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WASHINGTON -- D. Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Australia .C. United and city officials signed an agreement Thursday that would keep the Major League Soccer franchise in the District of Columbia with a new, $300 million soccer-only stadium. The city and the team would split the cost of the stadium, which is tentatively scheduled to open in 2016 in an industrial section of southwest Washington known as Buzzard Point. D.C. United, which has played in aging RFK Stadium since MLS launch in 1996, had considered relocating to suburban Maryland, Virginia or even Baltimore. But co-owner Jason Levien said Thursday that hes been negotiating to keep the team in the district since he bought the club last year. The design for the new stadium has not been finalized, but officials said Thursday it would seat 20,000 to 25,000 people. The city will pay $150 million to acquire the land for the stadium and improve infrastructure, raising money for the deal through a complicated series of land swaps, while the team will spend $150 million to build the structure. "This is a landmark day for D.C. United," Levien said. Mayor Vincent Gray said RFK "was never suited well for soccer" and has "become a real anachronism." D.C. United won three of the first four MLS Cups but has fallen on hard times in recent years. The team sits at the bottom of MLS Eastern Conference at 2-14-4 record, having scored just nine goals in its 20 games. Levien and United coach Ben Olsen said they believed the new stadium would improve the product on the field. Of the 19 MLS clubs, 15 play in soccer-specific stadiums, and San Jose is scheduled to open a new stadium next year. Levien said those with new facilities have seen increases in attendance and improved play. "D.C. United from the get-go was at the forefront of MLS," Levien said. "Thats where we need to return it." Said Olsen: "Its going to drive our culture and our fans and our team to new heights. Theres going to be a pep in everyones step in the locker room." The deal requires the approval of the D.C. Council, which engaged in a protracted fight over using public funds to build Nationals Park, which is less than a mile away. The baseball stadium ended up costing the city nearly $700 million. Five of the 13 councilmembers attended Thursdays announcement and said they supported the deal. Councilmember Jack Evans said the city would get good value out of the swap, under which developer John Akridge would receive the rights to redevelop the city-owned Reeves Center office building in the fast-growing 14th Street, Northwest, corridor, in exchange for his land at the stadium site. The city plans to build a new Reeves Center in southeast Washington. "This is not controversial like the baseball stadium," Evans said. "This is a pretty straightforward deal. Its good for the city." The other parcels on the site are owned by the utility Pepco, which has a large power plant nearby, and investor Mark Ein, who attended Thursdays announcement along with Pepco representatives. Terms of those swaps have not been finalized. According to the agreement, the city has until Jan. 1 to obtain the land and get approval from the council and, if necessary, from Congress; if the city doesnt meet the deadline, D.C. United can back out of the deal. And while officials said they want the stadium to open in time for the 2016 season, the agreement only calls for the stadium to be ready by Jan. 1, 2017. In addition to the power plant, the site is bordered by the Armys Fort McNair and the Anacostia River, making it largely cut off from the rest of the city. The nearest Metro stop is about a 15-minute walk away. City officials said infrastructure improvements, including a possible streetcar stop, would make it more accessible. The move would leave RFK Stadium, the 52-year-old former home of the Washington Redskins and the Nationals, without a full-time tenant. There are no firm plans to redevelop that site once D.C. United leaves. Soccer Jerseys Outlet . The return match will take place next Wednesday. Udinese leads Fiorentina 2-1 in the other semifinal. Napoli staged a second-half comeback from two goals down after Gervinhos opener and a stunning strike from Kevin Strootman. Clearance Soccer Jerseys Australia . By having more great seasons. Manning was the only unanimous choice for the 2013 Associated Press NFL All-Pro team Friday. http://www.cheapsoccerjerseysaustralia.com/ . On Saturday night, the normally free throw-challenged centre did just that. Howard scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, including 13 of 19 free throws in a 2 1/2-minute stretch, and the Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 122-111. LONDON -- The Premier League has launched a bid to eradicate bad behavior which it believes is preventing the worlds richest soccer competition from becoming universally popular.All 20 clubs will be visited by officials ahead of next months season launch with video clips highlighting aggressive confrontations involving players, coaches and referees.Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore says people look to us to set the example across the world and those behavioral tendencies that just steppeed over the edge are holding the league back from being absolutely universally popular. Discount Soccer Jerseys. The Premier Leagues intensity has helped to raise 8.3 billion pounds ($12 billion) from television rights for the next three seasons.The clampdown on ill-discipline was instigated by the Premier League, the Football Association and the professional leagues below the top flight. 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Throughout the college football season, Mel Kiper Jr. Cheap Jerseys UK Free Shipping . and Todd McShay kick off each week by settling a debate, looking at emerging NFL prospects and peeking ahead to next week.This weeks topic: Who are the top QB prospects in each Power 5 conference? Mel takes the SEC, Big 12 and Group of 5. Todd examines the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12.A hint: Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson did not make the cut. NFL Jerseys UK . Jay Feely kicked a 41-yard field goal in overtime, and the Cardinals edged the Tennessee Titans 37-34 in overtime after blowing a 17-point lead late in the fourth quarter. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys UK . With their top three point guards and Kobe Bryant all sidelined by injury, the Lakers signed Marshall out of the D-League on Friday before their home game against Minnesota. http://www.cheapnfljerseysuk.com/ . Inter president Erick Thohir says in a club statement on Wednesday that Vidic is "one of the worlds best defenders and his qualities, international pedigree, and charisma will be an asset. CINCINNATI -- A.J. Green juggled oranges on a postgame show after a win earlier this season, showing off for the cameras. His latest sleight-of-hand got a touchdown and turned a game.And maybe the Bengals season, too.Greens one-handed catch in the middle of an end zone scrum highlighted Cincinnatis day full of big plays, and the Bengals pulled away to another lopsided victory over their intrastate rival, beating the winless Cleveland Browns 31-17 on Sunday.Greens 48-yard touchdown catch on the final play of the first half helped the Bengals (3-4) regain their footing in the injury-depleted AFC North.We needed it in a big way, said Brandon LaFell, who caught a 44-yard touchdown pass.The defending division champions piled up their most points since they beat the Browns 37-3 last December. Jeremy Hill had a 74-yard touchdown run as part of his 168-yard effort, the best by a Bengals running back in seven years.After failing to score more than 23 points in any of the first six games, the Bengals finally got their act together against one of the leagues worst defenses, piling up 559 yards -- their most since 1990.Its definitely a start for us, Hill said. Were not satisfied, but its a start in the right direction.For Cleveland, it was just another step in a downward trend since the season opener.The Browns (0-7) extended their worst start since 1999, when they were a first-year expansion team. The NFLs only winless team also lost yet another quarterback -- the theme of their season.Cody Kessler got hit hard while throwing a shovel pass in the second quarter, then went to the locker for a concussion evaluation and was ruled out.Quarterbacks only have so many hits in them, Browns coach Hue Jackson said. Its unfortunate. On we go.The concussion left the offense in the hands of undrafted rookie Kevin Hogan, the Browns sixth quarterback of the season.Hogan -- Clevelands last quarterback standing -- kept it close for a while by scrambling 28 yards for his first NFL touchdown, the longest TD run by a quarterback in team history. He finished as the Browns top rusher with 104 yards.Running is something Ive always felt confident in, that I could get a first down or aa big gain, Hogan said. Cheap NFL Jerseys UK Authentic. With cornerback Joe Haden sidelined, the Browns had nobody who could cover Green, who had eight catches for 169 yards. The entire Browns defense couldnt stop him on the final play of the first half.Green reached with his right hand and pulled in the tipped ball for a 21-10 halftime lead.I beat everybody down there, so I had first dibs on the ball, Green said. I tapped it to myself a couple of times.He also had a 48-yard catch down the sideline that set up a field goal as the Bengals pulled away in the third quarter.ONE-SIDED RIVALRYThe Bengals have won the past four in the series by scores of 30-0, 31-10, 37-3 and 31-17. The Bengals 37-3 win in Cleveland last December was Cincinnatis most lopsided in the series and matched the biggest margin of victory by either team.INJURIESBrowns: Haden was sidelined with a groin injury. Terrelle Pryor, who leads the Browns in receiving, played with an injured hamstring and had two catches for 18 yards.Bengals: TE Tyler Eifert was active for the first time following offseason ankle surgery and a back injury. Eifert got onto the field on the second series and finished with one catch for 9 yards.ORANGE YOU CONFUSEDIt was tough to distinguish the teams by uniform. Both have orange helmets. The Browns wore white jerseys and orange pants. The Bengals wore orange jerseys and white pants. And it was all the same shade of orange.FANTASY IMPACTAndy Dalton has his third straight big game against the Browns, going 19 of 28 for 308 yards with two TDs. In his past three games against Cleveland, Dalton is 54 of 74 for 762 yards with seven TDs and no interceptions.UP NEXTThe Browns host the Jets, whom they havent beaten since 2007. Theyve dropped their past three against the Jets, including a 31-10 defeat in 2015.The Bengals make their first trip to London, facing former offensive coordinator Jay Grudens Washington team. 