TORONTO -- Kyle Lowry scored on an awkward, lurching 31-foot buzzer-beater just before halftime Wednesday, a circus shot that left him sprawled, grinning on his stomach on the Air Canada Centre floor. Jared Dudley Jersey . The Raptors very nearly spoiled what was the point guards finest performance -- in a playoff series full of them -- while holding on for a 115-113 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. Lowry poured in 36 points in the victory that gave the Raptors a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series. "He is great, he did a great job," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "But this game tonight, we have got to learn from it because there are so many learning experiences from tonights game. Having the lead, (handling) prosperity, embracing the pressure. "Kyle. . . 36 points is huge. Huge for us." DeMar DeRozan added 23 points, while Jonas Valanciunas finished with 16 and Greivis Vasquez added 15. Amir Johnson chipped in with 11 points for the Raptors who gave up a 26-point lead in the fourth quarter, making for some tense moments at the ACC, but held on for the victory. When asked to describe the emotions of a fourth quarter that saw the Nets score 44 points, Casey answered: "You wouldnt want to hear it." The series heads back to Brooklyns Barclays Center for Game 6 on Friday, and a victory there would send them to a second-round series against the Miami Heat. A Game 7, if necessary, would be Sunday in Toronto. The Raptors controlled the game through the second and third quarters, when it seemed they could do no wrong, and led by 26 points twice late in the third. They headed into the fourth up 91-69 and appeared poised to cruise to an easy victory, but the Nets had plenty of fight left, tying the game at 101 on a three-pointer by Joe Johnson with 3:16 to go, stunning the crowd. Lowry drained the go-ahead three and then scored on a driving hook shot to put Toronto up by three points with 27 seconds left. A three and foul shot by Anderson pulled the Nets to within a point, but Andray Blatche -- with Lowry running right at him -- turned the ball over on a backcourt violation sealing the Raptors victory. "Hes a helluva player," DeRozan said of Lowry. "Its just that dog in him. . . Every time hes out there on the court, understand, Im going to give my best effort, because I know hes going to do the same." Lowry, playing with his right knee in a protective sleeve after injuring it in Game 3 in Brooklyn, has been solid all series, but took it to another level Wednesday, providing all kinds of highlight-reel plays. There was the diving three at the halftime buzzer. There was the 85-foot outlet pass that found an unmarked Terrence Ross under the basket. But the point guard was particularly big down the stretch, taking charges and slicing through the Nets defence for tough buckets. "When we needed a big shot, No. 7 came through. Kyle was unbelievable," said Raptors forward Chuck Hayes. "Theres nothing more you can say. Hes doing it at the right time on the biggest stage. "We need an answer, we call Kyle. Kyle will figure it out." It was the kind of game the Raptors would have coughed up down the stretch last season, and Casey said the team does take something from holding on for a win. "But we cant live that way. Our history has been pretty good in the fourth quarter, but tonight, for whatever reason, they flipped the switch and flipped the script," the coach said. Joe Johnson led the Nets with 30 points, while Mirza Teletovic added 17, and Deron Williams and Alan Anderson finished with 13 apiece. The teams split the first two games in Toronto, and did the same in Games 3 and 4 in Brooklyn. A Game 7, if necessary, would be Sunday in Toronto. "One game at a time and we have to take care of home," said Pierce. "I think we will play better on Friday at home and we will see them back here on Sunday." The capacity ACC crowd of 20,393 that included Drake and rapper 50 Cent -- who dipped his head when the camera was on him to show fans his "Northern Uprising" hat -- was loud all game long, from the moment the fans sang along to O Canada to the final buzzer. The arena was a sea of white, as fans wore their white "We The North" T-shirts. They mocked the Nets by chanting "Broo-klyn!" the traditional chant at the Barclays Center. The Nets even took note, posting on the teams official Twitter account: ".Nets fans take note- this is what a playoff crowd sounds like..set your DVD and take notes .RAPTORSvNETS." Despite the rain and chilly temperatures, some 4,500 fans jammed into Maple Leaf Square outside the ACC to watch the game on the big screen. They were given rain ponchos. Some 1,200 fans were also given black and gold OVO/Raptors lint-rollers, a nod to Drake using a lint-roller while sitting courtside during Game 2. An array of Toronto sports celebrities took the stage, including Toronto FCs Jermain Defoe, Michael Bradley and Julio Cesar, and former Raptors Morris Peterson and Jerome Williams. "Ive never seen support like this. This is special," Defoe said in an on-stage interview. Cesar, wearing a No. 7 Raptors jersey, yelled "Lets go Raptors!" This series has been spirited from Day 1 when Raptors GM Masai Ujiri took the stage and dropped his famous F-bomb about Brooklyn. An enterprising man outside the ACC on Wednesday was selling F--- Brooklyn buttons, three for $5. Fans were wearing the same on T-shirts at the game. Johnson led the way with nine points for Toronto in a first quarter that saw neither team lead by more than six. The Raptors ended the quarter with a 10-2 run capped by a Lowry three-pointer that put Toronto up 28-25 going into the second. The Raptors trailed by four points with just over five minutes to go in the second, but finished the quarter on a 26-4 run capped by Lowrys three, part of a 13-point performance in the quarter for the point guard. The Raptors went into the locker-room at halftime buoyed by a 62-44 lead. The third quarter has been the Raptors nemesis in this series, but not so on Wednesday. They didnt take their foot off the pedal, shooting 58 per cent to twice go ahead by 26 points. Toronto went into the fourth with a 91-69 lead. Anthony Davis Jersey . A lawmaker is hoping the buzz from California Chromes run for the Triple Crown might build support for a bill that would place the U. Quinn Cook Jersey . Yet coming off consecutive series losses at St. Louis and Pittsburgh, Los Angeles needed some sort of spark as August approaches. The Dodgers found it in the ballpark of their biggest rival, and left the Bay Area in first place following an emphatic three-game swing. https://www.lakersjerseycheap.com/341j-mitch-richmond-jersey-lakers.html .com) - The Pittsburgh Penguins will try to complete a sweep of the Washington Capitals when the clubs cap a quick home-and-home series Tuesday night in the Steel City.BROSSARD, Que. - Brian Gionta knows what happened the last time the Montreal Canadiens opened a playoff series with a pair of wins on the road. It was in 2011, and the Boston Bruins stormed back to win on a Nathan Horton shot off a defencemans leg in Game 7 overtime. Before that was 2006, when the Canadiens took the opening two games in Carolina only to drop the next four, partly through losing star centre Saku Koivu to a series-ending eye injury from an accidental high stick by Justin Williams in Game 4. Both times, the team that came back to beat the Canadiens went on to win the Stanley Cup. After taking their opening two games of this years playoffs with wins of 5-4 and 4-1 over the Lightning in Tampa, Fla., Gionta doesnt want history to repeat itself. "Its huge, but at the end of the day, we fell into that trap against Boston a few years back," the Canadiens captain said Saturday. "We won two games in their building and we came back and let off the gas a bit. "So we need to make sure that our focus is on (Sunday) night and make sure we do what we did in the first two games." Game 3 of the best-of-seven series is set for Sunday night at the Bell Centre, where a wall of sound from the 21,273 spectators is expected to greet the Canadiens. They didnt skate after a late-night flight home from Tampa, but the message from the coach Michel Therrien and his staff was about taking care of business on home ice. "We all understand that the farther you get in the playoffs the more difficult the games are to play," said Therrien. "Were glad were back at home, but I like our focus. "We have a business mentality. Its about preparing ourselves for (the next game)." Therrien has much to be pleased about. His team has had the edge on the Lightning for all but the first period of Game 2 on Saturday night, when strong goaltending from Carey Price kept the game scoreless until Montreal took control in the second frame on a power-play goal from David Desharnais and Rene Bourques first of the game. Brendan Gallagher and Bourque added goals in the third before Teddy Purcell got one — on a power play plus the goalie pulled for an extra attacker — at 18:01. The Desharnais goal broke a nine-game drought for the Montreal power play. They have also been getting scoring from all four lines. EEight different forwards have scored goals, which takes some pressure off the top unit of Desharnais, Max Pacioretty and Thomas Vanek. Alex Caruso Jersey. Desharnais got his first goal in 12 career post-season games, while Paciorettys assist on the same tally was his first point in six career playoff games. The line combined for 22 shots in two games, so it should produce more as the playoffs go on. The Canadiens also took advantage of the absence of Tampa Bays injured top goalie Ben Bishop by beating Anders Lindback eight times in two games and adding another against Kristers Gudlevskis — the Latvian who made 55 stops in a 2-1 loss to Canada at the Sochi Olympics. Gudlevskis let in one goal on three Montreal shots. And they held Tampa Bay star Steven Stamkos to two goals, both in Game 1, and no assists, although the gifted sniper has nine shots on goal. So the Canadiens are in good position to win a playoff series for the first time since goalie Jaroslav Halaks heroics got them to the Eastern Conference final in 2010. But they know how far away that goal is. All-time, the Canadiens are 49-5 when leading a best-of-seven series 2-0, but have lost three of the last four times in that situation. "Theyre going to make adjustments," said Gionta. "Its the playoffs and youve got to try to read what theyre going to do, make adjustments on the fly, and see what happens. "I thought we did a fairly good job of that (Friday) night. We need to do it again." Giontas line with centre Lars Eller and left-winger Bourque has been particularly solid. Eller entered this years post-season with two assists in eight career games, but now leads the team with a goal and two assists. Bourque was a target for fans all through a sub-par regular season with nine goals in 63 games in which he was made a healthy scratch for the first time in his career. He sat out five straight games in March. He may get a warmer reception after two solid games in Tampa, including his first career playoff game with more than one goal. "Since hes back in our lineup, before the playoffs, Rene Bourque was playing the way we expect him to play," said Therrien. "We dont judge players only on goals and assists. "What I like is that hes engaged in the game. Hes physical. Hes going hard to the net and he got rewarded." ' ' '

WASHINGTON -- By the time the 12th inning rolled around, the San Diego Padres were without third baseman Chase Headley -- his strained calf could send him to the disabled list -- and left fielder Seth Smith, who hurt a groin muscle. Pirates Jerseys 2019 . The Padres were on their way to using a total of 20 players, including seven pitchers. Well, seven on the mound, and one in left field. Andrew Cashner briefly filled in for Smith before manager Bud Black made a double-switch. So it was quite a relief when Xavier Nady delivered a tiebreaking RBI single off Craig Stammen in the top of the 12th to give San Diego a 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Thursday night. "This was an interesting one, for sure," Black said. "This was one where you really had to be creative as it went along." Nady, who entered the game in right field in the ninth, bounced a 2-0 fastball up the middle off Stammen (0-1), who was working his third inning. "Im the last man standing. Whatever happens, happens. Ive got to live with it," Stammen said. "I left it up a little bit, but he put it in a good spot." Jedd Gyorko singled, stole second and got to third when catcher Jose Lobatons throw sailed into the outfield for an error, then scored on Nadys hit. "As soon as I threw the ball," Lobaton said, gritting his teeth, "I was like, Ah, that was a bad throw." Alex Torres (1-0) got two outs in the 11th for the win, and Houston Street worked around Bryce Harpers leadoff double in the 12th for his eighth save. The game ended when Lobaton lined out to shortstop Everth Cabrera, who flipped the ball to second base to double off Harper. "It was sort of ironic that we were sort of worried about Harper stealing third," Black explained, "and so we tried to keep Cabby a little bit tighter to Harper, and sure enough the ball was hit in the hole." The Nationals went 0 for 16 with runners in scoring position and left 14 men on base. The only 1-2-3 innings for Padres pitching were the second and 11th. "Theres just something in you, when your backs against the wall a little bit, youve got to reach back and really give your best shot and throw your best pitches," said Tim Stauffer, who threw 2 1-3 scoreless innings in relief of Eric Stults. "I think as a whole we were able to do that today." Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa said: "Its easy to press. You want to come through for your team." He hit a solo homer in the sixth, and Adam LaRoche added one in the seventh to help Washington pull even after trailing 3-1. But the Padres never did let the Nationals go ahead from there. Headley left in the middle of the second inning, and Black said: "That looks as though thats probably going to be a DL." Smith departed in the 11th but the manager didnt think his problem will send him to the disabled list. In the top of the ninth, San Diegos Yonder Alonso walked, then tried to steal second and initially was ruled safe. But Nationals manager Matt Williams challenged the call, which was overruled on review; replays showed that Alonsos front leg was in the air as he slid and his foot didnt touch the bag before he was tagged. Nationals starter Jordan Zimmermann allowed three runs and five hits in six innings. Stults gave up 10 hits but only two runs in his 5 1-3 innings. "When I was done," Stults said, "it seemed like I kind of pitched yesterday." NOTES: Nationals LHP Gio Gonzalez felt "normal, after-a-start soreness" Thursday and would get plenty of treatment, Williams said. Gonzalez was pulled in the sixth inning after only 83 pitches Wednesday because his left shoulder felt tight. "Im not concerned about it. I dont think he is, either, really," Williams said. "We want to be careful, but we dont think theres any major concern there." ... Washington RHP Doug Fister, on the 15-day DL with a back muscle problem, threw 40 pitches in a bullpen session Thursday and is scheduled to make his first minor league rehab start Sunday, probably at Class-A Potomac. ... Padres LF Carlos Quentin, on the 15-day DL with a bone bruise in his left knee, is expected to report to extended spring training in Arizona this weekend. ... On Friday, Nationals RHP Stephen Strasburg (1-2, 5.33) will face Padres LHP Robbie Erlin (1-2, 4.15). Jung-ho Kang Jersey . One out away from finishing off an impressive shutout, they let a must-win game slip away. Richie Hebner Jersey . - Free agent defensive end Will Smith has signed with the New England Patriots. https://www.cheappiratesjerseys.us/1452e-chris-archer-jersey-pirates.html . - Ryan Spooner scored twice to lead the Boston Bruins to a 6-1 victory over the New York Islanders in a preseason game Friday night.Matt Cooke is set to return from his suspension against the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 4 on Friday. Cooke was suspended seven games for his knee-on-knee hit that knocked Colorado Avalanche defenceman Tyson Barrie out of the playoffs in their first-round series. But the Wild forward is not prepared to change his game in light of this latest incident, which resulted in the sixth suspension of his career. "Ive got to go back to the work I put in to this point, video-wise, game-wise, mentally-wise, to put myself in a position for success," Cooke told reporters on Wednesday. "Although this one situation happened, I still believe and know that Im in a good spot as far as the way I approach the game to go out and play a physical style without being riskful. "Obviously theres the one situaation thats going to be in my head that it happened, but Im a firm believer in the work that Ive put in to change the style, to change my approach to the game, to allow me to go out and have success. Joe Musgrove Jersey. " As for the perception of his style of play among players and fans, that isnt a concern for Cooke, who reached out to Barrie after the hit. "Its not my job to go out and change peoples opinions," said Cooke. "Its my job to go out and play the way that I can to be successful and helping my teammates win. Thats my job." Cooke doesnt expect his role to change when he returns to the lineup, adding that he has plenty to offer off the ice. "I think the biggest thing I can give is my experience and my communication," said Cooke. The Wild trail the series 2-1. ' ' '

MEMPHIS, Tenn. Vans Outlet . -- Russ Smith scored a career-high 42 points and No. 5 Louisville cruised to a 94-65 victory over Houston on Friday in the semifinals of the inaugural American Athletic Conference tournament. Smith shot 14 for 22 from the field and 5 for 7 from 3-point range. His final points came on a three-point play where he hit a reverse layup and converted the ensuing free throw. Luke Hancock and Montrezl Harrell both added 12 for the Cardinals (28-5), the tournaments second seed, who will face the winner of Fridays second game between top-seeded Cincinnati and Connecticut. TaShawn Thomas and Brandon Morris scored 13 each for Houston (17-16), while Danuel House had 12 points and 13 rebounds as the Cougars lost for only the second time in their last seven games. Balenciaga Italia . Wawrinka, who is seeded fourth, is in the top half of the draw with Serbian Novak Djokovic. The Swiss star outlasted Djokovic in a five-set quarterfinal thriller last year and stunned Spaniard Rafael Nadal in the final to capture his first-ever Grand Slam title. Saucony Outlet Italia .com) - Al Horford collected 19 points and 16 rebounds and the Atlanta Hawks held off a furious rally to beat the Detroit Pistons 106-103 on Friday night in a game between two of the NBAs hottest teams. http://www.scontatescarpenikeoutlet.it/italia-saucony-offerte.html . -- The Anaheim Ducks have signed left wing Dany Heatley to a one-year deal, returning the 33-year-old unrestricted free agent to the Pacific Division.SEATTLE - Seattle Sounders FC return home to face FC Dallas on Monday at CenturyLink Field in the second leg of the clubs Western Conference semifinal series. You can watch all the action on TSN2 beginning at 10:30pm et/7:30pm pt. The club met three times during the regular season and each game was fairly close, with Seattle winning two one-goal affairs in April and May, while FC Dallas claimed a 3-1 win over Seattle in September. The sides matchup well with FC Dallas young, quick forwards against Seattles sturdy back line, and the first leg of the series was a tight affair with the clubs finishing level at 1-1 at Toyota Stadium. It was the home side the grabbed the lead in the 34th minute when Andres Escobar worked his way past two Sounders into the penalty box and was taken down on the slide by Marco Pappa, resulting in a penalty kick. Michel stepped to the spot and blasted it past the outstretched arm of Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei. Seattle drew level in the 54th minute with some excellent set-piece work. Pappa atoned for his rash tackle earlier by sending a perfect free kick between the FCD back line and the goalkeeper, allowing midfielder Osvaldo Alonso to find some space and nod it down and past FCD goalkeeper Raul Fernandez for his first goal of the postseason. Dallas had a late chance to take the lead in the 90th minute as Fabian Castillo got free down the right flank and forced a superb save from Frei, who parried a quick strike over the crossbar. The draw favors Seattle slightly in Mondays second lleg as the club has an upper hand via the newly-instituted away-goals tiebreaker. Air Max Plus Scontate. Should the match finish scoreless, the Sounders would advance. Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid said his club played the first leg exactly how they wanted. Were happy with the result, Schmid said. We talked about making sure at the end of game one we put ourselves in a position to win it in game two. Weve always done a good job of being at home in the second game and winning the second game. I think in years past we were maybe a little naive coming into this first series playing away and finding ourselves in a deep hole, center back Zach Scott added. Now with the new away goals rule I thought we played it exactly the way we wanted to. FC Dallas did well to match wits with Seattle stars Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins, holding them both off the score sheet and despite not getting the win, the team was encouraged by the performance. I think it show a lot of our character, FC Dallas defender Matt Hedges said. It didnt look like we had played three games in eight days. Everybody had fresh legs, put in their work and it got us a result. FC Dallas will also get a boost to their lineup as playmarker Mauro Diaz is set to return after missing the first leg due to suspension. We have 90 minutes and we can score there also, said FCD head coach Oscar Pareja. It is what it is. The series is open. The first 90, and its a tie. We will go to Seattle and trying to do what we can do. This team is not afraid to play anyone. ' ' '

Sky Sports Guillem Balague picks his combined Man City and Real Madrid XI ahead of their Champions League semi-final. Mike Bordick Jersey . Man City v Real Madrid preview All you need to know ahead of Tuesday nights Champions League semi-final first leg at the Etihad... City marked their first appearance in the Champions League last eight with a 3-2 aggregate win over PSG earlier this month, while Real, winners in 2014, overcame Wolfsburg by the same aggregate scoreline after a sublime second-leg comeback.Although Real Madrid are 6/4 favourites with Sky Bet to win the competition for an 11th time, Spanish football expert Balague believes Zinedine Zidanes side are the weakest of the remaining four sides, and insists they showed how dangerous yet vulnerable they can be in their two-legged win against Wolfsburg. There is no place for world-record signing Gareth Bale, with Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero pipping him alongside Cristiano Ronaldo Five Manchester City players make it into his combined XI, while there is no place for world-record signing Gareth Bale, with Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero preferred alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.Combined XI - 4-3-3: Joe Hart; Dani Carvajal, Sergio Ramos, Vincent Kompany, Marcelo; Luka Modric, Fernando, Toni Kroos; Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Aguero, Cristiano RonaldoBalague said: I think Real Madrid are the weakest of the four teams. As a team, they showed their weaknesses against Wolfsburg and they had an easy passage to the semis with Roma and Wolfsburg. Manuel Pellegrinis side have a fine chance of reaching the final, says Balague I think to lose 2-0 in Germany is a sign of what they can do, but also to beat Wolfsburg 3-0 is a sign of what they can do in another sense.Ronaldo found form at the best time of the season with key goals against Roma, Barca and Wolfsburg.But as a team, Real Madrid defend badly and can be exposed. Certainly it is an opportunity for City to reach the final. De Bruyne celebrates scoring in the quarter-final win over PSG earlier this month In the other semi-final clash, 2014 finalists Atletico Madrid face 2013 winners Bayern Munich, who are preparing for Pep Guardiolas departure to Manchester City in the summer.And Atletico, who have forced their way back into the La Liga title reckoning in the last month, are favourites to win the competition for the first time, according to Balague. Atletico can win the champions League. For me, they are the favourites. Its a fascinating battle between two coaches who love more than most to influence their sides. The teams are a mirror of who [Diego] Simeone and Pep were as players and are as coaches. Atletico are favourites to win the Champions League, according to Balague I think Atletico Madrid are more comfortable, marginally, with what they do. Physically, they are strong, solid, with no injuries. Bayern need to find themselves a strong centre-back pairing because Joshua Kimmich and Javi Martinez will struggle.Atletico Madrid showed against Barca they can defend as a team, but also that they werent scared to find the victory in their own way, in both ways.They find themselves more sharp at this stage of the season than two years ago when they got to the final. For me, they are the favourites. Also See: Charlies European predictions Man City v Real Madrid preview Is Iheanacho the answer? Neymar needs summer rest Chance Sisco Jersey . Maximilian Arnold put Wolfsburg ahead in the eighth minute, when the stationary Fallou Diagne allowed him to guide Patrick Ochs cross beyond the helpless Freiburg goalkeeper, and Ivica Olic doubled the lead three minutes later after Luiz Gustavo did well to set him up. Orioles Jerseys 2020 . PETERSBURG, Florida – Heading into Thursday nights action, Dioner Navarro had caught 14 innings combined from starters Drew Hutchison and Mark Buehrle. https://www.cheaporioles.com/1018i-dwight-smith-jr-jersey-orioles.html . Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.OAKLAND, Calif. -- When the Seattle Mariners were in the midst of a recent eight-game losing streak, manager Lloyd McClendon reminded his players such stretches happen, and they will happen again. Then he challenged them to respond in a positive way. The club is now doing a little bit of everything right to get back on track. Rookie Roenis Elias struck out six while pitching into the seventh to win consecutive starts for the first time, Justin Smoak drove in three runs and the Mariners beat the Oakland Athletics 8-3 on Tuesday night for their season-best fourth straight victory. "Its been something incredible," Elias said. "Everybodys together doing their job. I like my team how theyre playing baseball." Smoak hit an RBI double and Dustin Ackley a run-scoring single in the first to back Elias (3-2), who followed up a 10-strikeout gem at Yankee Stadium his last time out with another impressive start once he settled down. The Mariners jumped on Jesse Chavez (2-1) to take a quick first-inning lead for the second straight game against the As -- and Seattle scored all three of its first-inning runs with two outs on the way to its ninth win in 11 games overall. "We know that were not going to win a playoff spot in April," Michael Saunders said. "However, that being said, losing eight straight was a definite learning experience for us. Its not going to be the last time." Chavez got a scare and escaped injury in the fourth when he saved himself from a hard-hit liner by Saunders by catching the screamer that was going right for his face. "It was all reflexes, I just put my glove up," Chavez said. "As soon as I let go of the pitch I saw him make contact. Ive jumped out of the way at balls at my lower body, but Ive never had one like that at my face before." Making the play knocked him off his feet to end the fourth, and the small Coliseum crowd of 12,106 briefly fell silent. "Luckily no one got hurt. I havent seen the replay but guys said it had a chance to hit him square in the face," Saunders said. Chavez got a double play to face the minimum in the fifth, but his night ended after allowing Mike Zuninos sixth-inning sacrifice fly following a hit battsman and a walk. Anthony Santander Jersey. Oakland No. 9 hitter Nick Punto pulled Oakland back in it with a two-run, two-out single in the second. Yoenis Cespedes, back in the starting lineup after nursing a left hamstring injury, hit a leadoff home run in the sixth. The As squandered a scoring chance in the seventh against Dominic Leone, leaving the tying run on third as they again struggled with runners in scoring position. Elias allowed three runs and five hits with three walks in 6 1-3 innings in his seventh career start. Sean Doolittle struck out all four batters he faced in relief of Chavez. But Seattle added on four unearned runs in the top of the ninth against 2013 AL saves leader Jim Johnson, who was booed off the mound when pulled by manager Bob Melvin as fans headed for the exits. Smoak added a two-run single. For Wednesdays doubleheader, Felix Hernandez will pitch Game 1 for Seattle and Erasmo Ramirez the second. As manager Bob Melvin didnt announce his choice for the nightcap, though Dan Straily pitches the opener. Oakland will make right-hander Arnold Leon its 26th player for the second game but is likely to start Drew Pomeranz since he didnt pitch in relief Tuesday. The 25-year-old Leons family was scheduled to fly in from Mexico for his likely major league debut after nine seasons in the minors. The teams are playing two after an April 4 game was called because of a soggy field that had mistakenly gone without its tarp during a heavy rainstorm. NOTES: Saunders, who came in batting .393 with a homer and five RBIs in seven games batting leadoff, went 0 for 4 atop the order. "I dont like messing with success," McClendon said. "Hes been doing great, weve been doing great. Its kind of hard to change that."... As reliever Eric OFlaherty, on the disabled list since undergoing Tommy John surgery in the off-season, threw a 30-pitch bullpen session and could begin throwing to hitters soon, and Melvin said an announcement on the pitchers next step would come Wednesday. ... Melvin said Triple-A catcher Stephen Vogt, an As playoff star last October currently on Sacramentos disabled list, is close to returning from a strained oblique muscle. 02:32ET 07-05-14 ' ' '

With the regular season right around the corner, TSN. Nike Air Max 97 Schweiz .ca profiles each NBA division before the first tip. TSN Basketball analyst Jack Armstrong also gives his pick for division champ and a player to keep an eye on this season. Today, we look at the Central Division where LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving lead a new Big Three with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Derrick Rose is finally healthy for the Chicago Bulls after two years of injury and the Indiana Pacers without Paul George go from Eastern Conference contenders to fighting for their playoff lives. Chicago Bulls Derrick Rose in 2013-14 (10 games): 15.9 PPG, 6.8 APG, .460 FG% Coach: Tom Thibodeau (fifth season) GM: Gar Forman (sixth season) Last year: 48-34, second in the Central (fourth in Eastern Conference) Playoffs: Lost in first round to Wizards Notable additions: PF Pau Gasol ($22.35M, three-year deal), PG Aaron Brooks ($1.15M, one-year deal), SG ETwaun Moore ($1.96M, two-year deal) and SF Doug McDermott (acquired from Nuggets) Notable subtractions: PF Carlos Boozer (waived, signed with Lakers), C Greg Smith (traded to Mavericks), PG/SG Jimmer Fredette (signed with Pelicans), PG DJ Augustin (signed with Pistons) and PF/C Lou Amundson (waived, signed with Lakers) Bulls Depth Chart Position Starter Bench Point Guard Derrick Rose Kirk Hinrich, Aaron Brooks Shooting Guard Jimmy Butler Tony Snell, ETwaun Moore Small Forward Mike Dunleavy Doug McDermott Power Forward Pau Gasol Taj Gibson, Nikola Mirotic Centre Joakim Noah Nazr Mohammed, Cameron Bairstow Stop the presses: Derrick Rose is healthy. The 2011 NBA MVP, Rose has played a grand total of 39 games since claiming the prize given to the NBA’s top player. Two different knee injuries (an ACL tear in the left and a meniscus tear in the right) have kept the man widely considered to be the best point guard in the NBA stuck in a suit on the Bulls’ bench for most of the last two seasons. Rose featured in the FIBA World Cup in Spain this summer and helped USA Basketball capture a gold medal. Sure, Rose’s participation couldn’t be considered prominent because he never played for more than 23 minutes a game and struggled mightily with his shot at times, but this Rose back against real competition and proof that he’s ready to go. As Rose goes, so go the Bulls. The Bulls were a respectable team who earned home-court advantage in the playoffs last season without Rose, but with Rose, the Bulls, a defensive juggernaut, bring back a guy who is in the honest-to-goodness conversation for best player in the league and become a threat to every team in the league. If Rose can stay healthy (and yes, that’s a big if), the ceiling for this Bulls team is an NBA Title. On top of Rose’s return, the Bulls add Pau Gasol to the equation. The Spaniard is 34 years of age now and no longer the world beater he once was in his prime with the Lakers. Still, Gasol has a chip on his shoulder and a lot to prove with the Bulls. Feeling frozen out by the Lakers and an afterthought over the past few seasons, Gasol believes that he still has a lot left in the tank. Pure skill doesn’t deteriorate with age and Gasol, in a system more suited to his skill set, brings a lot to the table on both sides of the ball. Tom Thibodeau think the Bulls have that very system. Combine these two pieces with the 2014 NBA Defensive Player in the Year in Joakim Noah, a very dependable Jimmy Butler and the explosive Taj Gibson on the bench and you have the team that will give the Cleveland Cavaliers the best run for their money come playoff time. The Cavs might possess more pure talent in its Big Three than the Bulls can throw at you, but in terms of smarts and depth, Chicago might be the best the East has to offer. Again, health will have a lot to say about things when it’s all said and done and you might not see the heights this team can hit in the regular season, but look for the Chicago Bulls to be playing in the NBA Finals come June. Projection: Second in the Central (second in the Eastern Conference) Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James in 2013-14 (with Heat): 27.1 PPG, 6.9 RPG, .567 FG% Coach: David Blatt (first season) GM: David Griffin (second season) Last year: 33-49, third in the Central (10th in Eastern Conference) Playoffs: Did not qualify Notable additions: SF LeBron James ($42.2M, two-year deal), PF Kevin Love (acquired from Timberwolves), C Brendan Haywood (acquired from Hornets), SF James Jones ($1.45M, one-year deal), SG Mike Miller ($5.59M, two-year deal) and SF Shawn Marion ($1.45M, one-year deal) Notable subtractions: SF Luol Deng (signed with Heat), SF Anthony Bennett (traded to Timberwolves), C Spencer Hawes (signed with Clippers), PG Jarrett Jack (traded to Nets), SG/SF CJ Miles (signed with Pacers), SG/SF Alonzo Gee (traded to Nuggets), C Tyler Zeller (traded to Celtics) and SG/SF Sergey Karasev (traded to Nets) Cavaliers Depth Chart Position Starter Bench Point Guard Kyrie Irving Matthew Dellavedova, AJ Price Shooting Guard Dion Waiters Mike Miller, Joe Harris Small Forward LeBron James Shawn Marion, James Jones Power Forward Kevin Love Tristan Thompson, Lou Amundson Centre Anderson Varajeo Brendan Haywood, Alex Kirk Let’s get the obvious out of the way. The big news in Cleveland this season is the return of the Cavs’ navy blue alternate jerseys. They’re really slick and should sell well. Oh, and they traded for Kevin Love. And that LeBron guy is back. The Cleveland Indians last won the World Series in 1948. That was the last time a professional sports franchise won a championship in the town affectionately (?) dubbed “the Mistake by the Lake.” This Cavaliers team assembled by owner Dan Gilbert and general manager David Griffin has the potential to be the best-ever edition of the franchise and to legitimately bring a winner to Cleveland for the first time in 67 years. Now, a lot has to go right for that to happen, but look for the Cavs to have a say when it comes down to who claims gold in June. The James story is one of redemption. Vilified throughout most of Ohio when he took his talents to South Beach to join up with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade four seasons ago, James is attempting to prove that you can go home again. Well, judging by how quickly the fans have seemingly forgiven and forgotten, he seems to be onto something. Of course, when you’re the best basketball player on the planet, you’re going to be welcomed with open arms just about anywhere. Perhaps, it was that James was burnt out in Miami after an NBA Finals loss to the San Antonio Spurs (and four-straight trips to the championship, where he was victorious twice) or maybe the fact that he was still viewed as the league’s biggest heel and there was nothing he was going to do to change that, but there’s a certain reinvigoration about James this season. The belief that he might be on the precipice of actually bringing a title to his long-suffering hometown (Akron isn’t far from Cleveland) is his motivating factor right now and the supporting cast around him, maybe his finest ever, looks to be able to facilitate that wish. A word on Andrew Wiggins – Andrew Wiggins could end up being an all-world superstar and go down as an all-time NBA great. He very well might. Still, the Cavs would make the trade of Wiggins to the T-Wolves 10 times out of 10. Andrew Wiggins doesn’t give them the chance to win now. Kevin Love, in his prime at 26, does. Wiggins could be great. Love already is one of the best two-way forwards in the game. It’s a no-brainer for the Cavs. As for Love, he must dispel any notion that it’s easy to be a 25-12 guy every night in Minnesota when nobody’s watching and prove that he can thrive under the spotlight that will follow the Cavs everywhere they will go this season. Now, what could go wrong? Well, David Blatt is an unproven commodity. A legend in Europe, Blatt gets his first-ever crack at coaching in the NBA with the Cavaliers and it’s a helluva maiden voyage to take when you’re expected to win immediately. Blatt is known as a game manager who likes to use as much of his bench in his rotation as possible, but that might not be a possibility in Cleveland. Starting centre Anderson Varejao hasn’t played anything close to a full season in five years with a variety of injuries and after Varejao, Tristan Thompson and Love up front, there are certainly some defensive concerns. Then, there is the backcourt of Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters. The duo spent most of last season denying rumours that there was discord between the two, but it was obvious that the pair just weren’t on the same page for much of the season. The talent there is obvious, especially with Irving, but the two need to be on the same page. It’s one thing for the two to struggle when you’re on a 25-win team. That’s not the Cavs anymore and the backcourt needs to be ready for prime time. The Cavs are going to score a ton and be fun to watch. If they can defend, something that Blatt has stressed and stressed in the preseason, then they might be capable of the heights that everybody thinks they can reach. This is a very good, exceptionally talented team. With a lot of moving parts, it’s no guarantee that it’s all going to come together right away for the Cavs. Still, this team will make a run. Projection: First in Central (first in Eastern Conference) Detroit Pistons Andre Drummond in 2013-14: 13.5 PPG, 13.2 RPG, 1.6 BPG Coach: Stan Van Gundy (first season) GM: Jeff Bower (first season) Last year: 29-53, fourth in the Central (11th in Eastern Conference) Playoffs: Did not qualify Notable additions: SG Jodie Meeks ($18.81M, three-year deal), PG DJ Augustin ($6M, two-year deal), SF Caron Butler ($9M, two-year deal), C Aaron Gray ($9M, two-year deal) and C Joel Anthony (acquired from Celtics) Notable subtractions: SG/PG Rodney Stuckey (signed with Pacers), PF Charlie Villanueva (signed with Mavericks) and PG Will Bynum (traded to Celtics) Pistons Depth Chart Position Starter Bench Point Guard Brandon Jennings DJ Augustin, Spencer Dinwiddie Shooting Guard Kentavius Caldwell-Pope Jodie Meeks Small Forward Josh Smith Kyle Singler, Caron Butler, Luigi Datome Power Forward Greg Monroe Jonas Jerebko, Cartier Martin, Tony Mitchell Centre Andre Drummond Aaron Gray, Joel Anthony Stan Van Gundy has