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Connacht earned a home Guinness PRO12 semi-final courtesy of a 14-7 win over Glasgow Warriors at a rain-soaked Sportsground. Larry Nance Jersey . The 14-man Warriors, who had their Tongan prop Sila Puafisi sent off, finished just behind second-placed Connacht in the table and will make the return trip to Galway in two weeks time, live on Sky Sports. The Sky Sports panel discuss the thrilling conclusion to the Guinness PRO12 regular season Pat Lams men will hope for a repeat result as they strive to reach their first final at the end of what is already the Irish provinces best league campaign. Bundee Akis 17th-minute try gave the westerners a 7-0 half-time lead, with Finn Russell missing two kickable penalties for Glasgow. Stuart Hogg is tackled by Connacht duo John Muldoon and Nidi Adeolokun Gordon Reids well-taken try tied things up, but his front row colleague Puafisi was sent off in the 49th minute for a dangerous head-first challenge on Kieran Marmion.Replacement Shane OLeary provided the assist and conversion for Tiernan OHallorans vital 59th-minute touchdown, and the hosts saw out the hard-fought victory with some defiant late defence. PRO12 play-offs confirmed Connacht to host Glasgow while Ulster visit Leinster Russell sent an early penalty wide after Leone Nakarawa had slipped clean through from a ruck to launch Glasgows first attack from deep.A nervy Russell also overcooked a touch-finder but Nakarawa soon broke the line again, stretching the home defence until prop Reid knocked on in the 22. Bundee Aki scores Connachts first try But Connacht were clinical from their very first attack, Marmion and AJ MacGinty linking smartly off a close-range maul before Aki used his power to make it over by the posts. MacGinty converted for 7-0.A scrum penalty was nudged wide by Russell and with Sean OBrien and Ultan Dillane leading a resolute Connacht defence, the Warriors remained scoreless. Five-try Munster beat Scarlets Munster secure Champions Cup place with 31-15 victory Aki, who continued to threaten off limited ball, was a pass away from putting Robbie Henshaw over and their captain John Muldoon was also denied just a metre out.The home side were unable to profit from a snappy break by Marmion, the Ireland scrum-half hardly putting a foot wrong on his 100th appearance for Connacht. Gordon Reid celebrates scoring his second-half try However, the Warriors were level within seven minutes of the restart. They won a series of penalties and prop Reid managed to crash over off the back of a close-in ruck. Russells extras made it 7-7.Connacht quickly got back into scoring range, though, and as tempers flared, input from TMO Olly Hodges saw referee Ian Davies dismiss Puafisi for leading with the head on Marmion at a ruck.The home side, who had to move hooker Tom McCartney to loosehead in a patched-up front row, should have scored from Marmions blindside burst off a scrum and flanker OBrien was also thwarted near the posts. Tiernan OHalloran beats Stuart Hogg to score Connachts second try The breakthrough finally came when full-back OHalloran rose above his opposite number Stuart Hogg to collect OLearys cross-field kick and dot down wide on the right.The conversion was added by OLeary before a smashing break by Simone Favaro and kick ahead almost put Hogg in for a quick response. Ulster secure play-off spot Irish province score six tries in 46-26 victory at Ospreys Some superb handling had Glasgow hammering on the door again with five minutes left, but Connacht forced another error and a final ruck penalty was enough to see them home. Louis Williams Jersey . Many of those eyes are in the United States of America, a country that the sport has wanted on its side for some time. On Sunday the football Gods delivered once again, only this time it was time for good old USA to experience as much heartache as joy. Jamaal Wilkes Jersey . The team announced the defensive coordinator will not be offered a contract extension.BEREA, Ohio -- The Browns fired their coach after one season. Now theyre sweeping out their front office. Owner Jimmy Haslam announced Tuesday that CEO Joe Banner will step down in the next two months and general manager Michael Lombardi is leaving the team. "Mike and Joe have left us in good position in terms of free agency and cap space as well as this years draft, where we have 10 overall picks and three of the first 35," Haslam said at a news conference. Its yet another stunning development for a franchise that has undergone nearly constant change in the past 15 years. Haslam also said assistant GM Ray Farmer, who was pursued by Miami to be the Dolphins GM this winter, has been promoted and will immediately take the over the teams football operations and lead the Browns during free agency and draft. Cleveland has two first-round picks in Mays draft and is well under the salary cap to spend on free agents. Haslam added that president Alec Scheiner will keep his current role. "Alec Scheiner will run our business side and remain as president, Mike Pettine will be our head coach and Ray Farmer will be our GM," Haslam said. "We will not have a CEO and those three people will report directly to me." The shake-up comes one month after the Browns finally hired coach Mike Pettine. Banner and Haslam had fired coach Rob Chudzinski after a 4-12 season, the teams sixth straight with at least 11 losses. Wisconsin said Tuesday that coach Gary Andersen was contacted by the Cleveland Browns for their coaching vacancy but decided not to pursue the position following a conversation with the NFL team, which spent 25 days to hire Pettine. "Mike will have final say on the 45-man roster-- who plays on Sundays-- and Ray will have final say on the 53-plaayer roster," Haslam said. Brandon Bass Jersey. Banner, who previously worked in Philadelphia, was hired by Haslam to run the team shortly after his ownership was approved by the league in 2012. "We appreciate Joes contributions to the Cleveland Browns, especially in helping us as new owners," Haslam said in a release. "He was committed to creating a successful organization and bringing in talented individuals. We thank him for his work and dedication. We wish him and his family the best." Banner will transition out of his job over the next two months. "It is bittersweet leaving the Browns organization," Banner said. "I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Jimmy Haslam and helping him set the infrastructure for this franchise. I am proud of the talented individuals we brought in to help lead this team and feel that the Cleveland Browns are in good hands moving forward." Lombardis departure ends a curious second stint with the team. His hiring was widely panned by some Cleveland media members and many fans because of his time with coach Bill Belichick when he was Clevelands coach. Lombardi kept a low profile over the past year in Cleveland and was not in attendance at any major news conferences. "Were also grateful for Mike Lombardis efforts and commitment since rejoining our organization," Haslam said. "He is an experienced and creative NFL executive with a unique ability to see the big picture. He has tremendous instincts and I know hell be a valuable addition to any NFL organization. We simply wanted to give Ray this opportunity that hes earned. We wanted to move forward under his leadership and capabilities." AP Sports Writer Tom Withers in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia, contributed to this report. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '
OKLAHOMA CITY -- The drama was sapped early from Oklahoma Citys blowout win over Utah, except for one detail. Johnny Unitas Jersey . Thunder forward Kevin Durant is nearing Michael Jordans mark for consecutive games with at least 25 points. With the crowd buzzing late in the third quarter, Durant reached the mark for the 38th consecutive time, leaving him two games short of Jordans accomplishment, which is the most in the past 50 years. He finished with 31 points and nine assists to help Oklahoma City defeat the Jazz 116-96 on Sunday afternoon. Jordan did it for 40 straight games for the Chicago Bulls during the 1986-87 season. Durant is aware of the mark, but the NBAs leading scorer left worrying about it to the crowd at Chesapeake Energy Arena. "Im just going out there, playing my game," he said. "If it happens, cool. If it doesnt, cool. Thats how I approach it -- just playing within the offence. If a shots there, shoot it. If a pass is there, pass it. I try to play as simple as I can. If that (25 points or more) comes with it, then so be it, but if not, Im not going to lose any sleep." Durant was fouled on a 3-pointer with 4:02 left in the third quarter and was awarded three free throws. He scored his 24th point on the first one, and the crowd got into it before the second one. After he made it, the fans let out a loud cheer. He also made the third to give the Thunder an 84-56 lead. Durant extended the streak without playing in the fourth quarter for the second consecutive game. Russell Westbrook scored 19 points, Serge Ibaka had 17 points and Caron Butler added 15 for the Thunder, who have won six of seven. Oklahoma City shot 55 per cent from the field and made 11 of 18 3-pointers and 23 of 26 free throws. Enes Kanter had 18 points and 12 rebounds, Richard Jefferson scored 17 points and Gordon Hayward added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Jazz, who have lost four