WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Army coach Jeff Monken and Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson have spent three years building their programs toward bowl eligibility.Their teams meet Saturday with the host Demon Deacons a win away from qualifying for a bowl, while the Black Knights are having one of their best seasons in years to put them at least within reach of that same goal.After two straight 3-9 seasons, Wake Forest (5-2) can become bowl eligible for the first time since 2011. And Army (4-3) has already matched its best season win total since last having a winning season and bowl trip in 2010.With both coaches in their third year, Clawson sees parallels in each programs growth.I speak from experience: when youre in your third year, the kids understand the offense and the defense, Clawson said. So theyve had the same offensive system for three years and the same defensive system for three years. Theyre not playing a lot of guys theyve recruited that have bought in, and now theyre more multiple on both sides of the ball.So theyre not only doing what they do better, theyre doing more things that make them hard to prepare for.The Demon Deacons are coming off a bye week following a loss at Florida State, while the Black Knights have lost three of four since a 3-0 start. Still, Army has reached four wins before November for just the second time since a 10-win season 20 years ago.Army is coming off a 35-18 home loss to North Texas that included the Black Knights committing seven turnovers.Show me a team that isnt down after a loss and Ill show you a bunch of losers, Monken said. When you care and you lose, its going to hurt, and it should hurt. Hopefully it will tick them off, and well come back and play better. When thats the case, then you know you have guys that care.---Some other things to know about Saturdays Army-Wake Forest game:HINTONS STATUS: Its unclear whether mobile Wake Forest quarterback Kendall Hinton will return after a four-game absence due to a knee injury. Clawson said the sophomore is making progress but hasnt looked fully ready at times during practice. Hintons mobility would certainly help loosen things up for the offense, though junior John Wolford has 28 career starts.NATIONALLY RANKED: Army ranks second nationally in rushing offense (357.6 yards) and leads the country in possession time at roughly 36 minutes per game, led by Andy Davidson (615 yards rushing, seven touchdowns) and Ahmad Bradshaw (494 yards, four TDs). And that ball-control offense is a big reason why the Black Knights also rank third in total defense (255.9) and 10th in scoring defense (17 points).TURNOVER MARGIN: Turnovers could be a big factor. Armys seven turnovers led to 21 points in last weeks loss to North Texas, and the Black Knights are tied for 76th nationally in turnover margin. Wake Forest is tied for 18th and has had two turnover-free games this season. With an up-and-down offense, Wake Forest cant afford to lose possessions and give Army extra chances to get its clock-eating offense in a rhythm.SERIES SUCCESS: Wake Forest has beaten Army in four straight seasons, winning each of the past two by three-point margins since Clawson and Monken had taken over their respective programs. We just havent been able to find a way to beat them, Monken said.BOWL MENTALITY: Clawson said the team talked in the preseason about the realistic goal of becoming bowl eligible, but he said the coaches wouldnt bring it up this week. Senior defensive lineman Josh Banks said the players know the program could make a big step by reaching six wins, but added: By far we want to win more than six games.---Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap---More AP college football: http://collegefootball.ap.org Pharrell NMD Hu China . Reigning world champion Eve Muirhead of Scotland opened with a 12-2 rout of Winnipegs Jennifer Jones in a battle of teams bound for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Adidas NMD R1 China . Any real chance at payback wont come until the playoff. Still, Pittsburgh knows its taut 3-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday night is a pretty good place to start laying the groundwork. "They are a very good defensive team," Penguins forward Brandon Sutter said. http://www.cheapnmdonline.com/ . Andreas Johnson had a goal and two assists while Jacob de la Rose also scored for Sweden (2-0-0). Esa Lindell and Rasmus Ristolainen replied for Finland (1-1-0) Lindell opened the scoring for Finland just 41 seconds into the game, but the hosts quickly regained their composure and tied the score less than four minutes later on Wennbergs first of the game. Adidas NMD R1 Japan Black . The recently retired Stern was elected Friday to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and will be enshrined with the class of 2014 on Aug. Adidas NMD Factory Outlet . Self was acquired from the Buffalo Bandits in a trade for Alex Hill midway through last season, and made his debut in Rochester on March 16, 2013. Penrith are set to hand an NRL debut to youngster Dylan Edwards after dropping Tyrone Peachey for the NRL match against Cronulla for disciplinary reasons.Panthers boss Phil Gould revealed on Saturday that Peachey accepted his axing to reserve grade, where he scored a try in a win over North Sydney.Panther Fans - Tyrone Peachey in NSW Cup today for disciplinary reasons - Tyrone totally accepts actions taken. He is very important to us, Gould tweeted on Saturday.Peacheys shock banishment means Edwards is likely to be the fifth Panthers rookie to graduate to the NRL this season, with the 20-year-old to link with mid-season recruit Zak Hardaker in a new-look left edge.Will Smith is all but certain to fill the boots of skipper Matt Moylan, who had a late recall to the NSW State of Origin team for game three on Wednesday.Willy can play fullback, Panthers coach Anthony Griffin said.He played fullback for us when we beat Brisbane at the start of the year and he started the season in really good form at fullback for us while Moylan was out. Hes done that job before.Penrith moved into the top eight on Saturday following Parramattas fall down the ladder due to salary cap breaches, but could fall back into the bottom half with a loss against the Sharks.Griffin said his playing group knew what was at stake against a Cronulla side gunning for their 13th consecutive win.dddddddddddd.As soon as Origin finishes after next Wednesday night, therell only be one thing to talk about and thatll be whos going to make the eight, Griffin said.Its not a matter of trying to not talk about it, but everyone understands that were close and the reason were close is weve worked really hard and been consistent.While the Panthers have lost Moylan and Josh Mansour to Origin duties, the Sharks have a club record five players with NSW, including skipper Paul Gallen, Jack Bird, Andrew Fifita, Wade Graham and James Maloney.The heavy representation means Sharks coach Shane Flanagan has been forced to hand fringe players Faamanu Brown, Matt McIlwrick, and Jesse Sene-Lefao their season debuts.Youngster Kurt Capewell will also play the first game of his career.STATS THAT MATTER* Cronullas six wins from its past eight games against Penrith is their best record against any NRL club during the same period.* Thirteen of Penriths 15 matches this season have been decided by eight points or less, while 10 of the Sharks 15 have been decided by the same margin.* The match-up pits the leagues two best offloading teams against each other. Penrith average a league-high 15 offloads a game, while the Sharks are second with 13. ' ' '

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Skyler Howard did just enough on an erratic night to secure West Virginias first 10-win regular season in a decade.Howard threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, and No. 14 West Virginia held on for a 24-21 victory over Baylor on Saturday in their Big 12 regular-season finale.After the game, West Virginia athletic director Shane Lyons announced in a statement that coach Dana Holgorsen was given a five-year contract extension to 2021.Justin Crawford rushed for 209 yards for the Mountaineers (10-2, 7-2). They came from 11 points down in the first half to hand Baylor (6-6, 3-6) its sixth straight loss after a 6-0 start.I guess its fitting that in a year where we battled and fight to get to 10 wins, we get to it in the hardest way possible, Holgorsen said.Howard improved to 19-8 as a starter. He received the loudest ovation from the crowd as players were introduced on Senior Day and he ran to midfield to hug his mom, Deidre Kelley.All he does is win, Holgorsen said. Thats his career. Thats his legacy. Hes a smart, competitive kid.Baylor held the momentum for nearly three quarters in the final regular-season game for acting coach Jim Grobe, but that changed on two plays.Howard, having one of his worst games of the season, threw to Gary Jennings over the middle and he turned it into a 58-yard scoring play.After Baylor got the ball back, Marvin Gross stripped quarterback Zach Smith, and Darrien Howard recovered for West Virginia. An unsportsmanlike penalty on Baylor gave the Mountaineers the ball at the Bears 6, and Skyler Howard scored on a 1-yard sneak on fourth down for a 24-14 lead.Smith threw a 43-yard TD toss to Ishmael Zamora with 2:40 left in the game and the Bears got the ball back following a punt. But Smith was stripped of the ball on a pass attempt and Darrien Howard recovered at the Baylor 30 with 27 seconds left.We actually played better today, Grobe said. Im just proud of the way our kids have hung in there with a freshman quarterback. Weve really been an undermanned football team all year. It affects not only our depth on the field but also our practice.THE TAKEAWAYBaylor: The heavy-underdog Bears led 14-3 midway through the second quarter but couldnt muster much on offense after that. A defense that had given up an average of 48 points and 576 yards during its losing streak held its own against West Virginia for much of the game.I think we gave damn good effort, said Smith, playing his third game in place of the injured Seth Russell.West Virginia: The Mountaineers had already clinched third place in the Big 12. Despite the final home game for 21 seniors, West Virginia was sluggish on a cold night. Howard completed 10 of 26 passes for a season-low 111 yards.HOLGORSEN CONTRACTHolgorsens new five-year package is worth $18.6 million plus incentives.Holgorsen, 45, earned $2.9 million this season, including a base salary of $250,000. The school said hell earn $4 million plus incentives over the final year of the contract in 2021.CRAWFORDS RUNNINGCrawfords second 200-plus-yard game of the season put him at 1,168 rushing yards for the season. He also had 331 yards in a loss to Oklahoma on Nov. 19.He now has the 11th-highest single-season rushing total in school history.It marked the first time West Virginia player had multiple 200-yard rushing games since 2006.SQUANDERED CHANCESWest Virginia couldnt cash in on several other chances to score that would have made the game a rout.After getting an interception on the games opening drive, West Virginia turned the ball over on downs at the Baylor 22.Mike Molina later missed two field goals. Shelton Gibson returned the second-half kickoff for a touchdown, but that was called back by a holding penalty on the Mountaineers.POLL IMPLICATIONSAn unimpressive win against a struggling team shouldnt give West Virginia a reason to move up in the AP poll .UP NEXTBoth teams find out their bowl destinations Sunday.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 Fake Vans Toy Story . -- Bobby Ryan helped the U. Fake Vans SK8 . "Jeff is a hard worker who was an important special-teams contributor for us last season," said Stamps GM John Hufnagel. http://www.fakevans.com/ . -- Its been a long road back for Sean Bergenheim. Fake Vans Shoes . Dusautoir, the former World Player of the Year, sustained a torn bicep playing for Toulouse in the Heineken Cup on Saturday. The flanker, who has played 65 times for France, is expected to be out for up to four months. Fake Vans For Sale . LOUIS -- Heading into the final stretch of the season, the issues for the Chicago Bears banged-up defence only seem to be getting worse. NAIROBI, Kenya -- The former agent and coach of banned marathon champion Rita Jeptoo appeared in separate Kenyan courts on Monday and were both released on bail as police continue to investigate them for involvement in doping.Agent Federico Rosa was charged last week with six counts related to administering banned substances to two athletes: Jeptoo and a little-known runner named Elijah Kiprono Boit. The Italian national denied the charges and was released on Monday on $5,000 bail.Jeptoo was the top female marathon runner in the world and a three-time Boston Marathon and two-time Chicago Marathon champion when it was announced she failed an out-of-competition test for the blood-booster EPO in late 2014. Court documents in Rosas case allege he conspired with others to administer a prohibited substance to Jeptoo on several occasions in August and September 2014.Jeptoo was banned for two years and is the highest profile of at least 40 Kenyan athletes to fail doping tests and be banned since the last Olympics in 2012. Her case has gone to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, with the IAAF seeking a sterner punishment than the two-year ban handed down to her by Kenyan authorities.Rosa, who still represents other top Kenyan athletes, had his passport withheld when he was released on bail. The judge said he would release Rosas travel documents if the agent could prove his claim that he represented 10 Kenyan athletes who were due to compete at the Riuo de Janeiro Olympics. Rosa said he needed to travel to Europe and then the Olympics to conduct business.Rosa is the agent forr, among others, three-time 1,500-meter world champion Asbel Kiprop, marathon runners Jemimah Sumgong and Stanley Biwott, and former 800-meter world champion Eunice Sum.dddddddddddd None of those athletes have been implicated in the case, and some have spoken out in defense of Rosa, saying he is being targeted as a scapegoat for Kenyas long-running doping problems.In a twist, marathoner Mathew Kisorio, an athlete Rosa previously represented who was banned for doping, said last week in an affidavit presented to the court that he was pressurized by some people to falsely incriminate Rosa in doping.Jeptoos former coach, Claudio Berardelli, who is also Italian, has not been formally charged but is being investigated alongside five Kenyan men for conspiracy to help athletes take banned substances. Berardelli previously coached Jeptoo, Kisorio, and 800-meter runner Agatha Jeruto, who were all banned for doping. Berardelli also previously worked for Rosas athlete management company but the relationship ended after those three runners he trained failed tests.On Monday, Berardelli was also released on $5,000 bail as a judge at a separate court gave police and prosecutors more time to investigate.Three of the five Kenyan men facing doping charges alongside Berardelli were accused in a recent undercover operation by British newspaper The Sunday Times and German broadcaster ARD of providing and administering EPO to foreign athletes training in Kenya. ' ' '

