ekansekans's blog: "df"

WASHINGTON -- Waking up early during the off-season back home in Florida, Gio Gonzalez and his personal trainer would consult a workout program tucked away in a folder labeled "Project 20." As in 20 victories, a milestone number for a pitcher, even in this age of newfangled statistics. Gonzalez became the majors first 20-game winner of 2012, and the first pitcher for a Washington baseball team with 200 strikeouts since Walter Johnson in 1916, taking a shutout into the sixth inning Saturday to help the Nationals close in on their first NL East title by beating the Milwaukee Brewers 10-4. "In a way, you kind of smile about it, because we finally reached our goal," Gonzalez said, standing in front of a locker sporting seven $20 bills presumably donated by teammates to mark the occasion, "and now its time to change it up and continue to try and get better goals and higher goals." Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond each hit a three-run homer off former Nationals pitcher Livan Hernandez in the fourth inning, and Washington stopped Milwaukees six-game winning streak. The Brewers fell to 2 1/2 games behind St. Louis for an NL wild-card berth. "I dont feel like we have to win every single game the rest of the season -- I dont feel that -- but I tell you what: We better win most of them or almost all of them," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. Owners of baseballs best record, the Nationals already are assured of post-season play, and Gonzalez (20-8, 2.84 ERA) is a big reason. "It doesnt feel like a 20th win for myself. It feels like a 20th win for the team," the lefty said. "This is a childhood dream, but at the same time, to do it with a team thats in first place makes it that much better." Other than a bit of a pratfall -- Gonzalez caught one of his cleats in the dirt, tumbled off the mound and landed face-first in the grass after a pitch -- he was pretty dominant Saturday. He went seven innings, allowing two unearned runs and three hits. He only walked one, and his five strikeouts raised his total to 201. The Nationals traded for him in the off-season, shipping four prospects to the Oakland Athletics, then signing Gonzalez to a $42 million, five-year deal. "Hes always had the stuff," Zimmerman said. With one out in the seventh, Gonzalez lost his footing while throwing a pitch that sailed to the backstop on the fly. Gonzalez stayed down on his belly for a few seconds, his arms and legs splayed, before getting up. Eventually, a team trainer, manager Davey Johnson and some smiling teammates went out to check on Gonzalez. "Oh, it was hilarious. I asked him ... Are you hurt? And he said No, my feelings are hurt a little bit. So we got a kick out of it," said Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche, who tied a career high with his 32nd homer. Joked Desmond: "Im just glad he didnt mess up his hair." When Gonzalez stepped back on the mound, he tipped his cap, and the sellout crowd of 40,493 roared. They gave a standing ovation when he walked to the dugout two outs later, his afternoon done. Gonzalez later got a bit hug from Nationals pitching coach Steve McCatty. Zimmerman (who hit his 23rd homer), Desmond (24th) and LaRoche are other significant parts of the first major league team in the nations capital to head to the post-season in 79 years. Washingtons victory lowered its magic number for clinching a division championship to six over Atlanta. Milwaukee starter Wily Peralta (2-1) lasted only 2 2-3 innings, giving up three runs and five hits, along with four walks and a wild pitch. "He really couldnt get comfortable," Roenicke said. "The mounds a little bit different, and he found that out in the first inning." Washingtons 19-year-old centre fielder, Bryce Harper was in the middle of several key plays Saturday. He made a running, back-to-the-infield catch on a deep fly by Rickie Weeks to end the top of the third. Moments later, Harper drove a pitch barely above the dirt into left for an RBI double to make it 1-0. Then, apparently picked off second because he strayed too far off the bag, Harper bolted for third and wound up with a stolen base, before scoring on LaRoches double. "Typical Harper move, trying to make something happen," Johnson said. "He probably used that a lot in high school." NOTES: The Brewers will start RHP Yovani Gallardo (16-8) on Sunday, while the Nationals will use RHP Chien-Ming Wang (2-3) as a spot starter to keep their rotation on regular rest after a doubleheader Wednesday. ... RF Aoki threw out Morse at the plate for the last out of the second. Morse tried to score on Suzukis fly ball. ... LaRoche also hit 32 homers in 2006, while playing for Atlanta. 20:38ET 22-09-12 Wholesale NFL Jerseys China . Michael Arnold, lead negotiator for the NFL Referees Association, says the union remains "willing to negotiate with the NFL in order to reach a fair agreement." But Arnold says "no additional meetings are scheduled at this time. Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys . Josh Donaldson hit a three-run homer and five pitchers combined to beat the struggling Cleveland Indians 8-4 on Wednesday night. "We did what we needed to win," manager Bob Melvin said after Oakland took over the AL wild-card lead by one game over Baltimore with its 11th win in 13 games. http://hipstervancouver.com/ . Numbers Game examines the Braves acquisition of Justin Upton. The Braves Get: RF Justin Upton and 3B Chris Johnson. Upton, 25, is getting dealt at a relative low point in his value, coming off a season in which he had 17 HR, 67 RBI, 18 SB, a .There currently is no clear definition of contender in the MMA dictionary.  There are two choices, the traditional sense of a contender as set by boxing, and the spectacle side of it as set by the fans. “I think its really important that we stick to some type of system of the champion fighting the next deserving contender,” UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones told Ariel Helwani on FUEL TV on Tuesday. Would I like to see Jones fight Chael Sonnen? Yes, and thankfully we will get that matchup very soon. However, Sonnen is not the most deserving opponent and someone else is being robbed of their shot.  There is no discernable system for ranking in place right now and MMA needs to correct that.  Many websites have their own MMA rankings, including TSN.ca, but MMA as a competitive sport does not. Finding out who is the rightful contender in any given division is not the point of this article.  That is an argument for Twitter.  The point of this article is to provoke some thoughts on the state of MMA. Boxing has been around a long time, and is an Olympic sport. If fans of MMA want the same for their sport, then it is time for a system to be put in place.  There needs to be contenders, and fights to decide who the top contender is, as well as space and timing so everyone can prepare and stay healthy.  Something that needs to disappear in all of this is the mindset of not taking a fight with a friend. First, let me say I understand the brotherhood of training.  I grew up in the martial arts and have trained at multiple MMA gyms.  I have watched The Roots Of Fight mini-documentary on Black House Gym and understand that its an elite level facility.  Further, I understand friendship and not wanting to step across any lines or end a friends career.  However, there are three important fights right now that will “never” happen.  Josh Koscheck has said he and Jon Fitch will not fight, even though they are no longer at the same gym.  Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva have said the same, and they both train together to this day at Black House Gym.  Rory MacDonald and Georges St-Pierre have also said they will never meet in the Octagon.  How are we supposed to set up top contenders and proper championship matches when top fighters who refuse to compete? Think of every other sport out there.  NFL players get traded and have no problem getting out there and going to work. Hockey is the same.  You also never hear golfers say they refuse to step up to the tee and beat a friend or take their money from them when they win.  So why are these fighters so quick to say no? I understand why Dana White is forced to put on fights like Jones vs. Sonnen, he needss to sell pay-per-views.dddddddddddd  Plus with so many injuries and guys turning down fights, there really seems to be no choice. Can MMA with all its politics actually create a true contender system? I fundamentally agreed with Jones quote at the beginning of this column. The problem that is out there right now is simply the growth of the sport.  It is exponential.  It seems that quarterly the UFC takes on a new continent or country.  That growth means fans need to be won over, hype needs to be created, and feuds need to be fueled.  There needs to be spectacle. Social media seems to be the new ranking system.  What fight do the fans want? Well, head to twitter, look at blogs, and listen to podcasts and its very clear.  We want super fights, and we want big battles with guys who are not afraid to throw big punches.  Is Johny Hendricks the next fight for GSP? Hendricks record is solid, but I think he needs to beat Carlos Condit or Nate Diaz before he gets the shot. In the traditional sense of rankings, you get your shot once you beat a top contender. You take your place, you train, you win, and you get your shot.  Yet, St-Pierres camp can put out a whisper on the internet and in two days it can become a roar.  That roar has Diaz and GSP looking like it will be the next fight.  Whatever comes from the next few weeks and months from MMA and the ranking system really needs to get clarified.  Will the UFC chase down being a spectacle and a fan sport? Or will they work to become a more traditional system of ranking and hard work?  My hope is that they figure it out fast.  With the creation of a womens division, UFC could launch it seamlessly.  Liz Carmouche is fighting Ronda Rousey at UFC 157 and that by the rankings seems like the right fight.  However, the fans want Cristiane (Cyborg) Santos and Rousey to go to work.  Despite Santos and Rousey being in two different weight classes, it is the fight people want to see.  Rousey is just too dominant, but that is a discussion for another blog. Rousey should fight Carmouche, but I would rather see the spectacle of her and Santos. My hope is that the UFC is clear which way they will go, and that they stick to their guns, whether it be a decision for formal rankings or fan based requests.  I prefer the hard work and creation of contenders, but all I want to see is some great fights and the events that shock the world. More importantly, I want to see the continued growth of this sport.  Jordan Cieciwa can be heard on TSN Radio 1290 every Saturday at 11:30am ct with his show The Weigh-In. You can also follow Jordan at www.twitter.com/FitCityJordan and get all your fitness tips at www.onefitcity.com. ' ' '