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The London Knights barely survived a wild night against the Erie Otters. Patrik Elias Jersey. Nazem Kadri scored in the shootout as the London Knights outlasted the Erie Otters 8-7 in Ontario Hockey League action Saturday night. Erie scored five unanswered goals in the third period to force overtime. Two of those goals were in the final minute of play, and Greg McKegg scored with one second left on the clock. London jumped out a 5-0 lead when Mike Cazzola scored in the second period to put the Otters on the board. The Knights re-established a five-point lead when Daniel Erlich scored at 6:36 of the third period to make it 7-2. It was 31 seconds later when Paul Cianfrini began Eries offensive firestorm. Elsewhere in the OHL it was Ottawa 5 Kingston 2; Belleville 7 Sudbury 0; Plymouth 3 Kitchener 2; Saginaw 5 Owen Sound 2; Barrie 3 Mississauga 2 (OT); Guelph 6 Sault Ste. Marie 3; and Windsor 5 Sarnia 4. At London, Ont., Jared Knight and Michael MacDonald both scored twice in regulation for London (29-11-1), while Philip McRae and Leigh Salters added singles. McKegg had a goal and three assists for Erie (19-16-7), while Anthony Luciani, Andrew Yogan, Shawn Szydlowski and Derek Holden also tallied. – 67s 5 Frontenacs 2 At Ottawa, Corey Cowick scored twice as the 67s beat Kingston. Cody Lindsay scored the go-ahead goal for Ottawa (21-17-5), while Ryan Martindale and Remy Giftopoulos also tallied. Harnden had a goal and an assist and Ethan Werek also scored for the Frontenacs (19-19-3). – Bulls 7 Wolves 0 At Belleville, Ont., Anthony Peters made 24 saves as the Bulls stomped Sudbury. Austen Brassard scored twice and added two assists for Belleville (14-23-7), while Michael Curtis had a pair of goals. Andy Bathgate, Luke Judson and Richard Panik added singles. Alain Valiquette stopped 37 shots for Sudbury (16-20-5). – Whalers 3 Rangers 2 At Plymouth, Mich., A.J. Jenks had the power-play winner to lift the Whalers to a win over Kitchener. Tyler Seguin added a goal and two assists for the Whalers (24-19-1), while Michal Jordan also tallied. Ben Thomson and Gabriel Landeskog scored for Kitchener (27-11-3). – Spirit 5 Attack 2 At Saginaw, Mich., Josh Shalla led with a goal and two assists as the Spirit beat Owen Sound. Michael Kantor scored and added an assist for Saginaw (21-16-4), while Barry Sanderson, Vincent Trocheck and Anthony Camara also chipped in. Garrett Wilson and Marcus Carroll scored for the Attack (19-21-4). – Colts 3 Majors 2 (OT) At Barrie, Ont., Dalton Prout had the overtime winner as Barrie shaded Mississauga. Luke Pither and Darren Archibald both had a goal and an assist for Barrie (33-6-1). Devante Smith-Pelly and William Wallen provided all the offence for Mississauga (27-8-5). – Storm 6 Greyhounds 3 At Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Michael Latta had a hat trick and added an assist as Guelph doubled Sault Ste. Marie. Zack Mitchell, Francis Menard and Carter Sandlak also tallied for Guelph (16-22-3). Vern Cooper had scored twice and added an assist for the Greyhounds (21-18-4), while Brett Thompson added a single. – Spitfires 5 Sting 4 At Sarnia, Ont., Taylor Hall had a goal and three assists as Windsor flew to a win over the Sting. Eric Wellwood and Mark Cundari both tallied and added an assist for Windsor (33-5-4), while Austin Watson and Ryan Ellis also scored. Ben OQuinn had a goal and an assist for Sarnia (14-25-3), while Miroslav Preisinger and Jesse Stoughton also had markers. Anze Kopitar Jersey.5 million in salary arbitration Tuesday and was offered $17 million by the club. Derek Stepan Jersey. The Arizona Cardinals announced on Thursday that they signed Stevie Baggs to a one-year contract. Brandon Dubinsky Jersey. Next stop: Minnesota. The Cowboys 34-14 rout of Philadelphia on Saturday night, giving them a three-game sweep of their NFC East rival, sends them to the Metrodome for a meeting with Brett Favre and the Vikings (12-4) next Sunday. Mark Messier Jersey. Haren (9-5), who also drove in a run, lowered his miniscule earned run average to 2.01, allowing just four hits and one walk while striking out 10. Hes yielded two earned runs or fewer in each of his last nine outings. Felipe Lopez belted a three-run homer during a five-run fourth inning, while Stephen Drew and Alex Romero each tripled in a run for Arizona, which had its five-game winning streak snapped in the series opener on Thursday. Marian Gaborik Jersey. The Senators have been dealing with grief since the suicide death of Luke Richardsons 14-year-old daughter Daron on Nov. 13. Ottawa earned a win in Boston the day it received the tragic news, but then dropped three games in a row before getting back on track Monday against visiting Los Angeles.