This story appears in ESPN The Magazines Sept. 19 NFL Preview II Issue. Subscribe today!FORGET JACKIE BRADLEY JR.S breakout, Xander Bogaerts hitting streak or David Ortizs yearlong lovefest: Mookie Betts, the Red Soxs 23-year-old outfielder, is the teams most indispensable player, and a legitimate MVP candidate.Betts is among the AL leaders in runs, hits and RBIs, but you could argue that his biggest strength has been coming through in the clutch. Betts has five of the Soxs top 16 games in win probability added (WPA), a measure of how much one player affects his teams chances to win. Here are the stories behind some of his best games.1 DOWN WITH THE BIRDS AUG. 16 AT BALTIMORE RED SOX 5, ORIOLES 3 BETTS WPA: 0.505THE SCENE Let it be said, with little hyperbole, that Betts defeated the Orioles single-handedly. Batting cleanup, he broke a scoreless stalemate in the fifth inning with a two-out, three-run homer off Baltimore starter Yovani Gallardo. And after the Orioles rallied to tie the score in the bottom of the seventh, Betts bashed a two-run homer in the next inning against setup man Brad Brach, against whom right-handed hitters had been 8-for-102 (.078). Betts drove in all five Red Sox runs. About the only thing he didnt do was pitch.BETTS TAKE I knew it was going to be tough [facing Brach]. I tried to swing early and be aggressive, because I know hes going to be in the zone. Once you get two strikes, its pretty much over at that point with him. ... Batting cleanup can be tough, but I was just trying to put a good swing on a good pitch, trying to drive the ball like I always do, with my same approach. [Being a power hitter] is definitely weird. Ive never been that in my life. Im just going to try to enjoy it while its here.2 HOUSTON HAS A PROBLEM MAY 15 AT BOSTON RED SOX 10, ASTROS 9 BETTS WPA: 0.330THE SCENE By the time Betts stepped to the plate in the bottom of the seventh, this game had seen three lead changes. The Red Sox had just watched an 8-6 edge disappear after the Astros three-run rally in the top of the sixth. After Ryan Hanigan tied the score with a two-out single off Houston right-hander Scott Feldman, Betts fell behind in the count 0-2. No worries. He laid off two pitches, then lined a sinker to the gap in right-center field for a go-ahead triple.BETTS TAKE From the outside, [games like these, when the entire offense clicks] look ridiculous, but from the inside, theyre just the product of us grinding out at-bats and grinding through games. It was a tough day, man. The wind blowing, the sun there, it made it that much tougher. Fortunately, we were able to get an extra out [on Hanigans hit] and take advantage of it.3 RANGE FACTOR JUNE 24 AT TEXAS RED SOX 8, RANGERS 7 BETTS WPA: 0.329THE SCENE Good luck finding a more improbable Red Sox victory. Trailing 7-4 in the top of the ninth, the Sox got two quick outs, then proceeded to score four runs. After Sandy Leon worked an 11-pitch at-bat for an RBI double, the Rangers called on hard-throwing righty Matt Bush. Betts passed on a couple of sliders in anticipation of high heat. Sure enough, he got a belt-high 97 mph fastball and crushed it to the center-field berm. Three batters later, Dustin Pedroia scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch.BETTS TAKE There are three righties behind Sandy, so I know [Bush] is coming in, and I kind of prepared for that. Seeing velocity doesnt change anything. Its all got to come across the plate at some point. Thats my mindset. In the AL East, you see it every day. A lot of times, you see it from the starter for the whole game. That ball was one of the ones I figured was going to go out. If it didnt, I would have probably cried.4 BRINGING THE RAIN AUG. 1 AT SEATTLE RED SOX 2, MARINERS 1 BETTS WPA: 0.328 THE SCENE It doesnt get much more clutch than a leadoff homer in the ninth inning of a tie game. Betts longball was off a hanging sinker from Mariners reliever Steve Cishek, all the way into the left-field bullpen. It was also one of the hardest balls Betts hit all season, with an exit velocity of 103.54 mph, according to Statcast.BETTS TAKE I was just going up there knowing [Cishek] is a tough at-bat. Any sidearm guy is going to be tough. I was just trying to get a fastball up so I could at least put it in play. I know anything down, Im going to beat into the ground, so just got something elevated and put a good swing on it.5?TWO BIRDS, THREE HOMERS MAY 31 AT BALTIMORE RED SOX 6, ORIOLES 2 BETTS WPA: 0.325THE SCENE Talk about doing it all. Betts led off the game with a homer to straightaway center field, then added a three-run shot to left in the second inning. In the seventh, just for good measure, Betts capped his first three-homer game by going to right field for a solo shot against reliever Dylan Bundy. (His diving catch to steal a hit from Paul Janish in the bottom of that inning was just a bonus.)BETTS TAKE I think I surprised myself, definitely, with the center-field and the right-field ones. [Pulling the ball to] left field is my forte. First time Ive ever done that, three home runs. I was able to make a play behind [pitcher] Robbie Ross, too, so, you know, put the whole game together. Thats why, I think, it ranks among my best games.Stats courtesy Baseball-Reference.com; through Sept. 6. Authentic Custom White Sox Jersey . It was the kind of score that might make everyone else wonder which course he was playing. Except that Graeme McDowell saw the whole thing. Crouched behind the 10th green at Sheshan International, McDowell looked over at the powerful American and said, "Ive probably seen 18 of the best drives Ive seen all year in the last two days. Cheap White Sox Jerseys . Jon Montgomerys gold medal in skeleton at the Whistler Sliding Centre and his subsequent auctioning off of a pitcher of beer in the village square elevated him to folk-hero status. http://www.customwhitesoxjersey.com/ . First off, the fans ripped the Cubbies introduction of a fuzzy new kid-friendly mascot named "Clark". Nellie Fox Jersey Large . LOUIS -- Mike Smith is used to facing plenty of shots, so this was nothing new. Cheap Custom White Sox Jersey .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have recalled forward Kevin Porter and defenceman Chad Ruhwedel from the minors as part of a five-player roster shuffle made by the NHLs worst team. Who will win the East? Our NBA writers make their predictions:Predictions:Atlantic | Central | Southeast Northwest | Pacific | Southwest East | West | NBA champs ' ' '

If youre looking for some fitspiration today, look no further. Caroline Wozniacki has got all the #WorkoutGoals you could possibly want on a Monday. The tennis star -- who is celebrating her 26th birthday Monday from the gym -- posted a video of her weight training on Instagram, and its pretty impressive.If you dont believe me, you can just ask NBA free agent David Lee. Or just watch for yourself below.Thanks @dlee042 and @benbrunotraining for making my birthday so enjoyable! ???? #535pounds #Imfeeling26A video posted by Caroline Wozniacki (@carowozniacki) onJul 11, 2016 at 12:26pm PDTThats apparently a cool 535 POUNDS. You definitely deserve that birthday cake tonight, Caro.See something entertaining on social media that you think deserves to be shared? Let me know on Twitter, @darcymaine_espn. Womens Nike Air Max 95 Clearance . "Jeff is a hard worker who was an important special-teams contributor for us last season," said Stamps GM John Hufnagel. Cheap Air Max 95 Womens . Boucher previously coached the Tampa Bay Lightning and had a 97-78-20 record over two-plus seasons. He was dismissed by the team last March after the Lightning struggled in the lockout-shortened season with a 13-18-1 record. http://www.airmax270cheaponline.com/cheap-air-max-95-online/mens-air-max-95-sale.html . The 18th player to shoot 60 on the tour, Jamieson settled for par on the final hole when his 15-foot birdie chip grazed the edge of the hole and stayed out. After opening with rounds of 66 and 73 to make the cut by a stroke, he had 11 birdies in the bogey-free round. Air Max 2017 Clearance . Three came down to the fourth quarter while quarterbacks continued to shine in all four games; so important to the overall quality of the game. Cheap Air Max 95 Black .J. Jefferson has been charged with assaulting his girlfriend. CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews sat out his sixth straight game on Sunday night, a 2-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, with an upper-body injury that coach Joel Quenneville said is not getting better.Quenneville said Toews skated briefly Sunday morning, but the coach plans to keep him off the ice for a few days and get a better assessment in the middle of the week or so.Quenneville said he didnt believe Toews injury was something the 28-year-old center has experienced before. Toews has four goals and eight assists in 21 games and is Chicagos best faceoff man.Winnipegs leading scorer, center Mark Scheifele, missed his second straight game with a lower-body injury. He participated in the Jets game-day skate before their 3-2 overtime win at St. Louis on Saturday night but didnt play in the contest.Scheifele has 13 goals and 13 assists in 26 games.Goaltender Lars Johansson, recalled by the Blackhawks earlier Sunday from the Rockford IceHogs?of the American Hockey League, was in Chicagos lineup.dddddddddddd The 29-year-old Johansson will back up Scott Darling while regular starter Corey Crawford recovers from an emergency appendectomy in Philadelphia on Saturday.Crawford, who is 12-6-2 with a 2.27 goals-against average, is expected to be sidelined for two to three weeks. He returned to Chicago with the Blackhawks on Saturday after a 3-1 loss to the Flyers.Johansson is 6-7-1 with a 2.63 GAA in 16 games with Rockford.To make room for Johansson, the Blackhawks assigned rookie forward Nick Schmaltz to the IceHogs. The 20-year-old Schmaltz, a first-round pick in the 2014 draft, has a goal and three assists in 26 games with the Blackhawks.Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.? ' ' '

fumble that led to Ponders TD run, he in

