Gäste Forum » opening 2:27 and 12-2 then never looke

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Olympic gold medalist Tommie Smith, whose raised-fist salute on the medal stand at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics was seen as a flash point in the civil rights movement, will light the Al Davis torch in memory of the late Oakland Raiders owner before Monday nights game at Mexico Citys Estadio Azteca against the Houston Texans.The torch is lit before every game, and this time, it will shine in Mexico City. It will only be Smiths second trip to Mexico City since those 1968 Summer Games, and he will travel with the team on its flight there.This is a very, very historic moment for me, Smith told ESPN.com on Wednesday. To do it for the Raiders, I have a lot of respect for the things that they do. The Raiders have always been out in front in terms of change. They were always called a renegade team. But look what the renegade team brought to light.Tom Flores was the first Latino head coach to win a Super Bowl, with the Raiders. The team also hired the first African-American coach in Art Shell, as well as the first female CEO in Amy Trask.This feels like its come full circle, Smith said.Raiders owner Mark Davis said that Smith lighting the torch in Mexico City was not a move motivated by politics, but rather, he said, Smith was a hero of his since his protest 48 years ago.When Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists, it touched me, Davis said. A 13-year-old kid growing up in the Bay Area, which was a hotbed of all kinds of things. We had Peoples Park. The Black Panthers. The Hells Angels. Berkeley had Telegraph Avenue and San Francisco had the Haight. So it was a hotbed of social activism, and then there was the war in Vietnam.It felt like it was the right time and the right moment and it fell in place. It was awesome, and it will always be a moment that will stick with me.Davis asked Smith this spring to light the torch in memory of his father. The torch has been lit by former players -- including Bo Jackson, Jim Plunkett and Hall of Famers Marcus Allen, Howie Long and John Madden -- representatives of military branches and local law enforcement, as well as actress Ann-Margret, who is family friend.Smith, who ran track at San Jose State and played briefly in the AFL as a receiver with the Cincinnati Bengals in 1969, has come back into the spotlight in recent weeks with the likes of Colin Kaepernicks protest during the national anthem.Athletes using the First Amendment to voice their opinion for social change, Smith said, has come a long way.I had a responsibility, Smith said, and I still do. To do this for someone like Al Davis and the Raiders is the pinnacle of what I believe in.Wholesale Shoes NZ . Shot outdoors against the stunning backdrop of Banff, Alta., the networks 30-minute original production airs tonight at 8pm et/5pm pt on TSN2. The four All-Star teams will play for $100,000 in prize money during TSNs annual skins game, airing live this weekend on TSN from The Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre. Shoes NZ Online .C. -- Chris Thorburn thinks one of the reasons the Winnipeg Jets have been successful under new coach Paul Maurice is that theyre playing together as a team. https://www.shoesnzonline.com/ . Halifax beat the Saint John Sea Dogs 7-5 on the strength of two goals apiece from Nikolaj Ehlers, Matt Murphy and Brent Andrews. Jonathan Drouin also scored and had three assists while Zachary Fucale made 17 saves for the Mooseheads (16-8-0), who led 6-1 after two periods. Shoes NZ 2020 . Murray beat Sam Querrey 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3 to clinch Britains opening-round victory against the United States on Sunday at Petco Park. "Im proud of the way Im playing just now, because I had to do a lot of work to get back to where I want to be," Murray said after celebrating with his teammates on the red clay court in a temporary stadium in left field of the downtown home of baseballs San Diego Padres. Shoes NZ From China . -- In one brief spurt, Brazil turned a close game into a rout and proved again it will be a strong World Cup favourite.MORAGA, Calif. -- Randy Bennett has a long list of scorers on Saint Marys, so thats the least of his worries. When his Gaels get big leads and the bench comes in, now the challenge is sustaining a defensive tempo that this group had last season in regularly holding teams to 40 percent shooting and below.Saint Marys is making strides on both ends, even gaining some good practice against a zone defense Wednesday night.Jock Landale had 15 points and 13 rebounds and the 20th-ranked Gaels jumped to a quick lead they never relinquished to beat Western Kentucky 73-51.The defense is coming along.As a team, its something we practice every day. Coach, as he said, harps on it quite a lot, Emmett Naar said. If we can just improve a bit each day, hopefully toward the end of the season well be pretty good.Evan Fitzner scored eight of his teams first 12 points as the Gaels took control from the tip. He finished with 11 points and three 3-pointers, while Naar had 14 points and six assists.Landale went 7 for 13 from the field and is shooting 65 of 99 -- 65.6 percent -- on the season for the Gaels (8-1), who used a late 13-2 run in the first half for a 38-24 lead.Justin Johnson and Que Johnson each scored 11 points to lead Western Kentucky (4-6).The one thing this team hasnt been very good at, when we get hit in the mouth or get behind were not very good in those situations, WKU coach Rick Stansbury said. We got ahead at Indiana State and played with a lead, but this was a different animal here.Bennett has challenged his team recently to play with more defensive fire, and the Gaels shut down Pancake Thomas. A graduate transfer in his first season with the Hilltoppers, Thomas shot 2 of 8 for four points and missed his three tries from 3-point range after getting a season-best 22 points in a win over Indiana State on Sunday.The Hilltoppers shot 37.5 percent and 5 of 17 from 3-point range to lose for the fifth timee in six games.ddddddddddddThe last couple games weve been able to play our bench and getting those guys to get some reps and try and be as good defensively and as consistent as the first six or seven guys is a challenge. Weve got to get better, Bennett said. Sometimes we sub, we take a dip down defensively. That cant happen.Saint Marys guard Joe Rahon limped off with a right leg injury with 4:37 left before halftime then returned just before intermission and wound up matching his career high with 10 assists.In the first meeting between the programs, Saint Marys jumped to a 7-0 lead in the opening 2:27 and 12-2 then never looked back.BIG PICTUREWestern Kentucky: The Hilltoppers 24 first-half points matched their season low. ... WKU dropped to 35-97 all-time against ranked opponents and hasnt won a true road game against a Top 25 team since stunning No. 4 Kentucky on Nov. 15, 2001. ... Stansbury still needs three wins for 300 career victories. ... The Hilltoppers will have gone 29 days between home games.Saint Marys: The Hilltoppers were Saint Marys second Conference USA opponent after a win over UAB late last month. ... Top Warriors assistant Mike Brown sat courtside on an off day before Golden State hosts the Knicks on Thursday. Brown played at San Diego for 16th-year Gaels coach Bennett. He got some good seats, took care of him, Bennett said.UP NEXTWestern Kentucky: At Detroit Mercy on Saturday to conclude a stretch of seven games on the road or at neutral sites over nearly a months time covering more than 10,000 miles and hitting six states.Saint Marys: Host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Sunday in the fourth game of a five-game home stand before the start of conference play.---More AP college basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25. ' ' '