in a row. Utah trailed 11-0 before Jefferson finally scored with 7:34 left in the first quarter. Oklahoma City led 26-9 at the end of the quarter. It matched the fewest points the Thunder have allowed in any quarter this season and was the lowest for the Jazz in a first quarter this season. Utah missed the NBA low for an opening quarter this season by making a basket with 19.5 seconds left. "They were aggressive on the defensive end and we settled for a lot of jump shots," Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. "We missed jump shots and they were able to run the ball out on us. In that first quarter, I thought we were hungry for it, but thats what good teams do. They come out and try to bury you right from the beginning. They had a lot of success doing it in the first quarter." Haywards first basket came with 3:21 left in the first half. Even with his 3-point play, the Jazz still trailed 49-30. Oklahoma City led 59-40 at halftime, and it might have been a larger lead if Jefferson hadnt dropped in 15 points in the first half, well above his season average of 10.2 points per game. Durant scored 18 points in the first half on 6-for-8 shooting and helped the Thunder shoot 57 per cent before the break. Utah cut Oklahoma Citys lead to 89-77 late in the quarter before Durant hit a 3-pointer over Hayward with two seconds remaining to push the lead back up to 15 points. "That was tough," Utah forward Marvin Williams said. "That was a big three. It almost took the wind out of your sails, to fight so hard to get back to that position, to cut it to 12, thinking youre going to start the fourth at 12 (down), and he makes an amazing shot like that over a defender. It was a big shot. It kind of took the wind out of our sails, almost, a little bit, because we had fought so hard." Hayward scored 13 points in the period, and the Jazz scored 37 points on 60 per cent shooting. Utah scored 21 points in the final 3:44 of the third. The Thunder held on, and now, Oklahoma City can look ahead to Thursdays showdown with West leader San Antonio. The Spurs have won 17 in a row and are three games ahead of the Thunder for the best record in the West with nine games to go. "Just continue to play our brand of basketball," Butler said. "Play with a lot of energy and effort and do a good job defensively and stay on the same accord, and we will be fine." NOTES: Thunder G Reggie Jackson missed his second straight game with a mid-back sprain. ... Jazz G Alec Burks returned to action after missing the previous four games with a left ankle sprain. ... Utah missed its first seven shots. ... Oklahoma City won three of four against the Jazz this season. ... Utah, which has the worst record in the Western Conference, won the previous meeting 112-101. Mike Adams Jersey . Authorities in Medina, Minn., released the details one day after Cunningham was jailed for another alleged incident with the woman he had been living with for the previous eight months. Cunningham had already been charged with felony domestic assault for allegedly choking the woman last week. Donte Moncrief Colts Jersey . The thunderous cheers quickly changed to an appreciative chant: "Ma-son! Ma-son! Ma-son! Headed to New York with new life, Mason sure earned this curtain call.(CCA) - A new face, but the same province, has emerged as the mens champion at the 2014 M&M Meat Shops Canadian Junior Curling Championships. Manitobas Braden Calvert and his team from Winnipeg - third Kyle Kurz, second Lucas Van Den Bosch, lead Brendan Wilson and coach Tom Clasper - beat New Brunswicks René Comeau 7-5 on Sunday afternoon at Queens Place Emera Centre in the mens gold-medal game. It gave Manitoba back-to-back mens titles at the Canadian Juniors, following Matt Dunstones victory a year ago in Fort McMurray, Alta. "Its a dream come true, really," said an ecstatic Calvert, whose team will join womens champ Kelsey Rocque of Alberta at the 2014 World Junior Curling Championships, beginning Feb. 26 in Flims, Switzerland. "The guys just played really well all week, and we managed to do it. Unbelievable. Im in shock right now." It wasnt a perfect start for the Manitobans, whod had the berth in the final clinched since Wednesday; the 18-year-old Calvert nose-hit a blank attempt in the first end, surrendered a deuce to New Brunswick in the second, and was held to one in the third. "To be honest, it was a bit of a grind," admitted Calvert, an agriculture student at the University of Manitoba. "We tried to stay sharp with practices, but you cant really prepare for what just happened. I think we came out a little sluggish, to be honest. But we managed to grind one out." In the fourth, Manitoba put the heat on Comeau, and the New Brunswick skip couldnt respond. His hit attempt misseed everything and gave Manitoba a game-turning steal of four. Donte Moncrief Jersey. . "Really, it was just one shot," said Comeau, whose team from Fredericton was rounded out by third Daniel Wenzek, second Jordan Craft, lead Ryan Freeze and coach Damien Lahiton. "We battled hard and tried to come back. But theyre a great hitting team. Once you get down to them, its hard to come back." New Brunswick fought back, getting a deuce in the fourth end, and then stealing one in the sixth when Calvert couldnt make a draw to bite the pin. But Calvert made a clutch delicate tap in the eighth to take back some momentum, and his teammates went to work in the ninth and 10th ends to keep the house clean. Calvert finished the game with an open takeout to run New Brunswick out of rocks. "I was just happy we were on the podium," said Comeau. "Im definitely excited about our future; we learned this week that we can compete with the best teams in Canada. Lots to come — it wont be the last you hear from us." Now, the Manitobans sights will turn to Switzerland and the chance to wear Canadian colours on the world stage. "I definitely think Im ready, and I think our team is, too," said Calvert. "We just practise so well and so much that I think well be prepared for the challenge." Albertas Carter Lautner (Calgary), backed up by third Taylor Ardiel, second David Aho, lead Kyle Morrison and coach Jim Lautner, won the bronze medal after losing to New Brunswick in Sunday mornings semifinal. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '
ST. Jim Brown Browns Jersey . PAUL, Minn. -- With a playoff spot already secured and a journeyman goalie starting, another loss by the Minnesota Wild to the St. Louis Blues seemed inevitable. Not so fast. Kyle Brodziak scored two goals and John Curry made 43 saves in his Wild debut to lead Minnesota over the struggling Blues 4-2 on Thursday night. Nino Niederreiter added a goal and an assist to help the Wild snap a nine-game losing streak against the Blues and win for the sixth time in seven games. "I was obviously very thankful to get the opportunity, no matter how it went," said Curry, whose father was childhood friends with Blues owner Tom Stillman. "But just based on my career, I know you dont get many of these. So its good to have success and to play well when you get the chance." St. Louis dropped its fourth straight and also lost star T.J. Oshie after he was shouldered in the face by Wild enforcer Mike Rupp halfway through a chaotic second period. Rupp was ejected, and Oshie dabbed blood from his mouth as he moved slowly back to the locker room after being down on the ice for 5 minutes. Rupp was assessed a match penalty for intent to injure. Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said Oshie is day to day. "I havent seen it because the bench was up. Ill look at video on the plane," Hitchcock said. "Obviously, Oshies out. Like everybody else at this time of year, hes day to day, but certainly a tough hit to take right now." Kevin Shattenkirk and Jaden Schwartz scored for the Blues. Curry, the fifth goalie Minnesota has started against St. Louis in five games, was called up to make his fifth NHL start. The Minnesota native had allowed 22 goals in his previous five games at AHL Iowa, but turned away four early power-play shots and had 17 saves in the first period to establish himself in his first NHL start since Jan. 11, 2010. "Weve got to find a way to outwork the goalie, get more traffic," Schwartz said. "There were pucks all around the net, all around him and we just couldnt find a way to bang it in. We did a good job of getting it there, but weve got to find a way to outwork these goalies." The way Curry was playing, outworking him might not have been an option. "Im sure one of those saves is going to be on NHL Tonight," Niederreiter said. Minnesota led 1-0 after the first on Niederreiters 14th goal and was controlling play during the first half of the second. Then, Rupp, playing for the first time since Feb. 1, knocked Oshie out of the game, and Shattenkirk tied it with a 5-on-3 goal a few seconds later. Brodziak and Schwartz traded short-handed goals before Matt Moulson buried his 23rd of the season at 17:30 to send the Wild into the second intermission with a 3-2 lead. It took Brodziak only 58 seconds to extend Minnesotas lead to 4-2 in the third period with his eighth goal. "It definitely felt good. But yeah, the whole game felt good," Brodziak said. "Everybody was involved and really focused on what we tried to accomplish, and we got er done tonight." Blues goalie Ryan Miller, who had stopped only nine of 13 shots, didnt leave immediately after Brodziaks second goal, but skated back to the locker room and was replaced by Brian