a mess to clean up in the Motor City, but if there’s one thing that he has the reputation for doing as an NBA coach, it’s getting through to his players even when some seem like lost causes. The Pistons don’t have any lost causes, per se, but they’re a motley crew of guys who haven’t lived up to potential, guys primed to break out and one guy who’s a bit of both and might not be in Detroit next season. Greg Monroe will be a key figure for the Pistons this year. Whether that’s on the court or as part of a trade remains to be seen. Here’s what we know: Monroe was a restricted free agent this past summer and didn’t field any offer sheets from anywhere. While Chandler Parsons was out looking for a brand new car after getting his bumper new contract with the Mavericks, Monroe was making sure that his phone had reception. Well, the Pistons could have re-signed Monroe to an extension, too, if they so had desired, and that didn’t happen, either. We’re left now with a situation where Monroe is an unrestricted free agent next summer and the Pistons intend to get value for him, but the player can veto any potential trades and the team hasn’t given up on the idea of extending player. It’s a bit of a mess, but conceivably, a mutually beneficial mess. Monroe wants to maximize his value on the open market and the Pistons can benefit from his improved play and either re-sign him or try to convince him to accept a trade that works for them. In any case, Monroe is a player to watch this season. So is Andre Drummond. Drummond rode the bench, but he was part of USA Basketball’s gold medal-winning team at the FIBA World Cup in Spain. Drummond, in his sophomore season last year, exploded into a 13-13 player and is poised to improve on that this year. A gifted and athletic pivot, the 21-year-old is one of the most creative and quick young centres in the league. The Pistons believe that they might have their franchise cornerstone in the UCONN product. Van Gundy will find the likes of Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings serviceable and try to do something with his glut of wing players, but this season is very much an audition for Van Gundy. Having the final say on player personnel, Van Gundy will quickly get a feel for who he can and who he can’t work with and will react accordingly. Perhaps, looking at the make-up of the Pistons’ in a year’s time will be a better gauge of Van Gundy’s vision for the squad. An incomplete work, the Pistons are good enough to be in the conversation for a playoff spot (of course, all but maybe three teams in the are) and can compete on any given night. Still, the transition could be a long one for Van Gundy and this is not an overnight undertaking. The future isn’t now for the Pistons. Projection: Fourth in the Central (10th in the Eastern Conference) Indiana Pacers David West in 2013-14: 14.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG, .488 FG% Coach: Frank Vogel (fourth season) GM: Kevin Pritchard (third season) Last year: 56-26, first in the Central (first in Eastern Conference) Playoffs: Lost in Eastern Conference finals to Heat Notable additions: SG CJ Miles ($18M, four-year deal), PF Damian Rudez ($2.25M, two-year deal) and PG Rodney Stuckey ($1.2M, one-year deal), Notable subtractions: PG Lance Stephenson (signed with Hornets), SG/SF Evan Turner (signed with Celtics), SG/SF Rasual Butler (signed with Wizards) and C Andrew Bynum (unsigned) Pacers Depth Chart Position Starter Bench Point Guard George Hill CJ Watson Shooting Guard Rodney Stuckey Donald Sloan Small Forward CJ Miles Chris Copeland, Solomon Hill, Paul George (IR) Power Forward David West Luis Scola, Lavoy Allen, Damian Rudez Centre Roy Hibbert Ian Mahinmi, Shayne Whittington The days of the Indiana Pacers appearing in the Eastern Conference’s elite are now over in large part to a cruel injury to Paul George in USA Basketball’s summer camp leading up to the FIBA World Cup. Not only does the leg break mean that George is likely to feature for the Frank Vogel’s team at all this season, it’s going to bring the whole practice of loaning players to their national teams to the forefront. It must be galling for the Pacers that they will be without the services of their best player because he got hurt playing for a team other than them in preparation for a competition that was the NBA season. There are obviously many benefits to the NBA allowing its players to participate in FIBA-sanctioned competitions, but the image of George’s leg break is not one that will be forgotten any time soon and will likely have great bearing on the discussion moving forward in regards to future NBA participation. Losing George, the team’s leading scorer, was an unforeseen complication. Losing Lance Stephenson happened on the Pacers’ watch. Swingman Stephenson set career highs in almost every category last season (13.8 PPG, 4.4 APG, .455 FG% and a .714 FT%) and was instrumental in the Pacers’ run to the Eastern Conference finals. Instead of reupping the 24-year-old, the team let him walk and he’s now plying his trade with the Charlotte Hornets. Rodney Stuckey comes over from the Pistons in his stead, but with all due respect to Stuckey, this looks to be an obvious downgrade. So here you have the Pacers heading into the season without its two best players in what is now a significantly better Central Division. Forget competing for a division crown, the Pacers will be lucky to make the playoffs. Offensively, the team will look to George Hill to carry a more significant load. Not a hundred per cent heading into the season, Hill took a bit of step back last year, his third with the Pacers. If Hill can, as team president Larry Bird believes, replicate his scoring numbers of two seasons ago (14.2 PPG and 4.7 APG), the absences of George and Stephenson will be at least somewhat alleviated. David West has been a consistent scorer for his entire career and the Pacers will desperately need his contributions again this season. As for Roy Hibbert, he remains one of the best defensive centres in the NBA, but his scoring touch has abandoned him entirely, falling to a career-low 9.3 PPG in this past postseason. The Pacers believe that Hibbert’s offence has already hit its nadir, so it can only go up from here. Missing the playoffs and getting high draft pick wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for the Pacers in 2014-14. This isn’t a rebuild. They know that George will be back next season (truth be told, he could probably be ready late into this year, but the Pacers should ignore any thought of rushing him back) and a lottery pick added to the mix would certainly couldn’t hurt. That said, the East is filled with more than a few mediocre teams and a postseason spot isn’t unattainable for a team coming off of back-to-back Central Division titles. In the end, though, George’s absence will be too much of a burden and the Pacers will look to hit reset in 2015-16. Projection: Third in Central (ninth in the Eastern Conference) Milwaukee Bucks Jabari Parker in 2013-14 (with Duke): 19.1 PPG, 8.7 RPG, .358 3P% Coach: Jason Kidd (first season) GM: Kevin Pritchard (seventh season) Last year: 15-67, fifth in the Central (15th in Eastern Conference) Playoffs: Did not qualify Notable additions: SF Jabari Parker (drafted), SG/SF Jared Dudley (acquired from Clippers), PG Kendall Marshall (claimed from Lakers) and SG Jerryd Bayless ($6M, two-year deal) Notable subtractions: SG/SF Carlos Delfino (traded to Clippers), C Miroslav Raduljica (traded to Clippers), SF Jeff Adrien (signed with Rockets), PF/C Ekpe Udoh (signed with Clippers) and PG Ramon Sessions (signed with Kings) Bucks Depth Chart Position Starter Bench Point Guard Brandon Knight Nate Wolters, Kendall Marshall Shooting Guard Giannis Antetokounmpo Jerryd Bayless, OJ Mayo Small Forward Khris Middleton Jared Dudley, Damien Inglis Power Forward Jabari Parker Ersan Ilyasova, John Henson, Johnny OBryant III Centre Larry Sanders Zaza Pachulia For whatever reason, the Milwaukee Bucks, owners of the league’s worst record, decided that they really wanted Jason Kidd to coach their team in 2014-15. Okay, but they already had a good coach in Larry Drew and Jason Kidd was under contract to the Brooklyn Nets, a team that Kidd made…better than mediocre. It doesn’t have to make a lot of sense, but that’s what happened and now Jason Kidd is calling the shots in the Milwaukee. Kidd was one the best point guards of all-time, but nothing about his first year in the NBA coaching ranks made anybody take notice that he might be looking at a Hall-of-Fame management career, too. The second half of Kidd’s maiden bow was better than the first and his adjustments showed signs of a deeper understanding of his role, but Kidd is far from a finished product and will likely experience as many bumps in the road at bench boss as will his young charges on the court. The Bucks are very young with some very raw talent, led by the second-overall pick in this past June’s NBA Draft in Jabari Parker. Parker is a special player and of the few players from his draft class expected to start right away. Parker is a strong, smart player with deceiving athleticism. He’s got a great head on his shoulders and a fantastic work ethic. The Bucks have a guy who should be a star in this league for years to come, but that’s not going to happen overnight. Parker’s not the greatest defender, he can quickly find himself out of position and isn’t gifted with particular quickness. Parker is a work in progress and it’s difficult to discern what his learning curve is going to be like going up against men every night. The fact that Parker could end up with the most minutes of anybody else drafted this summer makes him a popular pick for Rookie of the Year, though, he’s not simply going to be handed playing time. Yes, the potential to play 30-plus minutes a night is there, but that will be a bridge crossed when the time comes. In any event, this guy is going to be something to watch. Parker is added to a young core featuring Giannis Antetokounmpo, Larry Sanders and Brandon Knight. Ersan Ilyasova is the old man of the group at 27. There’s not a lot of polish here (the Greek Freak can go from the sublime to the ridiculous on the same play) and some character issues (You don’t have to go out every night, Larry Sanders. Just stay home with a book), but it’s hard not to see the boundless potential present with the Bucks. In all likelihood, the team is going to add another very high lottery pick to the equation next June. The team will just need to take its lumps in the short term. The Bucks will once again be very bad and finish near the bottom of the Eastern Conference. That’s perfect for a team in their standing right now in the midst of a wholesale rebuild. As bad as they are, they will still be worth keeping an eye on for Parker. Projection: Fifth in Central (14th in Eastern Conference) Jack Armstrongs Pick: Kevin Love in 2013-14 (with Timberwolves): 26.1 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 4.4 APG Cleveland Cavaliers - Theres a new Big Three and lots of hype to go with it. Every night on the shores of Lake Erie will be a major event, but how does the young backcourt of Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters develop? Does new coach David Blatt connect with his team? I think this will work out well. Jack Armstrongs Player to Watch: Pau Gasol in 2013-14 (with Lakers): 17.4 PPG, 9.7 RPG, .480 FG% Pau Gasol, Chicago Bulls - Gasol can make a significant impact to the Bulls scoring punch and in interior length and rim protection. But hes not a young guy anymore and minutes will have to be managed properly. If so, then hes a good get and with a healthy Derrick Rose and improved bench, this club is legit. Air Max Günstig . "Im going to send Webbie a six-pack (of beer) tonight," she said. Webb wasnt sure that would help. "Ill probably drink one and go to sleep," the Australian veteran said. The two players set up a Sunday showdown between former HSBC champions after finishing off their third rounds with identical birdies over three of the last five holes Saturday to separate themselves slightly from the rest of the crowded leaderboard. Nike Air Max 95 Schweiz . -- Michael Phelps is 0 for 1 in his comeback to the pool. http://www.shopairmaxschweiz.com/vapormax-fake-kaufen/vapormax-flyknit-billig.html .com) - Former New York Mets general manager Omar Minaya is joining the Major League Baseball Players Association staff as a senior advisor to executive director Tony Clark.NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The Yankees talked frugality, then reverted to their high-spending ways. New York capped an off-season spending spree by agreeing Wednesday to a $155 million, seven-year contract with prized Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka. Following just the second season in 19 years that didnt include a playoff appearance, the Yankees flexed their economic might and committed $438 million to four free agents. Tanaka joined catcher Brian McCann and outfielders Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran on a revamped roster missing long-time All-Stars Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Robinson Cano. And in addition to the deal with the 25-year-old right-hander, the Yankees must pay a $20 million posting fee to Tanakas Japanese club, the Rakuten Golden Eagles. "Anybody that questioned our commitment to winning is going to have to question themselves," Yankees co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner said during a telephone interview with The Associated Press. Big league teams had until Friday to reach an agreement with Tanaka, who was 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA last year as the Golden Eagles won the Japan Series title. Arizona, the Chicago Cubs and White Sox, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston all said they were among the failed bidders. Still, the Yankees have ample uncertainty — especially in an AL East where they compete with World Series champion Boston. And especially with a veteran team that saw 21 players go on the disabled list last year. David Robertson appears set to inherit the closers role from the retired Rivera, and New York must try to make up the offence lost when Cano left for a $240 million, 10-year deal with Seattle. Alex Rodriguez is suspended for the entire season and 39-year-old shortstop Derek Jeter has played just 17 games since October 2012. "I think the entire infield is certainly something that people will focus on," New York general manager Brian Cashman said. "Whats Brian Roberts going to be? Whats Derek Jeter going to be as he comes back from his injury? Whats Mark Teixeira going to be at first base as he comes back from his wrist? Can Kelly Johnson secure and handle on a consistent basis third base?" New York went 85-77 last year, its worst record since 1992. Attendance and television ratings dropped. The pinstriped response was similar to the Yankees behaviour after they missed the playoffs in 2008. They spent $423.5 million on CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Teixeira, then won their 27th World Series title. This off-season included big deals for McCann ($85 million for five years), Ellsbury ($153 million for seven) and Beltran ($45 million for three). Combined with agreements to re-sign Hiroki Kuroda and Brendan Ryan, and to add Roberts, Johnson and Matt Thornton, the Yankees off-season spending on free agents totals $471 million. Add the posting fee, and the cost was nearly a half-billion dollars. "There has been criticism of myself and my brother the last couple years that, gee, if our dad was still in charge, wed be spending this and spending that and doing whatever it takes to win," Hank Steinbrenner said, referring to late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. "He didnt have revenue sharing, at least for most of his time," Hank Steinbrenner added. "Thats what these people in the sports media dont seem to get. If it wasnt for revenue sharing, wed have a paayroll of $300 million a year if we wanted to. Nike Air Max 95 Günstig. So were doing this despite having to pay all that revenue sharing." Tanaka replaces the retired Pettitte in the rotation and joins Sabathia, Kuroda and Ivan Nova. David Phelps, Adam Warren, Michael Pineda and Vidal Nuno are in the mix for the No. 5 slot. Tanaka was 99-35 with a 2.30 ERA in seven seasons with the Golden Eagles, striking out 1,238 in 1315 innings. Yankees official has tracked him since 2007, scouting 15 of his games. They sent an eight-person delegation to meet with him Jan. 8 in Beverly Hills, Calif. "Hes got an assortment of quality pitches. Hes fastball, slider, split. Throws a cutter, too," said pitcher coach Larry Rothschild, who attended the session. "Hes showed tenacity on the mound. When he got in tougher situations, you could see he dialed it up." Tanakas agreement calls for $22 million in each of the first six seasons and $23 million in 2020, and it allows the pitcher to terminate the deal after the 2017 season and become a free agent. He also gets a full no-trade provision. Tanaka receives a $35,000 moving allowance, an annual $100,000 housing allowance to be used in New York or near the teams spring training facility in Tampa, Fla., and an interpreter of the pitchers choice at an $85,000 yearly salary. In addition to his own flight to the U.S., Tanaka annually will be provided four first-class round trip tickets between New York and Japan. Tanakas deal is the highest for an international free agent and the fifth-largest for a pitcher, trailing only the seven-years deals of the Los Angeles Dodgers Clayton Kershaw ($215 million), Detroits Justin Verlander ($180 million), Seattles Felix Hernandez ($175 million) and CC Sabathia ($161 million under his original agreement with New York). His contract boosts the Yankees payroll for purposes of the luxury tax over $203 million for 20 players with agreements. Barring trades, there is little chance New York will get under the $189 million tax threshold. Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner had been saying for two years that getting below the tax threshold in 2014 was a goal, but wouldnt get in the way of fielding a contending team. New York had great success in the Japanese market when it signed outfielder Hideki Matsui, a star from 2003-09 who was the World Series MVP in his final season in pinstripes. But the Yankees had failures with Hideki Irabu and Kei Igawa, pitchers who never lived up to their potential. Matsui was part of a video the Yankees created and showed to Tanana at their pitch meeting. Tanaka was the first player available under the new agreement between Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball, which caps posting fees at $20 million and allows multiple big league teams to negotiate. Under the previous system, in place from December 1998 through last off-season, there was no limit on the bid for negotiating rights and only the team with the top bid could try to sign the player. "It turned everything in reverse of where it was in the past," Cashman said, "where the posting numbers were extremely high, like players soccer transfer fees, to obviously a more traditional free-agent circumstance with a much lower transfer fee." AP freelance writer Mark Didtler in Tampa, Fla., contributed to this report. ' ' '

MILWAUKEE -- The Washington Wizards hope they learned their lesson after almost blowing a 28-point lead Saturday night. Matt Cassel Jersey . Thankfully for the Wizards, they were playing the leagues worst team. Bradley Beal scored 12 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Wizards hold off the Milwaukee Bucks 114-107. "We made this game a lot harder than it should have been," said Washingtons John Wall, who scored only nine points and missed 10 of 14 shots. The Wizards opened a 71-43 lead in the second quarter against Milwaukee (12-50), the NBAs first team to lose 50 games. But the Bucks cut the deficit to 104-101 on a pair of free throws by Ersan Ilyasova with 2:13 to go. "Its unfortunate that we have to learn a lesson from this game," said Martell Webster, who scored 15 points after missing two games with a sore back. "No disrespect to that team thats over there. Milwaukees just is in a dysfunctional state," he said. "These are games that we know were supposed to win by a large margin. In this league, you have to kick them when theyre down." After Ilyasova pulled the Bucks within three points, Beal then scored on a driving layup and hit a baseline 3-pointer to give the Wizards a 109-101 lead with 2:01 left. "That kind of stemmed the tide a little bit," Washington coach Randy Wittman said. "Those were big baskets." Washington won for the eighth time in nine games. Wall, Washingtons leading scorer at 19.9 points per game, had 13 assists and seven turnovers. Trevor Ariza scored 17 of his 26 points in the first quarter as the Wizards built a big lead. "They werent really missing (shots), and we didnt really help ourselves because of a lack of hustle," said Milwaukees Brandon Knight, who scored 25 points. After dominating the first half, the Wizards missed 13 of 17 shots in the third quarter. Washington scored only 10 points and had seven turnovers in the period. "We took shortcuts defensively, we just stopped playing," Wittman said. Washington made 29 of 43 shots in the first half and took its 71-43 lead on Beals 3-pointer with 2:24 left in the second quarter. The Wizards led 75-53 at halftime, a season high in points for the first half. Milwaukee scored the first 12 points of the third quarter to pull within 75-65, but Ariza scored on a driving layup with 4:57 left to snap the Wizards scoring drought. Washington scored the final four points of the first quarter and then outscored Milwaukee 30-12 to open the second quarter, opening a 66-39 lead on Arizas 3-pointer with 4:14 to go in the half. But the Wizards missed their first nine shots of the second half to let Milwaukee back into the game. "We kept cutting into the deficit but leads like that are just very, very hard to overcome," Milwaukee coach Larry Drew said. Ilyasova returned from a one-game suspension for punching Sacramentos Reggie Evans on Wednesday night and scored 13 points in 27 minutes. His teammate, O.J. Mayo, missed the game after being given a one-game suspension for punching New Orleans Greg Stiemsma on Friday night. Ariza made six of eight shots in the first quarter to score 17 points and give Washington a 36-27 lead. Trevor Booker made one of two free throws to give the Wizards the lead for good, 16-15, with 5:33 left in the first quarter. The game marked the return to Milwaukee of forward Drew Gooden, who signed a second 10-day contract with the Wizards on Saturday. Gooden, who signed a five-year, $34 million contract with the Bucks in 2010 but was released on an amnesty provision before this season, scored 13 points in 16 minutes off the bench. Notes: Ariza went to the court hard with 6:16 left in the first quarter. He stayed on the ground for about a minute before rising and walking to the bench. . The Wizards previous first-half high was 74 points against Philadelphia on March 1. . The Wizards have won 14 of their last 20 road games. Sony Michel Jersey . People familiar with the case told The Associated Press on Friday that arbitrator Fredric Horowitz could issue his decision this weekend. Troy Brown Jersey . Erik Cole scored on a breakaway with 4:49 to play, and the Stars rallied to defeat the Minnesota Wild 4-3 on Saturday night. https://www.patriotsjerseysale.com/1311p-duron-harmon-jersey-patriots.html FIFA issued a statement late Tuesday night confirming an investigation in Uruguay striker Luis Suarezs actions in his teams 1-0 win over Italy. During the match, Suarez appeared to bite Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini on the shoulder. "FIFA can confirm that disciplinary proceedings have been opened against the player Luis Suarez of Uruguay following an apparent breach of art. 48 and/or art. 57 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil match Italy-Uruguay played on 24 June 2014," the statement read. "The player and/or the Uruguayan FA are invited to provide with their position and any documentary evidence they deem relevant until 25 June 2014, 5pm, Brasilia time." Article 48 of the code is entitled "Misconduct against opponents or persons other than match officials," while Article 57 is called "Offensive behaviour and fair play" and statess that "Anyone who insults someone in any way, especially by using offensive gestures or language, or who violates the principles of fair play or whose behaviour is unsporting in any other way may be subject to sanctions. Bob Dee Jersey. " Liverpools Suarez has already been suspended twice for biting an opponent in his career. As a member of Ajax in 2010, Suarez bit the shoulder of PSVs Otman Bakkal and received a two-game suspension from his club and an additional five-game ban from the Royal Dutch Football Association. In April of 2013, Suarez received a 10-match ban for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic. In between to the two biting bans, Suarez received an eight-match ban after being found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra in October of 2011. With Tuesdays victory, Uruguay advanced to the knockout round and will meet Colombia on Saturday. ' ' '