MARSEILLE, France -- A look at some of the tactical choices for France coach Didier Deschamps ahead of the European Championship semifinal against Germany:---DEFENSEDeschamps must either recall Adil Rami or stick with the inexperienced Samuel Umtiti at center half.The 22-year-old Umtiti made his international debut in the 5-2 win against Iceland in the quarterfinals, because Rami was suspended. Although Umtiti completed 100 percent of his passes, he looked vulnerable at times.Rami has been a weak link.Slow, ponderous and clumsy, his slip against Ireland in the last 16 created confusion that led to a second-minute penalty.The left flank of Frances defense is also vulnerable, with left back Patrice Evra twice caught out of position inside the first five minutes against Iceland. He also gave away a penalty against Romania.---MIDFIELDDeschamps faces the tough decision whether to leave out NGolo Kante -- one of his best players -- in favor of keeping Moussa Sissoko.The team will be chosen with counterattacking in mind.Germany is used to dominating opponents and used to having the ball more, Deschamps said Wednesday.Kante offers better protection in front of the defense in a 4-3-3 formation, but offers less going forward than Sissoko in the 4-2-3-1 deployed convincingly against Iceland. Sissokos presence also seems to improve Paul Pogbas play.With Sissoko on the right of midfield against Iceland, Pogba formed a two-man central midfield with Blaise Matuidi.Pogba, who scored with a header from a corner, had his best game of the tournament.Sissoko, with his speed, technique and athleticism, is a perfect counter-attacking option for France and his inclusion also allows Pogba to sit deep and deploy his strong passing range to hit Germany on the break.---FORWARD LINEThis should be easy for Deschamps, considering France has scored the most goals at Euro 2016.Mobile forward Antoine Griezmann has a tournament-leading four goals so far, striker Olivier Giroud has scored three, while attacking midfielder Dimitri Payet also has three.They have combined for 10 of Frances 11 goals.---BENCHDeschamps has kept fringe players involved throughout the tournament.Wingers Kingsley Coman and Anthony Martial are good options if France struggles to break teams down -- which was the case against Ireland in the last 16 -- and powerful striker Andre Pierre-Gignac offers solid backup for Giroud if France needs a late goal.Yohan Cabaye is playing in his third major tournament and provides valuable experience should Deschamps need a change in midfield.---PENALTY SHOOTOUTDeschamps does not get his players to practice penalty shootouts in training, saying it is no comparison to the nerve-wracking experience of shooting with tired legs in front of a full stadium after extra time.It remains to be seen if this will prove a wise choice, given Frances poor track record.Les Bleus lost on penalties to West Germany in the 1982 World Cup semifinals, to the Czech Republic in the Euro 96 semis, and to Italy in the World Cup final in 2006. Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic . Malkin got tangled up with Detroits Luke Glendening early in the third period and his left skate took the brunt of collision with the boards behind Pittsburghs net. NFL Jerseys Outlet . After dropping their final six games of December, the Wild opened the new calendar year with four consecutive wins. Following a loss to Colorado on Saturday, Minnesota rebounded the following night to blank Nashville 4-0, but then had the tables turned on them Tuesday. http://www.nflauthenticjerseyswholesale.com/ . Varlamov made 33 saves and Ryan OReilly had a goal and scored in the shootout as the Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Thursday night. Wholesale MLB Jerseys China . -- Jonathan Drouin gave Halifax the boost it needed to edge host Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Wholesale NFL Jerseys China Online .J. -- Josh Cribbs was in the Pro Bowl in February and out of a job six months later. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- As members of the Big East Conference, the Syracuse Orange and Connecticut Huskies played some of the most memorable games in college basketball history at Madison Square Garden.But as they return to the Garden for a 7 p.m. game Monday, the Orange and Huskies will be more concerned about finding their identity than making history.Syracuse, now in the Atlantic Coast Conference, entered this season with six new players among its top nine. After a 4-0 start against low- and mid-major teams, the Orange lost by a combined 31 points to 20th-ranked South Carolina at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and 17th-ranked Wisconsin at the Kohl Center.This past Saturday, Syracuse nearly blew a 24-point second-half lead against North Florida at home before hanging on for a 77-71 win.Other than seniors Rodney Purvis and Amida Brimah, UConn is relying on freshmen and sophomores who have been mostly inconsistent.The Huskies, now in the American Athletic Conference, opened this season with losses to Wagner and Northeastern -- the first time since 1968-69 that UConn lost its first two games of the year.The Huskies (3-4) rebounded with wins over Loyola Marymount and Chaminade in the Maui Invitational and Boston University, but they also lost to Oklahoma State and 23rd-ranked Oregon in Maui.UConn is down to eight scholarship players because of season-ending injuries to freshman point guard Alterique Gilbert (shoulder), freshman forward Mamadou Diarra (knee) and sophomore swingman Terry Larrier (knee). Larrier and Gilbert had combined to average nearly 24 points per game.Sophomore point guard Jalen Adams leads the Huskies in scoring (18.8 points per game) and assists (5.4 per game), and Purvis is averaging 11.3 points per game.We just have to try and get better, coach Kevin Ollie said after the Huskies held on to defeat Boston University 51-49 this past Wednesday. Weve got eight guys and were going to continue playing with those guys. Were not making any excuses. But I was very happpy with the win and were finding ways to win.dddddddddddd.Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim shook up his starting lineup against North Florida by sitting senior forward Tyler Roberson (one point, eight rebounds against South Carolina and Wisconsin), inserting freshman shooting guard Tyus Battle, moving fifth-year transfer Andrew White from shooting guard to small forward, and shifting sophomore Tyler Lydon from small forward to power forward.The results were mixed, as White and Battle combined for 45 points on 15-of-22 shooting from the field, but the Orange bench -- Roberson, fifth-year transfer John Gillon and freshman Taurean Thompson -- combined for one point, five rebounds and one assist in a combined 30 minutes.You have to be able to score. It wasnt even a decision (to bench Roberson); you cant play 34 minutes and score a point and keep your job, Boeheim said. You just cant do that unless youre doing something unbelievable and that wasnt the case.Roberson averaged 8.5 rebounds per game last season but is down to 5.4 per game this season. With its smaller starting lineup, Syracuse will be hard-pressed to win the rebounding battle as North Florida and its three-guard lineup outrebounded the Orange 41-33.With each teams respective flaws, its unlikely the Orange and Huskies will be able to duplicate Big East Tournament Madison Square Garden classics such as Syracuses 127-117 victory in six overtimes in 2009 or UConns 76-71 overtime win in 2010 when Kemba Walker had 33 points and 12 rebounds.But its still Connecticut-Syracuse at the Garden, and thats enough for those who remember they heyday of the Big East.Ive been watching that rivalry ever since Ive been playing basketball, said Orange center DaJuan Coleman, who grew up in Syracuse. Its going to be a fun game and weve got to bring our A game because Im pretty sure its going to be a big game for them. ' ' '

NSW Swifts will take confidence from their dazzling semi-final performance ahead the formidable assignment of trying to beat the Queensland Firebirds in next Sundays trans-Tasman competition netball final in Brisbane.The Swifts speedy passing and relentless defence were highlights of their crushing 64-45 win over the Magic in Hamilton on Monday.It represented a lift in form after they lost 63-52 to the Firebirds in the Australian conference final the previous week.The challenge for the Swifts will be trying to get their first win over the Firebirds in Brisbane after 11 losses.Coming off the back off todays performance I think we can take confidence from that going into next week, Swifts shooter Caitlin Thwaites told AAP after the game.Well look at the way that we played this week and try and put some of those things into practice again for next week.Diamonds representative Thwaites was a big contributor to the semi-final win, nailing 43 of her 46 shots.Her cause was helped by silver platter service from captain and midcourt ace Kim Green, who racked up 20 goal assists.Green played out a full game for the first time since round five, after which fitness issues forced her to miss some games and play limited minutes in others.Its a great sign for her to be putting out four quarters again, so its great timing for us, Thwaites said.Another key Swifts player displaying great form at the business end of the season was Diamonds defender Sharni Layton.The irrepressible goalkeeper made a stack of big plays in her 100th competition appearance and was named game MVP.Shes just an absolute solid rock back there for us, Thwaites said.Its awesome just to be able to be up the other end of the court and see her do her work, because shes an absolute legend.Thwaites ensured many of the turnovers the Swifts forced were converted into goals, something she said they had focused on and done better than the previous week.Wing defence Abbey McCulloch came off late in the game with an ankle issue, though team officials were not immediately worried about her missing the grand final.Swifts coach Rob Wright pulled a minor surprise by starting McCulloch and putting Laura Langman at centre and leaving Diamonds midcourter Paige Hadley out of his run on side. Clearance Basketball Shoes Store . After a replay, the winner will meet Sunderland in the quarterfinals. Sagbo did well to control Sone Alukos right cross and fire past Brighton goalkeeper Peter Brezovan. Aluko was making his first start in four months after recovering from an Achilles injury. Discount Basketball Shoes . Klitschkos management company says the bout will be the Ukrainian fighters 25th world championship fight. The 1.83-meter (6-foot) Leapai defeated the previously unbeaten Denis Boytsov in November to become the WBOs mandatory challenger. http://www.clearancebasketballshoes.com/ . "Jeff is a hard worker who was an important special-teams contributor for us last season," said Stamps GM John Hufnagel. Cheap Basketball Shoes For Sale .C. -- Manny Malhotra had two goals and an assist, leading the Carolina Hurricanes to a 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. Cheap Basketball Shoes Authentic . The veteran safety was a starter for the Bengals from 2008-2012. He totaled 41 tackles and three interceptions while starting all but four of the 13 games he played last season. TAMPA, Fla. -- Cameron Brate describes his unlikely journey