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The Texas Rangers outrighted right-handed pitchers?Lucas Harrell and Shawn Tolleson on Wednesday, John Blake, the teams executive vice president of communications, announced via Twitter. Jordan 31 Black And White . Each pitcher has elected free agency, per Blake.Both Harrell and Tolleson were on the 60-day disabled list; Harrell because of a right groin strain and Tolleson due to a lower back strain.?Tolleson began the 2016 season as the Rangers closer but was sent to Triple-A Round Rock after the team acquired Harrell from the Atlanta Braves?on July 27. In 37 relief appearances this past season, Tolleson was 2-2 with a 7.68 ERA. He was 11-for-15 in save opportunities and lost his job as the closer after blowing consecutive saves in May. Sam Dyson took over the closers role.?Harrell was 1-0 in four starts for the Rangers, and 3-2 in nine total starts. He posted 4.21 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and struck out 36 batters in 47 total innings this season. As a Ranger, Harrell had 15 punchouts in 17 2/3 innings. Jordan 32 Low Like Mike . 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. Womens Air Jordan 11 Retro Pink .Y. -- Knicks coach Mike Woodson said Wednesday that J. http://www.2018jordan11releases.com/ . Houston won 3-0 to advance to face New York in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Last in the game, Di Vaio and Romero got into a shoving match with several Houston players. Romero appeared to elbow and kick Houston defender Kofi Sarkodie. SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Suspended Missouri State quarterback Breck Ruddick is defending himself against animal abuse allegations.His attorney, Adam Woody, released a statement Monday that said it is nothing short of shameful to see the public react to him so viciously. The statement says Ruddick has received death threats after an unidentified woman alleged in a Facebook post that Ruddick beat her friends dog. The statement also says the Facebook post contains numerous inaccuracies.Ruddicck was suspended Friday, and Missouri State told the Springfield News-Leader the next day that the suspension was tied to abuse allegations. Jordan 11 Win Like 96. Without Ruddick, Missouri State fell to Kansas State 35-0 in a game that was called at halftime because of dangerous weather in the area.No charges have been filed against Ruddick in Missouris Greene County. Wholesale Jerseys Discount NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys China Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Jerseys Online Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping Jerseys Wholesale ' ' '
While distance lends perspective, it can also lead to the growth of myths - and the 25 years since Western Samoa beat Wales in the 1991 World Cup in Cardiff seem to have done more of the latter. Stan Smith Night Indigo Suede .It was much invoked last year when Japan beat South Africa in the World Cup. There are clear parallels, since both involve an emerging rugby nation defeating an established one. And theres no doubt Samoas achievement was momentous.?They were the 1991 tournaments only rookies, playing in their first World Cup finals match, and on their opponents home ground. But was it, as Japans feat undoubtedly was, a shock ?Hardly so when one considers Wales at the time. Defeat by a previously unconsidered group of islanders was not even a low point.That had come earlier in the year when 134 points were conceded over two weekends - 71 to New South Wales and 63 to Australia - and Welsh players had brawled among themselves at the dinner following the international.Those punch-ups were the culmination of the ill-feeling which had built over coach Ron Waldrons en masse importation of both the methods and personnel which had made his Neath team hugely successful at club level.Hugely effective in driving club players into the errors which come when they have been run to exhaustion, they were predictably much less successful against the fitter, more skillful adversaries encountered at international level.Waldron had resigned, citing ill-health, so Wales went into the 1991 World Cup (as it would again in 1995) with a new coach - Alan Davies, who came from Ynysybwl via a highly successful stint in England with the upwardly mobile Nottingham club.There was also a new captain. Full-back Paul Thorburn had quit at the end of the Australian tour and was replaced by wing Ieuan Evans. They had had only one match to prepare, played against France on 4th September at the National Stadium to mark the installation of floodlights.Wales lost 22-9 in a match probably now most remembered by Luc Evans, who enjoyed one of the shortest of all Welsh international careers as a replacement for captain Ieuan. But Wales still were not too concerned about the Samoans.As scrum-half Robert Jones recalled We had played them a couple of times before, beating them without too much trouble.In an age where rugby news travelled infinitely less quickly than it does now, and even the most famed visitors arrived with a certain air of mystery, they had little idea what was about to hit them. Peter Fatialofa did.The Samoan captain had told his team The Welsh have never seen tackling like Samoan tackling. Well smash the crap out of them.A prop who would have played for the All Blacks if the selectors had been more convinced by his scrummaging, Fatialofa ran a piano-moving business in Auckland and certainly gave the impression that he was capable of lifting a baby grand one-handed.A stalwart of the Auckland team which was putting together an unprecedented seven-year run in the Ranfurly Shield, he had persuaded colleagues with island heritage to join him in playing for Samoa.This made the 1991 team a very different proposition to those beaten in 1986 and 1988, which had conformed to the islander stereotype of being terrific with the ball in hand but less convincing in tighter and more technical aspects.Frank Bunce, one of those recruits, recalled:?We never had much as a team. We didnt have any money or any gear. We just had a lot of belief, support, faith and talent.They also launched the debate, which lasts to this day, about New Zealands relationship with the islands.In this the refusal of kiwi critics to acknowledge that New Zealand rugby has played fast and loose with islander talent has its mirror image in a British inability to recognise that, like the large number of Jamaican-descended men who have played football for England, the phenomenon also reflects population flows which have nothing to do with rugby.The number of male Samoans living in Auckland is greater than the entire population of Samoa. Bunce, who would shortly afterwards begin a highly distinguished All Black career, is a case in point.His qualification to play for New Zealand, where he was born, raised and educated, was impeccable. But his island heritage was from Niue, where his great uncle, Sir Robert Rex, was Prime Minister. As a descendant of George III - hence the Rex surname - Bunce arguably also qualified to play for, or even rule, England.On a grey autumnal Sunday afternoon it was clear from the start that this tough, battle hardened and highly motivated group - also including back rower Pat Lam and wing Brian Lima - were more than capable of coping with a Wales team still recuperating from the traumas of Australia and fielding the brilliant but half-fit Mark Ring at outside-half.That was some of the hardest tackling I have ever seen, reflected coach Davies afterwards. The 20 year old Scott Gibbs, not yet the formidably powerful figure he became, came in for a ferocious battering by Bunce. Full-back Tony Clement had a bruise extending from the top of his leg to his ribcage.We never got into our stride, recalled Robert Jones. Yet the decisive moment of the match would not have been allowed under modern TMO rules. It came directly after half-time, with the score at 3-3.In Joness words :I touched the ball down behind the line, getting my body right over the ball. A Samoan came in straight afterwards and touched down and the French referee, who was a fair way behind play, gave the try.I know for a fact that I touched down first, and the television pictures backed me up. Wales battled on, scoring tries through their wings, Arthur Emyr and Ieuan Evans. But they never really recovered from that early second-half score, awarded by referee Patrick Robin to centre Toa Vaega.A second try from back rower Sila Vaifale and eight points from the boot of scrum-half Matthew Vaea sealed a 16-13 win for the Samoans. At one level Wales had been, as the Telegraphs John Mason wrote hellishly unlucky.But there was little of the anger which has accompanied some other contentious Wales defeats.As well as recognition of what it meant to Samoa, there was also acceptance, as the following seasons Welsh Brewers Rugby Annual for Wales would put it, that the better team won. It is hard to summon up much sense of injustice when that happens.Yet the implications for Wales, with Australia to come in their group, were stark. Argentina were beaten 16-7 to keep hope alive, but the Wallabies, en route to the trophy, ejected Wales from the tournament - and into the qualifying competition for 1995 - with crushing efficiency.That a 36-3 defeat in which Wales lost the lines-out by 28-2 could be correctly described as an improvement shows how low they had fallen a few months earlier. Samoa went on to show their defeat of Wales was no fluke.On a Pontypool afternoon so wet that it was possible to believe a tide might start coming down the slope they held the Australians to 9-3 in one of the lowest scoring World Cup matches of all time, then sealed their quarter-final place by beating Argentina 35-12 at Pontypridd.The end came in the quarter-final at Murrayfield when they ran into a tough, accomplished Scottish team on the trail of what remains to this day their best shot at reaching the final.The Scots won 28-6 and their scrum-half Gary Armstrong recalled a superb game to play in which our pack played some of the best rugby I have ever seen. Samoa were given a standing ovation by the Murrayfield crowd.Bunce did not play for them again, but Lima would still be there in 2007, four World Cups on. Fatialofa died early, suddenly and much mourned in 2013. They have qualified for every World Cup since, making the quarter-finals again in 1995 and the preliminary playoff stage in 1999, but have not made it out of their pool this century.A tipping point appears to have been in 1999 - not their second victory over Wales, but defeat, in a little-remembered World Cup classic played at Stradey Park, Llanelli, by Argentina, who had been beaten in 1991 and 1995 and trailed by 14 points at Stradey.You can blame New Zealand depredations, and in particular the betrayal of the islanders as a whole when Super Rugby was launched in 1995, or point to the ruthlessness of numbers as it affects a nation which, even if you include every Samoan living in New Zealand, is still much smaller than Fiji.And no sensible opponent ever takes Samoa lightly, which may be part of the problem - they are unlikely ever again to catch somebody unawares.But perhaps the saddest fact about that memorable victory at the National Stadium in 1991 is that, a quarter of a century on, it remains a high point rather than the prelude to greater things to come. y-3 Schoenen Sale . After Gasquet beat fifth-seeded Ivan Dodig of Croatia 7-5, 6-3, Tsonga followed up with a 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-2 win against sixth-seeded Edouard Roger-Vasselin in an all-French match. Yeezy Kopen Nederland . 