Elliott at 16:22 of the third. Miller has allowed four goals in three straight games. After Brodziaks first goal, Blues centre Steve Ott was given a 10-minute game misconduct penalty for inciting the opponent. "Its frustrating. Its not fun losing," Schwartz said. "These are big, important games for us and its a big time of the year. Were confident in here that we can turn this around and we got two more games to do that." St. Louis entered the game second in the Western Conference, and theres a strong chance these teams could meet in the first round of the playoffs. St. Louis had pushed the Wild around all season, but the momentum appears to be shifting as both teams approach the post-season. In addition to beating the Blues, Minnesota has recently defeated Boston, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles. "Our confidence has been starting to grow game-by-game just by the way were playing, the way we come out every night," Brodziak said. "Were not getting down." NOTES: The Blues have been outscored 16-4 during their four-game slide. ... Wild D Christian Folin made his NHL debut and recorded an assist. ... Oshie hasnt scored a point since recording a hat trick against Minnesota on March 27. Carl Nassib Youth Jersey . After rookie right-hander Alex Colome excelled in a 5-2 victory in the opener, the Rays fell to Chris Tillman and the Orioles 4-1 on Friday night. Christian Kirksey Browns Jersey .Y. - Brooklyn Nets centre Brook Lopez has a strained lower back and will miss at least a week.LONDON - The Czech Republic became the first team to reach the Davis Cup semifinals Saturday, while heavily favoured Switzerland had another disappointing loss in the doubles and France kept alive its quarterfinal against Germany. The defending champion Czechs clinched an unassailable 3-0 lead over Japan after Radek Stepanek and Lukas Rosol comfortably beat Tatsuma Ito and Yasutaka Uchiyama 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the doubles. Thats the only quarterfinal that has gone according to script so far, as Switzerland and France both find themselves down 2-1 going into the reverse singles on Sunday. Many expected Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka to have wrapped up Switzerlands best-of-five series against Kazakhstan by now as well, but the former Olympic doubles champions were beaten 6-4, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (6) by Andrey Golubev and Aleksandr Nedovyesov. That came after Wawrinka lost his singles match to Golubev on Saturday, meaning theres no more room for mistakes for the heavily favoured Swiss. "Im actually very excited for tomorrow," Federer said. "We are still the favourites for each singles match tomorrow, but with no more margin for error and were aware of that." Germany entered its quarterfinal without its top three players, but Tobias Kamke and Peter Gojowczyk surprisingly won their opening singles matches to give the vvisitors a 2-0 lead on Friday against France. Browns Hats. However, Julien Benneteau and Michael Llodra held their nerve to beat Andre Begemann and Kamke 6-1, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-5 to stay in the series. "Were still alive. It was a great performance from Julien and Mika. Its very hard to play when youre 2-0 down because you have no room for error," France captain Arnaud Clement said. "They deserve it because they really pushed themselves." In Sundays matches, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is scheduled to play Kamke, and Benneteau faces Gojowczyk. Andy Murray was the busiest player of the day as he first had to complete a 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 victory over Italys Andreas Seppi in their delayed singles match, before returning to the court to help Britain take a 2-1 lead with a win in the doubles. Murray and Colin Fleming beat Fabio Fognini and Simone Bolelli 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 to boost Britains bid to reach the semifinals for the first time since 1981. Rain delays had interrupted play in Naples on Friday and Murrays match was suspended because of darkness in the second set. Murray can secure the victory when he plays Fognini on Sunday. "It should be a tough match," Murray said. "Fabio has played very well this year so itll be a great challenge. But I hope I can have a good match and get us to the semis." 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KANSAS CITY, Mo. Lyle Alzado Jersey . - After a spotless stretch for 18 days earlier this month, the Oakland Athletics bullpen is struggling a bit. Starter Jeff Samardzija left with a one-run lead in the seventh inning, but Ryan Cook failed to hold it in a 7-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Thursday. Cook allowed two inherited runners to score and three of his own without retiring a batter. Cooks streak of 21 consecutive scoreless innings came to an abrupt halt. "I have all the faith in the world in those guys," Samardzija said. "The best thing is to stay out of these situations altogether and go out and get them 1-2-3." The As relievers set a club record with a 29 2-3 scoreless innings streak from July 23-Aug. 9. But in the past six games, the bullpen has allowed 10 runs in 12 1-3 innings. "Our bullpen is the best in baseball I really believe that," said Stephen Vogt, who had three hits and scored a run. "They have given us so many great innings. To have one hiccup, Im not worrying about it. We have all the confidence in our bullpen." Nori Aoki and Billy Butler each drove in two runs in a five-run seventh as the Royals have won 18 of 22 to move 12 games above .500 for the first time since July 20, 2003. The Royals took the season series, winning five of seven against the Athletics, who have the best record in the majors. The As could face the Royals, who lead the AL Central, in the playoffs. "I dont think there is a playoff team that anybody wants to face," Vogt said. "There are about eight teams that nobody wants to face in October and some of them are new teams. These guys (Royals) are one of them." Aokis two-run triple put the Royals ahead 5-3. Butlers single scored Aoki and Alcides Escobar. Jarrod Dyson fouled off four consecutive pitches before hitting an RBI single to right for the first run of the inning. Samardzija (3-2) took the loss, giving up four runs, three earned, and eight hits in 6 2-3 innings. Aaron Crow (6-1), the third of six Kansas City pitchers, picked up the victory, retiring the only batter he faced. Starter James Shields gave up three runs and seven hits in six innings and has a 1.94 ERA in his past eight starts. Greg Holland earned the final two outs for his 36th save in 38 opportunities. The As scored two runs in the sixth when Dyson lost Josh Reddicks high fly in the sun for a triple, which scored Vogt. Alberto Callaspo drove in two Oakland runs with a single and a sacrifice fly. ON DECK Athletics: RHP Jason Hammel will start the opener of a weekend series at Atlanta. The As last played at Atlanta in 2008, losing two of three. Royals: LHP Danny Duffy will start Friday at Minnesota, where the Royals have lost four of six this season. The Royals play their next nine on the road, all against clubs in last place in their division — Minnesota, Colorado and Texas. TRAINERS ROOM Athletics: SS Jed Lowrie was placed on the disabled list after the game with a broken right index finger. Lowrie, who injured it Aug. 4, returned to San Francisco to have his finger checked. Royals: 1B Eric Hosmers MRI of his broken finger showed progress, but he will not be allowed to swing a bat for at least another week. ROOKIE SENSATION Royals IF Christian Colon had his second three-hit game, including a double, stole his first base in the majors and scored a run. He is hitting .444 in five career starts. PARRINO RECALLED The As recalled IF Andy Parrino from Triple-A Sacramento, where he was hitting .286 with 28 extra-base hits and 52 RBIs in 90 games. He will take Lowries roster spot. Custom Raiders Jerseys . Kelli Stack and Alex Carpenter also scored for the Americans, who avoided a repeat of Finlands upset at the Four Nations Cup in Lake Placid, N.Y., in November. Finnish goalie Noora Raty made 58 saves in that one, but the three-time Olympian could stop just 40 of 43 U. Bo Jackson Womens Jersey . CEO Steve Koonin on Tuesday told the Hawks flagship radio station that he made the decision to discipline Ferry but allowed him to keep his job managing the team. He did not say what the punishment was, but noted that he relied on a law firms three-month investigation of Ferry and him describing Deng as someone who has a little African in him.CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Michael Jordan anticipates the Charlotte Hornets will make another big splash this off-season. Jordan said Monday with three draft picks and more than $13 million to spend in free agency the Hornets are in position to make a "big difference" in upgrading their roster. "I think we made a difference last year with Big Al (Jefferson) and some of the acquisitions -- and I dont anticipate this year being any different," Jordan said. Behind Jefferson, who was recently named third-team All-NBA, Charlotte made the playoffs for the first time since 2010 -- the year Jordan took over as majority owner. Jordan is hoping Jeffersons success will convince other big-name free agents to come to Charlotte. "I always thought Charlotte was a great destination," Jordan said. "Big Al has proven that you can