(Sports Network) – The Toronto Maple Leafs clash with the Philadelphia Flyers in tonights Eastern Conference clash at Wells Fargo Center. The game can be seen live on TSN and TSN Mobile TV, beginning at 7pm et/4pm pt. You can also join in on our live Game Night Blog and listen to all the action on TSN Radio 1050 and at TSN.ca/toronto. Toronto enters tonight as the seventh seed in the East and is trailing Philadelphia by just five points in the East standings. The Maple Leafs had won three straight and posted a six-game point streak (5-0-1) before dropping a regulation decision Tuesday in Winnipeg. Bryan Little scored the eventual game-winning goal midway through the second period to lift the Jets to a 2-1 win over the Leafs. Phil Kessel tallied in his third consecutive game for Toronto, giving him 30 goals on the season — six shy of his career-best total with Boston in 2008-09. Jonas Gustavsson stopped 27-of-29 shots in the loss, and the Maple Leafs will look to James Reimer to start in goal tonight. ”They did a good job in their zone, but we didnt direct enough pucks towards the net. We were trying to make an extra play, extra pass, things like that,” Toronto head coach Ron Wilson said. Toronto killed off two penalties on Tuesday and has now gone 16 straight games without allowing a power-play goal, the longest such streak in the league since the Chicago Blackhawks went 19 consecutive games without surrendering a power-play tally in 1969-70. The Leafs are 12-12-2 on the road this year compared to a 16-8-4 record at home. After tonights test, Toronto will return home to host the rival Canadiens on Saturday before heading back out on a three-game trip. The Flyers have taken two straight and six of seven overall in the series against Toronto and the Leafs have lost six of seven in Philadelphia. Tonights test marks the second time brothers Luke and Brayden Schenn will play against each other. Luke is a defenseman for the Leafs andd Brayden is a forward for the Flyers. Derek Stepan Jersey The Flyers are in the midst of an 0-2-1 stretch, marking the clubs lengthiest skid since it went 0-3-2 from March 31-April 8 of last season. Philadelphia has just four wins over its last 11 contests (4-4-3) and is now just two points ahead of New Jersey and Pittsburgh for second in the Atlantic Division and the fourth seed in the East. Philadelphias offense was frustrated time and time again in Tuesdays 1-0 home loss to the New York Islanders. Evgeni Nabokov stopped 45-of-45 shots through overtime for the Isles and then stopped both Flyers participants in the shootout. Frans Nielsen and John Tavares both tallied in the shootout to make Nabokovs amazing performance stand up for the win. After stopping all 18 shots in regulation and overtime, Flyers netminder Ilya Bryzgalov was beat by Nielsen on a fake to the backhand that was lifted high. After Danny Briere missed for Philadelphia, Tavares blew a wrister by Bryzgalov and Nabokov sealed the win when he made a right pad save on Wayne Simmonds backhand offering. Bryzgalov posted his second shutout of the season and 25th of his career in the losing effort. He missed todays morning skate and teammate Scott Hartnell said he came in sick and didnt look good at all. The Flyers confirmed that Sergei Bobrovsky will start tonight against the Maple Leafs. ”We didnt score tonight,” said Philadelphia head coach Peter Laviolette. ”There was traffic there at times, but not always. You are cycling the puck and you need bodies to cycle the puck. You cant do it with one man. There were opportunities where we did have guys, it just didnt go.” The Flyers, who trail the New York Rangers by four points for first in the Atlantic, are playing the middle test of a three-game homestand tonight and are 12-8-5 as the host this year. Philly will complete the residency when they welcome the Rangers on Saturday afternoon. ’ ’ ’