Scott Cullen takes a look at the top stories from January 24th through January 30th, including Martin Brodeur retiring as a Blue, Mike Richards on waivers, All-Star weekend, Spezza returns to Ottawa and more. Bill Almon Jersey . BRODEUR RETIRES A BLUE The NHLs all-time leader in goaltender wins, losses, shutouts and games played, a three-time Stanley Cup winner (with two more trips to the Cup Final) with the New Jersey Devils, Martin Brodeur retired this week...as a member of the St. Louis Blues. Brodeur played 1259 games over 21 seasons with the Devils and played a prominent role there well after he was an effective NHL goaltender. Even so, the 42-year-old wasnt ready to call it quits after last season so he took an opportunity to play for the Blues when Brian Elliott suffered a knee injury in late November. Brodeur appeared in seven games for the Blues, starting five, and posted an .899 save percentage, an indication that he wasnt a viable long-term solution for a team with realistic Stanley Cup aspirations. So, fine, nothing ventured, nothing gained. But when Brodeur decided that it was time to retire, he did it as a member of the Blues, a team with which he had spent a couple of months. While Devils GM Lou Lamoriello has said the right things publicly, indicating that there will be an opening for Brodeur in the New Jersey organization long-term, Brodeur also noted that the Devils didn’t have that opening now and seemed to be surprised that the offer for a post-career front office job was coming from the Blues and not the Devils. There was talk about some kind of ceremony being done, in the future, in New Jersey, but that’s going to be strange, too. A player doesn’t retire more than once, at least not without coming back to play again, and that’s not necessary here. If Brodeur really has a job for life, or some kind of open invite with the Devils, it makes no sense to have a future Hall of Famer retiring for a different team. RICHARDS ON WAIVERS NHL players go on waivers just about every day. The league sends out an e-mail around noon that shows who is going on waivers, who has been claimed and who has cleared. Usually, it’s standard fringe players, guys that haven’t been able to earn a full-time spot and are on their way to the minors; sometimes it’s a player on the way to having their contract terminated so that they can play in Europe. Rarely, if ever, is it a difference-maker. Earlier this week, though, the Los Angeles Kings placed Mike Richards on waivers. Richards, 29, has won two Stanley Cups with the Kings over the past four seasons, since arriving in a trade from Philadelphia, but he’s played a career-low 13:42 per game this season and is a third or fourth-line player signed to a contract that comes with a $5.75-million cap hit for five more seasons. There’s no argument that Richards is not performing up to the expectations that go with that kind of contract, but there is still a case to be made that Richards can be a useful NHL player if the opportunity presents itself. The challenge, now, is finding a way to give Richards that opportunity elsewhere if he’s not going to do it with the Kings. It may not happen via trade, because of concerns that salary cap recapture penalties would be punitive to the Kings, especially if Richards retired with one or two years remaining on his deal. If the salary cap recapture issue is what prevents Richards from getting dealt, then he had better hope for a buyout next summer (which is really a year late for the Kings, who could have used a compliance buyout on Richards last summer) and work on getting in shape to perform for a new team, if he wants to resurrect his quickly fading career. ALL-STAR SHINNY While all indications are that Columbus was a very good host for the NHL All-Star Weekend, the first such event the league has hosted since 2012 (due to the Olympics in 2014 and lockout in 2013), the game itself was a dud, even by All-Star standards. Team Toews beat Team Foligno 17-12. In a hockey game. Really? Everyone knows that the All-Star game will be a no-hitter and that’s fine. Why should a multi-millionaire risk injury for what amounts to an exhibition game? But there’s a difference between not hitting and not breaking a sweat. Nothing says that defencemen can’t get in the way of attacking forwards, especially when they’re going half-speed anyway. In 2004, the year before another lockout, the final score of the All-Star game was 6-4. They don’t all have to be that way, but something in between that and a half-hearted game of shinny would reflect better on all involved. Maybe it’s not so easy getting players to give that something extra when there’s nothing extra in it for them. This is just a theory, but when a business creates a culture of management vs. workers every time the CBA comes up for negotiation – and wiped out the All-Star game during lockouts in 1995, 2004 and 2013 – maybe it should come as no surprise that the workers don’t necessarily feel like going the extra mile for management. If money is what drives the whole enterprise -- and, remember, its a business -- then maybe the incentive for winning the game needs to be substantial enough to get the players to notice. Or, we can just resign ourselves to this being what the game is and not worry about trying to make it any better. Columbus’ Ryan Johansen took home MVP honours, with two goals and two assists for the winners, though former Blue Jacket Jakub Voracek had six points (3 G, 3 A), while Jonathan Toews (1 G, 4 A) and Patrice Bergeron (1 G, 4 A) both had five, for the losing side. SKILLS COMPETITION While the All-Star game itself leaves lots to be desired, the weekend itself is a fun celebration. This year’s All-Star Draft was enjoyable enough. The players were, um, “hydrated” as several would say, but they had fun with the experience and that made it fun for fans. In Saturday’s skills competition, Shea Weber blasted a slapshot 108.5 miles-per-hour, Jonathan Drouin won fastest skater, and Team Foligno won the overall show. SPEZZA RETURNS TO OTTAWA Dallas Stars centre Jason Spezza played 686 games with the Ottawa Senators after he was the second overall pick in the 2001 NHL Draft. He scored 687 points in that time, adding 52 points in 56 career playoff games, leading the postseason in scoring in 2007 when, during Ottawa’s run to the Stanley Cup Final, he scored 22 points in 20 playoff games. By last summer, at the very least, he also wanted out so, with one year left on his current contract, the Senators traded him to Dallas, with defenceman Ludwig Karlsson, for right winger Alex Chiasson, prospects Alexander Guptill and Nick Paul, as well as a second-round pick in 2015. Spezza has been okay for Dallas, though 35 points in 48 games is his lowest per-game scoring rate since 2003-2004, but good enough that the Stars saw fit to sign him to a four-year, $30-million contract extension. It is under those circumstances that Spezza returned to Ottawa Thursday night. The Senators showed a tribute video and Spezza received a standing ovation. He was also held without a point in a 6-3 Stars win. FALLING CANADIAN DOLLAR With oil prices crashing, the Canadian dollar has followed suit, falling below 80 cents U.S. and that brings with it – for those focused on the sports page – all sorts of concerns about the NHL salary cap going forward. Since Canadian teams provide a disproportionately large percentage of revenue for the league, a dramatic drop in value for the Canadian dollar makes it less likely that the NHL salary cap will rise. This year’s salary cap sits at $69-million and while initial projections had next year’s cap landing around $73-million, those expectations may have to be reined in. If the NHL players decide that they have had enough of dropping a large percentage of their salaries into escrow and don’t activate a five percent salary cap inflator, then next year’s salary cap may not go up too much and that could affect personnel decisions as soon as this year, but certainly in the offseason once those numbers are determined. STARTING THE SECOND HALF WITH INJURIES The second half of the NHL season starts with several significant players injured. Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby missed his mandated first game after the All-Star break after opting out of the game due to injury, before returning, but teammate Evgeni Malkin remains sidelined. Islanders winger Kyle Okposo is down for 6-8 weeks. Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, hurt the night before the break, is out 4-6 weeks. Defencemen Dion Phaneuf, Erik Johnson and Kevin Bieksa are all out and Oilers winger Taylor Hall was hurt the first day back at practice and hasn’t played since. Injuries are part of the game, but they also affect outcomes and teams missing these significant players will have to adjust their lineups accordingly. MCKENZIES DRAFT RANKINGS TSN’s Bob McKenzie is the dean of NHL draft experts, so his midseason rankings are must-see for hockey fans interested in the next generation of stars. It’s no surprise that Erie Otters centre Connor McDavid was the top prospect, ahead of Boston University centre Jack Eichel and Boston College defenceman Noah Hanifin. EXPANSION FEES The NHL consistently downplays interest in expansion, though he’s been supportive enough of Bill Foley’s efforts to run a season-ticket drive in Las Vegas, so it comes as no surprise that the league isn’t thrilled to find out that owners are talking about potential expansion fees. TSN’s Rick Westhead reported, after discussing with a couple of NHL owners, that estimated expansion fees are going to run between $450-million and $500-million per team. None of that comes as a huge surprise, though it indicates a pretty nice influx of cash for NHL owners if two teams bring them almost a billion dollars. Even better, it’s not considered Hockey Related Revenue, in the CBA, so the money doesn’t have to be shared with the players. Having that information leak out was apparently not fun times for Gary Bettman, who is alleged to have read the report aloud to owners at the Board of Governors meeting. OVECHKIN ON TOP OF GOAL-SCORING RACE With 13 goals in the past 13 games, Capitals winger Alexander Ovechkin has returned to the top of the NHL goal-scoring race. With 29 goals in 48 games, he’s one ahead of Dallas Tyler Seguin and the Rangers’ Rick Nash. So much for the theory that Ovechkin will be stifled under head coach Barry Trotz. He’s especially deadly on the power play, which is really something given that everyone must know, by now, that Ovechkin is setting up at the top of the left-wing circle for a one-timer. BLACKHAWKS-KINGS MATCH-UP The Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings have combined to win four of the past five Stanley Cups, and they met Wednesday night in L.A. for their second of three meetings this season. The Blackhawks aren’t leading their division (currently six points back of Nashville), but are comfortably in playoff position and have performed like a top team for most of the season. They tweak their battle-tested roster and appear to be top contenders again this year. On the other hand, the defending-champion Kings have struggled and while their underlying numbers are strong, they are currently fifth in the Pacific Division. When they met Wednesday, though, it was high-pace hockey; two teams that can play at a level few teams can match. Now, it’s up to the Kings to do it a little more often so that they don’t leave any doubt about where they will be when the playoffs start. Anderson Espinoza Jersey .com) - The Minnesota Twins made it official on Wednesday, announcing the signing of outfielder Torii Hunter to a one-year contract. Eric Hosmer Jersey .com) - The Oklahoma City Thunder will try to get back on track Monday night when they welcome the Minnesota Timberwolves to Chesapeake Energy Arena. https://www.cheappadresjerseys.us/113m-alan-wiggins-jersey-padres.html . Canada was placed in one of the easiest groups during Saturdays live televised draw in Montreal.Lydia Ko carded 11 birdies as she posted a second-round 62 to take control of the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship in Florida. The New Zealander, who teed-off at Tiburon in a tie-for-16th, opened her account with three straight birdies and at the halfway stage holds a three-shot advantage.She covered the back nine in just 31 shots, which included a bogey four at the 12th. In all, she needed just 22 putts and missed only one fairway, as she moved into prime position to not only win the tournament but also end the year as the LPGA Tours No 1 player.Her nearest challengers after 36 holes are American Ryann OToole and Korean So-yeon Ryu, who carded 67 and 68 respectively.But it was a topsy-turvy day for Britains Charley Hull, who started the second round just one stroke off the pace. Charley Hull en route to a second-round 70 The 20-year-old from Kettering experienced a mixed bag on day two, which began brightly thanks to three birdies in her opening four holes. Carmelo Martinez Jersey. owever, it all came crashing down at the par-five 5th where she made a double-bogey seven.On the back nine, she offset two bogies with three birdies, as her two-under-par 70 left her five shots off the pace and in a tie-for-6th.The English player remains in contention but will be disappointed at hitting just 11 of 18 greens in regulation on Friday.Upgrade to Sky Sports now to watch Man Utd v Arsenal this Saturday and get the first six months half price! Also See: Garcia and Molinari share lead McIlroy back on form Opinion Schedule ' ' '

MEXICO CITY -- Veteran defender Carlos Salcido was the biggest surprise in Mexicos 23-man World Cup team announced Friday by coach Miguel Herrera. Tom Glavine Jersey . It was the first call-up for Salcido since Herrera took over as Mexico coach late last year. Salcido was on Mexicos team for the 2006 and 2010 World Cups. Herrera left off two big names -- goalkeeper Moises Munoz, who played for Herrera when he coached Club America, and midfielder Javier Aquino of Spains Villarreal. Mexico almost missed out on a sixth consecutive World Cup, needing a two-game playoff with New Zealand to qualify. It faces tough competitions in Group A with games against Brazil, Croatia and Cameroon. Butch Huskey Jersey . Head of clinic Josef Obrist tells the Austria Press Agency on Thursday that Morgenstern "is doing surprisingly well. ... He still has a memory gap but thats nothing unusual." Morgenstern has moved to a rehabilitation clinic in Klagenfurt for further recovery. Robert Gsellman Jersey . The 31-year-old Russian dominated the No. 3-ranked Ferrer throughout, breaking the defending champion and local favourite four times on the indoor hard court. https://www.cheapmetsjerseys.us/2140l-corey-oswalt-jersey-mets.html . Green-Ellis was Cincinnatis leading rusher each of the last two seasons. His role was reduced last year when Giovani Bernard was added to the backfield. Green-Ellis ran for 756 yards and a career-low 3.PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia Flyers chairman Ed Snider has completed treatment for a non-life-threatening form of cancer. Comcast-Spectacor spokesman Ike Richman released a statement Thursday, saying the 81-year-oold Snider, "is doing well and continues to be working. Robinson Cano Jersey. He is happy and healthy." Richman added that Sniders involvement with the team and the company had not been impacted. ' ' '