come here and make a big difference. Hopefully we can look at that and attract some other superstars." Jordan spoke Monday following a presentation at Hornets Nest Elementary school in which he, along with Lowes and Fox SportsSouth, donated $250,000 to Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools. The event marked the organizations first community service initiative since the changing its name from Bobcats to Hornets last month. The Hornets have the ninth, 24th and 45h picks in this months draft. If forward Josh McRoberts decides not to opt out of contract the Hornets will have all five starters from last season under contract -- and still have at least $13 million to spend under the NBA salary cap. If McRoberts opts out the team could have closer to $17 million free under the cap. "This year we have a lot of flexibility and Ive been speaking to that over the last three or four years -- flexibility is very important and we are going to use every resource to try to bettter the team," Jordan said. Amari Cooper Jersey. Charlotte finished last season 43-39 and earned the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. However, Jefferson injured his foot in the first game of the NBA playoffs and Charlotte was swept by the Miami Heat. Still, it was a big step in the right direction for a franchise that went 28-120 over the two previous seasons, by far the worst record in the NBA during that span. Jordan said he was "very proud" of what his team accomplished under first-year coach Steve Clifford. "The guys came out and took the initiative from coach and he was able to bond (them) and put together a good effort from the team," Jordan said. Jordan said Jefferson, who signed a three-year, $41 million contract last July 4 -- the largest ever given out by the franchise -- was better than advertised. But he said what was even more surprising is how quickly his new teammates adjusted to playing with a dominant low post presence. "Everybody surrounded him and we got better," Jordan said. "McRoberts was a huge part of that. So I think we got better as the year went along." Jordan said Jefferson, who was the only player in the Eastern Conference to average 20 points and 10 rebounds per game last season, deserved to be an All-Star. Jordan wouldnt say specifically what position the team might look to upgrade this off-season, instead saying he wants to find players who truly want to play in Charlotte. Another key, he said, is developing a core of young players including Kemba Walker, Jeffery Taylor, Michael-Kidd-Gilchrist and Cody Zeller. "We have a bunch of young talent that we still are trying to nourish into some better basketball players," Jordan said. "So summer is when we have to make our big leap." Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '
CHARLOTTE, N. Y.A. Tittle Youth Jersey .C. -- For the second straight season the Charlotte Bobcats are off to a strong start. But this time around point guard Kemba Walker feels a lot more confident about the chances of sustaining that success. The Bobcats just might if Walker continues to play as he did on Wednesday night. The third-year pro scored a season-high 31 points and the Bobcats handed the turnover-prone Brooklyn Nets their sixth loss in their past seven games 95-91. The win lifts the Bobcats to 6-6 on the season. They started 7-5 last season under former coach Mike Dunlap before losing 18 straight games and finishing 21-61, the second-worst record in the league. Dunlap was fired. This season, the Bobcats are finding success despite playing nine games without their best player, centre Al Jefferson, who has been in and out of the lineup with an ankle injury. "We are capable of a lot and being really, really good," Walker said. "We just have to be more consistent. Al is definitely going to help us a lot because he draws a lot of attention. "If I can keep on having nights like this when he comes back it will be great for us. With Gerald (Henderson) and Ramon (Sessions) and our other role players I think well be a tough team to play against every night." New coach Steve Clifford believes the Bobcats havent started to tap their potential and believes the good start isnt a mirage. "Were defending and rebounding," Clifford said. "We have yet to play any sustained time with our best offensive player. Were playing younger guys so there is a lot of room for improvement." Clifford said he hopes to have Jefferson back for Friday nights game against Phoenix. The Nets, meanwhile, arent so sure about when Deron Williams will return to the court after he sprained his ankle in the second quarter when he landed on Walkers foot and his foot twisted inward. He fell to the floor in pain, holding his ankle. He did not return to the game and finished with four points and two assists in 14 minutes. "We dont know how long hes going to be out but, hopefully its a speedy recovery," Nets coach Jason Kidd said. Walker finished 12 of 20 from the field and knocked down four 3-pointers as the Bobcats snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Nets. The Bobcats nearly lost a 10-point lead with less than three minutes, but Walker hit two free throws with 6.1 seconds left to seal the win. Walker said hes been spending more time in the gym working on his jump shot and it paid off getting back to the basics. "Lately I have been taking a lot of off-balanced shots and making it tough for myself," Walker said. The Bobcats outscored the Nets 52-34 in the paint. "We were just being aggressive and took whatever they gave us," Walker said. "There were a lot of open lanes and we took them and were able to score." With owner Michael Jordan sitting on the end of the bench, the Bobcats started the second half with a 15-1 run to take control of the game. Walker had eight points during the stretch. The Bobcats led 53-50 at halftime behind 58 per cent shooting from the floor. Walker led the way with 14 points on 6 of 9 shooting. Andray Blatche led the Nets with a season-high 25 points while Joe Johnson added 19. However, the Nets had 18 turnovers and fell to 3-8. "Fifty-two points in the paint is unacceptable," Blatche said. "Thirty-plus points in a quarter is unacceptable. Its our song all season. We keep saying its early, but until we buckle down on defence, its going to be the same results. Weve got to take pride because its embarrassing. Its real embarrassing." Said Kidd: "The defence is something that weve got to get better at. Its something that we were working on the preseason and was something we thought coming into the season we could hold our hat on." Charlotte continues to play good defence, holding its opponent to under 100 points for the ninth time in 12 games. NOTES: Gerald Henderson scored 13 points and finished in double digits for the 10th time this season. ... Nets guard Alan Anderson had a season-high 16 points. ... The Bobcats are 6-1 in games decided by six points or fewer. Patrick Willis Youth Jersey . -- John Senden never imagined it would take more than seven years to win again. Ahmad Brooks Womens Jersey .com) - Virginia is for loving Latrell Scott.NEW YORK -- Jason Kidd tried his 13th different lineup this season and the Brooklyn Nets took advantage of a visit from the NBAs worst team to snap a four-game losing streak. Backup point guard Shaun Livingston, who had scored just 14 points in his last four games, was moved into the starting lineup and led the way with 20 points, Mirza Teletovic scored a career-high 19 off the bench and Brooklyn rebounded from an embarrassing Christmas Day showing with a 104-93 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night. Having Livingston on the floor gave Brooklyn an additional ballhandler besides starting point guard Deron Williams. Kidds move worked from the start at the Nets had seven assists on 12 field goals in the first quarter. "I thought it got us off to a good start. The ball was moving. We were getting great looks," said Kidd, who called out his team after a pair of 17-point losses this week. "Well see how it goes tomorrow, but I thought those two played extremely well together." The Nets had won three straight early this month before spiraling to five losses in their last six games. Brooklyn got the win ahead of a difficult road trip. After the game, the Nets left for Indiana for a game Saturday night against a team thats beaten them twice this season, including 106-83 on Monday night, leading Kidd to criticize his team. After the loss the first-year coach said his team looked like it "was very close to just accepting losing." The Nets followed up that performance with a loss against the Chicago Bulls on Christmas Day before a national television audience. Brooklyns trip will span six days with games at San Antonio on New Years Eve and at Oklahoma City two days later. "This is about tough as its going to get as far a three-game road trip," said Paul Pierce, who added 13 points for the Nets. "You got the top three teams in the league." Brooklyn hit 12 3-pointers, with Teletovic making five and Jason Terry four, and Milwaukee coach Larry Drew didnt like the way his team defended the 3-point line. "We had a couple of breakdowns defensively. We went under the screens on the 3-point shooters and that was not the game plan," Drew said. "Seemed like every time we tried to make a run or get some stops, we would have a breakdown defensively and Broooklyn would get up a 3. Patrick Willis 49ers Jersey. " Rookie Giannis Antetokounmpo had 16 points and 10 rebounds