PLYMOUTH, Mich. Drew Doughty Jersey. — Dale Mitchell scored twice, including the eventual winner, as the Windsor Spitfires flew to a 5-3 playoff win over the Plymouth Whalers in Ontario Hockey League action Saturday night. Windsor leads the series 2-0 and will host Game 3 on Monday night. Adam Henrique had a goal and two assists for the Spitfires, while top prospect Taylor Hall had a marker and an assist. Eric Wellwood added a single and Ryan Ellis had three assists. AJ Jenks had a pair of goals and an assist for Plymouth, while Ryan Hayes also found the back of the net. Phil McRae assisted on all three tallies. Philipp Grubauer made 23 saves for Windsor, while Matt Hackett stopped 51 shots. The Spitfires scored twice on 25 shots in the second period alone. Tyler Seguin, Halls fellow prospect, was held off the score sheet and was -2 on the evening. Derek Stepan Jersey. Hillis practised Friday for the first time since Nov. 4 and may play on Sunday at Cincinnati. Hillis first got hurt on Oct. 16 in Oakland and was poised to return three weeks ago before he aggravated the hamstring during practice. Marty Mcsorley Jersey. In Bangkok, 30 youth delegates from Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam attended the Third Mekong Youth Forum, which opened on Oct 24 and will last for a week, exchanging views on human trafficking and migration. Related readings: Police break up drug trafficking ring in E China Women, children, men: all victims of human trafficking in East Africa 16,517 women, children rescued in anti-trafficking drive More convicted for human trafficking The Mekong region is an area with a high incidence of human trafficking, said Miah Gibson, regional communications officer of the United Nations Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking (UNIAP). Derek Stepan Jersey. — Duke was looking for some payback Thursday — and got it. Marian Gaborik Jersey. — Much of North America will probably find themselves smacking their TV sets and double-checking their program guides after flipping on NBC on Sunday afternoon. Zach Parise Jersey. The Russian Andreev came from behind to beat Moroccan wild card Rabie Chaki 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 on the red clay at Complexe Sportif al Amal. Andreev will face Frenchman Nicolas Devilder in the round of 16. PATTANI, Thailand — Suspected Muslim insurgents burned down a school in Thailands restive south Wednesday, a day after detonating two bombs that killed one person and left 71 wounded, police said. Thai bomb squad members inspect the site of a car bomb blast in southern Thailand. [Agencies] Arsonists torched the school in Narathiwat province at about 1 am local time when it was empty, said Lt. Anurak Chathapon. Nobody was injured but the two-story schoolhouse was destroyed. The attack bore the trademark of Muslim insurgents, Anurak said. Public schools and teachers in the southernmost provinces are viewed as symbols of government authority and are regularly attacked. More than 80 Buddhist teachers, and 3,300 people in total, have been killed in southern Thailand since a Muslim insurgency flared in 2004. On Tuesday, two bombs exploded in the same province, killing one person and wounding 71. It was the largest attack in several months. The first blast appeared to target local officials from Narathiwat province who were leaving a monthly meeting when a bomb exploded in the buildings parking lot, said police chief Maj. Gen. Surachai Suebsuk. The bomb was hidden inside a parked car and sent debris flying about 200 yards (meters), officials at the scene said. The building also housed an indoor fruit market, which was busy with shoppers when the blast went off at the start of the normally crowded lunch hour, he saaid. Mark Messier Jersey The insurgents aimed to kill, Surachai said. Most of the wounded were civilian officials who were leaving the meeting and heading for their cars. Minutes later, a second bomb hidden in a motorcycle went off outside a nearby tea shop, Surachai said. Thailands three southernmost provinces are the only Muslim-dominated areas in the Buddhist-majority country. Some analysts interpreted the timing of Tuesdays attacks, one week after embattled Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat visited the region, as a message to the government. It can be seen as a symbolic response that their fight is not over, said Srisompob Jitpiromsri, a political scientist at Prince of Songkhla University in the southern province of Pattani. Visits by senior officials are often followed by violence. The insurgency has been overshadowed in recent months by a political crisis fueled by anti-government protests in the capital, Bangkok. Violence in the south is usually blamed on Muslim insurgents. The southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani have been terrorized by regular attacks since early 2004, when a separatist movement flared after a lull of more than two decades. Attacks generally take the form of drive-by shootings and small-scale bombings intended to frighten Buddhist residents into leaving the area. Suspected insurgents mainly target people seen as collaborating with the government, including soldiers, police, informants and civilians. ’ ’ ’

