Gäste Forum » Kusal Perera also played some brisk knocks

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Winning makes everything easier, particularly selling tickets. After playing the best hockey in franchise history down the stretch, the Columbus Blue Jackets have enjoyed an upsurge at the box office in recent weeks. The team says it has seen a 13-per cent improvement in season-ticket renewals from one year ago, when the Blue Jackets were coming off perhaps their worst season in the NHL and sold around 7,000 season tickets. The team has sold almost 1,000 new season-ticket plans including fans who upgraded to larger packages. Its a major difference from when the club was a doormat -- especially for those charged with talking to the fan base and selling them tickets. "Theres no question a lot of the conversations are more pleasant than they were perhaps last year," Blue Jackets senior vice-president and chief marketing officer John Browne said with a laugh. "People are very emotional about it, very passionate about it. They want their opinion to be heard. Theres no question over the last few months as the team continued to play really well, those less-than-friendly conversations are far fewer than they were." Its been a remarkable turnaround. Those visiting the teams website at www.bluejackets.com are now greeted by a picture of fans smiling while a scrum of players celebrate a goal. Emblazoned over the scene are the words, "The Best Is Yet To Come." After having far and away the worst record in the league during the 2011-12 season, the Blue Jackets came out of the owners lockout and were dead last in the league (5-12-2) again in late February. But then, spurred on by new acquisitions, wily veterans and up-and-coming players, they went on a 19-5-5 tear that tied them with Minnesota for eighth place in the Western Conference. They missed out on the playoffs in a tiebreaker. They drew a capacity crowd of 19,002 to their season finale at Nationwide Arena, welcomed more than 17,000 in each of the two home games before that, and finished the year averaging 14,562 in attendance. "The crowd was electric," centre Brandon Dubinsky said after the final game, a come-from-behind 3-1 win over Nashville. Dubinsky previously played for the New York Rangers and came over in the ballyhooed deal that shipped Rick Nash -- Columbus captain and the franchise record holder in almost every offensive category -- to the Big Apple last summer. The fans were caught up in the sudden reversal of fortune by the team. "They really appreciated the hard work that was put in and us proving everyone wrong. All the so-called experts picked us to finish dead last," defenceman Jack Johnson said after the season. "Its kind of the old, when someone says you cant do it youre determined to prove them wrong. Everyone around the city really appreciated it." Now the teams website also carries the prompt, "Next season starts today. Get the best seats now." Most of the team is expected back next season, including old hands R.J. Umberger and Fedor Tyutin, rising young stars Cam Atkinson and Matt Calvert and relatively recent acquisitions Marian Gaborik and Nick Foligno. The club also has three first-round picks in the June 30 amateur draft. Adding to the excitement is that the Blue Jackets (along with longtime nemesis Detroit) move to the Eastern Conference next season. That means less travel, easier access to broadcast road games for fans who have to work the next day and renewed interest in potential rivals. "We know from research that the NHL has done, in addition to Columbus Blue Jackets fans, eight of the top 10 teams that they identify with as other teams they follow are Eastern Conference teams," Browne said. So the first step was earning some respect by winning games. Now general manager Jarmo Kekalainen and director of hockey operations John Davidson must keep the fans engaged with a team that continues to be competitive. "I havent heard the building that loud," said forward Jared Boll, the Blue Jackets longest-tenured player, the next day after the season ended. "It just shows you these fans are really here to stay and they want a winning team." Wholesale Soccer Jerseys . "Thank you for the warm welcome," Beckham said on an 80-degree February morning. In this case, it was soccer weather. The sport moved a step closer to returning to South Florida on Wednesday, when Beckham confirmed he has exercised his option to purchase a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Miami. Soccer Jerseys . 4 Villanova with a 96-68 drubbing on Monday. Wragge hit 9-of-14 from behind the arc, matching Kyle Korvers school record for 3-pointers in a game set in 2003, as Creighton (16-3, 6-1 Big East broke a conference record with 21 treys in the rout. https://www.cheapsoccerjerseysjustwholesale.com/ . Wilson hit Schenn from behind during Tuesday nights game in Philadelphia, earning a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. He has a phone hearing with the department of player safety, which limits any potential suspension to five or fewer games. Soccer Jerseys From China . The No. 1-ranked Nadal tweaked his back warming up for the Australian Open final, which he lost almost four weeks ago in a major upset against Stanislas Wawrinka. His first stop after the layoff is the clay in Rio as he tests the back and tries to stay healthy for the French Open in three months. Soccer Jerseys 2020 . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has said Kusal Mendis 176 in Pallekele was the performance upon which the series against Australia pivoted.Mendis had come to the crease with Sri Lanka still 80 runs behind, and already two second-innings wickets down. But his faultless innings spurred a middle-order resurgence, and Sri Lanka posted a score of 353, on a quickly wearing track. Australia fell well short of the target of 268. Sri Lanka then won the Galle Test in under three days, and were dominant through the back end of the SSC match.The key point I thought was Kusal Mendis innings - that was the turnaround for the whole series after getting all out for 117 at Pallekele, Mathews said. It was a special effort by him to get us on to a winning track. From there onwards it really kicked off. The confidence levels were sky high from there. We worked very hard and actually we worked harder than the first two Tests ahead of the third Test as we were desperate to finish this 3-0.Despite having top-scored in each of the first two Tests, Mendis was the second-highest run-scorer in the series, surpassed by 24-year-old Dhananjaya de Silva, who collected 325 runs at an average of 65. Mendis, however, had only scored one first-class century before this series, and had been picked almost solely on potential, when he initially made the Test team last October.Its just pure talent, with the young batsmen, Mathews said. I suppose Dhananjaya has played a bit of first-class cricket, but Kusal Mendis hasnt. Weve got to take that chance with some people sometimes, and its paid off. You can see the way they batted in extreme conditions - it was turning square. They had Nathan Lyon, Jon Holland, and Steve OKeefe in the first game. Mitchell Starc has been outstanding in the laast three or four weeks as well.dddddddddddd The calmness and composure of Dhananjaya at No. 7 was great. He handled that pressure well. Kusal Perera also played some brisk knocks, so the future is bright.Rangana Herath, however, was Sri Lankas key performer in the series. He claimed 28 wickets at an average of 12.75. Only Muttiah Muralitharan has taken more wickets for Sri Lanka in a single series - against Zimbabwe in 2001. Herath had also been visibly hampered by a groin injury during the SSC Test, in which he took 13 for 145.Rangana was fantastic, Mathews said. He was bowling off one leg, but one leg was enough for him. He got hit while batting and then he had a groin strain. He couldnt run and he couldnt jump. He was just landing the ball on one leg, and he is unbelievable. He has taken 28 wickets in the series and is one of the best I have seen. The batsmen are having a nightmare facing him no matter how well they play spin. He has been a great team man as well.Herath himself said that he did not envision a whitewash against Australia, prior to the series. He echoed Mathews praise of Mendis and de Silva, but also had encouraging words for left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan, who took nine wickets at an average of 23 across the three Tests - though, he did not get a breakthrough at the SSC.Sandakan had a good game at Pallekele, Herath said. What I believe is, that when you have three spinners, all three are not going to get wickets in the same game. It will vary. He is a very good bowler. He has to also learn a few things - like control. I am pretty sure that he will learn quickly, and become a very good bowler. ' ' '