for Milwaukee, and Khris Middleton added 15 points and eight boards. Milwaukee is off to a 6-23 start mainly due to injuries to key players. Larry Sanders, who had surgery on this right thumb after he tore ligaments in a nightclub fight, played for the first time since early November, scoring 10 points in 22 minutes off the bench. Ersan Ilyasova also returned after missing the last three games with a sore right ankle and started for the Bucks, finishing with six points and seven rebounds. "I just wanted to go out there and run. You see when you are hurt that you take things for granted sometimes and I just want to be around my teammates and just play ball," Sanders said. The Nets led by as many 23 points in the fourth quarter but the Bucks went on a 24-10 run to get within 97-88 with 3:03 left to play. But after Milwaukee called a timeout, Teletovic hit his third 3-pointer of the quarter to put the Nets ahead 100-88 with 2:03 left and Brooklyn closed it out from the free throw line. Kidd used a smaller unit in the teams third game without All-Star centre Brook Lopez, who is out for the season with a fractured right foot. Livingston started at the 2 guard and Pierce played power forward and made his second start in his last nine games at forward. Kevin Garnett started at centre and Teletovic, who had started in place off Lopez in the last three games, went back to his customary reserve role and Alan Anderson also went to the bench. Garnett said the team has stuck together during the adverse times. "Well a real sign of someone and their character is when theyre down and how much fight that person has, if not that the team has. Thats the first thing I look at when you go through some tough stuff," Garnett said. "Look for the finger-pointers and the complainers. We havent done none of that." NOTES: Brooklyn has beaten the Bucks four straight times since sweeping their four-game set in 2007-08. . Garnett (10 points), Terry (12) and Pierce scored in double figures for the first time this season. They did so 33 times last season with the Boston Celtics. . Brooklyn has led the opposition to 30.2 per cent shooting behind the arc. The Bucks hit 9-of-32 3-point attempts.Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '
Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork. Lucas Nogueira Jersey .com) - Mark Giordano scored the game-winning goal with 53 seconds left in overtime, Johnny Gaudreau tallied his first career hat trick and the Calgary Flames erased a three-goal deficit for a 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Monday. Jonas Hiller made 31 saves while Jiri Hudler and Dennis Wideman each supplied two assists for the Flames, who halted an eight-game skid for their first win since Dec. 4. Marian Gaborik, Jamie McBain, and Trevor Lewis each scored for the Kings, who had their two-game win streak come to an end. Jonathan Quick stopped 24-of-28 shots in defeat. Jared Sullinger Raptors Jersey . - In about six minutes, the Memphis Grizzlies had allowed their 23-point lead to be cut to seven. Terrence Ross Jersey .Y. - Alex Smith and the Kansas City Chiefs didnt flinch in the face of adversity. HARRISON, N.J. -- If Chivas USA continues the play the way it has under new coach Wilmer Cabrera, its now-17-game winless streak on the road is going to end soon. Chivas USA came within seconds of its first road win in more than a year, only to see Peguy Luyindula of the Red Bulls nudge a corner kick into the net as four minutes of stoppage time was about to expire Sunday, allowing winless New York to salvage a 1-1 tie. "Of course we are disappointed," goaltender Dan Kennedy said after Chivas USAs road drought increased to 0-13-4. "We are disappointed giving up a goal in the last minute of the game, the last seconds really. I dont know how much time was added on, but it seemed deep into the game." Kennedy said no one is thinking about the skid because its basically a new team with a different coach and new ownership. The past is irrelevant, he said. The Red Bulls (0-3-1) had some luck on the game-tying goal against Chivas USA (1-1-2). Eric Alexander, a second-half substitute, floated a corner kick from the left side into the box and Luyindula went up and knocked it into the net past a stunned Kennedy for his first of the season. "It wasnt clean," said Kennedy, who didnt think the shot came off Luyindulas head. "It kind of fluttered in. In the end we came in here against the Supports Shield winner and got a point and made it really, really tough on them." Neither Luyindula, nor Alexander nor Red Bulls captain Thierry Henry spoke to the media after the game. "We feel relieved, but we still havent gotten our three points, so were not entirely happy," Red Bulls midfielder Lloyd Sam said. "Youre happy not to lose the game, but we need to get our first win. Tracy Mcgrady Jersey. . Weve had two home games and the second half we were all over them. We should have had a couple of more goals." Erick Torres first-half penalty kick and Kennedys outstanding play kept Chivas USA ahead from the 25th minute on. Kennedy was under constant pressure in the second half. He made a kick save on a breakaway by Bradley Wright-Phillips in the 73rd minute, nudged a dipping Dax McCarty shot over the bar and stopped a header by Henry in the final 10 minutes. A couple of other shots went just wide of the net. He finished with four saves. Chivas USA has not won away from its Carson, Calif., home since a 4-1 decision over Chicago on March 24, 2013. The Red Bulls start is still better than last season. They opened 0-2-2 before turning things around and posting the best regular-season record in the league. Torres, who has four goals in as many games, scored in the 25th minute after defender Richard Eckersley shoved Thomas McNamara in the back as he went to head a cross into the box. The penalty seemed foolish because the ball was clearly too high for McNamara to head. Torres penalty kick went into the middle of the net as Red Bulls goaltender Luis Robles dove to defend his left side of the net. "Im sad because we made a really strong effort and then to get a goal in the 94th minute obviously you leave the game very frustrated, very angry, very upset," Torres said through a team translator. Chivas USA did not have a shot on goal other than the penalty kick. The Red Bulls saw Australian forward Tim Cahill leave the game in the first half with a pulled right hamstring. Before he left, Kennedy stopped Cahill on a header off a free kick by Henry. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. A.J. Green Youth Jersey . - The Atlanta Falcons have signed former offensive lineman Gabe Carimi. The 6-foot-7, 316-pound Carimi has played guard and tackle in his three-year career. The Falcons are listing Carimi as an offensive lineman and provided no indication where he will play in Atlanta. Carimi was a first-round pick by Chicago in 2011. He started 16 games in two seasons with the Bears, including 14 in 2012. Carimi was traded to Tampa Bay before the 2013 season, and he started three of 14 games at guard in 2013. He was recently released by Tampa Bay before signing with Atlanta late Monday. Carimi, from Wisconsin, won the Outland Trophy as the nations top interior lineman in 2010. Vontaze Burfict Womens Jersey . "I only want to go through this one more time," Crosby said Friday. The 24-year-old captain hasnt played since the symptoms resurfaced following a loss to Boston on Dec. 5. Doctors allowed him to return to full practice on Tuesday and while Crosby is pleased with the way his body is responding he refuses to put on his return. Tyler Eifert Youth Jersey . "Im proud, obviously. Its been a long day, but now Im a Crystal Palace player, Im very happy," Bannan said. "The seasons been started now for a couple of weeks and Ive not featured at Villa.Ive always wondered why there are so few third basemen in the Hall of Fame at Cooperstown. In fact there are fewer that played the "Hot Corner" in the Hall than any other position. In total there are 16 men enshrined, but four of them were restricted to playing in the Negro Leagues because of the social injustice of racism and the Colour Barrier. Of the remaining 12, Paul Molitor actually only played the position for a little over 700 games, due in large part to injuries. He earned his spot in the Hall and deservedly so for his versatility, his hitting and his ability as a DH, not to mention, his incredible baseball "IQ" and base running ability. That only leaves 11 men who primarily played third and made it to Cooperstown, since the first class was announced in 1936. Though playing a corner infield position might initially make you think of power first and defence second, it really seems to be the other way around. Only two of the 11 hit over 500 home runs, Phillies great Mike Schmidt and Braves legend Eddie Mathews. George Brett was next over 200 behind them. Brett and Wade Boggs were both incredible gap to gap hitters. Its a little surprising to see that four of these Hall of Famers actually hit fewer than 100 homers, including Frank "Home Run" Baker, who won four home run titles despite only hitting 96 in his career in the early 1900s. Baker actually used a 52 ounce bat that could be as many as 20 ounces heavier than the lumber used today. Defence is really the gold standard at third base. Orioles Brooks Robinson, who really defined greatness in the 60s and 70s at third, won 16 Gold Gloves. 