from undrafted college free agent to starting NFL tight end as pretty crazy. Now, the former Harvard standout is hoping to prove the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a smart choice.The third-year pro, released late last summer only to rejoin the Bucs after a brief stay with the New Orleans Saints, played his way into the teams long-term plans while filling in a portion of the 2105 season for an injured Austin Seferian-Jenkins, whos been unable to hold on to the No. 1 job in training camp.Seferian-Jenkins was a second-round draft pick two years ago. Hes shown flashes of being a potential star, but also has struggled to stay healthy while appearing in just 16 games since entering the league.Two years ago, I was kind of an afterthought, said Brate, who spent most of his rookie season on Tampa Bays practice squad, eventually winding up on the active roster for the final four games and catching one pass for 17 yards.My rookie year I didnt get too many reps in practice and was just hoping to catch on any way I could. ... Then last year, I was kind of at the bottom of the depth chart again, he added. It was a major bummer to get cut, but it ended up working out for me. ... Its pretty cool looking back, just kind of how far Ive come.Brate, 25, spent the opening week of last season on Tampa Bays practice squad. He smiles recalling what happened next during a whirlwind seven days that saw the young tight end get released, sign with New Orleans practice squad, stand on the sideline and watch the Bucs beat his new team on Sunday, and -- finally -- wind up back in Tampa Bay when his old team signed him to the active roster from the Saints practice squad.Brate went on to appear in 14 games, startiing four and finishing with 23 receptions for 288 yards and three touchdowns.dddddddddddd Seferian-Jenkins had 21 receptions for 338 yards and four TDs in seven games.I was holding my breath when we lost him to the Saints. .. I thought they were getting a really good guy, and it just worked out that we had a chance to get him back, Bucs coach Dirk Koetter, the teams offensive coordinator a year ago, said.Hes 65, he can run, hes smart, hes coachable, hes consistent, (and) he knows where to be and when to be there, Koetter added. Thats important. Guys that dont make mistakes. And then when you get a chance to make plays, youve got to make them, and he does.Meanwhile, Seferian-Jenkins said hes focused on working hard and contributing any way he can -- not the depth chart.It is what it should be right now. ... Im just thankful to be out here playing football and doing what I love, Seferian-Jenkins said. Im going to enjoy it and Im going to seize every opportunity that I get because thats the most important thing.Brate, meanwhile, knows hes far from a finished product.While excited about what he accomplished last year and the prospect for continued growth with Jameis Winston coming off throwing for more than 4,000 yards as a rookie, Brate also wants to improve his blocking in hopes of becoming a more complete player.`A big thing I think was confidence for me, said Brate, who had 18 career TD receptions at Harvard. Coming from a smaller school, not really playing too much my rookie year, just kind of believing in myself that I belonged in the league.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '

CINCINNATI -- Jonathan Lucroy missed the two-strike pitch but got the call. His next swing produced a home run that sparked a big inning.Lucroys two-run homer started Milwaukees five-run third inning, and the Brewers rolled to a 9-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday night with their best offensive showing in nearly two months.The bottom two teams in the NL Central have split the first two games of their series.Lucroy connected off left-hander John Lamb (1-7) in the third as he continued taking advantage of the last-place Reds. The All-Star catcher is 14 for 31 (.452) against Cincinnati this season, with five of his 12 homers and 15 RBI.First, there was some controversy. Lucroy swung at a two-strike pitch that landed in the dirt, but plate umpire Quinn Wolcott heard a sound and called a foul tip, extending the at-bat. Replays indicated that Lucroy missed the ball, but the tip of his bat hit the plate, causing the sound. Lucroy initially thought his bat hit the ball but later realized hed hit only the plate.Reds manager Bryan Price immediately came out to argue but got nowhere.It was an honest mistake, Lucroy said. I dont blame (Price). I dont blame him at all. I really thought Id foul-tipped it. He (Wolcott) did, too. Thats one of those crazy things that happen during a game.When Price went out to change pitchers later during the long inning, he got into it again with the umpire, who gave him his third ejection of the season.There was more into it than that, and well leave it at that, Price said. Quinn does a great job. I have no problems with effort. We had a difference of opinion and it got out of hand.Lamb and reliever Keyvius Sampson needed 53 pitches to get through the inning as the Brewers sent 11 batters to the plate and piled up five hits, three walks and five runs for a 9-0 lead. Jimmy Nelson (6-7) faked a bunt and slapped a two-run single during the spurt.Thats something hes comfortable doing, his best offensive weapon, manager Craig Counsell said.The Brewers hadnt scored nine runs in a game since May 27, when they beat the Reds 9-5. Cincinnatis starting pitcher that game: Lamb.Hernan Perez also hit a two-run homer off Lamb, who gave up nine runs and nine hits. He left after the first five Brewers reached in the third inning. The left-hander has lost his last three starts, giving up 20 runs in 11 1/3 innings.Nelson gave up six hits and a pair of walks in seven shutout innings, emerging from his slump. He had been 0-4 with a 5.14 ERA in his last seven starts. Joey Votto had four of Cincinnatis nine hits.It felt good to be back to where I was early on, said Nelson, who has been working on pushing off harder with his legs during his delivery. My pitches seemed to have better life on them.Jonathan Villar had three of the Brewers 12 hits. Each of the top seven batters in the order scored.BREWERS MOVEMilwaukee optioned INF Yadiel Rivera to Triple-A after the game, opening a roster spot for RHP Zach Davies to be called up and start on Sunday.STATSThe eight-run margin of victory matched the Brewers biggest on the road this season. They won 10-2 at Miami on May 10. ... It was Vottos first four-hit game since April 15, 2014, against Pittsburgh. Hes had a career-high four hits 17 times.GIVEAWAYThe Reds gave away Zack Cozart bobbleheads. The shortstop went 0 for 3 but made a diving catch.TRAINERS ROOMBrewers: Perez fouled a ball off his left foot and came out of the game an inning later. He was sent for precautionary X-rays.Reds: 2B Brandon Phillips was out of the lineup with a strained right calf, injured during a swing in Friday nights game.UP NEXTBrewers: Davies (6-4) has gone 6-1 with a 3.24 ERA in his last 12 starts. Hes made seven quality starts.Reds: Dan Straily (4-6) is 0-4 in his last five starts, giving up 23 earned runs in 27 innings.---Follow Joe Kay on Twitter: http://twitter.com/apjoekay Wholesale Nike Shoes . Uniteds eighth defeat of a wretched campaign means Liverpool, which currently occupies the fourth and final Champions League place, could go nine points clear of its fierce rival by beating West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Charlie Adam scored both of Stokes goals at Britannia Stadium either side of Robin van Persies equalizer, with a miserable day for seventh-place United capped by first-half injuries to centre halves Jonny Evans and Phil Jones that forced them off. Cheap Air Max Wholesale . It was the kind of score that might make everyone else wonder which course he was playing. Except that Graeme McDowell saw the whole thing. Crouched behind the 10th green at Sheshan International, McDowell looked over at the powerful American and said, "Ive probably seen 18 of the best drives Ive seen all year in the last two days. http://www.wholesaleairmax.us/ . 10 Texas Rangers jersey for one last time. Young formally announced his retirement Friday after returning to Rangers Ballpark, his baseball home for all but the last of his 13 major league seasons. Cheap Nike Air Max China .05 million next season unless Graham and the Saints subsequently agree on a long-term deal. The designation was released Monday after the deadline passed for NFL teams to use franchise or transition tags on players becoming free agents. Wholesale Nike Air Max . JOHNS, N. FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- A.J. Green is first up on this seasons Revis Island itinerary.While Darrelle Revis is looking forward to the season-opening showdown, the New York Jets might make defending the Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver a group excursion.Thats just one of many matchups, coach Todd Bowles said. Its a team effort, and weve got to pick our spots, and Im sure they have to pick their spots. Its not even about Revis and Green. Its about us against them.Still, how the Jets handle Green on Sunday will get lots of attention -- particularly how often he and Revis end up going one-on-one against each other.Green led the Bengals with 86 catches and 1,297 yards receiving last season, and joined Randy Moss as the only players in NFL history with five or more consecutive 1,000-yard seasons to begin their career.Uh, every challenge possible, Revis said when asked how difficult Green is to face. Ive definitely got a lot of respect for the guy.Thats high praise from a player who has long been considered a shutdown cornerback, and one of the best to have played his position.The last time the two squared off was in 2014, when Green caught four passes for 64 yards with Revis -- playing for New England -- defending him, before the cornerback left with a hamstring issue.Hes one of the top receivers in the league, Revis said. He definitely is.Thats why the Jets might take a different approach with Green by giving Revis safety help with Calvin Pryor and/or Marcus Gilchrist.As we look at it, it wont just be Revis, itll be a lot of people, defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers said. A.J. is a tremendous player. We have to have 11 sets of eyes kind of knowing where he is. In looking at the way were playing, its not necessarily a 1-on-1 matchup that way.That doesnt mean, however, that there wont be some moments Sunday when its simply Green vs. Revis. But sharing the load is certainly OK with Revis.I think the game plan this week is very comfortable for everybody, Revis said. I think were going to try to switch things up a little bit this week for