The Carolina Hurricanes missed the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season, prompting an organizational re-shuffling that resulted in Ron Francis being named General Manager. Soccer Jerseys For Sale . Off-Season Game Plan looks at Francis challenge: finding a way to take this top-heavy team and make it a playoff contender. The second order of business for Francis figures to be finding a replacement for head coach Kirk Muller, who was fired in Francis first order of business as the new GM. All of the Canes problems cant be laid at Mullers doorstep, but its low risk to try a new approach when the past two seasons have yielded a .481 points percentage (125 points in 130 games). Francis former teammates Kevin Dineen and Ulf Samuelsson have both been rumoured as possible fits for the job. In addition to someone new calling the shots behind the bench, Francis has some complicated personnel decisions. The Staal brothers, Alexander Semin and Cam Ward each come with a cap hit of at least $6-million and that kind of ticket can always get moved out if it doesnt come with results. Its one thing to pay your marquee No. 1 centre more than $8-million if youre making the playoffs regularly, but when youve been on the outside for five straight seasons, its not inconceivable to consider trying something different. Same goes for paying a goaltender more than $6-million per season; only it gets more challenging to find takers when that goalie has struggled to stay healthy and played poorly over the past couple years. At one time -- much closer to 2006 -- it would have seemed sacreligious to consider trading Eric Staal or Cam Ward, but those are some possibilities that Francis may have to consider as he takes over the reigns of a budget-conscious team. To be fair, its not impossible for the Hurricanes to turn what they have into a competitive team. In addition to their high-priced forwards, the next generation is represented by Jeff Skinner and Elias Lindholm and their defence at least has a legitimate first pairing in Andrej Sekera and Justin Faulk. Its going further down the depth chart that causes more concern, as the Canes have been attempting to get by with bargains in those final roster spots. "I dont know if youre ever ready for this job," Francis told the Raleigh News & Observer after taking over from Jim Rutherford. "One thing Ive learned is there are no easy decisions. There are a lot of tough decisions." He may not be ready for it, but it sounds like Francis has some idea what hes getting himself into. The TSN.ca Rating is an efficiency rating based on per-game statistics including goals and assists -- weighted for strength (ie. power play, even, shorthanded) -- Corsi, adjusted for zone starts, quality of competition and quality of teammates, hits, blocked shots, penalty differential and faceoffs. Generally, a replacement-level player is around a 60, a top six forward and top four defenceman will be around 70, stars will be over 80 and MVP candidates could go over 90. Sidney Crosby finished at the top of the 2013-2014 regular season ratings at 87.12. Salary cap information all comes from the indispensable www.capgeek.com. CF% = Corsi percentage (ie. percentage of 5-on-5 shot attempts), via www.extraskater.com. GM/COACHRon Francis/Vacant Returning Forwards Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Cap Hit Jeff Skinner 74.48 71 33 21 54 51.2% $5.725M Eric Staal 73.38 79 21 40 61 52.4% $8.25M Alexander Semin 73.10 65 22 20 42 55.2% $7.0M Jordan Staal 68.53 82 15 25 40 54.0% $6.0M Patrick Dwyer 62.71 75 8 14 22 48.4% $900K Riley Nash 61.45 73 10 14 24 50.6% $575K Elias Lindholm 61.08 58 9 12 21 49.6% $925K Free Agent Forwards Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Class 13-14 Cap Hit Nathan Gerbe 66.34 81 16 15 31 51.8% RFA $550K Jiri Tlusty 66.09 68 16 14 30 51.2% RFA $1.6M Andrei Loktionov 60.82 68 7 15 22 55.1% RFA $725K Manny Malhotra 60.35 69 7 6 13 41.4% UFA $600K Drayson Bowman 58.61 70 4 8 12 45.5% RFA $600K Radek Dvorak 57.67 60 4 5 9 42.7% UFA $600K 21-year-old Jeff Skinner has had some ups and downs already in his career, but after scoring a career-high 33 goals last season, he now has 97 goals in 259 games through his first four years. Since 2000, the players to have more than 97 goals through their age 21 season are Steven Stamkos, Sidney Crosby, Ilya Kovalchuk and Alex Ovechkin. He could be a premier offensive threat, though if thats the case, it probably makes sense to give him more ice time -- he played more, per game, in each of the previous two seasons. For the first time since his rookie season, Eric Staal finished a full season with fewer than 70 points and, coming off a knee injury suffered at the World Championships, it contrasted with a percentage-driven 2012-2013 season during which he put up 53 points in 48 games. There were rumblings during the year that Staal (or Skinner) might be available and that isnt necessarily a crazy idea. The cap hit for the two seasons remaining on his deal is $8.25-million, but the actual cost is $18.75-million and while turning 30 isnt a hockey death sentence, Staal will turn 30 in October and hes put on a lot of miles -- since coming into the league, in 2003-2004, he ranks fourth in games played with 769. This doesnt mean shipping Staal out at the first possible moment, and he does have a no-trade clause, but if a contender will pay a premium of young players, prospects and picks to land a big scoring centre like Staal, then the Hurricanes may want to at least consider that option now while he has value. While his scoring numbers declined last season, Alexander Semin was a victim of percentage regression more than anything. He had more than three shots on goal per game for the fifth time in the past six seasons and, over the past four seasons, has been one of the best at generating shot attempts while hes on the ice. Its entirely fair to wonder about the value of paying a $7-million cap hit for the next four seasons, until hes 34 but, at the moment, Semin is still a dangerous offensive winger. When the Hurricanes brought Jordan Staal in from Pittsburgh, the idea was that Staal would be able to play in a more offensive role, and it hasnt really worked out that way. He gets significant ice time against quality opponents, but Staal hasnt been blessed with great finishers on his lines in Carolina (Nathan Gerbe and Patrick Dwyer were his most common linemates last season) so, even with strong possession stats, his scoring rates have actually decreased. Hes also signed forever, through 2023, so theres room to improve the situation, by finding Jordan Staal linemates that may be more suited to producing offensively. Patrick Dwyer has played more than 14 minutes per game for each of the past three seasons, yet has been among the lowest-scoring forwards in the league (among those playing at least 2000 5-on-5 minutes). His possession numbers have fluctuated from year to year too, based on situations, so there is a fit in the lineup for Dwyer, but it only makes sense in a checking role. Riley Nash is ostensibly a checking centre, though one who started 59.3% of his shifts in the offensive zone and didnt face tough competition. Its not on Nash to determine usage, thats on the coach, but if the Hurricanes intend to free up others for offensive opportunities, then Nash should be taking on more defensive responsibility. The fifth pick in last summers draft, Elias Lindholm had a solid, if unspectacular rookie season. His role increased as the season progressed and scored 14 points in 37 games after a stint playing for Sweden at the World Juniors. Expect Lindholm to move into a more prominent role next season. Bought out by the Buffalo Sabres, Nathan Gerbe came in at a bargain cost and tied career highs with 16 goals and 31 points, with impressive underlying numbers to support that production. In fact, with any kind of luck (ie. a respectable on-ice shooting percentage), Gerbe could have put up better scoring stats. It turned out that Jiri Tlustys 23-goal-in-48-games outburst from 2012-2013 was fluky (who knew?), and his scoring stats came back to earth. With decent possession numbers, its still reasonable to think that Tlusty can be a useful complementary scorer. After coming over from New Jersey in the Tuomo Ruutu trade, Andrei Loktionov capably filled a complementary role. His usage has always been sheltered, but he puts up good possession numbers and should be hitting a point at which he can be given more responsibility, fitting in a top-nine role. Drayson Bowman played a career-high 70 games for the Hurricanes last season, but hes managed 33 points in 176 career games. With uneven results to this point in his career, Bowman is likely still battling for a job. Nothing wrong with keeping him for a fourth-line role, but its possible there are better alternatives too. It would be great for Carolina to dip into the free agent market and bring in another proven scoring forward, but if the Hurricanes are operating on a budget, the more likely scenario could be to find some value plays, not unlike last years addition of Gerbe or Manny Malhotra. Peter Regin, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Steve Bernier and Ryan Carter are a few veterans that might come relatively cheaply, but could still upgrade the Hurricanes forward depth. Returning Defence Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Cap Hit Andrej Sekera 73.85 74 11 33 44 51.5% $2.75M Justin Faulk 68.67 7 5 27 32 51.8% $4.833M John-Michael Liles 62.94 41 2 7 9 49.5% $3.875M Jay Harrison 61.47 68 4 11 15 47.9% $1.5M Ryan Murphy 61.31 48 2 10 12 48.8% $863K Free Agent Defence Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Class 13-14 Cap Hit Ron Hainsey 62.09 82 4 11 15 51.0% UFA $2.0M Brett Bellemore 60.41 64 2 6 8 48.4% UFA $600K Mike Komisarek 58.09 32 0 4 4 48.5% UFA $700K Joni Pitkanen N/A UFA $4.5M Moving to Carolina brought about a dramatic change for Andrej Sekera, who had been a steady enough to-four defenceman in Buffalo, but he emerged as a top-pair stud for the Hurricanes, setting career-bests in goals (11), assists (33) and time on ice (23:41), all while facing high quality of competition. Next season is the final year on his current contract, so Sekera is due for an extension which will come with a healthy pay raise. 22-year-old Justin Faulk is the building block on the Carolina defence, playing 23:19 per game through his first three seasons and facing the toughest assignments. A great skater, who makes smart decisions and signed through 2020, Faulk is a stable presence already and should continue to get better. Unable to crack the lineup of the Toronto Maple Leafs, John-Michael Liles played over 20 minutes per game in Carolina and even provided strong puck possession numbers in the process. Hes three seasons removed from his last 40-point season, but Liles mobility and smarts still work to his advantage, on a team that is willing to make use of those assets. Jay Harrison offers size, but his ice time was down last year after struggling more than he had in previous years. Hes reasonably priced as a third-pair option, in the hopes that maybe he finds a better fit with another partner. One of Harrisons regular partners last season, Ryan Murphy is an undersized 21-year-old who is still trying to make his way in the league. Murphy is a terrific skater, and that has helped him put up 24 points in 25 AHL games, in addition to a dozen points in 52 career NHL games, so there is offensive upside to be realized. Even if Murphy is given easier minutes, with power play time, he should be able to find a regular spot on a Carolina blueline that needs to be better. The Hurricanes are looking at some significant changes on defence, thanks to four unrestricted free agents. Ron Hainsey was certainly good enough to keep and if Joni Pitkanen is healthy, that could be interesting but, otherwise, the Canes may look elsewhere for improvement. Returning Goaltenders Player Rating GP W L OTL GAA SV% Cap Hit Anton Khudobin 77.25 36 19 14 1 2.30 .926 $2.25M Cam Ward 63.71 30 10 12 6 3.06 .898 $6.3M Free Agent Goaltender Player Rating GP W L OTL GAA SV% Class 13-14 Cap Hit Justin Peters 69.64 21 7 9 4 2.50 .919 UFA $538K Anton Khudobin had a terrific year, posting a .926 save percentage in a career-high 36 games, earning a two-year contract extension and, if the Hurricanes can find a taker for incumbent starter Cam Ward, the starting job would appear to be Khuodbins going forward. Khudobin has a .928 save percentage in 57 career games, which is great, the best among goalies with at least 50 games, but thats such a small sample, and he had a .912 save percentage in 156 AHL games, so theres most likely downward mobility in those numbers. Ward won the Conn Smythe Award as playoff MVP in 2006 and was an above average goaltender from 2008 through 212, but injuries have limited him to 47 games over the past two seasons and, even when hes played, he hasnt been effective, posting a .902 save percentage, which is near the bottom among goaltenders over the past couple seasons. Theoretically, the Hurricanes may be prepared to move Ward, but finding a taker for the remaining two years (and $13.5-million) on his contract could be challenging, at best. Top Prospects Player Pos. Team/League Stats Brock McGinn LW Guelph (OHL) 43-42-85, +46, 58 GP Michal Jordan D Charlotte (AHL) 4-21-25, -12, 70 GP Victor Rask C Charlotte (AHL) 16-23-39, -3, 76 GP Trevor Carrick D Sudbury (OHL) 22-29-51, -6, 70 GP Sergey Tolchinsky LW Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) 31-60-91, -9, 66 GP Phil Di Giuseppe LW Michigan (Big 10) 13-11-24, +7, 35 GP Brett Pesce D New Hampshire (HE) 7-14-21, -4, 41 GP Daniel Altshuller G Oshawa (OHL) 2.56 GAA, .917 SV%, 52 GP Jaccob Slavin D Colorado College (NCHC) 5-20-25, +2, 32 GP Keegan Lowe D Charlotte (AHL) 2-10-12, -7, 63 GP Zach Boychuk LW Charlotte (AHL) 36-38-74, -7, 69 GP Brock McGinn, the third of Fergus, Ontarios McGinn brothers (Jamie and Tye are with Colorado and Philadelphia, respectively) to be drafted to the NHL,has enjoyed a great season with a powerhouse Guelph team. Hell play a physical game and, as hes shown this year, should be able to contribute some offensively too. After four AHL seasons, Michal Jordan could be ready for a real NHL opportunity with Carolina. Hes been their best AHL defenceman and, with free agents potentially departing, Jordan could slide into a depth spot next season. A second-round pick in 2011 Victor Rask had a solid first pro campaign. He could use more time to refine his game, and establish that he can score consistently at the AHL level, before pushing for an NHL spot. 2012 fourth-round pick Trevor Carrick has steadily improved throughhout his junior career and is ready to embark on a pro career next season, but likely will require a few years of development. Undrafted last summer, after scoring 51 points in 62 games in his draft year, Sergey Tolchinsky quickly earned a free agent contract with the Hurricanes, then continued to improve his game in the OHL. Hes small, but skilled. Drafted in the second round in 2012, Phil Di Giuseppe didnt make a ton of progress at Michigan, scoring 26 points in 40 games as a freshman, then 52 points in 75 games over the past two seasons. Hes signed with the Hurricanes and played in three games with Charlotte late in the year, so Di Giuseppe will have a chance to show whether or not hes going to have a notable offensive game in the pros. Taken in the third round last summer, Brett Pesce is a lanky collegiate defender who improved his production as a sophomore. He still has a couple more seasons of collegiate eligibility and can use them to get stronger as he prepares for his pro career. A third-round pick in 2012, Daniel Altshuller has steadily improved throughout his junior career and, at 6-foot-4, has good size for the position. Give him a few years in the AHL and see what happens. An offensively-minded blueliner, Jaccob Slavin played for Team USA at the World Junior Hockey Championships and led Colorado College in scoring as a freshman. A tough, physical stay-at-home defenceman, Keegan Lowe was a third-round pick in 2011 and had a decent first pro campaign. Lowes game wont stand out, but for a team without great defence prospects, hes in the picture. Zach Boychuk has been a top Hurricanes prospect forever, since he was a first-round pick in 2008, and hes managed nine goals and 24 points in 96 NHL career games, but after 74 points in 69 AHL games last season, the undersized winger cant be ignored altogether. Hurricanes advanced stats and player usage chart from Extra Skater DRAFT7th - Kasperi Kapanen, William Nylander, Nikolaj Ehlers FREE AGENCYAccording to www.capgeek.com, the Hurricanes have approximately $37.9M committed to the 2013-2014 salary cap for 16 players. Check out my possible Hurricanes lineup for next season on Cap Geek here. Needs: Three forwards, one top four defenceman, depth defencemen.What I said the Hurricanes needed last year: Two top nine forwards, depth forwards, depth defencemen.They added: Nathan Gerbe, Elias Lindholm, Andrej Sekera, Ron Hainsey, Ryan Murphy, Mike Komisarek, Brett Bellemore, Anton Khudobin. TRADE MARKETEric Staal, Alexander Semin, Jiri Tlusty. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Replica Soccer Jerseys . The 27-year-old hit .209 in 86 at-bats last year after missing the 2010 season following surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Wholesale Soccer Jerseys . Ted Ligety, Mikaela Shiffrin, Bode Miller and Tim Jitloff underlined the squads enormous potential on the Rettenbach glacier in Austria. https://www.cheapsoccerjerseysjustwholesale.com/ . Johan Franzen had two goals and two assists, Gustav Nyquist a goal and three assists and David Legwand a goal and two assists in the Red Wings 7-4 win over the New Jersey Devils.(SportsNetwork.com) - The playoff-hopeful Winnipeg Jets desperately need a win to aid their fragile postseason chances and they hope to get that victory on Friday when the struggling New York Rangers visit the MTS Centre. Tune into the game live on TSN Jets and TSN Radio 1290 Winnipeg at 6:30pm ct.Paul Maurices club is in the midst of a five-game slide, and although the Jets have managed to earn three points during the skid theyll need to start rattling off some wins to make the playoffs. Winnipeg is five points out of a playoff spot in the West with 15 games left on its schedule. The Jets havent made the postseason since relocating from Atlanta to Winnipeg prior to the 2011-12 campaign. The former Thrashers, meanwhile, only made the playoffs once during 11 frustrating seasons in Atlanta. The Jets fell to 0-3-2 on their current funk after Wednesdays 3-2 shootout loss against visiting Vancouver. Chris Higgins scored the game winner in the third round of the shootout, as the Canucks halted a seven-game road skid to down Winnipeg in the opener of a three-game homestand. Winnipeg held leads of 1-0 and 2-1 in the game, but couldnt close out the win in regulation. Then, after the first five shooters came up empty, Higgins charged in down the middle and made a number of quick dekes before stuffing a forehand past Ondrej Pavelecs outstretched right pad for the victory. Andrew Ladd and Michael Frolik each lit the lamp for Winnipeg, while Pavelec posted 31 saves in the setback. "Its a loss because of the shootout," Maurice said. "Its a 2-2 game in terms of how it was played and I think thats a pretty accurate assessment of how the game went." The Jets went 7-2-0 in the first nine games under Maurice, who replaced a fired Claude Noel in January. Winnipeg, however, is just 4-3-4 under Maurice since the coachs early success. Winnipeg earned a win oveer the Rangers on Dec. Soccer Jerseys From China. 2, notching a 5-2 road victory at Madison Square Garden. Ex-Ranger Olli Jokinen had two goals and an assist to lead the offense and Pavelec made 35 saves for the win. The Jets have won three of the last four meetings versus New York, but the Rangers have claimed two of the three encounters at the MTS Centre since the franchise relocated. New York has lost two straight to begin a three-game road trip and Alain Vigneaults club is just 2-4-1 in March. With 74 points, the Rangers are tied with Columbus for second place in the Metropolitan Division. but they are only one ahead of Philadelphia, which currently holds the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. After losing 3-1 at Carolina on Tuesday, the Blueshirts dropped a 2-1 decision Thursday night at Minnesota. Zach Parises goal 1:03 into the third period provided the difference in the Wilds 2-1 victory at XCel Energy Center. Cam Talbot turned aside 24 shots in the loss, with Derek Stepan recording the lone New York goal. "Were not scoring a lot of goals 5-on-5," said Vigneault. "I thought our effort was better tonight, our execution was a little bit better, but we need to finish more and obviously that wasnt the case tonight." Martin St. Louis is one of the many Rangers struggling to find the net at the moment. St. Louis has no goals and one assist in five games since coming to New York in the blockbuster trade that sent former Rangers captain Ryan Callahan to Tampa Bay. St. Louis has excellent career numbers against the Atlanta/Winnipeg franchise, posting 27 goals and 55 assists over 74 career games. Despite dropping the first two tilts on its current trek, New York still has a solid 19-13-0 road record this season. The Blueshirts will return home to host San Jose on Sunday, but then will head back out on another three-game swing. ' ' '

SYDNEY, Australia -- Bulgarian qualifier Tsvetana Pironkova beat fifth-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany 6-4, 6-4 on Friday to win her first WTA title at the Sydney International. Johnny Grubb Jersey . Pironkova, who was ranked outside the top 100 despite reaching the Wimbledon semifinals in 2010, beat three top 10 players in Sydney, 2012 French Open finalist Sara Errani, 2011 Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and Kerber. Top-seeded Juan Martin del Potro will meet reigning champion Bernard Tomic in the mens final. The 2009 U.S. Open champion had 6-4, 6-2 semifinal win Friday over fourth-seeded Dmitry Tursunov. Tomic had a 6-7 (4), 7-5, 6-3 win over Sergiy Stakhovsky, who last year beat Roger Federer in the second round at Wimbledon. Tomics win came only hours after he was drawn to face No. 1-ranked Rafael Nadal in the first round next week at the Australian Open. The 21-year-old Australian raced to a 4-1 lead in the first set but Stakhovsky broke back and rallied to win it in a tiebreaker. Tomic broke the No. 101-ranked Stakhovsky in the 11th game of the second set and levelled the match on his fourth set point. He got the decisive break in the seventh game of the deciding set, and then broke his Ukraine rivals serve again in the ninth to win on his third match point. "I was very happy to get out of this match. He should have won," Tomic said, adding that hed have to improve vastly to have any chance of winning the final against del Potro, who beat him in straight sets in their only previous meeting. Del Potro, who is also in Nadals quarter of the draw at Melbourne Park, said he was only concerned about the Sydney final for now. "Im trying to be professional. This tournament is not over yet for me," he said. "My team already knows theyre not allowed to talk about Melbourne yet. My friends, too." Unseeded Lu Yen-hsun of Taiwan stopped David Ferrers bid for a fifth singles title at the Heineken Open in Auckland, New Zealand, with a 6-4, 7-6 (4) win in his first-ever semifinal at ATP level. Lu moved into a final against third-seeded John Isner, who rallied from a set and a break down to beat unseeded Roberto Bautista Agut 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-4. Ferrer won the Auckland title in 2007 and in each of the last three years but dropped serve twice and made 20 unforced errors in the first set. "I know hes a tough guy and I tried to play my best tennis and fortunately I did it," Lu said. "Hes not playing bad, I just played unbelievable." Ferrer is seeded No. 3 for the Australian Open. In a preview of their first-round match at the Australian Open, Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic beat 2011 U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur 6-3, 6-2 in the semifinals of the WTA event in Hobart. Zakopalova will next play Garbine Muguruza, who beat Estrella Cabeza Candela 6-0, 6-1 in a semifinal between two Spanish qualifiers. At the Kooyong Classic exhibition tournament in Melbourne, Richard Gasquet had a 7-6 (3), 1-0 win over Gilles Simon when his fellow Frenchman retired with an injured right ankle. Gasquet was due to meet Tomas Berdych in Saturdays final but withdrew later Friday due to general soreness. Berdych will play Kei Nishikori in the final. Heath Bell Jersey .com) - James Harden had 32 points, including a tying layup late in regulation, and the Houston Rockets scored eight of their 13 points in overtime at the foul line to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 117-111 on Friday night. Josh Naylor Jersey . Eller scored the midway through the third period after Dallas scored twice to tie it, leading Canadiens to a 6-4 win over the Stars on Thursday night. https://www.cheappadresjerseys.us/1413m-rickey-henderson-jersey-padres.html . Salah, who scored against Chelsea in two Champions League group matches this season, is Jose Mourinhos third significant recruit in the January transfer window after Nemanja Matic and Bertrand Traore.LISBON, Portugal -- Nani has been included in Portugals World Cup squad despite an injury-hit season during which he made just 13 appearances for Manchester United. Portugal coach Paulo Bento on Monday announced the 23-man squad he will take to Brazil, with the main surprise being the choice of Braga midfielder Rafa, who has just one cap. Nani has had a disappointing year due to injuries and poor form, but Bento said the 27-year-old winger has shaken off the injuries that helped keep him sidelined. "Nani had a problem up until March but hes improved and hes been training normally since then," Bento said. He said he picked the 21-year-old Rafa because he can play either in midfield or attack. Rafa has previously played half a friendly game against Cameroon. Cristiano Ronaldo, who has recently had injury problems at Real Madrid, will be assessed by the Portuguese medical team after Saturdays Champions League final against Atletico Madrid in Lisbon, Bento said. "We will work out a plan to get him ready in time for the World Cup,&quoot; Bento said. Austin Hedges Jersey. Midfielder William Carvalho, regarded as one of Portugals promising newcomers, was also included. Like Ronaldo and Nani, Carvalho is a product of Sporting Lisbons youth academy. He has made two appearances for Portugal Most of the squad was due to gather Wednesday. Portugal is to play three warm-up games before starting the tournament in Group G against Germany, Ghana and the United States. -------- Squad: Goalkeepers: Beto (Sevilla), Eduardo (Braga), Rui Patricio (Sporting). Defenders: Andre Almeida (Benfica), Bruno Alves (Fenerbahce), Fabio Coentrao (Real Madrid), Joao Pereira (Valencia), Neto (Zenit St. Petersburg), Pepe (Real Madrid), Ricardo Costa (Valencia). Midfielders: Joao Moutinho (Monaco), Miguel Veloso (Dynamo Kyiv), Raul Meireles (Fenerbahce), Ruben Amorim (Benfica), William Carvalho (Sporting Lisbon), Rafa (Braga). Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Eder (Braga), Helder Postiga (Lazio), Hugo Almeida (Besiktas), Nani (Manchester United), Varela (FC Porto), Vieirinha (Wolfsburg). ' ' '