16 in a row, I might add. Schmidt won 10 Gold Gloves and six Sliver Slugger awards as top hitter at his position in addition to being a three time Most Valuable Player and 12-time All-Star. There simply isnt anyone in that class today. When I first saw Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie and Orioles third baseman Manny Machado play, I thought both had a shot at greatness. Theyre both certainly young enough to reach those lofty heights, but Lawrie has been bogged down by injuries and Machado has now had season ending surgeries on both knees over the last two seasons. The top three third baseman right now, in no particular order, are Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays, New York Mets David Wright and Adrian Beltre of the Texas Rangers. Longoria has established himself as one of the top two or so defeensively while still striving to achieve his full potential offensively. Andy Dalton Youth Jersey. Wright, slowed by injuries this season, is a seven time all-star and two-time Gold Glover. What he really needs is a winning Mets team to raise his profile. Beltre at 35 is in the twilight of a very good career, he is a four- time Gold Glove winner and has taken three Silver Slugger awards. He has a fairly decent shot at being the 17th third baseman to get into Cooperstown Ed Sprague is probably the best third baseman the Blue Jays ever developed on their own. Others such as Kelly Gruber, Tony Batista, Scott Rolen, Troy Glaus or Lawrie were picked up in deals or draft claims (Gruber) from other organizations. Even the great platoon of the early days Garth Iorg and Rance Mulliniks originated elsewhere. In their entire history, the Blue Jays have only had one of their third basemen win a Gold Glove; Gruber in 1990. As great a franchise as the Yankees are, Boggs and Frank Baker are the only third baseman to make it to Cooperstown. Boggs spent the lions share of his career in Boston and Baker began his career in Philadelphia. Over the weekend, Arizona made it known, theyre going to at least experiment with moving former Blue Jays second baseman Aaron Hill from the "Keystone" to third next season. Its partially because they havent developed anyone else for the position, partially because of his power potential and because they cant find another team to take his contract off their hands. Its just another example though of how difficult it is to find and develop a quality third baseman let alone a Hall of Famer. Last week I talked about how much easier the Tigers schedule looked down the stretch since they had 11 games remaining with Minnesota, While on the weekend, they wrapped out 60 hits in their four game set with the Twins at Target Field. The last time Detroit did that in a four game series was July 6th to the 8th in 1956 at old Comiskey Park in Chicago against the White Sox. Yet for all of that offence, the Tigers could only get a split and remain a game back of Seattle for that final Wild Card position. How important is a teams road record? Well only one team currently holding a losing record away from home is in possession of a Play-off position, That would be St. Louis at (31-33) and sitting in the first Wild Card spot in the National League, The Blue Jays are (32-36) with just 13 road games to go. Cheap NFL JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '
BATHURST, N. Mike Wallace Womens Jersey .B. - Nikolaj Ehlers reached the 40-goal mark by scoring three times as the Halifax Mooseheads blanked the host Acadie-Bathurst Titan 6-0 on Friday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Goaltender Zachary Fucale only had to make 18 saves for the shutout while Ehlers tacked on an assist for a four-point outing. Austyn Hardie scored once and set up two more for the Mooseheads (40-18-3), who extended their win streak to five games, and Andrew Ryan and Philippe Gadoury had the others. Titan (18-37-6) defenceman Alexandre Gosselin was caught on the ice for all six goals against. Miguel Sullivan stopped 34-of-40 shots for Acadie-Bathurst, which fell to 1-8-1 in its last 10 contests. --- ISLANDERS 5 WILDCATS 4 MONCTON, N.B. -- Bradley Kennedy scored twice as Charlottetown snapped a four-game slide by edging the Wildcats. Spenser Cobbold scored once and assisted on two others for the Islanders (19-36-6) while Troy Vance and Daniel Sprong each had a goal and an assist. Stephan Seegar, Mark Simpson, Vladimir Tkachev and Christopher Caissy supplied the scoring for Moncton (30-29-3), which dropped its fourth straight game. Mason MacDonald made 34 saves for Charlottetown as Jason Rioux turned away 19-of-24 shots for the Wildcats. --- SCREAMING EAGLES 4 SEA DOGS 3 SAINT JOHN, N.B. --Jeremy Beaudry scored twice, including the winner 4:09 into overtime, as Cape Breton picked up its sixth win in its last seven outings by slipping past the Sea Dogs. Julien Pelletier and Clark Bishop also scored for the Screaming Eagles (33-24-4), who blew a 3-0 third-period lead before salvaging the two points. Jason Cameron, Matthew Highmore and Nicolas Hebert scored in a 4:17 span for Saint John (18-37-5) to force extra time. Cape Bretons Alex Bureau made 22 saves. Sebastien Auger kicked out 34-of-38 shots for the Sea Dogs. --- TIGRES 7 SAGUENEENS 1 CHICOUTIMI, Que. -- Jean-Francois Plante scored twice and Brandon Whitney made 36 saves as Victoriaville crushed the Sagueneens. Lukas Pozgay, Carl-Antoine Delisle, Angelo Miceli, Anthony Beaulieu and Philippe Hudon also scored for the Tigres (31-23-7). Nikita Liamkin scored the lone goal for Chicoutimi (26-34-1). Julio Billia started in net for Chicoutimi and gave up six goals on 29 shots before giving way to Mathieu Duquette, who stopped 1-of-2 shots in eight minutes of relief. --- DRAKKAR 4 PHOENIX 1 BAIE-COMEAU, Que. -- The Drakkar used a three-goal third period to slip past Sherbrooke. Jeremy Gregoire, Denis Gorbunov and Valentin Zykov scored in the third for Baie-Comeau (43-15-4) and Maxim St-Cyr opened the scoring in the second. Daniel Audette scored the lone goal for the Phoenix (16-38-7), who sit three points out of the final playoff position. Simon Lemieux made 24 saves for the Drakkar while Sherbrookes Francis Desrosiers turned aside 40-of-44 shots in a losing cause. --- ARMADA 3 VOLTIGEURS 1 DRUMMONDVILLE, Que. -- Christopher Clapperton scored twice as Blainville-Boisbriand snapped a four-game skid by downing the Voltigeurs. Marc-Olivier Roy also scored for the Armada (38-14-9) and Etienne Marcoux stopped 29 shots for the victory. Ryan Culkin scored the lone goal for Drummondville (37-21-4). Louis-Philip Guindon turned aside 13-of-15 for the Voltigeurs. --- FOREURS 5 OLYMPIQUES 0 GATINEAU, Que. -- Anthony Mantha had two goals and an assist and Antoine Bibeau stopped 32 shots as Val-dOr shutout the Olympiques. Louick Marcotte scored once for the Foreurs (40-19-2) and assisted on goals by Anthony Richard and Samuel Henley. Martin Reway and Emile Poirier led Gatineau (37-20-4) in shots on net with four each. Robert Steeves stopped 32-of-37 shots for the Olympiques. --- OCEANIC 3 HUSKIES 1 RIMOUSKI, Que. -- Michael Joly had a pair of goals as the Oceanic extended their win streak to 10 games by beating Rouyn-Noranda. Frederik Gauthier also scored for Rimouski (39-15-7) and now has five goals in his last four outings. Oceanic netminder Philippe Desrosiers made 20 saves for the win. Jason Fuchs scored the lone goal for the Huskies (33-23-5) and Guillaume Decelles stopped 20-of-22 shots in a losing cause. --- CATARACTES 2 REMPARTS 1 (SO) SHAWINIGAN, Que. -- Giovanni Fiore scored once in regulation and the lone goal of the shootout as the Cataractes downed Quebec. Marvin Cupper turned away 40-of-41 shots through 65 minutes and all three shooters in the shootout for Shawinigan (16-36-8). Mikhail Grigorenko scored for the Remparts (35-16-9) while Francois Brassard made 30 saves in a losing cause. The Cataractes went 0 for 3 on the power play while Quebec scored once on three chances. Terrance West Ravens Jersey . Hes had three top-10 results this season and feels ready to put it all together and finally hoist a trophy at the top level. Zach Orr Womens Jersey . The German has taken the pole for three straight races -- winning the first two. Hes aiming for a third consecutive win at the Yeongam circuit and, most importantly, a fourth consecutive F1 championship.DENVER - Peter Forsberg spent his playing days thinking about winning, not about the Hall of Fame.On Thursday, the former Colorado Avalanche star reflected on the honour he received earlier this week when he was inducted into the exclusive hockey club.My kids and grandkids are going to go there and say, Peter was a pretty good player. Its an awesome feeling, and seeing my name and picture up there with the others was unbelievable, Forsberg said.Forsberg is the sixth Avalanche player to go into hockeys Hall of Fame. He joined Joe Sakic, Patrick Roy, Ray Bourque, Jari Kurri and Rob Blake, who was also inducted Monday night in Toronto.He is the third Swedish player to become a member, joining Anders Borje Salming — inducted in 1996 after 17 NHL seasons — and Mats Sundin, who entered the Hall in 2012.Back home they realize how hard it is to get in because there have only been a couple to go in, Forsberg said. Its been a big thing in the papers back home, and overall Swedish people start to know what it is now and how hard it is and what you have to achieve to get in there.His competitive nature got him into the Hall of Fame. Forsberg enjoyed his 10-plus years in Colorado — where he was part of two