcast source said the deal is for five years. The agreement calls for a minimum of 17 regular-season games as well as the East and West Division finals being broadcast annually on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNEWS. All other contests will be available live on ESPN3 across computers, smartphones, tablets and connected devices. The Grey Cup game will be carried live on ESPN2. "We are thrilleed for our fans in the United States that the ESPN networks will be the exclusive home of our league there," CFL commissioner Mark Cohon said in a statement.dddddddddddd "Since the early days of ESPN, CFL games have been a valued part of our programming lineup," said Burke Magnus, senior vice-president, programming acquisitions. "Im proud to see our relationship continue as we strive to serve football fans 365 days a year." ' ' '

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Jimmie Johnson was stunned by the proposed changes to the championship format he heard in a phone call from NASCAR chairman Brian France two weeks ago. Not because the six-time champion worried the radical overhaul was designed to stop his dominance on the Sprint Cup Series. Instead, France went over a proposal that Johnson had never heard before in multiple discussions with NASCAR executives. NASCAR will officially announce its Chase for the Sprint Cup championship format on Thursday. All signs point to a 16-driver field whittled down through eliminations to four drivers and a winner-take-all season finale. Johnson says he supports the format because NASCAR needed "something big" to re-ignite passion in its fan base. Richie Sexson Mariners Jersey . He will just have to wait a little longer. Bester grabbed an early lead before Scotlands Darren Burnett took over and ran away with the mens singles lawn bowling final 21-9 on Friday. Donnie Walton Jersey .C. -- Al Jefferson knows few people will be giving the Charlotte Bobcats a chance to upset the Miami Heat in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. https://www.cheapmariners.com/535k-justu...y-mariners.html. -- Pelicans coach Monty Williams does not expect guard Eric Gordon to play in any of New Orleans final five games this season. Dylan Moore Mariners Jersey . Mickelson shot a 2-under 70 after opening with a 77 -- his worst score of the season -- on TPC San Antonios AT&T Oaks Course. Lefty was 11 strokes behind leader Steven Bowditch, the Australian who had a 67 to reach 8-under 136. Harold Reynolds Jersey . 22 because of a bruised foot and have added forward Sean Collins to the roster on emergency recall from Springfield of the AHL.(SportsNetwork.com) - A key AFC North clash caps off Week 2 of the NFL season when the Pittsburgh Steelers pay a visit to the Cincinnati Bengals on "Monday Night Football." Watch the action unfold live on TSN and TSN Mobile TV, tonight at 8:30pm et/5:30pm pt. Perhaps no team had a more difficult start to the season than the Steelers. Accustomed to kicking off a new campaign in style, especially at home in Heinz Field, Pittsburgh lost far more than a game in Week 1 when Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey, linebacker Larry Foote and running back LaRod Stephens- Howling all went down with season-ending injuries during an ugly 16-9 setback against Tennessee. Things dont figure to get much easier this week for the Steelers when they run into their old friend James Harrison and a strong Bengals front seven. The Titans scored 16 straight points in Week 1 after return man Darius Reynauds mental mistake on the opening kickoff resulted in a safety and a 2-0 edge for the Steelers just seconds into the contest. Pittsburgh never capitalized on the early momentum, however. Ben Roethlisberger completed 21-of-33 passes for 191 yards, one touchdown and an interception for the Steelers, who came in with 10 straight victories in home openers, the longest active streak in the NFL. Pittsburgh, which was held to 32 yards rushing, lost Pouncey and Stephens- Howling to torn ACLs while Foote ruptured his biceps. "Weve got a lot of work to do," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "Nobody cares about our problems. Theyre glad weve got them. We need to understand that. We need to stick together and persevere." The Bengals, meanwhile, suffered a tough loss of their own but at least came out of it relatively unscathed, because their main AFC North rivals -- the Steelers and Baltimore Ravens -- also suffered setbacks in Week 1. In fact the AFC North as a whole went 0-4 on Kickoff Weekend, a stark contrast for a group which produced five playoff teams over the prior two seasons. Baltimore was unimpressive again Sunday but beat the Cleveland Browns, making the division a bowling shoe-ugly 1-5 early on. Chicagos Jay Cutler hooked up with Brandon Marshall for a go-ahead 19-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter in Week a, as the Bears began the Marc Trestman era with a 24-21 victory over Cincinnati at Soldier Field. The Bengals squandered an 11-point third-quarter lead, turned the ball over three times and committed eight penalties -- with linebacker Rey Maualugas personal foul the most costly as it allowed the Bears to run out the clock. "We didnt deserve to win because we had too many penalties and mistakes," Cincinnati nose tackle Domata Peko said. "But I also think we got a feel for what kind of team we have here, or at least what kind of team we can be. Really, we dominated them for three quarters, in my opinion. Weve just got to finish." Cincinnati signal caller Andy Dalton completed 26-of-33 passes for 282 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, while A.J. Green grabbed a game-high nine passes for 162 yards and both of Daltons touchdowns. "They didnt stop us one time," Green said. "They didnt really stop us on offense. We were doing whatever we wanted. The biggest thing we had was turnovers." BenJarvus Green-Ellis added a rushing score for the Bengals, who entered the postseason as a wild card club last season. The Steeelers will be looking to avoid their first 0-2 start since 2002 and have certainly fared well in Cincinnati over the years.dddddddddddd Pittsburgh has won 11 of its last 12 at Paul Brown Stadium, including last seasons 24-17 victory there on Oct. 21 behind Jonathan Dwyers 122 rushing yards. The Steelers also lead the all-time series by a substantial 52-33 margin. WHAT TO WATCH FOR Harrison, the five-time Pro Bowl linebacker and 2008 Defensive Player of the Year with the Steelers, was released in March when he and Pittsburgh couldnt agree on a restructured deal. He brings a physical presence to an already highly-regarded Bengals front seven. "We all know how James plays," Tomlin said. "He brings physicality to the table, hes a guy who brings great passion and he can inspire his teammates." The group, which features All-Pro defensive tackle Geno Atkins, a player who just inked a big money extension before the season started, may have gone into Chicago a little too haughty because the Bears offensive line lacks any kind of reputation. That kind of thing isnt going to happen again against a division foe like the Steelers, though, especially with Harrison playing his old mates for the first time. "I dont have a chip on my shoulder against the Steelers," Harrison said. "I dont hate the Steelers. Am I disappointed? Yeah, Im disappointed." Pittsburgh brought in some help last week, signing former Titans center Fernando Velasco to replace Pouncey and bringing back Dwyer to take over for Stephens-Howling. In addition, veteran kicker Shayne Graham, a former Bengal, was signed after Shaun Suisham injured his hamstring against Tennessee. Velasco is certainly not in Pounceys league but he should be a significant upgrade over stop-gap Kelvin Beachum eventually, although it will be tough for the University of Georgia product to get up to speed in just one week. When the Steelers succeed against Cincinnati its generally due to the running game. Pittsburgh has run for at least 100 yards in all 29 of its wins over the Bengals over the last 20 years. That could be tough formula this week with the injury problems in the backfield and on an already shaky offensive line. Isaac Redman remains the starter at running back for now but his ineffectiveness in Week 1 could give Dwyer some early looks. Rookie LeVeon Bell, meanwhile, remains out for at least another month or so with a foot injury. "I think a consistent running game is really important, not only to be good offensively, but to strike a balance," Tomlin said. "We havent been able to do that to this point." For the Bengals, Green is one of the games elite playmakers and will be a tough test for Steelers cornerbacks Ike Taylor and William Gay, particularly Taylor, who will likely be given the task to shadow Green no matter where he lines up. Green is playing at a high level early in the season and had 17 catches for 203 yards in his two meetings with Pittsburgh last season, including 10 catches in Cincinnatis 13-10 win in the Steel City in December, a game which eliminated the Steelers from the playoff hunt. That contest, coincidentally, was also when star Steelers tight end Heath Miller tore his ACL. Miller, Roethlisbergers favorite target, has returned to practice and there was some hope he could make his season debut in this one but hes been officially ruled out. ' ' '