It was a one-sided rivalry until it went away the first time, and its been fairly lopsided since it came back.It remains to be seen whether Charleston Southern or The Citadel will own a big edge on the field when they resume their now twice-interrupted series in 2018, but theres one aspect that will swing exclusively the Bulldogs way: the location.Johnson Hagood Stadium will host all four meetings between Charlestons two Division I college football programs when a series thats currently in the first of a two-year hiatus kicks off again. And thats perhaps as interesting a detail as the agreement to play at all, which was announced Monday by The Citadel athletic director Jim Senter.We are excited to renew this FCS matchup between our two schools, Senter said in a statement. This game is a no-brainer and makes sense for two great colleges in the Lowcountry representing two outstanding FCS conferences. We have been working on dates and finalizing the terms for a while now, and we are excited to resume this series in Johnson Hagood Stadium beginning in 2018.The Citadel won four of the first five meetings in a series that began in 2002 and lasted until 2007, with a scheduled 2004 meeting canceled due to Hurricane Frances. The rivalry renewed in 2012 with another Bulldogs rout, but the Buccaneers have beaten The Citadel four times in the last three seasons -- including a 14-6 win at home last December that was Charleston Southerns first FCS playoff victory.Bucs coach Jamey Chadwell had a lot to say about the then soon-to-be-defunct rivalry after his teams 33-20 September win over the Bulldogs, claiming theres probably not a chance that were ever going to play against as long as Im here. While the regional-based bracketing of the FCS playoffs and a bit of fate would make that statement premature, much of the wedge between the two schools was due to The Citadels insistence that any future games be played exclusively at its 21,000-seat downtown stadium and not the relatively tiny Buccaneer Field in North Charleston.I feel like we should play every year, Chadwell said after the 2015 regular-season meeting at Johnson Hagood. Its a great rivalry, a great atmosphere. But we deserve a home game, a home and home. Weve earned that. And if certain people think that were beneath them, then were not going to come down here.Monday proved otherwise. To Charleston Southern AD Hank Small, it was a matter of valuing the continuation of the series over turning it into a petty venue battle. To Senter, it was at least somewhat of a logistical issue. East Tennessee State rejoining the Southern Conference means The Citadel has an eight-game league slate obligation beginning this season. Coastal Carolinas exit from the Big South will drop CSUs to five.Throw in the near certainty of drawing at least 10,000 fans to these rivalry games at The Citadels stadium -- something that potentially makes that venue more financially viable for both sides rather than venturing to the 4,000-seat Buccaneer Field -- and its clear that Senters school could swing a heavier hammer in the negotiations.Whether Chadwell, who was just 36 when he took over in 2013, is still hanging around campus by the time these Lowcountry powers go at it again is anyones guess. But with another top-10 team on his hands -- one that was a few feet from beating five-time defending champion North Dakota State in Fargo on a field goal at the end of regulation last week -- the opportunity to move to a bigger program seems inevitable.Thats exactly what Mike Houston did after guiding The Citadel to a share of its first Southern Conference title since 1992 last season. Hes now roaming the sidelines for 12th-ranked James Madison, a perennial power in the CAA, while Brent Thompson has taken over the 15th-ranked Bulldogs.Even if Chadwell doesnt make it to 2018 as the Bucs head coach, the strong possibility that both Charleston programs will make the playoffs means theres hardly a guarantee they wont see each other again in December.After all, hes been wrong before. Chris Owings Jersey .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. Brian Johnson Jersey .Y. -- Canadas Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse have another World Cup gold medal after winning the two-women bobsled race on Saturday in Lake Placid, N. https://www.cheapredsox.com/ . LOUIS -- Valtteri Filppula assisted on three of Tampa Bays four goals, and the Lightning beat the St. Jimmie Foxx Jersey . -- Running backs Darren McFadden and Rashad Jennings were back at practice for the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday despite being hampered by hamstring injuries. Brock Holt Jersey . "Thank you for the warm welcome," Beckham said on an 80-degree February morning. In this case, it was soccer weather. The sport moved a step closer to returning to South Florida on Wednesday, when Beckham confirmed he has exercised his option to purchase a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Miami. ST. LOUIS -- Jaden Schwartz and the St. Louis Blues felt the comeback coming and followed through against the Eastern Conference leaders.Schwartz completed a late rally with a pair of goals, including one in overtime, to lead the Blues to a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.Paul Stastny also scored for St. Louis, which has won four of five. The Blues charged back from a 2-0 third-period deficit and have a point in their last 13 home games.Tomas Plekanec and Paul Byron scored for Montreal, which completed a five-game trip 2-3.Goalie Jake Allen made 28 saves to improve to 13-3-3.St. Louis struggled through most of the contest, unable to solve backup goaltender Al Montoya until the third period.The first two periods didnt go our way, Schwartz said. But we stayed confident. We didnt panic. We stuck with it -- and got a big comeback win.Stastny started the rally with a goal at 7:40 of the third period.We needed to break the rhythm of the game, Stastny said. I think my goal kind of opened things up for us. From there, we had a lot of energy. We played a whole different game.Schwartz tied it 2:51 later to set the stage for his third game-winning goal of the season. He took a pass from Alexander Steen and calmly lifted a backhander past Montoya with 1:22 left in overtime.(Steen) made a great pass over a couple of sticks and it landed on my tape, Schwartz said. I kind of had a step on the defenseman and I just tried to get it up as quickly as I could.The Blues improved to 3-5-1 when trailing after two periods.This was a test game to see where weree at, Allen said.dddddddddddd This creates momentum, gives us positive energy.Montoya fell to 3-4-1 and lost his fourth in a row.Theyre a good team, they stuck around, Montoya said. When you go into overtime, its anyones game.Plekanec scored for the first time since Nov. 5, a streak covering 14 games.The Canadiens were without leading scorer Alex Galchenyuk, who injured his knee in Sundays 5-4 win at Los Angeles. He is expected to be re-evaluated when the team returns home Wednesday.Bryon converted on a scramble in front of the net after Allen failed to hold onto the puck.The Eastern Conference-leading Canadiens finished 2-2-1 on a five-game swing.Ive got to look at the big picture, Montreal coach Michel Therrien said. On that road trip, we met some really good hockey teams and they were all close games. I like the way our team played.Montreal center David Desharnais left the game in the second period and did not return. He is listed as day-to-day.Game notes St. Louis D Robert Bortuzzo will be out at least six weeks with a lower-body injury. ...The Canadiens five-game trip is not their longest of the season. They will play six successive road games from March 19-30. ... Blues D Joel Edmundson returned to the lineup after missing the last 12 games with an upper-body injury.UP NEXTCanadiens: Return home from a five-game trip to host New Jersey on Thursday night.Blues: Begin a four-game trip at the New York Islanders on Thursday night. ' ' '

Keith Wood has described childhood friend and Munster and Ireland teammate Anthony Foley as the gel that held both sides together.Wood was speaking on Newstalk on Monday as the tributes continue to pour in for the late Foley, who died in Paris on Sunday.His death has shocked the rugby world and Wood knew Foley better than most having grown up with him in Killaloe.In an emotive, heartfelt interview on Monday morning Wood remembered his late friends hurling prowess, his ability on the rugby field as a promising youngster and the time Zinzan Brooke asked sheepishly if he could attend Foleys testimonial dinner.Wood, talking to Pat Kenny, said: I wouldve put him [Foley] as the gel for an awful lot of good players to play better around him.Sometimes he didnt get the credit he deserved. Quite simply, when he was at the back of the scrum you never had to think of what was happening, he led from there and in the manner he played.He did the right thing at the right time. It took him a period of time to get into matches -- it could take him three or four games to get him match fit but once he was match fit, he was phenomenal.He was incredibly robust, didnt get injured all that much. He was fantastic.One anecdote Wood offered remembered when Dominos Pizza used to give a pizza to whoever scored the first try at Thomond Park and Anthony got a hat-trick to just make sure.Wood continued: He had a wicked, dry sense of humour but talking about him in the past tense is unbelievably surreal.I dont know how long itll take for the funeral but its trying to get those nice memories out and to try and smile a little bit at the moment if its possible. Its heart-breaking. Yeezy Boost 350 v2 Replica China . Hey!" The lower tier of the School End of Queens Park Rangers Loftus Road was packed solid with a very festive-sounding Chelsea choral section in this particular part of South Africa Road London, W12. Nike Air Max 90 China Wholesale . Laudrup revealed Thursday he was notified of his dismissal in "the briefest of letters which gave no reasons why such hasty and final action was deemed necessary. http://www.brandshoescheaponline.com/wholesale-air-max-china/max-plus-clearance-sale.html . -- Ryan Blaney provided more evidence that Penske Racings No. Discount Shoes China . 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. Yeezy Boost China Cheap . Following a lopsided 5-2 loss against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night, Paul MacLean told reporters that "theres a lack of focus, theres a lack of leadership and theres a lack of preparation" with his struggling team. That came on the heels of Bryan Murray taking the unusual step of going into the locker room at the Prudential Center and addressing the players himself. Longtime rivals Miami and Virginia Tech look to get their season headed back in the right direction when they square off Thursday night in an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup.The Hurricanes (4-2, 1-2 ACC) have lost two in a row and have fallen out of the Top 25, but have never lost to the Hokies (4-2, 2-1) in their previous three Thursday night games.Virginia Tech has also tumbled out of the Top 25 after a 31-17 loss at Syracuse last Saturday.The Hokies have long embraced the opportunity for the exposure a Thursday night game offers. They played 30 Thursday night contests under Frank Beamer, second only to Georgia Techs 32, but this will be the first under new coach Justin Fuente.I always enjoy the challenge every week, but the short weeks are certainly different, he said. I told my wife when I got home, `Its going to be a long, short week. Thats just the way it is, but weve got two hungry football teams that are going to play out here. Theyre very well-coached, obviously have a fine tradition and history.The challenge also is new for first-year Miami coach Mark Richt.Southeastern Conference teams play some Thursday night games, but his former school, Georgia, does not. Richt said it was administration policy, and if he had his way, college teams wouldnt play on such short rest.He also said he doesnt like the idea of Miami getting home around 5 a.m. Friday.The five-day turnaround, in my opinion, I dont think its very good even though both teams are doing it, Richt said. If you have one team with an open date, and one team with five days, thats not fair. As far as what makes sense for TV, Im sure it makes sense for TV. But what makes sense for the student-athletes?I dont think its a good idea. I think its a bad idea.