us to maybe just wear their key guys on offense down a little bit.That approach, according to Revis, could make the Jets defense less predictable.Its a lot of confusion, it could be, and it will be to our benefit, he said. Thats one of the things, comingg into this week, were trying to accomplish.ddddddddddddWhile Revis is still regarded as one of the NFLs top cornerbacks, the mystique that surrounded his weekly shutdowns of teams No. 1 receivers -- which prompted the Revis Island nickname -- is perhaps not as strong as it once was.The respect remains, though. But theres also the reality that Revis is now 31 and perhaps a slight step slower than he was a few years ago.Its going to be a good matchup, Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton said. Were going to trust that our guys going to win, and thats the mindset you have to have. When you have one of the best receivers in the league, thats what you expect from him. Thats what A.J. expects from himself, and we wouldnt want anything less.Revis still relies on an impeccable work ethic and his smarts to put himself in great position while defending receivers. In fact, the numbers-crunching site ProFootballFocus.com rated Revis the No. 1 cornerback last season in terms of completion percentage when targeted at just 44.2 percent -- more than 2 points better than Arizonas Patrick Peterson (46.8 percent).But a wrist injury early last season sapped Revis ability to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage, one of the strengths of his game. Then, some younger and faster receivers had big games against him in Buffalos Sammy Watkins and Houstons DeAndre Hopkins.That caused the doubts about Revis to begin seeping in to some fans and media. Opponents, however, know better.Hes so instinctive, Dalton said. Hell give you different looks, hell play off, hell press, hes got great ball skills. Just his understanding of routes and concepts is what makes him such a good player. His instincts are some of the best out there.Revis wrist is healthy again, and the star cornerback has seen a difference being able to play in bump-and-run coverage in training camp and the preseason.Its definitely good to feel good and be able to strike at the line of scrimmage and be able to jam guys, Revis said. For me, it took time and patience, and now Im finally at a point where I can actually do that.---AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL coverage on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '

The 62-year wait is over for the Western Bulldogs, their premiership drought broken by one of the greatest grand finals in AFL history.After five lead changes and constant high drama, the Bulldogs pulled away in the last quarter for a fairytale 22-point win on Saturday at the MCG.Bulldogs players, personnel and fans were in tears after the 13.11 (89) to 10.7 (67) triumph, which came just two years after the club was in disarray.Renowned as western suburbs battlers, their only other flag was in 1954. It is the third-longest wait for a premiership in history.They are the first AFL team to win the flag from seventh place and it caps an amazing year where the Bulldogs have triumphed over a shocking run of injuries.No injury was more devastating than the knee reconstruction after round three that ended captain Bob Murphys season.Murphy was already a beloved figure at the Bulldogs and his off-field leadership since that cruel setback made him the inspirational figurehead of this premiership.Coach Luke Beveridge called Murphy onto the stage after the match and handed him his Jock McHale medal as the premiership coach.This is yours mate - you deserve it more than anyone, Beveridge said.The flag is also a triumph for Beveridge, who is in only his second season as an AFL senior coach.The Bulldogs were in freefall when Beveridge arrived at the club in late 2014, following the departures of his predecessor Brendan McCartney and captain Ryan Griffen.It continues his Midas touch - in the past 11 years, Beveridge has been part of seven premierships as coach of amateur team St Bedes-Mentone, as an assistant at Collingwood and Hawthorn, and now at the Dogs.Beveridge admitted to surprise that the Bulldogs had turned around their fortunes so emphatically in just two seasons.He added that when their shocking run of injuries was at it height earlier this season, the team showed enormous faith.The probability at that time that we didnt make it here was probably really high - say 90 per cent, maybe higher, Beveridge said.So theres a 10 per cent possibility that we get here - we were 100 per cent on the possibility.You have to stay glass half-full.It was appropriate that Jason Johannisen - another Bulldogs casualty earlier this year with a serious hamstring injury - won the Norm Smith Medal as best afield in the grand final.Saturdays win also capped a finals series where the Bulldogs upset West Coast in Perth, ended Hawthorns premiership reign and then upset the Giants in Sydney.It took everything we had and, once youve won three big games like that, youre not sure whether you have another big one in you, Beveridge said.Thank God we did.Club president Peter Gordon, another key Bulldogs figure, said the flag was a dream come true.This is one of those big days in life ... that most of us will never forget, one of the happiest days of our lives, for all Bulldogs fans, he said.Whats it feel like? It feels bloody fantastic!The Swans came so close to taking control in the second term but, ultimately, the 2012 premiers were left lamenting their second grand-final loss in three years.They were also seething at the 20-8 free-kick count against them, another major talking point from the match. Cheap Nike Running Shoes Canada .Y. -- Sabres defenceman Tyler Myers had no intention of changing his hard-hitting style before taking part in a disciplinary hearing for his illegal check to New Jersey forward Dainius Zubrus head. Cheap Nike Zoom Canada Free Shipping . But Bourque, who has missed three games with a lower-body injury, wont be in the lineup when the Habs travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres on Wednesday. http://www.nikezoomsalecanada.com/ . -- Claudio Bieler hadnt scored since early September, and not from the run of play since mid-July. Wholesale Nike Shoes Canada . -- For the first time in two months, an opponent was standing up to Alabama. Nike Zoom Canada Outlet . LOUIS -- Theres no telling how these wacky World Series games will end. ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Whether it was lining up with too many people or in the wrong place, holding too much or hitting too late, the Oakland Raiders spent nearly the entire game on the wrong side of the NFL law.The fact that they managed to overcome a record 23 penalties to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30-24 in overtime on Sunday was a credit to another sterling performance by Derek Carr and a defense that tightened up late.I thought we earned some and I thought some were questionable, coach Jack Del Rio said. But what I like about our guys is were resilient, we continue to fight and we work our way through whatever obstacles present themselves and yesterday we dealt with a large number of infractions that we dont want to see and we fought our way through it and came home with a win.The 23 penalties for the Raiders (6-2) came in all varieties, with 13 committed on offense, six on defense and three on special teams. There were even three additional penalties that were either declined or offsetting. That broke the NFL record of 22 last achieved by San Francisco in 1998Seven of the penalties occurred before the snap, including a pair of 12-men in defensive formation flags that gave Tampa Bay first downs on 3rd-and-1 on a go-ahead fourth-quarter drive. That was an issue Del Rio addressed with defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. on Monday.We tried to play with 12 a couple of times, we tried to play with 10 once, Del Rio said. Talked with Kenny today. Were going to see if we can go ahead and play with 11 all the time. Thats what were looking for.The Bucs got four first downs by penalty on that drive alone, and had six of their 18 first downs for the game come on penalties by the Raiders. But Oakland forced three straight three-and-outs after that drive to set up the win that came on Carrs 41-yard TD pass to Seth Roberts.With 86 penalties through eight games, Oakland is on pace to break the record of 163 penalties in a season the franchise set just five years ago. Of thosee, 29 of the infractions have come on pre-snap penalties.ddddddddddddI coach discipline, Del Rio said. Were a discipline team. Because I know that and I know we coach it and stress it and I know our guys buy into it Im not going to overreact to circumstances that are occurring that might indicate otherwise because I know the truth. I know what it really is. We are a disciplined team. It may take a while for others to recognize that.Del Rios previous teams in Jacksonville did manage to avoid infractions. The Jaguars were tied for the 22nd most penalties during his tenure there from 2003-11. But in his two seasons with the Raiders, Oakland has the most penalties in the NFL.That has long been a problem for the Raiders, who have had an outlaw image since the 1970s and are often at or near the top of the charts when it comes to penalties in the NFL.But it hasnt stopped Oakland from getting off to its best start since 2001 as the Raiders look to end a 13-year playoff drought.We continue to teach and look to grow, Del Rio said. As a football team, its not going to be perfect and the key is to come out of these games finding a way to win. ... Were not going to dwell on it. Were not going to spend any more time than is necessary to make the corrections and then were going to move on.Game notes Del Rio had no update on the status of CB Sean Smith, who left the game after injuring his left shoulder on the second play of the game. ... Del Rio lost a challenge in the first quarter when he questioned the spot after a Bucs reception. Replays showed Adam Humphries stepped out at the 16 where the play was marked but Del Rio challenged anyway. I get really good information for the most part, he said. That was just one where the process kind of broke down a little bit. Ill leave it at that.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '

Steve Hansen has insisted back-to-back world champions New Zealand are the underdogs for Saturdays rematch with Ireland in Dublin.All Blacks boss Hansen boasts a 92 per cent win record in his four years at the New Zealand helm, but believes Irelands historic win in Chicago alters the complexion of Saturdays Aviva Stadium encounter.New Zealand will field fit-again stellar lock duo Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock for Saturdays Dublin Test, with Israel Dagg selected on the wing to counter Irelands exacting aerial kicking threat.While there was obvious disappointment at the loss in Chicago, disappointment doesnt win Test matches - its about having great preparation and attitude, and delivering on the day. We know the challenge we face from Ireland will again be massive and we are going into the game as the underdogs.Theyll be full of confidence and committed to delivering on their home patch. So we will have to take a massive step up, to get the performance we are looking for. It is a challenge that this team needs right now and how we respond will tell us a lot about ourselves. As I said, we are very much looking forward to Saturday.Ireland can be sure to scoff at Hansens claim that New Zealand are the underdogs, and the bookies would back that up too. The average odds remain with Ireland placed at six to one for victory, with the All Blacks one to nine on to win.Ireland ended New Zealands record-breaking 18-match winning streak in Chicago, but boss Joe Schmidt has since insisted his side caught the All Blacks an an opportune moment due to injuries.Retallick and Whitelocks restoration will boost the All Blacks shape no end. Retallick has beaten concussion while Whitelock has proved his fitness this week after ankle trouble.Daggs selection on the wing is entirely designed to prevent Irelands hugely-impressive high-ball work, his comfort at full-back and under the garryowen a boost to the defensive qualities in New Zealands back-three. Adidas Schuhe Sale . -- Catcher Brett Hayes has agreed to a $630,000, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, avoiding salary arbitration. Adidas Schuhe Schweiz Günstig . Speaking Thursday on TSN 1050 Thursday, the Leafs GM also touched on the questions surrounding the teams leadership and the struggles of his big-name free-agent signing. “Its not from lack of effort from the coaching staff. http://www.adidasschuheoutlet.ch/ . After slipping from the summit during the week, the Gunners overcame struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 on Sunday thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains second-half brace. Adidas Schweiz Kaufen .1 million pounds ($61.2 million) on Saturday, giving the beleaguered English Premier League champions a major lift. Adidas Sneakers Schweiz . Robinson finished with 17 points, all but two in the second half, and Lawson had 14 after halftime and finished with a game-high 11 assists as the Nuggets handed Dallas its first home loss in eight games this season. J.J. Hickson led Denver with 22, and Kenneth Faried added 10 points and 10 rebounds.Ahead of Thursdays Premier League Play-off night, live on Sky Sports 2, Rod Studd remembers when Michael van Gerwen faced Phil Taylor in the 2013 final. Van Gerwen lines up against Adrian Lewis in the opening match of this weeks Play-Off night, while Taylor takes on defending champion Gary Anderson in the other semi-final at The O2, live on Sky Sports 2.The Premier Leagues top

ATHENS, Ga. -- Coach Steve Wojciechowski challenged Jajaun Johnson at halftime to stop playing timidly and give Marquette a better effort.I got a little mad, and when I get mad I play better, Johnson said. When he got on me, it just clicked.Freshman Sam Hauser scored a career-high 19 points, Johnson added 16 points and 10 rebounds and Marquette had little trouble beating Georgia 89-79 on Sunday.Markus Howard finished with 15 points as the Golden Eagles (6-2) won their fourth straight game.Yante Maten had 24 points and J.J. Frazier 20 for Georgia (5-3).During a 3-minute, 30-second stretch early in the second half, Johnson hit a 3, had three steals, a tip-in, a dunk, hit two free throws and grabbed a rebound.When he plays with the kind of effort and energy that he did at the start of the second half, he can impact the game in a lot of ways, Wojciechowski said. That was another sign of it to start the second half. He really was all over the place, which was good to see.Stegeman Coliseum, which seats 10,523, was about two-thirds full, a decent-sized crowd for a building thats rarely charged with atmosphere in December.Down by 16 with 14:27 remaining, the Bulldogs made a run to get excited the crowd with seven minutes to go, cutting the lead to two on William Jacksons 3 and two free throws.But Howard hit a 3 at the 4:29 mark put Marquette up by 13 and Georgia never threatened again.Defense, defense, Johnson said. They all came from steals. We knew they were going to make a run. We just had to stay together when it got tough.Marquette hit its first six 3s and eight of its first nine as Duane Wilson made it 25-15 with 11 minutes left in the first half to give the Golden Eagles their first double-digit lead.Georgia cut the lead to three before intermission, but coach Mark Fox called time out at the 16:43 mark of the second with the Golden Eagles back again leading by 10.Howards 3 with 15:47 remaining made Marquette 11 of 15 beyond the arc and pushed the lead to 14.Our big lineup couldnt cover them, so we played small most of the day in an effort to try to slow the 3-point shooting, which I dont think we really ever did, Fox said. We didnt do the dirty work to win.BIG PICTUREMarquette: Won despite a rare unproductive game from G Haanif Cheatham, the Golden Eagles third-leading scorer and named last season to the Big East Conferences all-freshman team. Making his 41st straight start in 41 career games, Cheatham missed six of his first eight shots (1 for 7) and picked up his fourth foul with 16:06 remaining. He finished with two points in 25 minutes.Hes played really well for us, Wojciechowski said. That happens over the course of the season. Other guys stepped up, which was great.Georgia: Had its 24th consecutive game in double-digit scoring from Maten, but the Bulldogs are too reliant for him and Frazier on offense. Nobody else averages close to double digits. Fox has yet to find a way to replace the productivity of departed seniors Charles Mann and Kenny Gaines, who combined to average 24.1 points last season.The Bulldogs are looking for other players to step up if theyre going to return to the NCAA Tournament after missing out last season. Poor defense isnt helping either.We have some serious areas to work on, Fox said. Kenny Gaines and Charles Mann were terrific defenders. We havent replaced the defense that walked out of here with a degree. Thats disappointing to lose a game because you dont defend like we need to.UP NEXTMarquette: Host to Fresno State on Tuesday.Georgia: Host to Louisiana-Lafayette on Dec. 14. Discount Vans Shoes Ireland . Jeff Green scored 13 points and Kris Humphries 12 for the Celtics, who nearly blew an 18-point, second-half lead. Sullingers 20-20 was the first by a Celtics player since Kevin Garnetts first game in Boston in 2007. Garnett was dealt -- along with Paul Pierce -- to Brooklyn during the off-season. Vans Shoes Ireland . Nathan MacKinnon, Jamie McGinn and Jan Hejda also scored for the Avalanche, who won despite being outshot 38-23. MacKinnons goal, also on the power play, came with just over a minute remaining. http://www.clearancevansireland.com/ . With Parker having a quiet game for once, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw provided the scoring as France won its first major basketball title by beating Lithuania 80-66 on Sunday. It was a victory that ended a decade of frustration for Parker and a talented French generation, which lost the final against Spain two years ago and took bronze in 2005. Wholesale Vans Shoes Ireland Online . Their experience showed Tuesday as the No. 10 Badgers blunted a Saint Louis surge to win 63-57 and advance to face West Virginia in Wednesdays finals of the Cancun Challenge. Wholesale Vans Shoes Ireland . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. TORONTO -- Michael Saunders hit a solo home run in the fourth inning and singled home the winning run in the eighth as the Toronto Blue Jays completed a three-game sweep of Kansas City, beating the Royals 3-2 on Wednesday.Toronto won its fifth straight, while its 2015 ALCS opponent dropped its fourth in a row.Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-out double off Kelvin Herrera (1-2) in the eighth and scored when Saunders lined a single to center. Russell Martin followed with an RBI double.Marcus Stroman (7-4) pitched eight innings to win for the first time in four starts. Roberto Osuna finished for his 17th save.Saunders, one of five AL candidates for the All-Star Final Vote, opened the scoring with a one-out drive off Ian Kennedy in the fourth, his 16th.The homer was the 21st allowed by Kennedy this season, tied for second-most in the majors. Kennedy has allowed at least one homer in seven consecutive starts, giving up 13 in that span.Stroman was perfect through five innings, throwing 44 pitches. Kansas City didnt hit a ball out of the infield until Paulo Orlando flied to center to end the fifth.Brett Eibner broke Stromans streak when he walked on a 3-2 pitch to begin the sixth. The next batter, Alcides Escobar, broke up the no-hitter and ended Stromans shutout bid with an RBI triple.Toronto led 2-1 on Ezequiel Carreras RBI single in the fifth, but Eibner tied it 2-alll when he connected off Stroman in the eighth.ddddddddddddKennedy allowed two runs and four hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out 10, one shy of his season high.The retractable roof was open when the game began but started to close during the top of the sixth. It was still sliding shut when a light rain began falling in the bottom of the seventh. Play was not interrupted.TRAINERS ROOMRoyals: DH Kendrys Morales (back) was held out of the starting lineup.Blue Jays: RHP Marco Estrada was placed on the 15-day DL, one day after being named to the All-Star team for the first time. Estrada will still attend the game in San Diego but wont be able to pitch. RHP Drew Hutchison will start for Toronto in the opener of a four-game series against Detroit on Thursday. RHP Bo Schultz was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo.UP NEXTRoyals: LHP Danny Duffy (4-1, 3.11) starts as Kansas City returns home for a four-game series against Seattle. Hes 0-1 with a 1.69 ERA in five games against the Mariners, including three starts. LHP James Paxton (2-3, 4.24) starts for Seattle.Blue Jays: Hutchison is 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA in two games, one start. He went 6-3 with a 2.78 ERA in 15 starts at Buffalo. RHP Justin Verlander (8-6, 4.11) starts for Detroit. ' ' '

