Anti-discrimination chief Piara Powar believes Paris Saint-Germain must take further action against Serge Aurier and not get caught up in trying to protect their asset. Aurier was handed an indefinite suspension by the club after a video emerged online showing the Ivory Coast international allegedly directing homophobic slurs at a number of club figures, including Blanc. Aurier has since apologised for the comments.I think sometimes what happens is managers, players and football people get involved in wanting to protect the asset, Powar, who is head of the anti-discrimination FARE Network, told Sky Sports. We dont really sack top, top players because of misdemeanours and that often tells you something.Personally, I dont think footballers should be treated like any other employee but within the game they are seen as prime assets, they are sometimes seen as individuals that are untouchable. They definitely need to take action further than suspending him for the time being.Speaking ahead of PSGs league encounter with Reims on Saturday, Blanc revealed a decision about Auriers future in Paris is still yet to be made. The club will take a decision, not the coach, the PSG boss said.I will certainly have a conversation with him, but everyone will have to respect the decision made by the club. After that is handed down, we will know whether we can count on him for the remainder of the season.The incident came midway through Football v Homophobia month in this country and Powar believes it illustrates why homophobia remains a big issue in the modern-day game. Blanc is refusing to rule out a return to action for Aurier I think incidents like this highlight what needs to be done, he said.Sometimes people dont understand the seriousness of these things and the context in which they have been said.Thats because players are so rarely caught dismissing their coach and their star player in that way. And that is the thing that some people have focussed on rather than the abusive language that has been used towards Laurent Blanc.The FvH [Football v Homophobia] guys have been busy working this month and then this blows up and it just shows the challenges that we face. Sometimes people dont understand the seriousness of these things and the context in which they have been said. FARE Network chief Piara Powar In France there are active LGBT groups using football to tackle societal homophobia as well as working in football because of the problems that it has. I guess for those people this incident demonstrates the need for renewed effort.Powar was speaking at a fundraising dinner for the social inclusion campaign Kick It Out, hosted at Chelseas Stamford Bridge stadium. Lord Ouseley is concerned about a perceived lack of appetite to confront homophobia in football Kick It Out chair Lord Herman Ouseley believes homophobia in the game is an issue that footballs stakeholders remain reluctant to confront.Although this is something that has happened in France we cannot ignore its impact, Lord Ouseley said.People who have those prejudices, who read about this and hear about this, will be having those prejudices reinforced.What were about is helping people deal with those prejudices and homophobia, like casual sexism, is one issue that is still around in football that people think we should leave to one side and not touch. Cheap Luis Gonzalez Jersey . Murray beat Sam Querrey 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3 to clinch Britains opening-round victory against the United States on Sunday at Petco Park. "Im proud of the way Im playing just now, because I had to do a lot of work to get back to where I want to be," Murray said after celebrating with his teammates on the red clay court in a temporary stadium in left field of the downtown home of baseballs San Diego Padres. Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic . -- Jaye Marie Green shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to increase her lead to five strokes after the second round of the LPGA Tours qualifying tournament. http://www.cheapdiamondbacksjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-curt-schilling-jersey . On Saturday night, the normally free throw-challenged centre did just that. Howard scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, including 13 of 19 free throws in a 2 1/2-minute stretch, and the Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 122-111. Cheap Diamondbacks Jerseys China . -- Aaron Murray threw for 408 yards and three touchdowns, ran for another score, and led No. Cheap Diamondbacks Jerseys . -- Brandon Jennings made the most of his first game with the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. Newcastle Jets recruit Aleksandr Kokko is set for his first start since the A-Leagues opening round in Thursdays clash with Melbourne City.The Finnish striker has been restricted to substitute appearances over the past two weeks after succumbing to injury just 37 minutes into their season opener against Adelaide five weeks ago.However, coach Mark Jones said Kokko and winger Andrew Nabbout, who has also recovered after his own recent injury setback, are both in the frame to start against City at AAMI Park.The Jets are coming off a disappointing 2-0 defeat on Saturday to Wellington Phoenix, but Jones said theyd welcome the short turnaround.Its good that we actually get to make up for the Wellington game sooner rather than later, he said.The emphasis is to go there, press with a little bit more urgency and take our opportunities.Weve got into good field position as wwell.dddddddddddd We havent taken advantage of that, so we need to be more aggressive in the final third, deliver passes quicker and make better runs off the ball.I guess the words urgency both in defence and attack.Newcastle have won only once so far this season but that was a 4-0 demolition of Brisbane Roar, who accounted for City 1-0 last week at Suncorp Stadium.Thats all the encouragement Jones needs.Obviously it was a bit of a down weekend for them against Brisbane but that gives us hope as well, he said.We obviously did extremely well against Brisbane, and they did extremely well against Melbourne City.Anyone on any given day can beat anyone and if we go in with a positive frame of mind, I think well give ourselves a good chance. ' ' '

Claudio Ranieri has urged his Leicester players to make their Premier League title dreams a reality following their 4-0 win over Swansea. Leicester, who were without the suspended Jamie Vardy, moved eight points clear at the top of the Premier League and within five points of claiming the title thanks to two goals from Leanardo Ulloa and strikes from Riyad Mahrez and Marc Albrighton at the King Power Stadium.Ranieris sides next challenge is a trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United next Sunday and the Italian wants his side to give their all with a historic title firmly within their grasp. It was a magnificent performance, he told Sky Sports. Without Jamie [Vardy], everyone else had to give that bit more. Marc Albrighton and Leicester celebrate their fourth goal against Swansea It was great to see my players fight. We had some difficulties, but everybody made sure we had a good match.Now it is important for us to make our dreams a reality. Now is the right moment to give everything. Leicester squad step up Five Foxes who shone against Swansea Leicester could still be without Vardy for the trip to Old Trafford as he could yet receive an extended ban for an improper conduct charge handed to him for his reaction to his red card during the 2-2 draw against West Ham.His fate should be known on Monday when a three-person independent disciplinary panel convene to decide the England strikers punishment but Ranieri thinks his side can cope again without their top goalscorer. Leonardo Ulloa says he is happy to be playing in such an unbelievable Leicester team while Riyad Mahrez praised his side’s 4-0 win against Swansea If Vardy is suspended for another game its important we remain solid, Ranieri said.Im very pleased with Ulloa. I was sure about his performance but I wasnt sure he would score two goals. Ulloa made two fantastic goals.I told Jeff [Schlupp], Now I need you. You are our strength.He is so powerful and was another who had a good match. Im pleased with all my players. Leonardo Ulloa scored twice in place of the suspended Jamie Vardy Despite being within five points of the finishing line, Ranieri refused to get carried away, claiming his side know they still face a tough battle with Tottenham, who face West Brom on Monday Night Football, in the race for title.We know it will still be tough, as Tottenham is a very good team, Ranieri added.We want to fight until the end. Also See: Ulloa edges Leicester closer As it happened Who should win PFA award? Tunnel Talk Cheap Marlins Jerseys Authentic . A lawyer for MLB, Matthew Menchel, confirmed Wednesday the league dropped its case against Biogenesis of America, its owner Anthony Bosch and several other individuals. The lawsuit had accused Biogenesis and Bosch of conspiring with players to violate their contracts by providing them with banned performance-enhancing substances. Cheap MLB Jerseys . The phone hearing is scheduled for 4:30pm et/1:30pm pt. Winchester, who was not penalized for the hit, appeared to make contact with Kellys head early in the first period of Thursdays game in Boston. http://www.cheapmarlinsjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-andre-dawson-jersey . Patrice Bergeron and Daniel Paille scored 20 seconds apart a few minutes after Stamkos was taken off the ice on a stretcher with a broken right leg, and the Bruins beat the Lightning 3-0 on Monday afternoon. Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic .J. Ellis hit two-run homers and the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 4-0 Saturday night. Cheap Marlins Jerseys .S. -- Nikolaj Ehlers registered a hat trick for the third straight game and Jonathan Drouin had a goal and five assists as the Halifax Mooseheads hammered the host Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 10-1 on Tuesday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.BOSTON - They are still two wins away from their destination, but the Boston Bruins are gathering steam. Daniel Paille and Patrice Bergeron scored second-period goals and Tuukka Rask made 28 saves Monday as the hard-charging Bruins blanked the Chicago Blackhawks 2-0 to take a 2-1 lead in the Stanley Cup final. The Bruins were full value for their second straight win, coming out hard and crashing Chicago to erase memories of a sluggish first period in Game 2. Boston seemed bigger, faster and meaner on this night. Even anthem singer Rene Rancourt seemed up for it, adding a few more degrees of difficulties to his litany of pre-game fist pumps and facial contortions. The TD Garden crowd of 17,565, Bostons 163rd straight sellout, ate it up. History has Boston at the front of the NHL championship bus now. Teams winning Game 3 after splitting first two games of the final have gone on to win 21 of 25 times since the best-of-seven format began in 1939. The Bruins improved to 4-0 in Game 3s this post-season while the Blackhawks fell to 0-4. Boston isnt celebrating quite yet, however. "Its nice to get a win," said captain Zdeno Chara, who mixed it up with Bryan Bickell as the clock wound down. "Were up 2-1. Weve got to get ready for the next one." "Weve still got a few more games to go," added Tyler Seguin. Paille, the overtime hero of Game 2, opened the scoring for Boston as the Bruins reshaped third line of Paille, Chris Kelly and Seguin paid dividends again. The trio accounted for both Boston goals in the Bruins overtime victory in Game 2. Bergeron then scored on the power play, with Paille and Kelly drawing the penalties that led to the goal. The Bruins forward was a one-man machine, with six shots in the first two periods alone. He also dominated faceoffs, winning 19 of 22 in the first 40 minutes. The other Bruins did the little things too. Blocking shots. Winning faceoffs. Shrugging off Blackhawks like annoying little brothers. When the situation called for it, they just dumped the puck somewhere safe and regrouped. The Bruins outshot Chicago 35-28 as Rask earned his third shutout of the playoffs. It marked just the second time in 2013 that the Blackhawks had been shut out. "Tonight I thought we made it rather easy on (Rask) as far as traffic and finding and seeing pucks," said Chicago coach Joel Quenneville. "I think we got to be better at going to the net in non-puck areas." The Blackhawks will get a chance to do just that in Game 4, which goes Wednesday in Boston. There was drama before the game as Chicago co-scoring leader Marian Hossa was a late scratch, replaced by Ben Smith after being injured in the warmup. That meant shelving a marquee player on a $7.9-million contract for a $550,000 forward who had played once this season. "Marian Hossa out of the lineup after something apparently happened in warm-ups," tweeted the Hawks. Quenneville later clarified that the injury had nothing to do with the warmup. Hossa has an upper-body injury, was a game-time decision and is listed day to day. "Were hopeful hell be ready for the next game," he said. Still, it was a take-no-prisoners warmup. Boston coach Claude Julien said Chara suffered a small cut during warmup after losing an edge. Bruins defenceman Dennis Seidenberg said later the ice was poor as hot, humid weather and a visit by the Rolling Stones last week probably didnt help matters. Quenneville pointed to faceoffs and the power as the difference-makers. Boston won 40 of 56 faceoffs and Chicago went 0 for 5 with the man-advantage. The Hawks have not scored a power-play goal in their last 20 chances dating to Game 2 of the Western Conference final. The Bruins, meanwhile, have killed off 27 straight penalties. Quenneville, who had eaarlier decided to replace Brandon Bollig with Viktor Stalberg, shook up his lines like a frustrated Scrabble player.dddddddddddd Captain Jonathan Toews surprisingly started with Marcus Kruger and Michael Frolik, while Smith opened with Dave Bolland and Patrick Sharp. But it was the Bruins, outshot 19-4 in the first period of Game 2, who came out in high gear. They had seven shots on Corey Crawford within the first five minutes. And whenever Toews came over the boards, he found the giant shadow of Chara waiting. Crawford, who would finish with 33 saves on the night, stopped Bergeron from in close. At the other end, the imperious Rask handled a blast from Duncan Keith. Bostons Brad Marchand had a glorious chance on a breakaway on the penalty kill late in the period after somehow coralling a long Chara clearance. But he lost control of the puck just in front of Crawford and, showing his frustration, smashed his stick to pieces as he returned to the bench. Boston killed off a pair of penalties in the first period. It was hard to say whether it was because the Bruins penalty killing was so good or the Hawks power play so bad. Chicago clawed its way back as the first period wore on and managed 10 shots to Bostons 11 by the time it was over. The Bruins controlled the faceoff circle, however, wining 17 of 22 in the first period. Boston opened the second with another offensive burst and grabbed the lead. Paille was rewarded for some hard work at 2:13 in the Chicago end, lifting Bollands stick to steal the puck and rifling a wrist shot past Crawford, who seconds earlier had stopped Seguin. It was Pailles fourth goal of the playoffs. Prior to Game 3, the Blackhawks had only surrendered four power-play goals in 63 short-handed situations. The Paille-Kelly-Seguin line now has seven points in the past two games with three goals and four assists. When Chicago did get an opportunity, Rask was there. The big Finn stopped Patrick Kane cold after a Hawks defenceman found him cruising in alone. Chicago had to kill off a brief 5-on-3 opportunity late in the second and Bergeron ripped a low shot in from the doorstep at 14:05 just seconds after Bolland, the first Hawk to escape the penalty box, tried to get back into the play. Bergerons seventh of the post-season capped a nifty passing play. Jaromir Jagrs sweet assist on the play moved the 41-year-old in sole possession of fifth place in all-time post-season scoring with 197 points (78 goals, 119 assists). Bolland, for cross-checking, and Niklas Hjalmarsson, tripping, went off for hauling down Kelly and Paille, respectively, as they drove at the goal. Like a hockey homage, Seguin almost recreated the Bergeron goal on another power play later in the period only to be stopped by Crawford. A frustrated Seguin put his stick between his teeth when the play ended as he pondered what might have been. The Bruins held a 26-18 edge in shots after 40 minutes. Boston, blunting the Chicago attack with whatever was needed, killed off two more penalties in the third to further frustrate the Hawks. The Bruins, meanwhile, almost made it 3-0 late in the game during another Bolland penalty. Chicagos Bickell hit post in dying seconds as the Blackhawks pressed to get on the board but couldnt find a way past Rask. Notes: It was Chicagos first visit to TD Garden since March 29, 2010, when the Bruins won 3-0. ... The first two games of the series lasted some 186 minutes, leaving both teams with one win and five goals ... Chicago started Viktor Stalberg in place of Brandon Bollig ... Tickets for Game 3 ranged from $325 to a corner balcony seat to $7,500 for a 12th-row centre-ice loge seat on StubHub earlier Monday ... The Bruins won all three of their home games in the 2010-11 final, outscoring the Canucks 17-3. ' ' '

DETROIT -- The Los Angeles Angels may have found the best spot for Jhoulys Chacin -- in the bullpen.Chacin, replaced by Brett Oberholtzer in the rotation for this game, relieved Oberholtzer after three innings and struck out five in four scoreless innings to help the Angels to a 3-2 win, ending the Tibers five-game winning streak.His relief picked up where he left off, in his last start against the Yankees, Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. Thats really encouraging. Hes matched up well with these guys. He pitched a great game against them in Anaheim early in the season. He pitched four strong innings.Kaleb Cowart hit his second career home run and C.J. Cron added an RBI single for the Angels.Chacin (4-6) wasnt disappointed that he did not start.I just have to do my job, Chacin said. Wherever they need me, I just go out and do it. I was happy I could help today.Detroit stars Victor Martinez and J.D. Martinez were ejected, along with manager Brad Ausmus and hitting coach Wally Joyner in a series of balls-and-strikes disputes.Victor Martinez argued with plate umpire Mike Everitt after taking strike one in the third inning. Martinez was tossed after about 30 seconds, then put his hands behind his back to continue the debate. He later flipped his helmet onto the field from the bench.It was just simply that we didnt like some of the pitches being called strikes on us, and it felt like we werent getting them called when our pitcher was on the mound, Ausmus said. So its not necessarily that we didnt think every pitch that was called a strike wasnt a strike, but wed like the same pitches called for us.Everitt spoke briefly to a pool reporter following the game.All of the players, as well as the manager and coach, were warned, and sometimes more than once or twice, Everitt said. I will be filing my report with the Commissioners office in New York.After Ian Kinsler struck out looking in the fifth, Joyner was ejected from the dugout by Everitt. Joyner came out to argue, Ausmus followed and was tossed, too.In the sixth, J.D. Martinez was called out, looked back at Everitt and was ejected.Ive never been ejected in a game, Martinez said. I just told him hes having a bad day. Everyone has bad days.Rookie Michael Fulmer (10-5) gave up three runs in the third.I dont know if he had quite the same stuff we saw early in the year, Scioscia said. As far as his command he was up in the zone and got behind a lot of hitters, needed a lot of pitches to get through five.Kinsler hit a leadoff homer in the first inning. Andrew Romine, who replaced J.D. Martinez, drove in Miguel Cabrera with a grounder in the eighth.SECOND TIMECowarts first career hit was a home run in a 15-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Aug. 22, 2015.EJECTION NIGHTIt was the fourth career ejection for Victor Martinez, the first for J.D. Martinez, the 10th for Ausmus and the second for Joyner as a coach.TRAINERS ROOMAngels: Scioscia said 3B Yunel Escobars concussion symptoms are stabilizing and he could return to some baseball activities early next week. There wont be a rehab assignment, but hes going to need a couple days, I think, to make sure hes ready, Scioscia said. Escobar was placed on the seven-day disabled list Aug. 20.Tigers: RHP Jordan Zimmermann (neck) started an injury rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Toledo Friday night, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out one in 3 2/3 scoreless innings.UP NEXTAngels: LHP Tyler Skaggs (1-3) will make his first career appearance at Comerica Park.Tigers: RHP Anibal Sanchez (7-12) will make his 30th overall appearance and 22nd start of the season. Sanchez has recorded a quality start in each of his four home starts since the All-Star break. Cheap Jose Canseco Jersey . -- Edmontons Val Sweeting is two wins away from a trip to Winnipeg to play in Canadas Road of the Rings in December. Cheap Athletics Jerseys . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.cheapathleticsjerseys.com/ . From filmmaker Nanette Burstein (On the Ropes), The Price of Gold revisits the saga that rocked the figure skating world ahead of the 1994 Lillehammer Olympic Winter Games: the assault on Nancy Kerrigan, and the plot that led its way back to her rival Tonya Harding. Cheap Athletics Jerseys Authentic . LOUIS -- St. Cheap Joe Morgan Jersey . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. Could he hear the rumble, way out there in the middle of the pitch?Could he hear anything over his heartbeat batting on 99?And how was there so much noise? The crowd was decent, yes, but nowhere near capacity.Cheteshwar Pujara could certainly charm the cricket ball. But could his powers extend to other inanimate objects? Because it wasnt so much a case of if the walls at the Saurashtra Cricket Stadium could talk, they were already bloody screaming.Rajkot rose and fell with one man. India rose and rose with two.M Vijay is a bit under-rated. Commentators often associate him with his leave, and while that is a superb skill for an opening batsman, it is a bit unfair. When he drives the ball - along the ground and over the top - it leaves you breathless. Imagine a saucy wink from the woman youre courting. When he flicks the ball - into an arc as wide as backward square leg to mid-on - it looks so natural. Imagine breathing. Its silly that people are surprised when he plays a shot well.He is especially effective in partnership with Pujara. In Tests, they are the most prolific pair Indian cricket has seen in a decade. It was because of their efforts that Englands mammoth lead of 537 had been cut down in half. And that was nothing new.Vijay and Pujara have put on 2081 runs together in 32 innings. The additions they make to the scoreboard, though, is simply the most tangible assessment of their worth.Both men, typically, like to bat time. Dot balls rarely perturb them. The opposition screeching at their ear doesnt often matter. They get inside a bubble, which probably stops a sledge and then turns it into a melody before it reaches their brain. One of the features that makes the Vijay-Pujara partnership so important for India is that they blunt the new ball so that their team-mates down the order, for whom the mandate is to attack, can do so as freely as possible.Lets say India are on tour - just to make things harder for our protagonists - and have conceded a big total. Over 500. Then they lose an early wicket. Vijay and Pujara get together. Neither of them can afford to be dismissed cheaply because that would mean Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane - two players who are most effective when they have the chance to dominate - have to bat within themselves and with a voice in the back of their heads giving them bad company. If you get out, if you make one mistake, it wont be too long before the tail is exposed.So Pujara and Vijay take their time, absorb the pressure, dull the threat of the opposition bowlers and set the innings up. Sound familiar?Adelaide 2014. They came together at 30 for 1 with Australia having put up 517, batted out 22.3 overs so that Indias captain could come in and dictate terms. The same thing happened in the second innings. Vijay and Pujara dug in for 15.1 overs to take India from 16 for 1 to 57 for 2. Vijay went on to make 99 and, alongside Kohli, nearly pulled off a chase for the ages.But that was a flat pitch. Lords 2014. The pitch was indistinguishable from the outfield..dddddddddddd India lost the toss. England put them in. James Anderson and Stuart Broad were a blur of arms and legs obscured by smoke as they fought to get hold of the ball. Vijay and Pujara did not make big runs but they did shield the middle order, playing out nearly 20 overs together. That meant Indias eventual centurion Rahane only had to come in after the first session, when conditions were perhaps a little better. Just a little.In Adelaide, when India learnt they could frighten Australia, when they beat England at the home of cricket for only the second time in 82 years, and before that, in South Africa, on Indias first overseas tour since the whitewashes in England and Australia (not to mention the retirement of Sachin Tendulkar), Vijay and Pujara scrawled their names on the wall as if in a scene out of Shawshank Redemption.Both of us have been playing Test cricket for India for a long time, Pujara said. And especially, me and him are the ones who are just playing this format particularly. We spend a lot of time, not just on the field but also talking about the game, talking about this format.Sometimes, it is difficult for a player who is just playing this particular format because when were not playing the other formats, you dont get quality practice or youre not in touch with the game. We have played some domestic matches in the free time after the New Zealand series and we were there at the NCA to train before this series started.So I think its the communication which keeps us going. We know each others strength, we know what the opposition is trying to do and we always try to communicate. I think thats the most important thing about this batting unit, not just communicating with Vijay, but communicating with other players as well.The bond they have was easy to see. They batted, and trained together, two days before the Test. They shared details of which way the ball was swinging and updated their partner if England were shifting plans, like when Stuart Broad began bowling cutters in a spell of 5-4-1-0. The embraces as they celebrated their respective hundreds. Heck, Vijay was so desperate to get across and relieve Pujara of the strike when Chris Woakes was bouncing him that there was nearly a run-out.India seemed like they might get through the day losing only one wicket. But Ben Stokes broke through and Pujara was walking back, saddened he couldnt get the double-hundred he had set out for, annoyed he had just steered the ball straight to Alastair Cook at a wide slip. But here too, he had his partners help. Vijay ran all the way over and put his arm around Pujara consolingly.Indias success in a long home season will definitely depend heavily on their bowlers ability to take 20 wickets each Test. But for this match, for the rest of the series against England, and even for the one against the Australians next year, Vijay and Pujara will be vital. ' ' '

HOOVER, Ala. -- Mississippi State enters preseason practice with a four-man quarterback battle. Coach Dan Mullen admits its not an ideal situation.I will be a happy guy to name a starting quarterback and find somebody that has separated themselves from the other three, Mullen said.So far, the race to replace Dak Prescott has been too close to call. Prescott was easily the most productive quarterback in program history -- throwing for more than 9,000 career yards and running for more than 2,500. He threw 70 touchdown passes and ran for 44 more.He even caught three touchdown passes.Good luck filling those shoes.Its safe to say none of the four candidates for the job -- sophomores Nick Fitzgerald and Elijah Staley, junior Damian Williams and freshman Nick Tiano -- will match Prescotts production right away.But Mullen and players are confident someone will step forward to keep the Bulldogs competitive in the SECs Western Division.They all bring a little different skill set to the table, but they all can throw and they all can run, Mullen said. I think when you have that dual threat, it makes the defense have to account for all 11 players on offense on every single snap.The 6-foot-5 Fitzgerald was Prescotts primary backup in 2015. He completed 11 of 14 passes for 235 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Staley and Williams also have some game experience.It has definitely been different without Dak, Mississippi State receiver Fred Ross said. All of the quarterbacks have been working hard and doing things the coaches have asked of them.Quarterback might be the most high-profile position battle at Mississippi State, but theres also plenty of uncertainty on defense.The Bulldogs lost their entire defensive coaching staff during the offseason, including coordinator Manny Diaz, who left for Miami. His replacement is Peter Sirmon, who comes to Mississippi State from Southern California.Its Mississippi States third defensive coordinator in three years.The Bulldogs do have several veterans returning on defense, including linebacker Richie Brown, defensive linemen A.J. Jefferson and Nelson Adams and safety Kivon Coman.Jefferson said learning another defense wont be particularly difficult.Playing defense doesnt change, Jefferson said. Every defensive coordinator weve had come here might dress it up a different way, but its all the same thing. They want us to be juiced and have energy and just go out there and play.-----Follow David Brandt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/davidbrandtAP-----AP college football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org Malik Carney Jersey . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Will Harris Jersey .Y. -- Sabres forward Drew Stafford has witnessed plenty of turmoil during his eight seasons in Buffalo. http://www.wholesalelionsjerseys.com/?tag=youth-darius-kilgo-jersey . Dusautoir, the former World Player of the Year, sustained a torn bicep playing for Toulouse in the Heineken Cup on Saturday. The flanker, who has played 65 times for France, is expected to be out for up to four months. Chris Lacy Jersey . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. Quandre Diggs Jersey . The third-ranked Ivanovic, who won the event in 2008 and 10, served five aces and broke Wickmayer, also a former winner in 2009, five times. "The result looked easier than it really was," Ivanovic said. Dwyane Wade is the Heat franchise leader in points, assists and steals. He has more than twice as many points with Miami as anyone else. ' ' '

SAN FRANCISCO (1-10) at CHICAGO (2-9)Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FoxOPENING LINE -- Bears by 4RECORD VS. SPREAD -- San Francisco 2-8-1, Chicago 4-7SERIES RECORD -- 49ers lead 33-30-1LAST MEETING -- 49ers beat Bears 26-20, OT, Dec. 6, 2015LAST WEEK -- 49ers lost to Dolphins 31-24; Bears lost to Titans 27-21AP PRO32 RANKING -- 49ers No. 31, Bears No. 2949ers OFFENSE -- OVERALL (28), RUSH (4), PASS (30)49ers DEFENSE -- OVERALL (32), RUSH (32), PASS (15)BEARS OFFENSE -- OVERALL (16), RUSH (21), PASS (15)BEARS DEFENSE -- OVERALL (11), RUSH (18), PASS (12)STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES -San Francisco has dropped franchise-record 10 straight since season-opening 28-0 win over Los Angeles. ... 49ers practiced in Orlando this week after losing at Miami. ... San Francisco is allowing league-high 31.3 points per game. ... QB Colin Kaepernick has completed 59.3 percent of passes for 1,110 yards, eight TDs, two interceptions and 96 rating over past four games. Has also rushed for 223 yards in that span, averaging 7.7 yards per carry. ... WR Torrey Smith aiming for third straight game against Chicago with TD catch. ... RB Carlos Hyde had 95 yards from scrimmage (65 rushing, 30 receiving) and TD catch last week. ... Bears rank 31st in NFL in scoring at 16.2 points per game. ... Chicago has eight takeaways, tied for leagues second-lowest total. ... Bears dropped 10 passes last week, including one by WR Josh Bellamy in end zone in final minute. ... QB Matt Barkley threw for career-high 316 yards, three TDs in first career start with Jay Cutler sidelined by right shoulder injury. Barkley was drafted by Philadelphia in 2013 when Chip Kelly was Eagles coach. ... WR Marquess Wilson set career highs with eight catches for 125 yards last week. ... WR Alshon Jeffery and LB Jerrell Freeman are serving four-game suspensions for violating NFLs PED policy. Jeffery will miss his third game and Freeman his second. ... Fantasy Tip: Figure Barkley will continue to look for Wilson after oft-injured receiver came through with career game against Tennessee.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Cheap Bruins Jerseys Authentic . Defencemen Drew Doughty, Shea Weber and forward Ryan Getzlaf also scored for the Canadians, who started their gold-medal defence 2-0. Goalie Roberto Luongo, getting the call in place of Game 1 starter Carey Price, was solid when needed in making 23 saves for the shutout. Cheap Bruins Jerseys . McCarthy, a player who played some games in the second tier for Wigan at the start of this season, would go on to shine inside Evertons midfield, outplaying the man he was brought in to replace, on one of the grandest stages in English football. On Saturday, it was fitting that Manchester Uniteds most recent dagger into the chest was delivered by Frenchman Yohan Cabaye, a wonderfully gifted central midfielder who put on an outstanding effort for Newcastle at Old Trafford. http://www.cheapbruinsjerseys.com/ . In the response filed Wednesday to the complaint by 30-year-old Alexander Bradley, attorneys say the former University of Florida player is invoking his Fifth Amendment right that protects people from incriminating themselves. Cheap Adidas Bruins Jerseys . They reached the 100-point plateau for the fourth time in five games, bested the visiting Trail Blazers by 34 in the paint and scored 19 of the final 25 points in regulation. Wholesale Bruins Jerseys . -- Peyton Manning will have all of his wide receivers available for the first time in a month when the Denver Broncos begin their playoff run Jan. MONTREAL -- This time around the Hamilton Tiger-Cats were happy to see a Quinton Porter comeback bid fall short. Lindsay Lamar scored on an 88-yard punt return as Hamilton held on for a 33-26 win over the Montreal Alouettes on Thursday night in the CFL pre-season opener for both teams. Tiger-Cats quarterback Dan LeFevour threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Chevon Walker just before halftime and Delbert Alvarado kicked three field goals in the first half. "I thought the effort was outstanding," said Hamilton head coach Kent Austin, who won in his first CFL game since 2007, when he coached Saskatchewan to the Grey Cup. "We played really hard for the entire game." Ticats QB Jeremiah Masoli scored on a one-yard run 1:13 into the fourth quarter to put Hamilton up 33-12 in front of a Percival Molson Stadium crowd of 20,174. Porter threw a pair of touchdown passes as Montreal mounted a comeback bid. The former Ticats quarterback connected with Kenny Stafford on a 75-yard touchdown 3:04 into the fourth to draw the Alouettes within 33-19. Porter also threw a 20-yard touchdown to Tyron Carrier at 10:34. "We knew it just takes a couple of big plays like that and things can change, but I just wish we could have kept more going at the end there," said Porter, who spent the last five seasons with Hamilton. "We just ran out of time." Brett Lauther kicked a 14-yard field goal for the Tiger-Cats in the third quarter after Hamilton conceded a safety. As happy as he was about his teams effort, Austin saw plenty of areas of the Ticats game that he wants to improve. "Weve got to clean up a lot of things," said Austin, who coached Cornell for the last two seasons after spending two years as the offensive co-ordinator at the University of Mississippi, his alma mater. "Too many penalties, especially on special teams. Weve got to eliminate some of those mistakes, and we will. Well be better with our assignments next week." LeFevour completed 10-of-19 passes for 149 yards in the first half. "I thought we moved the ball pretty well," LeFevour said. "We moved the ball consistently. There were no real two-and-outs, not a lot of them, and just making plays and at least giving ourselves an opportunity to score." Masoli completed 5-of-10 attempts for 82 yarrds.dddddddddddd Brian Brohm also went 5 for 10, for 110 yards, including a 38-yard pass to Eric McCree on a drive that led to Lauthers field goal that made it 26-12. Chris Jennings scored a touchdown on a one-yard run as the Alouettes took a 7-0 lead 2:28 into the game, which marked Montreal head coach Dan Hawkins pro coaching debut. The veteran U.S. college coach replaced Marc Trestman, who left Montreal to become the Chicago Bears head coach. Hawkins, who spent the last two years as an ESPN college football analyst, coached Boise State to a 53-11 mark from 2001-05. He also coached Willamette and Colorado and has a 112-61-1 coaching record in the college ranks. "He was great," Porter said. "Hes got a great attitude and he kept a positive attitude. Even when we were down hes not getting on guys and as pros we really appreciate that." There was a long delay, 9:31 into the second, after Montreal receiver David Clowney was injured on a helmet-to-helmet hit while he was blocking. Players from both teams kneeled on the field and sidelines while Clowney was attended to by medical staff as he lay on the field. Clowney was placed on a spinal board and his neck was immobilized with a cervical collar before he was carried off the field. Hawkins could not describe Clowneys injury and had no update on his condition. Anthony Calvillo completed a 50-yard pass to Jamel Richardson on the Alouettes first play from scrimmage. The 40-year-old quarterback guided Montreal through its first offensive series, a five-play touchdown drive capped by Jennings one-yard plunge. Josh Neiswander came in for Calvillo on the Alouettes second offensive series. He completed 8-of-23 pass attempts for 99 yards in the first half, including a 23-yard catch by Wallace Wright. "Were trying to get a look at a lot of guys," Hawkins said. "I thought they competed well, which was great. I thought their spirit was great. You know, the first unit, they were awesome. They came out and started fast so I give them a lot of credit for their mentality of coming out of the gate and getting after it." Porter ran the Als offence for most of the second half. He completed 8-of-17 pass attempts for 178 yards, taking over after Tanner Marsh guided Montreal through its first two series of the third quarter. ' ' '

PRAGUE -- Another top 10 tennis player has withdrawn from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics over concerns about the Zika virus.Wimbledon semifinalist Tomas Berdych says it was a hard decision for me to take after a long and painstaking discussion with family.On Twitter, the Czech says to limit health risks towards my dearest is the utmost priority.The eighth-ranked Berdych apologized to those disappointed by his decision.Saturdays announcement comes a day after No. 7 Milos Raonic, and fifth-ranked Simona Halep on the womens side, withdrew from Rio over Zika. Cheap Senators Jerseys Authentic . Traditional contenders Brazil, Greece and Turkey drew the other three spots to complete the 24-team field for this summers tournament in Spain, basketball governing body FIBA announced Saturday at its meeting in Barcelona. Cheap Adidas Senators Jerseys . "Four now," Carl Gunnarsson told the Leaf Report proudly following a 5-2 victory over New York on Tuesday night, the clubs fifth straight at home. http://www.cheapsenatorsjerseys.com/ . -- Brandon Jennings made the most of his first game with the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. Cheap Senators Jerseys . Scott won the Australian PGA last week in his first event in Australia since winning the U.S. Masters in April. American Matt Kuchar, ahead by two strokes with four to play and even with Scott with one to go, double-bogeyed the 18th after taking two shots to get out of a bunker. Cheap Senators Jerseys China . Most important, perhaps, it went off without a hitch. Organizers poked a little fun at the now-infamous opening ceremony gaffe that saw only four out of five snowflakes open up into rings, leaving the Olympics logo one ring short. SAN DIEGO -- Hoisting the trophy and spraying champagne will be nice, for sure, for the crew that wins the Americas Cup World Series.Even sweeter will be the two bonus points that can help jumpstart that team when the fleet reconvenes in Bermuda next summer for the elimination rounds.The ninth and final stop of the ACWS will be sailed this weekend in Fukuoka, Japan. The winner of the overall series will earn two bonus points to carry into the qualifiers in June, while the second-place team will earn one bonus point.Thats a significant bonus to take forward, said British sailing star Sir Ben Ainslie, whose Land Rover BAR team holds the overall series lead with 437 points, 14 better than two-time defending Americas Cup champion Oracle Team USA.Emirates Team New Zealand, the hard-luck loser to Oracle in the 2013 Americas Cup, is three points back in third, with 420.SoftBank Team Japan is fourth with 399, followed by Artemis Racing of Sweden with 391 and Groupama Team France with 360.Ainslie, who was knighted a few months after winning his fourth straight Olympic gold medal at the 2012 London Games, said Land Rover BAR has been motivated by the bonus points and because its a new team fighting for the oldest trophy in international sports.Its been a huge amount of work, Ainslie said. Ive never worked this hard in my life. Its been massively rewarding for all of us for what weve achieved in a short amount of time. But were just starting. Our goal is to build a sustainable business in the UK with the core goal of winning the Americas Cup. We know it will be a huge battle next summer in Bermuda. If were not able to win the Cup next time, were going to keep going. We set this up to keep going until we get the job done.Ainslie would love to become the first Englishman to hoist the Americas Cup in victory. After losing the trophy to the schooner America in 1851, the Brits have never been able to win it back.Its huge, Ainslie said. For us, we have a very proud sporting heritage. Thats the one sporting trophy weve never won.The two bonus points will essentially represent two wins in the double round-robin qualifiers. In a break wiith tradition, the defender, Oracle, will sail against the challengers in that series.ddddddddddddIf a challenger wins the qualifiers and ultimately advances to the Americas Cup match, it will begin with a one-point advantage. Likewise, if Oracle, owned by software billionaire Larry Ellison, wins the qualifiers, it will begin the first-to-seven match with a one-point lead.After the qualifiers, the top four challengers will advance to the playoffs consisting of semifinals and finals to determine which team faces Oracle in the Americas Cup match.Ainslie said that one-point bonus for the Americas Cup match would be a nice helping hand.It certainly is our approach that its definitely worth fighting for, he said.Land Rover BAR has won three of the eight ACWS stops, with one second and two thirds.Oracle has yet to win a stop on the series, although it has four second-place finishes and two thirds.However, Oracle was last in the previous ACWS stop in Toulon, France.Skipper Jimmy Spithill missed that regatta after having elbow surgery. Hes back for this regatta.Obviously this would be a pretty nice one to crack that, Spithill said. But the biggest thing in this series was consistency. Trust me, every single event we come to as a team, the goal is the same, to try to come away with a win. This one is no different. We want to come away with points. Were in not too bad of a position.Ainslie sailed with Oracle in the 2013 Americas Cup, helping the American-backed team rally to beat Team New Zealand in one of the biggest comebacks in sports history.I would say if they went through without winning an event that would be a disappointment in terms of their psyche, although it doesnt really hurt them, Ainslie said. Knowing that team, they expect to be performing better. Theyve been one of the more consistent teams but they havent been able to nail it on the date. Hopefully, from our point of view, this Japan event wont be when they start.---Follow Bernie Wilson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/berniewilson ' ' '

The Big 12 can hope for an undefeated showdown in Morgantown on the same weekend the other Power Five conferences play their championship games.For now, the Big 12 is in a precarious position, already considered by most an afterthought in the College Football Playoff conversation.If nobody in the Big 12 gets in, its because theres four other teams that are supposed to be better, TCU coach Gary Patterson said, reminding everyone that the league does still have two undefeated teams.Only No. 13 Baylor (4-0), the leagues highest-ranked team , and West Virginia (3-0) are still without a loss. And they dont meet until the first Saturday in December when the Big 12, which resumes its title game in 2017, wraps up the regular season on the championship weekend for the ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC.Even though TCU won its Big 12 opener, the Horned Frogs didnt make it through their non-conference schedule undefeated. Oklahoma State has already lost twice.While Oklahoma gets ready for its conference opener at TCU this Saturday with a clean slate in pursuit of the 10th Big 12 title -- the Sooners were the overwhelming preseason favorite to win -- there are no do-overs for two September losses that pretty much knocked them out of contention for a second straight playoff appearance.Acting Baylor head coach Jim Grobe said it is too early to declare the Bears, or anyone else, a favorite to win the conference title.We need to not only see our team play a few more times, but obviously see the other teams play, before you start to draw a bead on who the stronger teams are, he said.So just how did the Big 12 already get to this point, and whats to come with only conference games left the next 10 weekends:NOT SO POWERFULThe Big 12 went 2-6 against teams from the other Power Five conferences. There was that double-overtime victory by Texas over then-No. 10 Notre Dame in the season opener, but the Fighting Irish have since lost to Michigan State and Duke, falling to 1/3 and out of playoff contention.SOONER SETBACKSOklahoma last season was the first Big 12 team to get into the playoff , and with a No. 3 preseason ranking, the Sooners were expected to be in the mix again in 2016. But they opened with a 10-point loss in Houston and are coming off a 45-24 home loss to Ohio State. After a week off, their focus is now on winning another conference title.Sometimes youre not as far off as people want to project that you are, coach Bob Stoops said.BEAR MARKETBaylor is 4-0 for the fourth consecutive season, a program first, and the Bears should still be undefeated when they go to Texas on the final Saturday of October. After going to Iowa State on Saturday, they have an open date before hosting Kansas and then another open date. They also have home games against TCU and Kansas State, a trip to Oklahoma and a neutral site game against Texas Tech before the finale in West Virginia.UP IN THE MOUNTAINSWhile unranked, West Virginia is undefeated, including the season opener over Missouri and last weekend against BYU. Now in their fifth Big 12 season, maybe the Mountaineers are ready to challenges for the conference title.Id like to think so. I think our team believes that, coach Dana Holgorsen said. Weve got confidence in our abilities and we think were pretty good. In addition to Baylor, WVU is home against TCU and Oklahoma State.FORT WORTH FRENZYHad No. 21 TCU finished off its rally at home against Arkansas, the Horned Frogs would be right in the middle of the playoff conversation and maybe in the top 10. While losing three of four to Oklahoma since joining the Big 12, those losses were by a combined 11 points. TCU gets both Oklahoma teams at home, but has to go to West Virginia and Baylor.COWBOY DOWNOklahoma State was on the verge of taking the lead in its Big 12 opener at Baylor last week before a fumble, and the Bears then drove 99 yards for the final score in a 35-24 victory. The Cowboys, who started 10-0 last season, will have to play four of their last six games on the road. Cheap New Orleans Saints Jerseys . Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. Devine Ozigbo Jersey . The lawyers filed a 33-page amended complaint Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan, expanding on the suit originally filed Oct. 3 in New York Supreme Court. Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz last week refused to compel Selig to testify in the grievance, and Rodriguez then walked out of the hearing without testifying. http://www.cheapsaintsjerseyselite.com/?tag=cheap-sylvester-williams-jersey . Three came down to the fourth quarter while quarterbacks continued to shine in all four games; so important to the overall quality of the game. Emmanuel Butler Jersey . "I wrote 36 on my sheet at the beginning of the game," the Cincinnati coach said, referring the yard line the ball would need to be snapped from. Derrick Kelly Jersey . President of baseball operations Larry Beinfest was fired Friday after 12 years with the Marlins. The move came as the team neared the end of its third consecutive last-place season in the NL East.An additional fourth substitute will be allowed in extra-time in matches played at this summers Rio Olympics and at the Club World Cup later in the year. The idea was first mooted by the International Football Association Board and the world governing body have now decided to experiment further in Rio de Janeiro this summer.The games law-making body the International Football Association Board (IFAB) approved trials of an extra substitute when games go into an additional half-hour at their meeting in Cardiff in March, and the executive committee of footballs world governing body has now announced plans to introduce it into a number of its competitions. A FIFA statement read: Following the recent decision by The IFAB to allow experimentation with a fourth substitution in extra time, the FIFA Executive Committee agreed for such experiments to be conducted this year at the Olympic football tournaments, the FIFA U20 Womens World Cup in Papua New Guinea (in November) and the FIFA Cluub World Cup Japan (in December).ddddddddddddAt their Cardiff meeting, IFAB also approved a two-year trial period allowing technology to be used in four cases; to determine if a goal has been scored, red cards, penalties and mistaken identity. However, further trials on that front are not expected until the 2017-18 season. Great Britain had a team at London 2012 - but will have no representation in Rio The FIFA ExCo was meeting for the final time before it is replaced by the new-look FIFA Council at the organisations next Congress in Mexico in May.It also supported the governing bodys efforts to reclaim funds lost due to the corrupt conduct of former FIFA members, agreed kick-off times for matches at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and approved the 2015 financial and governance report. ' ' '

BOSTON -- The St. Louis Blues turned around a listless start by getting gritty in the second period.Robert Bortuzzo and Paul Stastny scored 2:12 apart in the second and Jake Allen had 39 saves, helping the Blues beat the Boston Bruins 4-2 on Tuesday night despite getting just seven shots on net in the first 20 minutes.We were so sideways in the first period trying to make plays that werent there, coach Ken Hitchcock said. Once our attack went direct, I thought the second period was the best weve played on the road.Star Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara played just one shift in the second period before exiting with an undisclosed injury. With Boston using only five defenseman, St. Louis was able to wear the Bruins down.We got caught in our own end at times for long periods of time and then we had some guys that were out there tired, Boston coach Claude Julien said.The Blues won their fourth straight and put an end to a four-game road losing streak. Hitchcock said the turnaround was remarkable and simple. The Blues kept control of the puck in the offensive zone, kept it moving and got themselves in position to capitalize on rebounds.I thought in the second period we had a lot of participants. Were still not there yet, but the second period was a marked improvement from what weve been playing on the road before, Hitchcock said. It was a direct contrast to the first period.Jori Lehtera scored twice for St. Louis, including a shot into an empty net with 1:16 left just after Allen stopped a one-timer to preserve the lead. Colton Parayko and Patrik Berglund each had two assists.Longtime Blues captain David Backes scored for Boston in his first game against his former club, putting the Bruins up 1-0 early in the first with the 20,000th goal in franchise history. Montreal is the only other NHL team with 20,000 goals.Dominic Moore also scored for the Bruins, who played much of the last two periods without Chara.Hopefully its very temporary and hell be back in short order, Backes said.Boston lost for just the third time this season with Tuukka Rask starting in goal. Rask had 24 saves for the Bruins, who had won four of five.After a troubling first period, the Blues had 14 shots in the second and scored three times to take a 3-2 lead into the third.I think we were just playing on our heels a little bit, Stastny said. We were kind of playing wishing hockey a little bit, watching too much, trying to go for whole plays instead of playing that simple game. Youve just got to find a way to possess the puck, get it on the forecheck and create your own chances. Thats what we started doing.Lehtera tied it at 1 when he tipped Paraykos past Rask 3:23 into the second. Boston challenged the goal but lost when the officials reviewed it and found there was no interference on Rask.Moore put Boston back up briefly with a wrist shot over Allens glove for a short-handed goal at 8:59 of the second.Bortuzzo backhanded in a wide rebound to tie it again with 6:01 left in the second for his first goal of the season, then Stastny gave St. Louis its first lead when he poked in another rebound off a shot by Jaden Schwartz.Backes, who signed with Boston as a free agent July 1 after spending his first 10 seasons with St. Louis, knocked in a rebound from in front of the crease when Allen couldnt control Torey Krugs slap shot 7:44 into the game.Game notes Krugs assist on the opening goal was the 100th in his career. ... LW Alexander Steen did not travel with the Blues and missed his third straight game with an upper-body injury. ... RW David Pastrnak, who leads Boston with 10 goals, missed his third consecutive game with an undisclosed injury.UP NEXTBlues: At Washington on Wednesday night, wrapping up a quick visit to the East Coast with back-to-back games.Bruins: At Ottawa on Thursday night for an Eastern Conference opponent after playing five straight against Western Conference teams. DeAnthony Melton Jersey .C. United of Major League Soccer. United chose the defender in the second round of the 2013 MLS re-entry draft. Wholesale Rockets Jerseys . But what about the officials? Every sport has officials and they also have stories about hard work and sacrifice but their accomplishments are seldom recognized by anyone outside their inner circle. http://www.cheaprocketsjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-vincent-edwards-jersey . U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield in Manhattan agreed that lawyers on both sides could make their formal requests by Nov. 8. A hearing is scheduled for a day earlier. Jordan Siev, a lawyer for Rodriguez, wrote in a joint letter to the judge from lawyers on both sides that MLB lawyers planned to ask that the lawsuit be dismissed. Cheap Rockets Jerseys China . Paul Pierce couldnt believe he missed at the end. Young scored a season-high 26 points to spark a huge effort from the leagues most productive bench, and Los Angeles beat the Brooklyn Nets 99-94 on Wednesday night after blowing a 27-point lead. Cheap NBA Jerseys .4 million title. Ryan Riess emerged with the title after a session in which he started behind, but used expert skill to gather the chips to his side amid the unpredictability of no-limit Texas Hold em. Riess put his final opponent Jay Farber all-in with an Ace-King. PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- After the New York Mets signed Tim Tebow to a minor league contract two weeks ago, general manager Sandy Alderson maintained the transaction was about scratching a baseball itch rather than cashing in on a phenomenon. Amid considerable eye-rolling, Alderson said the Mets saw baseball potential in Tebow, and their investment in him had nothing to do with marketing, publicity or any ancillary benefits the club might derive from the transaction.If that was indeed the case, you can file the events of Monday under unintended consequences.Tebow -- a University of Florida icon, Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL quarterback -- arrived at Tradition Field on Monday morning for his first day in the Mets instructional program. From an action standpoint, it was about as close as you can get to a trip to the Department of Motor Vehicles. For the better part of two hours, he stretched, took part in baserunning drills, shagged fly balls and banged out line drives in batting practice under a scorching sun.But the interest level was something else entirely. About 70 media members dutifully took notes as Tebow nodded his head to an instructor here and stopped for a refreshing guzzle of water there. At the same time, more than 400 fans ringed the back fences and clamored for his autograph.Hey Tebow, do you know Peyton Manning? yelled one elementary school-age boy as Tebow stopped briefly to sign.Several fans made forays to an outdoor stand where Tebow No. 15 replica jerseys were selling for $120 each and Tebow T-shirts could be had for $28. And when the fans grew parched on the back fields, Mets employees were standing at the ready with bottles of water for $3 a pop.The Tebow shouts, cheers and buzz of activity were a stark contrast to the typical quiet of the Florida Instructional League scene.Its usually crickets, said Paul Taglieri, the Mets senior director of Florida operations. Its mom and dad or a couple of scouts watching. A lot of people dont even know what instructional league is. Obviously, this is going to add a lot of notoriety to the definition of instructional league.Tebow detractors who think his celebrity has outlived its shelf life probably cant relate to his popularity in SEC country, where his followers revere him for his faith, off-field charity work and the values he represents. Nine years after Tebow won a Heisman Trophy under Urban Meyer at Florida, he has a hold on the collective sports psyche in the region where he attained his fame. Gators fans will love him forever, and even Florida State fans, who are conditioned to dislike him, cant help but respect his achievements.Jo-Ann Walker, a New Jersey native, grew up as a Mets fan in the 1980s. She drove about 150 miles from Mount Dora, Florida, to Port St. Lucie and arrranged several Tebow T-shirts in a minitribute along one of the cyclone fences.ddddddddddddShes a two-time cancer survivor who finds Tebow to be an inspirational figure, and she was overjoyed when he signed a copy of his 2011 book, Through My Eyes.I moved down here from Jersey, and I kept hearing about this football player with the scriptures, and I said, Let me take a look, Walker said. Hes very humble. Hes very real. I pray that he can be part of the public eye for his foundations and Gods kingdom.The Tebow love spans generations. Andy Favata, a Long Island native, is a Florida alumnus whos married to a Florida alumna and has a daughter currently going to school in Gainesville. Hes a lifelong Mets fan with vivid memories of the 1986 World Series, so it was a no-brainer to make the short drive to Tradition Field with his 13-year-old daughter, Bella, and check out Tebows debut.I grew up at Shea Stadium watching the Mets, Favata said. Two hours after the ball went through Bill Buckners legs, I was there screaming and hugging people I didnt know. Tim Tebow is one of our favorite Gators. So when you see him with a Mets jersey on, youve gotta come.Although it was hard to tell from the first day, it appeared the Tebow-related momentum increased as reporters spread the word of his appearance at Tradition Field on social media. So what happens Tuesday and the day after that? Will the interest wane, or will sports fans in the area continue to stop by for an autograph or picture or because of the curiosity factor?Its a mutually beneficial relationship for player and team. Tebows publishers were no doubt ecstatic Monday when a reporter at his news conference asked him to talk about his new book, Shaken: Discovering Your True Identity in the Midst of Lifes Storms, which is scheduled for release in October. Tebow spoke with passion about the book and the message of encouragement hes trying to convey.Tebows book sales and Mets minor league ticket sales are likely to receive a boost next spring when he joins the low-A Columbia Fireflies, high-A St. Lucie Mets or wherever else the parent club chooses to assign him. Tebow is a natural magnet for attention, and hes going to sell tickets, hot dogs and bottled water regardless of how much those economic considerations factored into the Mets decision to sign him.In the grand scheme of things, the experiment will only pay dividends in New York if Tebow can shake off 11 years of baseball rust and prove he can hit a curveball. But charisma and name recognition alone should be enough to make turnstiles click in the minors. To no ones surprise, the Mets appear to have a cash cow on their hands. ' ' '

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue hasnt won a game in November since 2012 and the Boilermakers are surrendering astonishing numbers in their five losses this season.Interim coach Gerad Parker, who also coaches Purdues wide receivers, pointed to turnovers as the key to why opponents are rolling over the Boilermakers. Purdue is minus-10 in turnovers in their losses, including 0-4 against Penn State, which converted two fumbles and two interceptions into 28 points last weekend on the way to a 62-24 rout.Everyone knows the turnover margin is the key, Parker said. Its putting ourselves in bad position not only turning it over on the plus side of the field, and thats killing us. That turnover margin also is on our defense, because we are not getting takeaways. Were putting our offense on long fields, and our defense is playing on short fields.The Boilermakers (3-5, 1-4 Big Ten), whose fourth-year coach Darrell Hazell was fired on Oct. 16 with a 9-33 record, visits Minnesota (6-2, 3-2) on Saturday. The Golden Gophers have won three in a row.In their defeats, the Boilermakers are allowing 45.2 points a game and 489.6 yards of total offense. The five teams that have beaten Purdue have run 345 plays for 2,448 yards, or 7.1 yards each time theyve snapped the ball, and it might not change this weekend. Minnesota has the fourth-ranked Big Ten rushing offense (207.3 yards a game) and Purdue is 13th in rushing defense (250 yards a game) and scoring defense (36.9) and last in total defense (449.8).And the November schedule is not promising for a team that has lost 13 in a row in the 11th month. After Minnesota, Purdue has Northwestern (4-4), Wisconsin (6-2) and visits rival Indiana (4-4).Purdue cornerback DaWan Hunte, who watched his team be outscored 45-7 in the second half by Penn State, said the Boilermakers simply arent making enough plays on the ball.When the ball is in the air, our job is to get it down and take it away, and we just didnt do that, Hunte said.Quarterback David Blough, who leads the Big Ten in passing at 293.3 yards a game, said the offenses inability to protect the football is every bit as much to blame for the negative results against Cincinnati, Maryland, Iowa, Nebraska and Penn State.When things start going the other way, we have to stand up and fight like men after bad stuff happens during the game, Blough said. We have to be able to do it for one another.Parker is well aware of Purdues lack of November success.Winning creates positive thoughts, and when you lose, it creates the opposite kind of thoughts, Parker said.Game notes Including the loss to Penn State, Purdue is 3-26 in Big Ten games from the beginning of the 2013 season, including 1-14 in Ross-Ade Stadium ... Senior DT Jake Replogle has missed three consecutive games with a concussion. Parker hopes he passes concussion protocol and will be cleared to play at Minnesota. ... Purdues last victory in November came against Indiana in 2012. Marco Belinelli Jersey .C. -- After a listless first half, the Washington Wizards used a big third quarter run to beat the Charlotte Bobcats Bradley Beal scored 21 points and the Wizards used a 17-0 run in the third quarter to take control of what had been a close game and beat the Bobcats 97-83 on Tuesday night. Chimezie Metu Jersey . In taking its goal tally to 99 in all competitions already this season, City delivered another demonstration of its lethal firepower at Etihad Stadium to set up a fourth-round match at home to another second-tier team -- Watford. http://www.cheapspursjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-lamarcus-aldridge-jersey . Parker had 26 points and eight assists and San Antonio beat Toronto 112-99 Monday night. "We won that game because of Tony Parkers aggressiveness," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "His juice; his aggression all night long. Pau Gasol Jersey . At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014. Dejounte Murray Jersey . The players spoke Jan. 13 during a Major League Baseball Players Association conference call after Rodriguez sued the union and Major League Baseball to overturn an arbitrators decision suspending him for the 2014 season and post-season.(Sports Network) - The Toronto Blue Jays will send Mark Buehrle to the hill as they play the second of four games on the road against the Texas Rangers. The Blue Jays have won five of its last seven games and received a big boost from Edwin Encarnacion in a 3-1 victory in the series opener on Thursday. Jays starter Esmil Rogers picked up the victory with seven innings of one-run ball. He allowed five hits and walked just one. "I tried to use my sinker more, and I just threw inside, threw everywhere, to get the ground ball," Rogers said. "Thats why I didnt get too many punchouts tonight, but Im not going to think about that. Im just thinking about getting the ground ball." Steve Delabar threw a scoreless eighth and Casey Janssen picked up his 14th save in the ninth. Meanwhile, Buehrles first season with the Blue Jays hasnt been so impressive as evidenced by a 2-4 mark in 13 starts with a 5.06 earned run average. He did not factor in the outcome of a 4-3 win versus Texas on Saturday and pitched well, allowing one run and four hits in seven innings. The veteran left-hander is no stranger to the Rangers and owns a 12-5 record with a 3.31 ERA in 21 career games (18 starts) against them. Buehrle may have trouble on the road Friday and is winless (0-3) in six away starts in 2013. The Blue Jays took two of three from Texas in a series north of the border last weekend, but the Rangers have won six of the past 10 meetings. Rangers reliever Tanner Scheppers surrendered a go-ahead two-run double to Edwin Encarnacion in the top of the eighth inning. "I was just looking for my pitch, a fastball," Encarnacion said.dddddddddddd "Hes a great pitcher, so I was looking for something in the strike zone, and I was aggressive right from the beginning." Neal Cotts was saddled with the loss because he was responsible for the runners who helped Toronto break a 1-1 tie. Texas starter Yu Darvish had a strong outing wasted and he permitted just a run and three hits in seven innings with nine Ks and two walks. Nelson Cruz homered for the Rangers, who are two games behind the As and only 1-3 on an 11-game homestand. "We know we can do a lot better than weve done," said Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre. "We havent done that lately in these last 10 games or so." Rangers center fielder Leonys Martin left the game in the eighth inning because of a left wrist injury and X-rays were negative. He is listed as day- to-day and will not be in the lineup Friday against left-hander Mark Buehrle. "Theres no serious damage," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "From a distance, I thought it was his shoulder, but its his wrist." Jason Grimm looks to pitch the Rangers out of the loss column when he makes his 12th start Friday. Grimm is 0-1 in his last two starts following a three- start winning streak and did not record a decision Sunday in a 6-4 win at Toronto. He allowed four runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings in his first appearance against the Jays and is 5-4 in 11 overall starts with a 5.25 ERA. Grimm, a right-hander, is 3-1 in four trips to the Arlington mound. ' ' '