Stanley Cup-winning teams — because he wanted to win more than anything.There was no other goal in this organization than to win the Cup, he said. I didnt think about the Hall of Fame or anything, it was just winning games.Forsberg achieved plentyy in his international and NHL career despite foot and ankle ailments that plagued him for years. Ravens Hats. His shootout goal in the title game of the 1994 Olympics won the gold for Sweden and was commemorated on a postage stamp.He came to the NHL in 1995 as a rookie for the Quebec Nordiques, and his early season struggles had him thinking he was going to be sent down by coach Marc Crawford.I thought Crawford was going to send me down after 12, 13 games, Forsberg said. He called me in the office, Peter, youve got to start playing. Im not going to send you down. I didnt bring you over here to send you down.That year turned out to be pretty good I got the Calder (rookie of the year).He played most of his career with the Avalanche, who moved to Denver after his rookie season. He was a part of Stanley Cup winners in 1996 and 2001, although he missed the last two rounds of the 2001 playoffs after sustaining a ruptured spleen.His problematic foot injuries forced Forsberg to miss the following regular season but he returned to lead the NHL in playoff scoring in 2002.The following year he won the Hart Trophy as the league MVP, but it was the last time he played more than 60 games in an NHL season.He won another Olympic gold with Sweden in 2006.Forsberg retired for the first time after playing nine games for Colorado in the 2007-08 season. He tried a comeback in February 2011, but after two games he retired for the final time. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys AuthenticWholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '
ORLANDO - Julio Cesar would have preferred a different start to his Toronto FC career. Golden Tate Lions Jersey . The Brazilian international goalkeeper was beaten twice in the first 12 minutes of his Reds debut in a 3-1 preseason loss to Columbus Crew in Florida earlier this week. There wasnt much Cesar could do about Federico Higuains excellent free-kick, or the thunderbolt from Josh Williams that followed shortly after. Despite conceding the goals, it was a relatively quiet afternoon for the World Cup winner. Cesar was rarely called into action, but that didnt mean he wasnt involved. When Toronto FC announced Cesars signing on loan from Queens Park Rangers last week, Reds head coach Ryan Nelsen talked about the leadership and organizational skills the veteran will bring. That was clearly evident in Orlando against Columbus as Cesar talked his way through the game, managing his teammates in front of him. "It is part of the job of the goalkeeper because he can watch all of the games," Cesar told me following the game at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney. "Many times I like to talk with my defenders and the midfield. We need to work hard tactically especially. The most important thing is to understand the coach and what he wants. "I am a little sad because it was my first game and we lost, but I am happy because I am back to playing after eight months and that was tough for me. I am really happy because the coach gave me the opportunity to start with the team." A key figure amongst the defenders in front of Cesar will be club captain Steven Caldwell, and the former Scottish international is well aware of what the Brazilian can bring to the team. "Its fantastic to have him behind us with his experience," said Caldwell. "Hes very comfortable on the ball and strong playing out of the back. Its going to be a great experience for everybody who has the privilege to play with Julio and so far he just seems like a fantastic guy. Were all going to learn off him and it is an honour for this football club to have him play for us." One of the things that has been lacking in past seasons at Toronto FC has been leadership on the pitch, but that certainly cant be said about this squad of players. With Cesar in goal and Caldwell in the centre of defence they have two excellent communicators. When you add in US international Michael Bradley as the general in the centre of midfield, TFC has a very strong leadership core. "You want every guy taking a big role in the team with personality and leadership and commitment," said Bradley. "When you walk in that locker room there is a team full of guys who are ready to do that, so thats nothing but positive." Toronto FCs next test in preseason is on Saturday when they will return to action in Florida in their second match of the Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic against hometown team Orlando City. Management and players alike will be hoping to see further improvement and progression as the team builds towards its March 15 season opener in Seattle. "For us its about building the understanding and working on the things we have been working on in training," said Dwayne De Rosario. "We will continue to build and there is still a long way to go. The game (against Columbus) brought us back to reality and showed us things that we need to work on. Now we need to improve on those things that they exposed us on. Were where we want to be but there is still a lot to do." "Against Columbus we had a few guys that were having their first minutes of preseason," said head coach Ryan Nelsen. "We needed to see a few of the weaknesses that we have so that we can work on it. Theyve just got to play together. They have to get used to each other and get minutes under their belt. We will progress on from here." Calvin Johnson Womens Jersey .The third-seeded Murray, who won here in 2009, will face seventh-seeded Kevin Anderson of South Africa next on the indoor hard court. Matthew Stafford Youth Jersey . Not bad for a defenceman. The goal, that is. Although the shuffling dance steps werent bad, either. Barrie scored 55 seconds into overtime, Semyon Varlamov stopped 29 shots, and the Avalanche moved a step closer to their first playoff berth in four years with a 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night.PITTSBURGH -- Vance Worley is used to his body breaking down at this point in the season. An unexpected break allowed the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander to regroup. He responded with his sharpest outing in two months to push the fading Milwaukee Brewers closer to an extended vacation of their own. Bumped from the starting rotation in favour of a seemingly healed Charlie Morton last week, Worley returned with eight sparkling innings in Sundays 1-0 win over the Brewers as the surging Pirates closed in on a second consecutive playoff berth. Russell Martin singled home Andrew McCutchen in the seventh inning and the Pirates trapped speedy Carlos Gomez in a rundown in the ninth for the win. Pittsburgh moved 4 1-2 games in front of Milwaukee for an NL wild-card spot with a week to go. Worley (8-4) scattered four hits and the Pirates used some smart fielding in the ninth to help All-Star setup man Tony Watson pick up his first save of the year. "I got the start off, got some time to get my feet back under me," Worley said. "This is the deepest Ive gone into the season the last couple years with injury, so this was good for me." Certainly looked like it. The Pirates sent Worley to the bullpen last week when Morton returned from a sports hernia. Morton pitched five shutout innings in a victory over the Red Sox only to have the hernia flare up late in his outing. Hes gone indefinitely and Worley is back in and probably not going anywhere after striking out five and not issuing a walk while throwing 63 of his 82 pitches for strikes. "Vance wasnt nitpicking," said Martin, his catcher. The Brewers -- who led the Pirates by 9 1-2 games in May -- dropped two of three in the series, scoring just three runs in 27 innings. They had a chance to send it to extra innings in the ninth only to run themselves into trouble. Gomez led off with a single against Watson, pressed into the closers role with Mark Melancon unavailable after working three straight games. Pinch-hitter Rickie Weeks beat out a chopper for an infield hit that squired out of first baseman Gaby Sanchezs glove. Gomez saw the ball pop out and started heading to third before suddenly pulling up. That led to a rundown that squelched the rally. "If I continued to run, it would have been really easy to make it to third because everybody broke for that ball and nobody was on third," Gomez said. "So I dont know why I stopped. Its just a mistake that you learn from." The Brewers are running out of time. Pittsburghs magic number dropped to three with seveen games remaining, scoring the games only run on Martins RBI single off Wily Peralta (16-11). Anquan Boldin Womens Jersey. It was Martins second go-ahead hit in three days. He had a three-run homer in the eighth on Friday night to propel the Pirates to a 4-2 victory. This time he skipped the dramatics and opted for simple contact. McCutchen led off the seventh with an infield single, moved to third on a passed ball and a wild pitch and trotted home when Martin singled up the middle to extend his hitting streak to 12 games. "Whenever another team gives you an opportunity, you have to take advantage of it," Martin said. The Pirates improved to 51-30 at home, their best season at PNC Park since it opened in 2001 and their highest win total since going 53-28 at Three Rivers Stadium in 1992. They did it on a day