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner said the university is considering a bid for the NCAA mens basketball tournament first- and second-round games the NCAA has removed from North Carolina over a state law limiting protections for LGBT people.Tanner said South Carolina has until Sept. 27 to submit its bid. If successful, the mens tournament would supersede hosting a potential NCAA womens basketball tournament game at the Colonial Life Arena.The Gamecocks have hosted NCAA womens basketball tournament games the past two seasons.The state of South Carolina has not hosted an NCAA mens basketball tournament regional since 2002 because of the NCAA ban over flying the Confederate flag on Statehouse grounds.The flag was removed in July 2015 after nine people were killed at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston a month earlier. Ecco Shoes Ireland Outlet .Y. -- Leading 3-0 with only 11:25 left, the Colorado Avalanche committed a seemingly meaningless penalty to give the New York Islanders a power play. Cheap Shoes Ireland From China .com) - The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks both take aim at their first wins of the season on Saturday, as the Canucks open their home slate at Rogers Arena. http://www.eccooutletireland.com/ .S. -- Nikolaj Ehlers registered a hat trick for the third straight game and Jonathan Drouin had a goal and five assists as the Halifax Mooseheads hammered the host Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 10-1 on Tuesday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Cheap Ecco Shoes Ireland Free Shipping . Kiriasis and brakeman Franziska Fritz finished two runs in one minute 55.41 seconds -- a mere 0.01 seconds ahead of Meyers and Lolo Jones, who likely bolstered her Olympic hopes by helping give USA-1 a huge push in the second heat. Discount Ecco Shoes Ireland Sale . The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling "puts an end to my dreams of being a top player," the 27-year-old Troicki said in a statement. "I worked my entire life for it, and it has been taken away from me in one afternoon by a doctor I didnt know," said Troicki, whose ranking peaked at No. LONDON -- Sam Querrey made his mark at Wimbledon last week, and made his exit this week.The big-serving American, who eliminated two-time defending champion Novak Djokovic in the third round, lost to sixth-seeded Milos Raonic 6-4, 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 on Wednesday in the quarterfinals at the All England Club.I dont think I played poorly at all, Querrey said. I knew he had a big serve, obviously, but I was really impressed with his net game. He really didnt miss a volley today. He kept coming forward, kept the pressure on me, and I felt it.Querrey defeated Djokovic on Saturday, becoming the first American to beat a top-ranked player at Wimbledon since Kevin Curren downed John McEnroe in the 1985 quarterfinals. Querrey was also the first American to play in the quarterfinals at any major tournament since the 2011 U.S. Open.But against Raonic, a Canadian who will face seven-time champion Roger Federer in the semifinals, Querrey couldnt get the upper hand.You go games on his serve where you might get one return in play, said Querrey, who was playing in the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career. On my service games, he was taking cuts at second-serve returns. You dont feel like you really get a rhythm out there.Raonic has recently starting working with McEnroe, and its already helping.The 25-year-old Cannadian reached his first grass-court final ahead of Wimbledon, losing to Andy Murray at Queens Club.ddddddddddddFirst things we focused on when we were spending a week of training was really about not passing up any opportunities to come forward, Raonic said, to always keep the pressure on my opponents, keep them guessing, making them feel uncomfortable, trying to make them play unbalanced as much as possible.Then when we played the tournament at Queens, when I was playing, it sort of shifted to obviously putting those things in effect, but also about attitude on the court throughout matches, having a bigger presence, trying to make a difference.If Raonic can dictate play on Friday against Federer, he should have a chance to reach his first major final. The seven-time champion from Switzerland reached the semifinals after coming back from a two-set deficit to beat Marin Cilic in five.And Raonic has experience now, even though he was on the losing end two years ago when he lost to Federer in the Wimbledon semifinals.I think from every aspect, Ive improved. I know what I need to do on court better, Raonic said. I know how to sort of turn things around to get them on my terms. I know what Im looking for. ' ' '

No team has been more dominant at the Olympics over the past 20 years then the U.S. womens basketball team, winning five straight gold medals.Theyll try and keep that streak going in Rio.Training time is always our biggest challenge, said three-time gold medalist Sue Bird. When you get to the medal rounds its one and done, but we have a lot of experience in those games and look to continue our recent success.The Americans have won 41 consecutive Olympic contests dating back to the bronze medal game in 1992, winning by an average of nearly 30 points a game. With nine players, including Bird, Diana Taurasi and Tamika Catchings, returning from the London Games, the U.S. is a heavy favorite to win another gold medal.Olympic newcomers Elena Delle Donne, Brittney Griner and Breanna Stewart will add a dynamic mix to the veteran core.The only potential thorn for the U.S. is lack of training time. While most other countries get to spend months together preparing, the U.S. has about two weeks before its first game. Although a lot of that time has been spent crisscrossing the country.Im hoping that they remember some of the stuff that we did last year at the World Championship and a couple years ago at the Olympics and maybe February at that little training camp that we had, U.S. coach Geno Auriemma said. Fortunately, theyre a lot of the same players that played. So we havent changed a whole lot. But theres not much time and theres not much that you can do to get ready. You just have to trust that theyre ... They never let you down. They always seem to respond when you need them to.The U.S. is in a difficult group with Serbia, China, Canada, Spain and Senegal.Obviously were in a tough group, Auriemma added. Because anytime you have the European champions like Serbia already in the group and Canada, the Americas champion, those are two really good teams. And then you add in China and Spain.Here are a few other things to watch for in womens basketball at the Olympics:A LITTLE REVENGEThe U.S. is also out for a little bit of revenge. The last time they played in Brazil at the 2006 World Championship, they lost to Russia in the semifinals. It was their only defeat in either the Olympics or worlds since 1992.I hadnt thought about that until you brought it up, Bird said laughing. The fans down there definitely know their basketball and like rooting against us. As the deficit against Russia grew, the cheers started getting louder for them.MEDAL CONTENDERSWhile the gold medal is most likely a foregone conclusion, the other two spots on the podium are up for grabs. France was the silver medalists in 2012 and Australia has won either a silver or bronze at every Olympics since 1996. Other candidates for a medal could be Serbia, which won the European championship, and Canada.SCHEDULE CHANGEThis year there will be a change in the competition structure. With the men and women playing in different arenas until the quarterfinal rounds, teams can play on consecutive days. The U.S. doesnt begin play until Sunday, Aug. 7 against Senegal. The Americans then play the next day against Spain. There will only be three or four games per day now instead of the six there used to be. Its the first time this format is being used since the 1984 Olympic in Los Angeles.GOLDEN GIRLSIf the U.S. does win another gold, Taurasi, Bird and Catchings will join Teresa Edwards and Lisa Leslie as the only basketball players to win four gold medals.SLAM DUNKAustralia center Liz Cambage became the first woman to dunk in the Olympics in London. Will the 6-foot-8 star have an encore in Brazil? Keep an eye on Brittney Griner, the odds are the 6-8 American will add her name to the list.IMPRESSIVE STREAKSOnly two other traditional team sports have longer consecutive gold medal streaks than the U.S. womens team. The American mens basketball team won seven consecutive golds from 1936-68. The India mens field hockey team won six in a row from 1928-56. NMD Shoes UK . Just not the game. Kyle Palmieri scored two straight goals in the third period to rally the Anaheim Ducks past the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Tuesday night. Wholesale NMD UK Online . The Clippers were angry about blowing a big lead; the Kings didnt like being in that kind of hole and nearly digging themselves out only to lose. http://www.nmdoutletuk.com/ .J. -- Marshawn Lynch said Thursday it will be good to get back to football after the Seattle quiet talking running back wrapped up his final mandatory media session of Super Bowl week. Adidas NMD UK . Wall made the comment in a speech to a Regina business crowd that included Lesnar. The U.S. wrestler and retired mixed martial artist says he was visiting his brothers farm in Saskatchewan and decided he wanted to hear what the premier had to say. NMD UK Outlet . The catch: It needs a lot of money, and it needs it fast. PHILADELPHIA -- Ryan Mathews helped the Philadelphia Eagles play keep away from Matt Ryan and Atlantas high-powered offense.After disappearing from the game plan the past two weeks, Mathews ran like a guy who was tired of watching from the sideline. He had a season-best 108 yards rushing and two touchdowns while the Eagles piled up 208 yards on the ground.The suddenly successful rushing attack allowed the Eagles to control time of possession by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, forcing the leagues top-scoring offense to be spectators for much of the day.The result was a 24-15 win over the Falcons on Sunday.We did what we needed to do to win, Mathews said. I know the linemen love run blocking. They played great. They did all they could to open up holes for us. We knew it was going to be a hard game. I said throughout the week if any of us got the ball, we were giving 100 percent.Mathews had just nine carries in the past two games while 33-year-old Darren Sproles took over as the featured back. But coach Doug Pederson made a point to establish the run behind Mathews right from the start.Mathews carried seven times for 34 yards on the first drive, taking it in from the 4 for a 7-0 lead. He had a 5-yard TD run in the fourth quarter and also scored the 2-point conversion.I had confidence in Ryan to get the job done, Pederson said. His size and strength paid off.Rookie Wendell Smallwood chipped in with 70 yards rushing on 13 carries. Sproles ran twice for 19 yardds and caught eight passes for 57 yards.ddddddddddddWe stepped up when we needed to, Smallwood said. We needed to establish the run game and we did.The running backs made it easier on Carson Wentz and the offense was more balanced -- 39 pass calls, 37 run calls -- than its been in recent games.The backs did a great job and came up with hard, physical runs, center Jason Kelce said. Ryan had a great day. Even when we didnt block guys, he made guys miss.Wentz finished 25 of 36 for 231 yards. He connected six times with Jordan Matthews for 73 yards and six times with Zach Ertz for 55 yards.The run game was huge, Wentz said. It was good to get Ryan the ball, feed him the rock, and he was running angry. That makes my job easier.The Eagles (5-4) snapped a two-game losing streak and remained unbeaten at home in four games.When Ryan, Julio Jones and Co. were on the field, Philadelphias defense held them down. The Falcons came in averaging 33.9 points per game but didnt find the end zone until Ryan threw a 76-yard touchdown pass to Taylor Gabriel in the fourth quarter to give Atlanta (6-4) a 15-13 lead.Jones had 10 catches for 135 yards , but he couldnt make catches to extend drives twice down the stretch.