---Here are some other things to watch when Miami visits Virginia Tech:STAKES: The ACCs Coastal Division is a wide open race at this point with every team having at least one loss, the Hokies having beaten current leader North Carolina (3-1) and with games against the Hurricanes and Pittsburgh (2-1 in the division) still ahead. The next two weeks will likely help sort the contenders and pretenders.ddddddddddddFRESHMEN STARTERS: Theres a chance that Miami could have five true freshmen starting on defense against the Hokies. Shaquille Quarterman, Michael Pinckney and Zach McCloud are the starting linebackers, and because of a rash of injuries, Miami might be forced to start Joe Jackson and Pat Bethel on the defensive line as well. Its been an unusual year, theres no doubt, with guys being in and out of the lineup, Miami defensive coordinator Manny Diaz said. But well see. Well have 11 the first play of the game Thursday night.NUMBERS GAME: Miami has the edge both in scoring average (36.7 ppg to the Hokies 35.7) and defensive scoring average (14 ppg allowed to the Hokies 18.2), but the Hurricanes also didnt play a Power Five conference school until the fourth game of the year, which could skew the numbers. Miami has won the last two meetings, and three of the last four, and is 3-0 against their former Big East Conference rival when they meet on Thursday night.PASSING FANCY: Since fumbling three times in a loss to No. 18 Tennessee, Hokies quarterback Jerod Evans has been very good about protecting the ball. For the season Evans has 17 touchdowns and just two interceptions, and hes the fourth-rated passer among Power Five schools. Miamis Brad Kaaya is 2-0 against Virginia Tech, but still working his way back from a shoulder injury that caused the Miami coaches to shut him down for a few days.COMMON GROUND: Richt and Fuente have plenty in common -- they are both quarterbacks successfully recruited out of high school by Howard Schnellenberger. Richt played for Schnellenberger at Miami, and Fuente signed with Oklahoma to play for Schnellenberger (though the coach resigned after Fuentes redshirt season there).---AP sports writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this report---Online: The APs college football page: http://collegefootball.ap.org---Follow Hank on Twitter: www.twitter.com/hankkurzjr ' ' '

The last seat for the Hearthstone Championship Tour finale at BlizzCon was filled this past weekend at the Last Call tournament for the Americas. Sitting in that chair is Hao Bbgungun Li, a player not widely known for his tournament experience, but who is still a fixture in the Hearthstone community.Some players earn their reputation with a big tournament win or a popular stream; Bbgungun earned his as a coach and unofficial mentor to several pros, including the NA QQ group, a loose collection of Chinese Hearthstone players that practice together, whose members include three of the last four players standing this weekend. Longtime Hearthstone players will also recognize Bbgungun from Tempo Storms popular meta snapshots, in which he participates as the in-house expert for the current state of Rogue and Druid.Bbgungun rolled his way through the last Blizzard tournament before BlizzCon in commanding fashion. He never faced a game in which he could be eliminated, beating Robert Nostam Matson and Matt Noblord Koutsoutis 4-1 and taking the final in six games over Team Celestials Austin SilentStorm Li, 4-2.The deck list of Bbgungun was fairly conventional, bringing Midrange Shaman, Tempo Mage, Secret Hunter and Yogg Token Druid, not uncommon in a meta that is now very established. The sole exception was eschewing Warrior completely and bringing his Discard Warlock Zoo (or Discolock), a deck archetype that only three of the eight finalists brought with them.Warlock decks have declined in popularity in tournament play the last couple of months -- a rare development in Hearthstone as Zoolock is one of the most popular archetypes historically -- due to its rough matchup against Shamans and Warriors. Additionally, its weak against a large percentage of the mage decks that people are bringing if they choose to face off against Shaman rather than banning it.Bbgungun ended up winning both games with his Discolock, which, as befitting a known deck builder, was teched well in a world in which everyone brings a Shaman. The most iconoclastic tech card in Bbgunguns Warlock build was Young Priestess, a card that hasnt actually been seen in many Zoo decks since the very early days of Hearthstone. Its a 2/1 that gives a +1 health buff to a random friendly minion at the end of the turn, potentially allowing a minion to survive the inevitable Malestrom Portal. Crazed Alchemist is another solid tech inclusion in Shamanstone, a card that allows you to instantly flip-kill a Mana Tide Totem, a Flametongue Totem, or a particularly inconvenient Stoneclaw Totem.Neobilitys missed lethalTheres nothing like a giant misplay on the big stage to make you look back in regret. At last years BlizzCon, Pavel Pavel Beltukov made a giant blunder against Adrian Lifecoach Koy, playing his cards in the wrong order by not killing Sylvanas Windrunner before playing Dr. Boom, giving Lifecoach a free 7/7 and losing a crucial game.Wu Neobility Guangnans mistake at Americas Last Call proved equally damaging. On turn five, with two Lightning Bolts and a Lightning Storm in-hand (the latter doesnt attack face but buffs the Tunnel Trogg), Neobility had exactly 19 damage available and SilentStorm at 19 health. The casters also missed this lethal, but it wasnt their seat at BlizzCon in jeopardy, it was Neobilitys. Neobility lost the game, falling to 0-3, and needed a reverse sweep to avoid elimination. And thats not an easy task, given that you have to win four games with the same deck and if you were that favored against your opponent in those four games, they likely would have banned the deck in the first place.Theres a ninth class?If you only watched tournament games, youd probably be shocked by the appearance of a ninth class. Priest isnt actually a new class, of course, but it might as well be given its complete disappearance since a brief spurt of relevance back in May before people established that NZoth Priest was not a good tournament choice.Frank Fr0zen Zhang made an extremely rare choice, bringing a Control Priest to the tournament and, like other viewers, I enjoy seeing a unique matchup rather than the umpteenth Midrange Shaman mirror. And an unusual priest it was, playing two Mind Controls, the arena-hero Bog Creeper, and even Sideshow Spelleater, a card that I dont think Ive ever seen in a tournament deck.The Priest lost board and the Warrior facing off against it had 46 health and armor when the curtain fell, and Fr0zen was eliminated from the tournament.The Karazhan metaWeve now had several major tournaments for which to evaluate the impact of the Karazhan cards on the game and its tournament meta. The result? Not much of an effect.The previous adventure, The League of Explorers, with its small set, introduced cards that both created new decks and revived dormant ones. Sir Finley Mrrgglton gave aggressive decks life by enabling heroes with control-centric hero powers more aggressively designed ones. Reno Jackson triggered a whole slew of Reno decks in which card choices were massively altered solely because of Renos inclusion. Elise Starseeker created a new win condition for control decks. Murloc Paladin became a thing, Tunnel Trogg resuscitated Aggro Shaman, and Tomb Pillager gave Miracle-type Rogue decks a card it really was missing.As entertaining as the Adventure itself was, the Karazhan cards, at least so far, have not had the same effect on the game. Despite two very powerful Druid cards intended to push Beast Druid, the Yogg Druids got Arcane Giants and so remained the top Druid deck. The various cards that drew or buffed beasts, dragons, and murlocs didnt spawn decks that took advantage of the effect and Medivh, a slow but powerful card, turned out to be simply too slow in a tempo-driven game.Even Barnes, one of the most-hyped cards by the community, while seeing play, only has been included as Dragonling Mechanic with Maybe an Upside rather than one that spawned a new type of deck. In tournaments, there are no Purify Priests. Swashburglar and Ethereal Peddler didnt allow a Thief Rogue to be better than Miracle Rogue. Warlocks two discard cards introduced, Silverware Golem and Malchezaars Imp, simply enhanced the existing Zoolock deck into a Discolock variant rather than creating any all-in discard decks. Malestrom Portal and Spirit Claws just made Shamans better at what they were already doing.Blizzards nerfs of problematic card helps the game long-term, but to really shake up the tournament scene, well need a new expansion -- likely to be announced at BlizzCon on Nov. 4-5 -- and the shakeup when the Blackrock Mountain, Grand Tournament, and League of Explorers cards all rotate out of Standard format. Boston Celtics Pro Shop . Louis. To which I would say two things: 1. Where there is smoke, there is or perhaps has been a little fire. Or, in other words, the two teams would appear to have at least spoken. And spoken is defined as one calling the other to inquire, no more, no less. Celtics Jerseys 2019 . During the athletes parade, the 23-strong Ukrainian team was represented by a lone flagbearer in an apparent protest at the presence of Russian troops in Ukraines Crimean peninsula. https://www.cheapceltics.com/ . The move comes after the Canadiens were approached by the Buffalo Sabres for permission to speak to Dudley - a former Sabres player and head coach. "The Sabres called for permission and I appreciate that, Im flattered, Dudley told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. Celtics Jerseys China . According to a report from the Vancouver Province, the Lions are expected to replace former DC Rich Stubler with defensive backs coach Mark Washington. Stitched Celtics Jerseys . -- Arizona knocked off some quality opponents, rolled over a few overmatched ones and grinded out victories even when things didnt go so well. Kansas State?junior Jesse Ertz will start at quarterback for the Wildcats at No. 8 Stanford?on Friday, coach Bill Snyder said Monday on the Big 12 coaches teleconference.Ertz won the job for a second straight year. He suffered a season-ending knee injury last year on the first play from scrimmage against South Dakota and has yet to throw a collegiate pass.Hes in all reality just been more consistent than the other two, Snyder said. Thats extremely important to us.Senior Joe Hubener, who started 11 games last year, and redshirt freshman Alex Delton will serve as the backups to Ertz. He was voted a captain by his teammates and was considered the favorite at the start of camp to earn the starting position.Jesse pulled himself away, Snyder said of the quarterback competition. I would say, in the last four days, beingg able to have a greater consistency on the practice field.dddddddddddd.Hubener threw for 1,837 yards, rushed for 613 yards and accounted for 22 touchdowns last season as K-State finished 6-7.Jesse has a huge upside because of his speed, his accuracy throwing. He obviously knows the offense extremely well at this time, Kansas State offensive coordinator Dana Dimel said. As you remember the first game last year he was a starter, so you have a returning starter as far as knowledge goes, but you dont have a returning starter as far as experience goes. His biggest attributes are his knowledge of the offense and his overall speed as a runner.The Associated Press contributed to this report. ' ' '