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ST. Nike Blazer Cheap . PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Alex Cobb was happy with his return after a long absence.Cobb went five solid innings during his first start in two years, Logan Morrison hit a go-ahead two-run homer, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the AL East-leading Toronto Blue Jays 8-3 on Friday night.Cobb, coming back from Tommy John surgery last year, allowed two runs and four hits in his first appearance since Sept 28, 2014, at Cleveland. He struck out seven -- six looking -- walked one and retired his final 10 batters.It was almost like debut-feeling again, Cobb said. Things were speeding up on me. I wouldnt say my stuff is exactly where I want it to be. Its back to the point where I can at least go out there and compete.Cobb needed 53 pitches to get through the first two innings. He threw just 31 the rest of his outing.He might have looked a little rusty early but its been a while since hes been in the big leagues, and hes always been one of the better competitors in the game, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. He knows how to survive.Cobb made eight minor league rehab starts.The performance was outstanding, Rays manager Kevin Cash said. Really, really impressed with the way he competed and executed pitches.Morrison put the Rays up 4-2 in sixth on his 12th homer off Marcus Stroman (9-6).My stuff feels as sharp as its been all year, Stroman said. Its just frustrating not getting the results I want to get.Stroman gave up four runs and five hits in six innings.Luke Maile hit a solo homer and Kevin Kiermaier had an RBI triple off Francisco Liriano before Brad Miller added a two-run shot against Ryan Tepera in a four-run seventh that made it 8-2.All three batters Liriano faced in his first relief appearances with Toronto after four starts scored.Danny Farquhar (1-0) worked a scoreless sixth for the win.Edwin Encarnacion had an RBI double and Russell Martin picked up his 22nd RBI in his last 16 games on an infield single as the Blue Jays went up 2-0 in the first.Eddie Gamboa, a 31-year old knuckleballer, made his major league debut and loaded the bases on a single and two walks in the eighth before departing with one out. The Blue Jays were able to score just once on Troy Tulowitzkis grounder off Brad Boxberger.MOVING DAYBlue Jays: 2B Devon Travis, optioned to Bluefield on Thursday to make room for the signing of C Josh Thole, was recalled from the Appalachian League club. ... Tepera, RHP Danny Barnes, and OFs Darrell Ceciliani and Dalton Pompey were recalled from Triple-A Buffalo. ... LHP Matt Dermody had his contract purchased from Buffalo and INF Matt Dominguez was designated for assignment. ... OF Quintin Berry signed a minor league contract and might be called up next week.Rays: Cash said RHP Chase Whitley (Tommy John surgery) should be recalled next week and used in more of a scripted relief role where hell know when hes pitching.BULLPEN DUTYGibbons said theres a good chance youll probably see Liriano start again a couple times this month,UP NEXTBlue Jays RHP Marco Estrada (8-6) starts Saturday night against Rays rookie LHP Blake Snell (4-7), who left Sundays game at Houston with a bruised lower left leg. Nike Blazer Shoes For Sale . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. Nike Blazer Wholesale Cheap . The incident occurred at 19:56 of the second period of the Kings 4-2 road win over Edmonton on Sunday. Nolan punched Oilers forward Jesse Joensuu in the jaw in front of the Kings goal during a scrum. http://www.cheapnikeblazer.com/ . Coach Tom Thibodeau says the former MVP will probably start travelling with the team in the next few weeks. Rose tore the meniscus in his right knee at Portland in November and was ruled out for the remainder of the season by the Bulls. CANCUN, Mexico -- After getting off to a terrible start, Texas Tech coach Chris Beard knew the first possession of the second half carried extra significance.Zach Smith turned it into a highlight, game-shifting dunk and Anthony Livingston took over from there.Livingston had 28 points and nine rebounds, Smith scored 21 points and Texas Tech rallied to rout Utah State 75-51 Wednesday night in a consolation game of the Cancun Challenge.Texas Tech cut a 12-point first-half deficit to 32-30 at halftime when Beard drew up a play for Smith. Keenan Evans delivered a high pass toward the rim and Smith kept climbing. His emphatic slam brought the crowd to its feet.Hes a special player, with his athleticism. He can play in another part of the air space, Beard said. Sometimes a team will be playing good fundamental defense, but you throw the ball above a rim where other guys cant get it.It ignited a dominant 45-22 second half that included a game-ending 19-1 run.That was a well-drawn up play by the coaches. It got us going, Livingston said. The whole bench jumped up, the crowd got going and we feed off of that. We definitely needed that at the time.Livingston hit 5 of 9 3-pointers and Smith had four dunks on his way to hitting 9 of 10 shots. The Red Raiders (4-1) took third place in the Riviera Division despite finding out about an hour before tipoff that starter Aaron Ross (right leg) couldnt play.Ross scored 17 points Tuesday night in a semifinal loss to Auburn.Jalen Moore scored 15 of his 21 points in the first half for the Aggies (3-2), who raced to a 24-12 lead before fading in their second straight loss.I thought we had a great start. We played well on both ends of the floor and played with a lot of fight and played together, Utah State coach Tim Duryea said. But when the momentum swung at the end of the first half, we missed some shots and that mentality carried over to the defensive end.LIVINGSTON RESPONDSLivingston hit 10 of 16 shots after managing three points on 1-of-8 shooting a night earlier. Nike Blazer Sale Online. That was probably one of the most disappointing nights in his playing career as was one of the most disappointing nights in my coaching career, Beard said. We had some real truth-telling sessions last night and this morning trying to get our team back on the same page and I thought Anthony really responded like a senior is supposed to.SECOND HALF DOMINANCETexas Tech shot 64.3 percent (19 of 28) in the second half while holding Utah State to 7-of-26 shooting.MOORE SLOWEDMoore started 3 of 4 from 3-point range before getting into first-half foul trouble. Beard said they changed to a more conservative defense in the second half.We changed our pick-and-roll coverages, Beard said. We had to stay on the shooter. Hes a pro.BIG PICTUREUtah State: Moore, a preseason all-Mountain West Conference selection, is clearly the go-to scorer and leader for Utah State. The Aggies collapsed offensively late in the first half without the senior on the floor and need to find other consistent options before conference play begins. Moore was also on the bench at the start of Texas Techs game-clinching 19-6 second-half run.Texas Tech: Poor starts and scoring droughts have to be concerning to Beard ahead of the SEC schedule. After a 12-minute dry spell Tuesday helped them fall behind by 19 points to Auburn in the semifinals, the Red Raiders went 8:14 without a hoop in the first half against Utah State. It took quite a while to adjust to Utah States zone, cut down on the poor passes and get better shots.UP NEXTUtah State: Will play in-state rival BYU next Wednesday in Salt Lake City.Texas Tech: Plays its next five games at home, starting Friday against Idaho State. The Red Raiders next road game is Dec. 17 at Richmond. 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Scotland 327 for 5 (Coetzer 127, Mommsen 111*, Shahzad 3-61) beat UAE 229 (Mustafa 43, Evans 4-41) by 98 runsScorecard and ball-by-ball detailsScotlands batsmen celebrated the annual Fringe Festival in Edinburgh by orchestrating a run fest of their own at The Grange Cricket Club Ground on Sunday afternoon as captain Preston Mommsen and vice-captain Kyle Coetzer brought up centuries in a 98-run rout over UAE. Nike NFL Jerseys From China .It was just the second time that two Scotland batsmen scored centuries in the same ODI, the previous effort coming seven years ago in a loss to Canada. Coetzer, Richie Berrington and Mommsen also each passed 1000 career ODI runs each - in that order - joining Gavin Hamilton and Neil McCallum.Coetzer ensured the hosts would not be on the losing end this time, his 127 laying the platform for Scotlands second-highest ODI total - 327 for 5. UAE let themselves down badly after sending Scotland in at the toss. Mohammad Shahzad set the tone for a wretched fielding display when, in the third over, opener Craig Wallace top-edged his first delivery but Shahzad spilled a straightforward chance at long leg.That opened the doors for a 78-run opening stand. Coetzer targetted Mohammad Naveed and captain Amjad Javed during the Powerplay, and at one point, clubbed six fours and a six in the space of 15 balls off Naveed, Javed and Krishna Chandran to bring up his half-century off 37 balls.Left-arm spinner Ahmed Razas introduction slowed Scotland as he removed Wallace for 16 with his third ball. Raza also got Calum MacLeod, with a simple return catch, in the 20th over in a superb spell of 2 for 28 where he bowled 10 overs straight. Coetzer had been dropped on 73 off Raza when a top-edged sweep looped up straight to Naveed, who was positioned perfectly on the circle at short fine leg, but let it through his hands.The drop seemed to play on the mind of Naveed, who returned for a second spell in the 29th over and routinely dropped too short to be punished by Coetzer. In all, Coetzer struck nine of his 14 fours off Naveed, including a cover drive in the 33rd over for his 12th four and third ODI ton, off 102 balls. The third-wicket stand with Mommsen had realised 112 before Coetzer drove to long-on where Shaiman Anwar took a juggling catch on the rope to give Shahzad his first wicket. Anwar took another catch at long-on off Shahzad two overs later to remove Michael Leask for 10, leaving Scotland 236 for 4 in the 41st over.Mommsen, though, propelled Scotland to 91 off the last nine overs, including a 69-run stand with Richie Berrington for the fifth wicket. The stand ended in the 48th over when Berrington skied one to the deep point sweeper for a 16-ball 27. While Coetzer profited most from the straight boundaries, Mommsen peppered the leg-side rope for eight of his nine fours, including a series of paddle sweeps. Mommsen got to his fifty in 61 balls, and took only another 34 to bring up his second ODI ton.A scoop over fine leg off Shahzad in the final over gave Mommsen 1000 career ODI runs. His only prior ODI ton also came against UAE, an unbeaten 139 to win the final of the 2014 World Cup Qualifier in New Zealand.UAEs chase got off to a very confident start with Rohan Mustafa and L Sreekumar racking up 68 in the Powerplay. Sreekumar flicked Alasdair Evans for two fours over midwicket and a third driven back down the ground in the medium-pacers first over, which went for 16. But Evans dragged his length back in his next over, the 12th of the innings, and Sreekumar fended a short ball to wicketkeeper Matthew Cross to end the opening stand on 72. Evans claimed Mustafa in the 16th over for 43, courtesy of a spectacular diving catch at point by Berrington to make it 79 for 2.From there, wickets fell at regular intervals with Con de Lange applying solid pressure in a superb display of left-arm spin to finish with 2 for 35. The next best partnership was 40 for the eighth wicket as Javed made a late fightback with 32 off 19. Javed hit Evans hard in the 41st over, before miscuing one to extra cover. Evans knocked over Chandran next to finish with 4 for 41 in eight overs, before Leask sealed the match, having Saqlain Haider top-edge to fine leg as UAE were bowled out for 229 in 43.3 overs.The win for Scotland brought them level with Hong Kong on the WCL Championship table in second place with nine points, three behind Netherlands. UAE remains in joint-last place with Namibia on two points. The two sides face off again on Tuesday. Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys . Hargreaves began his career in 2008 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and has played with the Edmonton Eskimos and last season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys China . Calgary scored on the first shift, and Michael Cammalleri scored twice as the Flames cruised to a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday. http://www.wholesalenfljerseysofficial.com/ . - Levi Browns tenure at left tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers is over before it even began. GUANGZHOU, China -- Defending champion Jelena Jankovic marched into the second round of the Guangzhou Open by pasting Chinese qualifier You Xiaodi 6-2, 6-1 on Tuesday.The second-seeded Serbian set up a second-round match against Rebecca Peterson of Sweden.Unseeded Anett Kontaveit and Peng Shuai also moved ahead after upsetting seventh-seeded Katerina Siniakova and eighth-seeded Zheng Saisai, respectively,, in their first-round matches. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys. he 2013 finalist Vania King made an early exit after losing to Sofia Shapatava of Georgia 6-3, 7-5.Other winners were Switzerlands Viktorija Golubic, Germanys Sabine Lisicki, Uzbekistans Nigina Abduraimova and Belarus Olga Govortsova. 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Cheap Air Max 98 . -- There were a lot of firsts for the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. Air Max 98 Wholesale . - NASCAR announced a 33-race schedule for the 2014 Nationwide Series with virtually no changes from this years slate. http://www.wholesaleairmax98.com/ . Down by seven with 90 seconds left in regulation, thats where they looked comfortable.Matt Elliott admits Leicester Citys squad has not yet been fully tested as his former side continue their surprise push for a Premier League title. Wholesale Air Max 98 Cheap. Claudio Ranieris side strengthened their grip at the top of the table with 13 games remaining after beating Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.Elliott, who made more than 200 appearances for the Foxes, says they now have a glorious chance to win the title but admits they will be relying on their key men - Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez - staying injury free. Martin ONeill and Elliott savour League Cup success in 2000 Speaking on Sky Sports Now, Elliott said: The reasons for believing they can do it are growing week by week as long as they keep churning out results and putting in performances like they have. Against Manchester City they were superb and dominated from the off. Its no flash-in-the-pan, people are realising that, and the doubters are diminishing week by week. Leicester WILL win it Leicester have the Premier League title in the bag according to Stuart Pearce There will be joyful scenes across the whole county if they do it. We had good times back in my day winning trophies but what this team is doing would surpass anything we achieved in our time. Just to get in contention for the Champions League spots is a miraculous achievement.Vardy and Mahrez are the two stars of the show but the supporting cast is not doing too bad either. Its imperative that those two stay fit and available. They tried to get in an extra forward during the window but failed, so fingers crossed that those two continue to produce the goods and the goals. Former Leicester defender Matt Elliott explains why they can upset the odds Leicester have been fortunate in comparison to some of their title rivals in terms of injuries and Elliott acknowledges that Ranieri will be praying that situation continues. Air Max 98 Outlet. . The Foxes have suffered 15 injuries throughout the campaign compared to 51 of fourth-placed Manchester City.The squad has yet to be tested properly and there are some doubts about that but there is some quality on the bench, Elliott said. They have been through a lot together and came through the traumas of last season and I think they can come through again. Who saw Leicester City as Premier League title contenders? One man did and he could make £25,000 if they win. Robert Huths experience in the partnership with Wes Morgan has been vital and he has been scoring vital goals. Hes brought calmness and aggression to the team as well.Danny Drinkwater has been imperious plus NGolo Kante as well. They are the driving force but the whole team is getting stronger week by week.They have been through a pressure situation last season so that will stand them in good stead Also See: Ranieri: Dont look down! Vardy signs new deal Ulloa: Everything is possible This time last year.... Cheap Throwback Baseball Detroit Tigers Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Colorado Rockies Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Houston Astros Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Kansas City Royals Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Los Angeles Angels Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Los Angeles Dodgers Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Miami Marlins Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Milwaukee Brewers Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Minnesota Twins Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball New York Mets Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball New York Yankees Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Oakland Athletics Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Philadelphia Phillies Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Pittsburgh Pirates JerseysCheap Throwback Baseball San Diego Padres Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball San Francisco Giants Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Seattle Mariners Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball St. Louis Cardinals Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Tampa Bay Rays Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Texas Rangers Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Toronto Blue Jays Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Washington Nationals Jerseys ' ' '
The list reads like a Whos Who among the worlds best sprinters: Jamaican Asafa Powell, the former world-record holder at 100 metres. Stitched College Jerseys . American champion Tyson Gay, who went out of his way to promote himself as an anti-drug athlete. Jamaican Sherone Simpson, who has a gold and two silver Olympic medals to her credit. Word came Sunday that all three had failed drug tests. "A sad day," one former track official called it -- and certainly a day that punctured the myth that the oft-troubled sport has cleaned up its act. "I am not now -- nor have I ever been -- a cheat," Powell said in a message released through his Twitter account. The 30-year-old Powell, whose 100-meter record of 9.74 stood until Usain Bolt beat it in 2008, was calling for an investigation as to how a stimulant called oxilofrine entered his system and caused a positive test at Jamaicas national championships in June. Simpson, who tested positive for the same stimulant, said she "would not intentionally take an illegal substance of any form into my system." Gay, the American-record holder in the 100, was more contrite, though he wasnt taking full responsibility. "I dont have a sabotage story. I dont have any lies. I dont have anything to say to make this seem like it was a mistake or it was on USADAs hands, someone playing games," said Gay, who fought back sobs in a telephone interview. "I dont have any of those stories. I basically put my trust in someone and I was let down." Gay, who won the 100 and 200 metres at U.S. nationals last month, said he would pull out of the world championships. The 30-year-old, who won the world championship in the 100, 200 and 4x100 relay in 2007, took part in the U.S. Anti-Doping Agencys "My Victory" program -- in which athletes volunteer for enhanced testing to prove theyre clean -- and his results never raised red flags. Until, that is, an out-of-competition test May 16, where results came back positive for a banned substance, the identity of which neither he nor USADA CEO Travis Tygart would reveal. Gay said his "B" sample will be tested soon, possibly as early as this week. Generally, first-time offenders are hit with two-year bans, though reduced penalties are sometimes given if there are extenuating circumstances, which both Gay and his coach, Lance Brauman, said there were. "He mentioned that he (trusted) someone and that person was untrustworthy at the end the day," Brauman told The Associated Press in a phone interview. "Maybe Im naive, but I believe him." Max Siegel, the CEO of USA Track and Field, said in a statement: "It is not the news anyone wanted to hear, at any time, about any athlete." He said he looked to USADA to handle the case "appropriately." Siegels predecessor at USATF, Doug Logan, called it "a sad day." "But I dont see anything on the horizon that says this will be abated in any way," Logan told AP. The former CEO recently wrote a column arguing the fight against performance-enhancing drugs in sports should be ceded because, in his view, anti-doping rules make very little headway against a problem that never seems to disappear. He said he wasnt surprised when he heard about Sundays onslaught of failed tests and didnt put much credence into the excuses and apologies from those who came up positive. "Over the course of time, culture has bred certain defences," Logan said. "The reality is, people are using substances to reengineer their bodies or heal better. Thats reality." Four-time Olympic medallist and sprint analyst Ato Boldon also called it a "difficult day because track and field fans are left not knowing what to believe." "Everyone has that favourite, that one guy, Hey, this is the guy Ive always been a supporter of his," Boldon said. "Asafa and Tyson are certainly two people who a lot of track fans have loved and admired for a long time. Unfortunately, they failed drug tests." While Gays case gets sorted out on U.S. turf, the positives recorded by Powell and Simpson are part of a bigger doping crisis hitting Jamaica, the home of Bolt and the country that has won 28 medals over the last three Olympics. In Sundays editions, The Gleaner newspaper of Jamaica reported that five athletes had tested positive. Paul Doyle, the agent who represents Powell and Simpson, confirmed to the AP that his sprinters were among them. Shortly after Doyles confirmation, Powell and Simpson each released statements acknowledging the positive tests. The news stirred up angst on the island, where success on the track is a point of pride but the rigour of the countrys anti-doping program is under constant scrutiny. "This does not auger well for track and field globally," said Rashalee Mitchell, a 29-year-old assistant social sciences lecturer at Jamaicas campus of the University of the West Indies. "It is fast serving to taint ... our proud and long-standing reputation of producing strong, excellent, raw, homegrown talent that has excelled on the world stage without any drug-related enhancement." The news came a month after another Jamaican Olympic gold medallist , Veronica Campbell-Brown, tested positive for a banned diuretic. Campbell-Brown is being suspended while a disciplinary panel reviews her case. Tracks governing body said the case appeared to involve a "lesser" offence, which could mean a reduced sentence for the 200-meter champion at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. Shortly after news of Campbell-Browns positives, her agent, Claude Bryan, said his client is not a cheat and she does not accept "guilt of wilfully taking a banned substance." The known banned substances in these cases, a diuretic and a stimulant, dont resemble the steroids and designer drugs that took down some of the worlds top athletes -- Marion Jones, Tim Montgomery, Ben Johnson, to name a few -- over the past years and decades. But many of the denials and claims of extenuating circumstances in the current cases carry a whiff of familiarity. And once again, track is in the news for the wrong reasons, falling short of promises the sports leaders make about cleaning things up every time the next cycle of doping stories hit. "This result has left me completely devastated in many respects," said Powell, who didnt qualify for individual spots at worlds but could still make Jamaicas relay team if his positive test doesnt net a suspension. "I am reeling from this genuinely surprising result. I am confident, however, that I will come out stronger and wiser and better prepared to deal with the many twists and turns of being a professional athlete." Wholesale NCAA Football Jerseys . He says so-called TRT is only one problem and he wants to go even further than the ban. "Its about time," St-Pierre told reporters at a promotional event in Montreal on Friday. "I think its a good thing. Discount NCAA Jerseys . Perez, 35, posted a 1-2 record with a 3.69 earned-run average in 19 relief appearances last season. His season ended Aug. 9 due to a torn ligament in his left elbow. Perez joins infielder Andy LaRoche and catcher Mike Nickeas with minor-league agreements for 2014 that include invitations to attend spring training. http://www.cheapncaajerseysfastshipping.com/ .com) - Manchester City midfielder David Silva is expected to miss the next four weeks because of a calf problem. MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota running back Shannon Brooks has been cleared to return after missing the first two games with a broken foot.Whether Brooks will play Saturday against Colorado State depends on how he fares in practice. Coach Tracy Claeys said Tuesday that if Brooks is sore, the Gophers wont take a chance on him this week.Brooks led the team in rushing as a freshman last season with 709 yards, an average of 6.0 yards per attempt and seven touchdowns. The Goophers are plenty deep at the position, with sophomore Rodney Smith and junior-college transfer Kobe McCrary sharing the load over the first two games. Cheap College Basketball Jerseys. Claeys also said cornerbacks KiAnte Hardin and Ray Buford, safety Dior Johnson and defensive end Tamarion Johnson remain suspended for an unspecified violation of team policy.Cheap Throwback Baseball Detroit Tigers Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Colorado Rockies Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Houston Astros Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Kansas City Royals Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Los Angeles Angels Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Los Angeles Dodgers Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Miami Marlins Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Milwaukee Brewers Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Minnesota Twins Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball New York Mets Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball New York Yankees Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Oakland Athletics Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Philadelphia Phillies Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Pittsburgh Pirates Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball San Diego Padres Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball San Francisco Giants Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Seattle Mariners Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball St. Louis Cardinals Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Tampa Bay Rays Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Texas Rangers Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Toronto Blue Jays Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Washington Nationals Jerseys ' ' '
Lewis Hamilton has pulled out of this weeks Pirelli tyre test in Barcelona in order to rest a sore foot. Nike Free Sale .Hamilton was originally scheduled to test Pirellis 2017 tyres on Wednesday, but teammate Nico Rosberg stood in to replace him while Manors Pascal Wherlein has been drafted back into the fold for the second and final day of the test on Thursday. A team spokesperson said Hamilton had hurt his foot in training but confirmed there is no danger of him missing next weekends U.S. Grand Prix.Lewis had some discomfort in his foot after training on Tuesday, a spokesman told Reuters. It was agreed he wouldnt test so he could rest it and get physio to be in good shape for Austin, which he will be. No concerns on that front.Hamilton was at Mercedes F1 engine factory in Brixworth on Tuesday to celebrate the teams third consecutive world championship and footage from the event appears to show him limping. Wednesdays test was due to be his first taste of Pirellis 2017 tyres, but he will now have to wait until a later date.Rosberg completed 60 laps at the test after cool temperatures and rain in the afternoon curtailed running. Up until this week, Wherlein had completed all of Mercedes 2017 tyre testing and returns on Thursday for a sixth day at the wheel of the W06 mule car. Mercedes next 2017 tyre test will be Pirellis post-season final evaluation in Abu Dhabi.Hamilton heads for Austin with a 33-point deficit to Rosberg in the drivers championship and with just four races remaining. Cheap Nike Free . The showiest items on Calgarys lot were forwards Mike Cammalleri and Lee Stempniak. Both will be unrestricted free agents this summer. Nike Free Outlet Store . Clarke was injured while practicing on the Doha Golf Club range after the pro-am on Tuesday. The Northern Irishman arrived at the course on Wednesday hoping to start, but after hitting a few balls on the practice putting green Clarke advised officials he was not fit to play. http://www.nikefreediscount.com/ . Belfort (24-10) needed just 77 seconds to down Henderson in the headlining bout of Saturdays "UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson" event at Goiania Arena in Goiania, Brazil. The fight served as a rematch of the pairs 2006 meeting, which Henderson won by decision. SPIELBERG, Austria -- Lewis Hamilton hopes Mercedes will not feel the need to implement team orders following his last-lap collision with Nico Rosberg at the Austrian Grand Prix.The team was set for a one-two victory until the second corner of the final lap when Hamilton found himself pushed wide as he tried to overtake Rosberg around the outside. As Hamilton turned in, Rosberg continued forward and the two made contact, resulting in Rosberg dropping to fourth around the remainder of the lap with a broken front wing.After the race team boss Toto Wolff said team orders would now be considered ahead of the British Grand Prix to prevent a repeat, but Hamilton hopes it will not be necessary.I wouldnt say my heart sinks [when I hear they are talking about team orders], it takes a lot to get my heart to sink but I want to race, he said. I grew up wanting to race, and to get to Formula One and race the best and be the best by out driving another individual.I think they showed a replay of maybe Michael [Schumacher] and Barrichello many years ago [2002 in Austria] and I was disappointed as a fan back then and we never want to see team orders like that ever happen.The great thing is that Toto and Niki [Lauda] have been great these past three years in allowing us to race and thats what racing is about, and its not always going to be blue skies and perfect, but thats motor racing. Every engineer and mechanic has been through Formula Ford, Formula Renault and the different categories and seen the goods and the bads and they know that these things can happen. Nike Free Clearance. Were driving at 200+mph and you expect us to drive around and never, ever, ever have a problem? I doubt it. So I hope that it doesnt change and I hope that we can continue to race. Thats just my honest opinion from my love of this sport.Hamilton said he did not want to start attributing blame, but made clear that he felt he had left Rosberg enough space.I dont really know what to say about it, its not something I go out to get involved in. I dont go out to get caught in a collision. Today as you could see I drove as wide as possible within the white lines, so I left a lot of space. Three cars could have come on the inside of me there so... For sure as a team boss and for the team, the team want to finish first and second and thats our goal, thats my goal and obviously I want to be at the front of that 1-2.But certain circumstances have led us to where we are today and we have a lot more races ahead and were going to continue to race. Im fighting for the world championship so were going to keep fighting and hopefully through these experiences there will hopefully be no more or a lot less than what weve had so far this year. Hopefully they are just a blip in the midst and well continue racing forwards. 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Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys .C. -- It had been a while since Joakim Nordstrom scored a goal, and even longer since Cam Ward shut out an opponent.Both droughts are over -- and now the Carolina Hurricanes are no longer in last place.Nordstrom scored with 9:12 left, Ward made 22 saves in his first shutout in over a year and the Hurricanes beat the San Jose Sharks 1-0 on Tuesday night for their second straight win.Its starting to come together, Carolina coach Bill Peters said.Ward got the 24th shutout of his career and first since he blanked Colorado on Oct. 21, 2015, while improving to 6-1 in his career against the Sharks.That helped the Hurricanes escape last place in the Metropolitan Division, in the process snapping the defending Western Conference champions three-game winning streak.Youve got to build some momentum, and certainly these last two games have been our best two games of the year, and we did it in a real good fashion, playing the way we wanted to play, and dominated at times, Ward said. Thats a compliment to the guys. ... Its not going to get any easier, but we showed what we can do when were on, for sure.Aaron Dell stopped 32 shots in his third career game and his second start for the Sharks.He was excellent, Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. Gave us a chance to hang around in a game we didnt deserve to be in. Thats all you can ask from him.San Jose, which averages nearly 30 shots per game, managed just two in the second period before coming on strong in the third. The Sharks were shut out for the third time this season and second time this month.They took the game over in the second period, DeBoer said. Their compete level went up another notch and we didnt go with them.The sequence that led to Nordstroms goal was started by Viktor Stalberg, who broke up a breakaway attempt with his stick. Ward then blocked Joonas Donskois tip-in try, and that eventually led to a rush the other way, with Nordstrom backhanding the rebound of his own shot past Dells glove for the fourth-line forwards first goal of the season. He had 10 last year.I couldnt believe my eyes when I missed the first one, so I was kind of happy to get the second chance, Nordstrom said.Before that score, the goalies had put on a show for the overwhelming majority of this one, with Dell and Ward matching each other save for save. Dell made a slick stop on a rising shot by Jeff Skinner early in the third, and a few minutes later Ward stopped a tricky tip from Logan Couture with about 13 1/2 minutes left.Game notes San Jose scratched C Melker Karlsson, who injured his left ankle while blocking a shot Saturday against Tampa Bay. ... Carolina activated D Justin Faulk from injured reserve before the game. Faulk (upper body) missed three games. ... The teams meet again Dec. 10 in San Jose.UP NEXTSan Jose: The Sharks continue their six-game road trip at St. Louis on Thursday night.Carolina: The Hurricanes play host to Montreal on Friday night in the third game of their critical five-game homestand. Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys China . JOHNS, N. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Authentic . He was followed closely by David Clarkson, donning red, seconds later. Clarksons actions one night earlier, leaping off the bench in defence of Kessel during a pre-season game against the Buffalo Sabres, will cost him the first 10 games of the regular season. http://www.cheapnfljerseysauthenticshop.com/ .ca NHL Power Rankings for the second straight week, ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. INDIANAPOLIS -- Detroit Lions running back Theo Riddick left Sundays 39-35 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in the third quarter to be evaluated for a concussion before returning in the fourth quarter to score his second touchdown of the game.In his first drive back after undergoing tests for a possible concussion in the locker room, Riddick caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford that broke a 28-28 deadlock. ?Its unclear when Riddick suffered the potential brain innjury. Wholesale Jerseys China. ?Riddick, who signed a three-year contract extension with the Lions on Friday, had five catches for 63 yards and seven carries for 45 yards against the Colts. That included a career-best 21-yard run in the first quarter to score Detroits first touchdown of the season.It was Riddicks first rushing touchdown since his rookie year in 2013. 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A superb display from Milos Ninkovic has lifted Sydney FC to an emphatic 4-0 win over A-League battlers Central Coast. Outlet Nike Tanjun .The Serbian playmaker was influential all over Allianz Stadium on Saturday, setting up first-half goals for Filip Holosko and Bobo to kickstart the Sky Blues third consecutive four-goal league haul.Holosko then converted a penalty - his third goal in two games - and captain Alex Brosque netted one after coming off the bench thanks to a farcical error by former Sydney FC goalkeeper Ivan Necevski.With only five shots to Sydneys 17, the scoreline flattered Paul Okons reinvented Mariners, who were spirited but lacked composure whereas the hosts had it in droves.They dominated possession - 65 per cent throughout the match - but Sydney were patient awaiting an opening.The first came in the 18th minute when Ninkovic picked out Holosko with an inch-perfect pass.The Slovakian winger skipped onto it and, seeing Necevski off his line, chipped straight over the custodian and into the net.The Mariners created their own chances and Trent Buhagiar came close to an equaliser, closing in on Sydneys goal and thwarted only by Michael Zullos brilliant clearance.Roy ODonovan had a crack, too, but could only find the side of the netting under pressure from a rushing Danny Vukovic.But the Mariners were left to rue their copious errors, Jacob Poscoliero inadvertently laying Sydneys second goal on a platter.Ninkovic worked the magic again, lifting a lovely ball to Bobo for the Brazilian to tap down off his chest and slam home.Milos is a fantastic player, I dont hide that even in front of him, Sydney coach Graham Arnold said.The difference for him is hes got players now making the right runs.The ball he gave Filip for the first goal was world class, but he cant play that ball unless Filip makes that run.Poscolieros match finished soon after, succumbing to injury and allowing Jacques Faty to step up against the club who offloaded him, midfielder Mickael Tavares and Necevski in the off-season.It was also a premature end for former Mariners stalwart Alex Wilkinson, the Socceroos centre-back suffering an ankle injury following a rash tackle from Connor Pain.With Seb Ryall on to replace him, Bobo won a second-half penalty thanks to Jake McGings flailing arms and Holosko duly converted from the spot.Necevski was at fault for conceding the fourth when he preposterously lost possession trying to scoop up a corner, allowing Brosque to roll the ball into an open net as Sydneys active supporter base The Cove jeered behind him.Okon was loath to focus on individual mistakes but admitted they were an issue.Were aware of it. It happened last week and again tonight ... but we came here tonight, we were very brave and dominated possession, Okon said.If youre going to make schoolboy errors against any opposition, let alone a team thats in form playing at home, youre going to concede goals. Nike Tanjun For Sale . -- The plastic that was taped across the lockers in Oaklands clubhouse came down and the champagne that was on ice went back into the cooler. Nike Tanjun Shoes On Sale . Thats not a comment on the suspension that banished the Portland Winterhawks general manager and coach from his Western Hockey League teams bench for most of the 2012-13 season. http://www.niketanjuncheap.com/ . Jordan Lynch, the all-purpose Heisman Trophy finalist from Northern Illinois, failed to make it into that exclusive club. ETOBICOKE, Ontario -- Victory to Victory punched her ticket to the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf with a determined come-from-behind score under Florent Geroux in the Grade 1 Natalma Stakes at Woodbine on Sunday.A hot pace, set by Will She, materialized in the one-mile turf event. With blinkers added, Victory to Victory ($17.70) raced in sixth on the outside for much of the way, and then made up ground to hit the front around the three-sixteenths pole.Stormy Perfection closed strongly on the outside from 11th to take dead aim at Victory to Victory in midstretch, but Victory to Victory repelled the bid and went on to prevail by 2-1/2 lengths, in a time of 1:35.24 over the firm ground.Beat the Benchmark finished third, and Thora Barber was fourth. Red Lodge, the 7-2 favorite, stalked in second before fading to 12th, and 4-1 second choice Enstone trailed the 14-horse field.Geroux won last years Natalma on the future Canadian champion Catch a Glimpse for trainer Mark Casse, and Victory to Victory gave Casse a record seventh win in the event.It helps to know when your horse is pretty much push-button, said Geroux. She broke vvery sharply from the gate. Cheap Nike Tanjun From China. From there, I took a nice position, without taking any bumping. She settled very nicely, and turning for home, she gave me a very nice kick. The blinkers helped today. It made the difference. She [ran] spotty in her first two races.Assistant trainer Norm Casse said Victory to Victory would likely run back in the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf in November at Santa Anita, since she earned a paid trip to the race in the Natalma.Well have to see how she comes out of the race, but Id have to think thats what the goal is, said Casse. We think shes a really talented horse. She was well-meant from the very beginning. At Churchill, we thought enough of her to send her to Saratoga. As Florent alluded to, she was spotty early on, and I think the blinkers made a big difference. We knew she was a talented horse, and shes finally starting to figure things out.Victory to Victory, a daughter of the late Exchange Rate, earned $150,000 of the $253,400 purse for Live Oak Plantation. 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Think you can push a Range Rover on the streets of South Florida?It may sound unfathomable, but thats exactly what?Miami Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake?has done in his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon, Wake told the Miami Herald. Cheap Jerseys Supply .His car became a blocking sled, albeit a much heavier one than normal.Theres an area near where I live where they havent really built it up too much, so its just a paved road, Wake told the Herald. Not many people watching. ... The hardest part is starting it. Once you get it moving, its just drive your legs after that.The 34-year-old Wake injured the Achilles in the Dolphins Week 8 loss to the?New England Patriots?last season. He is expected to be ready for Miamis Week 1 matchup?against the?Seattle Seahawks?on Sept. 11. Baseball Jerseys .ca. Kerry, Just watched the shootout in the Coyotes/Leafs game and I have to ask, why was the James van Riemsdyk goal allowed to count? All of the video replays we were shown on TV were inconclusive about whether the puck had entirely crossed the line or not. Ice Hockey Jerseys . Robinson finished with 17 points, all but two in the second half, and Lawson had 14 after halftime and finished with a game-high 11 assists as the Nuggets handed Dallas its first home loss in eight games this season. J.J. Hickson led Denver with 22, and Kenneth Faried added 10 points and 10 rebounds. http://www.cheapnfljerseyschinasupply.net/ . Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. At Wantage Road, Northamptonshires home ground, there is a chunk of seats that does not really belong there at all. They were donated by Surrey: an act of charity from one professional sports team to another.It is a microcosm of the financial chasm between Northants and the wealthiest teams in county cricket. Earlier this year, Gavin Warren, the chairman, admitted he was counting every loo roll. He stopped eating lunch at the club on match days to save cash, and caterers had to be enlisted to help put covers on the ground. When players reported for a full day of training, the club did not provide them with lunch, leaving them to buy sandwiches from a petrol station instead. In recent years, dark rumours have lingered that Northants risked going into administration.Inevitably the consequences have been felt on the pitch: Northants basic spending on player salaries was the fifth lowest of the 18 counties in 2015. This year, they had the smallest professional squad of any team.In 2003, Michael Lewis published Moneyball, detailing how the Oakland Athletics consistently reached the play-offs in baseball despite spending far less than most their rivals. Their success was built on the smart use of statistics: to nurture and improve their existing players, recognising what was really important to win baseball matches; and to spot players whose qualities were undervalued by other teams.The notion of Moneyball - how to do more with less - has since infiltrated everything from education to political campaigning and sport, as Lewis wrote recently.Preoccupation with Moneyball has extended to cricket, a game with obvious similarities to baseball: both are based on a batsman hitting a ball, and each pitch, or delivery, is an independent event.As England coach Andy Flower recognised what cricket could learn from Moneyball. Many in cricket talk about Moneyball. Yet it is Northants, a Midlands team that are one of only three counties never to have won the County Championship, who have implemented Moneyball techniques with more success than anyone else.If Leicester Citys 5000-1 victory in the Premier League was the sporting story of the year, 30 miles away Northants have achieved something almost as remarkable. In T20 cricket, they have built a dynasty, reaching three T20 Blast finals in four years, winning the crown twice - and, even more than the Oakland As once did, mocking the notion of financial determinism in sport. Using data smartly, both to hone their T20 strategy and recruit players, Northants have become the Moneyball kings.The summer of 2012 was dominated by rain and floods. For Northants, it seldom got better than the downpours: they won only four matches across three competitions, the worst tally in the land. They finished second bottom in Division Two of the County Championship, and second bottom of their one-day group, above only the amateur Unicorns. Worst of all was T20 cricket. Northants won a solitary game and lost seven. Mostly these werent agonising defeats either: they were thumpings, by eight wickets, seven wickets (twice), six wickets and five wickets. In 2011 they had been almost as bad, winning two T20 games and losing 11.They