---http://www.pro32.ap.org and -http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Rob Maaddi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP-RobMaaddi ' ' '

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Los Angeles Angels left-hander Andrew Heaney will have Tommy John surgery, which will likely sideline him until the 2018 season.The Angels announced the decision Thursday in another blow to their injury-plagued lineup.Heaney entered the season the No. 2 starter after his promising debut with the Angels, who acquired him in a trade in December 2014. He went 6-4 with a 3.49 ERA in 18 starts last season and was named the ALs rookie of the month in July.Heaney made just one start in April before tearing his ulnar collateral ligament. He hoped to avoid surgery with rest and stem cell therapy, but his elbow wasnt progressing.Dr. Neal ElAttrache will perform elbow ligament replacement surgery on Heaney on Friday in Los Angeles. Nike Clearance Store . -- Bryant McKinnie came out of his stance and lowered his shoulder into a practice squad player, causing a crisp thud to reverberate in the Miami Dolphins practice bubble. Wholesale Nike Shoes From China . 31, the CFL club announced Monday. The team also has yet to decide on the future of Doug Berry, who began the season as a consultant to the head coach but took over the offensive co-ordinators duties in July. http://www.cheapnikeshoeschina.com/ . Burris threw two TD passes, including a key 15-yard fourth-quarter strike to Bakari Grant that effectively countered a Toronto comeback bid and led Hamilton to a 33-19 victory. Cheap Nike Shoes On Sale . The lawyers filed a 33-page amended complaint Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan, expanding on the suit originally filed Oct. 3 in New York Supreme Court. Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz last week refused to compel Selig to testify in the grievance, and Rodriguez then walked out of the hearing without testifying. Cheap Nike Shoes Free Shipping . Defenceman Yannick Weber scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Canucks breathed a sigh of relief with a 2-1 win on Saturday night. Liverpool won at Selhurst Park on Saturday, 4-2 over Crystal Palace to extend their unbeaten run over all competitions to 11 games.Emre Can, Dejan Lovren, Joel Matip and Roberto Firmino all scored for Liverpool (7-2-1), who are 9-2-0 since losing 2-0 at Burnley on Aug. 20.Palace (3-2-5) twice dragged themselves back into the game via a James McArthur brace, having fallen behind at 1-0 and 2-1. In the end, the Eagles dropped their third straight match.Liverpool had the edge on the game and took the lead on 16 minutes when good teamwork and link-up play culminated in a deflected finish from Can.The lead didnt last long, though, as two minutes later a terrible error from Lovren allowed McArthur in to nod past Loris Karius. Liverpool restored their lead three mminutes later as Lovren redeemed himself to power a header underneath Steve Mandanda.ddddddddddddMcArthur bagged his second of the game just after the half-hour mark when he connected with Wilfried Zahas pinpoint cross to head home into the top corner.Liverpool took a third lead just before the break when Matip registered his first Liverpool goal with another header.The second half came and Liverpool slowly tired down the hosts to end the game as a contest by increasing their lead on 72 minutes. Jordan Henderson exposed a huge gap in the Palace back line and fed through Firmino, who finished excellently by dinking over Mandanda. ' ' '

Sky Sports F1s Ted Kravitz scrutinises the cars at the Mexican GP in a special edition of Development Corner. Using the advanced technology of the Skypad, Ted takes a very close look at the changes made to the cars through the 2016 season and in particular for the high altitude Mexican GP, live on Sky Sports this weekend.While Mercedes W07 charger remains a class apart, the cars of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have been updated for this weekends race while McLaren, still striving to catch the frontrunners, have added more elaboration to their complex front wing. Play the video at the top of the page as Ted casts his expert eye over the cars.Can Lewis Hamilton keep his title dreams alive? Watch the Mexican GP live on Sky Sports F1 on Sunday, the race begins at 7pm; Watch the whole race weekend with a NOW TV week pass - £10.99, no contract Also See: Whens the Mexican GP on Sky F1? Talking points for the Mexican GP Jordan 11 Cheap China .Y. - Nelson Mandela will be honoured by the New York Yankees with a plaque in Monument Park. Jordan 11 Cheap Online . A forerunning sled crashed into the worker Thursday at the Sanki Sliding Center. The unidentified worker broke both legs and was airlifted to a nearby hospital. http://www.wholesalejordan11.com/discount-jordan-6.html . Canada is now down to its 22-player limit, although but players wont be registered until Christmas Day. Changes could still be made as a result of a suspension or injury. Cheap Air Jordan 4 Retro . After taking two big hits this week -- losing at home and dropping back-to-back games for the first time all season -- Indiana struck back by playing its most complete game of the year. Authentic Jordan 11 For Cheap . -- Jimmy Walkers first PGA Tour trophy came with a special gift tucked inside. PITTSBURGH -- A solid road trip kept the Houston Astros on the right path toward a playoff spot.Evan Gattis hit his 20th home run and Carlos Correa got two hits and scored twice, leading Collin McHugh and the Astros over the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-4.The Astros won the interleague matchup between wild-card contenders. They went 5-2 on a trip that began in Baltimore.Im really proud of our guys. We have a small margin of error these days and weve responded by playing well, manager A.J. Hinch said.McHugh (8-10) gave up three runs in five innings, ending an 0-4 rut in his last five starts. Ken Giles closed for his fifth save.Gerrit Cole (7-9) allowed five runs in five innings. He has a 6.07 ERA through five August starts.Pittsburgh has lost five of six.Ive been trying to look at approaches and maybe see how I can use my stuff better. I thought today there were some good steps in the right direction: some good sliders, some good curveballs for strikes, he said.Miss over the plate, and Im getting punished. Thats the bottom line, he said.Gattis homered in the second, connecting after a single by Correa.We did a pretty good job of executing some at-bats, Hinch said. (Cole) has some really good stuff and we stayed enough inside the strike zone. Gattis delivers the big blow. I think that relaxed the dugout a little bit.Correa reached on an infield single in the fourth and scored on a triple by Marwin Gonzalez.George Springer singled to begin the fifth and Alex Bregman followed with a double, setting up sacrifice flies by Jose Altuve and Correa for a 5-1 lead.ddddddddddddJordy Mercer homered in the Pittsburgh third.The Pirates closed to 5-3 in the fifth on RBI singles by Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco.Polanco, who hit two home runs Tuesday, tripled home Marte in the seventh.Hes continued to find a way to plate runs for us. Using all of the field, doing some nice things, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said.It speaks to his mentality to hit the ball hard where its pitched. Hes not just up there trying to yank or drill something into the water. Hes up there trying to do some damage, trying to hit the ball hard and hes been doing it quite frequently lately, he said.TRAINERS ROOMAstros: Correa was back at shortstop a day after making an early exit because of an illness. Hinch said roughly half of the Astros roster is currently sick.UP NEXTAstros: Following a day off, Houston will begin a three-game series at home against Tampa Bay on Friday. After allowing one run through seven innings in his last outing, RHP Mike Fiers (9-6, 4.48) will try to repeat that performance against Tampa Bay.Pirates: Will travel to Milwaukee for the start of a four-game series against the Brewers on Thursday. RHP Chad Kuhl (3-1, 3.62) will look to bounce back from his first major league loss. ' ' '