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Taylor Barnette drilled three 3-point jumpers in overtime as Belmont held off Lipscomb for a 78-76 win on Tuesday night.Trailing 76-72 with less than a minute remaining in the extra period, Barnette nailed a trey and then hit the winner with five seconds left. Lipscombs Kenny Cooper missed one from long range as time ran out.Rob Marberry almost won it for Lipscomb in overtime as he slammed home two dunks, blocked a shot and stole the ball twice.There were 12 lead changes in the game with Lipscomb leading 36-26 at the break. Belmont won the second half 39-29 and led 65-63 with 42 seconds left. Two late free throws by Garrison Mathews tied it at 65 to end regulation.Evan Bradds led Belmont (3-3) with 18 points, Amanze Egekeze added 15 and grabbed a career-best 12 rebounds and Barnette added 14 points.Mathews had 25 points for Lipscomb (3-7). Angels Jerseys 2019 . The formidable trio of Canadian receivers -- individually known as Chris Getzlaf, Rob Bagg and Andy Fantuz -- will share the field at Mosaic Stadium one more time on Sunday. Fred Lynn Angels Jersey . Kyle Denbrook, a soccer player from Saint Marys University, took the CIS male athlete of the week honour. Stanley, a fourth-year business administration student from Charlottetown, scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Dalhousie on Friday and tallied again in a 1-0 win over Saint Marys on Sunday. https://www.cheapangels.com/2253j-shohei-ohtani-jersey-angels.html . 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. Reggie Jackson Jersey . Fred Couples, captain of the U.S. side, put it all into perspective. "We know whos in charge," he said. Trevor Cahill Angels Jersey . - NASCAR announced a 33-race schedule for the 2014 Nationwide Series with virtually no changes from this years slate. AFL clubs are interested in picking up Xavier Richards as a delisted free agent, the axed Sydney forwards management says.Richards, the younger brother of recently retired Swans champion Ted, was shown the door on Thursday less than a month after playing in the clubs grand final loss to the Western Bulldogs.He rejected a new two-year deal with Sydney at the start of the trade period this month, but a desired move to a rival club in his home state of Victoria was not forthcoming.His manager Phil Mullen would not comment on whether his attempted exit had anything to do with his ddumping, but confirmed he hoped to play on elsewhere.dddddddddddd.Theres been some interest, yes, Mullen told AAP.Were waiting for the (delisted free agency) trade period to start and well go from there.The 23-year-old played 10 games for the minor premiers this year, impressing with 13 goals.His first two years at the club were lean after being taken in the 2013 rookie draft, but he established himself in the Swans best 22 in the lead-up to finals. ' ' '

SNOQUALMIE, Wash. -- Gene Sauers took the Boeing Classic lead Saturday, two weeks after his breakthrough victory in the U.S. Senior Open.The 54-year-old Sauers two-putted for birdie on the par-5 18th for a 5-under 67 and a two-stroke lead over Joe Durant. The three-time PGA Tour winner had a 12-under 132 total at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge.I just concentrated on hitting the ball solid, trying to keep it in the fairways and give myself opportunities just like I try to do every week, Sauers said. I had opportunities to make the putts and I made a few today, missed a few. I made a couple of stupid bogeys.Sauers birdied four of the last five holes, making three in a row in Nos. 14-16.Just solid playing, Sauers said. Thats what Im going to try to do tomorrow.Hes playing through tendinitis in his left wrist.Coming in this week I was not too confident, Sauers said I played one time at home because of my wrist and trying to heal it. I didnt know what to expect coming into this week. But I just won the U.S. Open prior to that, so that kind of builds confidence.The U.S. Senior Open victory capped a comeback for Sauers, 10 years removed from nearly dying. He was incorrectly diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, spent seven weeks in the hospital and was given a 25 percent chance of survival. Eventually, he was diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a disorder of the skin and mucous membranes that causes the skin on the extremities to burn from the inside out.Durant birdied the last for a 65.Its pretty generous off the tee, but youve got to hit good iron shots and I typically am a pretty good iron player, Durant said. Youve got to manage your game a little bit around here. Youve got to pick your spots because they can put some pins in some corners and greens get firm, you can go through some of the greens pretty easily. Or if you put them in the green-side bunkers, youre begging for mercy.He won the 3M Championship three weeks ago in Minnesota.Tom Byrum and Stephen Ames were 9 under. Byrum had a 68, and Ames shot 69.Kirk Triplett, tied for the first-round lead with Sauers after a 65, had a 71 to drop into a tie for fifth at 8 under.Bernhard Langer also was 8 under after a 67. The 58-year-old German star won the 2010 tournament and finished second behind Billy Andrade last year. Langer has three victories this year, two of them majors.Grant Waite (65), Woody Austin (67) and Fran Quinn (67) were 8 under, too.John Daly was tied for 29th at 2 under after his second 71. He has three top-20 finishes in 10 PGA Tour Champions starts since turning 50, with the best a tie for 11th last month in the Dicks Sporting Goods Open in New York. Last week, he tied for 51st in the Czech Masters.Andrade was tied for 38th at 1 under, following his opening 74 with a 69.Local favorite Fred Couples is sidelined by back problems. Fake Vans Outlet . PETERSBURG, Fla. Wholesale Fake Vans .C. -- Rodney Hood connected from all over the court while freshman Jabari Parker was busy swatting shots and scoring in transition. http://www.fakevans.com/fake-vans-sk8/ . The head of USA Boxing came out swinging Tuesday with an open letter to Tyson -- a former Olympic hopeful himself -- that accuses the former heavyweight champion of trying to poach fighters who might be candidates for the U. Cheap Fake Vans . "Jeff is a hard worker who was an important special-teams contributor for us last season," said Stamps GM John Hufnagel. Fake Vans From China . Isner, ranked No. 14, won his eighth career singles title and took the title in New Zealand for the second time after his victory in 2010. The match was similar to Isners quarterfinal victory over fifth-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber which went to three sets, all tiebreaks and contained no breaks of serve. BUIES CREEK, N.C. -- DeShawn Jones rushed for 174 yards and two touchdowns, including a 25-yard scamper down the left sideline on the first play of overtime, lifting Campbell to a 33-27 win over Butler in the Pioneer Football League opener for both teams on Saturday night.The game-winner came after Butler (2-2, 0-1) unsuccessfully attempted a fourth-and-17 in the Bulldogs overtime possession. Quarterback Malcolm Weaver ran 15 yards on third-and-8, but a penalty negated the gain and Butler opted to go for it from the 32.Butler had a chance tto win the game in regulation, but Drew Bevelhimer slipped on a 50-yard field goal attempt.ddddddddddddJones first TD came on an 8-yard run on the first play of the second quarter gave Campbell (3-1, 1-0) a 7-0 lead.Jared Joyner, who also rushed for two scores, gave Campbell a 27-20 lead with a 3-yard run early in the fourth, but running back Sam Shraders pass to Malcolm Weaver later in the quarter tied it at 27. ' ' '

Storm Queens stormed into the first final of Womens Kabaddi Challenge with an impressive 21-11 victory over Fire Birds. Queens defence produced a formidable performance to register their second win of the season and take them through to the final.Queens will now face the winners of the match between Fire Birds and Ice Divas, to play in the final.?The game began with Queens leading 4-1 after five minutes of the game as Tejaswini Bai and Sonali Ingale scored one raid point each. Fire Birds were struggling early on and their captain Mamtha Poojari, looked out of touch, recording just one raid point in the opening exchanges.Queens piled the pressure and 10 minutes into the game led 5-3. They tightened their defence and ended the first half leading 8-4.The second half began with Tejaswini Bai scoring two raid points for Queens and with an all out inflicted on Birds, they raced to a 9 point advantage.For Birds, Mamtha Poojari toiled, scoring just two points as none of the other raiders could get a single point. It was Kishori Shinde in defence who maintained some respectability as they trailed 7-16 after 24 minutes.In the 25th minute, Queens raced to a 11 point lead with a two-point raid, and although Rinju K of Birds scored in 25th and 27th minute, they fell short and were no match to a strong Queens defence.Queens saw the game through and won comfortably in the end to become the first finalist of Womens Kabaddi Challenge. Custom Chicago Cubs Jerseys . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue. Joe Maddon Cubs Jersey .7 million, one-year contract, a raise of $2.2 million. Wieters had asked for $8.75 million and the Orioles had offered $6. https://www.cheapcubs.com/2860t-ernie-banks-jersey-cubs.html . Thats about all he can do right now, so hes trying not to think about when he might be able to play again for the Los Angeles Lakers. Dennis Eckersley Jersey . Belfort (24-10) needed just 77 seconds to down Henderson in the headlining bout of Saturdays "UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson" event at Goiania Arena in Goiania, Brazil. The fight served as a rematch of the pairs 2006 meeting, which Henderson won by decision. Derek Holland Jersey . Ouellette, from Montreal, already has three Olympic gold medals since joining the team in 1999. MIAMI -- Jose Fernandez was on the mind of virtually everyone in South Florida on Sunday, especially those who follow the Miami Marlins.However, the tragic boating-accident death of the 24-year-old All-Star pitcher didnt just impact those in his community.Fernandez was also respected throughout baseball.The New York Mets, who will visit the Marlins on Monday to start a three-game series that is sure to be emotional, showed on Sunday that Fernandez was on their minds, too.Mets left fielder Yoenis Cespedes, who like Fernandez was born in Cuba, hung up a jersey with his friends name and his No. 16.Our guys are a special group, Mets manager Terry Collins said. We wanted to honor Jose, so we put up his jersey in our dugout. All our guys walked by and gave it a little tap.Cespedes said the tribute for Fernandez was the idea of Mets owner Jeff Wilpon, who had the jersey made.(Wilpon) came and talked to us in the trainers room before the game, Cespedes said. I decided I wanted to be the one to hang it up in the dugout, just to let everyone know how much this loss means to us.The Mets (83-73) lead the San Francisco Giants (82-74) by one game and the St. Louis Cardinals (81-74) by 1 1/2 games in the battle for two NL wild-card berths. It is likely that two of those three teams will make the playoffs.Miami (77-78) is tied with the Pittsburgh Pirates (77-78), next in the wild-card standings, both 4 1/2 games back with seven games to play.The Marlins, though, can still play for pride. They can play to try to get a winning record for the first time since 2009. And they can play to honor Fernandez.Marlins third baseman Martin Prado said he doesnt know how his team can possibly be ready to play on Monday night.We are not robots, Prado said. We are humans. We feel things. Jose made an impact, in different ways, on every player on this team.I know we have to play the games. We are professionals. ... But there is a lot of pain. We mmiss him.ddddddddddddMarlins manager Don Mattingly wept openly during a Sunday press conference to announce Fernandezs passing.I saw such a little boy in Jose, Mattingly said. He played with the joy of a Little Leaguer.The Marlins have not announced who will start on Monday -- Fernandez had been scheduled to pitch before his tragic accident.Left-hander Adam Conley, who had been scheduled to pitch Sunday before that game with the Atlanta Braves was canceled, is the likely candidate to face the Mets.Conley (8-6, 3.94 ERA) would be making his first start since Aug. 13. He sustained a finger injury on his left hand, and he likely would be on a strict pitch limit.New York will counter with right-hander Bartolo Colon (14-7, 3.12 ERA).With four of the five pitchers the Mets were counting on to end this season in their rotation now injured -- Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler -- Colon has clearly been New Yorks rotation savior.And even though Colon is 43 years old, he is doing quite the opposite of running out of gas. He went 3-1 with a 2.61 ERA in August and is 2-0 with a 1.75 ERA in September.Collins said Colon is the perfect pitcher to have on the mound on Monday. Due to his vast experience, he figures to know how to navigate the emotion evening.The Mets say they will hang up their Fernandez jersey in their dugout on Monday, and the Marlins will no doubt dedicate what remains of their season to their fallen teammate.Fans, sadly, were robbed of seeing Fernandez at home on Monday in his beloved Marlins Park -- where he had a 29-2 career record and a 1.49 ERA -- battling a Mets team that is fighting hard to make the playoffs.Collins still expects the Marlins to bring their best.Im sure they are all going to be fired up, Collins said, not only to beat us but to honor Jose. ' ' '