10 Texas Rangers jersey for one last time. Young formally announced his retirement Friday after returning to Rangers Ballpark, his baseball home for all but the last of his 13 major league seasons. http://www.bestellenadischoenen.nl/adidas-superstar-mesh-rood-wit-zwart-66.html . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue. 6 Centuries for David Warner in 2016 - the most by an Australia batsman in a calendar year. Ricky Ponting (2003 and 2007) and Matthew Hayden (2007) previously held the record, having hit five centuries each. Only two players have hit more centuries in a year than Warner - Sachin Tendulkar (9 in 1998) and Sourav Ganguly (7 in 2000). In 2016, no other batsman has scored more than three ODI centuries.2 Bigger totals for Australia in ODIs than the 378 in this match. They made 434 against South Africa at Wanderers in 2005-06 and 417 against Afghanistan at WACA in last years World Cup. This is the third-highest total for any team against New Zealand and Australias first 350-plus total against them.126 Runs conceded by New Zealand in the last ten overs of the innings - the joint-highest they have conceded in ODIs since 2001. They gave away 126 against Pakistan in Christchurch in 2010-11. Out of the 126 runs, 89 came in the last six overs.1 Number of higher totals in ODIs at Manuka Oval than Australias 378 in this match. South Africa scored 411 for 4 against Ireland in the 2015 World Cup. Australias previous highest at this venue was 348 for 8 against India in January this year. They have posted 300-plus on each of the four occasions they batted first here. The scoring rate in first innings at Manuka Oval is 6.53, which is easily the best among all venues to have hosted more than one ODI.85 Number of innings taken by Warner to score 10 ODI centuries - the fourth-least by any batsman. Quinton de Kock is the fastest to the mark (55 innings), followed by Hashim Amla (57) and Virat Kohli (80). Before Warner, Mark Waugh (125 innings) was the fastest to ten ODI hundreds. Warnerr is the fifth player to score 10 or more ODI centuries for Australia. Adidas Superstar Mesh Wit/Marine/Rood. Before his six centuries in 22 innings in 2016, Warner had hit only four in 63 innings.1 Matt Henry conceded 91 runs and Trent Boult gave away 80 to mark the first instance of two New Zealand bowlers conceding 80 or more runs in the same ODI. Mitchell Santner conceded only 47 runs in 10 overs, and was the only New Zealand bowler with an economy of less than six.2 Instances of four Australia batsmen scoring 50 or more in an ODI innings at home. Apart from Warners century, Steven Smith, Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh struck fifties. The first such innings at home came against Sri Lanka at SCG last year. Overall, this was the eighth such instance for them.7 Consecutive ODIs at Manuka Oval which have been won by the team batting first, since 2013. In the previous six ODIs, the team winning the toss elected to bat, unlike in this match, which was perhaps due to the overcast conditions. Australias 116-run win is their third-biggest against New Zealand at home.2012 The last time New Zealand lost two or more consecutive bilateral ODI series. Before losing the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy, they were beaten 3-2 in India. New Zealand were defeated in three consecutive series in 2012 - against South Africa at home, and in West Indies and Sri Lanka.4/41 Pat Cummins figures in this match - his best in ODIs. This was his third four-for, after two such hauls at Lords and Leeds in his last ODI series, in 2015. These are also the fourth-best figures for any bowler in Canberra. Wholesale Jerseys Discount NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys China Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Jerseys Online Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping Jerseys Wholesale ' ' '
It doesnt take much for bettors to take interest in Tiger Woods. Sean Taylor Jersey .Woods finished in 15th in an 18-player field at the Hero World Challenge over the weekend, closing with a 4-over 76 in his first competitive tournament in 15 months.Still, it was enough to cause a flurry of action on his odds to win next years Masters.On Monday, Woods could be found as low as 16-1 to win the 2017 Masters in Las Vegas.At sportsbook operator CG Technology, more money has been bet on Woods to win at Augusta in April than any other golfer. He opened at 55-1. They kept betting him, CG Technology vice president of race and sports Jason Simbal said.Woods was the longest shot in the Hero World Challenge field at the Westgate SuperBook, listed at 40-1 to win the tournament in the Bahamas. The SuperBook took 13 bets on Woods to win prior to the tournament. He finished 14 shots behind winner Hideki Matsuyama.Matsuyamas odds to win the Masters were down to 15-1 on Monday. He was one of five golfers with better odds than Woods.Jason Day and Jordan Spieth were 8-1 cofavorites to win the Masters at the SuperBook, with Rory McIlroy at 9-1. Tiger was listed at 20-1.The Masters will take place April 6-9 in Augusta, Georgia. Sua Cravens Jersey . Shot outdoors against the stunning backdrop of Banff, Alta., the networks 30-minute original production airs tonight at 8pm et/5pm pt on TSN2. The four All-Star teams will play for $100,000 in prize money during TSNs annual skins game, airing live this weekend on TSN from The Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre. Redskins Jerseys China . Gather a group of friends, or find a league to join online, draft your team, set your lineup and compete in a number of different formats. http://www.cheapredskinsjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-doug-williams-jersey . Francis told several hundred members of the European Olympic Committees that when sport "is considered only in economic terms and consequently for victory at every cost . Fast bowler Kyle Abbott, who led South Africa to a 4-0 lead with a four-wicket haul in his first appearance for the side in four months, has said its tough not being a regular member of the team. With the hosts resting three first-choice bowlers - Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada and Imran Tahir - for the dead rubber in Port Elizabeth, Abbott got a game and produced a Man-of-the-Match performance.Its tough not knowing when you are going to get a game, he said. The key is to still tick the boxes at practice and when those opportunities come, there is no time for questioning out there, have I done the work? Coming up against a quality batting line-up like Australia, you need to stay on top of your game even if you are not playing.Having dominated Australia in the four games so far, Abbott said the hosts will look for more of the same in Cape Town to become the first team to whitewash Australia in a five-match ODI series.We cant even begin to think what it might be like on Wednesday night if it does happen. It has been phenomenal, he saidd. Joe Theismann Jersey. We celebrated well on Wednesday night after winning the series and that was the big challenge today, to put in another performance knowing that the series was secured and not take our foot of the gas. We did that pretty well. Coming up to Wednesday, I dont think we will do anything differently. We will stick to what weve done thats won us four games and hopefully make it five and make some history.Abbott also said it was a challenge dealing with the wind at his new home ground, having moved from Dolphins to Warriors.Rhythm was difficult with the contrasting ends, he said. From the top end, running with the wind and downhill, you almost felt like you were going past your run-up and then from the other way, you struggled, sometimes not knowing whether you will get to the crease. It was quite a challenge. We trained for the last two days with the wind. We knew it was going to be like that. Wholesale Jerseys Discount NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys China Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Jerseys Online Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping Jerseys Wholesale ' ' '
GRAND FORKS, N. justin vogel stitched jersey .D. -- Keaton Studsrud threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, and North Dakota held on to beat Cal Poly 31-24 on Saturday.Studsrud threw a 74-yard score to Luke Stanley to give the Fighting Hawks (3-2, 2-0 Big Sky Conference) a 31-17 lead early in the fourth quarter.Dano Graves completed a 40-yard pass to J.J. Koski, and capped the drive with a 25-yard TD pass to Carson McMurtrey to pull Cal Poly (3-2, 1-1) to 31-24 with about four minutes remaining. The Mustangs forced a punt on North Dakotas next possession. Graves then drove the Mustangs to the North Dakota 2-yard line, but threw an interception to Torrey Hunt in the end zone with 1:45 left.Studsrud ran for a 16-yard touchdown in the first quarter, and tossed a 3-yard score to Noah Wanzek in the third quarter.Graves threw for 219 yards and three touchdown passes, including two to McMurtrey. dean lowry stitched jersey . -- Al Jefferson found a groove just in time for the Charlotte Bobcats. Womens Packers Jerseys . The Dutchmans tenure got off to a poor start when referee Guido Winkmann awarded a penalty within two minutes for Niklas Starks clumsy challenge on Alexandru Maxim. http://www.officialpackersnflauthenticshop.com/kentrell-brice-stitched-jersey/ . Booth picked up 65 caps after making her national team debut in 2002 at the age of 17. She most recently played for Sky Blue FC of the National Womens Soccer League. "It just felt like it was my time to move on," she said in a phone interview from her hometown of Burlington, Ont. The late-ish debutEvery time a new player makes an appearance in Test cricket, there is scrutiny of his method and technique. The first few overs against pace saw Keaton Jennings getting a little late on the ball. Whenever we saw the footage from the square angle for the balls that pitched fuller, we found his front toe in the air and also, the contact was within his body as opposed to meeting the ball either around or ahead of the front pad.Rolling in the deepThe Indian seamers deployed a fielder to man the fence on either side of the pitch. While having a fielder at deep square leg could be to set the bouncer trap, the one at deep point was stationed for the bad ball. The reasons for such a ploy could be an acceptance of the possibility of the pitch cracking too soon or to account for