MOSCOW -- The International Olympic Committee says it is exploring the legal options for a possible ban of the entire Russian team from next months Olympics in Rio de Janeiro as a result of the countrys repeated doping scandals. Russia finished fourth in the gold medal table at the 2012 Olympics in London and third in the overall medal table. Its absence in Rio would shake up both tables. Here are five Russian stars who could miss out:Aliya MustafinaShe led the Russian gymnastics team which narrowly failed to beat the U.S. to gold in the womens all-around in 2012 and also won individual gold in the uneven bars. While Mustafina has been plagued by injuries since, she bounced back with two European championship gold medals last month. Russia has arguably the worlds richest tradition of excellence in gymnastics, and if its athletes arent in Rio, the U.S. and China will benefit in the medal table.Yulia EfimovaOne of the worlds top breaststroke sprinters, Efimova spearheads the Russian swim team for Rio despite previous brushes with the anti-doping authorities. She bounced back from a drug ban to win 100-meter gold at last years world championships in a fiercely competitive race with her longtime rival, Lithuanian teenager Ruta Meilutyte, who would become the hot favorite for gold if Efimova is forced to miss Rio. Efimova missed four months this season after testing positive for the banned substance meldonium but was given a reprieve and won the 200 at her comeback meet in Los Angeles on Sunday.Yelena IsinbayevaThe world record holder in the pole vault and a two-time Olympic gold medalist, Isinbayeva would compete at her fifth games in Rio, but she faces extra obstacles to get there. Russias track and field team is already banned from the games due to widespread doping, and Isinbayevas hopes rest on a successful appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. She represented Russias athletes at a crucial CAS hearing on Tuesday in Switzerland and even posted a selfie online from inside the closed session. Her absence in Rio would help Brazilian, Greek and U.S. athletes, among others.Nataliya IshchenkoWith three Olympic and 19 world championship gold medals to her name, Ishchenko typifies Russias total domination of synchronized swimming -- its won every Olympic event this century. If no Russians compete in Rio, China and Spain would fight for the two gold medals on offer. Russia is similarly dominant in another female-only Olympic sport, rhythmic gymnastics, where former Soviet nations Ukraine and Belarus usually compete for the silver behind Russias winners.Maxim MikhailovTop scorer when Russia won the mens volleyball competition at London 2012, Mikhailov would be a formidable opponent in Rio. Host nation Brazil had to settle for silver four years ago but is fired up for a gold medal in front of its home crowd. The absence of the Russian team would make that mission significantly easier. Cheap Miami Marlins Jerseys . DAmigo scored twice in regulation and added the shootout winner as the Toronto Marlies edged the San Antonio Rampage 5-4 in American Hockey League action. Cheap Marlins Jerseys Authentic . Louis. To which I would say two things: 1. Where there is smoke, there is or perhaps has been a little fire. Or, in other words, the two teams would appear to have at least spoken. And spoken is defined as one calling the other to inquire, no more, no less. http://www.cheapmarlinsjerseys.com/ . Each of Houstons starters scored in double figures as the Rockets improved to 2-0 against the Spurs this season, with both victories coming on the road. They also moved within 3 1/2 games of San Antonio (22-7) for the lead the Southwest Division. Cheap Andre Dawson Jersey . The FA rejected Wilsheres appeal that the length of his punishment was "clearly excessive" and said Thursday his suspension begins with immediate effect. He will miss league matches against Chelsea on Monday and West Ham on Dec. Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic . Rousey will put her perfect 8-0 record and hardware on the line against another undefeated fighter, 7-0 Sara McMann in the main event of UFC 170, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas Nevada on February 22nd. SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Steve Asmussen often exhibits a hardened exterior, never truly revealing what hes thinking, to the point where sometimes its not easy to tell if he won or lost a race.On Friday, however, Asmussen showed an emotional side rarely seen publicly as he was formally inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.Asmussen got choked up sitting in the front row as Julie, his wife of 19 years, introduced him. Later, when talking about his parents, Keith and Marilyn, Steve Asmussen had to stop.My dad and my mom. Mom, thank you for the faith you have given us, Asmussen said before choking up and getting some water while the audience applauded. I havent even been able to say this driving down the road with my windows up.Asmussen talked about the example his father set for him and his brother Cash, a former jockey.Everybody in this room is here for the love of horse racing, and growing up in this family allowed an opportunity to experience these things together, Asmussen said.Asmussen, 50, was part of an A-list class of Hall of Fame inductees that included jockey Ramon Dominguez and the brilliant racemares Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta. The Thoroughbred Tom Ochiltree and jockey Wayne D. Wright were voted in by the Hall of Fame Historic Committee, while Arthur B. Bull Hancock Jr. and William Woodward Sr. were inducted in the Pillars of the Turf category.It was the emotion that Julie and Steve Asmussen displayed that highlighted the two-hour ceremony. Last September, Julie Asmussen was found to have neck and throat cancer. In March, she was declared cancer-free.The way his wife came through that battle made it a no-brainer to have her introduce him, Asmussen said after the ceremony. The couple has three sons, who also came up on stage to present the Hall of Fame plaque.The most powerful lesson you have shared with the boys, and me as well, is you never give up, no matter what the battle may be, Julie Asmussen said, perhaps a veiled reference to the accusations of horse abuse made by People for Ethical Treatment of Animals in 2014. You wake up every morning and give it your best. Effort is everything.Asmussen credited many of his owners for his success -- which includes 7,379 wins and $244.9 million in purse money won. He said if it wasnt for Ron Lance encouraging him to take a string of horses to Birmingham Race Course in 1987, Id still be galloping for Dad.Among the other owners he thanked were Barbara Banke and her late husband, Jess Jackson, who privately purchased both Curlin and Rachel Alexandra. Curlin was the 2007-08 Horse of the Year and a 2014 Hall of Fame inductee. Rachel Alexandra was the 2009 Horse of the Year and among this years celebrants. Asmussen trained both of them.Jess was such an amazing man, and I stand here regretting tthat I didnt take more of an advantage of the opportunity that I had with him, Asmussen said.ddddddddddddRachel Alexandras 3-year-old season in 2009 was one for the ages. After dominating fillies for her previous connections -- breeder and part-owner Dolphus Morrison and trainer Hal Wiggins -- a majority interest in Rachel Alexandra was sold to Jess Jacksons Stonestreet Stables and a partner, Harold McCormick. She was transferred to Asmussen, who placed her against males for three of her final four starts that year. She won the Preakness and Haskell against 3-year-olds, then defeated older males in the Grade 1 Woodward at Saratoga.I think courage is the main thing that strikes me about her, Banke said. Records broken, incredible margins of victory, terrific battles such as the Woodward that she prevailed in.It was somewhat appropriate that Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta were inducted together. Though they never met on the track, they had their race in the battle of public opinion.Zenyatta, two years older than Rachel Alexandra, won her first 19 starts before losing a heartbreaking head decision to Blame in the 2010 Breeders Cup Classic, which was her final race.Its amazing to have the girls [enshrined] in the same year, said Ann Moss, part-owner of Zenyatta, pointing to Banke. Moss owned Zenyatta with her husband, Jerry, the founder of A&M Records.Zenyatta was named for an album by The Police that was produced on Jerry Mosss record label.Sting has said that Zenyatta doesnt mean anything in particular, but I think it describes her perfectly, Ann Moss said. She has that Zen -- inner peace with knowing exactly who she is -- and she flows love to all that she meets. And the Yatta, I understand that means celebration, and shes a lot to celebrate. It was a joy and a privilege to be associated with Zenyatta.Tom Durkin, the master of ceremonies and retired race-caller, said his one regret was not having called a race in which Zenyatta ran.The ceremony ended with the grace and class of Dominguez, whose career came to a premature end due to a head injury suffered in a spill at Aqueduct in 2013.Dominguez, a three-time Eclipse Award winner who had 4,985 victories, came to the podium without a prepared speech.Every time that I decided to do it, I would reflect back on my career, and I would start to cry, Dominguez said. These are tears of joy, nothing bad.Dominguez dedicated his Hall of Fame honor to his agent, Steve Rushing, saying, Not only is he a master at what he does, but more important, hes an outstanding human being.During his introduction of Dominguez, Rushing said, When you look up the definition of Hall of Fame, you will see Ramon Dominguez. 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