they set a franchise record for single season attendance, topping 2.4 million on the year. "Its a blue-collar team," manager Clint Hurdle said. "Its a Pittsburgh team." One that sprinting toward the playoffs yet again after ending a record streak of 20 consecutive losing seasons in 2013. Peralta was every bit Worleys equal. Martins single was the first Pittsburgh hit to reach the outfield grass. Still, it wasnt quite enough as the Brewers fell to 2-13 in their last 15 road games. "It sure doesnt look good," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "Theyre a good team, theyre playing well. You dont expect them to not play well here the last (seven) games. And weve got to basically win it out. Its not easy to do." UP NEXT Brewers: Milwaukee is off Monday and opens a three-game series at Cincinnati on Tuesday. Mike Fiers (6-3, 1.78 ERA) will make his ninth start of the season. Fiers allowed one run in seven innings against St. Louis last week. Pirates: Pittsburgh begins its season-ending seven-game road trip in Atlanta on Monday. Francisco Liriano (6-10, 3.45 ERA) has allowed three earned runs in his last five starts (33 innings). Liriano is 5-4 with a 2.39 ERA since returning from the disabled list in July. HOME SWEET HOME The Pirates recorded their 23rd sellout in Sundays finale to break club record for attendance in a single season, drawing 2,442,564. The team is 101-61 over the last two years at home. "Youve got 100 wins, it really is home sweet home," Hurdle said. "It has now become an event, not just something, Hey, we can do this. Youre marking your calendars, youre picking dates, youre swapping tickets, youre buying tickets. 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FLORHAM PARK, N. Pascal Siakam Raptors Jersey .J. - New York Jets cornerback Dee Milliner sat out practice Wednesday with tightness in his left hamstring, and is not sure when he will return to the field. The practice, the teams fifth organized team activity session, was the first Milliner has missed this off-season after experiencing symptoms earlier in the week. "Its just precautionary," Milliner said. "I feel fine." Milliner, in his second season, had a rough start to his rookie year while dealing with hamstring issues early. He is expected to take over this season for Antonio Cromartie as the teams No. 1 cornerback, making this latest injury — however minor — cause at least some concern for the Jets. "He has to understand that hes got to be in extraordinary shape," coach Rex Ryan said. "His challenge will be to be in world-class shape because weve got to have you out there. He needs to be out there and he needs to get work, because thats how hes going get better." Ryan said Milliner, the No. 9 overall pick last year, had been having a good off-season before this setback. The coach was encouraged by Milliners progress last season, particularly in the final month. "You saw it as the year went on last year, he got better because of the work on the practice field and in the classroom," Ryan said. "He was taking off from there, and you dont want to see this happen. Hes got to step it up, because I think hes got all the talent in the world." Milliner, who stood on the sideline during team drills, acknowledged that theres a bit of frustration not being able to participate. "It bothers me because I want to be out there on the field with my teammates getting better during OTAs," he said. "In another way, its fine because I know (Im not) injured or hurt that bad." Wide receiver Eric Decker also was among those who did not participate. He is in Nashville with wife and recording artist Jessie James for the CMT Music Awards, at which they will be presenters. Ryan had no issue with the teams top receiver not being at the voluntary workouts. "Well, speaking as a married guy, (I) absolutely recommend that you would go to that," a smiling Ryan said. "So that would be recommended, I think. You know, you ask for their support, you need to support them, too." Meanwhile, running back Mike Goodson, coming off a knee injury and facing legal troubles, has yet to show for any of the teams OTAs. Ryan again stressed that the practice sessions are voluntary, but added: "He volunteered not to be here, and Ill volunteer to not answer the question." Goodson roster status is in serious doubt, aside from facing weapons charges. The Jets also have Chris Ivory, Chris Johnson, Bilal Powell, Alex Green and Daryl Richardson at the position. And, the team isnt quite certain how much Goodson has been able to do in his rehabilitation from the injury. "Im not going to speculate because hes not here and I dont know where he is," Ryan said about Goodsons rehab. "We havent seen him, so I cant answer that question." Jonas Valanciunas Jersey . General manager David Poile called signing Ribeiro a great opportunity to add a talented, experienced and creative centre Tuesday when he introduced the veteran at a news conference. Ribeiros contract is worth $1.05 million after being bought out of the final three years of a $22 million contract by the Coyotes recently. Raptors Jersey . He left in the 4th inning of Saturdays game against the Tigers after experiencing tightness. Reyes and the team still hope that he will be ready for Opening Day in Tampa Bay in one week. MIAMI -- Zack Wheeler and the New York Mets got the best of Andrew Heaney during the Marlins prospects major league debut. Wheeler tossed his first shutout and made David Wrights first-inning home run hold up in the Mets 1-0 victory over Miami on Thursday night. "He showed you exactly what weve been talking about all along -- plus stuff. Tremendous, great effort," Mets manager Terry Collins said of Wheeler. "He went after them. It was his night." Wheeler (3-7) outdueled Heaney in the longest outing of the Mets starters career. "It feels great, I know I can do it every time out," Wheeler said. "I know I have the stuff. It finally feels good to go out there and do it and be efficient with my pitches and get ahead of guys." New York, which won at St. Louis on Wednesday, has consecutive victories for the first time since a three-game streak from May 31-June 2. The Mets had dropped eight straight on the road before Wednesday. Wheeler, the No. 6 pick in the 2009 draft, struck out eight. He allowed three hits and one walk, and 70 of his 111 pitches were strikes. He pitched to only one batter over the minimum and was helped by three double plays. "Anytime somebody gets on, whether it be a walk or hit, you just try to make a pitch and get a double play. I was able to do that," Wheeler said. The 24-year old right-hander lowered his ERA to 0.96 in four starts against the Marlins. "He didnt miss over the plate much," Marlins catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia said. "He was really good with locating his pitches off the plate. He threw a lot of fastballs, like we expected, but he didnt leave anything over the plate. "Youve got to tip your cap to a guy who pitched a great game." Heaney (0-1) gave up four hits in six innings, allowing only Wrights home run. The 23-year old lefty, the ninth pick in the 2012 draft, struck out three and walked one. "He did a nice job, gave us a chance and kept us in the game," Marlins manager Mike Redmond said. "He gave up one pitch to a really good hitter for a home run and that was it. He executed his pitches, got hiis pitch count up high early, but then settled in. Bismack Biyombo Jersey. "All in all it was a good start for him." It was a battle between two young starters that could see a lot of each other in coming years in the NL East. "Thats what the game is coming to," Collins said. "The game is changing where those big power arms are coming up in every organization, and theyre all young." Heaney allowed an infield hit to Eric Young, Jr. to begin the game, but got Daniel Murphy to bounce into a double play. Wright then hit his sixth homer of the season off the sculpture in deep left-centre field. No one else got into scoring position against Heaney. "I had no expectations, to be honest," Heaney said. "I just wanted to pitch well. I felt early on I didnt know how it was going to go. It was kind of on the edge with every guy. From that fourth inning on I got into a rhythm." Bryan Morris relieved Heaney in the seventh and faced a bases loaded situation, but he got Wheeler to ground out and end the threat. Wheeler, who made his much-anticipated debut a year and a day before Heaney, complimented his mound opponent. "I sat on the bench in between innings and just watched him, knowing that I was there not too long ago and knowing how he felt," Wheeler said. "He has a good arm, and I think hes going to do well." Kevin Gregg pitched the ninth in his season debut with Miami. He earned 61 saves for the Marlins in 2007-08. Reed Johnson singled in the ninth off Wheeler with two outs, but Rafael Furcal lined out to centre to end the game. Wheeler threw a 95 mph fastball on his final pitch. "I still had plenty," Wheeler said. NOTES: Mets OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas, and OF Matt den Dekker was optioned to Las Vegas. ... Marlins slugger RF Giancarlo Stanton went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts after coming out of Wednesdays game because of a bruised left wrist. ... New York will send RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka (3-0, 2.81) to the mound on Friday against Miami RHP Henderson Alvarez (3-3, 2.56). Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '