long79333's blog: "opped 31 shots in defeat. Belleville had a number of quality chances on DAgostini in the first two periods before Berisha converted on a perfect tic-t"

DETROIT -- Alex Avila took advantage of a rare mistake from Stephen Strasburg. Avila hit a tiebreaking grand slam in the sixth inning on a Strasburg fastball right over the plate, lifting the Detroit Tigers to a 5-1 win over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night. "When youre facing a guy like Strasburg, you may get one pitch all game to do something," Avila said. Anibal Sanchez (9-7) gave up one run, five hits and two walks over seven innings for Detroit. Jose Veras, a day after being acquired from Houston, was perfect in the eighth in his Tigers debut. Joaquin Benoit, who will keep his job as the teams closer, gave up one hit in the ninth inning. Sanchez, who has given up two earned runs combined in his last three starts, isnt ready to say hes in a groove. "I need to keep working on my command," he said. "My first pitch for a strike is not there yet and I need that." Strasburg (5-9) allowed five runs, six hits and three walks while striking out seven over seven innings. Strasburg is winless in his last four starts and has given up at least four earned runs in three of his last five outings. "I thought he pitched great," Nationals manager Davey Johnson said. "He just made one mistake and Avila crushed it. Until that inning, the way he was cruising, I thought we might get nine innings out of him." The AL Central-leading Tigers have won four straight and eight of nine to move 15 games over .500 for the first time this season. Washington started strong, scoring a run on three hits in the first against Sanchez. Bryce Harper led off with a triple and scored on Ryan Zimmermans single. Then, the Nationals couldnt get much else going offensively. "Were not swinging the bats that badly, but we never seem to score for Stephen," Johnson said. "I cant explain that." The Nationals have scored a combined total of nine runs in Strasburgs last four outings. Miguel Cabrera faced Strasburg for the first time in the regular season with two outs and a runner on base in the first and he hit a 2-0 pitch sharply up the middle for a single, but was stranded when Victor Martinez hit an inning-ending flyout. Cabrera later, trying to field a grounder in the fifth inning, appeared to aggravate the left hip injury that had recently knocked him out of the lineup, but he stayed in the game. "It bothered him a little bit," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. Andy Dirks hit a game-tying double in the fourth inning and if a fan, sitting in the front row along the third-base line, didnt field the ball with his glove, the Tigers mightve gone ahead. Jhonny Peralta was sent back to third base after scoring, and Avila ended the inning with a flyout. The catcher made up for the missed opportunity a few innings later, sending Strasburgs 2-1 pitch soaring deep into the right-field seats to give the a four-run lead. "I pitched well, minus one pitch," Strasburg said. "That was supposed to be a fastball away, but it came back over the plate and he put a good swing on it." NOTES: Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski said before the game that didnt anticipate making another trade before Wednesdays non-waiver deadline, but did in fact make a deal after the game. Detroit acquired IF Jose Iglesias from Boston for OF Avisail Garcia and RHP Brayan Villarreal, adding a much-needed option if Peralta is suspended as part of baseballs Biogenesis drug investigation. ... Johnson said he doesnt expect the Nationals to make a trade before the non-waiver deadline. ... Johnson said pitching coach Steve McCatty, a Detroit native, was still in a hospital, two days after he was taken there to treat an irregular heartbeat and high blood pressure. He is expected to be released Wednesday. "Just being really careful with him," Johnson said. Detroit RHP Justin Verlander (10-8) is scheduled to start against Washington LHP Gio Gonzalez (7-3) on Wednesday afternoon in the series finale. ... The Nationals, who swept a two-game series against Detroit at home in May, fell to 0-4 at Comerica Park. ... Detroit had a grand slam in its last game with Peralta clearing the bases in a 12-4 win that finished off a sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies. <a href="http://www.stitchednfljerseyschina.com/">Wholesale Jerseys From China</a>. Kansas Ben McLemore, a redshirt freshman surrounded in the starting lineup by seniors, didnt let the raucous crowd, the travel or sleeping in a strange bed bother him. <a href="http://www.stitchednfljerseyschina.com/">jerseys from china</a>. Belt was hit by a pitch from St. Louis Trever Miller in the seventh inning of Tuesdays 4-3 loss to the Cardinals. Manager Bruce Bochy initially thought Belt would miss a few days and return to the lineup, but tests performed Saturday morning revealed the fracture in Belts wrist. <a href="http://www.stitchednfljerseyschina.com/">http://www.stitchednfljerseyschina.com/</a>. But with six more years on his conract at almost $8 million per season, the 27-year-old Nash would have to fit well into a teams payroll. On top of that, Nash reportedly has a short list of teams he would accept a trade to - courtesy of his no-movement clause. <a href="http://www.stitchednfljerseyschina.com/">China Jerseys NFL</a>. Basically, the leading golf stakeholders (Golf Canada, PGA of Canada, etc.) have an association that comes together for industry purposes. <a href="http://www.stitchednfljerseyschina.com/">China Jerseys Wholesale</a>. Hamilton announced the signing of former free agent LB Marcellus Bowman on Sunday. Bowman spent the past three seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, where he registered a total of 153 tackles, nine sacks, and two interceptions.CHICAGO -- The Detroit Tigers keep on winning, even without Miguel Cabrera. Prince Fielder, Austin Jackson and Torii Hunter homered, and Anibal Sanchez pitched six scoreless innings to help the Tigers overcome Cabreras latest absence in a 6-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night. Cabrera, the reigning AL MVP and baseballs first Triple Crown winner in 45 years last season, left Mondays game in the bottom of the fifth inning with a left hip flexor injury. He hasnt played since and might sit out Thursday, too, when the Tigers go for a four-game sweep and their fifth straight win. Sanchez (8-7) earned his first win since July 6, allowing six hits and striking out five. The right-hander had only allowed five earned runs in his previous two starts, both losses, but continued Detroits strong starting pitching during the series. In three games, Tigers starters have pitched 21 innings and allowed two runs, giving the Cabrera-less lineup room to breathe. "We need (Cabrera) on the end," Sanchez said. "Hes a big piece of the lineup and we need to try to play hard without him." They did just that Wednesday, hitting three homers off John Danks (2-8) despite not having Cabrera, who is hitting .358 with 31 homers and 96 RBIs. "It falls squarely on me. This is no one elses fault. It was just one of those nights," Danks said. "There is no other way to explain it, just wasnt able to do what I wanted to do. "Thats just the way it goes. I understand what happened. I understand adjustments need to be made, and we will work on it." Fielder gave the Tigers a 3-0 lead in the first with his 17th home run. Hunter reached on a fielders choice, and Matt Tuiasosopo walked before Fielder hit a 1-0 pitch into deep right-centre field for his first homer since July 10. Danks retired the first two batters in the second before Jackson hooked the first pitch around the foul pole in left to make it 4-0. In the fifth, Hunter hit his ninth homer to give Detroit a 5-0 lead. Hunter went 2 for 5, improving to .354 in July. Over three games against left-handed starters Chris Sale, Hector Santiago, and Danks, Detroit has scored 11 earned runs. "Well, I mean, yeah, we did a good job," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "Prince has hit lefties real good. He got us off to a great start." That was enough to propel Sanchez andd Detroit past Chicago, which dropped to 20 games below .dddddddddddd500 for the first time Sept. 26, 2007. The White Sox are a season-high 16 games out of first place. Danks lost his second straight start and is winless since July 2. He worked seven innings and matched his season high by giving up six runs along with 11 hits -- including the three home runs to give him 17 allowed this season in 12 starts. "It was a tough game. Kind of a frustrating game," Danks said. "Hard to make the ball do what I wanted it to and hard to get it where I wanted it to be." Nights like Wednesday are why the White Sox are expected to be sellers before the July 31 trade deadline. "There are a lot of things floating out there that make it more difficult for guys to just play baseball," Ventura said. "I think subconsciously it is in there. Whether you like to think so or not, its there, because everything is floating out there. Ill be glad when it turns August." By then, Cabrera should be back for the Tigers. Not that they need to rush him back the way the offence has been without him. "Thats good because that gives him more chance to recover (from) the soreness hes got," Sanchez said. NOTES: RHP Jair Jurrjens signed a Triple-A contract and will join Detroits affiliate Toledo on Friday. Jurrjens started his career with the Tigers in 2007 and spent five seasons with Atlanta before signing with Baltimore. He made two appearances this season before becoming a free agent on July 18. ... Leyland said 2B Ramon Santiago would start Thursday. ... Both White Sox pitcher Jake Peavy and right fielder Alex Rios addressed trade speculation surrounding them. Peavy, bothered by sore ribs after his Saturday start, said he is "pretty abreast" of whats happening and wont "be caught off guard" if he is traded. Rios said he doesnt "have people asking me or telling me what is going on" and he has "no idea" what will happen. ... White Sox 2B Gordon Beckham missed his fourth straight game with a strained left wrist sustained Friday. He took soft tosses. ... White Sox RHP Jesse Crain, out since July 3 with a strained right shoulder, played catch and said he felt OK. ... Thursdays pitching matchup features two former Cy Young Award winners, with Detroits Justin Verlander (10-7, 3.69) facing Peavy (7-4, 4.19). ' ' '

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- J.A. Happ raised his glove in front of his face as quickly as he could, a futile attempt to shield himself from the line drive headed straight for his temple. It was too late. Thwack! The sickening sound of a sharply hit baseball striking the Toronto pitchers skull could be heard all the way up in the press box. And then, sheer silence. Happs frightening injury Tuesday night at Tropicana Field left players on both teams shaken and revived questions about whether Major League Baseball is doing enough to protect pitchers who often find themselves in harms way on the mound. "There are always close calls," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "It wakes you up, man -- thats for sure." Happ was hit squarely on the left side of his head by Desmond Jennings second-inning liner during Torontos 6-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. The left-hander was immobilized on a backboard, lifted onto a stretcher and wheeled off the field. He was taken to Bayfront Medical Center, where the Blue Jays said he was alert and undergoing tests. Nursing supervisor Natasha Keller told The Associated Press that Happ had been admitted to the hospital and was in stable condition. It was the latest injury to a pitcher struck by a batted ball in the last few years, and baseball has discussed ways to protect hurlers who ply their craft against the worlds strongest hitters -- only 60 feet, 6 inches from home plate. General managers discussed the issue during their meetings in November and MLB presented several ideas at the winter meetings weeks later. MLB staff have said a cap liner with Kevlar, the material used in body armour for the military, law enforcement and NFL players, is among the ideas under consideration. The liners, weighing perhaps 5 ounces or less, would go under a pitchers cap and help protect against line drives that often travel over 100 mph. "We are actively meeting with a number of companies that are attempting to develop a product, and have reviewed test results for several products," MLB spokesman Pat Courtney told the AP in an email after Happ was injured. "Some of the products are promising. No company has yet developed a product that has satisfied the testing criteria." Several pitchers around the majors sounded resistant -- even after seeing replays of Happs injury. "You know the risks," Angels lefty C.J. Wilson said. "Guys get hurt crashing into fences. Guys get hurt tripping over first base and blowing their knee out. This is professional sports, and we are paid well to take those risks." MLB could implement the safety change in the minor leagues, as it did a few seasons ago with augmented batting helmets, but would require the approval of the players union to make big leaguers wear them. Colorado Rockies left-hander Jorge De La Rosa said if a helmet or liner is developed for pitchers, hed gladly wear one. "It wouldnt be hard for me," De La Rosa said. "To protect against those kinds of things, its good for us." Cincinnati Reds pitcher Homer Bailey doesnt like the idea of wearing protective headgear. "The games been played a long time. Situations like that are unfortunate, but we have to keep it our game," he said. "I dont think you have to adjust the whole program." And Seattle Mariners right-hander Aaron Harang thinks it would be difficult for veteran major league pitchers to adapt to new equipment. "I know its a hot topic," he said, "but I dont think its a problem thats easily solved. I know a lot of people want pitchers to start wearing helmets. Its a good idea in theory, but I dont know how practical it is. I think you need to start with that at the lower level, Im talking high school and maybe even lower, and then gradually introduce it into the higher level. Ive been pitching since I was 6 years old and Ive never worn a helmet. I think it would be tough to make that adjustment while pitching in a major league game." Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington wondered if theres a viable solution. "What can you do?" he said. "Tell hitters not to hit it back up the middle?" Oakland right-hander Brandon McCarthy was hit in the head by a line drive last September, causing a skull fracture, an epidural hemorrhage and a brain contusion that required surgery. He was released from the hospital six days later. McCarthy, who pitched for Arizona on Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers, said he wont watch video of Happ getting hit. "I dont know what the GMs and the owners have to do with anything. Its not like theyre pitching," McCarthy said. "Until someone makes something that works, its going to be tough for someone to wear it. "Most everything thats come out wouldnt have protected me, and it wouldnt have protected (Happ) if he got hit directly in the ear. Youre at a point now where youre looking at batting helmets. Youd have to have something that protected the ear and then the face and beyond. So its kind of a slippery slope. Someone will have to come up with something really good and really sound. Otherwise, I dont know how you answer that question." Still, McCarthy maintains hope. "Weve put things on the moon before, so I feel like we can create some sort of a device that sits over your head and protects you," he said. "Someone will do it. Its just a matter of when, not if." Jennings liner caromed off Happs head and halfway up the right-field line in foul territory as Jennings raced around the bases for a two-run triple. The 30-year-old Happ dropped face down at the front of the mound, holding his head with his glove and bare hand. Team trainers, paramedics and medical officials rushed to Happs aid as a stunned crowd of 10,273 at Tropicana Field fell into a horrified hush. A shaken Jennings stood with his hands on his head, and other players were visibly concerned as they watched Happ receive medical attention for about eight minutes. The pitcher was wheeled off the field to a waiting ambulance. Just before he disappeared under the stands, Happ raised his right hand and waved. He received a standing ovation from the crowd, and the game resumed after an 11-minute delay. "I came in and watched (video of) it and I wish I wouldnt have," Mariners pitcher Joe Saunders said. "It was ugly. It was scary. I just hope hes going to be all right." <a href="http://www.stitchednfljerseyschina.com/">China Jerseys</a>. -- The Washington Capitals have called up right wings Joey Crabb and Tom Wilson from Hershey of the AHL ahead of Fridays Game 5 against the New York Rangers. <a href="http://www.stitchednfljerseyschina.com/">nfl Jerseys China</a>. 1 after its cancellation this season because of the NHL lockout. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman made the announcement Sunday before the Red Wings hosted the St. <a href="http://www.stitchednfljerseyschina.com/">http://www.stitchednfljerseyschina.com/</a>. Still a few weeks away from the NHL Draft, in which the Habs have a healthy dose of picks at their disposal in the first three rounds, in will prove to be an interesting time over the next month. <a href="http://www.stitchednfljerseyschina.com/">jerseys from china</a>.C. -- Any notion that the Abbotsford Heat would coast through the final games of the American Hockey League season were put to rest this weekend. <a href="http://www.stitchednfljerseyschina.com/">China Jerseys NFL</a>. The Jets are tied with Carolina at 32 points, however, Winnipeg is second in the Southeast Division based on the fact the Hurricanes have played one less game. NASHVILLE -- The Detroit Red Wings have given themselves a little breathing room, at least for the moment. Henrik Zetterberg had a goal and an assist, and the Red Wings beat the Nashville Predators 3-0 Sunday night for a crucial two points in their chase to extend their streak of playoff berths. The Red Wings got their first win in four games, the last two shootout losses, and moved into sole possession of eighth in the West, two points ahead of Dallas and Columbus. Johan Franzen also scored a goal, Justin Abdelkader added a late empty-netter and Pavel Datsyuk had two assists. Jimmy Howard made 22 saves for his third shutout this season. Detroit coach Mike Babcock said they got two big points that tied the Red Wings with seventh-place Minnesota with 47 points. "Theres a lot of us in that mud puddle trying to find a way to swim," Babcock said of tight pack in the standings. Pekka Rinne made 29 saves for Nashville, which lost its sixth straight. Nashville hoped to spoil the Red Wings playoff chase in their final game in Music City as Central Division rivals before realignment. Their final game is April 25 in Detroit in a rivalry where Nashville measured itself against the Original Six team from its inception before beating the Red Wings in the playoffs last year. "Howard, again, came up huge," Detroit defenceman Niklas Kronwall said. The Red Wings hadnt won since April 5. They began the day tied with Dallas and Columbus with 45 points, with the pressure mounting to uphold a tradition featuring 21 consecutive playoff appearances. Howard, who had his 14th career shutout, certainly helped as he stopped 13 shots in the first period before Detroit started firing pucks at Rinne over the final 40 minutes. "We control our own destiny," Howard said. "Its upon us and the dressing room to get the job done. I think a lot of people would be happy to see us miss the playoffs. We have to go out there and play with the same sense of urgency when we get out to Calgary." Nashville was seven points behind that trio of teams fighting for the Western Conferences eighth and final playoff spot. With five games left after playing Detroit, that hope is slim for a franchise that has turned to a forced youth movement because of injuries. Predators coach Barry Trotz said the players are getting real valuable experience and showing team officials what they can and cant do. "Its not probably a great answer for the fans from that standpoint," Trotz said. "But its reality. We cant do anything about all the veterans and all our top players, especially up front, that are hurt. We dont have any excuses for it. We just got to try to play through it and get a win. We have to spoils somebodys party here." The Predators started Filip Forsberg, the 18-year-oold forward they got from Washington at the trade deadline in exchange for veteran Martin Erat.dddddddddddd He arrived Saturday from Sweden and was the sixth rookie in the lineup Sunday night for a team with three forwards already heading toward season-ending surgeries with Patric Hornqvist, Brandon Yip and Mike Fisher also scratched for injuries. He skated on a line with David Legwand and Taylor Beck, filling in for Hornqvist, and got to play against Zetterberg. "He is one of the best Swedish players ever in the NHL," Forsberg said. Forsberg, drafted at No. 11 overall in 2012 by the Capitals, showed off some of his offensive instincts with his first NHL shot. He broke out on a 1-on-3 and had a wrister from the slot that Howard stopped at 7:54 of the first. Forsberg also was on the ice when Nashville got its first power play of the night at 10:33 of the first when Franzen went to the box for interference. The rookie can play in five games without burning a contract year. Trotz said hell leave that decision to general manager David Poile, though injuries may force that decision too. Rinne, the two-time Vezina Trophy finalist, used his back to block a shot onto the top of the net at 2:13 of the second and had fans chanting "Pekka, Pekka" after a flurry of saves 5:00 into the period. Rookie Danny DeKeyser, who chose Detroit over teams including Nashville, took a shot that hit off the back boards and around to Zetterberg for the easy tap-in goal at 6:23 for a 1-0 lead. That was Zetterbergs first goal in 11 games. "Peks is a world class goaltender and you know when he gets the lead he seems even harder," Howard said. "It was imperative, and I think a weight lifted off our shoulders when we got the first one." Nashville had a chance to tie in the third when Bobby Butler got a penalty shot attempt after being hooked by Jakub Kindl on a breakaway attempt at 6:24. But Butler lost the puck before attempting a shot in front of Howard, summing up the Predators woes in this skid. Franzen scored on a backhander over Rinnes glove at 17:01 in the third to seal the victory. Nashville took its timeout with 1:57 left and pulled Rinne. Abdelkader had an easy goal at 18:41. NOTES: Detroits last road shutout was Oct. 8, 2011, in a 3-0 win at Colorado with Ty Conklin in net. ... DeKeyser got his first NHL point in his fifth career game. ... Franzens goal was his 300th career point. ... Forsberg became the third-youngest player to play for the Predators at 18 years, 244 days. Only Scott Hartnell (18, 171 days) and Legwand (18, 243 days) were younger. ... Nashville notched its 19th sellout this season in its 22nd home game. ... Nashville D Kevin Klein picked up only his second penalty this season, for slashing, in the second period. ' ' '

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Missing two of their top six scorers, the Minnesota Wild need to bring more grit to their game than usual. Just whats at the top of the job descriptions for Andrew Brunette and John Madden. Brunettes power-play goal late in a sluggish second period forged a tie that Madden broke by scoring with 9:05 left, lifting the Wild to a must-have 5-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night. "You need those guys on the team. They bring a lot of confidence in the room," goalie Niklas Backstrom said. "Theyve been in this situation a lot of times in past years, so theyre really key guys for us. The bigger the game, the bigger the situation, theyre usually stepping up." Kevin Porter and Paul Stastny had goals for the turnover-plagued Avalanche, who again hit their ceiling: Theyre averaging less than two scores during this terrible 20-game stretch with a record of 2-16-2 since Jan. 18. "We still have a lot of time here and a lot of hockey remaining to be played," coach Joe Sacco said. "We want to stay positive and keep playing hard and making sure guys continue to play the right way." The Avalanche are still winless this season -- 0-27-4 -- when getting only two or fewer goals. "Very, very frustrating," said defenceman Ryan OByrne, who returned from a facial injury that kept him out four games. "Were so close. Were just about there. Its been a rough stretch. We just need to go over that one more hill and hopefully get on a roll here." Martin Havlat, Jared Spurgeon and Kyle Brodziak each had a goal and an assist for the Wild (35-25-7), who welcomed Guillaume Latendresse back from a 58-game absence after injuries to his midsection. He skated on the fourth line in a limited role, but he still made an impact. Latendresse was muscling for position in the crease on Spurgeons goal, tacked on less than three minutes after Madden knocked in a feed from Matt Cullen after Chuck Kobasews forecheck on the end boards pried the puck loose. "Its nice having that big body back out in front of the net," Minnesota coach Todd Richards said. The Wild are trying to string together their lines without captain Mikko Koivu and relentless Cal Clutterbuck. Koivu is just starting to skate again after breaking his finger nine games ago and Clutterbuck missed his second straight game with what the Wild have vaguely been calling an upper-body injury. "Other teams are struggling with it, so were not crying over here, but injuries are huge this time of year especially when you lose a guy like Koivu or Clutterbuck," Madden said. "Its nice to see Gui back in." The Wild played a slow second period, and Stastny made them pay for it by backhanding in a rebound of Milan Hejduks shot that glanced off Backstroms glove for a 2-1 lead for the Avalanche (26-32-8). But Brunette gave them the spark they badly needed, punching in a rebound of Pierre-Marc Bouchards slap shot that fluttered around Budajs shoulder before the goalie was able to control it. With a critical road trip approaching -- starting later this week, they travel to face four straight Western Conference playoff contenders including NHL-leading Vancouver -- the Wild sure needed to pick up two points from this game against the backsliding Avs. They began the day in a three-way tie for ninth place, two points behind Los Angeles. "We knew weve got to win. Everybody else is winning," Havlat said. The Avalanche lost defenceman John-Michael Liles to a leg injury in the first period, negating the return of OByrne, who was back for the first time since his face got cut by a skate blade against Edmonton on Feb. 23. OByrne, who wore a special caged helmet for extra protection, needed 100 stitches to close the wound. "Going down to five Ds is never easy, especially losing a guy like John-Michael," OByrne said. "I havent played in a couple weeks too, so you just have to manage yourself properly and be smart. I thought we did that for the most part." Notes: Brodziak has 33 points, already surpassing the career high he established last season. ... Brunettes eight power-play goals, half of his season total, lead the Wild. ... Stastnys goal broke a home streak for the Wild of 19 straight penalties killed, spanning six games. ... Wild D Marek Zidlicky left in the second period after blocking a shot with his right hand, but he returned in the final frame. ... 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Victorino, 31, has been a reliable contributor for the Phillies throughout his career, but this years .Jamaicas Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is a repeat Olympic champion in the womens 100-metre, after besting the field in a time of 10.75 seconds at the London 2012 Olympic Games. American Carmelita Jeter captured the silver medal, finishing with a season-best time of 10.78s while another Jamaican, Veronica Campbell-Brown grabbed bronze.  The last female to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals in the 100m was American Gail Devers, who did it at Barcelona 1992 and again at Atlanta 1996.  The only other woman to accomplish tthe feat was American Wyomia Tyus, who won at Tokyo 1964 and Mexico City 1968.dddddddddddd While no record was broken in the win, the womens 100m had the fastest ever times recorded for second, third, fourth and sixth place in Olympic history. The six women to run under 11 seconds is also an Olympic record, surpassing the previous record of five set in 1988 and again in 1992. Fraser-Pryce is the lone returnee of the Jamaican medallists that swept the podium in the 100m at Beijing 2008. More to come ...  ' ' '

LONDON -- The English Football Association charged Chelsea winger Eden Hazard on Friday for kicking a ball boy, a move that could add extra games to his three-match ban for violent conduct. After reviewing footage of the incident, the FA said the standard suspension would be "clearly insufficient" and gave Hazard until Tuesday to respond to the charge. Hazard was sent off for kicking a ball boy in the 79th minute of the Wednesdays League Cup semifinal match against Swansea as the Belgium winger attempted to retrieve the ball after it had rolled out of play. The 17-year-old ball boy refused to return the ball promptly and dropped down on top of it, prompting Hazard to aim a kick underneath the teenager to release the ball. Both Hazard and the ball boy, Charlie Morgan, apologized to each other after the match and were spoken to by police. Morgan and his family said they would not be pressing charges and South Wales Police said Friday that they were no longer involved in the matter, having been obliged to follow up three complaints by members of the public. In the FAs statement, the governing body said it will be reminding "all clubs of their responsibilities in ensuring ball boys and other personnel around the pitch act in an appropriate manner at all times." Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins said he was eager to move on from the incident. "On a personal note I find it remarkable that there is any thought of police action," Jenkins said Friday. "Things are done in the heat of the moment and probably everybody looks back and wishes things had been done differently. We accept how things are and all move forward." Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez said any disciplinary action taken against Hazard by the club was an "internal" matter. [url=http://www.stitchednfljerseyschina.com/]nfl china jerseys[/url] . Brendon Nash snuck behind the Marlies defence and put a rebound past Ben Scrivens 2:21 into overtime as the Bulldogs beat Toronto 3-2 on Sunday. [url=http://www.stitchednfljerseyschina.com/]China Jerseys NFL[/url] . -- Aroldis Chapman was one of baseballs best closers in his first try at it, helping the Cincinnati Reds win the NL Central. [url=http://www.stitchednfljerseyschina.com/]http://www.stitchednfljerseyschina.com/[/url] . -- Sure enough, putting was all the rage Thursday in the World Challenge. [url=http://www.stitchednfljerseyschina.com/]Wholesale Jerseys From China[/url] .  The world didnt end in 2012. But for Melky Cabrera, his baseball universe came crashing down. [url=http://www.stitchednfljerseyschina.com/]China Jerseys[/url] . -- Carlos Ruiz scored in the 77th minute and the Philadelphia Union beat the Vancouver Whitecaps FC 1-0 on Saturday. NEW YORK -- After a rough first period, the New York Islanders came out and played as though they had nothing to lose. At the same time, they might have caught the New York Rangers thinking they already had the game won. The slumping Islanders erased a two-goal deficit with three second-period goals and then held off the Rangers in a shootout to win 4-3 on Thursday night and snap a five-game losing streak. John Tavares scored in the second-period outburst and then followed Frans Nielsens goal in the tiebreaker to seal the much-needed victory in a place the Islanders have had little recent success. "We found a way to handle adversity," Tavares said. "We were in their face and more physical after we went down 2-0. We talked after the first about coming out with better intensity. We really challenged ourselves. "Its a big win We played tough on the road and found a way." Colin McDonald got the comeback going 29 seconds into the second, and Tavares and Brad Boyes scored 40 seconds apart to put the Islanders in front 3-2. "Quite honestly, I think you settle in and you think its going to be an easy one because were playing really well," Rangers coach John Tortorella said. "They score one, it gives them some life ... and then they start defending." The Rangers got back even at 3, but Evgeni Nabokov shut the door the rest of the way for the Islanders, who broke an eight-game losing streak at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers are 12-3-3 against the Islanders, dating to a win on Dec. 17, 2009. Nabokov stopped Marian Gaborik and Rick Nash in the shootout. The Rangers were looking for their second home win over the Islanders in a week. Instead, they had a three-game winning streak snapped. Dan Girardi and Gaborik staked the Rangers to the lead in the first period against Nabokov, and Carl Hagelin tied it in the second. It marked the second straight game they lost a multigoal lead. New York recovered to win at Boston in a shootout on Tuesday. "We end up with three out of four points," Tortorella said of the two games. "We had a number of guys struggle, but we got a point so we dont leave here naked. Thats the way you have to look at it sometimes. "Do we have a lot of things to improve on? Yeah, but Im not going to run them down because I thought we had some good minutes." Martin Biron gave Rangers workhorse goalie Henrik Lundqvist a break by making just his second start of the season. Nabokov made 36 saves through overtime, and Biron had 28. Both teams had four shots in overtime. "We got the momentum on our side," Nabokov said. "You could see it in guys eyes. They were ffired up.ddddddddddddYou have to build." McDonald got the Islanders rally going when Casey Cizikas found him with a pass from behind the Rangers net for a quick shot that cut the deficit to 2-1. The Rangers had a chance to stretch their lead a few minutes later when Eric Boulton and Nielsen were called for penalties 1:27 apart, giving the Rangers struggling power play a 5-on-3 edge for about a half-minute. Just seconds after Nielsen left the box, the Islanders got even on Tavares eighth goal, scored off of Birons glove at 6:45. The home crowd had barely absorbed the sting of the blown lead when the Islanders struck again. Boyes turned a pass from defenceman Lubomir Visnovsky into a quick shot from the right circle that made it 3-2. "Sometimes I just need to make a save and stop the bleeding," Biron said. "I think the Tavares two-on-one might have been the one for me." The offence was a reversal of fortune for the Islanders, who came in with one of the worst goal differentials in the NHL while playing 5-on-5. They scored four power-play goals in a home loss to Carolina on Monday and netted none at even strength. That had Rangers fans chanting "Hen-rik, Hen-rik" toward Lundqvist, who was sitting on the bench. But Biron was perfect after the second period until the shootout. "They were chanting that they want Hank in there. He was one of the big reasons we got a point," Tortorella said. The Rangers bounced back with their much maligned power play. They had connected for only four goals in 44 man-advantage situations this season before Thursday, and were aided by a favourable video review. Hagelin kicked the puck with his skate and then stood tall as he crowded Nabokov in the crease. He managed to nudge the puck into the corner of the net to tie it 3-3 at 11:14. Capuano was irate on the Islanders bench and voiced his displeasure to both referees after the goal was confirmed by a video review. The Rangers broke out with two goals in the first period. Girardi beat Nabokov at 3:36 for the defencemans first goal of the season. Gaborik, on his 31st birthday, doubled the lead at 11:28. NOTES: Rangers C Brian Boyle returned to the lineup after being a healthy scratch the previous three games. Boyle recorded only one assist and was a minus-3 in the first nine games of the season. Chris Kreider sat out. ... Nabokov has started 11 of the Islanders first 13 games. ... Hagelin has scored four goals in three games. ... Tortorella benched star forward Brad Richards for all but one shift in the third period, then used him for two shifts in overtime. Tortorella said the effort was there, but that Richards "struggled." ' ' 'LONDON -- The English Football Association charged Chelsea winger Eden Hazard on Friday for kicking a ball boy, a move that could add extra games to his three-match ban for violent conduct. After reviewing footage of the incident, the FA said the standard suspension would be "clearly insufficient" and gave Hazard until Tuesday to respond to the charge. Hazard was sent off for kicking a ball boy in the 79th minute of the Wednesdays League Cup semifinal match against Swansea as the Belgium winger attempted to retrieve the ball after it had rolled out of play. The 17-year-old ball boy refused to return the ball promptly and dropped down on top of it, prompting Hazard to aim a kick underneath the teenager to release the ball. Both Hazard and the ball boy, Charlie Morgan, apologized to each other after the match and were spoken to by police. Morgan and his family said they would not be pressing charges and South Wales Police said Friday that they were no longer involved in the matter, having been obliged to follow up three complaints by members of the public. In the FAs statement, the governing body said it will be reminding "all clubs of their responsibilities in ensuring ball boys and other personnel around the pitch act in an appropriate manner at all times." Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins said he was eager to move on from the incident. "On a personal note I find it remarkable that there is any thought of police action," Jenkins said Friday. "Things are done in the heat of the moment and probably everybody looks back and wishes things had been done differently. We accept how things are and all move forward." Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez said any disciplinary action taken against Hazard by the club was an "internal" matter. [url=http://www.stitchednfljerseyschina.com/]nfl china jerseys[/url] . Brendon Nash snuck behind the Marlies defence and put a rebound past Ben Scrivens 2:21 into overtime as the Bulldogs beat Toronto 3-2 on Sunday. [url=http://www.stitchednfljerseyschina.com/]China Jerseys NFL[/url] . -- Aroldis Chapman was one of baseballs best closers in his first try at it, helping the Cincinnati Reds win the NL Central. [url=http://www.stitchednfljerseyschina.com/]http://www.stitchednfljerseyschina.com/[/url] . -- Sure enough, putting was all the rage Thursday in the World Challenge. [url=http://www.stitchednfljerseyschina.com/]Wholesale Jerseys From China[/url] .  The world didnt end in 2012. But for Melky Cabrera, his baseball universe came crashing down. [url=http://www.stitchednfljerseyschina.com/]China Jerseys[/url] . -- Carlos Ruiz scored in the 77th minute and the Philadelphia Union beat the Vancouver Whitecaps FC 1-0 on Saturday. NEW YORK -- After a rough first period, the New York Islanders came out and played as though they had nothing to lose. At the same time, they might have caught the New York Rangers thinking they already had the game won. The slumping Islanders erased a two-goal deficit with three second-period goals and then held off the Rangers in a shootout to win 4-3 on Thursday night and snap a five-game losing streak. John Tavares scored in the second-period outburst and then followed Frans Nielsens goal in the tiebreaker to seal the much-needed victory in a place the Islanders have had little recent success. "We found a way to handle adversity," Tavares said. "We were in their face and more physical after we went down 2-0. We talked after the first about coming out with better intensity. We really challenged ourselves. "Its a big win We played tough on the road and found a way." Colin McDonald got the comeback going 29 seconds into the second, and Tavares and Brad Boyes scored 40 seconds apart to put the Islanders in front 3-2. "Quite honestly, I think you settle in and you think its going to be an easy one because were playing really well," Rangers coach John Tortorella said. "They score one, it gives them some life ... and then they start defending." The Rangers got back even at 3, but Evgeni Nabokov shut the door the rest of the way for the Islanders, who broke an eight-game losing streak at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers are 12-3-3 against the Islanders, dating to a win on Dec. 17, 2009. Nabokov stopped Marian Gaborik and Rick Nash in the shootout. The Rangers were looking for their second home win over the Islanders in a week. Instead, they had a three-game winning streak snapped. Dan Girardi and Gaborik staked the Rangers to the lead in the first period against Nabokov, and Carl Hagelin tied it in the second. It marked the second straight game they lost a multigoal lead. New York recovered to win at Boston in a shootout on Tuesday. "We end up with three out of four points," Tortorella said of the two games. "We had a number of guys struggle, but we got a point so we dont leave here naked. Thats the way you have to look at it sometimes. "Do we have a lot of things to improve on? Yeah, but Im not going to run them down because I thought we had some good minutes." Martin Biron gave Rangers workhorse goalie Henrik Lundqvist a break by making just his second start of the season. Nabokov made 36 saves through overtime, and Biron had 28. Both teams had four shots in overtime. "We got the momentum on our side," Nabokov said. "You could see it in guys eyes. They were ffired up.ddddddddddddYou have to build." McDonald got the Islanders rally going when Casey Cizikas found him with a pass from behind the Rangers net for a quick shot that cut the deficit to 2-1. The Rangers had a chance to stretch their lead a few minutes later when Eric Boulton and Nielsen were called for penalties 1:27 apart, giving the Rangers struggling power play a 5-on-3 edge for about a half-minute. Just seconds after Nielsen left the box, the Islanders got even on Tavares eighth goal, scored off of Birons glove at 6:45. The home crowd had barely absorbed the sting of the blown lead when the Islanders struck again. Boyes turned a pass from defenceman Lubomir Visnovsky into a quick shot from the right circle that made it 3-2. "Sometimes I just need to make a save and stop the bleeding," Biron said. "I think the Tavares two-on-one might have been the one for me." The offence was a reversal of fortune for the Islanders, who came in with one of the worst goal differentials in the NHL while playing 5-on-5. They scored four power-play goals in a home loss to Carolina on Monday and netted none at even strength. That had Rangers fans chanting "Hen-rik, Hen-rik" toward Lundqvist, who was sitting on the bench. But Biron was perfect after the second period until the shootout. "They were chanting that they want Hank in there. He was one of the big reasons we got a point," Tortorella said. The Rangers bounced back with their much maligned power play. They had connected for only four goals in 44 man-advantage situations this season before Thursday, and were aided by a favourable video review. Hagelin kicked the puck with his skate and then stood tall as he crowded Nabokov in the crease. He managed to nudge the puck into the corner of the net to tie it 3-3 at 11:14. Capuano was irate on the Islanders bench and voiced his displeasure to both referees after the goal was confirmed by a video review. The Rangers broke out with two goals in the first period. Girardi beat Nabokov at 3:36 for the defencemans first goal of the season. Gaborik, on his 31st birthday, doubled the lead at 11:28. NOTES: Rangers C Brian Boyle returned to the lineup after being a healthy scratch the previous three games. Boyle recorded only one assist and was a minus-3 in the first nine games of the season. Chris Kreider sat out. ... Nabokov has started 11 of the Islanders first 13 games. ... Hagelin has scored four goals in three games. ... Tortorella benched star forward Brad Richards for all but one shift in the third period, then used him for two shifts in overtime. Tortorella said the effort was there, but that Richards "struggled." ' ' '

BEREA, Ohio -- Joe Hadens training camp -- and a stormy one for the Browns -- ended before any of his teammates were finished. Arguably Clevelands best defensive player, Haden was kicked off the practice field Wednesday by coach Pat Shurmur, who felt the third-year cornerback was being too physical with rookie wide receiver Travis Benjamin during a passing drill on the final day of workouts open to fans. Haden was ordered to leave roughly an hour into the practice by an angry Shurmur, who declined to provide details of the incident during his news conference. "Im not going to talk about it," Shurmur chirped. "Thats between me and the player. I have a great deal of respect for Joe. If you want details, youre going to have to find it on Twitter. My only apology is that I used bad language and the fans were here to see it. Joes a great competitor and I appreciate what he does and who he is and thats the last youll hear me talk about it." Shurmur didnt even let a reporter finish a follow-up question. "Dont ask," he snapped. "Dont ask. You have to go somewhere else to find out."" During 7-on-7 drills, Benjamin caught a touchdown pass in the back of the end zone when he was taken down by Haden, who unsuccessfully tried to strip the ball and then yanked on the back of Benjamins jersey. After being ejected by Shurmur, Haden removed his helmet and shoulder pads and quickly headed into the locker room. Team president Mike Holmgren was watching practice from a nearby bench when Haden was excused. The Browns (No. 30 in the AP Pro32) denied interview requests for Haden, who was back on the field for the afternoon walkthrough. After that session, Shurmur said he and Haden had cleared the air. "Joe and I talked and everythings fine," Shurmur said. "Its a dead issue." Shurmurs annoyance with Haden could be understandable given the rash of injuries that have plagued the Browns since camp opened last month. Benjamin recently missed time with an undisclosed injury, and 13 players, including rookie running back Trent Richardson, sat out Wednesdays workout. Richardson recently underwent knee surgery. On Monday, running back Chris Ogbonnaya sustained a leg injury when he got tangled at the end of a play. Shurmur said player safety is his primary concern. "Its important that we practice smart," he said. "You have to be able to practice at game speed, and you win and lose in practice. I think its important that guys understand that. I want all of our guys to make it to the horse race. Safety, everything I do I think about these players and this team. I told them that. All my thoughts revolve around our players and our team. I think its very important that we practice fast and were smart." Hadens early dismissal capped an eventful camp for both he and the Browns. In the first few days, owner Randy Lerner announced he was selling the team to truck-stop magnate Jimmy Haslam III, who is buying the Browns for $1 billion. Richardson, the No. 3 overall pick in Aprils draft, underwent microscopic surgery on his left knee, and has yet to play in an exhibition game. Starting outside linebacker Chris Gocong sustained a season-ending injury, and there has been continuous speculation about the future of former starting quarterback Colt McCoy, who lost his job to rookie Brandon Weeden. Those issues came on the heels of defensive tackle Phil Taylor tearing a chest muscle lifting weights (hes expected to miss at least six games) and linebacker Scott Fujitas three-game suspension from his involvement in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal. Haden, too, has been embroiled in controversy this summer. Hes facing a possible four-game suspension by the NFL for reportedly failing a drug test. Shurmur said the Browns have not heard from the league on Hadens situation, and that he couldnt comment on it even if they had. Hadens on-field actions on Wednesday seemed out of character for the easygoing and popular 23-year-old, who was drafted by Cleveland with the seventh overall pick in 2010. Haden had six interceptions as a rookie but didnt have any last season, when he was plagued by several drops. Browns linebacker DQwell Jackson acknowledged that end-of-camp emotions may have contributed to the incident between Shurmur and Haden. "Both guys, I think they both realize after they settled down it was a little bit overboard," Jackson said. "But things happen and words were said, and once we get in the locker room itll be over with. It was a play where two guys were competing for the ball and one guy fell. We are trying to keep guys healthy and it starts with keeping guys up. "Its Day 21 and guys have not gotten a lot of sleep and its the dog days of camp." Wide receiver Josh Cribbs chalked it up to just another day for the Browns. "Boys will be boys," he said. "Its like fights in training camp. Then when you get in the locker room, you joke and laugh and sing songs together." Notes: Shurmur said Richardson is "progressing very well" and is ahead of schedule. Shurmur wouldnt speculate if the former Alabama All-American will play in an exhibition game. Browns President Mike Holmgren said in an interview with SportsTime Ohio that Richardson will run in a pool this week, and will return to practice next week. Holmgren said theres a chance Richardson will play in the Sept. 9 opener against Philadelphia. ... The Browns averaged 2,653 fans per training camp practice and drew 37,136 fans to the 14 sessions open to the public. ... Weeden was excited camp was over. "Man, I am more than ready," he said. "Im 28, Im married and youre staying in a hotel with bed check at eleven. Even if I wanted to go to bed at 10, I cant even go to bed because Im going to get woken up after an hour of sleep. Im not going to miss that, but I think thats just part of the fun of training camp." [url=http://www.andrewluckelitejersey.com/STANLEY_HAVILI_COLTS_JERSEY.html]Stanley Havili Jersey[/url] . The moves Tuesday came two days after the Stars sent longtime captain Brenden Morrow to Pittsburgh for Joe Morrow in a trade that also involved draft picks. [url=http://www.andrewluckelitejersey.com/AHMAD_BRADSHAW_COLTS_JERSEY.html]Ahmad Bradshaw Jersey[/url] . The clubs major manoeuvring, as general manager Bryan Colangelo pointed out Friday, had already been accomplished three weeks earlier. The Raptors shored up their skeletal back court Thursday by acquiring Telfair from Phoenix, adding a veteran who can fill in if needed for starting point guard Kyle Lowry or backup John Lucas. [url=http://www.andrewluckelitejersey.com/JOE_LEFEGED_COLTS_JERSEY.html]http://www.andrewluckelitejersey.com/JOE_LEFEGED_COLTS_JERSEY.html[/url] . Drouins second of the night was an empty-net goal with 3:26 left to play. The Mooseheads win ties their quarter-final series 3-3. The deciding Game 7 will be in Quebec City on Tuesday. Nathan MacKinnon had a power-play goal for Halifax and added two assists. [url=http://www.andrewluckelitejersey.com/]Authentic Andrew Luck Jersey[/url] . Frederik Gauthiers second-period goal stood as the winner as Canada rallied past the United States 3-2 to win the world title. [url=http://www.andrewluckelitejersey.com/AHMAD_BRADSHAW_COLTS_JERSEY.html]Ahmad Bradshaw Colts Jersey[/url] . Jakub Voracek scored the go-ahead goal with 1:31 remaining in the third period to cap his first career NHL hat trick, leading the Flyers to a wild 6-5 victory over the Penguins on Wednesday.LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky received the news it dreaded Wednesday when freshman forward Nerlens Noel was declared out for the season with a torn ligament in his left knee. Noel tore his ACL on Tuesday night when No. 25 Kentucky lost at Florida. An MRI revealed the injury, and the 6-foot-10 forward will have surgery in the next two or three weeks. The projected recovery period is six to eight months. Noels injury deals a serious post-season blow for the defending national champions, who had appeared to be gaining some footing after struggling earlier this season while trying to blend in four freshmen. Leading the way defensively for the Wildcats was Noel, who began Tuesday first in the nation with 4.5 blocks per game. The rookie took a positive approach to the diagnosis, posting on Twitter, "Minor setback for a MAJOR comeback! I love you all and cant thank yall enough for the prayers." Noel was hurt with 8 minutes left in the Wildcats 69-52 loss to the seventh-ranked Gators. He ran into the basket support after blocking a layup from behind. Noel landed awkwardly, dropped to the floor and started screaming while clutching his knee. Noel had eight points, six rebounds and three blocks before the injury. "Ive been coaching for 22 years and this is the first injury weve had of this kind during the season, which makes it even more devastating," Kentucky coach John Calipari said in a statement. "I met with Nerlens earlier today. The meeting was really positive, and I loved his attitude. The way he is already dealing with this injury lets me know that he is going to come back stronger than ever. ... Obviously this is not a career-ending injury and its one that athletes bounce back from all the time." The question is if Kentucky (17-7, 8-3 Southeastern Conference) can bounce back from the devastating loss. With Noel out, 7-footer Willie Cauley-Stein now must man the post for Kentucky after spending most of the season as Noels backup. Cauley-Stein missed four games last month after having a procedure on his left knee, an absence that meant even more minutes for Noel. The Everett, Mass., native clearly relished the extra work, which gave him a chance to display an array of skills. Besides his shot-blocking prowess, Noel was averaging 10.6 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game, with the latter two statistics both ranking 26th nationally. He entered the game with three consecutive double-doubles and on a four-week run as the conferences top freshman. In his previous five games, Noel had blocked 26 shots. While Kentucky has lacked a bona fide team leader, there was no doubt that the Wildcats seemed to feed off of Noels intennsity and athleticism.dddddddddddd Caliparis wish has been for other players to display those some traits. Now, the Wildcats have to rework the rotation without their biggest star. Kentuckys tallest player besides Cauley-Stein is 6-10 sophomore Kyle Wiltjer, whose game had recently blossomed along with Noels. Former Wildcats centre Sam Bowie believes the injury might initially affect the teams psyche, especially with so many young players. "His teammates will start to second-guess themselves, and thats just human nature," Bowie said. "You always say, Well regroup; people have to step up and take their games to another level, and thats been the politically correct thing to say, but realistically speaking it will affect the team mentally." Considered the nations top recruit last season, Noel led a four-man freshman class also including Archie Goodwin and Alex Poythress that was expected to pick up where last years championship team left off. Noel has often been compared to national player of the year Anthony Davis because of his size and shot-blocking ability. While Noel downplayed the comparison, he made clear his pursuit of breaking Davis single-season school record of 186 blocks set last year. A Kentucky-record 12 blocks during an 87-74 victory at Mississippi on Jan. 29 put him slightly ahead of Davis pace, which was set over 40 games. More importantly, Kentuckys victory over the then-No. 16 Rebels helped re-establish its credentials as an NCAA tournament team. Their first win over a ranked opponent was part of a season-best five-game winning streak that helped put the Wildcats back in the Top 25 on Monday for the first time since falling out Dec. 3 following consecutive losses to Notre Dame and Baylor. Tuesdays game against Florida was supposed to be another big test, but Kentucky trailed by as many as 19 points before Noels injury. The Wildcats seemed even more shaken afterward, and their winning streak vanished. Kentucky visits Tennessee on Saturday before returning home Wednesday against Vanderbilt, providing the Wildcats chances to sweep season series against both schools and stay in the SEC race. Bowie believes Calipari is capable of motivating the Wildcats to overcome Noels absence, band together as a team and return to the post-season -- suggesting that urgency sometimes brings out the best performances. "I still feel like theyll make the tournament," Bowie said, "but whether they have a legitimate chance of making a serious run, that will be determined. With Cal as coach, and I think they have plenty of personnel, they have a chance to be one of the 65 teams invited to the tournament." ' ' '

LOS ANGELES -- Bill Haas had no reason to think this round at Riviera was going to be anything special. With an iron in his hand, he failed to make birdie on the par-5 opening hole, the easiest on the golf course. Solid iron shots led to a pair of birdies on the front nine, and with Riviera playing tough in warm, dry conditions on Saturday, he was part of a large group challenging for the lead. Three holes changed everything. Haas made a tough 30-footer for birdie on No. 9. He pitched in from 60 feet for eagle on the scary par-4 10th. And he hit a good bunker shot with little margin for error on the par-5 11th that set up a birdie. Just like that, he was on his way to a 7-under 64 and a three-shot lead going into the final round of the Northern Trust Open. His 64 was the best round of a difficult day by three shots, and it was nearly eight shots better than the average score. It put Haas at 12-under 201, leaving him in good position to become only the eighth back-to-back winner in the 76-year history of this tournament. All he cares about Sunday is winning. "Its very difficult in this game to just pull away from the rest of the field," Haas said. "Youve only seen a few guys ever really do that, and those are guys like Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson. So I think Ive just got to stay in the moment, dont let my emotions get the best of me." A year ago, Haas was two shots behind going into the final round and wound up winning in a playoff over Mickelson and Keegan Bradley. This time, he has a comfortable margin over U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson and former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel, who each thought they did well for a 68. John Merrick bogeyed the 18th hole for a 70 and joined Simpson and Schwartzel at 9-under 204. Luke Donald overcame a sloppy start -- three bogeys in a six-hole stretch -- with four birdies on the back nine to salvage a 70 that put him four shots behind, along with Fredrik Jacobson (72). Mickelson was hopeful of making a move and instead went the other direction. He missed three par putts of about 6 feet on the front nine and had a 72, putting him nine shots behind. Ernie Els, playing with Mickelson, also dropped shots early and dropped out of the hunt with a 73. Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., shot 2 under to sit eight shots off the pace in a tie for 13th. The round started with 20 players separated by five shots. Thanks to Haas and his flawless play, only eight players were within five of the lead. It might not be easy for anyone to catch up to Haas if the sunshine continues to bake Riviera. The fairways were so firm that tee shots were running some 50 yards after they landed, and the greens were firm enough that balls ran out an extra two feet around the hole. "I had a lot of 3- and 4-footers for par," Simpson said. He was pleased with his round of 68 that included only one bogey, but when Simpson pulled out his cellphone to check the leaderboard as he sat down for lunch, he saw Haas on top with a 64. "So he played great," Simpson said. Most impressive about how Haas has gone around Riviera in the last few days is 40 consecutive holes without a bogey. The last one he made was on Thursday when he missed a 4-foot putt. But on this day, it was his birdies and one eagle that made the difference. "I was just kind of plugging along out there and then all of a sudden, made a nice putt at 9, chip-in at 10, good up-and-down at 11," he said. And off he went. The birdie putt on the ninth was about 30 feet, and Haas had to play it outside the hole and hit it with purpose. It broke sharply into the cup, and then he hit 3-wood off the tee on the 10th, leaving it some 10 yards short of the green with the left pin. He had seen Greg Chalmers play a pitch from about the same area to 6 feet short of the hole and figured that was a good play -- anything that rolled by the hole was likely to keep going off the green and down into a valley. Haas hit an even better shot, landing it about 15 feet short of the hole and watching it roll into the cup. He hit his second shot into a bunker near the green on the par-5 11th and got that close for birdie, and later in his round, he splashed out of the sand on the par-5 17th to inside a foot for his final birdie. Simpson, who arrived at Wake Forest the year Haas graduated, figures Haas will have to make a few mistakes for anyone to make a big move. "I think Bill is in a position, if he keeps a three-shot lead and goes and plays well again, that its going to be hard to catch him," Simpson said. "But with the golf course this tricky, you get a guy that has a good front nine, he could be tied or even in the lead with nine to go. So anything can happen tomorrow." Schwartzel is the only player with all three rounds in the 60s. He made two mistakes, one of them more of a bad break. His tee shot on the 10th bounded through the green with such pace that it stayed toward the back slope of the rear bunker. His shot came out too soft and rolled back off the green, leading to bogey. He came out weakly from the sand on the 15th and had to make a 6-footer to escape with bogey. "Its easy to make bogeys," Schwartzel said. "The course got a bit firmer and, playing in the last few groups, the greens get a bit more bumpy. So its hard to make birdies and also to keep the bogeys off the card." "I probably wont change anything," he said. "Just keep playing the way I am and see if I can give myself chances and see what happens. I know the game is good enough to be able to win tomorrow." DIVOTS: Sang-Moon Bae, who shared the 36-hole lead with Jacobson, took double bogey on the 17th hole and had a 76 to fall eight shots behind. ... Charlie Beljan, he of panic attack fame when he won at Disney, felt his heart race when he realized he would play with Mickelson and Els. Beljan beat them both with a 68, and then asked them to autograph his visor. ... Jacobson would have to finish alone in 19th place or better to avoid facing Tiger Woods in the opening round of the Match Play Championship next week. He was in a two-way tie for fifth. ... Lee Westwood fell nine shots behind with a double bogey on the par-3 14th and a bogey on the par-5 17th. He shot 74. [url=http://www.nfljerseysusamr.com/]nfl jerseys usa[/url] . Steven Kampfer also scored for the Bruins, while Tim Thomas made 27 saves for the victory. I thought we played the game we keep talking about, a 60-minute effort. It was a tight game, but when you look back it could have been a different outcome, said Bruins head coach Claude Julien. [url=http://www.nfljerseysusamr.com/]cheap nfl jerseys usa[/url] . And, as unlikely as it seems, there remains a chance he could be running Rex Ryans offence next season. [url=http://www.nfljerseysusamr.com/]http://www.nfljerseysusamr.com/[/url] . Saskatchewan Roughriders slotback Andy Fantuz and Winnipeg guard Brendon LaBatte will both test the free-agent waters at noon ET on Wednesday. FRISCO, Texas -- Je-Vaughn Watsons tiebreaking goal in the 77th minute lifted FC Dallas to a 2-1 victory over D.C. United on Saturday night. Jackson also scored for league-best Dallas (7-1-3), which extended its unbeaten streak to 7-0-2. Dallas also improved to 6-0-1 at home while outscoring opponents 12-4. "That was a great result for us," Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman said. "Je-Vaughn Watson told me yesterday that he was going to score today, so hes good for his word. It was a great three points for us." Watsons first goal of the season was set up by Michels corner kick that bounced past several players on both teams before hitting Watsons stomach near the far post and rolling in. "Thats the easiest goal Ill ever get in my life," Watson said. "I dont care how it comes, as long as its a goal and Im there to finish it. Its a big confidence-boost for me." Watson dedicated the goal to his mother, who he will not get to see on Mothers Day. "I called my mom before the game and I tell her I cant get her a gift, so Id make sure I score for her tonight," said Watson, in his first season in Dallas after spending two with Houston. "The last week in practice, Ive been scoring a lot of goals in practice, so I came into the game tonight determined to score." Dwayne DeRosario scored the only goal for United (1-8-1), which lost a franchise-record seventh straight contest by a combined margin of 18-4. "Its another loss, so its disappointing again," DeRosario said. "I thought we did well in certain parts of the game. Hats off to the guys, they gave it everything they had tonight, but it wasnt enough." DeRosarios tying goal in the 44th minute was the first one allowed by FC Dallas in the first half all season and represented the D.C. captains 101st career goal, tying him with Taylor Twellman for sixth on MLS all-time list. "If we won, it would have been a lot sweeter," DeRosario said. "Its just tough for me right now, eight games with no wins, its tough. But its obviously a huge honour. Taylors a good friend of mine, a guy that Ive had many battles with in many MLS Cups, so to be up there with a player like that, its huge." United, which was embarrassed 4-0 at home by Houston on Wednesday, had three players making their first starts of the season, including goalkeeperr Joe Willis who had three saves.dddddddddddd "I was proud of the overall commitment and the way they went about things tonight," D.C. coach Ben Olsen said. "I thought the spirit was good. It looked like a team that cared and wanted to dig themselves out of a situation that were in." FC Dallas goalkeeper Chris Seitz made two saves in just his second appearance of the season. After D.C. controlled the ball for much of the first 15 minutes of the second half, Dallas began to press again, just missing on several good opportunities, including Eric Hasslis point-blank header that sailed just wide in the 62nd. D.C. nearly got on the scoreboard first when Casey Townsend, in his first start and second appearance this season, broke in alone in the 9th minute and drilled a 10-yard blast off the right post. Jackson, back in the lineup after serving a one-game suspension for a red card, put Dallas on top two minutes later with his third goal of the year. Hassli, making his first start for Dallas after coming off the bench on six prior occasions, found a wide open Jackson about 10 yards out for a nice chip shot that sailed past Willis into the upper left corner. Dallas almost got another one less than a minute later when Hassli boomed a 18-yard volley just over the crossbar. D.C. had a chance to tie it in the 31st minute when DeRosarios 25-yard shot from the left wing deflected off Blas Perezs leg and forced Seitz to make a diving save. DeRosario tied it in the 43rd minute off a free kick awarded to D.C. after Jackson reached out and pulled DeRosario down just beyond the penalty area. On the free kick, Kyle Porter tapped it less than a foot to Nick DeLeon, who left it for the charging DeRosario, whose low shot beat Seitz just inside the right post. It was DeRosarios first goal of the season and the 13th of his career against Dallas. The goal was also D.C.s first on the road this year, as theyve been outscored 8-1 while compiling an 0-4-1 away record. "Im proud of those guys," Olsen said. "There are some positives, but its still the same old things haunting us, the plays that were doing to ourselves." Dallas played without star midfielder David Ferreira, who suffered a strained hamstring Wednesday night in a 1-1 draw against Portland. It is not clear how much longer Ferreira, the 2010 MLS MVP, will be out. ' ' '

TORONTO -- Newly acquired forward Rudy Gay is expected to make his debut with the Toronto Raptors on Sunday against the visiting Miami Heat. A team spokesman says that Gay wont play in Friday nights home game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Gay isnt scheduled to arrive in Toronto until late afternoon Friday and still needs to take a physical. Toronto traded point guard Jose Calderon and forward Ed Davis to the Memphis Grizzlies for Gay and centre Hamed Haddadi on Wednesday. The Raptors also sent a second-round draft choice in 2013 and cash considerations to the Grizzlies, who flipped Calderon to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for forwards Austin Daye and Tayshaun Prince. Gay is averaging 17.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game this season. [url=http://www.nfljerseysusacheap.com/]cheap jerseys usa[/url] . The board said in a written ruling released Wednesday that forcing an end to the lockout for two members of a 30-team league would be unlikely to solve the contract dispute between the National Hockey League and the players union. [url=http://www.nfljerseysusacheap.com/]jerseys cheap[/url] . Hornqvist suffered an upper body injury in a 6-0 win over the Oilers on Friday night when boarded by Oilers defenceman Theo Peckman. Wilson leads the Predators in both goals (seven) and points (19). He was standing at the goal line right of the Minnesota net when hit by Wild defenceman Justin Falk, pushing the forwards right side into the end boards in Saturday nights 2-1 shootout loss. [url=http://www.nfljerseysusacheap.com/]http://www.nfljerseysusacheap.com/[/url] . According to TSN Insider Darren Dreger, Toronto receives a fourth-round draft pick in 2014 that would turn into a third-rounder should Lombardi re-sign in Phoenix after this season. [url=http://www.nfljerseysusacheap.com/]cheap jerseys from china[/url] . Munoz, winless on the LPGA Tour, holed out from 102 yards for eagle on the par-4 sixth hole and had eight birdies -- four on the last five holes -- and a bogey on the Ko Olina course. [url=http://www.nfljerseysusacheap.com/]cheap jerseys[/url] . He thinks hes found that in Toronto. The 23-year-old, who spent a year on the bench with the Philadelphia Union and failed to catch on with D.LONDON -- Luton became the first non-league team in 24 years to beat topflight opposition in the FA Cup as Norwich crashed out in the fourth round on Saturday, while third-tier club MK Dons also claimed the scalp of Premier League struggler Queens Park Rangers. Norwich, which is 85 places above fifth-tier club Luton in the English football pyramid, was beaten 1-0 at home after Scott Rendell scored in the 80th minute. "Its an unbelievable feeling to come to a Premiership club like Norwich and turn them over," Rendell said. "Its fantastic to be part of history. We were aware of it." The FA Cup has not witnessed such a giant killing since Sutton beat Coventry 2-1 in the third round in 1989. And not since 1949 has a non-league team managed to overcome a side from the top flight beyond the third round. Luton, FA Cup semifinalists in 1994, won the League Cup in 1988 and was in the top flight until 1992 before dropping down the divisions and enduring financial turmoil. Twenty years ago, Luton goalkeeper Mark Tyler was released by hometown club Norwich as a schoolboy. "The hard part about today was the emotional side, coming back here playing," the 35-year-old Tyler said. "Its where I started. This is where I wanted to be as a little boy playing football. "To come back here, play, keep a clean sheet, means the absolute world to me." Norwich chief executive David McNally said on Twitter: "Like all fans, I am embarrassed and hurt." Norwich manager Chris Hughton defended his decision to make six changes to the team, which is without a win in six Premier League matches "We pushed and pushed and they caught us on a classic counterattack," Hughton said. "It was a poor goal for us to concede." The days other upset saw MK Dons win 4-2 at Queens Park Rangers, which is bottom of the Premier League. "Getting into the fourth round was a little bit of history for us and now the fifth round makes it a little more special," Dons manager Karl Robinson said. The Dons were gifted the lead when Armand Traore scored an own goal, Ryan Lowe extended the lead before the break, while Ryan Harley and Darren Potter scored at the start of the second halff.dddddddddddd QPR manager Harry Redknapp had made nine changes to the team, which scored late consolations through Jay Bothroyd and Fabio da Silva. "I gave them a chance today because they knock on my door and say they should be playing and other people tell me they are all good players," Redknapp said. "Well, they got their chance today and they blew it ... That is why I have gone all over Europe these last three weeks trying to improve the squad because we are short." Manchester United had no trouble overcoming Fulham, with the Premier League leaders winning 4-1 to advance to the last 16, while Arsenal was twice pegged back at Brighton after taking the lead but won 3-2 at the second-tier club thanks to a late goal from substitute Theo Walcott. Olivier Giroud put Arsenal ahead in the 16th minute but Ashley Barnes levelled with a powerful header. Giroud restored Arsenals lead at the start of the second half, and Leonardo Ulloa drew Brighton level again with a diving header, but Walcott had the final say in the 85th. Ryan Giggs put Man United ahead from the penalty spot in the 3rd after Aaron Hughes handled. Wayne Rooney doubled Uniteds lead with a fierce strike at the start of the second half before Javier Hernandez scored twice. But United has only registered seven clean sheets this season, and Hughes was able to head in a late goal for Fulham at Old Trafford. Manchester City scored with five minutes to go at Stoke to advance with a 1-0 victory. Pablo Zabaleta neatly stabbed the ball into the net in the 85th minute after Edin Dzeko clipped the ball across from Sergio Agueros pass. But there was a setback for City with Vincent Kompany limping off with a calf injury in the first half, and the captain will miss the Premier League match against QPR on Tuesday. Reading advanced easily with a 4-0 win over Sheffield United, and Wigan avoided embarrassment by beating non-league side Macclesfield 1-0 through Jordi Gomezs penalty kick. Evertons 500th match in David Moyes managerial reign ended in dramatic fashion with substitute Johnny Heitinga scoring in stoppage time to clinch a 2-1 win over Bolton. Steven Pienaars opener for Everton had been cancelled out by Marvin Sordell. ' ' '

GDANSK, Poland -- GDANSK, Poland (AP) -- Germany coach Joachim Loew indicated on Thursday that midfielder Lars Bender might take on the right back role to face Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo when the two teams open their European Championship campaign in Lviv. Though Bender has never played at right back for his club Bayer Leverkusen, he took over the role during Germanys Euro 2012 training for Saturdays game against the Portuguese. "Ive liked a lot what Ive seen in training, Lars Bender could do it well," Loew said. Jerome Boateng was tipped to be the right back but Loew said he was upset over recent photographs and stories about the Bayern Munich defender. Boateng was photographed with a model at a Berlin airport hotel in the early hours of Monday, before flying to join the team in Frankfurt for the trip to Poland. "Of course, its his fault. I didnt like what he did at the weekend. Its his time off, but to do it on the night from Sunday to Monday was not right," Loew said. Loew did not commit himself during a news conference, but he spent a lot of time praising Bender and criticizing Boateng. The coach stressed that no decision had been made yet. Loew probably was toying with the idea to play Bender even before, since he is faster that Boateng and could therefore have more of a chance against the speedy Ronaldo. "Bender has incredible potential, it gives me a good feeling," the coach said. "I said before the tournament that a few players could find themselves playing in different positions." [url=http://www.drdrebeatsheadphonesuksale.co.uk/]Cheap Dr Dre Beats Headphones[/url] . When he neared the rim, the Cavaliers guard laid in his first basket in more than a week. The concussion was behind him. The rookie was back. Irving scored 22 points in his return after missing three games with a concussion, leading Cleveland to a 98-87 win Wednesday night over the reeling Indiana Pacers, who dropped their fifth straight and played without leading scorer Danny Granger. [url=http://www.drdrebeatsheadphonesuksale.co.uk/]Dr Dre Beats Headphones sale[/url] . Plouffe suffered a concussion May 21 against Atlanta. He was struck in the head by Braves infielder Dan Ugglas shin while trying to break up a double play. [url=http://www.drdrebeatsheadphonesuksale.co.uk/]http://www.drdrebeatsheadphonesuksale.co.uk/[/url] . Gays Raptors have won five in a row after Mondays victory in Washington against the Wizards. His old team is streaking as well. The Grizzlies have taken four in a row after their win in Detroit. [url=http://www.drdrebeatsheadphonesuksale.co.uk/]Dr Dre Beats Headphones uk sale[/url] . A report from Brazils Lancenet said the MLS team and Monaco were both after the Manchester City forward, with Toronto offering US$10 million. [url=http://www.drdrebeatsheadphonesuksale.co.uk/]Cheap Dr Dre Beats Headphones UK[/url] . 23 at UFC 157 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. The two met in 2006 at a TKO event in Laval, Que., with Faber winning after Menjivar was disqualified for an illegal kick to a downed opponent. PITTSBURGH -- Sidney Crosby believes he is getting closer to being cleared for contact. The Pittsburgh Penguins star was pleased after going through another trouble-free practice Monday, a day after taking part in a scrimmage in which hits were banned. "Obviously, the more good days you have, the nearer you get, and, hopefully, well get there shortly," said Crosby, who is recovering from a concussion that occurred more than eight months ago. Crosby, who hasnt played since Jan. 5, has not yet been officially ruled out for the Penguins Oct. 6 opener at Vancouver. However, it seems highly unlikely he will be ready by then as he has yet to take part in any contact work. Crosby sat out the Penguins three pre-season games last week and isnt expected to participate in any of the three this week, all of which are on the road. While Crosby skips any training camp scrimmaging that includes contact, he has looked fast and in shape while going through his regular on-ice work. He has been jostled during some drills, but has reported none of the concussion-related symptoms, including headaches, that bothered him for months after he was hurt. "When you go thrrough this for a while, you just want to feel good out there," Crosby said.dddddddddddd "Right now I feel good. When its ready to get that point (contact), I want to make sure Im comfortable and confident." Crosby said he has gone at a 100 per cent exertion level since camp began Sept. 17, if only to get back to playing at a game-like speed. "I think our practices are pretty intense," Crosby said. "Thats just one aspect. You throw physicality in there and its a little different. Its a little bit more fatiguing. It definitely changes things a bit." During Sundays scrimmage, Crosby failed on a shootout attempt against goaltender Scott Munroe. Crosby was on pace for his best season production-wise with 66 points in 41 games before he absorbed two hard hits in a span of five days in early January. He was subsequently diagnosed with a concussion that affects the vestibular system, the part of the brain that controls a persons movement and balance. Penguins coach Dan Bylsma is giving no hints when Crosby might be cleared to engage in full contact in practice, the final step before he is ready to play in games. ' ' '

BUCHAREST, Romania -- Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic beat Spains Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-3, 6-2 to win the BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy for his first ATP title on Sunday. Rosol completed an impressive run in brushing aside Garcia-Lopez in 67 minutes, converting four of his nine break points to secure the victory in a final between two unseeded players. The No. 48-ranked Rosol overcame three seeded players including three-time champion Giles Simon of France, the No.2-seeded player, in the semifinals on his way to the final. He saved all eight break points he faced to end Simons 16-match winning streak at the clay-court event. Garcia-Lopez struggled to keep up with the 27-year-old Rosol a day after he defeated 2011 champion Florian Mayer in three sets to earn a place in the final. [url=http://www.jerseyswholesale.biz/]cheap nfl jerseys[/url] . In doing so it became the first team -- other than Bayern -- to retain the title since its last successful defence 16 years ago, while ending Bayerns habit of winning the league at least every second season since 1996. [url=http://www.jerseyswholesale.biz/]cheap jerseys from china[/url] . The Chicago Cubs are certainly glad it was. Alfonso Soriano hit his first home run of the season, Anthony Rizzo also homered and the Cubs beat the Texas Rangers 6-2 on a soggy afternoon. [url=http://www.jerseyswholesale.biz/]http://www.jerseyswholesale.biz/[/url] . -- It was a new game in a new location for the Quebec Remparts and Gatineau Olympiques on Tuesday night, but a familiar result. [url=http://www.jerseyswholesale.biz/]wholesale nfl jerseys from china[/url] . Joffrey Lupul and Phil Kessel sparked a third period comeback on Wednesday night, scoring power-play goals 27 seconds apart as the Leafs erased a 3-1 deficit, defeating the Jets 4-3 in a shootout. [url=http://www.jerseyswholesale.biz/]cheap nfl jerseys from china[/url] . The game was heading for extra time when Juves Arturo Vidal equalized during six minutes of stoppage time, only for Sergio Floccari to head a late winner.The Montreal Canadiens will have to do without the services of bruising forward Brandon Prust for up to two weeks. Prust suffered a first degree shoulder separation on Saturday and will be sidelined 10-14 days. Prust hiit the boards hard in the third period of Saturdays win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.dddddddddddd In 25 games this season, Prust has four goals and five assists for nine points along with 81 penalty minutes. ' ' '

Beijing, China was named host the 2014 World Mens Curling Championship on Wednesday, an event that will run from March 29 to April 6. "The award of the 2014 World Mens Championship to Beijing is a major landmark in the development of curling" said World Curling Federation President Kate Caithness. "It will be the first time that a World Mens Curling Championship will be staged in the Pacific-Asia zone. In the last decade we have witnessed a surge in growth of curling in the region. Following on from the World Womens Curling Championships in Japan in 2007 and Korea in 2009, China will now host the top twelve mens teams in the world and we look forward to working with our partners and sponsors to stage a first class show for the world to enjoy." At the same time as the 2014 World Mens host agreement was signed, Titlis Glacier Mountain confirmed their title sponsorship of the Titlis Glacier Mountain World Womens Curling Championship 2013 in Riga, Latvia. They will also be a main sponsor, along with the City of Lucerne, of the 2014 Mens World Curling Championships in Beijing, China. "The Chinese Curling Association would like to thank the World Curling Federation for putting their trust in us and our partners to host the 2014 World Mens Curling Championship" said Ni Huizhong, President of the Chinese Curling Association. "Curling is a sport that is growing incredibly fast not only throughout China but also throughout the rest of the Pacific-Asia region. We hope that this event, being staged just after the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, will help continue to inspire the next generation of curlers throughout the world. We would like to invite everyone to China in 2014 and the city of Beijing to be part of this incredible experience." The venue for the World Mens Curling Championship will be announced at a later date. The 2013 Ford World Mens Curling Championship will take place from March 30-April 7 at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria British Columbia. The 2014 Ford World Womens Curling Championship will take place in Saint John, New Brunswick from March 15-23 while the 2013 World Womens Curling Championship will take place from March 16-24 in Riga, Latvia. [url=http://www.cheapjerseyscom.biz/]cheap jerseys from china[/url] . -- Golden State Warriors centre Andrew Bogut didnt travel with the team for the beginning of a five-game road trip at Minnesota on Sunday because of a nagging back injury. [url=http://www.cheapjerseyscom.biz/]CheapJerseys.com[/url] . "Beggars cant be choosers," Brian Cashman, general manager of baseballs wealthiest team, said Tuesday. [url=http://www.cheapjerseyscom.biz/]http://www.cheapjerseyscom.biz/[/url] . PETERSBURG, Fla. [url=http://www.cheapjerseyscom.biz/]CheapJerseys .com[/url] . Rockhold." Known as an aggressive striker, Belfort (23-10) instead paced himself as the engaged in the early going and showed restraint by not overcommitting against the larger Rockhold (10-2). But when the opportunity presented itself, Belfort delivered an incredible spinning heel kick that landed flush on Rockholds chin and sent him toppling to the floor. [url=http://www.cheapjerseyscom.biz/]cheap jerseys china[/url] . The magnetic-field-based system of GoalRef will be used at Yokohama Stadium while Toyota Stadium will be equipped with the camera-based Hawk-Eye system.LOS ANGELES -- Kobe Bryant was asked what it felt like to be a "playoff team," his Lakers having just moved into the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference after a 90-81 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday. Bryant, who had 19 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, let out a less-than-enthusiastic "yippee." The win improved the Lakers to 33-31, the first time theyve been two games over .500 all season. They are one-half game ahead of Utah for the final playoff spot. And while the Lakers may feel a sense of accomplishment in reaching playoff position after such a poor start to the season, Bryant is quick to note there is plenty still left to do. "Were very focused," Bryant said. "We know what we have to do and what lies ahead. Everybodys locked in." That would include Lakers centre Dwight Howard, who is playing more like the player the Lakers hoped they were getting when he was acquired in a trade with Orlando. Howard scored 16 points on 8 of 14 shooting, blocked four shots and grabbed 21 rebounds, the fourth time this season hes had 20 or more rebounds. "I think I am getting a little bit better," said Howard, who was 0 for 5 from the free throw line. "Im just going to keep working on my conditioning, get my timing back and just keep going hard." The Lakers, who have won eight of 10 since the All-Star break, led by four points at halftime. But point guard Steve Nash keyed a 21-7 third-quarter spurt that put the Lakers up by as many as 18 points. Nash scored 10 of his 16 points in the third quarter. "We have to try to climb higher," Nash said. "This team is far from a finished product, so we have to improve every night. Get tighter on both ends of the floor. The more we play together the better we should be and the more we should learn how to play together. "What is the point of getting to the playoffs if you hold tight and this is a finished product? We need to try to improve while we solidify a playoff spot and be a better team, and hopefully a tougher team to compete with in the playoffs." The Lakers led almost throughout, only briefly falling behind by two points in the second quarter. Metta World Peace (12 points), Earl Clark (11 points) and Jodie Meeks (10 points) all scored in double figures for the Lakers. Nate Robinson led the Bulls with 19 points, Joakim Noah had 18 points and 17 rebounds and Carlos Boozer had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Chicago. Bryant was scoreless in the first quarter and had just six points at halftime, but the Lakers maintained a lead behind Howards play in the paint. "I thhought Howard in particular in the first half set the tone," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said.dddddddddddd "He just dominated the paint with shot-blocking, rebounding, physicality. That set the tone for the game and they dominated us on the boards from the start. Kobe came out as a playmaker so they played well." The Lakers finished the third quarter with a 73-61 lead when Clark took a pass from Bryant and made a jumper at the buzzer. The Bulls got within eight points on a basket by Boozer with 8:02 left, but got no closer the rest of the way. Bryant missed all three shots in the first quarter, going scoreless in the opening 12 minutes. World Peace was cold as well, missing four open 3-pointers, but the Lakers held an early lead thanks to Howards efforts down low. Howard was 3 of 3 from the field for six points and grabbed seven rebounds. "Dwight is just feeling better," Lakers coach Mike DAntoni said. "You can see it all over the place. His back is better, hes in rhythm, whatever it is hes a monster defensively." Bryant finally got into the scoring column on a jumper in the lane with 7:15 left until halftime, then quickly hit another outside shot less than a minute later. But the Lakers couldnt shake the Bulls, who pulled to within 34-32 on a layup by Robinson, Howard picking up his third foul on the play. Howard remained in the game but the Bulls briefly pulled ahead, going up 36-34 on a basket by Carlos Boozer. The Lakers regained the lead shortly thereafter on a 3-pointer by Jodie Meeks, and led 44-40 at the half, but not without a little drama. After World Peace was called for a foul on an illegal screen, denying Bryant a chance to take the final shot of the half, Bryant and World Peace barked at each other as they made their way up the court. Nash got between the two to calm them down. NOTES: Lakers forward Pau Gasol (foot injury; torn plantar fascia) remains on track to return before the end of the regular season. "Gasol is coming on," Lakers coach Mike DAntoni said. "Its five weeks on Tuesday, and they said six to eight weeks, so hopefully thats the case. If there are no setbacks, he should be back." ... Bulls guard Derrick Rose, recovering from surgery on his left knee last May, is close to returning. But coach Tom Thibodeau said he cant look ahead to how the team will adjust with Rose, the 2011 NBA MVP, back on the floor. "Well cross that bridge when we get there," Thibodeau said. "For us right now, the guys that are playing, they have to concentrate on their improvement and our next opponent. Derrick has to concentrate on his rehab." ' ' '