the extra bounce at Wankhede, for that allows the horizontal bat shots to be played more often.The well-behaved Wankhede pitchThe pitch at Wankhede is one of its kind in India, for the soil used to prepare it is red in colour and that offers more bounce. In addition to that, the red soil tends to break quicker than the black soil. The first signs of what to expect from this pitch surfaced on the fourth ball of the eighth over, for there was a puff of dust where the ball landed. It is worth mentioning here that there is an even covering of grass on the 22 yards and therefore it will not start misbehaving too soon.Englands clear intentEngland have come out with a clear intent to be a little more aggressive in this Test. There has been a clear intent to keep the score board ticking, even if it meant playing slightly out of character. Alastair Cook is not known to go down the track and attempt aerial shots early in the innings but he did that here. Jennings also used the sweep shot effectively to rotate strike.Liimited margin of errorThe best part about the red-soil pitch at Wankhede is that the game moves really fast. davon house stitched jersey. The extra bounce off the pitch allows the batsman to put the ball in gaps easily and the same bounce ensures that edges (outside and inside) carry to the fielders. As a bowler you cannot err in length, for unlike other Indian pitches, here runs are easily available off the back foot. Batsmen must also be decisive in judging the length correctly, for they cannot just plant their foot and adjust afterwards.The familiar trap against MoeenFollowing Moeen Alis dismissal in the first innings of the Test in Mohali, Indian seamers tried the bouncer trap against him at Wankhede too. While he has had a fair share of issues against the short-pitched deliveries in the past, he has managed it well on the first day here. If there is a pitch in India that encourages fast bowlers to dig it in, it has to be at the Wankhede. But if there is a pitch in India where batsmen also feel comfortable against bouncers, it has to be the Wankhede again, for here you can always trust the bounce. If you have a defensive game plan against bouncers, you can stick to it without worrying about some balls not bouncing enough. The ball of the seriesIf you are an aspiring spinner, please watch this ball time and again. R Ashwin bowled from around the wicket, used the angle to bring the ball back into Ben Stokes, the angle got further accentuated because of the drift and then the ball turned at a right-angle after pitching to beat Stokes outside edge. It is a pity that Ashwin did not get a wicket on that ball and therefore it will not go down as one of the best balls in recent times.Wholesale Jerseys Discount NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys China Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Jerseys Online Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping Jerseys Wholesale ' ' '
DENVER -- Don Mattingly knows this wont be the last time he jogs out to right field to check on his rookie phenom. Xavier Grimble Jersey . The Los Angeles Dodgers manager was cautioned well in advance that Yasiel Puig has one speed -- all out. Puigs simply going to run into things, including fences. Hanley Ramirez had four hits, including a solo homer in the ninth, to help the Dodgers hold off the Colorado Rockies 10-8 Wednesday night in a game Puig left early with a bruised left hip after his leaping catch in right field. "He just plays like that," Mattingly said. "They kind of warned us coming up he plays like that and hes going to get hurt." Puig reached up to rob Nolan Arenado of a hit in the fifth, only to smack his hip on a padded column below the scoreboard in right. Puig stayed down on the warning track for several minutes before jogging around the outfield and remaining in the game. The next inning, Puig drove in a run with a sacrifice fly before being taken out when the Dodgers made a double switch. Puig, who was just named the NL player of the month, finished 1 for 3 with a double. Team officials said a precautionary X-ray was negative and hes listed as day-to-day. "I think hell be able to play but well see," Mattingly said. Puig has been sensational since being called up on June 3, hitting .440 this season with eight homers. And when he fell to the dirt, Dodger fans held their breath. Matt Kemp quickly rushed over to check on him, along with Ramirez and Adrian Gonzalez. Mattingly also jogged out to the outfield to see how Puig was feeling. Earlier in the day, Puig won the National League player and rookie of the month awards. It was hardly even a contest after he hit .436 in June. His 44 hits were a Dodgers rookie record for a month. "Now, its getting to be where you kind of expect him to do something all the time," Mattingly said. Juan Uribe, Gonzalez and Kemp added homers for the Dodgers, who have won 10 of their last 11 games to climb back into the thick of the NL West race. Zack Greinke (6-2) struggled on the mound but still earned his third straight win. He gave up five runs in five innings and tied a career high with seven walks. "I felt I did as good as I could do today," Greinke said. "Its not very good, but thats how bad it was. We played well. Tough game but we pulled it out." Reliever Paco Rodriguez pitched 1 1-3 scoreless innings to set up Kenley Jansen, who recorded the final four outs to pick up his eighth save in 11 chances. Jansen got pinch-hitter Tyler Colvin to pop up to end the game in front of a sellout crowd waiting to see the fireworks. Tyler Chatwood (4-2) never found his grove, surrendering a season-high six runs, five earned, and 11 hits in five innings. Chatwood entered the game with a 2-0 mark at Coors Field, with a 3.14 ERA. "He didnt get away with much," manager Walt Weiss said of his starter. "I didnt think Chat threw that bad. I thought he threw the ball all right. "I think right now theyre a tough lineup to get through." With the Dodgers leading 8-7 heading into the ninth, Ramirez and Kemp hit homers to give them some breathing room. The Dodgers would need the insurance runs as Arenado had an RBI single to drive in Wilin Rosario after the catcher led off the ninth with a walk. Every starter in the Dodgers lineup had at least a hit, with Ramirez extending his hitting streak to 14 games on a single in the first. "Hanleys just a beast," Mattingly said. "He seems to be on a mission this year. He had a rough start to the year being hurt, but hes been focused all year." A day after Michael Cuddyer had his 27-game hitting streak snapped, the outfielder singled in his first at-bat and later drove in a run by drawing a bases-loaded walk. Carlos Gonzalez added a solo homer off Greinke in the first inning. The Rockies couldnt hold an early 4-1 lead against a hot-hitting Dodgers team that had 17 hits. "Every team goes through those good runs. Every team goes through a downward turn," said Cuddyer, who got a haircut with his long streak over. "The good ones go through the good runs a couple of times over the course of the season. Theyre on a good run right now, playing really well, hitting the ball really well." NOTES: After a rehab stint with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, Dodgers OF Carl Crawford (strained left hamstring) could rejoin the team in San Francisco for the weekend series. ... Rockies OF Dexter Fowler (bruised right hand) is hoping he will be ready to go when hes eligible to come off the disabled list on July 11. "We dont want it lingering on the rest of the year," Fowler said. ... Weiss said SS Troy Tulowitzki (broken rib) is progressing, but hasnt started hitting live pitching yet. Justin Hunter Jersey . LeBron James and Chris Bosh didnt need any more. Williams scored 11 points in 10 minutes, Alan Anderson scored 17 points, and the Brooklyn Nets finished the exhibition season with a 108-87 win over the Miami Heat on Friday night. Rod Woodson Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.cheapsteelersjerseyselite.com/?tag=cheap-vance-mcdonald-jersey . Sulaiman, 44, was chosen unanimously Tuesday in a vote by the leadership, the World Boxing Council said. Sulaiman becomes the sixth president of the organization. Karachi Blues 182 for 3 (Manzoor 70, Alam 67*) beat Karachi Whites 179 for 8 (Abbas 47, Nawaz 4-26) by three runs Scorecard and ball-by-ball details Karachi Whites threatened to chase down 183 with a rapid 61-run opening stand and late blows from Tariq Haroon and Sohail Khan, but Mohammad Nawaz defended ten runs off the final over to give Karachi Blues the title.With Whites needing 11 off the last over with four wickets in hand, Mohammad Hasan reverse-swept Nawazs first ball for four. Nawaz came back with a dot and then an arm-ball that took Hasans middle stump. Azam Hussain sliced a couple over the covers before falling lbw off the next ball. It ultimately boiled down to five off the last ball. Mir Hamza heaved at it, and could only manage a double.Nawaz, playing only his second game of the tournament, finished with figures of 4 for 26. He had taken the first two wickets of the Whites innings as well. He bowled Asif Zakir for 32, and in his next over removed Asad Shafiq for 6. The two wickets dragged Whites back after they had raced to 60 in the first seven overs.Nawaz was helped by his fellow spinnerrs - Saeed Ajmal, who capped the tournament as the leading wicket-taker with 20 scalps, and Mohammad Asghar. Dan McCullers Jersey. They picked up two wickets each. Karachi Whites eventually got to 179 for 8 thanks to late cameos from Tariq and Sohail. Haroon hit 38 off 17 balls, while Sohail 24 off 11 balls.Blues win was set up by half-centuries from Khurram Manzoor and Fawad Alam. Alam set about reviving the innings after the early loss of the openers, with a brace of pulled fours. Manzoor, becalmed till then, struck three fours in four balls, and motored to his half-century in 36 balls, bringing it up in the 15th over. By then, Blues were 118 for 2.Manzoor kicked into a higher gear when he crashed back-to-back sixes off Azam in the 17th over. But he fell next ball, skewing a catch to gully. Alam then reached his own half-century off 35 balls, and was assisted by Mohammad Samis unbeaten 20 off 10 balls. Blues took 64 off the last five overs, and it proved just enough to deny Whites. Wholesale Jerseys Discount NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys China Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Jerseys Online Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping Jerseys Wholesale ' ' '
NASHVILLE, Tenn. Pat Elflein Jersey . -- Denver star cornerback Aqib Talib fought with Titans wide receiver Harry Douglas during Tennessees 13-10 win over the Broncos on Sunday. He promised to do more of the same when they meet next at the office of the agent they share.Talib was upset with Douglas going low with a cut block on fellow cornerback Chris Harris Jr. late in the first half Sunday. Harris was down on the field for a couple minutes before walking off and returning quickly.Titans running back DeMarco Murray ran up the middle on the next play, while Talib jumped on Douglas on the Titans sideline, scuffling around in what quickly became a scrum before being broken up. Talib lost his helmet and was penalized for unnecessary roughness.Harris returned and finished the game, but Talib was just as angry after the game .It was a dirty play by a sorry player, Talib said. He dont do nothing. He come in the game, dont catch no passes. He come in the game and chop guys from the back. And he done got the same agent as me. So I see him in Atlanta, Im going to beat his ass.Talib was fined $26,044 just for penalties in the Broncos Super Bowl victory over Carolina last February.After the game, Harris was just as upset, wanting Douglas fined for the low block.That was so illegal, Harris said. I have never had a player try to end my career like that. That was dirty and he should be fined. Thats not football. He tried to take me out for the game and tried to end my career, thats not football.Asked what Talib said to him on the sideline, Douglas said he didnt know and didnt care.It was a clean play, Douglas said. It was a run play, me and him looking at each other and I cut-blocked him. Like I told him, if they watch film, which theyre supposed to do in the NFL, I cut block in the run game. Thats a legal play. I guess he didnt watch film, because if he watched film of last game or any other game, hed see that I cut block in the run game.Denver coach Gary Kubiak said he only knew that Harris got cut-blocked but wasnt sure if it was legal. Tennessee coach Mike Mularkey said he didnt see the block.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL.---Follow Teresa M. Walker at www.twitter.com/teresamwalker Cheap Fran tarkenton Jersey . After a lengthy wait, persistent rain finally forced the postponement of the Nationals game against the Miami Marlins on Saturday night. The teams, and a few thousand fans, waited nearly four hours from the 7:05 scheduled start time before an announcement was made shortly before 11 p. Nick Easton Jersey .S District Court against Major League Baseball, the Office of the Commissioner and his own union, the MLBPA. http://www.cheapvikingsjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-andrew-sendejo-jersey . Kuznetsov, who was selected by the Capitals in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, has been playing for his hometown team Chelyabinsk Traktor of the KHL. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Brad Miller called it a punch to the gut that newly acquired Matt Duffy has been anointed to replace him as the Tampa Bay Rays starting shortstop.Obviously pretty disappointing, Miller said before Tuesdays night game against Kansas City. They said him playing shortstop was our best chance to win. Ive been playing very well and I feel like Ive only gotten better.Duffy was part of a four-player trade that sent pitcher Matt Moore to San Francisco on Monday.Miller has been told that he will primarily get playing time at first base once Duffy comes back from a minor league rehab assignment for a left Achilles strain latter this month. Anthony Barr Jersey. Im a professional, Miller said. Im a young player and I have to do whatever they say.Miller entered Tuesday hitting .250 with 17 homers and 39 RBI. He has made 13 errors.We talked with Brad (Monday), he handled it like a pro, Rays manager Kevin Cash said. Obviously theres some disappointment in there. He takes a lot of pride, a lot of passion in being a major league shortstop. We felt its best for the organization to get him over at first and allow Duffy the opportunity to play short. Wholesale Jerseys Discount NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys China Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Jerseys Online Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping Jerseys Wholesale ' ' '
En la Selección Mexicana no se quiere dejar pasar ningún detalle por alto. Dick Butkus Jersey . Al menos ninguno que sea físico, de logística y desde luego, tampoco uno mental o de motivación.Lea el texto completo Womens Bears Jerseys .Y. - Nelson Mandela will be honoured by the New York Yankees with a plaque in Monument Park. Dan Skuta Jersey .2 billion agreement with Rogers Communications for the leagues broadcast and multimedia rights. http://www.cheapbearsjerseyselite.com/?tag=cheap-devin-hester-jersey . 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. RIO DE JANEIRO -- If its an Olympic year, there are at least two slam dunks in the world of mens basketball ?that should reflexively pop into your head.The first, of course, is that Team USA will open the tournament as an embarrassingly huge favorite to scoop up all the gold medals.And then theres the follow-up lock: ESPN.coms internationally known Power Rankings committee (of one) faithfully resurfacing to rank the 12 participating countries no matter how big the gap is between No. 1 and Nos. 2-12.NBA Power Rankings will be back soon enough -- 49 days to be exact -- but this Olympic batch should get you back in the habit nicely and get you properly prepped before Olympic group play begins Saturday.?1. UNITED STATESTake all the time you want.There simply isnt a set of circumstances you could dream up, no matter how hard you try, to come up with a scenario where this group of Americans doesnt romp to the gold.Dont bother clinging to the list of all the big names missing or the threat of injury or buying into the misguided idea that theres a nation on this list below that could take advantage of the proverbial perfect storm nightmare game where the Yanks cant make an outside shot.Even without LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Anthony Davis, etc., theres simply too much length and defense and and now even size again on Mike Krzyzewskis squad for Team USA to struggle for long against anyone. A perfect 8-0 tournament would stretch the programs winning streak to a new all-time record of 76 wins in a row ... and thats exactly where the Americans will be on Aug. 21 after winning Coach Ks swan song.Yet we know you still feel that pull, that burn, to learn as much as you can about the rest of the world, even if the United States looks this invincible. ?So read on. Not unlike ?USA Basketballs depth chart ... its all here.2. SPAINThe committee (of one) is as guilty as anyone of writing the Spaniards off as a team whose time has passed, thanks largely to three unignorable truths:A. We still cant believe Spain failed to even reach the medal round on home soil at the 2014 Worlds; B. Pau Gasol, Juan Carlos Navarro and Felipe Reyes are all 36 ... with Jose Calderon not far off at 34; C. Marc Gasol (foot) hasnt healed in time to join his older brother and the rest of his longtime amigos to try for a third successive trip to the gold-medal game after they lost the last two Olympic finals to the fancied Americans by a mere 11 and seven points, respectively.Then you look at Spains roster and realize that all but one of its 12 players in Rio -- Reyes -- either plays in the NBA or has played in the NBA or is headed to the NBA or, at worst, can be classified as an NBA draftee. Our pal @mellentuck has all the delicious roster details sorted for you nicely.The best fivesome France can put on the floor might be more athletic, but the continuity ?and understanding Spains core players have after so many years and battles together ensures theyll have Team USAs respect and attention.Which is why Spain -- at least with us -- enters the tournament on a higher rung.3. FRANCEWe repeat: No opponent in the tournament can put a stronger starting five on the floor to counter Team USA than the French: Tony Parker and Nando De Colo at guard, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw in the frontcourt and rim protector extraordinaire Rudy Gobert at center.The coach putting everyone in those positions, furthermore, is the highly underrated Vincent Collet, who is Europes finest NBA coaching prospect no one ever talks about.Still ...France lost some of our confidence with its failure to finish higher than third in EuroBasket 2015, which was not only on French soil (and hardwood) but came with the program at a peak in terms of talent and recent results. The likes of Joffrey Lauvergne, Thomas Heurtel and Mickael Gelabale are quality backups in the international game, ?but there isnt quite the depth here to cope with the inevitable fatigue Frances main men will face given the load theyre shouldering.Bringing Orlandos Evan Fournier to Rio certainly could have helped there, so Monsieur Collet -- fond as we are of him -- cant duck the criticism sure to follow if that controversial-in-France decision backfires. And while Collets crew might be more than an Evan Fournier away from upsetting the United States, whos to say Fournier wouldnt be the difference between silver and bronze in the next duel with Spain?4. LITHUANIAGuess who wasnt surprised at all by Lithuanias automatic qualification for these Olympics thanks to a runner-up finish at the 2015 EuroBasket that few international basketball mavens saw coming?Answer: Anyone connected with USA Basketball.Outside of Spain, no one consistently plays Team USA tougher than the Lithuanians, who wont be fielding as many familiar names as usual, but have given the Yanks too many scares over the years with their toughness and dogged execution to be overlooked should the countries meet in the knockout round in Rio.Big man Jonas Valanciunas -- who, yes, still makes us of think of Charles Barkley calling him VAL-SU-éEE-NU-ON-SAUCE every time we see him -- is quite literally the centerpiece of this team, which always seems to play better if the game is bigger. And there are at least two more Lithuanians to watch.Domantas Sabonis is not just the son of the legendary Arvydas Sabonis but also suddenly a key figure in Oklahoma Citys post-Kevin Durant future after the Thunder acquired him along with Victor Oladipo in the Serge Ibaka trade. New York Knicks fans, meanwhile, will get an early glimpse of Mindaugas Kuzminskas, who sprinkles in some tangible shooting range and athleticism with his all-out effort.5. SERBIA?It doesnt take much daring to proclaim that Serbia wont be duplicating its runner-up finish from the 2014 World Cup in Spain. Any team that fields Denvers Nikola Jokic will be worth watching, but the 1-to-12 talent here tells you a reasonable expectation for these guys isnt in medal range.This squad could have been really must-see had former San Antonio-turned-Detroit sensation Boban Marjanovic joined Jokic on Serbias front line. But the incomparable Boban, sadly, didnt make himself available for national-team duty this summer, leaving Jokic to keep NBA Twitter engaged.Serbias other true star, of course, is still crafty lead guard Milos Teodosic, who is still also sadly no closer to making the jump to the NBA he has always resisted despite the urging of international hoop geeks like moi.Bogdan Bogdanovic (whose NBA rights were recently dealt from Phoenix to Sacramento in a deal featuring Junes No. 8 overall pick) and big man Miroslav Raduljica (whos known, as much as anything, for his James Harden-esque beard) also have some decent name recognition, but the second-place finish in the worlds last major competition honestly flattered the Serbs.Dont forget that they needed to win one of FIBAs three last-chance qualifying groups last month -- and duly routed Puerto Rico to oblige -- just for the right to join the United States in what was looking like a particularly weak Group A until Serbia and France were added.6. ARGENTINAOne more ride for Ginobili, Scola, Nocioni and Delfino ... mainstays for the Albiceleste that should be so familiar by now that ?last names surely suffice.Weve been lamenting since the 2014 World Cup in Spain what a shame it is that Argentina seems to have so little in the pipeline to try to carry on the proud tradition established by its Golden Generation, which won an unforgettable gold medal in Greece in 2004. Yet we must note that there is some new blood here with a couple of Texas-bound youngsters joining the vets: Dallas Mavericks signee Nicolas Brussino and San Antonio Spurs-bound Patricio Garino.The sad reality, though, is that this figures to be the last major tournament for some time that Argentina can expect to be any sort of force.The end is unavoidably at hand, more than a decade removed fromm Argentinas famous victories over the United States in the 2002 World Championships in Indianapolis and the 2004 Summer Games in Greece that played such a big part in triggering the broad changes Jerry Colangelo and Mike Krzyzewski would eventually implement with USA Basketball. Kyle Long Jersey. Scola is Argentinas flag-bearer at these Olympics and point guard Facundo Campazzo is always good for a Jason Williams-esque highlight or two, so perhaps were getting sucked into the nostalgia of it all to have the Argentinians this high. A bronze medal would represent a tremendous (and frankly improbable) showing for a proud squad fighting a futile battle against Father Time.7. BRAZILThe hosts qualified automatically for the 12-team field, as all hosts do, but arent exactly swimming in advantages as tournament tipoff draws near.Much like Spain and Argentina, Brazils most dependable players are largely in their twilight years: Nene, Leandro Barbosa, Marcelo Huertas and Alex Garcia. Worse yet: Two more ol reliables -- Tiago Splitter and Anderson Varejao -- are unavailable because of injury.Throw in the undeniable pressure Brazil will be facing to produce some sort of medal, which isnt quite soccer-level pressure but still a real thing for the national team because itll be playing on Brazilian soil, and you cant call yourself a responsible committee if you dont ask this question: Is this really a top-6 team?We werent convinced.Brazil did manage to eliminate hated Argentina in the Round of 16 of the 2014 FIBA World Cup, avenging painful losses to its most bitter rival in the two previous major tournaments, but the depth of Group B -- compared to what surrounds Team USA in Group A -- means that the hosts getting to the knockout phase is not assured. Sacrilegious as it sounds.8. AUSTRALIAEven with more than half of its roster sporting NBA experience, Australia ranks as the What If team of these Games.As in: What if Ben Simmons and Dante Exum were playing for the Aussies alongside the likes of Andrew Bogut, Matthew Dellavedova, Patty Mills, Joe Ingles and Aron Baynes?How much fun would that be?Of course, even without Simmons, you can count on the ever-gritty Aussies to make their Aug. 10 encounter with the United States in group play feel as frisky as any game the Yanks have, with Delly surely eager to harass Kyrie Irving from end to end. (Theres also the wholly unexpected bonus of getting to see three Washington State alumni -- Klay Thompson, Baynes and Brock Motum -- share an Olympic floor.Three guarantees from Team Australia: No one will play harder, itll win at least one game you dont expect, and Boguts unfiltered Twitter commentary about the shortcomings of the living conditions in the athletes village will be a highlight of the tournament.9. CROATIALong known for its penchant for self-destruction, Croatia is finally starting to rewrite its reputation, thanks to a promising crop of youngsters and a huge recent overtime victory over Italy -- in Italy -- to secure its Olympic berth in a win-or-go-home game.This is the Mario & Dario Show now: Orlandos Mario Hezonja and Philadelphias Dario Saric will team with top scoring threat Brooklyns Bojan Bogdanovic to lead a squad of potential spoilers in Group B.Depth is a problem at the moment -- as is point guard play -- but Mario and Dario have brought a new spirit and fight to a basketball nation that badly needed both.Croatia also arrives in Rio, like France and their forever rivals from Serbia, freshly battle tested because it had to win the last-chance qualifier featuring Italy and Greece just to get here. Which can only help with sharpness.The committee obviously would have been even more enthused about whats happening with the Croats if Dragan Bender, freshly drafted by the Phoenix Suns away from perennial Israeli power Maccabi Tel Aviv, was on the Olympic roster. But theres plenty to see here even without Bender ... especially for Sixers fans who have been waiting for a firsthand glimpse of Sarics talents for two years.10. NIGERIAOne of the factors that makes Group B so much tougher than Group A: Nigeria, as the presumed bottom-feeder of the pack, is a stronger team than Venezuela or China at the foot of the Americans pool.Perhaps even far stronger as it seeks to become the first African team in Olympic mens basketball history to advance out of group play and reach the final eight.Nigeria might have been a real Rio sleeper if the Portland duo of Al-Farouq Aminu and Festus Ezeli didnt make late withdrawals from the squad, but its coach -- NBA D-League product Will Voigt -- can put length on the floor at every position and has more shooters at his disposal than weve seen in green in the past.The focus here, as loyal readers surely already figured, will be on Josh Akognon, who had only a brief NBA stint in 2013 with the Dallas Mavericks but also happens to rank as the all-time leading scorer among two-year players in the history of Committee alma mater Cal State Fullerton. (Which, yes, is good for some bonus points with us.)The backstory with more widespread appeal undoubtedly belongs to either veteran big man Ike Diogu (who, dont forget, was selected by Golden State with the ninth-overall pick in the 2005 draft) or Ben Uzoh (whos on the comeback trail after two years of scary health woes).11. VENEZUELAThe one name you would have recognized on Venezuelas roster is gone; recent Brooklyn Nets signee?Greivis Vasquez is still recovering from the ankle injury that cost him most of last season in Milwaukee.Star status with the country Vegas pegs as the longest shot in the field was thus inherited by a 35-year-old named John Cox, whose father, Chubby, played briefly in the NBA ... and who can claim a certain Kobe Bean Bryant as his cousin.The Venezuelans, though, are as plucky as any team in the field, having qualified for these Olympics without Vasquez ... and with zero NBAers in uniform compared to the eight Canada featured -- including Minnesotas Andrew Wiggins -- when the teams dueled for the right to go to Rio in September 2015.Team USA found out just how scrappy coach Nestor Garcias squad is in a recent exhibition in Chicago, where Venezuela slowed the game down as much as humanly possible to keep the margin closer (35 points) than Argentina, China or Nigeria did.According to the latest FIBA rankings, Venezuela (No. 22 worldwide) is the weakest team in Group A. Yet the committee is actually rather confident that Venezuela will not finish last in the group. The belief here is that China is headed for the basement, with France, Serbia and Australia also bound to be annoyed by the defense, togetherness and, yes, pluck that comes from Garcias gang.12. CHINAIt sounds reasonable to presume that two recent exhibitions in California against the United States, followed by Saturdays Group A Olympic opener against the Yanks, could prove beneficial in terms of toughening China up for its four remaining group games.But thats not how itll play out.The real-life benefit in this case figures to be negligible, because this is a younger-than-usual Chinese team with little proven help in support of former lottery pick Yi Jianlian, whos the only certifiable NBA talent on the current squad.Point guard Zhao Jiwei has a little flair in his game and a willingness to try some stuff that can lead to a moment or two of fun -- and young big men Zhou Qi (Houston at No. 43) and Wang Zhelin (Memphis at No. 57) showed enough promise to merit second-round selection in the June draft -- but Chinas medal was winning the game it had to win against the Andray Blatche-led Philippines to clinch an Olympic berth in a qualifying showdown pitting Asias two hoops-obsessed nations.Chinas realistic goal in Rio is gaining experience that leads to tangible progress by the time it hosts the next FIBA World Cup in 2019. 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EDMONTON, Alberta -- Connor McDavid isnt the only youngster on the Edmonton Oilers making an impact right now. Sean Lee Stitched Jersey .Leon Draisaitl scored his 10th goal of the season 3:16 into overtime and Edmonton came away with a 3-2 victory over the visiting Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night.The 21-year-old has seven goals and 13 points in his last 10 games.There is a lot of talk about what Connor does, and that is pretty evident, but I think we are seeing another young guy really emerge as a go-to guy in Leon, Oilers coach Todd McLellan said. I told him on the bench to be the best player on the ice, you dont have to be the second-best. He responded with the winning goal. I was happy for him.Drake Caggiula and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also scored for the Oilers, who have won two in a row.Its obviously a big win for us, said Draisaitl, who is from Germany. The race is really tight in our conference right now. All the teams up there have the same amount of points, it feels like. Beating a team that we are up against, its huge.Jordan Eberle assisted on all three Oilers goals.Ryan Kesler and Rickard Rakell replied for the Ducks, who had a three-game winning streak come to an end.Any loss is tough. It was a good job fighting back, it was a bit of a let-down that we couldnt get the second point, said Ducks goalie John Gibson, who added that he has no explanation for his teams difficulty in extra time, having lost five games that way this season.We want to take pride in every game we play and obviously we havent had the success we want in overtime. Still a lot of time left, so hopefully we can turn it around.It was pretty even through the scoreless first period, with Anaheim putting eight shots on Cam Talbot and the Oilers getting seven on Gibson.The Oilers took the lead on the power play five minutes into the second period when Patrick Maroon fed a puck through to Caggiula, and he got Gibson going the wrong way to record his first NHL goal.The Ducks responded midway through the middle frame with a power-play goal of their own, as Kesler swept in a puck from the doorstep for his ninth of the season.Edmonton regained the lead with 6:25 to play in the second period when Nugent-Hopkins stepped in from the point and beat Gibson with a wrist shot from the top of the circle one second after a power play expired. It was his fourth of the year.The Ducks tied it again midway through the third as a shot deflected out front to Rakell, who put his team-leading 10th goal of the season into a wide-open net.Talbot had to be especially solid for the remainder of the third to push the game into extra time, when Draisaitl took a feed in front from Andrej Sekera and score to secure the win.Game notes Gibson turned away 29 shots, and Talbot stopped 31. ... It was the second of five meetings between the two teams this season, with the Ducks winning the first game in Anaheim 4-1 in November. ... Anaheim came into the game with an 8-1-1 record in its last 10 games against Edmonton. ... Oilers defenseman Mark Fayne played just his second game of the season, coming in to replace injured Darnell Nurse, who is out longterm with a lower-body injury. ... Former Oiler turned Duck Andrew Cogliano has never missed a game in his NHL career and played his 729th consecutive game.UP NEXTDucks: Travel to Calgary for a game Sunday night.Oilers: Host the Wild on Sunday night. Womens Cowboys Jerseys. After the whistle, Thornton skated the length of the ice, pulled Orpik to the ice from behind and punched him in the face several times. Ezekiel Elliott Stitched Jersey . There are surprises among the Vezina candidates, but most of the others are standard top-tier performers, even if the two Hart Trophy runners-ups have never been quite as good as they have been through the first half of the season. http://www.officialcowboysnflauthenticshop.com/dak-prescott-stitched-jersey/ . Tracey comes to the Blue Bombers after spending over a decade with Queens University. Most recently he was the schools assistant football coach.South Africa are in the middle of a crisis at the moment, with head coach Allister Coetzee faring unfavourably in his opening seven months at the helm. In 11 Tests under the 53-year-old, the Boks have slumped to seven losses, including a first ever defeat to Ireland on home soil, a record defeat at the hands of New Zealand in Durban, and an unprecedented loss to Italy. England also recorded a first win over South Africa in 10 years earlier this month. Sky Sports Black Friday sale Upgrade to Sky Sports now and get 12 months half price! South Africas 1995 World Cup-winning fly-half Joel Stransky said last month that South African rugby is rotten from the bottom up and top down and needs radical reform if recent results are to be overturned. One of South Africas major problems is an inability to cope with the money being offered to their players by overseas clubs, with the Top 14 a particular lure for seasoned campaigners looking to cash in on their trade before retirement.South Africans who play abroad are still eligible to play for the national side, with Johan Goosen and Willem Alberts recently featuring in the Rugby Championship, but there are plenty of South Africans playing in the French league who have been largely overlooked by Coetzee and his staff. Could those players challenge the Springboks in a game? We assemble a potential team... 15. Francois Steyn (Montpellier) Francois Steyn has not played for the Springboks since 2012 Steyn made his debut during South Africas autumn international tour in 2006, but it was at the 2007 World Cup in France that he caught the eye of the rugby public at large.However following some off-field issues, including alleged friction with SARU over image rights, the 29-year-old played his last Test for the Boks more than four years ago. Given his current form under Jake White at Montpellier, is it time for Steyn to be reintroduced to the South Africa setup?14. Paul Jordaan (La Rochelle) La Rochelles Paul Jordaan played for South Africa U20s for two years A relatively unknown quantity for northern hemisphere fans outside France, but Jordaan made a name for himself in South Africa playing in the Sharks midfield in Super Rugby before moving to La Rochelle earlier this year.The 24-year-old can play either on the wing or at centre, and played for the South Africa U20 side in 2011 and 2012 as well as the South Africa 7s team.13. Robert Ebersohn (Castres) Robert Ebersohn moved to Castres after a stint with Montpellier Ebersohn rose through the ranks alongside twin brother Sias, with whom he played Super Rugby for the Cheetahs. Sias then had a stint in Australia with Western Force, while Robert signed for Montpellier before making the move to Castres.The 27-year-olds were touted as possible Springbok regulars when they first arrived on the scene, but neither has managed a cap for the national side as yet.12. Meyer Bosman (Stade Francais) Meyer Bosman made his Bok debut at the age of 20 Bosman was another young talent who was thought to be something special when he first emerged on South Africas rugby landscape.Testament to his talent, he was handed a debut for the Boks in 2005 at the age of 20 before hed even played any Super Rugby. However since then, Bosman has only been picked on two further occasions, with his appearance off the bench in South Africas 49-0 thrashing at the hands of the Wallabies in 2006 his last taste of international rugby.11. Gio Aplon (Grenoble) Gio Aplon has won 17 caps for South Africa Aplon won the majority of his 17 Springbok caps under Peter de Villiers but did make one appearance in the Heyneke Meyer era, starting at full-back in South Africas 14-14 draw with England in June 2012.Aplon has struggled to cement a spot in South Africas back three, with the likes of Bryan Habana and JP Pietersen preferred ahead of him on the wing, and Zane Kirchner and Willie le Roux keeping him out of the No 15 jersey.10. Morne Steyn (Stade Francais) Morne Steyn is behind Pat Lambie and Elton Jantjies in the pecking order Morne Steyns series-winning kick for the Springboks against the Lions in 2009 was only his second appearance for South Africa, having made his debut in the first Test the week before.Steyn was preferred by Meyer for much of his time in charge of the Boks, but these days it is Pat Lambie and Elton Jantjies who are fighting it out for the No 10 jersey while Handre Pollard is out injured.The 32-year-old was drafted into the squad when Lambie picked up an injury against Ireland, but was employed as a replacement behind Jantjies. 9. Charl McLeod (Grenoble) Charl McLeod moved to Grenoble from the Sharks in 2014 McLoed has won one official cap for the Boks, taking the field as a replacement in a 40-7 defeat to the All Blacks in 2011, but also played for South Africa against the Barbarians at Twickenham in 2010.The scrum-half was a mainstay with the Sharks in Super Rugby, starting in the No 9 jersey when the Sharks last featured in a final in 2012, before signing for Grenoble in 2014.1. Heinke van der Merwe (Stade Francais) Heinke van der Merwe hass five Springbok caps Leinster fans will be familiar with the powerful loosehead prop who featured for the province when they won the Heineken Cup in 2011 and 2012. Rico Gathers Stitched Jersey. The front rower traded Dublin for Paris three seasons ago, and now has his sights on a Top 14 title to go alongside his European medals. The 31-year-old has played five times for the Springboks but has struggled to get game time behind Tendai Beast Mtawarira.2. Bismarck du Plessis (Montpellier) Bismarck du Plessis moved to Montpellier with brother Jannie In a country where size is heralded in a tight-five forward, 32-year-old Du Plessis made a name for himself as an athletic hooker acting as an extra loose forward at the breakdown.Following the retirement of John Smit in 2011, Du Plessis was afforded more game time as a starter, but shared duties with Adriaan Strauss.Bismarck joined older brother Jannie on the plane to Montpellier last year, while Strauss is now captain of the Boks - however Strauss has announced he will retire from the international game at the end of 2016 which could allow Bismarck to add to his 79 caps. Highlights of Englands opening Autumn International against South Africa at Twickenham. 3. Jannie du Plessis (Montpellier) Jannie du Plessis last played for the Boks in the 2015 World Cup The versatile prop has amassed 70 Tests since making his debut along with his brother in July 2007 but his last game came against Argentina in the third-place play-off of the 2015 World Cup.The 33-year-old was not part of Coetzees plans for much of this year, though he was drafted into the squad briefly following several injuries to first-choice players, before later withdrawing due to the birth of his second child.4. Flip van der Merwe (Clermont) Flip van der Merwe was part of the Bok team that beat England in the 2012 June series Playing in the No 4 jersey for South Africa in the past decade meant competing with Bakkies Botha, which has not afforded Van der Merwe many opportunities.However the second rower still managed to represent the Springboks 37 times, taking part in some of their more memorable games in recent times, including all three Tests of the series win against England in 2012.5. Juandre Kruger (Toulon) Juandre Kruger has played 17 time for South Africa Kruger made his debut in that series against England, starting the three Tests alongside Eben Etzebeth, with Van der Merwe featuring from the bench.The second rower has played 17 Tests in total, with his last one coming in October 2013 in South Africas 37-28 loss to the All Blacks, a game that has been called one of the greatest of the modern era.6. Juan Smith (Toulon) Juan Smith tore his bicep earlier in the season Smith is currently out injured with a torn bicep, but since arriving at Toulon in 2013 he has won the hearts of his adopted fans in France.Formerly a one-club man with South Africas struggling Cheetahs, Smith has found renewed energy in the Top 14, and even earned a recall under Meyer after previously retiring from internationals.7. Jacques du Plessis (Montpellier) Jacques du Plessis has been a rampaging ball-carrier for Montpellier Du Plessis has not yet played for the Springboks, but it is likely only a matter of time before he is called upon. The 23-year-old has been a wrecking ball for Montpellier in the Top 14 and his side sit fourth in the table after 12 games this season.The 19-stone loose forward has been unfortunate to play in the same era as the likes of Schalk Burger and Francois Louw, but certainly has a future for the national side if he maintains his heroics.8. Duane Vermeulen (Toulon) Duane Vermeulen has been overlooked by Allister Coetzee due to his conditioning Vermeulen was an ever-present under Meyer, but after coming back from injury earlier this year Coetzee declared the No 8 surplus to requirements due to his conditioning. Though it wont have gone unnoticed that Vermeulens absence coincided with his recent comments about South African rugbys poor state.Warren Whiteley appears to have won favour with Coetzee in the absence of Vermeulen, but until the team starts winning on a regular basis, no places are guaranteed. Upgrade to Sky Sports now and get 12 months half price. Hurry, offer ends December 4! Also See: Coetzee targets revival Wales wary of wounded Boks Rugby on Sky Follow @SkySportsRugby Cheap Jerseys Store Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Authentic Jerseys Jerseys NFL Cheap Wholesale JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '
Australias national womens rugby have warmed up for their Bledisloe Cup Test against the New Zealand Black Ferns with a tough 21-19 victory against Auckland Storm. Under Armour Phenom Proto Trainer .The Storm led by 11 points at one stage, but Alisha Hewett, Sarah Riordan and Nareta Marsters scored tries for the young Wallaroos side, which included 11 uncapped players, and fly-half Chloe Leaupepe then kicked the decisive penalty goal to post the final points of the match seven minutes from full-time; Australia had not led the Storm at all before Leaupepes kick went between the posts.Wallaroos coach Paul Verrell said: It was a hard game, being the first time we had played together this year. We were a bit shell shocked in that first half. They put us under pressure leading into half time but it was a good fight back from us.Im glad weve got the win and it has given us the experience. Its also given us a few selection headaches leading in to naming the side for Saturday, which is good to have.Sarah Riordan had a great game at fullback and she is putting pressure on that position, Mollie Gray had a great game and got us across the advantage line, and Chloe Leaupepe played well and kicked the final penalty goal to get us the win.The Wallaroos, who have never beaten New Zealand, face the Black Ferns at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday. The teams then play a second Test at QBE Stadium in Albany the following Wednesday.Mens Grey Under Armour Shoes . William Carrier opened the scoring for Cape Breton (6-4-2), but Andrew Ryan tied the game and Brent Andrews put the Mooseheads (8-6-0) in front for good with a short-handed goal at 13:49 of the second period. Curry 3 Shoes For Sale . -- Jakob Silfverberg is making himself right at home with the Anaheim Ducks, scoring four goals in his first four games. http://www.stephencurryuashoes.com/cheap-under-armour-mens-shoes/ua-scorpio.html . During the athletes parade, the 23-strong Ukrainian team was represented by a lone flagbearer in an apparent protest at the presence of Russian troops in Ukraines Crimean peninsula. Wouldnt you love to know how every remaining college football postseason game will play out?Or better yet, what if you got TWO picks for each of the remaining bowl games?Scouts Inc. analysts Steve Muench and Kevin Weidl assess and predict aa final score for every game (except for the bowls that Weidl is broadcasting). Under Armour Scorpio Blue. All times Eastern. Cheap Jerseys Store Cheap NFL Jerseys ChinaWholesale Jerseys Cheap Authentic Jerseys Jerseys NFL Cheap Wholesale Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '
INCHEON, South Korea -- Carlota Ciganda overcame an early five-stroke deficit, blew a late five-stroke lead and needed a big break to get in a playoff in the rainy LPGA KEB HanaBank Championship. Nike Blazer Basse Femme .The 26-year-old Spaniard then left Alison Lee in tears, beating the American on the first extra hole for her first LPGA Tour title. Ciganda made a 6-foot birdie putt after Lees birdie chip from the rough off the back edge missed a half-inch to the right.I was just trying to stay in the present and hit as best I could, Ciganda said. In the end, it was so close. I think I was the lucky one today and Im very happy.Ciganda lost a five-stroke advantage on the final five holes -- getting into the playoff when Lee bogeyed the par-5 18th after hitting her third shot into the water.The last three, four holes I was pretty nervous, said Ciganda, who played in the group ahead of Lee. I was looking more and I was 1 up, and then I was on 18 I saw I was 1-down and I couldnt believe it. So its just golf. Only one can win.Lee is winless in two seasons on the tour.I feel like I had a battle with myself out there, the 21-year-old UCLA student told Golfweek. I came back at the end, but it just wasnt enough.Cigandas breakthrough victory made her the third European winner this year, joining Swedens Anna Nordqvist and Germanys Caroline Masson.Its very special because its been a tough few years for me, Ciganda said. My coach (Rogelio Echeverria) passed away two years ago and I had to look for a new coach. I changed caddies, too.Its been a long journey, but at the same time its really nice to get the win. I love competing and playing and being an athlete. I couldnt ask for a better life.Shes now working with Terry McNamara, Annika Sorenstams former caddie, and instructor Jorge Parada.Ciganda played the final five holes in 4 over -- making a double bogey on 14 and bogeys on 16 and 18 -- for a 2-over 70 at Sky 72 in the event that had an emotional start with Se Ri Pak ending her Hall of Fame career Thursday in front of her home fans.Three strokes ahead of U.S. Womens Open champion Brittany Lang entering the day and five ahead of Ciganda, Lee had a 75 to match Ciganda at 10-under 278 on the Ocean Course.Ciganda birdied five of the first eight holes, taking a one-stroke lead with a 6-foot birdie putt on the par-3 eighth. The two-time European Solheim Cup player added a 20-footer on the par-4 10th for a four-stroke margin and was five ahead soon after.I didnt look at the leaderboard until I think it was on No. 12, Ciganda said. I saw I was winning by five. I wasnt expecting that.She compounded trouble in and then just above a greenside bunker into a double bogey on the par-4 14th, dropped another stroke on the par-4 16th and three-putted 18.I was positive, Ciganda said. I just tried my best and I tried to play each shot the best I could. So its not that I was giving up or anything.Needing a par on 18 for her first victory, Lee hit an 8-iron from 130 yards that smacked into the front bank and bounced into the water. She was able to drop a few feet off the right edge of the green, chipped past and made a 5-footer to force the playoff.Lee had four bogeys in a five-hole stretch in the middle of the round to seemingly fall out of contention. But while Ciganda faltered in the group ahead, the American made a 5-foot birdie putt on the par-4 15th and a 12-footer on the par-3 17th.It was tough. It was windy at the end and a little bit of rain, so it wasnt easy, Ciganda said. But Im from the north in Spain, which is cold and rainy in the winter, so Ive been practicing a lot in those conditions.Chinas Shanshan Feng (70) and South Koreas Min-Sun Kim (71) tied for third at 8 under. Feng had her third straight top-four finish in Asia after tying for fourth in China and finishing second last week in Taiwan. The tour will return to China next week for the Blue Bay LPGA on Hainan Island, then make stops in Malaysia and Japan.Lang had three bogeys in a 75 to tie for third at 7 under.Lexi Thompson, the winner last year, had a 73 to tie for 13th at 4 under. Second-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn (69) and No. 3 Gee Chun (71) also were 4 under.Top-ranked Lydia Ko closed with a 74 to tie for 51st at 3 over. She has four victories this year, one behind Jutanugarn for the tour lead.Fourth-ranked Brooke Henderson also struggled, shooting 78-72 on the weekend to finish at 5 over. The Canadian teen plans to play all six weeks in Asia. Nike VaporMax Flyknit Moc . Jordan Lynch, the all-purpose Heisman Trophy finalist from Northern Illinois, failed to make it into that exclusive club. Vans Slip On Homme . Two pressure cooker bombs exploded near the finish line of the April 15 race in an area packed with fans cheering the passing runners. Three people were killed and more than 260 injured, including at least 16 who lost limbs. http://www.chaussureoldskool.fr/ . Nigeria beat surprise package Ethiopia 2-0 in the second leg of their playoff for a comfortable 4-1 aggregate victory. Victor Moses converted a 20th-minute penalty after an Ethiopian handball, and Victor Obinna made certain of Nigerias place in Brazil with his powerful free kick in the 82nd at UJ Esuene Stadium. WALTHAM, Mass. -- There are nights when Isaiah Thomas?returns to the Boston Celtics practice facility to get up shots, and when hes finished, he takes a moment to look at the 17 title banners that ring the court and marvel at how he got here.Sometimes Im in here alone, and Im like, man, I play for the Boston Celtics. Im the franchise player for the Boston Celtics. Like, it doesnt make sense, said the 5-foot-9 Thomas, the 60th and final pick in the 2011 draft.But at the end of the day, I dreamed about stuff like that. So even though nobody believed that, I believed that one day it was going to happen. For it to happen and for me to be living my dream, its like every day Im happy.For the start of the season, Nike debuted campaigns for some of its top NBA players. There are posters around Boston that show Thomas driving at the rim with Chicagos Jimmy Butler trying to defend from behind with the headline, Pick me last again.It isnt lost on Thomas that a mere 20 months ago, he wasnt particularly happy. He was a third-string point guard tangled in the Phoenix Suns backcourt spiderweb. Still, it came as a surprise when the team dealt him -- four months into a four-year contract -- to the Celtics in the frenetic final moments before the 2015 trade deadline.Since that day, Thomas has spearheaded Bostons run to consecutive playoff appearances, earned his first All-Star nod, represented the Celtics on stage at the NBA draft lottery, served as the teams primary recruiter in the pursuit of top free agents including Kevin Durant and emerged as the face of one of the leagues most storied franchises. With help from Thomas, the Celtics landed another All-Star this summer,?Al Horford, and are the popular choice to push the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference.Thomas beams with excitement when he talks about the potential for this years squad. But after looking forward, hes presented with a curveball that takes him back: What if the Celtics had never traded for him?Where would I be? I dont know. Probably somewhere else, Thomas said. I mean, the Phoenix thing just wasnt working out. It seemed like they didnt want me as bad as they did when the summertime happened. You never know. I dont know where I would be. Id be somewhere.Would Thomas be the face of another franchise?You never know. I mean, I always felt one day I was going to be, no matter where it was, he said. I dont know. Thats a tough question. I dont know where I would be. Knowing me, things would have worked out somewhere, but who says it would have worked