The Chicago Cubs have one of the best young lineups in baseball, and as everyone on the planet knows by now, theyre headed to the World Series for the first time in 71 years.And they just might be getting another key piece to their lineup.Outfielder Kyle Schwarber has been out since April 7 after tearing his ACL, and he was presumed to be lost for the remainder of the 2016 season. That could all be changing, however, as Schwarber has been added to the Mesa Solar Sox roster in the Arizona Fall League, and theres a real chance he could be added to the Cubs World Series roster before Tuesdays game against Cleveland.In his first action in six-plus months, Schwarber went 0-for-3 with a walk, but thats only part of the story. I had a chance to speak with an AL scout who attended the game, and he had positive -- but cautious -- things to say about the left-handed hitter.The timing is just a little bit off, the scout said. But thats to be expected; this guy hasnt played in a game since April. He still showed quality bat speed, he appeared to recognize pitches well, and hes always a threat with the long ball. As talented as this young man is, it wouldnt surprise me at all if hes ready to contribute with the bat in a couple of days.How Schwarber would fit is intriguing, and potentially less problematic than you might think. The Cubs will have the DH available for the first two games of the series and (potentially) the last two, so you dont have to worry about him defensively. He wasnt exactly a defensive star before the injury, and he certainly wont play defense in the games at Wrigley Field, but hes a potential weapon off the bench late in games. At the very least, Cleveland would have to be careful about using right-handed relievers, knowing that Schwarber is just a substitution away. Also keep in mind that the Cubs are currently carrying three catchers and have a ton of roster versatility, so they dont have to worry as much about late-game decisions knowing they have a non-option on defense.Its a risk -- and no decision will be made on Schwarber until after Sundays simulated game -- but Schwarber could be a major addition to the Cubs lineup in the first two games, one they werent expecting to see on the field until 2017. Shoes From China . -- Jaye Marie Green shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to increase her lead to five strokes after the second round of the LPGA Tours qualifying tournament. Cheap Shoes Authentic . Clarke was injured while practicing on the Doha Golf Club range after the pro-am on Tuesday. The Northern Irishman arrived at the course on Wednesday hoping to start, but after hitting a few balls on the practice putting green Clarke advised officials he was not fit to play. http://www.cheapshoesgoodquality.com/ .4 million title. Ryan Riess emerged with the title after a session in which he started behind, but used expert skill to gather the chips to his side amid the unpredictability of no-limit Texas Hold em. Riess put his final opponent Jay Farber all-in with an Ace-King. Wholesale Shoes . Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek defeated Nenad Zimonjic and Ilija Bozoljac 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (4) on the indoor hard-court at Belgrade Arena. The victory improved the Czech pairs impressive cup doubles record to 14-1. Cheap Adidas Shoes . -- Sergey Tolchinksy scored his second goal of the game 3:56 into overtime as the Sault Ste. ST. LOUIS -- Vladimir Tarasenko was never worried.The right wing simply took the St. Louis Blues early season offensive woes in stride.I heard the words that everyone was saying our offense was not so good, Tarasenko said. But, we believed in each other and we believed in our game.That patience has paid off of late.Tarasenko scored three goals and Kevin Shattenkirk added two to lead the Blues to a 5-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night.The Blues have won three in a row and six straight at home.Tampa Bay lost its season-high fourth consecutive game.Jake Allen made 22 saves in improving to 12-3-3.St. Louis has scored three goals or more in each of its last nine games after an earlier string of six successive games with one goal or less.Weve been simplifying things and getting a lot of chances, Shattenkirk said. Everything is just kind of going our way.Tarasenko, who leads the team with 13 goals, recorded his fourth career hat trick. He scored twice in the games opening 9:37 to stake his team to a 2-0 lead.His early game outburst set the tone for the rest of the contest.We shot the puck at the right times, people were in position, St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock said. It was great to see.Tarasenko, known for his speed and puck-handling skills, scored his second goal on a rare one-timer off a perfect pass from Alexander Steen, who added three assists in his return after missing six games with a shoulder injury.The soft-spoken, Russian-born Tarasenko has nine goals and eight assists in his last 13 games.Its good to see him playing like this, Steen said. Hes been lethal for us. His hat trick goal was big, a timely goal.Shattenkirk, who also had two assists, addded two power-play goals, the second coming just 1:44 into second period for a 4-1 lead.ddddddddddddCedric Paquette scored twice for the Lightning, who have been outscored 19-9 during the four-game skid.Nikita Kucherov and Tyler Johnson also scored for Tampa Bay. Paquettes second goal trimmed the deficit to 5-4 with 8:02 remaining in the third period.I thought we deserved points, Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. Im not going to sit here and say we deserved to win the game. But we definitely deserved points.St. Louis has won its last five at home against the Lightning, who last won in St. Louis on Dec. 18, 2009.The Blues are 9-0-2 in their last 11 home games.Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy gave up four goals on 16 shots and was replaced by St. Louis native Ben Bishop early in the second period.I thought we gave it an honest effort, Paquette said. It was a pretty good game. But (to lose), its disappointing.Game notes The Lightning recalled RW Joel Vermin and LW Michael Bournival from Syracuse of the AHL. ... St. Louis leads the overall series with Tampa Bay 21-11-3. ... Tampa Bay D Anton Stralman returned to the lineup after missing nine games due to an upper body injury. ... Blues LW David Perron had a career-best eight-game point streak snapped. ... Bishop did not start in back-to-back games for the first time this season. ... St. Louis C Paul Stastny played in his 700th NHL game.UP NEXT:Lightning: Return home after three-game trip to host Washington on Saturday.Blues: Host Winnipeg on Saturday in the fourth of five straight games at home. ' ' '

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The New England Patriots made it official on Sunday and listed All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski as inactive for Sunday nights opener against the Arizona Cardinals.Gronkowski did not make the trip because of a hamstring injury. The Patriots also did not bring starting left tackle Nate Solder (hamstring) and starting right guard Jonathan Cooper (foot).The only Arizona players inactive due to injury were backup outsider linebacker Kareem Martin and backup running back Stepfan Taylor, both with knee injuries.Also inactive for the Patriots were defensive back Eric Rowe, running back D.J. Foster, linebacker Elandon Roberts and tight end Clay Harbor.Other inactives for the Cardinals were safety Marquis Christian, guard Cole Toner, defensive tackle Ed Stinson and nose tackle Xavier Williams.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Cheap Nike React Store . After a lengthy wait, persistent rain finally forced the postponement of the Nationals game against the Miami Marlins on Saturday night. The teams, and a few thousand fans, waited nearly four hours from the 7:05 scheduled start time before an announcement was made shortly before 11 p. Nike React Outlet . The scientists believe the small earthquake during a Marshawn Lynch touchdown was likely greater than Lynchs famous "beast quake" touchdown run three years ago, which also came against New Orleans during a playoff game. http://www.discountnikereact.com/ . JOHNS, N. Wholesale Nike Shoes . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. Cheap Nike React Shoes . - Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is not a fan of his teams use of the wildcat formation, saying "it makes you look like a high school offence. TORONTO -- James Reimer appeared in 207 regular-season games for the Toronto Maple Leafs.He is a former Maple Leaf now.When the Florida Panthers goaltender dons his pads at the Air Canada Centre on Thursday night, he will be playing against the Maple Leafs for the first time.It will be fun to start here and hopefully steal two points, Reimer said on Wednesday.The Panthers are making their second visit of the season to the ACC. They lost 3-2 there on Oct. 27 with No. 1 goalie Roberto Luongo making the start.The visit to the ACC brings back memories for Reimer who was traded to the San Jose Sharks on Feb. 27 and signed a five-year deal with the Panthers in the offseason,Youre sitting there remembering the times that this or that happened, this game or that game, Reimer said. Hopefully this time we can get a win.Frederik Andersen is expected to start in goal for Toronto on Thursday.Both team won on Tuesday.The Panthers (8-7-1) defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 in overtime, giving Montreal goaltender Carey Price his first loss of the season and ending the Habs 10-game home winning streak. The Panthers have won two in a row since the first two games of the season.The Maple Leafs (7-6-3) defeated the Nashville Predators 6-2 with James van Riemsdyk scoring three goals and adding an assist with linemate Tyler Bozak earning four assists.The Maple Leafs are 6-2 at home.We want to make this a tough place to come, van Riemsdyk said. You earn that reputation by how you play at home every night. You just want to find some consistency, whether its (with the lineup) or whatever the case may be. I think were doing a good job of paying attention to detail.dddddddddddd. We have some skill and with that combination, it can lead to good things. When you get on a roll, the crowd gets more into it.Aaron Ekblad scored the overtime winner for the Panthers on Tuesday, breaking his own stick on the shot. The slow-rolling puck was then deflected into the goal by a Montreal player.Youll take those when you can get them, the 20-year-old said. Theres plenty of times when it should go in and wont, and Ive been feeling that so far this season for sure. Maybe a few of us or the team havent gotten those bounces but now that we did, we feel confident that we can take that with us.Panthers coach Gerard Gallant hopes the goal could be the start of a good stretch for Ekblad.Hes had a tough go so far, Gallant said. Aarons a guy that gets a lot of points. Hes got three goals so far, he wants to get more points and get more on the board. Sometimes a goal like that will turn things around.Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock continues to adjust his defense, which has been prone to breakdowns in the defensive end of the rink.Babcock said that Connor Carrick, who did not play in the previous two games, will return to the lineup against the Panthers with Martin Marincin being left out. Babcock said there was no message to Carrick by sitting him out.I dont like guys to try and read my mind, I tell them exactly what Im thinking, Babcock said. Connors a good player and weve talked to him about staying out of too many physical confrontations, using his skating and his skill more. ' ' '