CLEVELAND -- Corey Kluber kept the Cleveland Indians in the game long enough to get to Kansas Citys bullpen. Kluber pitched into the eighth inning and pinch hitter Michael Bourn had a big two-run double, leading the Indians to a 3-0 win over the Royals on Friday night. Cleveland got its first hit of the game against Bruce Chen in the fifth inning, but Kluber and two relievers made sure a three-run seventh was enough. Carlos Santana had an RBI single before Bourn came up his clutch swing. Kluber (7-5) allowed three hits and struck out eight in 7 2-3 innings. The right-hander, a bright spot in a rotation thats struggled most of the season, worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the fifth. "He certainly stays composed," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "For a young pitcher, thats a big compliment." Joe Smith recorded the final out in the eighth and Cody Allen struck out Jarrod Dyson with the bases loaded for his second save. The five-hitter was Clevelands American League-leading 12th shutout. Allen was subbing for regular closer Chris Perez, who had appeared in five of the previous six games. Perez was on the disabled list from May 27 to June 26 with a sore right shoulder and missed time in spring training because of the injury. Allen knew before the game that Perez was unavailable but wasnt sure if he would get the call in the ninth. "I thought it was going to be Joe," Allen said. "I knew the possibility was there." Composure was also a key for Allen. After allowing two singles, he walked pinch hitter George Kottaras but struck out Dyson to end the 32-pitch inning. "I was trying to make one good pitch at a time," Allen said. "Obviously, I didnt want to get into a bases-loaded situation but thats where I was." Chen pitched six innings of one-hit ball in his first start of the season. Santanas leadoff double in the fifth was Clevelands only hit off Chen, who struck out four and walked one while throwing 97 pitches. Clevelands lineup seemed to wake up after Chen was pulled. Tim Collins (2-4) gave up singles to All-Star Jason Kipnis and Nick Swisher to begin the seventh before being relieved by Aaron Crow. Santana then lined a single to centre. Dyson charged the ball and made a strong throw home but Kipnis slid around catcher Salvador Perezs tag and touched the plate with his left hand. Mark Reynolds, mired in a 2-for-31 slump this month, reached on a bunt hit to the left of the mound to load the bases. Bourn, batting for Ryan Raburn, then singled to right-centre to give Cleveland a 3-0 lead. Reynolds is known for putting up big home run and strikeout numbers, making the bunt quite the play at the time. "That caught everybody on the Royals, in the stands, in the press box and me by surprise, but it might have won us a game," Francona said. Kluber got out of big trouble in the fifth. David Lough started the inning with a triple but held at third when Alcides Escobar grounded out to second. Elliot Johnson walked and stole second before Dyson walked. Alex Gordon, who hit a grand slam off Kluber in Kansas City on July 2, struck out. Kluber fielded Eric Hosmers slow roller to the left of the mound and ran to first for the putout. Kluber has been able to pitch out of several jams in his 15 starts in his first full season in the majors. "I stepped back and took a deep breath," he said. "All I can do is calm down, execute pitches and get out of it." Gordon drew a one-out walk in the eighth. Kluber, who won for the fourth time in his last five decisions, was removed after striking out Hosmer and received a loud ovation from the crowd of 24,077. Chen replaced struggling right-hander Luis Mendoza in the rotation. Chen was 3-0 with a 2.41 ERA in 19 relief appearances before being moved to the rotation. "I did everything I could to help us win, but Kluber was just a little bit better," Chen said "Sometimes you have to give credit because he made some great pitches and pitched out of some tough situations." NOTES: The Indians optioned RHP Danny Salazar to Triple-A Columbus a day after he won his major league debut by allowing one run in six innings against Toronto on Thursday. RHP Chen-Chang Lee was called up from the Clippers. ... Royals SS Alcides Escobar batted seventh for the first time this season. He has hit second 67 times, ninth 13 times, and atop the order four times. "Hell be back in the two-spot tomorrow with a lefty starting, but he struggles against right-handed pitchers, so were going to vary where he bats from day to day," Royals manager Ned Yost said. Escobar is hitting .302 against left-handed pitchers and .222 against righties. ... Bourn wasnt in the lineup against Chen. Michael Brantley batted leadoff. ... Indians RHP Zach McAllister (sprained middle finger) will make a rehab start at Double-A Akron on Saturday. ... Royals RHP Jeremy Guthrie (8-6) takes on Indians LHP Scott Kazmir (4-4) in the second game of the three-game series Saturday. Ross Stripling Jersey . The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 for Jones (19-1). It was the champions closest call. Despite the loss, it was a remarkable show by the confident Swedish challenger, who had the best of the early rounds and then hung on in the fourth and fifth. Joc Pederson Dodgers Jersey .5 seconds to play in the game, Kevin Love never stopped believing that they would come out of there with a win. https://www.cheapdodgersonline.com/1715h-scott-alexander-jersey-dodgers.html .Y. -- Injured Buffalo Sabres forward Marcus Foligno did not practice with the team Monday and head coach Ron Rolston said its unlikely hell play in Wednesdays season opener in Detroit. Kenta Maeda Dodgers Jersey . John Tavares, Thomas Vanek and Kyle Okposo were also being counted on to slow down sizzling Rangers forward Rick Nash. That plan didnt go so well early. Ross Stripling Dodgers Jersey .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have placed centre Cody Hodgson on injured reserve and recalled two players from their AHL affiliate in Rochester. ESTERO, Fla. -- Kristy Wallace is a bit of a wanderer.She traveled more than 8,000 miles from her native Australia to play at Baylor, one of the top programs in womens college basketball, and shes been roving ever since arriving in Texas two years ago from Loganholme in southeastern Queensland. Whether taking a holiday trip to Colorado, meandering away from teammates on a visit to Universal Studios or just pedaling her Schwinn around campus, she seems to always be on the move.Kristy is known for being a roamer, said Lady Bears forward Dekeiya Cohen. If we all go someplace, we look around like, Wheres Kristy? Thats her role. We always look out for Kristy. No matter where we go, Wheres Kristy? Wheres Kristy? As soon as we get somewhere, she automatically goes exploring.Wallace acknowledges her adventurous streak and recalled with a laugh the time she got lost riding her bike to Best Buy from the Waco campus as a freshman.I dont know how many miles it was, but I found myself in a sketchy part of town, said Wallace, who is 20. I havent made that trip again.Wallace, a combo guard, cant be contained by mere geography on the court, either. During last weeks 84-42 win over Kent State in the Gulf Coast Showcase at Germain Arena, she was seemingly everywhere.Early in the game, the 5-foot-11 junior blocked a shot at one end of the court and buried a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession. Soon after, she missed a jumper from the right side but flew in to grab a rebound at the other end of the floor seconds later. When Lady Bears forward Alexis Prince was inadvertently struck in the mouth during play, Wallace was quick to come over to check on her teammate. Late in the game with the Bears holding a big lead, Wallace was the first one off the bench to greet teammates coming out of the game.No one outworks Kristy, said longtime Baylor coach Kim Mulkey. She works, works, works, and when were not practicing, shes up at the gym. Shes constantly active and moving. She never tires. She makes you work hard because shes working so hard.The Lady Bears, ranked No. 5 in the AP poll at the time, followed the Kent State game with a 104-72 win over No. 18 DePaul and an emphatic 85-68 victory against No. 8 Ohio State in the Showcase final.In that contest, Wallace drew the assignment of guarding the Buckeyes leading scorer, All-American guard Kelsey Mitchell, who wound up fouling out after scoring a season-low 17 points on 5-for-20 shooting. After racking up 25 points, 14 rebounds and 25 assists in those three games, Wallace was named MVP of the tournament.She just brings that spark, said Lady Bears forward Nina Davis. If theres a loose ball on the floor, you know that Kristy is going to dive for it. Shes going to take the charge. She does all the little things. She brings so much energy to the game, and it helps everyyone else elevate their game.ddddddddddddallace is described as energetic, feisty and aggressive on the court and funny, friendly and free-spirited away from the gym. She already has a wealth of international experience, having captained the Australian national squad that beat Spain to win the bronze medal at the U19 world championship last year in Russia. She also helped lead Australia to titles at the 2013 FIBA U19 Pacific Championship and the 2014 FIBA U18 Oceania Championship.Kristy isnt the only athlete in the Wallace family. Sister Nikki, 22, is a standout in Australian rules football and was drafted by the Brisbane Lions ahead of the inaugural 2017 AFLW season. But Kristy said her strong work ethic comes from her father, John.At a young age, he shaped me to work hard, Wallace said. It didnt necessarily have to be basketball. It could be anything at all. He encouraged me to work my butt off and step my game up in anything I did.Wallace is majoring in kinesiology, but make no mistake, she intends to play for many years to come. She plans to pursue professional basketball after college and dreams of one day representing Australia in the Olympics.Thats definitely the goal, Wallace, who also would like to establish her own charitable foundation eventually. Id love to travel and help people around the world. I want to go wherever God takes me, and whatever opportunity comes up would be fantastic.But first things first. Wallace and the Lady Bears (7-1), who moved up to a No. 4 ranking this week, are determined to compete for a national championship. The Final Four will be held in Dallas, just 95 miles up Interstate 35 from Waco -- almost close enough to reach by bicycle. However, for the Lady Bears to get there, they will need Wallace to play at a high level and help lead the way. Baylors 72-61 loss at defending NCAA champion Connecticut on Nov. 17 showed the Lady Bears where they need to focus in order to compete against the nations best teams.They sat in the film room with me for three hours, Mulkey said. So we learned a great deal about toughness and making plays in the crunch. ... Its not about missing shots. Thats part of the game. Its intangibles that separate two teams of equal talent.Mulkey calls Wallace a key cog to everything were trying to do. Wallace, in turn, relishes her role and cant imagine playing at any other school. She was raised as a Baptist, and, in addition to boasting a storied womens basketball tradition, Baylor is the largest Baptist college in the world.Baylor is a great fit for me, Wallace said. It has that Christian atmosphere. They win championships, and thats what I wanted to do coming in. I had a great gut feeling about Baylor. ' ' '

The planned purchase of Formula One by Liberty Media could face an investigation by Britains Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to ensure it does not breach anti-competition laws.On Monday the CMA announced that it was considering whether the deal contravened Britains anti-competition laws and has requested for any interested parties concerned about the move to submit information before November 21.A statement of the government departments website said: The CMA is considering whether it is or may be the case that this transaction has resulted in the creation of a relevant merger situation under the merger provisions of the Enterprise Act 2002 and, if, so, whether the creation of that situation has resulted, or may be expected to result, in a substantial lessening of competition within any market or markets in the United Kingdom for goods or services.In September, Liberty Media confirmed that it had agreed to acquire F1 from a consortium led by CVS Capital Partners. The deal, worth $8 billion, would see Liberty take control of all of F1 holding companys Delta Topcos shares in the sport.The CMA said that the deadline for a decision on whether or not the Liberty Media would face a more formal investigation would be made on January 5, 2017. Yeezy Boost 350 V3 Fake .C. Lions has come to an end. Banks told TSN on Jan 2 that he had no interest in playing out the option year of his contract with the Lions in 2014, and he again made that clear in a conversation with Lions GM Wally Buono last week. Air Max 270 Discount . The Croatian served 21 aces and hit 42 winners against Sijsling, who double-faulted to give Cilic a 4-3 lead in the deciding set. "All the players, they know me and they were really happy to see me and they were really happy that this is over for me," Cilic said. http://www.brandshoescheaponline.com/wholesale-air-max-china/max-90-clearance-sale.html . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. Discount Air Force Ones . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Cheap Yeezys Fake . Nine days before the opening ceremony, organizing committee chief Dmitry Chernyshenko said Wednesday that Sochi is "fully ready" and will deliver safe, friendly and well-run games that defy the grim reports that have overshadowed preparations. AUBURN, Ala. -- Danjel Purifoy scored 27 points and a short-handed Auburn team tied the Southeastern Conference record with 21 3-pointers in a 117-72 victory Thursday night over Coastal Carolina.The Tigers (7-2) raced to a 56-27 halftime lead and continued that 3-point barrage throughout the second half. They wound up 21 of 42 from beyond the arc and matched the fifth-most points in school history.Kentucky also made 21 3s in 1990 and Arkansas matched that in 1997.Purifoy made five 3-pointers and added seven rebounds. Jared Harper was 5 of 6 from 3-point range and scored 16 points..dddddddddddd Mustapha Heron added 17 points and seven rebounds for the Tigers. Ronnie Johnson added 11 points and T.J. Dunans 10.Elijah Wilson led Coastal Carolina (5-7) with 22 points and Jaylan Robertson had 12.Missing two starters didnt slow the Tigers down. Forward Horace Spencer and guard Bryce Brown were suspended following their arrest early Wednesday morning on misdemeanor marijuana possession charges. LaRon Smith and TJ Lang took their spots. ' ' '

CLEVELAND -- The Indians had plenty of chances. They blew every one.With an opportunity to trim its magic number for winning the AL Central to one, Cleveland played sloppily on Saturday night and lost 8-1 to the Chicago White Sox, leaving the title -- and a playoff berth -- just out of reach.The Indians squandered early scoring chances against Jose Quintana (13-11) and disappointed a crowd of 32,088 fans who came hoping to see them move closer to the postseason.We had some really good chances early, and didnt do much with it, Indians manager Terry Francona said. And with a good pitcher like Quintana, he found himself.Clevelands magic number dropped to two after Detroit lost earlier to Kansas City. The Indians could have trimmed it further, and had a chance to clinch the title on Sunday in their regular-season home fine. However, theyll now need to win and get some more help from the Royals to wrap up their first division title since 2007 in front of their fans.Melky Cabrera and Jose Abreu hit RBI singles in the first off Cody Anderson (2-5), and Todd Frazier connected for his 39th homer in the sixth as the White Sox snapped a six-game losing streak.Quintana (13-11) gave up one run in six innings and beat Cleveland for the second time in 11 days. The Indians, who committed three errors, threw two wild pitches and had a passed ball, had Quintana on the ropes in the first two innings, but managed just one run.We had his pitch count up a lot early but we managed one (run), Francona said. We let him off the hook.With his rotation in disarray because of injuries, Indians manager Francona started Anderson and used seven relievers -- hardly an ideal situation for a team trying to lock down a postseason berth.The Indians, though, wasted the early opportunities against Quintana -- he threw 53 pitches in the first two innings -- and the left-hander got better as the game progressed.It was rough, White Sox manager Robin Ventura said of Quintanas first two innings. Locating-wise was probably the biggest thing. You really didnt see him like that too often. He gritted through it. He has a lot of heart in him to keep battling like that.Cleveland loaded the bases with one out in the first but Quintana got Carlos Santana to hit into an inning-ending double play. They had the bases full again in the second and appeared ready for a huge inning after Rajai Davis hit a one-out RBI single to right. But Coco Crisp got caught in a rundown for the second out and Quintana got Jason Kipnis to ground out.RED-HOT RAMIREZJose Ramirez has hit safely in his last 13 home games and is batting .432 (19 of 44) with eight doubles and 11 RBI in that span. He has 45 doubles, the most by a switch-hitter in club history.LINDORS SLIDEShortstop Francisco Lindor is hitless in his last 25 at-bats. He also had an error in the eighth, when the White Sox scored four times to make it 8-1.ODD LINEClevelands pitchers combined for 15 strikeouts and just one walk.GUYER PLUNKED -- AGAINIndians right fielder Brandon Guyer was hit for the 31st time, the most in the majors.TRAINERS ROOMIndians: Francona would like to give his players some rest in the seasons final week -- if possible. Lindor, for one, could use a break, but Francona acknowledged its tough to get fully re-charged at this point.Im not sure a day off just puts the spring back in your legs, he said. I think it helps, but I just think youve got to learn, thats part of growing up as a major league player.UP NEXTWhite Sox: Carlos Rondon starts the clubs final road game of 2016. Hes 0-2 with a 12.00 ERA in his past two starts.Indians: Josh Tomlins role in the postseason remains unclear. He could help himself with an outing similar to his last start, when he allowed one run and five hits in 6 2/3 innings. Mike Soroka Jersey . Its 1987 and a Brazilian playmaker, known as Mirandinha, is being paraded around St James Park to the passionate Newcastle fans. Brian McCann Jersey . Neymar curled home a free kick from just outside the area to put the 2014 World Cup host ahead in the 44th minute. Three minutes after the break, a simple through pass from Paulinho freed Oscar and the Chelsea star rounded goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong to extend Brazils lead. https://www.cheapbraves.com/ . Thousands of fans at Mosaic Stadium will be cozying up to each other in an effort to stay warm in chilly temperatures and block the Prairie wind that locals say can knock your socks off. Peter Moylan Jersey .C. -- Rodney Hood connected from all over the court while freshman Jabari Parker was busy swatting shots and scoring in transition. Braves Jerseys 2019 . Ryan Garbutt had a goal and two assists as Dallas snapped a six-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. DENVER -- San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy can only hope that the Giants offense, which has been faltering for weeks, might have bottomed out Monday when they were shut out at, of all places, Coors Field.The Giants were held to two hits by Chad Bettis, who threw a complete game Monday as the Colorado Rockies won the series opener 6-0.Since the All-Star break, the Giants are a major league-worst 16-31, a tailspin that includes 18 losses in their past 25 road games. The Giants are hitting a mere .219 (91-for-416) with runners in scoring position in the second half. According to STATS Inc., this is the first time the Giants have been held to four or fewer hits in five straight games since 1913.We have to find a way to come out of this, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. We couldnt generate the energy level up to get the offense going. Their guy pitched great. Ill give him that, but at the same time, weve been in this for a little while. Its time for us to wake up here.Were looking for that magic wand. We are looking for someone to get us going ... to see if somebody can jump start us and get this offense going. We are better than this. This thing is contagious. It has been here awhile, too long.Catcher Buster Posey, first baseman Brandon Belt and shortstop Brandon Crawford -- the Giants top three home-run hitters -- have combined for 243 at-bats since one of them last hit a home run -- 142 at-bats by Posey, 71 by Belt and 30 by Crawford, the last of that group to go deep when he homered Aug. 27.The boys have to get their confidence back, no question about that, Bochy said. These things are hard to explain. Crawford, Belt, Posey, the guys that normally have a few more home runs -- but the last thing you can do in this game is start thinking about it and trying for it. Now youre going to get really out of synch. You try to go up there and get a good swing off and see what happens.Jeff Samardzjia will start Tuesday for the Giants. Hes 11-9 with a 4.06 ERA and wasnt involved in the decision Thursday at Chicago when he allowed three runs on five hits in four innings as the Giants lost 5-4 to the Cubs. Samardzjia threw a career-high 47 pitches in the first inning and finished with 87 pitches. In two starts this season against the Rockies, Samardzjiaa is 1-1 with a 2.dddddddddddd30 ERA. In his lone start this season at Coors Field, he allowed two runs in eight innings April 12 and was the winning pitcher in the Giants 7-2 victory.Left-hander Tyler Anderson will start for the Rockies. Hes 5-5 with a 3.43 ERA, which is the lowest in franchise history by a Rockies starter in his first 15 career starts. Anderson has allowed three or fewer runs in 12 outings, including Wednesday when he worked 6 1/3 scoreless innings in the first game of a doubleheader against the Dodgers and won 7-0. In his lone start against the Giants on July 4 at San Francisco, Anderson allowed three runs on four hits, including homers by Angel Pagan and Posey, in six innings and took the loss as the Rockies fell 3-1.Bettis magnificent start Monday gave the Colorado bullpen a day off. Going forward, Rockies manager Walt Weiss will pick his spots to restore the confidence of Carlos Estevez, a 23-year-old rookie with a fastball that can easily touch 100 mph and sits at 97-98 mph. On Sunday against Arizona, Estevez, who is 3-7 with a 5.14 ERA in 56 games with 23 walks, 54 strikeouts and 42 hits allowed in 49 innings, gave up two runs in two-thirds of an inning. He had hit two batters in his previous 55 appearances before hitting two Arizona hitters Sunday in the space of four batters and yielding a two-run single.Estevez had a 3.66 ERA in his first 42 appearances but has since allowed 15 hits and 12 runs in his past 9 2/3 innings.I think every players confidence gets shaken in this league, Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. Its what you do with it, because everybody fails. For Carlos, hes going through some of that right now. Some of its mechanical, and were working on that because it comes down to command. He obviously has major weapons.Its about commanding the ball, staying in good counts. If you cant get in (good) counts and use the weapons, its a tough league to pitch in. Nothings changed for me as far as what I think about Carlos. I think hes got a tremendous future. Hes supremely gifted, and hes a great kid. Hes going to be fine -- just working through some things like every player has to. ' ' '

All of Wales Aviva Premiership-based players will be made available for the autumn Test opener against Australia in Cardiff on November 5.Premiership Rugby has confirmed the one-off move, describing it as a gesture of flexibility. It means that Wales interim head coach Rob Howley can call on the services of Northampton wing George North, Harlequins centre Jamie Roberts, Gloucester flanker Ross Moriarty, Exeter prop Tomas Francis, plus Bath forwards Luke Charteris and Taulupe Faletau, although number eight Faletau is currently injured.Premiership Rugby - the umbrella organisation for Englands 12 Aviva Premiership clubs - do not normally release non-England players who ply their trade in the Premiership for Tests that fall outside World Rugbys autumn international window.The Australia game is outside of that official three-weekend slot, with Wales also facing Argentina, Japan and South Africa in November.The Premiership Rugby decision applies to all nations in Test action on the weekend of November 4-6.The only other Tests that weekend are Ireland against New Zealand in Chicago and Japan versus Argentina.As a gesture of flexibility, the Premiership Rugby clubs will release their players outside the approved Test window for matches on the weekend of 4-6 November, a Premiership Rugby spokesperson told Press Association Sport. This comes as we continue deliberations on a new post-2019 global season structure to find an appropriate balance between club and international rugby.We are showing flexibility to help a number of unions who have decided to play on this particular weekend, but we must stress this is a one-off variation to the allowed window while discussions continue.Premiership Rugbys stance is a huge boost for Howley as Wales look to address a run of 11 successive defeats against Australia.Howley is at the helm this season while head coach Warren Gatland concentrates on British and Irish Lions business building towards next summers three-Test New Zealand tour.And the certainty of game-breakers like North and Roberts being available will be of huge benefit as preparations begin for the Wallabies fixture in 12 days time. Wholesale Celtics Jerseys . Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, announced Wednesday that the team would assign Swedish forward Elias Lindholm to his nations team for the upcoming tournament. Boston Celtics Pro Shop .7 million, one-year contract, a raise of $2.2 million. Wieters had asked for $8.75 million and the Orioles had offered $6. https://www.cheapceltics.com/ . Down by seven with 90 seconds left in regulation, thats where they looked comfortable. Cheap Celtics Jerseys . LOUIS -- The New Orleans Saints looked like a team playing out the string. Celtics Jerseys 2020 . JOHNS, N. Super Smash Bros. has a lot of variability. As an arena fighter, movement options are nearly infinite, and the slightest degrees in angle can influence direction. Smash Bros. players have been relegated to using a GameCube controller for the past 15 years, and unlike most game controllers, the gate around the thumb stick is octagonal, not circular. This allows players to accurately hit up, down, left and right, but also top-right, bottom-left, etc. Not only that, there are other angles that players can hit, such as the space between top and top-right. It gives Smash Bros a free-form and improvisational feel, as if almost any movement were possible.But there is a downside to this near-limitless movement option. The game is largely controlled by just your two thumbs, and as the game has continued to grow in speed and complexity, it has evolved to require absurd levels of precision. This is especially true for the second game in the series, Super Smash Bros. Melee. As competitive matches can have players hitting six inputs per second, accidental slipping of the thumb stick can mean a win or loss.To get a better understanding, imagine trying to draw a six-sided star, one-second at a time, perfectly in succession for 10 seconds. Your hand will have to deal with the friction of the paper, the dulling of the pencil, the tiring of your wrist. Unless your hand is absolutely steady and perfect, not every star will look the same. And thats the kind of dilemma competitive Smash Bros. players find themselves in.Not only that, but finding good-quality controllers is starting to become a problem. Most players agree that the best controllers were made in the early 2000s. As Smash Bros. has grown, these controllers have become far more scarce and sought-after.Thats not to say that the GameCube controller is the only option for Smash players, but it is the preferred one by far. The latest iteration, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, allows use of the Wii remote and nunchuck as well as the Wii U pro controller, which is closer to the controller found on the Xbox. But because of the GameCube controllers analogue buttons and octagonal gate, it has stayed.Thats where the Smash Box comes in. It breaks down Smash Bros. to only button presses, making movements as binary as possible and removing a controllers inconsistencies. To understand the philosophy behind the Smash Box, ESPN.com reached out to Hit Boxs Dustin Huffer to get some insight.Our goal is to evolve competitive gaming hardware for Smash and any other hard-core esport, one genre at a time, said Huffer. Its exactly like having hockey gear for hockey players and baseball gear for baseball players. Each game has its own challenges and needs that separate itself from other games.The current Smash Bros. metagame has evolved far past what the controllers were originally intended for. Some players will claw their controllers to allow the index finger to work in tandem with the thumb to move more precisely. Others will rest the joint of the thumb between two buttons to quickly pivot between presses. The lack of controller diversity has served as both a physical learning barrier preventing newcomers from joining in as well as putting a cap on many players competitive lifespan with carpal tunnel and other RSIs [repetitive stress injuries], said Huffer.Clearly, the most radical omission from the Smash Box is any sort of stick. Movement has been scaled back to just four buttons, kind of like the arrow keys on a keyboard. We ditched stick for accuracy, speed, and ergonomics said Huffer. Smash execution is all about surgical analog precision at ridiculous rates of speed. Watching a Melee players hands will baffle you at the gymnastics they perform.There are some added benefits as well. Dividing whats normally done with just one thumb across the entire hand gives unparalleled control over the game at high rates of APM [actions per minute], all while reducing hand strain, said Huffer.Dr. Caitlin McGee, a physical therapist, corroborated these claims: One of the biggest sources of repetitive stress injuries in Smash is the thumb motion required both for motion and for action inputs. This is significantly decreased with a more keyboard-style input system.Flattening out a GameCube controller to allow all fingers access to buttons would definitely decrease stress. Another common isssue with traditional controllers is compression on the pinky side of the wrist when holding the controller while the wrists are in ulnar deviation, she said.ddddddddddddRotating the forearm into pronation decreases this risk as well.But having a flat, keyboard style input system isnt without its downside. McGee said there are ergonomic issues related to the carpal tunnel/Guyons canal, wrist extensors and general postural concerns, but overall it should be less stressful than a GameCube controller.Even if the Smash Box turns out to be a competitive Smash controller, there are still legal concerns. Bassem Bear Dahdouh, a tournament organizer for Panda Global, explained: For a local tournament, I think it would be fine. I think its interesting to see how people will like it before considering it legal for events. But for a larger-scale tournament, third-party controllers for Smash Bros. tournaments need a bit of a testing phase to ensure there wont be any complications that could potentially delay a tournament.Theres also the matter of Nintendo, the makers of Super Smash Bros. The company has been notoriously protective of its intellectual property and has been known to shut down fan projects in the past. Chris Gallizzi, Hyperkins head of design and product development, has a bit of experience making third-party peripherals for Nintendo hardware. Because the Smash Box will be wired, it will not require wireless protocol access from Nintendo, which is a major burden lifted. Gallizzi also explained that there are enough third-party solutions out there to the point where no licensing is necessary with Nintendo.The Smash Box has been in development for the past two years, and in that time, top players have been able to get their hands on it.The Smash Box is surprisingly intuitive in a lot of ways. The button layout itself isnt too difficult to get used to, said Twitchs Kristopher Toph Aldenderfer, a top player and commentator. The trickiest thing has been acclimating to using the different tilt buttons in conjunction with each other to get, for example, perfect wave dashes or precise Firefox angles.What Toph refers to are advanced techniques, requiring multiple successive button presses that manipulate the games physics to allow for faster movements. It isnt second nature at all, but learning techniques in a modular manner, i.e., thinking of the perfect wave dash as a single unit, rather than thinking about each individual button press, helps a lot, Toph said.Its definitely unique, said Team Liquids Juan Hungrybox DeBiedma, a professional Super Smash Bros. Melee player and recent Evolution 2016 champion. Hungrybox said the learning curve is very steep but it theoretically could make someone the most technical player of all time. But Hungrybox said it may be better-suited for Street Fighter V, while Toph offered that itd take a few months of serious play for a pro to feel confident using it at a tournament.With a game as old as Melee, top players still jest that theres still a lot more to discover. In both Smash Wii U and Melee, we may start seeing matches more akin to tool-assisted super-play (TAS). TAS are demonstration videos in which the creator, using a game emulator on a computer, goes frame-by-frame to record a perfect match. Hit Box may have made it viable to create TAS videos for Smash, changing the metagame in the process. Characters that were thought to not have been viable in the meta might now be, if played at TAS levels of precision.As of now, its uncertain whether the Smash Box will even make a ripple in the Smash community, let alone change the metagame. And of course, it takes skill, and not just a new controller, to start making upsets.I think its too much of a risk, said Hungrybox.Toph said that top players wouldnt immediately make the switch. Itll probably take a newcomer making waves with the Smash Box before pros look at seriously switching, he said.The Smash Box brings a lot of potential, but with it a lot of uncertainties. Once the Kickstarter launches, it will be interesting to see if the community backs it. Regardless of its ambitions or concerns, one thing is certain: The community will continue to push Super Smash Bros. beyond anyones imagination. ' ' '

HOUSTON -- Houston coach Tom Herman and the Cougars are past the point of proving they are for real.Shocking the world is for the real underdogs and if a Power Five conference happens to take note of what Houston is doing thats fine.Whatever.We were prepared to win. We expected to win. We train to win, Herman said. It wasnt about making a statement, it was about going 1-0 the first week of the season.Greg Ward Jr., Brandon Wilson and the 15th-ranked Cougars looked every bit ready to compete in the Big 12 -- or any other conference for that matter -- in a 33-23 victory against No. 3 Oklahoma on Saturday.Houston is one of 11 schools that will meet with Big 12 officials starting next week to make a pitch to the Power Five conference that is pondering expansion.Regardless of whether Houston (1-0) ends up in the Big 12, the Cougars latest surprising win could have season-long ramifications on the College Football Playoff.Were not your typical Group of Five program, Houston athletic director Hunter Yurachek said.The elusive quarterback Ward passed for 321 yards and two touchdowns. Wilson, though, provided the key play in the biggest regular-season nonconference game the Cougars have played in 25 years and Houstons third victory in school history against a top-three team.The versatile senior defensive back went end line to end zone to score a touchdown with a short 54-yard field goal attempt to give Houston 26-17 lead with 8:28 left in the third quarter.Wilson reached up to catch the ball, barely keeping his feet in bounds. Reminiscent of Auburns Kick Six against Alabama in 2013, Wilson went flying out of the end zone and hurdled a fallen teammate to score what went into the books as a 100-yard return.I thought I stepped out, but I didnt, Wilson said. I just saw the green grass and I scored.Herman said he was looking for penalty flags.I was thinking this is too good to be true, surely theres a flag somewhere, Herman said.Oklahoma called a timeout before trying the kick, which Herman said allowed Houston to see the Sooners personnel and set up for the return.You know you have to cover it, but the personnel on the field isnt the best cover guys because the best cover guys wouldnt be able to protect the field goal. So youre in a little bit of a dilemma, Sooners coach Bob Stoops said. I dont really second-guess. Ive seen Austin (Seibert) make that quite a few times.THE TAKEAWAYOklahoma: The good news for the Sooners is they have plenty of time and opportunities left to make another playoff run. But they need to get things fixed quickly with No. 6 Ohio State in two weeks and No. 13 TCU on Oct 1.Baker Mayfield threw for 323 yards and two scores for the defending Big 12 champions Oklahoma (0-1). He was 9 for 9 for 162 yards in the first half, but ended up being sacked five times and fumbled once.Houston: After finishing last season 13-1 with a Peach Bowl victory against Florida State, the Cougars have consecutive victories against top-10 ranked opponents for the first time in school history. Playing outside the Power Five in the American Athletic Conference, Houston still will likely have little margin for error if it wants to force its way into the playoff. But this certainly makes it look possible.POLL IMPLICATIONSOklahoma: The Sooners can expect to tumble when the new rankings come out Tuesday, but remember: Oklahoma looked done when it was upset by Texas last season and went on to make the playoff.Houston: The last time the Cougars were ranked in the top five was 1990, when they reached No. 3. It wouldnt be shocking see them get there again soon.UP NEXTOklahoma: The Sooners get a break next week with a home game against Louisiana Monroe.Houston: The Cougars face FCS Lamar next Saturday at home, but they might get a little work done for Cincinnati this week, too. The Cougars have a Thursday night road game on short rest against the Bearcats on Sept. 15. Soccer Jerseys China . Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. Clearance Soccer Jerseys . LOUIS -- Lance Lynn was one of the more enthusiastic participants as the St. https://www.soccerjerseyschina.us/ . LOUIS -- St. Stitched Soccer Jerseys . The players spoke Jan. 13 during a Major League Baseball Players Association conference call after Rodriguez sued the union and Major League Baseball to overturn an arbitrators decision suspending him for the 2014 season and post-season. Soccer Jerseys Outlet . Francis told several hundred members of the European Olympic Committees that when sport "is considered only in economic terms and consequently for victory at every cost . PITTSBURGH -- Jhoulys Chacin was determined to eat up innings for his team and its weary bullpen. Absorbing a sharply-hit line drive off his pitching forearm wasnt going to deter him. Chacin allowed one run on six hits over eight innings and the Colorado Rockies snapped a four-game losing streak with a 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night. Chacin (10-5), who has won seven of his past nine decisions, stayed in the game after a ball off the bat of Starling Marte deflected off his right forearm in the fifth inning. "I didnt want to come out; I just wanted to keep pitching," said Chain, who lowered his road ERA to 1.78. "It hit me good, but just I moved my hand and it felt fine. "I really wanted to give the team seven or eight innings at least, so I was trying to do my job and help my bullpen, also. It was nice I was able to do that." Colorados Troy Tulowitzki had a solo homer and an RBI single, and Todd Helton had a two-run single 16 years to the day after making his major-league debut in the same city. The Rockies were coming off being outscored 40-13 by Atlanta in a four-game sweep at Turner Field. They won despite their lineup missing two of their best hitters for the second consecutive game -- Michael Cuddyer is away on a family emergency and Carlos Gonzalez did not enter the game until in the eighth inning as a defensive replacement after aggravating a sprained right middle finger on Wednesday night. After Fridays game, Gonzalez expressed doubt hed be ready to return to the lineup by Saturday but was encouraged it could happen Sunday. Neil Walker had two doubles for the Pirates (65-44), who came in with the best record in the majors. Pittsburgh has been outscored 17-2 in losing its past two after taking over the best record in the NL with four straight wins over the St. Louis Cardinals this week. The Pirates scored in the ninth with consecutive one-out doubles by Andrew McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez off temporary closer Rex Brothers. But Russell Martin flied out to deep centre and pinch-hitter Gaby Sanchez lined out to right to end it, earning Brothers his eighth save in nine opportunities. "The scoreboard dictated the situation and what I was throwing," Brothers said. "We had a three-run lead so I threw a lot of fastballs so they could put it in plaay.dddddddddddd." Pirates rookie Gerrit Cole (5-5) needed 102 pitches to make it through 5 1-3 innings, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks with six strikeouts. Cole dropped to 1-5 since winning his first four major league starts. "He came out of the chute good -- then at times it seemed that he couldnt put away the hitters because all the foul balls extended innings," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "He ran a lot of deeper counts that extended his pitch count. He didnt allow much damage to be done, though." Chacin is 7-2 with a 2.24 ERA since June 11 -- the same day as Coles debut. Chacin retired the final 14 he faced -- the last nine coming after Martes line drive deflected off his forearm to shortstop Tulowitzki, who threw to first to complete the putout. Chacin grimaced and shook his arm, but appeared to tell catcher Wilin Rosario, manager Walt Weiss and a member of the training staff that he was fine. Chacin retreated from the dugout into the tunnel after the inning ended but returned for the bottom of the sixth following a lengthy wait because his team sent eight men to the plate and scored three runs in the top half. "That thing hit him square, and I thought he might be done," Colorado manager Walt Weiss said. "And he goes out there and gives us three more innings. Really an impressive showing. "This year, we gave him the responsibility of being a top-of-the-rotation guy, and hes taken it and hes run with it." NOTES: Before the game, the Pirates swapped out a pair of relievers when they reinstated RHP Jared Hughes from the disabled list and optioned RHP Vic Black to Triple-A Indianapolis. ... The paid attendance of 37,487 was the 10th sellout at PNC Park this season ... This was the seasons first meeting between the teams; each has now played every NL team. ... Helton went 2-for-4 with a home run while batting fifth and playing left field for the Rockies in his first game in the majors Aug. 2, 1997, at Three Rivers Stadium. ... Hes 14 innings short of qualifying for the league leaders, but Saturday Pittsburgh starter LHP Francisco Liriano (11-4, 2.16) would rank second in the NL in ERA if he did. Rockies counterpart LHP Jorge De La Rosa (10-5, 3.21) allowed a season-high five runs in his most recent outing for Colorado. ' ' '

Dan Ryan will become the second male coach in the new Australian national netball championship after being named coach of the Adelaide Thunderbirds.The 32-year-old follows NSW Swifts boss Robert Wright in becoming a head coach at the elite national level.Ryan, a former Australian mens netball captain, was an assistant coach at the Thunderbirds when they won the 2013 title.He will return to Adelaide next week, quitting his role as coach of Manchester Thunder in England, where he has also been working as a specialist coach of the English national team.My ability to connect, engage and really understand my athletes has always been a major strength of my coaching, Ryan said in a statement on Wednesday.I would consider myself to be pretty demanding in regards to the level of quality and intensity I expect in a high-performance environment.I pride myself on bringing great passion and energy which I believe is critical in developing a thriving team culture and positive environment.The Thunderbirds parted with coach Michelle den Dekker midway through a disappointing just-completed season, where they finished last with just two wins.There is a lot of hard work ahead of us and we all need to be prepared to embrace that challenge to fight our way back to the top, Ryan said. Drew Pomeranz Jersey . Still, Brewers manager Ron Roenicke thought taking him out before the fifth inning was an unusual move. "Im looking up at the board and hes got two hits given up and one run, and Im taking him out after the fourth inning," Roenicke said. Bobby Doerr Jersey . John Tavares, Thomas Vanek and Kyle Okposo were also being counted on to slow down sizzling Rangers forward Rick Nash. That plan didnt go so well early. https://www.cheapredsox.com/2951z-juan-centeno-jersey-red-sox.html . Here are his mid-season NBA awards. MVP: (KEVIN DURANT-Thunder) - Has been sensational this season and more importantly, the most consistent player in the league. Considering that his team has been without star guard Russell Westbrook and with the free agent departure of sharpshooter Kevin Martin, hes had to carry the majority of the load to not only keep his team afloat but more importantly, at an elite level. Matt Barnes Red Sox Jersey .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. Gorkys Hernandez Jersey . Now tied for second in the league in shootout goals, the 24-year-old likes to see what the opposing goaltender has in store before he ultimately lands on a move. Each team has about 25 games remaining, and while only the American League East division has a race closer than four games, the wild-card races are likely going to go down to the final weekend of the season with multiple teams involved.?Lets take a quick look at the state of the wild-card races:Most important win: Orioles over Rays 7-3: This looked like another ugly Ubaldo Jimenez start when the Tampa Bay Rays torched him for three runs in the first inning. But this is baseball, and you cant predict baseball.dddddddddddd. Jimenez ended up tossing the Baltimore Orioles first complete game in over two seasons, since Miguel Gonzalez on Sept. 3, 2014. The Orioles remain tied with the Detroit Tigers for the second wild card and, with the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays both losing, are now just one game behind Boston and two behind Toronto. ' ' '

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Jerod Evans said that he needed to clean up some things during Virginia Techs upcoming off week.The Hokies fan base may be wondering what exactly that is. His play so far has been sparkling.Evans, the Hokies starting quarterback, threw three touchdown passes and rushed for one to lift Virginia Tech over East Carolina 54-17 on Saturday.The Hokies (3-1) scored on their final five possessions of the first half, including all four of their second-quarter possessions, to overwhelm East Carolina (2-2) and snap a two-game losing streak to the Pirates.Evans completed 13 of 20 passes for a career-best 282 yards and rushed for a career-best 97 more. He has thrown at least three touchdown passes in three of the Hokies first four games and is completing 67 percent of his passes.I missed a couple of things here and there, Evans said. I have a lot of things that I can get better at for sure.Evans entered the game with an ACC-best 10 touchdown passes this season. Of more importance to Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente, he has thrown just one interception.I think hes pretty good, Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente said of Evans. Hes been judicious with the ball and hes going to the right place most of the time. Hes been pretty efficient.Following a punt return for a touchdown by Greg Stroman and a touchdown run by Marshawn Williams that gave the Hokies a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, Evans threw touchdown passes of 24 yards to Isaiah Ford, 13 yards to Travon McMillian and 55 yards to Cam Phillips. That final score gave the Hokies a 38-0 halftime lead.ECU quarterback Philip Nelson had 362 yards passing and two touchdown tosses to Jimmy Williams. The Pirates had 443 yards of offense, but committed three special teams mistakes, fumbled once and were sacked six times.We studied the film well and they had a lot of keys when they were sliding the protection, said Ken Ekanem, who had two of the Hokies six sacks. We had a lot of indicators and we knew when someone was going to be left one-on-one. We look forward to one-on-one matchups and pride ourselves on winning those. We did a good job of that today.THE TAKEAWAYEAST CAROLINA: Coming off a 20-15 loss at South Carolina and playing its third consecutive game against a Power 5 opponent, the Pirates looked a step slow and out of sorts from the opening kick. They went three-and-out on five first-half possessions. The Pirates hope to regroup now that they have finished the non-conference portion of their schedule.That was clearly the best football team that we have played, ECU coach Scottie Montgomery said. The most physical. The biggest. The fastest. The strongest. The smartest. I thought they competed well in their scheme. They played great emotional football. They leaned on their crowd. They played a complete football game -- as complete as it gets.VIRGINIA TECH: The Hokies dominated on special teams, scoring four touchdowns as a result of those units. Greg Stroman scored on an 87-yard punt return, and a blocked field goal attempt led to an Evans touchdown pass to Isaiah Ford. Cam Phillips blocked a punt that led to an Evans touchdown pass to Travon McMillian, and a sack of ECU punter Worth Gregory in the fourth quarter led to a 1-yard touchdown run by backup quarterback Brenden Motley.UP NEXTEAST CAROLINA: The Pirates open AAC play next Saturday with a home game against UCF. ECU blasted the Golden Knights 44-7 last season for their first win in Orlando since 2008.VIRGINIA TECH: The Hokies are off next week before taking on North Carolina on Oct. 8 and will be looking to avenge last years 30-27 overtime loss. The Hokies have won nine of the 12 meetings with the Tar Heels since joining the ACC. 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Subscribe today!Dallas StarsOverall: 8 Title track: 25 Ownership: 15 Coaching: 35 Players: 20 Fan relations: 13 Affordability: 33 Stadium experience: 25 Bang for the buck: 17 Change from last year: +2After winning the Central Division last season, the Dallas Stars managed to move up two spots in our Ultimate Standings rankings. When it comes to the fan experience, the Stars know how to keep the fans entertained and engaged. From the ownership, player access and lots of success on the ice, the Stars dont have any plans to move away from the top 10 anytime soon.Whats goodFor the Dallas Stars, good ownership and fan relations come hand-in-hand. Sitting in the 15th spot in ownership and 13th in fan relations, the Stars know how to run a successful hockey team and create an enjoyable fan experience both on and off the ice. For Dallas Stars president and CEO Jim Lites, the equation is simple: provide special benefits for season-ticket holders, enhance the stadium experience and emphasize the Victory Green. Weve introduced a new customized benefit plan for season-ticket holders that allows them to choose between a gift or an experience like a fan tunnel or penalty box visit in appreciation of their support, Lites says. This provides more added value that is tailored to the individual.Whats badTheres always major buzz surrouunding the Dallas Stars, but when it comes to affordability, they are beginning to see a slight decline in fan approval.dddddddddddd After dropping 13 spots in the affordability category, the Stars biggest challenge this year will be to keep fans coming back despite a raise in prices. However, the Stars tickets are still the second-cheapest in hockey, and considering the product on the ice -- the team is stacked with one of the best offenses in the NHL, with stars like Jamie Benn and his sidekick Tyler Seguin -- $37 is a more than reasonable price. At any rate, these higher prices dont seem to deter the strong Victory Green fan base.Whats newFrom the big, fluffy green mascot -- respectfully named Victor E. Green -- to the new LED boards on the terrace level, the Stars jumped 13 spots in the stadium experience rankings (25th overall). Inside the American Airlines Center, Dallas fans can enjoy the action on the ice from any angle. When the fans enter the village area, they are immediately greeted by a community filled with green team pride. We have really emphasized Victory Green as a core element of our brand, Lites says. We are requesting fans wear green on game nights, giving us our own unique in-arena experience.Next: Pittsburgh Penguins?| Full rankings ' ' '