out like it has since I got traded?As the conversation continues, Thomas is still processing the hypothetical. He eventually circles back to the question.I guess if that trade with me didnt happen, and this team never jelled -- everything just came together, slowly but surely, especially having a great coach in Brad Stevens -- if that all didnt happen, then Al Horfords not coming here. Kevin Durants not considering us, Thomas said.And the worlds not talking about the Boston Celtics as being a top-three seed in the Eastern Conference. Thats just fact.Its like a 10 percent chanceOn Feb. 19, 2015, Thomas sat near the back of the Suns bus that was set to take the team to the airport for a flight to Minnesota, where Phoenix was set to open the second half of the season. As the final minutes before the trade deadline ticked off, Thomas hoped the team would make a move to alleviate the backcourt logjam that was making everyone involved miserable.Although Thomas was fairly certain the Suns were going to move publicly disgruntled Goran Dragic, Thomas still phoned his agent to check in as the clock ticked toward 3 p.m. ET. Despite his being just four months into a four-year, $27 million deal, Thomas knew there was a chance he could be moved too.My agent was like, There might be something, but its like a 10 percent chance, Thomas said. And he didnt even bring up Boston.Back at the Celtics practice facility, Ainge had resigned himself to the fact that there simply might not be a deal to be made -- enough so that Ainge phoned Stevens about 10 minutes before the trade deadline and told him the roster was likely going to stay intact. Across the country in Sacramento, Stevens told an assistant to get the players ready for the start of an afternoon practice at Sleep Train Arena.Eight minutes later, Ainge called back. The Suns had re-engaged about a deal for Thomas that Ainge hadnt really considered a possibility because Phoenix had balked a few days earlier when Boston called to see if Thomas were available.On the Suns bus, word arrived that Dragic had been dealt to the Miami Heat. Thomas recalls a sense of relief washing over the bus, as players were excited that the backcourt logjam might ease.The deadline passed, but news about deals was still trickling out. Wright, who had been traded from Boston to Phoenix one month earlier, stood up and announced, IT, you just got traded! Thomas thought it was a joke. A Phoenix assistant coach climbed onto the bus a couple minutes later and confirmed the news.All the Suns got in return for Thomas was veteran guard Marcus Thornton and a 2016 first-round pick (it was Clevelands pick and checked in at No. 28 that year). Suns general manager Ryan McDonough, who cut his teeth in Bostons front office, later admitted, If I could get a mulligan, thatd be it.Gerald Green, who often shared the floor with Thomas in Phoenix during that 2014-15 season, said the two talked often about how they might thrive in the right situation. Green signed with Boston this summer, in large part because of Thomas presence and the Celtics status as contenders in the East. It doesnt surprise Green to see Thomas flourishing.We didnt want to see Isaiah go [in Phoenix], Green said. We were kind of blown away when he got traded because he was really one of the guys that kept the team pumping, on and off the court. So when he got traded, we kind of felt down as a team in Phoenix. We knew he was going to be successful here in Boston. We didnt know just how successful he could be.Just to see him to that point and this point now, I just smile, man. He was a guy that one team didnt want him, two teams didnt want him, and now a team like the Boston Celtics, who have championship aspirations, are just in love with him. It just makes me smile, man. Its kind of like looking at your little brother grow up.Isaiah was what we neededStevens isnt one for hypotheticals, but presented with the question of where Boston would be without Thomas, he admits that Thomas arrival was exactly what this team needed to move forward at that point.Ive never really thought about [what might have happened without Thomas], but it made us different because we had a guy that -- and Ive said this many times -- Isaiiah was what we needed, Stevens said. Vapormax Cs Gs. Theres no question about that. And the players around him make him better too. I think he is such a good fit for the guys that are here, and they are such a good fit for him. And thats why it works, right? Hes been great. Its fun having him around.Its easy to forget now, but the Celtics roster was in a constant state of flux during that 2014-15 campaign, in which Boston carried a staggering 40 different players. The roster overhaul really started in December, when the team traded Rajon Rondo, the last holdover from the 2008 title squad, to Dallas in exchange for a package that included Brandan Wright, Jameer Nelson, Jae Crowder?and draft picks.Crowder, used to playoff appearances in Dallas, remembers being leery of what Boston was trying to do, so much so that he confronted Stevens after a practice in January and demanded to know if the young coach was OK with tanking. Stevens was adamant that his lone focus was getting better, and the Celtics, a .500 team through mid-January, started making the sort of progress that calmed Crowder in the month leading up to Februarys trade deadline.That progress also gave Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge confidence to explore moves that had the potential to make the team better at a time when some wondered if Bostons rebuild would be better served by stripping talent and losing games.I think the biggest thing for us was, under most circumstances, [the Suns deal] would be a trade that we would do because of how we felt about Isaiah, all day long, Ainge said. The only downside was we were going to get better in the second half of the year, when there wasnt much hope for us to really contend.That was the biggest question that, ultimately, it came down to. We just liked Isaiah better than a few spots higher in the draft, and we ended up making the playoffs that year, and I think that was good for lots of reasons -- just the morale of the team and our coaches.More than anything, we ended up getting a player thats hard to find in any draft, let alone going from -- what did we pick, 16 that year? If we had not done the deal, we probably would have ended up at maybe 12 or 13, I dont know. And we got Terry Rozier with that pick, whos going to help us this year.Its crazy to see Tom Bradys name on my phoneDespite everything he has accomplished the past 20 months, Thomas is far from satisfied. He is enthralled by the success of others at the pinnacle of their sport. Thats why hes close with boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. Thats why, in a summer filled with adventures, he ranks getting to meet Hall of Famer -- and childhood idol -- Allen Iverson as maybe his biggest thrill. Also, after they exchanged numbers at the Durant pitch in the Hamptons, Thomas now casually exchanges text messages with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.Its crazy to see Tom Bradys name on my phone. It doesnt seem real. Just like playing for the Celtics and being that guy doesnt seem real, Thomas said. Like meeting David Ortiz and him knowing who I am, all that stuff doesnt seem real. Im blessed, man. And I dont take it for granted because a year and a half ago, it was like, I was the third-string point guard. Years before that, I was the 60th pick. A lot has changed, and its been nice.What hasnt changed is Thomas desire to improve. Thomas averaged 22.2 points and 6.2 assists per game last season, and that barely tells the story of how important he was to Bostons offense. Hes eager to prove to naysayers that he can maintain an All-Star level of play and continue to evolve his game. But what matters most to him is proving hes a winner, and his No. 1 goal is to take this team deeper in the playoffs.I just know the great players never get satisfied, he said. Im trying to put my name in the same categories as those players, whether it be Floyd Mayweather, Tom Brady. Im trying to learn from them and use my platform to be able to reach out and have relationships with those great players because I want to see how they think.I dont know it all. I dont know how to win at a high level when it comes to winning playoff series. But I want to learn. I think thats the best thing about the great players: They want to learn, they are willing to learn, and they are willing to get better.The Celtics starters endured some bumps early in training camp while integrating Horford -- mostly because everyone was being too unselfish -- but preseason play suggests the first unit should be one of Bostons strengths. Horford is such an ideal fit for this team, particularly the way he moves the ball offensively, and his back-line defense will help a team that tied for the fourth-best defensive rating in the league last season.Even better, Horfords quiet demeanor allows Thomas to remain in the spotlight. Before preseason games at TD Garden, Thomas was announced last, with Horford coming out a spot before him during starting the lineup.Als an easy guy to coexist with, Stevens said. Theres no question about that.Thomas recognized that more talent was needed to get this team where it wanted to go. He would have been fine sacrificing some of his own spotlight if the team could have hooked Durant, and Thomas wants Ainge to keep swinging for the fences. Thomas knows that more talent helps make the game easier for him. Hes thrilled to have Horford as his new running mate; it even allows Thomas to shoot for loftier goals, individually.I want more. I tell people: I want to be All-Star, I want to be All-NBA, one day I want to be an MVP, he said. Thats not just me talking. Thats goals that I have. Being on the Boston Celtics and being able to win and make the playoffs, those are achievable.Thomas, motivated highly by those who think his All-Star appearance last season was a fluke, has looked very much like a player hoping to get a return trip this February. Through Bostons first three games, Thomas is averaging a team-best 24.7 points per game while shooting 53.1 percent from the floor. Bostons offensive rating is 107.9 points per 100 possessions when Thomas is on the floor.Thomas can become the third Celtics player in the past 50 years to average 24 or more points in Bostons first four games on Wednesday against the Bulls, and would join elite company in Paul Pierce and Larry Bird.Its fair to wonder where Boston would be if that 2015 deadline had passed without activity. How would morale have been after another trip to the lottery? How would the Celtics have added talent without establishing a winning environment?Where would the Celtics be without Thomas? It seems fair to say the future wouldnt look quite so bright. Cheap Jerseys Store Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Authentic Jerseys Jerseys NFL Cheap Wholesale Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '