Metaphysik » mi from atop the crease. The young Swede was only allowed

4) Speaking of which, if you invested time in the Cleveland Browns-Washington game, it is time to vote on the most interesting thing you saw. Was it Johnny Manziel "flipping off" the Washington bench, or the five holding penalties called against the Browns defence….in the first quarter?5) You will notice that I didnt mention the name of the Washington team. CBS analyst Phil Simms says he might do the same, while his play-by-play partner Jim Nantz feels it is not his place to "take a stance" on the controversy that will not go away. Whos right? I will only say that Nantz is, indeed, "taking a stance" by using the "R" name--hes saying he has no problem with it.6) Milos Raonics steady rise in the world tennis rankings is worthy of praise, but wheres the breakthrough victory that will signal the dawn of true greatness? The two views of Raonic are that it is inevitable, and that it will never come.7) It is time to tell MLB commissioner Rob Manfred how to save time and make games shorter. Are you with me in admitting that the appeal of the "sport without a clock" has waned?8) So lets begin with the toughest question--Should baseball actually use a clock to make the pitcher deliver the ball to home plate within 12 seconds of receiving it in his glove? The answer here is "yes", because the "discretion of the umpire" is a phrase that doesnt serve baseball well in any application.9) For instance, umpires can be encouraged to call more strikes, which usually means theyre supposed to call "high strikes", but they dont. Isnt it time for strict adherence to one strike zone, never mind the idea that umpires have their own strike zones? And, that strike zone, should you need a reminder, is between the top of the knees and the mid-point between the batters pants and the top of his shoulders, as he is about to swing.10) Batters arent supposed to step out of the batters box with both feet. So why are they allowed to do that for just about any reason, or for no reason? Stop them with called strikes.11) Mound conferences. The manager or pitching coach is allowed one trip, after which the pitcher must be changed. Whats wrong with applying the same restriction to catchers and infielders?12) Intentional walks. Why not save the time it takes to deliver four wide pitches and just wave the batter to first base?13) Video review. Baseball has lost its way with the introduction of challenges to umpires calls. Their number must be limited, and so too, the length of time they consume. Did it not occur to MLB that the only valid criticism of this innovation would be if the umps wore the headsets for more than, say, 90 seconds?14) And now it is time to offend the purists (I used to be one myself), or have I done that already? If the reason for this overhaul is to shorten games, there must be something done when an extra-inning game stretches to the ridiculous length of five or six hours. Draw the line where you think it belongs--Ill pick 12 innings--and for all innings beyond that, softballs international tie-breaker applies. (Each half-inning begins with a runner at second base).15) Kudos to the Montreal Alouettes for battling the Saskatchewan Roughriders to the very end of last Saturdays game, won 16-11 by the defending Grey Cup champs. But is there anyone not named Tom Higgins who would have done what the Montreal coach did after cutting Saskatchewans lead to two points with just over three minutes to play? What Higgins did was to order a one-point convert following the Als lone touchdown, when a successful two-point try would have evened the score. Ah, but what if the two-point play failed? Well, Montreal would have trailed by two, needing a field goal to win, which basically was what Montreal needed if the deficit was a single point. In summary, there was much to gain and little or nothing to lose by trying for two, and Higgins didnt.16) How good are the Calgary Stampeders? Well, if youre not willing to answer by saying "Theyre the best team in the CFL", try this: "Theyre good enough to be 6-1 without the services of the leagues top player in 2013, Jon Cornish". And wont it be good to see Cornish in action again on Sunday in Ottawa? (Ya, okay, perhaps not if youre Ottawa).17) Do you want the latest reason why its so frustrating being a Chicago Cubs fan? In their recently-completed four-game series against the Mets, the Cubs managed to hold the Mets to 16 hits, exactly four per game. And they split the series.18) Heres a stat that baseball needs to adjust--the "hold", which is awarded to a relief pitcher if he takes the mound with his team leading by three runs or less and departs without surrendering the lead. On Sunday, St. Louis closer Trevor Rosenthal walked three batters and was responsible for two of them crossing the plate, but because that still left the Cardinals in front for a one-run victory, Rosenthal, blown save and all, got his first "hold" of the season. What he got that he deserved was "the hook".19) If there must be a hockey question in August, here it is--what is the name of the Carolina Hurricanes head coach? (I had to look it up. Why dont you do the same, because the point of this exercise is lost if his name appears here. Or maybe you know it, which puts you ahead of me, unless you can name the NHLs five rookie general managers. It took me a couple of minutes, but hey, its August).20) Will the Los Angeles Clippers continue to employ cheerleaders, or would owner Steve Ballmer suffice? Nike Air Max Clearance Online . Its great to be back for another season in Banditland, and Im looking forward to another competitive season with my teammates, said Tavares. Wholesale Black Air Max Store . Trailing 4-1 in the final set, Sharapova steadied her erratic service game and took command again to beat the 56th-ranked American 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 on clay at the Magic Box tennis centre. The ninth-ranked Russian looked to be cruising before McHale broke late in the second set to tie the match and then took her commanding lead in the final set after breaking Sharapova. http://www.cheapairmax2018.us/ . He has spent much of his adult life trying to give back to his native South Sudan, the war-torn African nation the Cavaliers forward and his family fled when he was a young boy. Sale Youth Air Max . Patty Mills had 20 points, Tim Duncan had 11 points and 13 rebounds in limited action, and San Antonio rolled to a 110-82 victory over Milwaukee that kept the Bucks winless in the new year. Air Max 90 Sale Red . Its been two seasons in one for both parties and neither will look back on the first 18 games fondly. "I think I took the fall for a lot of things," said Gay, reflecting on his short time in Toronto ahead of Wednesdays game against his former club.Anaheim, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Ryan Kesler tallied at the 58-second mark of overtime, just after a power play expired, giving Anaheim a 3-2 victory over San Jose at Honda Center. San Joses Brent Burns committed a high-sticking infraction in the final 67 seconds of regulation, and Antti Niemi made a lunging glove stop on Kesler with 23.8 on the clock to help get his team beyond regulation. Niemi was powerless to stop Keslers second chance, an overpowering slapshot from the left circle which rippled the net under the crossbar on the far side. He stopped me at the far post a few times. Third time is a charm, Kesler deadpanned. Rickard Rakell netted his first NHL regular-season goal and Cam Fowler also lit the lamp for the Ducks, who were coming off a 6-2 loss in Ottawa which concluded a five-game road trip. Frederik Andersen came up with 30 saves for the win. Joe Pavelski and Melker Karlsson supplied offense for the Sharks, whose five- game win streak came to a halt. Niemi stopped 29 pucks in the loss. Rackells milestone occurred at the 7:20 mark of the second period, when he popped a loose puck over Niemi from atop the crease. The young Swede was only allowed near the rebound because Niemi mishandled a dump-in from the right corner by Emerson Etem which crept up his stick.dddddddddddd It feels good. Christmas is saved, Rakell joked. Pavelskis power-play goal at two minutes even of the third period tied the game, before Karlssons first-ever goal came with 7:56 gone in the third, a harmless low drive from the right wing which somehow squeezed through Andersen. Fowler then moved up from his point position and scored on a nifty backhander in close off a Ryan Getzlaf dish for a 2-2 game with 4:16 to play. Game Notes Rakell had gone his first 46 NHL appearances spread out over the last three seasons without scoring, totaling 11 assists in the meantime ... Pavelski passed Owen Nolan for second all-time on the Sharks goal-scoring list with 207 ... Fowler participated in his 300th career game ... Both clubs are out of action until Saturday, as Anaheim heads to Arizona, while San Jose takes on Los Angeles ... Ducks defenseman Tim Jackman suffered an apparent facial injury in the second period when struck by the butt end of Sharks forward John Scotts stick and did not return. ' ' '