TORONTO - Tyler Hansbrough hasnt played in over three weeks but his long-awaited return to the court could be around the corner. Albert Almora Jr. Jersey Cubs . The Raptors forward has been sidelined for 11 games, longer than originally expected, after aggravating a lingering left ankle injury against his former team in the Jan. 1 win over Indiana. Although theres still no clear timetable - hell be a game-time decision in Philadelphia Friday, the case for most of this month - Hansbrough has ramped up his work and believes hes made significant progress. "Today was the most Ive done on it," Hansbrough told TSN.ca prior to Wednesdays contest. "Its definitely getting better, just a few steps but its improving. I feel like Im right around the corner from playing." Participating in practice to some degree for nearly two weeks, Hansbrough continues to work with Torontos renowned training staff to strengthen his ankle. Originally categorized as day-to-day with an ankle sprain, Hansbrough was removed from the injury report altogether and is now simply being listed as inactive while the team waits for him to say hes ready to go. The 28-year-old has been hesitant to rush his return, opting to play it safe and wait until hes close to 100 per cent, according to team sources. "Obviously I want to be out there but its just one of those things where its taken a while," Hansbrough said. "But its getting better." "There was really no set schedule," he continued. "Im improving, I know that, so when Im there, Im there and Ill be ready." The team estimated he would need four-to-five days of rest after he missed his first game with the ankle ailment, and third of the campaign, in Washington on Jan. 3. The injury has turned out to be more intricate than they anticipated. "Its more of a bruise," Dwane Casey said last week. "I dont want to rush him back and I dont think he wants to rush back either," said Casey ahead of the Bucks game on Jan. 13. "If he had to go, if it was a playoff game tonight, hed probably be able to go." That was 10 days ago and still, Hansbrough and the Raptors are taking things game-by-game. "I sat down with the trainers and we kind of came up with when we thought Id be ready," said the forward. "I feel like Ill be on the court very soon." In his fifth NBA season and first with the Raptors, Hansbrough is averaging 5.5 points - a career-low - and 5.0 rebounds in 28 contests. Signed to a two-year deal last summer, his contract is only partially guaranteed for next season. With the former Pacer sidelined, a couple of newly acquired bigs have stepped up and seized the opportunity in Caseys generally strict nine-man rotation. Often the first player off Torontos bench, Patrick Patterson is averaging 9.4 points and 4.9 rebounds since coming to the Raptors in the Rudy Gay trade last month. Chuck Hayes, also acquired in that deal, has earned the trust of his coach with his veteran savvy on defence. Although he was playing well before getting hurt - even supplanting starter Amir Johnson earlier in the season - and Casey is a strong believer that you shouldnt lose your job to injury, the Raptors coach has a tough decision to make when Hansbrough is finally able to make his return. Certainly its not a bad problem for a coach to have, but what will Hansbroughs role be when hes back in uniform and how will Casey juggle his five bigs? "Well see," Casey said after practice Thursday. "Tylers a valuable part of what we were doing earlier, his intensity and what he brings to the table is important but those other guys have really set the tone for the second unit." "Im sure hes not going to be able to come in and go full-bore for big minutes but we want to get him back in the rotation at some point." Mookie Betts Jersey Red Sox . - Mike Magee converted two penalty kicks in a 10-minute span of the first half and the Chicago Fire beat Sporting Kansas City 2-1 on Sunday. Kyle Schwarber Jersey Cubs . Sizemore, who turned 29 on Jan. 4, has been limited to six games over the past two seasons because of an injured left knee that twice required surgery. He originally got hurt on Feb. 25, 2012, during a fielding drill in Oaklands first full-squad spring training workout and had surgery that March 21 to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament.SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Rookie Tesho Akindele scored three goals and Fabian Castillo added two in FC Dallas 5-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday night. Castillo opened the scoring in the 30th minute. He outran the defence to win a loose ball, was nearly pulled down but composed himself and chipped home a finish. He won a one-on-one matchup in the 74th minute and calmly bent in a shot for his fifthh goal in his last five games. David Justice Jersey Braves. Akindele scored on a well-placed shot inside the far post in the 43rd minute, poked in Castillos miss in the 58th and sent home another rebound in the 86th. Chris Wondolowski had a chance to pull San Jose (6-9-6) within a goal just before halftime, but his penalty kick sailed over the crossbar. Dallas (11-7-6) pushed its undefeated run to nine games. ' ' '

TORONTO -- Blue Jays manager John Gibbons didnt hold his usual post-game availability with reporters after Toronto dropped a 5-3 decision to the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday. Nike Air Max 95 Schweiz . His brief quote issued through a team spokesman said it all. "Skaggs was great -- he man-handled us," Gibbons said. It was the first time Los Angeles pitcher Tyler Skaggs had started against Toronto and he didnt allow the Blue Jays to find their rhythm. The 22-year-old left-hander gave up a run in the first inning and then retired 21 straight batters. Skaggs was pulled after giving up two singles in the ninth inning. The Blue Jays scored twice in the frame to make things interesting for the crowd of 31,412 at Rogers Centre. Toronto (18-19) brought the potential winning run to the plate but reliever Joe Smith got pinch-hitter Adam Lind to hit into a game-ending double play. Skaggs (3-1) gave up four hits and two earned runs over eight-plus innings of work. "He pitched one heck of a game for us, took us into the ninth inning," said Angels acting manager Dino Ebel. "Cant say enough about the kid today." Skaggs struck out four and didnt walk a batter. He threw 70 of his 103 pitches for strikes. "He was missing our barrel," said Jays catcher Erik Kratz. "He did a good job of mixing his speeds a little bit but attacking with his fastball. He had some good movement on his fastball that kept us (hitting) ground balls, popups, ground balls, popups. "Not a lot of hard hits today." Smith earned his fourth save of the season. C.J. Cron hit his first career home run and Chris Iannetta added a two-run shot for the Angels, who knocked Toronto starter J.A. Happ (1-1) out of the game in the third inning. "He just got hurt on a couple of balls in the middle of the plate or up," Kratz said. "He got behind in a few counts and they made him pay." Los Angeles (18-17) has won two straight over Toronto. The teams will continue the four-game series on Sunday afternoon. The Blue Jays opened the scoring in the first when slugger Jose Bautista reached base after Skaggs misplayed a comebacker. Edwin Encarnacion drove a double into the left-field corner that brought Bautista home. Howie Kendrick hit a ground-rule double off Happ in the second inning and came around on a single by Cron. Iannetta made it a 3-1 game with his third homer of the season. The Angels batted around in the frame and nearly broke the game wide open. Slugger Albert Pujols flew out to deep left field with the bases loaded for the final out. Happ didnt fare much better in the third. He gave up a solo shot to Cron and was replaced by Todd Redmond after an Iannetta single. "Obviously theyre a great-hitting ballclub," Happ said. "Weve got a lot of those in our division though too and throughout baseball. So you kind of put that out of your mind and try to pitch and try to execute. "It certainly was frustrating today not being as sharp as Id like." Skaggs, meanwhile, was in complete control. Steve Tolleson finally got to him with a two-out double in the eighth inning but Chris Getz grounded out to strand him at second base. Redmond did a nice job in long relief, allowing just one unearned run and five hits over 4 2-3 innings. Happ, meanwhile, allowed seven hits, four earned runs and a walk while striking out four. Jose Reyes started the Toronto rally in the ninth with an infield single and Melky Cabrera followed with a single up the middle. Bautista hit another single to drive in Reyes. Encarnacion hit a grounder that moved Cabrera to third but forced out Bautista at second base. Smith gave up another single to Dioner Navarro that brought Cabrera home. Lind followed by hitting a comebacker to Smith and the Angels turned the double play for the win. The game took two hours 46 minutes to play. Notes: Drew Hutchison (1-2) is scheduled to start for the Blue Jays on Sunday. The Angels will counter with fellow right-hander Jered Weaver (3-2). Toronto will close out its nine-game homestand next week with a three-game set against Cleveland ... Bautista has reached base safely in all 37 games this season. Hes one away from Carlos Delgados club record set in 1998. ... Ebel filled in for regular manager Mike Scioscia, who missed the first two games of the series to attend his daughters college graduation. ... Former Blue Jays infielder John McDonald batted ninth for the Angels and played third base. ... It was the first home game this season that the Blue Jays didnt hit at least one home run. Toronto fell to 7-9 at home and has dropped six of its last nine games at Rogers Centre. Air Max Billig Kaufen .J. Hardy to avoid a three-game sweep after blowing a big early lead. Odour had a leadoff single in the seventh and scored the tiebreaking run with the help of two errors by Hardy as the Rangers went on to beat the Orioles 8-6 on Thursday night. Schuhe Günstig . Chile applied pressure in midfield right from the beginning, challenging aggressively and continually surging forward. Eduardo Vargas beat the offside trap and fired home a stinging shot for Chiles opening goal in the fifth minute.COLUMBUS, Ohio - While Artem Anisimov has found another level of play, the Blue Jackets are still trying to find how to keep the pressure on as they chase a playoff spot. Anisimov scored twice, including a late insurance goal, as Columbus held off a third-period Dallas rally for a 4-2 win over the Dallas Stars. "Right now might be as good as weve seen him play in a Columbus uniform," Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards said of Anisimov, who has scored five times in the last four games. "Two huge goals for us, especially the last one with the way the game was going." Columbus dug in for its third straight win to climb into a tie for seventh with the Rangers in the Eastern Conference. "Bobs (Sergei Bobrovsky) our last line of defence and its a great last line to have," Richards said. "But as a young team going forward and playing with leads, a 3-0 lead, thats where you want to continue to go after teams." The Blue Jackets are vying for only their second post-season appearance since joining the league in 2000. Columbus scored on the first shot of the game and bolted ahead on first-period goals by Boone Jenner, R.J. Umberger and Anisimov against backup Dan Ellis. Ellis was shaky early in making his first appearance since Feb. 1. "Its not easy," Dallas coach Lindy Ruff said of his goalies long layoff. "I kind of felt for him. The first shot got by him and I think that maybe rattled him a little bit." At the other end, Bobrovsky finished with 31 saves, one on an open shot by Jamie Benn with 5 minutes left with the Blue Jackets clinging to a one-goal lead. Bobrovsky nimbly tracked loose pucks and shots from near the crease all game to improve to 5-0-1 against Dallas. Defencemen Alex Goligoski and Trevor Daley had goals early in the third period for the Stars. With the loss, Dallas, which had won five of seven, still sits in eighth place in the Western Conference. Leading 3-0 entering the final period, Columbus seemed in control even though it had been drastically outshot since taking the big lead near the midpoint of the first. But the Stars finally broke through, scoring about two minutes apart. Goligoski fired home a rebound on the power play from near the crease, his fourth goal and second in as many games after a 48-game drought. Daley followed with his fifth on a redirection fromm between the circles off a soft point shot by Sergei Gonchar. Nike Air Max Outlet Schweiz. . "Sometimes you are going to get hit with some adversity," Ruff said of his teams slow start. "We were knocking on the door and we had a couple of good opportunities." Dallas kept coming, but Anisimov all but ended it with his 18th at 15:53 on a backhander after circling toward the crease from behind the net with Goligoski on his back. "We wanted to start fast," Umberger said. "We were prepared for a fast game. They get up and down the ice pretty quick. The first period definitely was the reason we won tonight. Bob held the fort for us the rest of the game." The Blue Jackets benefited from one stick-handling flub after another by Dallas defensive corps in the first period. With a fill head of steam, Jenner sent a long snap shot from the left circle into the far corner above Ellis outstretched glove for his 11th. Then the miscues. Aaron Rome then swept the puck off Brandon Dubinskys stick in the slot to a streaking Umberger, who scored his 17th. Just over four minutes later, the Stars Jordie Benn cleared the puck into traffic to teammate Cody Eakin, who bobbled it back toward the net to Anisimov. The big centre turned and sent a backhander past Ellis to make it 3-0. "Hes just stepping up and making big plays," Umberger said of Anisimov. "You can see hes capable, hes confident right now. Hes strong on the puck." The Stars outshot Columbus 12-1 in the second period but didnt have many prime scoring chances other than two by Tyler Seguin on a power play that Bobrovsky smothered. "We had a good first and the second wasnt our strongest period," Jenner said. "I thought we did a good job in the intermission of regrouping, knowing we still had the lead. I thought we had good desperation in the third." Notes: The Stars traded injured D Stephane Robidas to the Ducks on Tuesday for a conditional fourth-round pick. ... Columbus played without injured defencemen Fedor Tyutin and Ryan Murray, both out with lower-body injuries. ... Dallas entered 16-5-3 against the Blue Jackets in Nationwide Arena. ... Dallas C Rich Peverley did not play due to an upper-body injury. ... Stars LW Antoine Roussel become the fourth player from France to appear in at least 100 NHL games. ' ' '

ROCHDALE, England - Stoke easily advanced to the fifth round of the FA Cup after Bojan Krkic and Victor Moses scored spectacular goals in a 4-1 win at Rochdale on Monday. Nmd Wholesale .Third-tier Rochdale was looking to spring another upset after watching Chelsea, Manchester City and several other Premier League teams lose over the weekend, but Bojan put Stoke ahead after just four minutes with a first-time volley. He hobbled off with an injury shortly afterward, but his replacement Stephen Ireland doubled Stokes lead at the start of the second half and Moses then set up a fifth-round game at Blackburn with a dipping shot from an acute angle.Rhys Bennett scored a late consolation for Rochdale and Jon Walters sealed the comprehensive win with Stokes fourth in stoppage time. Yeezy Boost 700 Cheap .The rookie goalie made 36 saves to help the Calgary Flames blank their Pacific Division rivals 1-0 on Saturday following a 48-hour ordeal that included lost baggage, a cancelled flight and a new pair of contact lenses. Air Max 97 Clearance .com) - John Wall supplied 24 points and 11 assists in leading the Washington Wizards to a 102-91 win over the New York Knicks on Christmas Day.COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Columbus Blue Jackets rookie defenceman Ryan Murray will miss four to six weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his knee. The 20-year-old Murray, the No. 2 pick in the 2012 NHL draft, has three goals and 17 assists and a +3 plus/minus rating in 61 games with the Blue Jackets this season. He ranks third among all league rookies in bblocked shots (93), second in time on ice (1,207:37) and is tied for fifth in power-play points (6). Air Max 95 White Sale. Murray is a 6-foot-1, 208-pounder who won a bronze medal with Team Canada at the 2012 IIHF World Junior Championships and became the second-youngest player in Canadian history to compete at the IIHF World Championships that same year. ' ' '

NEW YORK, N. Carmelo Martinez Jersey .Y. - After a year of record revenues, the NHL salary cap is going up again. The exact figure for the 2014-15 hasnt been set yet, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said Thursday following a meeting of the leagues board of governors, but he hoped it would be worked out with the players association in time for the start of the two-day entry draft Friday in Philadelphia. The final number is expected to be in the high $60 millions or low $70 millions. That gives general managers a guideline as they head into the draft and the free-agent shopping season that begins on Tuesday. "We hope to have a mutual understanding as to what the cap will be within the next day, hopefully at the latest," Bettman said. "Its something that obviously we do in conjunction with the players association. "There have been ongoing meetings, but our goal would be to move this as quickly as possible. But we have a dance partner and we want to make sure the music is playing appropriately and were both hearing the same things." Many team officials rushed out of the midtown Manhattan hotel where Thursdays meeting took place and headed to Philadelphia for the draft, which will open with the first round Friday night and conclude with rounds 2-7 on Saturday. Teams that have large amounts of cap space can already make their off-season plans, whether it be trades or free-agent signings, without knowing the final cap number. "I expect to see a lot more trades than we normally see," Minnesota Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher said. "Well see a lot more trades, in my opinion, that dont even involve draft picks. Hockey trades. Theres so much parity in the league, everyone is trying to get ahead. I think some teams look at free agency as not an ideal route. I think there will be a lot of movement." Last seasons salary cap sat at $64.3 million, quite a jump from the original cap number of $39 million, established after the lockout-cancelled season of 2004-05. The only time the cap number dropped from the previous season was in 2012-13 following another lockout when the figure was set at $60 million after being $64.3 in 2011-12. Bettman said number-crunching was still being done to determine what the leagues revenues were last season, but he declared they were at an all-time high. "It is a record number, which is a testament to the strength of the game and our fans, and how competitive things are," he said. Also discussed Thursday were a host of potential rules changes that have already passed through the leagues competition committee and the general managers, who met earlier this month in New York during the Stanley Cup finals. There were no hurdles involved in those proposed adjustments, and the new rules are on track to be approved by the players association. "There are things that we need to consult with the players association on," Bettman said "I would prefer to do that before we make any formal announcements. I think its better for the process that way." The biggest possible changes revolve around the 5-minute overtime period in the regular season. The league would like to create more overtime goals and have fewer shootouts. The proposal includes doing a scrape of the ice before overtime instead of before the shootout to give a cleaner surface to play on, and having teams change direction after the third period to create a longer change to the benches. "In our game now, the way its played, teams play so hard," said Hockey Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille, now the Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings president of business operations. "Players are so good, and when theres not a lot of room, suddenly one bad change and it ends up on a 2-on-1 or a 3-on-2. "It does make a difference. This certainly will open up a few plays here and there. That long change is always a hard thing for most teams." Also subject to change are penalties for faceoff infractions after icings, which could result in a delay-of-game penalty, the configuration of faceoff circles, increasing the size of the trapezoid behind the net, and tougher penalties for embellishment. "Very consistent with the discussions with the competition committee and with the general managers," Bettman said of Thursdays talks. "When everything is neatly bundled up, well issue a formal release giving you the details on all of that." Josh Naylor Jersey . Diego Costa headed in Gabis corner seven minutes from time to secure victory ahead of the return match in Madrid on March 11. "We know that at Madrid it will be another game, which will also be important and very difficult," Milan coach Clarence Seedorf said. Greg Maddux Jersey . Ribery, who won UEFAs best player in Europe award for the 2012-13 season, helped Bayern Munich win the Champions League and Bundesliga and German Cup titles. Messi, winner of the last four Ballon dOr awards in voting by coaches, team captains and media, was injured late in the season and could not prevent Barcelona from being beaten by Bayern in the Champions League semifinals. TORONTO -- Toronto Mayor Rob Ford posed for dozens of pictures, walked arm in arm with drunken fans, and hoisted a tin-foil Grey Cup over his head. Torontos embattled mayor showed up at Rogers Centre on Sunday to watch his Argonauts lose the East final to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 36-24, ignoring a request from the CFLs commissioner that he stay away. And when Toronto police officers and security personnel finally had the smiling mayor safely through a mob of fans and into his black Cadillac SUV after the game, Ford rolled down his window and high-fived people as he was driven away. The Argonauts were leading 24-17 when Ford arrived shortly after halftime, wearing a blue Argos No. 12 jersey, with "Mayor Ford" written in block letters on the black. His arrival caused a commotion in Section 129, where he posed for pictures, and dozens of people stood to snap photos or try to get a better look at the mayor that has been making international headlines. One female Ticats fan seated nearby held a sign that read: "Our mayors better than yours." Flanked by security officials and a half a dozen police officers, Ford left in the final seconds of the game, but was mobbed on his way out, at one point being pinned against the wall outside wall of the Rogers Centre by the swarming crowd when he stopped to pose for a picture. A couple of fanss were knocked over in the melee as police attempted to clear a path to usher the mayor out. Mark Loretta Jersey. Some fans hurled derogatory comments, but many yelled their support, a few pumping their fists in the air and chanting "Rob Ford! Rob Ford!" Ford tweeted after the game "Congrats to @Ticats for winning the #CFL East Division final." A big football fan, Mayor Ford had shared the stage in front of City Hall with the Argos at last years Grey Cup parade to celebrate the Argonauts CFL championship victory over the Calgary Stampeders. But he more than wore out his welcome with the team this week when he wore his Argos jersey during a media scrum in which he used sexually graphic language on live television. The CFL team released a statement later in the day, calling the situation "unseemly at best." CFL commissioner Mark Cohon strongly suggested he stay away, and Argos executive chairman and CEO Chris Rudge said the team would not be inviting the Mayor. The Ford family has deep football roots. The mayor served as a volunteer high school football coach with the Don Bosco Eagles until he was dropped by the Toronto District Catholic School Board last May. Krista Ford, the mayors niece and the daughter of city councillor Doug Ford, was a captain of Torontos short-lived team in a lingerie football league. ' ' '

Lexington, KY (SportsNetwork. Christin Stewart Jersey .com) - Old Friends, the nonprofit thoroughbred retirement center, has been chosen to receive the Special Eclipse Award for 2014 for its work involving thoroughbreds after their racing careers are over. The honor will be presented during the 44th annual Eclipse Awards on Saturday, Jan. 17 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Michael Blowen, the former Boston Globe film critic, began Old Friends in 2003 and currently cares for more than 150 rescued and retired horses in Georgetown, Kentucky. This is just unbelievable, Blowen said. We started with one horse just over 10 years ago and now we have 166 retirees. We have several Eclipse Award winners already at the farm; I cant wait to show them mine! It allows us to take other horses that really didnt do as much but deserve a retirement just as well. I want people to come away with really good feelings about the sport of horse racing because I adore it and weve made some inroads in that direction. Last years honoree was Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance which provides a similar service. The Eclipse Awards are voted on by the NTRA, Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters. Frank Tanana Jersey . The Suns termed Fridays surgery by team doctor Thomas Carter a success. No timetable was given for Bledsoes return but the team said in a news release that he "will pursue a possible return to action during the second half" of the season. Bill Freehan Jersey . Johnny Manziel, college footballs most entertaining player with the reputation for pulling off magical plays, was selected with the No.HOUSTON - Houston centre Dwight Howard is out for the second straight game on Wednesday night against Dallas with a sprained right ankle.Howard missed Sundays game after spraining his ankle on Friday night. He started practice on Tuesday, but left after turning his ankle in the workout.Joey Dorsey started in hhis place. Rick Leach Jersey. Also on Wednesday, coach Kevin McHale said that power forward Terrence Jones would play against the Mavericks. He hasnt played since Nov. 3 because of nerve inflammation in his left leg. McHale says Jones will likely play about 20 minutes as he eases back into the lineup. ' ' '

BEREA, Ohio - The Cleveland Browns say that departed offensive co-ordinator Kyle Shanahan resigned earlier this week. Homer Bailey Jersey .In a release Saturday, the team says it has accepted Shanahans resignation and that quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains would also be departing. The release didnt specifically characterize Loggains departure, but says that the Browns had to make a difficult decision.Shanahan was the teams fifth offensive co-ordinator since 2009.Quarterback Johnny Manziel looked overwhelmed and unprepared in his first NFL start as the Browns were shut out Dec. 14 by Cincinnati, a loss that ended Clevelands playoff hopes. The team selected the former Heisman Trophy winner in the first round of last years draft.The NFL is also investigating whether someone with the Browns improperly sent texts to sideline coaches during games. Curt Casali Jersey .Currently no, Tatjana Haenni, FIFAs deputy director of the competitions division and head of womens competitions, said Tuesday in an interview from Ottawa. Jose Peraza Jersey . -- J.R. Sweezy was the one part of the Seattle Seahawks offensive line that had avoided injuries or having to change positions this season.San Jose, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Tommy Wingels finished with four points to lead the San Jose Sharks in a thrilling 6-4 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday. Wingels had a goal and three assists and Logan Couture scored twice for the Sharks, who halted a four-game skid Hopefully, we can use tonight to turn the season around, Wingels said. We were able to find ways to score. Joe Pavelski, Tomas Hertl and Matt Nieto also lit the lamp and Antti Niemi stopped 30-of-34 shots in the win. Corey Perry posted two goals and an assist, Ryan Getzlaf had a goal and two assists and Matt Beleskey also scored for the Ducks, who have dropped their last two games on the heels of a three-game win streak. We tried to do things right, but we had some bad breaks, Anaheim head coach Bruce Boudreau said. Then we got mad and showed how we can play. Frederik Andersen allowed five goals on 19 shots and Jason LaBarbera turned aside 15 pucks in defeat. The Sharks struck first as Coutures wrist shot off a broken play made it a 1-0 game midway through the first period. Anaheim responded just under two minutes later as Beleskey tipped in Hampus Lindholms point blast for a tied game. Couture, however, finished off a short-handed breakaway with a low shot through the pads of Andersen to give San Jose the lead back at 13:35. After Jakob Silfverrberg went off for high-sticking, Joe Thornton slipped a pass through the crease to Pavelski, who made it a 3-1 game with a quick shot at the side of the net with 14 seconds left in the opening stanza. Gary Redus Jersey. San Jose continued its frantic scoring with two more goals early in the second. Wingels got a stick on Patrick Marleaus shot from the point 2:46 into the frame and Hertls backhander gave the Sharks a four-goal cushion at 6:09. Perry netted two straight goals to get the Ducks within striking distance. He tipped Getzlafs shot from the left point into the net with 1:08 to play in the second and then deflected Getzlafs backhander into the top of the net 29 seconds into the third for a 5-3 game. Getzlaf took a turnover in the slot and whipped a backhander over the shoulder of Niemi to make it a one-goal game 4:20 into the third. Nieto, however, sealed the win on a empty-net, power-play goal with 50 seconds remaining. Game Notes Ducks defenseman Eric Brewer, who was acquired from Tampa Bay on Friday, logged 15 minutes and registered two shots on net in his debut ...San Jose went 2-for-5 on the power play, while the Ducks failed to score on their five man advantages ... The Sharks beat the Ducks 4-1 at Honda Center on Oct. 26. The season series will resume in Anaheim on Dec. 22. ' ' '

Football fans around the world will be disgusted with the claims that Sepp Blatter and other top FIFA officials paid themselves gargantuan bonuses, Damian Collins has told Sky Sports News HQ. Vans Italia Saldi . The Conservative MP and member of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee believes claims that Blatter, Jerome Valcke and Markus Kattner wrongly profited by £55m from the organisation poses serious questions of both FIFA and its auditors KPMG.Banned former FIFA president Blatter, former secretary general Valcke and former deputy secretary general Kattner enriched themselves, according to investigators, with a series of salary increases, bonuses and incentives in the past five years, some of which broke the law. Damian Collins is a member of the Culture, Media and Sport select committee And Collins said: Its incredibly serious and there are a couple of very important points from it.Do we seriously believe that it is only these three that knew what was going on? It poses a lot of very challenging questions of FIFA, particular of people who at on compensation committees of FIFA and saw payments being made to executives.I think it also poses difficult questions for KPMG, whove been FIFAs auditors for a long time as well. Were these payments being noted in any way? We are talking tens of millions of pounds, not small change. Change FIFA co-founder David Larkin says that sport is getting out of control I think football fans around the world will react with disgust at the way in which it appears senior FIFA executives have seen to enrich themselves with these gargantuan bonuses.Change FIFA co-founder David Larkin also told Sky Sports News HQ that the revelations were stunning and that sport in general is getting out of control.The thing that is stunning is that this is an organisation thats had no transparency or accountability to the public, when in essence its the public that funds it, he said. Sepp Blatter and two others wrongly profited by £55m from FIFA It must be held accountable and transparent, and we still dont have that with Mr Infantino. We have enrichment beyond our wildest dreams, and its stunning that this would be revealed on the day when current FIFA president is under massive pressure with regards to what he did with some recordings.The first thing that I would say is that FIFA always says no, no, no - its our money. No its not. When FIFA holds a World Cup, they socialise the costs and privatise the profits. The profits come from the people.So this organisation now suggesting it can write itself cheques in secret is one more demonstration that it cannot be trusted, and its leaders cannot be trusted, and that sport is out of control. Its time to renegotiate the relationship between sport and the public. Also See: FIFA lawyers latest Blatter claims FIFA respond to Infantino claims Air Force 1 Saldi .com) - Houston Texans interim head coach Wade Phillips confirmed Monday that starting quarterback Case Keenum sustained a sprained right thumb during Sundays 25-3 loss in Indianapolis. Saucony Scarpe Saldi . Third-place Madrid fell behind and settled for a 2-2 draw earlier at Osasuna in a match both sides finished with 10 men, and Barcelona didnt let the chance escape. Barcelona, still without the injured Lionel Messi, again turned to Neymar after his hat trick against Celtic in the Champions League on Wednesday to convert a penalty on the half-hour mark and restore the lead in the 68th after Villarreal levelled.LONDON - Manager Arsene Wenger says sick midfielder Jack Wilshere will miss Arsenals Champions League match against Anderlecht Tuesday.Wilshere missed Arsenals 3-0 win against Burnley on Saturday with a knee injury.A victory over Belgiums Anderlecht could confirm Arsenals qualification for thhe knockout stages. Yeezy Boost 380 Saldi. Wenger says we have nobody else sick and the rest of the squad will be unchanged from Saturday.This means Theo Walcott, who returned as a substitute against Burnley after nine months out with a knee injury, has a chance to continue his comeback. ' ' '

SOUTH BEND, Ind. Vans Sk8 Hi Clearance . -- Steve Vasturia made sure Notre Dame didnt let Clemson rally back and force a third overtime. The Fighting Irish led most of the way against the Tigers on Tuesday night, going up by as many as nine points early in the second half, by seven points with just under 3 minutes remaining in regulation and by four with 24 seconds left in the first overtime before Vasturia hit two 3-pointers in the second overtime to help Notre Dame pull out the 68-64 victory. "We had it won a couple times, we handed it back a couple times, but found a way to win it," Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said. Clemson coach Brad Brownell blamed his teams offensive struggles. "Were just not as talented offensively as we need to be. Were very inconsistent shooting," he said. Vasturia hit the first 3 to give the Irish a 63-62 lead early then added a second with 62 seconds left that gave Notre Dame a 66-64 lead. Pat Connaughton then added a pair of free throws to help the Irish overcome a career-high 30 points and 14 rebounds by Clemsons K.J. McDaniels. Vasturia said he was open because the Tigers were focusing on Eric Atkins, who hit a game-winning 3-pointer in overtime against Boston College 10 days earlier. "A lot of teams are going to key on Eric just by the way he scores and creates. If we have open looks, were expected to shoot them and were confident we can make them," he said. Atkins said Vasturia, who was 1-of-5 from the field and 0-of-3 from behind the arc heading into the second overtime, showed a lot of confidence. "Hes not scared of the moment and I love that about him," he said. McDaniels said the baskets by Vasturia were key "He hit some big shots, and they were hard to cover. In the end, they came up with some clutch shots," he said. The Fighting Irish (13-12, 4-8 Atlantic Coast Conference) avoided falling below .500 for the first time this late in the season since finishing 14-16 during the 1998-99 season in John MacLeods last year as coach. Brey said the victory was "huge" for the struggling Irish. "We would have been really struggling if we didnt win this game," he said. Clemson (15-8, 6-5) lost back-to-back games for just the second time this season. McDaniels said the Tigers need to show the same intensity at the beginning of the game as they did at the end. "Were going to learn from this," he said. Both teams squandered chances to win the game earlier. Rod Hall could have given the Tigers, playing on only a days rest after losing at Syracuse on Sunday, a one-point lead with 4.6 seconds left, but missed the first of two free throws, sending the game into overtime. The Irish opened a 60-56 lead in the first overtime on a three-point play by Connaughton, but couldnt hang on. The Tigers scored two baskets in the final 10 seconds and Landry Nnoko then stole the inbounds pass. After being fouled by Connaughton with 8.4 seconds left, Nnoko, a 57 per cent free-throw shooter, made both to tie the score at 60. After another turnover by Atkins, McDaniels missed a long jumper at the first overtime buzzer. "There were a few times when I looked up at the scoreboard and said, We got this," Atkins said. "Then they made some plays and got a couple of turnovers and they tied it back up again." McDaniels, who also had five blocked shots, was 13-of-24 from the field, while the rest of the Tigers were 11 of 46. The only other Clemson player in double figures was Hall with 12 points. Zach Auguste matched his career-high with 14 points and had a career-high 12 rebounds. Connaughton added 13 points and seven rebounds and Vasturia finished with 11 points. The Irish out-rebounded Clemson 43-40 and had a 30-26 edge in points in the paint. But Clemson forced 12 turnovers and had 16 points off turnovers compared with just two for the Irish. Notre Dame freshman Demetrius Jackson, who has been struggling lately, was not at the game. Brey said he is taking some time off to focus on academics. Brey said Garrick Sherman, Notre Dames leading scorer, may have broken his finger in the first half, although he continued to play. The Irish have now won nine of their last 10 overtime games. Vans Old Skool Wholesale .Y. -- Scott Chandler is returning to Buffalo, where he spent the past three seasons establishing himself as the Bills top pass-catching tight end. Cheap Vans Shoes . Mike Babcock has turned to the Montreal Canadiens goalie over Roberto Luongo, who backed Canada to a gold medal in Vancouver in 2010, for Canadas final preliminary round game against the ailing Finns.ST. PETERSBURG – Brandon Morrow is back with the Blue Jays and hes a reliever right now. Its not a job he plans on getting used to. "I think I could still be effective as a starter," said Morrow. "I think thats where you get your most important innings. Id like to, going forward, be in that role next year and beyond." The problem, if thats the correct term, is two-fold. First, Morrow has been unable to remain healthy for three consecutive seasons. He made 21 starts in a brilliant 2012 (career-best 2.96 ERA) which was interrupted by a two-month summer stint on the disabled list with a strained oblique. After only 10 starts last year, during which he struggled to a 5.63 ERA and a 5.42 FIP, Morrow was sidelined by an entrapped radial nerve in his right forearm. This season wasnt much better. Morrow made six starts and went to the disabled list in early May after tearing a tendon sheath in his right index finger during a start in Pittsburgh."I guess I have been prone to injury," said Morrow. "I dont think that means anything in the future – that because Ive been prone to injury in the past that Ill be injury-prone in the future. There have been guys that have gone through issues for a couple years and come back and had five, six healthy years in a row."The other matter: Morrow has a $10-million club option on his services for 2015, a number which seems expensive for a player whos been unable to stay on the field. General manager Alex Anthopoulos insisted he hasnt made a decision on whether hell exercise Morrows option, preferring not to make any such pronouncements until seasons end. "The next month is very important. Brandon being back and being healthy is very important. You look at a guy like (Adam) Lind last year. He hit seven home runs in September and if there would have been debate in August about whether he was going to be back or not, in September he certainly cemented himself. Thats not to say its the be-all and end-all, but I always get asked at the All-Star break or in April and May, about guys for next year and I like to sit back and take the full body of work, all six months." Should the Jays decline Morrows option, it wouldnt eliminate them from bringing him back. Morrow doesnt seem hung up on a dollar figure, provided hes paid fairly, and believes that if there isnt a starting job available to him in Toronto there will be one elsewhere. As for his return in the bullpen, it has as much to do with necessity as anything else. The minor league season is over and Morrow had progressed enough to get into two games for Triple-A Buffalo. Theres no other way to stretch him out and because he missed four months, hed have needed the equivalent of aa full spring training to return to the rotation. Vans Old Skool Clearance. . "Ideally he would have had a little more time but Brandon has done it before," said Anthopoulos. "He can be effective out of the bullpen but I have no doubt he can be an effective starter as well. We didnt have enough time to get him stretched out as a starter and this was the best way he could help the team." It was the Blue Jays that made Morrow a full-time starting pitcher upon acquiring him in the 2009-2010 offseason. Previously, in Seattle, Morrow made 131 appearances over three seasons and all but 15 were in relief. He saved 16 games in that span, including 10 in 2008. The 2015 rotation figures to include Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez and Drew Hutchison. J.A. Happ has a club-friendly $6.2-million option and hes pitched well enough this year to have it picked up. Mark Buehrle and R.A. Dickey will be there, too, unless Anthopoulos swings offseason deals to move one or both. If Daniel Norris doesnt break camp, hell be knocking on the door. A team can never have enough pitching. Morrow, when healthy, has proven he can be dominant. Whether his future is in Toronto, only time will tell. RASMUS SITS It appears Colby Rasmus final days in a Blue Jays uniform will mostly be spent on the bench. Rasmus met with manager John Gibbons and bench coach DeMarlo Hale on Tuesday, when he was told the news he was no longer in the starting lineup. "I said yesterday we want to look at some of those other guys that are up here. So, yeah," said Gibbons. Rasmus has struggled to a .225/.287/.426 line this season. Hes hit 16 home runs but also has struck out 116 times for a 32-percent strikeout rate. Corner outfielders Jose Bautista and Melky Cabrera arent going anywhere. With Anthony Gose, Kevin Pillar and Dalton Pompey vying for playing time Rasmus, an impending free agent, gets pushed to the fringes. Rasmus told TSN.ca he would be cheering on his younger teammates. Rasmus counts Gose as one of his best friends. IZTURIS DROPS BY Maicer Izturis was in the visitors dugout while the Blue Jays took batting practice before Wednesdays game. The infielder suffered a season-ending knee injury on April 13 in Baltimore. It was a freak accident; Izturis slipped descending the dugout stairs on his way to the bat rack. He tore the ACL and MCL in his left knee. Izturis used the downtime to have a surgical procedure done on his right shoulder. He called it minor, a "clean up." Five months in to his eight-month rehabilitation prognosis, Izturis ran for the first time on Wednesday morning. Barring an unforeseen setback, Izturis will be ready for spring training. ' ' '