were a team of losers, unloved and irrelevant. We were embarrassing, current captain Alex Wakely later said. No one wanted to come and watch us. Even our own supporters were laughing at us.In July 2012, David Capel, Northants coach, was sacked. In his place David Ripley, a one-club stalwart as a player for 18 years, was elevated from 2nd XI coach and academy director. A month later, Ripley was appointed to the role full-time, with Phil Rowe taking over as 2nd XI coach and Academy director. This partnership would bring Northants, who had won only three trophies in their 107-year history as a first-class county, the best days in the clubs history.Ripley and Rowe took over a club in which everyone was fed up with losing and being rubbish, Wakely recalls. That is not an enviable position, but for new coaches it brings certain advantages. No one stubbornly clings to old orthodoxies. Change is embraced as necessary.The coaches inherited a team whose regime was unfit for purpose in T20 cricket. We all practised really hard at red-ball, but when it came to white-ball practice, everyone had to hit the ball as far as they could and have a slog, like in a club net, Wakely reflects.It was not only that Northants did not train properly for T20 cricket but that they did not train enough. Ripley reckons that 80% of Northants pre-season training was focused on first-class matches, and only 20% across the two white-ball formats, one-day cricket and T20. These formats each made up one-third of Northants season but only one-tenth of their preparation: that was madness, especially considering that, given their budgetary constraints, the shorter formats represented their most likely route to success.Immediately Ripley changed the 80-20 balance between training for first-class and the two limited-overs formats to 50-50. When he returned to the club in the winter of 2012 after a stint on Middlesexs books, the allrounder Steven Crook noticed far more attention given to white-ball cricket than at his previous two clubs or in his first spell at Northants. Wakely, appointed limited-overs captain from 2013 (and captain in all formats from 2015) was told by the board that the club was focusing on T20 cricket.Using statistical insights in cricket has been discredited since Peter Moores was misquoted saying we will have to look at the data after Englands calamitous performance in the 2015 World Cup. In this context, it is almost brazen for Ripley to declare: I am a statto. Towards the end of his career as a doughty keeper-batsman at Northants, from 1984 to 2001, he was introduced to mapping innings in one-day cricket: breaking down how a team would reach a certain score, and where they needed to be at each stage of the innings to get there. I really liked it. I thought it brought some clarity.There is a pervasive myth that T20 cricket is a game of slogging with no time for strategy. Yet the opposite might be true. Nathan Leamon, the England team analyst, believes that T20 lends itself better to strategising than other formats. In T20 the only real guesswork is about how exactly this wickets going to play, which is not going to change very much in four hours, he says. You can pre-plan. A lot of your plans prior to the match go through the game unchanged in T20 cricket, unlike in one-dayers or first-class matches. Because T20 games are shorter and conditions are more homogeneous, similar scenarios repeat themselves often enough for analysts to reach statistically significant conclusions, which can then inform what teams do.In 2010, the England and Wales Cricket Board mandated that every county log every ball in an analysis database. Northants enlisted Richard Barker, a lifelong fan and former American Football journalist, to do the job. But no one thought that Barker could actually help the team. When I started off, I didnt do anything, he recalls.Barker was used a little more over the following two years, but he was still, essentially, an unwanted spare part when Ripley took over. In the miserable summer of 2012, Northants were the only county not to film their T20 games.After the season, Barker, Ripley and Rowe got together to answer a simple question: just why were Northants so hopeless at T20 cricket?The answer was remarkably simple. Northants just didnt hit enough boundaries. In 2012, losing finalists Yorkshire hit 1006 runs in boundaries across 11 completed matches. Northants hit just 430 runs in boundaries across their eight completed matches; while Yorkshire averaged 91.45 runs in boundaries an innings, Northants averaged 53.45, the lowest of any county. And Yorkshire hit 28.9 runs in sixes a game, double Northants 14.25. Thats the thing I like about stats - it just shines a light onto some things, Ripley reflects.When Crook returned to Northants, he observed a big drive to understand how to win a T20 game. We really tried to understand what it took - where people hit, where people bowl, and trying to counteract that. Rowe would demonstrate the best areas to hit the ball, and put fielders, on the classic board game Test Match.As a devotee of US sports, Barker has long been aware that shrewd use of statistics can help teams. Ive lost count of the times Ive read Moneyball and dipped into various chapters, he says. Its always been in the back of my mind since I started at Northants. There are only so many cup final defeats and disappointing performances you can handle when you support a team for 30 years. It would have been rather remiss of me if I hadnt been looking for something to help us from somewhere.Before 2012, Barker compiled a dossier identifying a magic number of 160, a match-winning score by the team batting first in 65% of games. A roadmap of how to get there was laid out: reaching 160 involved hitting 15 fours, three sixes and scoring 82 runs off the other 102 balls. But little attention was paid to Barkers work.After he took over, Ripley built Northants T20 batting strategy around Barkers findings, prompting an emphasis on recruiting boundary-hitters in the winter of 2012 - the belligerent Australian batsman Cameron White returned for a second season, Richard Levi, the burly South African, was signed, and Crooks return brought ballast to the lower-middle order.As important was improving the boundary-hitting of those already at Northants. The 35-year-old allrounder James Middlebrook had never really swept a ball in his life, but he had these sweeping sessions. David Sales, a senior batsman, learned how to reverse-sweep. Wakely remembers a winter in which the bowlers bowled more yorkers than theyd ever done, and the batters hit more reverse sweeps. Everyone bought into it.Paradoxically, Northants used data to encourage their players to play with more spontaneity. Ripley explains, We wanted to give some freedom to say, We need to hit the ball, and we might lose two wickets. The emphasis on boundary-hitting created what Rowe calls a safe-to-fail environment.The results were remarkable. In 2013, Northants hit 86.61 runs in boundaries an innings - 33 runs higher than in 2012. Northants hit 73 sixes, compared to 19 in 2012, and averaged 19 runs more in sixes every innings.The formula carried them all the way to the T20 final, where they thumped Surrey - a side who spent ￡1.839 million on basic player salaries in 2013, double Northants ￡973,000 - by 102 runs. Ripley believed that Northants would never repeat their feat, and when the club endured a grim 2014, which Wakely missed entirely through injury, he feared being proved right.Northants use of data has evolved since 2013. While they have in mind par scores at venues over the past three years and whether grounds are better suited to batting first or chasing, they no longer map out how they will reach a score, trusting players to assess the situation as they go along. Similarly with the ball. It was more regimented in 2013 with six bowlers, Ripley says. Now weve got a bigger pool of bowlers, because we tend to play seven bowlers, so its a bit more about gut feel. Yet even here the impact of Barker can be felt: he stresses the benefits of using different bowlers at crucial times, to avoid being too predictable.The sides approach has changed in other ways. Northants previously preferred to bat first, but now prefer chasing, reasoning that they can hunt down any score. Their reasoning is underpinned by statistics. While Northants scored a lower proportion of their runs in boundaries than any of the other 17 counties in 2012, they have scored the highest proportion of runs in boundaries of any team since 2013. They also score a six every 21.1 balls, second only to Nottinghamshire, according to CricViz. Such batting strength is an even greater asset than Northants bowling: they only rank sixth in conceding the lowest economy rate since 2013.Barker is modest about his impact: The analysts main job is to put the captain and the coach in the position where they dont needlessly f*** things up before the toss.Yet others stress how sagacious use of data has aided Northants. Statistics are playing a big role in cricket now. Richard Barkers role is very unheralded, hell never get any of the headlines, Wakely reflects. Batsmen can ring him anytime and theyll get video footage of things that are going wrong. The computer stuff is being more and more integrated into cricket. Statistics dont often lie, especially in T20 cricket. Wakelys belief in data is clearly sincere: during our conversation he says that 83% of T20 matches are lost if a side loses three wickets inside the Powerplay.In 2016, Northants found someone else to log each delivery at Wantage Road, freeing Barker to find statistics to help Northants prepare. That enabled us to do a lot more.No detail is too small. Before a match at Chester-le-Street in 2014, the squad were discussing how to adjust to the large boundaries. David Willey was sceptical, and thought they were actually relatively small.Ripley realised that there was no way of knowing who was right. Back in Northampton, Ripley and Rowe promptly went to local builders, who gave them a measuring wheel. Northants have been using it to measure boundary dimensions at grounds ever since. Ripley reckons that with most counties preparing flatter wickets in T20s, the most significant part of home advantage might now lie in being able to adjust the dimensions of the boundaries. Indeed, the small boundaries at Wantage Road suit Northants, aiding the teams boundary-hitting while reducing the importance of preventing twos for a side that is far from the most mobile.There are clear limitations to the use of data in cricket. In baseball, each team plays 162 games in the regular season; in the T20 Blast, they only play 14, a far smaller sample size. We still dont have that much data, Rowe says.Before every game, in all competitions, Barker assembles a dossier for Ripley and Rowe. In T20, his analysis is built upon ground and opposition statistics and breaking down games into three chunks - the Powerplay of six overs, the nine overs in the middle, and the five overs at the death. Some of his stuff is a bit wacky, but thats okay. But some of its, Oh, hey, Ill be thinking about that differently now, says Rowe.The coaches discuss Barkers findings with Wakely, and then decide on a few choice statistics to relay to the team. The difficulty is, sometimes we get too much information, Wakely reflects. You dont want to sit people down for too long, because they dont listen, so we have to go through it, sift out the best bits of information, and feed those back to the dressing room so that it gives us the best chance of winning.Barkers data-crunching forms the analysis aspect of Northants pre-match team talks. A sheet of paper is hung up on the dressing room wall outlining the strengths and weaknesses of batsmen and bowlers, and a few choice stats - like a batsmans strike rate against different types of bowlers, or where an opposing bowler tends to bowl at the death - that can inform action. We will see that a guys strike rate against spin is 220, and his strike rate against seam is 120, says Rowe. You cant always have the perfect game plan out in the middle, but knowing that is very important.The sheet of paper remains in the dressing room for the whole game. Sometimes out there on the pitch I might get someone off the field to have a look, and find out how this guys been getting out, says Wakely.Pre-game analysis is put into practice in other ways. Northants always discuss match-ups - the batsman-bowler combinations between them and the opposition that are most favourable. Before the quarter-final at Hove in 2015, Northants measuring wheel found that there was an unusually short boundary up the hill, with the wind howling to the leg side. Willey promptly smashed 34 off a single over from Mike Yardy during a blistering century. Northants also always have in mind opposing bowlers they can target if they are behind the game.This use of data is married with instinct. On a slow pitch in the 2013 semi-final, Wakely called upon Kyle Coetzers occasional medium pace; he had only bowled two overs in the competition all season. Coetzers second ball snared Ravi Bopara, caught at midwicket. It surprised me. But he recognised that pace off was the way to go, says Rowe. Thats brilliant captaincy: knowing your personnel, having a gut instinct and making a decision.At the start of 2016, Northants found another use for data: to show how they could overcome the loss of Willey, their star player, who had departed for Yorkshire. In a team meeting Ripley presented Willeys statistics at Northants, emphasising that he had missed many matches, and saying the team had often won games that he did play without Willey making a significant contribution.His stats werent as breathtaking as we had perceived. We just put it out to the group to smooth it over for everybody. Ripley had a simple message for each member of the team: You just might have to have one more [match-winning game] than last year.Just as the Oakland As recovered from losing their three star players - Johnny Damon, Jason Giambi and Jason Isringhausen - after 2001 to do even better in 2002, so Northants performed even better without Willey in 2016. This was the greatest testament to Northants T20 strategy yet: the proof that it could withstand the loss of their most audacious cricketer.Prudent recruitment policy has underpinned Northants success. We go to the same principles: what do we need, and do homework on their character, Ripley says. He works through targets with Nigel Felton, a board member responsible for the final negotiations. Felton reflects: We cant afford to get it wrong.Just after Ripley took over, the club said that it was actively looking to recruit players to assist us in limited-overs formats. It is a white-ball-dominated squad, Barker notes, though Northants won their last three matches in County Championship Division Two in 2016.Prioritisation of white-ball cricket reflects a wider advantage for Northants: expectations. While many Test-playing grounds would not tolerate mid-table finishes in Division Two even if it meant performing outstandingly in limited-overs formats, Northants can see that as a trade-off worth making. The club was in Division One as recently as 2014, and is determined to return there, but no one is grumbling about their County Championship form while they are performing so outstandingly in T20 cricket. Northants even rested players from Championship matches before their quarter-final and finals day, so they could focus on white-ball skills.In T20 cricket, wealthier counties have tried to sign the best players available, no matter how short the stint. In 2015, Surrey signed Pakistan quick bowler Wahab Riaz for two games in consecutive days. Such an approach is unimaginable at Wantage Road, where budgetary constraints and the wish to protect the team dynamics mean that overseas players have been signed for the majority of the T20 season. In 2013, Cameron White played every match. Kleinveldt was signed as an overseas player from 2015 partly because he was available all season long, unlike many of the itinerant overseas recruits common in the shires. NFL Jerseys China. For their second overseas player in T20 cricket, Northants signed Shahid Afridi in 2015, who played eight matches, including on finals day; and in 2016 they signed Seekkuge Prasanna - like Afridi, a legspinning allrounder, ensuring continuity in the balance of the side - who played ten games before injury.Only very rarely do Northants sign players who are already established as first-team regulars at other counties - Josh Cobb, signed from Leicestershire before 2015, was the only exception in the T20-winning side in 2016, yet even he came from an unfashionable county and was identified for a specific skill: as Barker identified, Cobb hit more sixes in 2011 than Northants entire team.Rather than sought-after names, Northants recruitment of non-overseas players focuses on three types of cricketer: those outside the professional system altogether; those blocked at other counties; and those who could be politely termed as misfits.In 2006, Mohammad Azharullah was playing league cricket in Bradford. He was a professional cricketer in Pakistan, a skiddy and canny fast bowler good enough to play for the Pakistan Academy, and was earning some extra cash in the off season.While playing for Pudsey Congs, he started dating Emma, the clubs scorer. The relationship lasted, though Azharullah moved to different clubs in Yorkshire, and they were engaged in 2008, married in 2009, and had a daughter, Aisha, in 2011.Azharullah soon realised that he did not want to spend English winters away from his wife, playing first-class career in Pakistan, and pulled out of his contract with the Water and Power Development Authority midway through the 2009-10 season. But he continued to play as the club pro for Pudsey Congs, and always hoped to play county cricket from 2013, when he qualified through residency as a non-overseas player.In the final months of 2012, Azharullah emailed his CV to almost every county. Most did not even bother to reply. Only two - Northants and Worcestershire - told him they might be interested in signing him.Northants had already received a tip-off about Azharullah. Ralph Middlebrook, the father of James, had seen Azharullah in the Bradford League, and recognised him to be just as good as his first-class statistics in Pakistan - 190 wickets at an average of 26.50 - suggested.In January 2013, Ripley invited Azharullah in for pre-season training. Azharullah arrived at Wantage Road with one thought: I need to bowl as fast as possible.He was as good as his word. Indoors, bowlers tend to be quite polite. No one really bowls bouncers, recalls Wakely. He hit me first ball. I thought: wow this guys pretty good. He came with serious intent. After training, Crook approached Rowe with a simple message: Hes a genius. Youve gotta sign this bloke.The trouble was, Northants couldnt: they had no budget left. Azharullah was invited in again, this time for three days of training, with the club eager to find out whether his brilliant display in training was a one-off. It wasnt. So Ripley and Rowe went to David Smith, the then chief executive, cap in hand. We felt there was a window there, Ripley says. He was just getting English qualified. And we thought, If we dont do this now, as soon as he plays somewhere someone else is going to get him. In March, Azharullah was offered a one-year contract. It wasnt a lot of money but I just took it. I wanted to play, Azharullah says.Six months later Northants had gone from winning one T20 game in 2012 to winning the T20 Blast in 2013.Perhaps a little serendipity was at work. On finals day in 2013, Azharullahs daughter Aisha turned two. I didnt get her a gift, so I thought Id get her a medal instead. I used that as a motivation. By the days end he was not only a champion, he had taken 27 wickets in 2013, the highest tally in the competition. He has been at the heart of both Northants T20 triumphs, bowling a variety of yorkers and slower balls and relishing winning matches at the death. With hindsight it seems extraordinary that Northants did not face any competition to sign him.There are others from outside the system whose tales are almost as remarkable. Ben Sanderson, a strapping seamer, played three games for Yorkshire before being released in 2011. He took to playing in Minor Counties cricket, until, in the summer of 2015, when he was 26, Northants offered him a trial. Sanderson did well in four first-class games, and was then offered a two-year contract. This year he took 55 first-class wickets at 21.03 apiece, and in Northants two victories on finals day, recorded combined figures of 5 for 52.Sanderson was only playing because Richard Gleeson was injured. Like Sanderson, Gleeson made his debut in a tour match against Australia in 2015, a few months before turning 28. Northants realised that he could generate deceptive pace, and signed him on a pay-as-you-play deal for 2016, a role he combined with his day job as a community coach for the Lancashire Cricket Board. In July, Gleeson signed a three-year contract at Northants, and he was soon recruited by the Bangladesh Premier League.There is a common thread between Azharullah, Gleeson and Sanderson: all three were discovered in their mid-to-late 20s - long after most such outside the professional game have been written off as not good enough - while playing club cricket in Lancashire or Yorkshire, Englands traditional fast-bowling heartlands. Theyve got so many there that you can be brilliant in the leagues and no one knows about you, says Rowe. Ripley knows from personal experience how many good players Yorkshire produce - he grew up in Leeds before signing for Northants - and remains well informed about potential recruits in the county.Perhaps there are wider lessons here. Theres a great danger that its all about process - players getting into the system, then into the academy. Sometimes whats important is to get the late developer or the guy whos just missed out, says Felton. The guys whove gone out of the game are desperate to get back in - they just want to play. Theyre there for all the right reasons. You dont even talk about money to those guys sometimes.Similar logic underpins Northants pursuing what the club refers to as blocked players: high-quality performers languishing on the periphery elsewhere.Other counties tend to stockpile, especially sides with bigger budgets. It doesnt mean they spend it in the right way, says Felton. Sometimes players dont develop because theyre spending too much time playing 2nd XI cricket and cant get in the team. Its finding those players, and making sure theyre moving for the right reasons, and identifying them early.Northants look two years ahead for players blocked at other counties who might leave. In recent years they have signed Crook and Adam Rossington, who have gone from being fringe picks from Middlesex to front-line players for Northants. Graeme White - a product of the Northants academy who moved to Nottinghamshire in 2010 before returning in 2014 - is another blocked player made good. An unobtrusive left-arm spinner and lower-order hitter, White was one of four automatic picks, based on the Most Valuable Player rankings, for the North v South 50-over series next year. Like Northants coaches, the algorithm recognised Whites quality.Northants hope that the next fringe player from elsewhere to thrive will be the strapping fast bowler Nathan Buck. Hes a player that Rips and I have talked about a lot as someone whos got better cricket ahead, says Rowe. He was on our small list of domestic cricketers we were after.Together with locally qualified players outside the professional system or those blocked elsewhere, Northants have also recruited players who could politely be termed misfits. Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland As and star of Moneyball, built baseballs answer to the Island of Misfit Toys, Lewis wrote. The misfits included Scott Hatteberg, who had a poor injury record but a high on-base percentage; Chad Bradford, who was one of the slowest pitchers in the game but, because he threw the ball from unusually low, was tricky to hit; and Jeremy Giambi, who was slow but knew how to get on base. Through these signings Beane was able to exploit the flaws of prediction by representativeness - judging people on how they look, not what that do - as Daniel Kahneman notes in Thinking, Fast and Slow.Northants skill has been similar. It is almost impossible to imagine Surrey or Yorkshire signing players like Levi or Kleinveldt. To be crude, their waistlines just dont look the part.Because other counties undervalued the two South Africans, this created a market inefficiency for Northants, like the Oakland As, to exploit. Levi has scored 1397 T20 runs at 29.10 apiece, with a strike rate a shade under 150, for Northants; Kleinveldt has taken 30 wickets at 22.56, at an economy of under 7.50, despite normally bowling during the Powerplay and at the end of the innings.Both have had a wider significance, too. The signing of Richard Levi was very important, says Rowe, considering him a catalyst for Northants success. Tellingly, Northants were surprised there werent more counties interested in signing him. Where others noticed his midriff, Northants saw only runs and copious T20 experience. Kleinveldt, meanwhile, is charged with telling those in the dressing room when they have stepped out of line: He commands a lot of respect, says Wakely.Across all Northants recruitment, there are two unifying themes: the preference for selecting players with a point to prove, and the importance of character. In baseball, Theo Epstein, the general manager who led the Chicago Cubs to the World Series after 108 years of trying, talks about scouting the person more than the player.It is much the same at Wantage Road. None of us like surprises, Felton explains. But the club do not merely seek players who will do as they are told. If youve got some real red flags about a player, you might decide not to sign them, but sometimes that might be what you want - someone who is a little bit more get-up-and-go and in your face. You need some people who are quite confrontational and some who are heads down in the corner. Like many of the best sports teams, Northants are a mix of personalities.Its very difficult to value a player. The whole game is tussling with that, says Felton. Its a debate weve been having as a county. While Beane prioritised on-base percentage, which was an undervalued statistic in baseball, Northants have no such formula for recruitment, and their signings are based less on statistical analysis. But they have still proved that by looking beyond the most fashionable cricketers, teams can override the logic of financial determinism.Even for the poorest teams, success can become self-perpetuating. Because of people like Azha and Gleeson, players gravitate towards you, says Felton. The club has honed its USP to cricketers from other counties. We have ambition. And we want you to have ambition - but youve got a greater chance of fulfilling that ambition playing. Just think about your choices. You come here and play. Playing second-team cricket, or being a squad member at certain other clubs, youre not going to necessarily flower.This messages appeal was highlighted by Buck rejecting more lucrative offers to join, defying rumours about the clubs finances. It was very refreshing, we just felt that he wanted to come to Northants, Ripley says. Other players whom Northants have signed - including Azharullah, Cobb and Gleeson - have subsequently decided to stay at the club, when they could have earned more elsewhere, reciprocating the clubs loyalty.Northants also recognise that there is no source of talent as cheap as home-grown talent. A team recently derided as the Steelboks, on account of their relish for South Africans, have produced two of the most exciting talents to emerge from England in recent years: David Willey and Ben Duckett. While Willey left at the end of the 2015 season - a poor signal, Felton admits - Duckett chose to sign a new two-year contract at the end of 2016: a small indication of how far Northants have come. Should both players play more for England, Northants will be well rewarded by the ECB, helping to reduce the salary gap with other counties a little.Northants began 2015 with a squad of only 15 professional cricketers, the smallest around. Occasionally Ripley was reduced to ringing other coaches just before games to sign players on loan.And yet, through shrewd recruiting and management, Northants have turned their slight squad into an advantage. If youre Surrey or Yorkshire, its Christmas Day morning: theyve got lots of toys and dont know which to open, Felton says. We aint got that situation. Sometimes it means youve got to make the very best of what might come your way. Ripley believes: You need enough depth, but you dont need players three-deep waiting for an opportunity, because it just creates uncertainty and they become stale.Role clarity is the trope repeated endlessly by players and coaches alike. Players with knowledge of their role gives them confidence, says Rowe. They can practise that role, be clear on that.Players are by nature kind of vulnerable, and full of self-doubt anyway. It doesnt take a lot to unsettle the apple cart. So you need to be really, really careful. Several at the club express sympathy with Greg Smith, the Nottinghamshire opening batsman who performed well throughout the group stages but was dropped for their semi-final defeat to Northants.In T20, a smaller squad can also render batsmen less fearful that a loose shot or two will lead to being dropped. You dont feel like youre looking over your shoulder the whole time, says Crook, part of far larger squads during stints at Middlesex and Lancashire. You then play fearless cricket. It becomes a less selfish environment.The shallowness of Northants squad, and the camaraderie between players, cultivates a culture of selflessness and honesty. A case in point is Levi during T20 matches. Opening the batting, he uses his vast T20 experience to feed information about the conditions and a par score to the rest of the team. If Levi has a bad three or four overs and then gets out, he is very honest, Ripley says. The trust is there.Under pressure in the field, Northants small squad can also be an advantage. When I brought a bowler on we got to the point where every fielder knew where they were going to be, Wakely recalls. The sides least athletic fielders - notably Azharullah, Levi and Kleinveldt - have become competent in positions that conceal their weaknesses, with Levi regularly taking girth-defying acrobatic catches. Even Azharullah, normally hidden at short fine-leg, took an agile caught-and-bowled in the final against Durham this year and effected a run-out soon after.My shit doesnt work in the play-offs. My job is to get us to the play-offs. What happens after that is f***ing luck, Beane famously said.For Northants, this is where Moneyball comparisons fall short. Under Beane, the Oakland As have lost in six of their seven play-off series, and never qualified for a World Series final. Northants have won two T20 tournaments. If Northants have had some fortune - in 2013, Kyle Coetzers injury in the semi-final meant that Willey was promoted to open, and promptly creamed 60 off 27 balls - their success in crux games speaks of something much greater than luck.Barkers analysis work is even more valuable in knockout matches than in the regular group stage. As the T20 groups are regional, Northants play the same teams every year. Teams from the south group, who they only ever face in knockout games, are much less familiar. Before their quarter-final victory over Sussex in 2015, Northants had only played them once in a T20. They had never played a T20 against Middlesex before thrashing them in this years quarter-final.We needed specific information about teams we didnt understand, says Wakely. [Barker] came up with a pack of 25 pages with everything we needed: stats, average scores, pressure players, where boundaries were hit. The information was distilled before reaching the rest of the squad. Barker explains: We were looking a lot at the slower-ball bouncers and variations they had at the death and what their bowlers like to do. In normal games its like, Weve seen this, no need to overcomplicate it.But data can only explain a little of Northants pedigree in knockout matches. Theres not a stat in the world that gives you that edge, says Barker, reflecting on Northants run of eight victories - three out of three batting first and five out of six batting second - in nine knockout T20 matches since 2013. Weve got cooler heads than the opposition, Wakely believes. To Rowe, we have got numerous players who want to be on the big stage - they love it. Role clarity also helps: when Azharullah is defending ten off the final over, he is merely attempting what he has done successfully many times before.Under pressure, Northants can also call upon their spirit. If it is tempting to recall Steve Archibalds aphorism - Team spirit is an illusion glimpsed in the aftermath of victory - Northants suggest that he was overly cynical. Even in 2014, when Wakely was injured all season and the team was regularly pummelled in Division One of the Championship, the dressing room did not descend into infighting.Theres togetherness from the top to the bottom. They work hard, they party hard, says Azharullah. Before he retired after a 20-year career in 2015, Stephen Peters told Wakely that it was the best dressing room that hed ever played in.The captain, an academy product first thrust into the role at 24, has unified and empowered his players, eschewing rabble-rousing speeches but speaking with purpose when he does talk. My role is more to keep the peace individually with people.Wakely also has a relish for the big stage. He thumped 59 not out off 30 balls in the 2013 final, and then, entering in crises at 15 for 3 and 9 for 3, hit 53 and 43 in the two victories on finals day this year. I imagine WASP [Sky Sports gizmo for giving teams a percentage chance of victory] was pretty much non-existent for us, he laughs. Defying the odds twice on finals day was merely an extension of what Northants have spent much of the past four years doing. One thing people overlook is theres a hell of a lot of talent at this club, Wakely says. In 2013, Northants fielded almost the same XI throughout the tournament, but overcoming injuries and a lot more adversity made 2016s victory even more admirable.To Barker, Maybe the scary thing - one that no one at Wantage Road would ever admit or anyone else would ever accept - is that weve done what weve done because when the stakes have been at their highest weve invariably been better than anyone else.After over 30 years involved in Northants, Ripley considered finals day in 2013 my best day in cricket. But he enjoyed 2016s win just as much.When Ripley and the team woke up the next day, nursing what was simultaneously the best and worst hangover imaginable, he confronted a new problem.I have tried to play the underdog tag a bit. But its getting difficult to keep rolling it out. 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