TORONTO - The Toronto Raptors acquired guard Nando De Colo from San Antonio in exchange for forward Austin Daye on Thursday. Wholesale Sports Jerseys . De Colo has appeared in 26 games for San Antonio this season, averaging 4.3 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists. He holds career averages of 4.0 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 98 appearances with the Spurs, and matched his career high with 15 points this February at Charlotte. De Colo, a native of France, was selected with the 53rd overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft by San Antonio and began his pro career in 2006 with Cholet Basket in the French ProA League. He played three seasons with Cholet, averaging 12.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.3 steals in 83 games. Daye appeared in eight games for Toronto, totalling eight points, seven rebounds and two assists after signing as a free-agent in July. Discount Sports Jerseys . Sixteen teams have moved on. Sixteen teams have gone home. Stitched Sports Jerseys . Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.Its more bad news for Pavel Datsyuk and the Detroit Red Wings. Red Wings general manager Ken Holland announced the team is shutting down the veteran centre for three weeks as he continues to struggle with a knee injury. Datsyuk has beeen battling the injury since January and missed 14 games after the Winter Classic. Sports Jerseys. He did play for Russia in the Olympics. In 39 games, the 35-year-old veteran has 15 goals and 33 points. More details to follow. ' ' '

VAL-DOR, Que. Vapormax Plus Womens Sale . - Simon Desbiens scored three goals — including one into an empty net in the final minute — and assisted on another to lead the Sherbrooke Phoenix to a 7-4 victory over the Val-dOr Foreurs in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action on Saturday. Kevin Domingue scored twice, and Aaron Hoyles and Vincent Deslauriers added single goals for the Phoenix (3-1-0). Kay Schweri chipped in with three assists. Pierre-Maxime Poudrier scored a short-handed goal for Val-dOr (2-2-0), which led 2-0 midway through the first period. Anthony Richard, Daniel Krenzelok and Stephen Anderson also scored. Alex Bureau stopped 19 shots in the victory, while Foreurs goalie Etienne Montpetit made 32 saves. --- REMPARTS 1 SAGUENEENS 0 SAGUENAY, Que. — Raphael Maheux scored the only goal, on a power play at 10:56 of the third period, as Quebec edged Chicoutimi. Remparts (2-2-0) goalie Callum Booth made 24 saves in the shutout. Julio Billia stopped 25 shots for the Sagueneens (1-3-0). --- SCREAMING EAGLES 7 ISLANDERS 1 SYDNEY, N.S. — Kyle Farrell scored twice, including a short-handed goal in the second period, as Cape Breton dominated Charlottetown. Loik Leveille and Evgeny Svechnikov each had a goal and an assist for the Screaming Eagles (3-1-0), and Bradley Lalonde, Maxim Lazarev and Dillon Boucher also scored. Farrell tacked on an assist for a three-point day. Filip Chlapik scored the lone goal for the Islanders (2-1-1). --- SEA DOGS 6 MOOSEHEADS 5 (OT) HALIFAX — Thomas Chabot scored the winner 1:04 into overtime to lift Saint John over Halifax. Adam Marsh led the Sea Dogs (2-1-1) with two goals — including the tying goal at 13:58 of the third period — and two assists, Mitchell Dempsey scored twice, and Julien Tessier and Olivier LeBlanc also scored. Connor Moynihan and Timo Meir each scored twice for the Mooseheads (1-2-1), who led 3-0 in the first period, and Ryan Falkenham also scored. --- HUSKIES 5 OCEANIC 2 ROUYN-NORANDA, Que. — Ryan Penny had two goals, Samuel Harvey stopped 21 shots and the Huskies converted on three of seven power-play opportunities en route to victory over Rimouski. Mathieu Lemay had a goal and an assist, and Redgie Bois and Jean-Christophe Beaudin also scored for Rouyn-Noranda (2-3-0). Mathieu Boucher chipped in with two assists. Anthony DeLuca and Tyler Boland scored for the Oceanic (2-1-0). --- Vapormax Plus Mens Sale . In fact, with a few improvements, this could very well be a decent team over the next few seasons. I will go into more detail when digging into the Canucks Off-Season Game Plan, which will be coming earlier this year since they are part of the non-playoff contingent, there are some reasons to think this is a favourable situation for President of Hockey Operations Trevor Linden and whomever he selects to be the new general manager. Air Max Plus Tn White . The visitors missed a host of good chances to win the game, and were left to rue substitute Ivo Ilicevics strike against the crossbar in the 86th minute, when he only had the goalkeeper to beat.BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Mark Steenhuis scored four goals and added two assists to lead the Buffalo Bandits over the Toronto Rock 12-10 in National Lacrosse League action on Saturday. Ryan Benesch scored three times, John Tavares had two goals and two assists, and Jamie Rooney, Chad Culp and David Brock each contributed with a goal apiece for the East division-leading Bandits (5-1). Dhane Smith chipped in with ffive assists. Air Max Plus Discount. Josh Sanderson scored three and helped on another for Toronto (2-3), Garrett Billings and Stephan Leblanc each had two goals and three assists, Kasey Beirnes had two goals and two assists, and Rob Hellyer scored once and assisted on one more. Buffalos Anthony Cosmo made 39 saves for the win, while Rock goaltender Nick Rose stopped 36 shots in the losing effort. ' ' '

CHICAGO -- There was a long slap shot, and then a nifty wraparound and a short-handed score off a 2-on-1 break. Mark Hutton Jersey . Once the Chicago Blackhawks started rolling, Ray Emery never stood a chance. Duncan Keith and Andrew Shaw scored in a 39-second span at the start of Chicagos five-goal second period Wednesday night, sparking the Blackhawks to a 7-2 victory over Emery and the Philadelphia Flyers. Patrick Sharp had a goal and two assists for Chicago, which has won three in a row after a three-game losing streak. Michal Handzus scored a short-handed goal in the second and Marian Hossa had three assists, helping rookie goaltender Antti Raanta win his second consecutive start in place of injured Corey Crawford. "We have a quiet confidence we can score goals," Keith said. "Our talk in the room is more about playing the right way, being good defensively, being hard on pucks, checking well. We know our offence is going to take care of itself if we play that way." The seven goals set a season high for the Blackhawks (23-6-5), who have scored 19 times during their winning streak and lead the NHL with 129 goals. Shaws sharp wraparound at 1:22 of the second made it six players with at least 10 goals for the defending Stanley Cup champions, who are once again on top of the league standings with 51 points. "Its a credit to our team game," Sharp said. "We know weve got guys in here that can put up big numbers and score goals. But when were playing well in all three zones, thats when our offence usually clicks." Emery was pulled in the third period of his first start in Chicago since he teamed with Crawford to give the Blackhawks one of the best goaltending tandems in the league last season. Emery went 17-1 with a sparkling 1.94 goals-against average during his second year with Chicago and then signed a free-agent deal with Philadelphia in July. He received a standing ovation from the sellout crowd when he was recognized on the overhead scoreboard during the first period. But his ninth start of the season took a turn for the worse when Chicago turned up the pressure in the second. Jakub Voracek and Steve Downie scored power-play goals for the Flyers (13-15-3), who have lost three in a row and went 2-3-1 on a six-game road trip. "We made a few stupid mistakes," forward Wayne Simmonds said. "We werent looking behind our backs and when you play a team like that theyre going to capitalize." Voraceks wrister at 12:31 helped Philadelphia to a 1-0 lead after one period. The Blackhawks were coming off a 6-2 victory at Dallas on Tuesday night and looked a bit listless at the start of their first game against the Flyers since Jan. 5, 2012. That all changed in the second. Keith got it started with a big drive past Emery just 43 seconds into the period. Then came Shaws goal, and Handzus made it 3-1 when he scored his third on a break with Marcus Kruger. Downies third goal momentarily slowed the Blackhawks run. Kris Versteeg beat Emery off a terrific pass from Brandon Saad, and Sharps slap shot went off Jonathan Toews and in to make it 5-2 at 14:15. "Great second period for us," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said, "and it kind of went from there." Emery departed after Brent Seabrook scored on a slap shot 65 seconds into the third. Emery finished with 12 saves. "Youre going to be frustrated," Emery said. "Theres an old saying, You show me a good loser and Ill show you a loser." Raanta made 28 stops to improve to 5-0-1. He drew a large ovation from the crowd when he stopped Brayden Schenn and Michael Raffl on a pair of short-handed breakaways in rapid succession in the third. NOTES: Blackhawks F Bryan Bickell (lower body) skated Wednesday morning and could practice with the team on Friday. "Showed good progress," Quenneville said. ... The Flyers scratched LW Tye McGinn and defencemen Erik Gustafsson and Hal Gill. ... Defencemen Michael Kostka and Michal Rozsival, along with Crawford, were the Blackhawks scratches. Crawford is out with a lower-body injury. Miami Marlins Store . While plenty of statistics illustrate Torontos turnaround in the second year of manager Ryan Nelsens tenure, stopping goals is not one of them. Jarlin Garcia Jersey . Notes on P.K. Subban, Dale Weise, Erik Haula, Mikael Granlund, Ilya Bryzgalov and more.The cap probably wont catch on as a fashion statement away from the game, but it would be nice to see more pitchers start turning to the protective cap. Perhaps it could have made a difference in these situations. Kurt Abbott Jersey. J.A. Happ Alex Cobb – Alex Torres came in to replace Cobb following the injury.Brandon McCarthyAroldis Chapman ' ' '

Vancouver, BC (SportsNetwork. Chris Webber Jersey .com) - Jannick Hansen notched his first career hat trick to lift the Vancouver Canucks to a 4-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday. Bo Horvat tallied the first three assists of his young NHL career and Derek Dorsett supplied two helpers for the Canucks, who bounced back from a 4-3 shootout loss to Anaheim on Thursday. Ryan Miller stopped 24-of-25 shots fired his way in the win. Kris Versteeg potted the lone goal for Chicago, which had a three-game winning streak come to an end. Corey Crawford made 26 saves in his 11th straight start. It was a tough one, said Chicago defenseman Brent Seabrook. I dont think we played our best. Hansen tipped Dorsetts dish over the glove of Crawford for a 2-1 lead with 13:36 left in regulation and Vrbata knocked home a rebound in front for an insurance marker with 2:24 to play. We want to get back to the playoffs, said Hansen. If I can contribute, thats what matters. The Blackhawks pulled their netminder and Hansen muscled past a defender to deposit the puck into the empty net to account for the final score. After Versteeg went off for roughing, Horvat relayed Dorsetts feed across the slot to Hansen, who beat Crawford with a wrister at 13:13 of the opening stanza. Versteeg was all alone at the top of the crease, where he deftly redirected Duncan Keiths shot for a power-play goal and a tied game 7:55 into the second. Game Notes Prior to the game, Canucks forward Daniel Sedin was presented with an engraved silver stick, a silver puck and a painting in honor of his 1,000th NHL game ... Sedin joins brother Henrik Sedin and Trevor Linden, the teams current president, as the only three players to participate in 1,000 games for the Canucks ... Seabrook extended his point streak to five straight games ... The two teams will continue the season series on Feb. 11 at United Center. Lavoy Allen Jersey . The actual winners on transfer deadline day are those clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City who were well prepared and managed to get their main incoming business done well ahead of the transfer window closing. Tottenham were able to add seven players by spending over 100 million pounds and also ensured maximum return for the Gareth Bale transfer to Real Madrid by managing the move superbly. Philadelphia 76ers Store .C. United on Saturday night and boost the Unions playoff hopes. Nick DeLeon scored in the 36th minute for United (3-23-6), which had ample opportunities to build on its lead but went its 10th straight match without a victory.In the Premier League era, which is now 21-and-a-half seasons old, Manchester United have ended a season without a trophy only five times. 1994-95, 1997-98, 2001-02, 2004-05 and 2011-12. And by a trophy I mean one you work hard to earn, not a shield you lift in the summer when half of England is still watching cricket. In four of the five seasons following those droughts, they won the Premier League the very next year. An instant response to a year of failure. The only year they didnt win it right away, they won it the year after. It is easy to stare at the achievements of Manchester United in the last 21-and-a-half seasons and be mesmerized. Recent high profile media items, such as Sir Alex Fergusons autobiography or the excellent The Class of 92 documentary, have also shone very bright lights on Uniteds incredible achievements. However, a look at the barren years also brings light to a relevant point. Read those five years above once again and you will notice that not once did United have two years within a three year period without a trophy. Until now. Wednesdays loss to Sunderland on penalties in the League Cup semi final at Old Trafford virtually ensured the season of 2013/14 will be added to the above list. Only the Champions League remains for United to win this season and anyone who watched them closely against Sunderland will tell you that they will have a tough time with Olympiakos, their last 16 opponents, let alone even thinking of winning European footballs crown jewel. As the Old Trafford faithful trudged away from the ground on Wednesday evening they did so with the sounds of Sunderland fans singing in their ears. Already this season that has happened with West Brom fans, Everton fans, Newcastle fans and Swansea fans. United fans are used to leaving the game happy. They are certainly not used to leaving it angry and upset after playing average teams. Indeed, these are troubled times for Manchester United and manager David Moyes. Troubled times on and off the pitch. On the pitch everyone has an opinion on what Uniteds failures are and many words will continue to be written about that, but what of the issues off it? Hung in the Stretford End of Old Trafford is a large banner with the face of David Moyes on it saying The Chosen One. The appointment of Moyes came via the approval of Sir Alex Ferguson and that was supposed to be enough for United and their fans. However, no matter how much patience United fans show Moyes it will always come with a caveat; just how good a manager is he? Having won nothing, it is a legitimate question. Manchester United may well be proven right in not hiring a Jose Mourinho or Guus Hiddink, for example, last summer but had they hired a manager with a track record of success, their current failures would have solely been attributed to the players. It is one thing for the media and fans to say Chris Smalling, Tom Cleverley, Ashley Young, for example, are not good enough for Manchester United but inside such analysis comes a question they cannot truly answer; would these players do better under a more established manager? And that is where many people now stand with United; turning around at a fork in the road, looking at the journey they have travelled this season and wondering how many failures happened on Moyess Motorway and how many took place on the Players Path. The easy answer is to say both. But what if you are Mooyes? You spent 11 relatively successful years at Everton and got hired by one of the worlds greatest clubs on a fantastic contract. Dolph Schayes Jersey. Five months into your first season do you think you are to blame for the mess? Of course you do not. And that is the silver lining for United fans. This club has backed Moyes with a six-year contract and now they have to back him when he believes his players are the reason for their poor results. The line between the barren seasons of 2011/12 and 2013/14 will be the shortest failure line in over two decade (the only common denominators between the two are players not called Robin van Persie) and it is absolutely vital that Manchester United Football Club address everything right now to ensure that doesnt happen again. Two seasons ago, United were very average for their high standards, yet came within a minute of winning the Premier League. That season United were stunned by a Champions League, where Benfica and Basel ran through their midfield and scored eight goals between them in four matches. United were sent into the Europa League and would go on to again be exposed in similar fashion, losing back-to-back home games to technically superior teams, Ajax and Athletic Bilbao. Their response? Buy Robin van Persie. An outstanding player who they needed, but it was a short-term fix papering over a long-term problem. Sir Alex Ferguson always believed in himself to make the players better and wanted players he could control. Except, when he was spending 60 million pounds on Young, Smalling, Phil Jones and Wilfried Zaha, the noisy neighbours across the city spent just 10 million more on Sergio Aguero, Matija Nastasic and Jesus Navas. United do not need to buy six or seven world class stars to become a force again. Three or four of the right signings in 2014 will be enough. What they do need is an overhaul in their approach; a change in the way they find players and a change in the way they set-up to play. Without that, they may never find out the answer to the one question they need to solve quickly. Is Moyes indeed the manager to make them legitimate contenders for trophies every season? Only this time next year will we have a true idea of that as the manager himself explained. "While we are actively scouting players all the time, a lot of the work we are doing now is preparation for the summer," Moyes wrote in his programme notes for the Sunderland game. "If we can do any business now then we will certainly try to do it, but I will not compromise the standards required for a player that can come into this club and help improve it." Manchester United fans are fortunate they have the funds available to get players like Juan Mata who ticks both boxes when it comes to a change of philosophy on the pitch and in the transfer market. The Spaniard, expected to arrive at Old Trafford this week, is exactly the standard United should be buying. He is also exactly the kind of player that will put to test the credentials of Moyes and his so-far rigid, uninspiring attack. Should Mata sign, he, along with those brought in this summer, suddenly become the face of a new look United. A United belonging solely to Moyes. Only then will the jury have reached its verdict on the manager. Uniteds response to failure in the past has always resulted in a trophy. This time the reputation of their manager depends on it. ' ' '

PRAGUE - The Czech Republic claimed its third Fed Cup title in four years after Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova fought hard to overcome Angelique Kerber of Germany in the opening reverse singles match on Sunday. Aaron Rodgers Jersey .In a matchup of two top-10 players, Kvitova prevailed 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-4 in nearly three hours to give the Czechs an unassailable 3-0 lead in the best-of-five series on the indoor hard court at Pragues O2 Arena.It was an amazing match from both of us, Kvitova said. It was a very big fight. Im just glad that I did it. It was really up and down from the beginning of the match. It was always a big fight about every single point.Kvitova fought back from 4-1 down in the decisive set and went 5-4 up after earning a break point with a stunning forehand crosscourt winner before serving out the match.She converted her fourth match point when Kerbers backhand hit the net, prompting a wild celebration of team members on the court and 13,000 fans in the stands of the sold out arena.Czechs win #fedcup!!!! Congrats:), tweeted Martina Navratilova, a prominent Czech supporter who was in the stands. Navratilova won the Fed Cup with Czechoslovakia and later with the United States.This is something you cant have every day and we have it here for the second time, Kvitova said.With Kvitova on the team, the Czechs won their first title as an independent nation following the 1993 split of Czechoslovakia in 2011 in Moscow and retained the trophy in Pragues O2 Arena the following year. Czechoslovakia won five times, including three straight from 1983-85. It beat Germany in the 1983 final.In a thrilling first set that took 76 minutes, Kerber wasted six set points before Kvitova converted her second one in a tie breaker with a forehand winner.Kerber wasted a 5-2 lead in the first set, allowing Kvitova to fight back to level the set at 5-5 and the two were not able to hold serve in the last two games before the tiebreaker.Unlike her victory on Saturday, Kvitova struggled with consistency, producing 30 unforced errors in the opening set compared to Kerbers 16.But at the key moments, Kvitova could still rely on her fierce groundstrokes and serve, hitting 70 winners and 12 aces.Kvitova marched on in the second. She broke Kerber in the opening game at love and again in the third game to jump to a 3-0 lead with a big forehand winner.Kerber was not ready to surrender. She capitalized on two Kvitova double faults in the sixth game for a break to claw her way back.Im playing for Germany, Im playing for my team, Kerber said. I gave everything I had today but at the end Petra was better. I think it was just two, three points which decided the match. She deserved to win but we both played on a high level today. It was for sure one of the best matches this season for me.The Germans have not won the trophy since 1992.The Czechs took control of the series with a 2-0 lead after the opening singles matches on Saturday.Kvitova cruised past Andrea Petkovic 6-2, 6-4 and Lucie Safarova doubled the lead by defeating Kerber 6-4, 6-4.Germanys pair of Julia Goerges and Sabine Lisicki defeated Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka 6-4, 6-3 in the doubles to make the final scoreline 3-1.Despite the final loss, Germany enjoyed a successful year, winning away at Slovakia and Australia to reach its first Fed Cup final since 1992. It beat Spain for the title that year with now captain Barbara Rittner in the side. Derrick Rose Jersey .That is precisely what they got Sunday.The Ravens trailed at halftime and never built a comfortable lead against lowly Jacksonville, yet did just enough to squeeze out a 20-12 win to stay in the thick of the AFC playoff race. Anthony Davis Jersey . He left in the 4th inning of Saturdays game against the Tigers after experiencing tightness. Reyes and the team still hope that he will be ready for Opening Day in Tampa Bay in one week.KAMLOOPS, B.C. -- Its one game Kevin Koe never looks forward to playing. "This one, you dont get a lot of enjoyment out of," the Alberta skip said, after beating younger brother Jamie Koe from the Northwest Territories-Yukon 8-3 in eight ends Monday at the Canadian mens curling championship. "Its never fun beating them because Im always cheering for them every year theyre here," he said. "That being said, we needed a win." Alberta improved to 3-1 at the Tim Hortons Brier, at least until the evening draw, when he was set to face unbeaten Manitoba and Jeff Stoughton. The Territories fell to 1-3. "Its good that its early in the week so hopefully both of us win the rest of our games," he added. "Theyre obviously better," Jamie said of the encounters with his brother. "Were going to have to play our best and hope for some breaks but its a fair battle." Jamie Koe has represented the Territories four out of the last five years but when Kevin has been there he has always won the brother-vs.-brother tussle. Monday also saw New Brunswicks James Grattan score his first win this year against Greg Balsdon of Ontario 9-6. Grattan gave Stoughton a fight Sunday as well and said it felt good to get a monkey off his back with the win. "When we went to bed last night we felt pretty good about it," he said of the Manitoba game. "The team in the last two games has really shown up." He says getting used to the ice has been an issue. They lost their first game 13-5 and the second 10-1. "We come from an area of the world where the ice is fairly straight all the time . . Coming out here and all of a sudden youre taking the 122-foot to get to the lid and its a different ball game. Dak Prescott Jersey. " Its also important to win games at the Brier if you want a reserved spot in the future. A new system is coming into place that will force the bottom finishers to compete for the right to return. Its being brought in to keep the field the same size with the addition of a Team Canada and new rinks from Nunavut and Yukon, instead of just one Territories team. P.E.I.s Eddie MacKenzie also grabbed a share of second place as he climbed to 3-1 after beating Quebecs Jean-Michel Menard. But, that could change after the evening draw. MacKenzie has already matched his combined record at his first two Brier appearances for Prince Edward Island , in 2011 and 2013. "Its definitely better than 0-5 or 0-6 like we were the last couple of times," he said. "Id say being here the last three out of four years helps for sure, playing on arena ice a little more." Saskatchewans Steve Laycock also sat at 3-1 after beating still winless Nova Scotia 5-3. "We kind of figured 3-1 or 4-0 was where wed want to be after this stretch because we do have some of the favourites coming up," he said. Nova Scotia skip Jamie Murphy isnt too thrilled at the Canadian Curling Association for the changes coming in 2015 that could see Nova Scotia have to fight for the right to play in the Brier. "Were firm believers that messing with traditions such as the Brier doesnt seem like a smart decision," he said of the new system, popularly known as relegation, although it seems anything but popular. "Were obviously biased when we say that because were probably going to be in the relegation pool." ' ' '

COPENHAGEN – When you bring up Andre Burakowskys name around players on Canadas world junior hockey team most crack a small smile. Cheap NHL Jerseys . Theyve heard what the Swedish forward was quoted as saying in the local publication Skanskan. Specifically, Burakowsky said that, on paper, Sweden has a better team than Canada. "We heard that," said Canadian forward Charles Hudon, a Montreal Canadiens prospect. "It is motivation. Ive never seen two papers play on the ice. Were ready for that game and I think they are too." Canada and Sweden will face off in an exhibition game Sunday in Angelholm, Sweden. You can watch it live on TSN starting at 11am et/8am pt. Canadian players werent shy when asked whether Burakowskys words will be on their mind. "Of course, it does motivate you for sure, but let them think that," said 17-year-old Barrie Colts defenceman Aaron Ekblad, who officially secured a spot on Team Canada when Damon Severson was cut on Friday night. "They have a highly-skilled team and, obviously, we need to respect that and we just have to counter with our work ethic." Even defenceman Adam Pelech, who is Burakowskys teammate on the Erie Otters in the Ontario Hockey League, admitted the comments got him going. "Teams are always looking for things like that to put on the wall for some extra motivation before the game," he said. "Things like that we just try to use as fuel for us." Pelech isnt the only Otter caught off guard by the Burakovsky quote. Connor McDavid, who picked up a pair of assists in Canadas 4-2 win over Finland on Friday, is Burakowskys linemate in Erie.   "He can be a little bit cocky," McDavid noted with a chuckle, "but hes entitled to his own opinion." Burakowsky, a first round pick of the Washington Capitals last June, is having a fantastic rookie season with the Otters. When he left for Swedens junior camp, he was fourth on the team in scoring with 23 goals and 47 points in just 31 games. The 18-year-old will be making his world junior debut this month.  "We kind of joked about playing each other in Sweden in his hometown of Malmo and maybe in the gold-medal game," McDavid said, "but thats a long way down the road. We still have a lot of work to get there, but it would be pretty nice to have that over him." "Hes a really good guy," said Pelech. "I like him a lot. I havent talked to him recently, but obviously I heard about the comments and I guess Ill shoot him a message. Im looking forward to talking to him about that." Canadian head coach Brent Sutter has repeatedly said he wants his players to focus on themselves and what the team needs to do to be successful. But when informed his players were talking about Burakowsky, Sutter was more than okay with it. "No, thats good," he said with a wry grin, "keep feeding it all they want, thats good." Not lost on the Canadian players is the reason why Burakowsky is feeling confident. The Swedes won the silver medal last year and have almost half of that team back plus theyll have home-ice advantage this time around. Meanwhile, Canada has just three players (Jonathan Drouin, Griffin Reinhart and Jake Paterson) returning from the team that finished fourth last year. "Swedens a pretty good hockey country, but were Canada and were confident in the players we have," said McDavid. NHL Jerseys China .Y. -- Phil Jackson lost out on his preferred coach, but hes working hard on keeping his star player. Authentic NHL Jerseys .Sinclair, from Burnaby, B.C., led the Canadian team with three goals at the four-nation competition. She also earned tournament most valuable player honours.The Canadian captain scored on a penalty kick in the 63rd minute and added the winning goal a minute later.COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Pittsburgh Penguins also have another P-word going for them: patience. Brandon Sutter, Lee Stempniak and Jussi Jokinen scored in a span of 2:13 of the third period to revive the Penguins from yet another two-goal deficit in a 4-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night. Now up 2-1 in the best-of-seven series, the Penguins got off to a horrible start, but took charge in the final two periods. "Its not ideal, especially when its 2-1 and you fall behind (by two goals) again," said captain Sidney Crosby. "Typically, its not the way you win hockey games. But it showed a lot of character and a lot of patience." A two-goal lead has been poison so far in the series. Columbus also blew a 3-1 lead in Game 1, then the Penguins returned the favour Saturday night. In each case the opponent scored the final three goals, the Blue Jackets taking their first playoff victory in double-overtime just 48 hours earlier in Pittsburgh. All three games have ended 4-3. "Anytime a team gets a lead they find a way to give it up," Sutter said. Game 4 is Wednesday night here. Down 2-0 early and then 3-1 in the third, the veteran Penguins scored on three consecutive shots. Coach Dan Bylsma called a timeout after goals by Boone Jenner and Jack Johnson staked the Blue Jackets to a 2-0 lead 3:18 in before a raucous, overflow crowd of 19,148. The Penguins collected themselves and then collected another comeback win. "We needed to reset," Bylsma said. The surge began with less than 2 seconds left in the second period when Brooks Orpik rifled a hard wrister past Columbus goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, making it 2-1. Just over a minute into the third period, the Blue Jackets pushed the lead back to two goals. Brandon Dubinsky, who had two assists, spun and fired a backhander that hit the glove of teammate Cam Atkinson and beat a surprised Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury slammed the door after that. "I took it one shot at a time, tried to keep within the game," he said. "Just make the next save." His high-powered offence did the rest. The Penguins found their game, dominating with a 41-20 advantage in shots on goal and controlling the pace. Paul Martins shot from the point was redirected by Sutter. NHL Jerseys 2020. Just 1:10 later, Stempniak took a short pass from Kris Letang and waded in from the right wing, beating Bobrovsky. "A lot of guys here have won and been on long runs," said Stempniak. "They kept their belief. I think everybody just fed off of that. We generated a lot of shots and had a lot of opportunities. It was good to just keep going with it." Then Jokinen redirected Olli Maattas shot from the point and it glanced in off Columbus defenceman James Wisniewski, thoroughly deflating a crowd waiting to celebrate an historic win. "We played well," Maatta said. "At the end, it was a couple of bounces." Columbus last best chance came with 30 seconds left when Fleury made a blocker save on Ryan Johansens hard shot. "Theyve got a good team over there," said Dubinsky, who had two assists for the Blue Jackets, matching Martin and Beau Bennett of the Penguins. "We just have to find a way to rebound and be resilient. We have been all year long, so Im confident in this group." R.J. Umberger, the Columbus forward from Pittsburgh, said it was important for the young Blue Jackets to stay the course. In other words, be patient just like the veteran Penguins. "Its a long series still," Umberger said. "We cant let that be the turning point." The Blue Jackets were trying for their first playoff victory at home. They were 0-5 in the post-season until pulling off a stunning 4-3 double-overtime victory Saturday night in Pittsburgh. Much like after blowing a two-goal lead in Game 1, theyll have to find a way to regroup. "I dont think it was about stepping off the gas," coach Todd Richards said. "The attitude was good. We made a couple of mistakes and they started skating. That was the difference." Notes: Columbus LW Nick Foligno (knee) returned after missing the last four games of the regular season and the first two games of the series. D Fedor Tyutin, who left Game 2 with an undisclosed injury, did not dress. ... The Penguins were without Brian Gibbons, who had two goals in the opener, but left in the first period of Game 2. ... Crosby has no goals in his past seven playoff games, and Malkin is scoreless in his past six. ' ' '

NEW YORK -- Free agent Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka has arrived in the United States to meet with major league teams. Dwight Howard Jersey . Big league clubs have until 5 p.m. on Jan. 24 to sign the star 25-year-old right-hander. Tanaka was 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA last year for the Japan Series champion Rakuten Golden Eagles, who made him available under the new posting system. He is being represented by agent Casey Close and plans to have a physical in the U.S. that can be reviewed by major league teams. Under the new posting system, the fee payable to the Japanese club is capped at $20 million and the player can negotiate with all big league teams willing to pay the posting amount. Ray Allen Jersey . A spokeswoman for the NLRB says its "a very incremental move" and does not necessarily indicate the board is close to a finding in the case. NFL owners filed an unfair labour charge against the players union in February, arguing that the union was not negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement in good faith. Javier Baez Jersey . Hes the same player he always was, only now his efforts are being rewarded. The rookie manager has made a habit of heaping praise on others when things are going well, and accepting criticism when they arent.  But in the case of Hurtado, its what the coach is NOT saying that may be the secret to a superb run of form.With the series tied 1-1, the NBA Finals shift to South Beach tonight for Game 3 between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs at AmericanAirlines Arena. You can watch the game live on TSN and TSN GO at 8:30pm et/5:30pm pt or listen live on TSN Radio 1050 Toronto and TSN Radio 1260 Edmonton. The Heat knotted things up with a 98-96 victory Sunday night at the AT&T Center. The storyline of Game 1 was LeBron James missing the final four minutes due to leg cramps. Part of the reason for the injury was the air conditioning malfunction, but with a temperate climate in Game 2, James played like the two-time Finals MVP. James poured in 35 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and assisted on Chris Boshs go-ahead 3-pointer down the stretch. Bosh finished with 18 points, while Dwyane Wade and Rashard Lewis added 14 apiece for the Heat, who have now won their last 13 postseason games following a loss. James received plenty of criticism for not completing Game 1 despite not being able to walk. In the Eastern Conference Finals, James found a wide-open Bosh in the corner late in Game 5. Bosh didnt make it on that night and once again, the vultures circled, suggesting James didnt want the ball late. On Sunday, with the Spurs up by one, James drew two defenders and hit Bosh in the corner. Bosh buried the jumper to give the Heat a one-point cushion. Bosh sealed the victory by finding Wade for an easy layup, and Miami escaped with a much-needed road victory heading into Game 3. "All we worry about is what we can control and thats just how we play the game, how we approach the game both physically and mentally," said James. "And we live with the results." Now, the Heat are back in the drivers seat, reclaiming the homecourt advantage. They havent lost back-to-back playoff games since the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics and snappeed the Spurs eight-game home winning streak where all of the victories were by 15-plus points. J.J. Watt Jersey. The Spurs were led by Tony Parkers 21 points and seven assists, while Tim Duncan totaled 18 points with 15 rebounds to tie Magic Johnson for the most postseason double-doubles in NBA history with 157. Manu Ginobili donated 19 points off San Antonios bench, but missed two shots and committed a crucial turnover in the final minute. After Boshs go-ahead 3-pointer, Ginobili threw an errant pass. James went 1- for-2 from the line to move the Heat three clear, then Ginobili missed a chance to tie with 29.9 seconds left. "We were in a good spot. We played an OK game, not perfect but we were right there. And it slipped away," said Ginobili. "Now we are in a tough situation because we gotta go to Miami and we gotta get one. We dont want to come back here 3-1 down, its very hard to overcome that." The Spurs do face some serious challenges heading to Miami. Including last seasons Finals, the Heat have won four straight over the Spurs in South Beach and seven of the last eight. Miami is a perfect 8-0 at AmericanAirlines Arena this postseason. And San Antonio didnt help itself at all from the foul line on Sunday. The Spurs went 12-for-20 and missed free throws became a critical part of the game. San Antonio was ahead by two halfway through the final frame when Miamis Mario Chalmers was whistled for a flagrant foul for elbowing Parker. He missed both at the line, then Duncan was fouled on the next possession and he too, went 0-for-2. "We cant miss four free throws in a row," Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said. San Antonio can take solace in knowing they won in Miami last year during the Finals. "The series is just beginning," said Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra. Game 4 will be Thursday night in Miami. ' ' '

MILWAUKEE -- After watching Milwaukee win its sixth straight against the Rockies, Colorado manager Walt Weiss had a simple explanation for the Brewers success. Bob Lanier Jersey . "Theyve been good against everybody," he said. Carlos Gomez launched a three-run homer and Matt Garza battled into the seventh inning for his first win in four starts to help the Brewers continue their mastery of the Rockies with a 7-4 victory Saturday. "Theyve got the best record in the National League," Weiss said. "Theyre doing everything well. All aspects of their game are rolling right now. Theyre getting good starts, the bullpen has been very good and its a potent lineup. You put all those things together and youve got 50-plus wins at this point." Garza (5-5) pitched five scoreless innings before allowing two runs each in the sixth and seventh. His first win since June 7 helped the Brewers improve to a season-high 19 games above .500 at 51-32. They also are 6-0 against the Rockies this season. Francisco Rodriguez, who got the victory Friday night despite blowing the save, pitched a perfect ninth inning for his majors-best 27th save. "Ive never played with an offence as good as this," said Garza, who is 3-1 in six June starts with a 2.88 ERA. "When I played with Tampa, we were lucky to scratch out what we could. Chicago, you know the story there. You just keep going. Its a different type of mindset. When you get runs this quick, you have to keep attacking. You cant let up: stay aggressive, go after these guys and not give in. Gomez staked the Brewers to a 3-0 lead in the first with his 13th home run. Ryan Braun and Jonathan Lucroy reached on consecutive singles and Gomez then drove a 3-2 pitch from Jhoulys Chacin (1-7) over the centre-field wall. "I just tried to keep it simple," said Gomez, who left the game in the seventh inning with a left neck strain after colliding with Braun in the outfield. "They got me out the whole series in Colorado and here. I didnt expect that pitch in. Its supposed to be a ball and I put good contact on it, I didnt try to do too much and thats how I did it." The Brewers added three runs in the fifth to make it 6-0. Jean Segura singled to open, advanced on Garzas sacrifice bunt and moved to third on Scooter Gennetts infield single. Braun followed with a triple into the corner when right-fielder Charlie Blackmon missed on a diving attempt at the sinking liner. Braun scored on Lucroys groundout. Colorado got two runs in the sixth after loading the bases with three consecutive one-out singles. Drew Stubbs bloop single to shallow right drove in one run and Troy Tulowitzki followed with a sacrifice fly. The Brewers answered with a run in the bottom of the inning on Lyle Overbays RBI single to increase the lead to 7-2. The Rockies chased Garza with two runs in the seventh on a single by Wilin Rosario, a double by Ryan Wheeler and D.J. LeMahieus two-run single. "Eight out of those nine hits they got, I thought probably werent hard enough, but theyre still hits," said Garza, signed to a $50 million, four-year deal, "Sometimes they fall in so you have to just keep making pitches. Its frustrating but we still came out with a W so it is what it is. Ill take the soft hits over them barrelling them up." In the third inning, the Brewers successfully challenged a call by first base umpire C.B. Bucknor. Josh Rutledge singled to open and LeMahieu followed with a liner to second baseman Rickie Weeks. The throw to first from Weeks hit Rutledge, who got back safely when first baseman Overbay couldnt corral the ball. Rutledge then came off the bag again, but dove back and was originally called safe on the tag by Overbay. The call was overturned after a review of 1 minute, 42 seconds. NOTES: The Brewers said Gomez is day to day. ... To eliminate the shadows between the mound and home plate during day games at Miller Park, the first-base half of the roof was closed, while the third-base side remained completely open. . Jabari Parker, the first-round pick of the Milwaukee Bucks and the No. 2 overall pick in the recent NBA draft, threw out the first pitch, wearing a Brewers jersey with his name and No. 12 on the back. The 6-foot-8 right-hander snapped off a one-hopper to the plate. . The third-inning challenge was the Brewers first since May 31. They are 6-5 in challenges. . Brewers shortstop Segura left in the sixth inning with leg cramps. ... Weiss unsuccessfully challenged a call when Tulowitzki was thrown out attempting to steal second to end the eighth inning. Anthony Mason Jersey . Kenny Miller scored from the penalty spot and Camilo Sanvezzo came off the bench to add two late goals as the Whitecaps kept their playoff hopes alive with a 3-0 victory over the sagging Impact on Saturday afternoon. Robin Lopez Jersey .C. Now hes squarely in the U.S. capital and helping the Washington Wizards playoff drive. John Wall scored 33 points, Gooden got 11 of his 21 in the final quarter and the Wizards overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit for a 101-94 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night.Thomas Muller scored twice as Germany continued their cruise towards another World Cup finals with a second consecutive 3-0 victory in qualifying Group C on Saturday. Joachim Lows side followed up their opening triumph in Norway with an identical result against the Czech Republic in Hamburg and the result could easily have been more emphatic.Muller fired a low opener past Czech keeper Tomas Vaclik in the 13th minute and, after Toni Kroos added a second, Muller completed the scoring with his second midway through the second half. Robert Lewandowski scores from the penalty spot against Denmark Also in Group C, Northern Ireland were made to sweat before recording a 4-0 win over 10-man San Marino in Belfast.Azerbaijan maintained their improbable 100 per cent start in Group C as Maksim Medvedevs early strike proved enough to secure a shock 1-0 win over Norway in Baku.Englands latest new era under Gareth Southgate kicked off with a predictably low-key 2-0 win over Group F rivals Malta at Wembley.Scotland rode their luck to grab a 1-1 draw against Lithuania at Hampden Park thanks to a late headed equaliser from James McArthur. Robert Lewandowski scored all three goals for Poland as they beat Denmark 3-2 In the other game in Group F, substitute Rok Kronaveter scored the only goal of the game as Slovenia edged past Slovakia 1-0 in Ljubljana. Toni Kukoc Jersey. .In Group E, Robert Lewandowskis hat-trick gave Poland a 3-2 win over Denmark, despite Kamil Gliks own goal and Yussuf Poulsens strike bringing the game back into the balance.Romania cruised past 10-man Armenia 5-0. Bogdan Stancu scored an early penalty after Gor Malakyan was sent off and Adrian Popa, Razvan Marin, Nicolae Stanciu and Alexandru Chipciu completed a convincing win.Montenegro routed Kazakhstan by the same scoreline with goals from Zarko Tomasevic, Nikola Vukcevic, Stevan Jovetic, Fatos Beqiraj and Stefan Savic.You can watch Englands tour of Bangladesh, plus Premier League football and the Japan Grand Prix on Sky Sports. Upgrade now and enjoy three months at half price! Also See: Solid start for Southgate McArthur saves Scots blushes N Ireland stroll to victory England player ratings ' ' '

Torontos Melvin Ejim accomplished much more than just one record-setting game this season. Robby Thompson Jersey . The Iowa State senior forward has a unique top-10 standing in the Big 12. The 6-foot-6 Ejim was named Monday as The Associated Press Big 12 Player of the Year. He joined Kansas Andrew Wiggins of Vaughan, Ont., the leagues Freshman of the Year, as unanimous All-Big 12 first-team selections. Ejim, whose 48-point game against TCU last month set a Big 12 single-game scoring record, is the leagues only player in the top 10 in scoring and rebounding. He ranks second in both categories, averaging 18.2 points and 8.6 rebounds. "To see the progression of Melvins basketball career from where he came in as a freshman, very raw ... it just shows when you put a lot of work into your game, its going to pay off, and it certainly helps with your culture," Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg said of the A-student history major. "Hes a great leader and young guys see what hes doing and the impact that has on our team and our program." Only Iowa State had two first-team players. Ejim was joined in the top five by 6-4 senior teammate DeAndre Kane, a transfer from Marshall who was the unanimous pick for Newcomer of the Year. Kane averaged 17.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.9 assists. "Three great years at Marshall, but had never reached the tournament," Hoiberg said. "I know that was huge for him, and hes going to get that opportunity." Oklahoma State sophomore guard Marcus Smart and West Virginia junior guard Juwan Staten, the Big 12s leader with 18.4 points and 5.94 assists per game, rounded out the first-team selections that matched the coaches picks released Sunday. Smart was the AP Big 12s top player and top freshman last year, when he was only the third player to win both of those awards in the same season. His scoring average was better this season at 17.9 points and he led the league with 2.7 steals a game, but also was suspended three games during conference play after shoving a fan at Texas Tech. Oklahomas Lon Kruger, who led the Sooners to a No. 2 seed in this weeks conference tournament, was selected as the AP Big 12 Coach of the Year with 11 of the 18 votes from a panel of AP sports writers and sportscasters who cover the league on a regular basis Ejim got 11 votes for top player, becoming the first Iowa State player to win that AP award since Jamaal Tinsley in 2001, a year after Cyclones standout Marcus Fizer. Wiggins, who capped the regular season with 41 points Saturday in a loss at West Virginia, got four Player of the Year votes, and the remaining votes were split by Kane, Smart and 7-foot Kansas freshman centre Joel Embiid. Wiggins got 17 votes for Freshman of The Year. Embiid, who got the other vote for top freshman, headed up the AP All-Big 12 second team that also includes Oklahoma States Markel Brown, Kansas State freshman Marcus Foster, Oklahoma sophomore Buddy Hield and Baylors Cory Jefferson. Kruger is 58-36 in his three years at Oklahoma, and last season with the Sooners became the first NCAA Division I coach to take five different programs to the NCAA tournament. They finished the regular season with a 97-67 win at TCU, their fifth win in six games. "Its always satisfying when your guys play well and play with enthusiasm and get good results," Kruger said. "This league is so deep ... if we can be in that group right after Kansas, were in a very good group of basketball teams, so I feel good about it." Kansas coach Bill Self, whose Jayhawks clinched their 10th Big 12 title in a row with a young group, got five votes for top coach. Texas Rick Barnes got the other two. In their voting, Big 12 coaches also tabbed Ejim as top player, Kane top newcomer and Wiggins as the leagues outstanding freshman. They differed on the top coach, selecting Barnes. Burch Smith Jersey . Linemates Ryan Johansen and Boone Jenner each had a goal and an assist in the first period, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 36 saves to lead the Blue Jackets past the Florida Panthers 4-1 on Saturday night. Dave Righetti Jersey . Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks were proof of that on Wednesday night.TORONTO - Canadian Rory MacDonald finds out Saturday who he will have to beat for the UFC welterweight title.The 25-year-old from Kelowna, B.C., who trains out of Montreal, has been promised the next shot at the winner of Saturdays UFC 181 main event in Las Vegas between champion Johny (Bigg Rigg) Hendricks and No. 1 contender Ruthless (Robbie) Lawler.Hendricks (16-2) won a unanimous decision over Lawler (24-10 with one no contest) when the two met in March at UFC 171 to fill the title vacated by Montreals Georges St-Pierre.Hendricks lost a controversial split decision to St-Pierre at UFC 167 while Lawler won a split decision over MacDonald on the same November 2013 card.MacDonald, meanwhile, has comprehensively beaten Tyron (The Chosen One) Woodley and Tarec (Sponge) Saffiedine since Hendricks claimed the crown.MacDonald (18-2) will be cageside at the Mandalay Bay Events Center to figure out his future, with the ensuring title fight possibly coming as early as March in Montreal depending on how battered Saturdays winner is.Hendricks says hes not looking beyond Saturday, although he knows all about the well-rounded Canadian waiting in the wings.A tough fighter, Hendricks said simply of MacDonald, who is ranked No. 2 in the 170-pound division.Lawler believes MacDonald is a better fighter today than 13 months ago when he faced him.I think hes getting better every day, Lawler said. Hes young, hes getting stronger, hes getting faster, hes working on his technique. Hes a force to be reckoned with for sure.Hes hungry and hes coming for the top.MacDonald also has a new nickname, with Red King replacing Ares which replaced The Water Boy.GSP may also be a factor again down the line. The 33-year-old ex-champ has yet to say whether he will return to action following his hiatus.The 31-year-old Hendricks has not fought since securing the title, requiring surgery in the aftermath to repair a torn bicepp. Carl Hubbell Jersey. Hendricks had hurt the arm in training and the injury got worse in the first round.He promises he will be a different fighter this time. Hendricks, a two-time NCAA wrestling champion, blames the arm injury for making just two of 10 takedown attempts against Lawler. He also hurt his shin in the fight.The time off was rejuvenating, Hendricks said.Fighting is a tough business, he said Its a gruelling business, its a grind. What was nice was I got that desire back, that willing to fight again, to remember why you fight ... Getting that hunger back I think is really going to help me for that next fight.Hendricks has no apologies to make. Hendricks-Lawler 1 was a thriller, with the champion winning the first two rounds before Lawler came on in the third and fourth. Hendricks decided it with a gritty fifth round.Robbies very tough. Hes very hard to put away, said Hendricks.He says Lawler pulled ahead in the middle rounds because the injured arm hindered his defence.He saw those openings and he capitalized on it, said Hendricks, who trains in the Dallas area. Thats what Ive got to make sure I dont allow this time. The two fighters attempted a combined 728 significant strikes, with Hendricks good on 159 of 397 and Lawler successful on 150 of 331.He just did a couple of things better than me, said Lawler, who has moved his family to Florida from Iowa to train year-round at American Top Team. Hes a competitor, he knows how to win, he knows how to win rounds. He competed a little bit better than me that night.While Hendricks healed up, Lawler fought twice in the aftermath of the title loss. The 32-year-old stopped Jake Ellenberger in May and won a decision over Matt (The Immortal) Brown in July.I love pushing myself, said Lawler. Im a competitor. I love to work out. I love to fight ... Its just how I am. If Im healthy, Im going to fight.Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter ' ' '

LAKE FOREST, Ill. NCAA Jerseys . -- The Chicago Bears and first-round draft pick Kyle Fuller have agreed to a four-year contract that includes an option for a fifth season. Fuller, a cornerback from Virginia Tech, was taken with the 14th pick last week. With the deal announced Wednesday, the Bears have seven of the eight players they drafted under contract. The exception is defensive tackle Will Sutton, a third-rounder from Arizona. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Fuller started 42 of 50 games at Virginia Tech and had 129 solo tackles along with six interceptions, 21 pass break ups and four forced fumbles in his career. He had 24 tackles, broke up 10 passes and picked off two in nine games last season. The Bears have a pair of two-time Pro Bowl cornerbacks in Tim Jennings and Charles Tillman, but Fuller is expected to play on Chicagos nickel defence and special teams at the start of his pro career. He could eventually wind up replacing the 33-year-old Tillman, whos on a one-year contract. Both starting safety spots are open for the Bears, but general manager Phil Emery made two things clear last week -- Fuller will play cornerback and Tillman isnt moving to safety. Fuller grew up in a family with four Virginia Tech players, including former NFL defensive back Vincent Fuller, who played from 2005-2011 with Tennessee and Detroit. Corey, a wide receiver, was on the Lions practice squad last year. The Bears have been moving quickly to sign their draft picks. They agreed to contracts with safety Brock Vereen and quarterback David Fales on Monday and defensive tackle Ego Ferguson, running back KaDeem Carey, punter Patrick ODonnell and offensive tackle Charles Leno, Jr. on Tuesday. College Jerseys . In mens doubles, Vancouvers Vasek Pospisil and American Jack Sock reached the quarter-finals with a 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3), 6-4 win over Croatian Mate Pavic and Andre Sa of Brazil. NCAA Jerseys For Sale . And former Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson certainly knows his pain. "Its pretty hard to coach there without allowing some of these things to kind of affect you," Wilson told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun in his ESPN.Despite holding the NHLs top record over the last 10 games, Leafs assistant GM Claude Loiselle thinks his team is capable of raising their game to a higher level. We can play better, we can play much better, Loiselle said, noting that although the team is getting a little bit more defensive minded, manageement knows improvements can still be made. Wholesale College Jerseys. While speaking on TSN 1050 Tuesday afternoon Loiselle also touched on the positive impact Tim Gleason has had on Morgan Riellys development and Phil Kessels scoring streak. Loiselle: Leafs capable of more complete game ' ' '

MIAMI -- England midfielder Frank Lampard is set to head to the World Cup without a club after announcing Monday that he is leaving Chelsea. Cheap Air Max 97 China . The 35-year-old Lampard has been at Chelsea for 13 years and is the clubs all-time leading scorer but has not agreed to a new deal with the Premier League team. Lampard is currently with England in Miami for two World Cup warm-up matches before travelling to Brazil on Saturday. "When I arrived at this fantastic club 13 years ago I would never have believed that I would be fortunate enough to play so many games and enjoy sharing in so much success," Lampard said. "This club has become part of my life and I have so many people to thank for the opportunity." Lampard did not say where he expects to play next season, but has long been linked with a move to Major League Soccer in the United States. Lampard, who moved across London from West Ham in 2001, leaves Stamford Bridge with 211 goals in 648 appearances. He won the Premier League three times, the Champions League and Europa League once each, four FA Cups and two League Cups. "The club will move forward, and as a Chelsea man I have no doubt that with the quality of the players that are there, they will continue with the success that we have all enjoyed over the past seasons, Lampard said. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich was singled out for praise, with Lampard calling the Russian tycoon "the man who saved our club and took us all to new levels" following his 2003 takeover. "His desire to push the club to the top of the football world has rubbed off on everyone," Lampard said. Vapormax Plus Wholesale . Ontario Superior Court Case Management Master Ronald Dash released the decision on Monday, saying John McCaw Jr. must testify in front of a jury by live video conference. Moores lawyer, Tim Danson, asked the court to compel McCaw - who is based in Seattle - to testify in the case back on February 27. Vans Shoes Clearance . Its the second straight year he has decided not to play as he cuts back his schedule. Stricker was replaced in the field by Ryo Ishikawa of Japan.Middlesbroughs promotion hopes suffered a blow after they were denied victory at Birmingham. Boro drew 2-2 at St Andrews to move top of the Sky Bet Championship by a point, but they were left frustrated after Daniel Ayalas goal was ruled out for offside - video replays showing the defender in an onside position with the score locked at 2-2.Jordan Rhodes and Gaston Ramirez had given the visitors the lead after Stephen Gleesons opener, but David Davis fine strike earned Birmingham an entertaining draw. Middlesbrough thought they had scored a crucial winner against Birmingham Middlesbroughs future is still in their own hands as they face Brighton on the final day with the Seagulls a point behind in third and a win would end Boros seven-year exile from the Premier League.But they face an anxious wait until Monday when Brighton host Derby and Burnley, who sit second, welcome QPR. Both games are live Sky Sports.All three started the day on 87 points and Boro will count the cost of a host of missed chances. Reaction from Daniel Ayala and Grant Leadbitter after Birmingham and Middlesbrough drew 2-2 at St Andrews It took until the the 25th minute for them to carve out an opening - and it was a glorious one which Rhodes should have taken.Grant Leadbitter barged his way through in the middle and when the ball ricocheted to Rhodes, the Scotland international was left with just Adam Legzdins to beat but the goalkeeper made a superb sprawling save.Two minutes later the hosts almost took the lead when Dimi Konstantopoulos palmed Maikel Kieftenbelds drive away and then claimed Clayton Donaldsons tame follow-up. Birmingham City manager Gary Rowett praised his players after the 2-2 draw with promotion chasing Middlesbrough The game suddenly opened up and Legzdins raced off his line to deny Rhodes again before Birmingham struck first after 33 minutes. Air Max 95 Mens Sale. Loanee Ritchie De Laet - who will earn a Premier League winners medal if Leicester win the title - could only clear as far as Gleeson and the midfielder was given too much time to steady himself and while Konstantopoulos got a hand to his 25-yard drive, he could not keep it out.Boro hit back almost immediately when Legzdins thwarted Albert Adomah but the keeper then undid all his fine work with a fumble five minutes before the break. Birmingham City keeper Adam Legzdins gifted Middlesbrough a first-half equaliser The visitors were awarded a free kick 25-yards out and Legzdins spilled Ramirezs strike straight to Rhodes who bundled in from four yards.The chances continued to flow after the break as Ryan Shottons header dropped just wide before Boro missed three golden chances in the space of 10 seconds. Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka gives his post-match reaction after his sides 2-2 draw against Birmingham First, Rhodes volleyed Leadbitters free-kick against the post, only to then block Adomahs follow-up and see Ramirez fire a third attempt over the bar, but Boro finally took the lead after 57 minutes with a goal of true simplicity.Adomahs deep cross found Rhodes peeling off at the far post and his header across goal was met by Ramirez to nod in from barely a yard. Birmingham Citys Jonathan Grounds and Middlesbroughs Albert Adomah battle for the ball Back came Birmingham, though, and Davis levelled 11 minutes later with a brilliant half-volley from the edge of the area after Ayala could only half clear.And an enthralling game continued to spark within 90 seconds when Ayala had a goal ruled out for offside having curled into the far corner from 12 yards.Boro then almost lost the game when Diego Fabbrini headed over and Konstanopoulos twice denied David Cotterill in the final 10 minutes.But Leadbitter nearly won it with two minutes left when Legzdins turned his rasping drive onto the bar. ' ' '

(SportsNetwork. Zapatillas Nike Baratas .com) - Its been 106 years since the Chicago Cubs have won a World Series. They may have taken a step toward ending that drought late Tuesday night, as the Cubs reportedly agreed to a 6-year, $155 million deal with left-hander Jon Lester, reuniting him with former general manager Theo Epstein. After missing out on Masahiro Tankaka last winter, there was no way the Cubs were going to miss out on another ace. Especially Lester. They were the one team in this whole process that never wavered. There were times we heard the Boston Red Sox were out, we had heard the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers were no longer options. Whether it was true or not, we never heard that about the Cubs. The only thing we ever heard on them was that they were the frontrunners to get him. And apparently they were. It just made so much sense. With all due respect to Max Scherzer, Lester was the best pitcher on the market. Hes a bulldog and he wins in October. If you are a team that is on the cusp of getting ready to compete, there is no better pitcher to have at the top of your rotation than Lester. The Cubs are coming. Youd be out of your mind to say the club is going to win a World Series, because, well, you know, after all they are the Cubs, but they are a heck of a lot closer now than they were yesterday. Lester was in the midst of another magnificent season for the Red Sox in 2014, but with the team out of contention and his pending free agent status, Boston sent him to the Oakland Athletics at the non-waiver trade deadline for slugger Yoenis Cespedes. Oakland may have struggled after the trade, but Lester certainly wasnt to blame, as he went 6-4 with a 2.35 ERA and was a key reason why the Athletics reached the American League Wild Card Game. Overall, Lester was 16-11 with a 2.46 ERA last season. Lesters real value, though, comes in the postseason, where he has established himself as one of the best big game pitchers in baseball. So, as the Cubs eye their first World Series title since 1908, they now have an ace who has won all three of his starts in the Fall Classic and has only surrendered one run in 21 innings of those contests. As big a winner as the Cubs are in all this, there may not be a team happier than the Philadelphia Phillies. With Lester off the board, Boston desperately needs a front of the line starter. Scherzer doesnt make a whole lot of sense for them. If they werent going to go much higher money wise to bring Lester back, I cant imagine them getting into bed with Scherzer, who reportedly wants north of $200 million. Desperate times call for desperate measures, though. like the New York Yankees, you can never really count the BoSox out on anything, but the guy they are going to target is Phillies lefty Cole Hamels. The Red Sox were linked to Hamels right at the start of the offseason and they probably could have had him for a little more than a song and a dance. But everything has now changed. The Phillies know the Red Sox are desperate and now Boston general manager Ben Cherington is going to have to give up a player, or two, that he did not want to. Xander Bogaerts, Blake Swihart, Mookie Betts. They are all in play now. And dont forget Yoenis Cespedes either. Two of those guys may have to go in a deal to get it done. And Philadelphia should hold out for as much as it can. Thats what makes the Oakland Athletics deal of Jeff Samardzija even more puzzling. We all knew they were going to deal him, but how about they wait until Lester signs and maybe build up some sort of bidding war with the teams that missed out on him. I just dont know what the As are doing. They got nowhere near enough for Josh Donaldson, they traded an All-Star first baseman in Brandon Moss for a 25- year-old infielder who has never played above Double-A and that was all after they signed Billy Butler to a $30 million deal. Oh and the shortstop they got from the White Sox in the Samardzija deal is far less of a prospect than the one they surrendered in the original Samardzija trade. But Billy Beane is a genius, so we just have to nod our heads and accept what hes doing, right? Think about what you thought of the As the day after the Lester trade. Now think about where they are today. Lets put it this way, they are lucky the Houston Astros are in the AL West. But, if you have been paying attention, they may not be the doormat they have been in recent years. Lester, though, was the first domino to fall at these Winter Meetings. Maybe now well start to see some movement. Zapatillas Yeezy Falsas . -- Jim Furyk was 10 shots worse and right where he wanted to be Saturday in the BMW Championship. Air Max España . The whole deflation of New England Patriots footballs is like a murder mystery without the violence or significance. On one side, this is a ridiculous issue. LISBON, Portugal -- Cristiano Ronaldo seems certain to be fit to lead Real Madrids attack against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final on Saturday. However, Real coach Carlo Ancelotti has lingering fitness doubts about Ronaldos strike partner Karim Benzema and defender Pepe. "Cristiano doesnt have any problems, he has trained well," Ancelotti said Friday about the competitions 16-goal record scorer, who missed Madrids final league match last weekend to rest a leg muscle injury. Benzema and Pepe have not trained this week due to hamstring and calf injuries, respectively. Ancelotti said the teams practice session Friday evening on the Stadium of Light pitch "will be crucial to decide" if they can start. Madrids vaunted forward line -- the so-called BBC of Gareth Bale, Benzema and Cristiano -- have combined to score 26 goals in this Champions League season, plus 63 in La Liga. Benzema has thrived playing between the two speedy wingers, though Ancelotti played down the significance of the France forward, or any one player in a city derby between teams which have met four times already this seasson. Air Max Baratas España. "Benzema has had a great season and I dont know that we are losing him," the coach said, adding "we will use another player who has similar characteristics." "This is not going to be a match where individuals count so much as the two teams," Ancelotti said. Atletico has injury concerns about its own star forward, Brazilian-born Spain international Diego Costa, who had a horse placenta treatment on his right thigh this week. Real defender Sergio Ramos said he hoped all the best players lined up Saturday. "If Diego Costa is there or (Arda) Turan or any other, well, thats no problem as far as I am concerned," the Spain defender said. "What concerns me is Karim, Pepe, Cris who have been injured in these past few days." For Real, attacking midfielder Isco could be asked to replace Benzema, whose France teammate Raphael Varane is a likely deputy for Pepe. Ancelotti is deprived of holding midfielder Xabi Alonso who is suspended, and Germanys Sami Khedira could start just two weeks after returning from a six-month absence due to a knee injury. ' ' '