South Korea and the United States will hold large-scale joint antisubmarine drills in waters off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula early next month, Seouls Yonhap News Agency Wednesday quoted the countrys defense ministry as saying. Mike Green Jersey. The two allies will conduct joint antisubmarine drills in the Yellow Sea in early September, Seouls Ministry of National Defense said in a joint statement with the US side. But the details of the drills, including the exact date and military assets to be mobilized, are still under discussion, it added. Related readings: Sea infiltration drill held in S.Korea S Korea kicks off anti-submarine drills Activists protest against S Koreas military drills The upcoming drills, with an aim to improve the two allies antisubmarine combat capability, will be defensive in nature, it said. The drills will follow two sets of large-scale joint military exercises recently held by Seoul and Washington in South Korea, under a framework agreed by top diplomats and defense officials from the two countries in late July. At the so-called two plus two security talks, the two allies foreign and defense ministers decided to stage a series of joint military drills, as countermeasures against the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan in March, which left 46 sailors dead. Seoul accused the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) of torpedoing the warship, but Pyongyang denies its involvement.?? After their four-day joint military drills, code-named Invincible Spirit, in waters off the east coast of the divided Korean Peninsula late July, the two allies currently are carrying out 11-day war games dubbed the Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG).?? On its part, Pyongyang has warned of counteractions against the UFG, criticizing it for heightening tension. It recently promised to deliver a merciless counterblow against the war games. Alex Ovechkin Jersey. Several top players decided to return to school for a sophomore season — dont press your luck for a junior one as well — and they are the main reason the preseason Top 25 is top heavy. It was way back in April that Kemba Walker directed Connecticut to its third national championship, and the questions started right away about the junior guard and coach Jim Calhoun returning to defend the title. Brooks Laich Jersey. Baron Davis just sat and watched. Fighting off a cold that he said sapped his energy, Amare Stoudemire scored 11 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter and Phoenix recovered after blowing a 17-point lead for a 122-116 victory Monday night. Mike Knuble Jersey. — The Montreal Canadiens whacky season got a little weirder Monday. Dale Hunter Jersey. [Photo by Cui Meng China Daily] Led by Jamaican star sprinter Asafa Powell, some of the worlds top athletes have gathered in Chinas business hub for the second leg of the Diamond League season on Sunday, Lei Lei reports. Anze Kopitar Jersey. The Team Canada forward was hit hard into the boards by Brett Connolly during Monday nights intra-squad game at the national junior team selection camp.Ashburn, VA (Sports Network) – The Washington Redskins signed wide receiver and second-round draft pick Devin Thomas on Friday. According to a Washington, D.C. newspaper, the deal is for four years and a maximum of $4.8 million, with a $2.75 million signing bonus. Thomas was the Redskins 34th overall pick in the 2008 draft out of Michigan State. The fleet-footed wideout caught a school-record 79 balls for a Big Ten best 1,260 yards, leading the Spartans with eiight TD receptions. Mark Messier Jersey He also set a conference mark with 1,135 kickoff return yards. The 2,590 all-purpose yards ranks second in Big Ten annals to Penn States Larry Johnson, who racked up 2,655 yards of offense in 2002. To make room on the roster, the club released fullback Pete Schmitt. Washington now has nine of its 10 draft picks under contract. Only wide receiver Fred Davis, another second-round pick, remains unsigned. ’ ’ ’

RALEIGH, N. Ray Whitney Jersey.C. — Claude Giroux took less than a minute and a half to get his first goal and proceeded to have his most productive game this season. Giroux finished with two goals and an assist, leading the surging Philadelphia Flyers to a 5-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night. ”Its only one game,” said Giroux, who has 11 goals and 11 assists after his first multi-goal game of the season. ”The other lines brought a lot of energy and got the team going. It was obviously a team effort tonight.” Matt Read added a goal and an assist, and Maxime Talbot and Wayne Simmonds scored the other goals for Philadelphia, which got three assists from Chris Pronger. Jaromir Jagr added two assists and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 17 shots as the Flyers improved to 6-1-1 on the road. ”I really think it starts with good leadership,” said Philadelphia coach Peter Laviolette, who coached Carolina to the Stanley Cup title in 2006. ”I think our leadership has been excellent, and from there it comes down to competitiveness. Weve got a good group in there that really works hard.” Patrick Dwyer scored his first two goals of the season for Carolina, one short-handed and another on a penalty shot. Tuomo Ruutu also scored for Carolina. Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward had 13 saves on 17 shots before being pulled for Brian Boucher. ”Our first period, believe it or not, has been our sink all year,” Carolina coach Paul Maurice said. ”Its something to do with too much room or too much respect for the other teams offence. We give them too much room and their offence looks great.” The Flyers, who have points in seven straight games (5-0-2), are 17-1-3 in their last 21 games against Carolina. Giroux gave Philadelphia the lead on a rush 79 seconds into the game, taking a lead pass from Jagr and beating Ward glove side. Talbot made it 2-0 at 8:50, as Read tipped him the puck in the low slot from behind the goal. Dwyer cut the lead in half with a short-handed goal — the first the Flyers have allowed this season — at 19:59 of the period, as Eric Staal fed him on the rush. Giroux scored his second of the game on a rush at 2:45 of the second, beating Ward over his left shoulder from the left circle with Jagr getting an assist. Philadelphia made it 4-1 on a power play at 6:58, as Simmonds deflected Girouxs shot from the left circle between Wards pads to end the goalies night. Ruutu scored later in the second and Dwyer connected on his penalty shot at 4:36 of the third, but Read got the clincher on a rush at 16:09. NOTES: Jagr has points in eight of his last 10 games. . C Jeff Skinner played in his 100th game for Carolina. . Hurricanes D Joni Pitkanen missed his second straight game (lower body). . The Flyers had no injury scratches. . The teams meet again in Philadelphia next Monday. Anze Kopitar Jersey. Goergl, who also beat Vonn to take the world downhill title last year, went down the 2.85-kilometre Kaernten-Franz Klammer course in one minute 48.40 seconds. Julia Mancuso of the United States was second, 0. Mike Green Jersey. – Although Jean-Sebastien Gigueres career has changed drastically since he lost his starting job in Anaheim, the veteran goalie is eager to remind the Ducks — or any potential suitors — that he can still make stops when they matter. Wayne Gretzky Jersey. 10 Wisconsin held off Indiana for a 77-67 victory in Big Ten action at Assembly Hall. Jaromir Jagr Jersey. Ma Jiwen purchased and dug up 10 hectares of waste land in the 1980s in his hometown in Linxian County, a practice in line with the agriculture policy then, which aimed to expand rural cultivation. Jujube and peach trees were planted on the barren lands, bringing success to Ma, who was once hailed a as a farming paragon. Brad Richards Jersey. ”Guilty,” he said. ”Me too,” added Clarke MacArthur. ”Guilty. COLUMBUS, Ohio — The New Jersey Devils refuse to quit on their long shot playoff hopes. David Clarkson scored twice and Martin Brodeur made 13 saves to earn his NHL-record 115th shutout as the Devils snapped a two-game slide with a 3-0 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday. New Jersey is in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, seven points behind eighth-place Buffalo and the post-season cutoff. ”I think the turnaround is pretty exceptional, theres no doubt about that,” Brodeur said of the Devils, who fell into a deep hole after a terrible first half of the season. ”Especially in the situation we were in. Weve gotten on some pretty good rolls throughout my career. I think this situation, to be able to turn it around and do what we did, has been a lot more fun.” The Devils (34-34-4), who have 10 games left, were on a 23-3-2 tear before back-to-back losses to Ottawa and Washington this week damaged their playoff hopes. Clarkson didnt flinch when asked if the playoffs are still a possibility. ”I believe its possible,” he said. ”We have the guys in here to do it. We just have to take it game by game.” Brodeur was rarely tested as he made his 11th straight start. He used his pads to stop only a handful of dangerous chances by Columbus, which looked a step slow one day after an overtime win at Minnesota. ”I thought we played really, really well,” New Jersey coach Jacques Lemaire said. Steve Mason stopped 28 shots for the Blue Jackets (33-29-10), 2-6-4 in their last 12 games. ”They did probably the best Ive seen a team get sticks and bodies in the way of shots,” Blue Jackets coach Scott Arniel said. ”It was real evident, two teams — one team was very tired and one team was fresh.” New Jersey broke out of a scoring slump after netting only one goal in the two-game skid. The Devils worked their game plan of simplifying the attack and fighting for rebounds to perfection. Clarkson opened the scoring at 9:24 of the first period. Jacob Josefson beat two Blue Jackets out of the corner with the puckk and threw a backhander on net. Wayne Gretzky Jersey Clarkson, alone in front, popped the rebound past Mason. ”We played good in our zone,” said Clarkson, who almost had his first career hat trick but couldnt convert during a late breakaway. ”We didnt allow many shots on net early. Thats a team, theyre fast, theyre a good team. I think we just did those little things that helped us out and got us the win.” Columbus best opportunity came off the stick of R.J. Umberger, whose shot from the right dot clanged off the post. The Blue Jackets didnt register their first shot on goal until under a minute left in the opening period, drawing applause from the sparse crowd. Another shot was added during the intermission by off-ice officials. ”An embarrassing effort,” Mason said. ”Its frustrating.” The Devils made it 2-0 near the midpoint of the second period. On the rush, Andy Green fired a shot that Mason couldnt corral as players were flying everywhere. Mattias Tedenby dug the puck loose, and Clarkson scored into an open net for his 12th goal. Moments later, Mason stopped Ilya Kovalchuk, scoreless in four of five games, on a breakaway. Brodeurs best stop of the period came at the 12-minute mark on a hard snap shot from Rick Nash. Nick Palmieri stripped the puck from defenceman Kris Russell, cutting through the low crease, and quickly snapped a shot past a surprised Mason at 3:22 for his seventh goal. ”I closed on him quick enough that I dont think he had too many options,” Palmieri said. ”The puck came right to my stick.” A few minutes later, Brodeur hugged the post with his pad to stop an in-tight chance by Matt Calvert. Notes: Columbus, eight points back in the West, also has 10 games remaining. … New Jersey forwards Rod Pelley, who was scratched, and David Steckel both starred at Ohio State. … Mason is 0-3 all-time against the Devils. … The Devils began a four-game road trip. … Kovalchuk hit the post in the third period. … The Blue Jackets have lost five in a row at home. ’ ’ ’

(Sports Network) – The Montreal Canadiens will try to avoid falling into a three games to none hole when they host the top-seeded Boston Bruins at Bell Centre for Game 3 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinals. Ilya Kovalchuk Jersey. Montreal goaltender Carey Price was replaced at the beginning of the third period by Jaroslav Halak after he was victimized for five goals on 26 shots. Halak stopped all five shots he faced the rest of the way. Canadiens head coach and general manager Bob Gainey has not decided on a starting goaltender for this evenings game. The Bruins have taken a 2-0 series lead after winning the opening two tests on home ice. Boston has outscored the eighth-seeded Canadiens by a combined 9-3 margin so far in the series. This is the first of two straight games in Montreal, as the Habs will also host Game 4 on Wednesday. The Canadiens had a solid 24-10-7 record at the Bell Centre this year, but Boston was 24-13-4 on the road to match Detroit for most wins as the visitor this season. The Bruins won their two most recent stops in Montreal, but still lost in 12 of their last 15 regular-season tests at the Bell Centre. Montreal has come back from an 0-2 deficit to defeat the Bruins in recent years, beating Boston in seven games during the 2004 conference quarterfinals. After posting a 4-2 win in the series opener on Thursday, the Bruins pounded Montreal, 5-1, in Saturdays Game 2 at TD Banknorth Garden. Marc Savard registered two power-play goals and picked up two assists, as Boston breezed to a 2-0 series lead. Michael Ryder posted a goal and a helper for the top-seeded Bruins. Chuck Kobasew and Shane Hnidy also the lit the lamp, while Tim Thomas made 30 saves for Boston, which had not won the first two games of a playoff series since 2004 — when it led 2-0 against the Habs in that ill-fated Eastern quarterfinal matchup. Alex Kovalev provided the lone tally for the Canadiens, who have lost their last six playoff games since winning Game 1 against Philadelphia in last years conference semifinals. The Bruins played without defenseman Matt Hunwick, who had emergency surgery to remove his spleen on Saturday, just hours before Game 2. Hunwick was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital after citing abdominal discomfort following a team meeting Saturday morning. Hunwick apparently suffered the injury when he was checked during the second period of Bostons 4-2 victory on Thursday. The 23-year-old, who is expected to miss the rest of this series at least, had six goals and 21 points with a plus-15 rating in 53 games for Boston during the regular season. Boston will also be without forward Milan Lucic tonight as he was suspended for one game by the NHL after being handed a match penalty for high-sticking late in the third period of Saturdays win. With 4:32 left in the third period, Lucic was the recipient of a high stick from Montreal defenseman Mathieu Schneider and responded in kind against the veteran backliner. He then became involved with Maxim Lapierre by swinging his stick into the face of the Habs forward, and was automatically assessed a match penalty for intent-to-injure and was ejected from the game. Lucic, who has recorded a pair of assists in the first two games of this series, will sit out tonight and be ready to return in Game 4. Montreal and the Bruins are meeting in the postseason for the second straight year after Montreal ousted the Bruins in seven games during the opening round of the 2008 postseason. However, the teams were in opposite positions last year when the No. 1 Habs eliminated the eighth-seeded Bruins. The Habs and Bs are also facing off in a playoff series for the 32nd time, which is the most postseason battles between two clubs in NHL history. The Bruins have had very little success against Montreal in the playoffs through the years, as the Habs have taken 24 of the 31 postseason series between the Original Six rivals. The Canadiens have won the last three postseason matchups against the Bs and Boston last beat Montreal in the playoffs in the opening round of the 1994 postseason. Even then it took the Bruins seven games to dispose of the Habs. Shane Doan Jersey. Eric Tillman was not at the provincial courthouse in Regina on Tuesday, but his lawyer, Aaron Fox, entered the plea on his behalf. Alex Ovechkin Jersey. After Hamilton forward Yanick Lehoux beat Wolves goaltender Ondrej Pavelec in the shootout, Brett Skinner tied it back up for the Chicago (35-32-2-2). Two rounds later, Trotter scored the winner as Hamilton improved to 43-25-3-0. Sean Avery Jersey. Theres much more at stake now. In only his third season, Douglas said hes prepared if, as expected, Billups, the 13-year veteran point guard, misses Tuesday nights Game 2 of the New York Knicks first-round playoff series with the Boston Celtics with a sore left knee. Dustin Brown Jersey. With the score at 2-2 in the 65th minute, Abdulkader Keitas pass found Mathieu Bodmer and he flicked the ball into Govous path, giving the France winger ample time to shoot under goalkeeper Mickael Landreaus body. Brandon Dubinsky Jersey.m. ET Flames at Avalanche, 8 p.m. ET 2009-10 NHL SCHEDULE › First place in the Northwest Division will be on the line in the NHL on Sunday as part of its two-game schedule. JAKARTA: Opinion polls indicate Indonesias president is on course to win a second 5-year term in Wednesdays election, a sign of widespread public satisfaction with the countrys newfound democratic and economic stability. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a retired military general, is hoping for victory in the first round to avoid a runoff vote in September. He has gained popularity with a corruption-free image, financial support for the poor and a pledge to bring a new era of progress to the worlds fourth most populous country. Until recently, Indonesia was wracked by secessionist battles, suicide bombings by Al-Qaida-funded Islamic militants and millions of job losses after the Asian financial crisis in 1997-1998 toppled the banking system. Today, the predominantly Muslim country of 235 million is enjoying a level of harmony its critics had predicted was impossible, with its economy growing at 4 percent amid a severe global downturn. Unless there is some dramatic political event, a first-round win (for Yudhoyono) is highly possible, said Sunny Tanuwidjaja, a political researcher at the Jakarta-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. Voters know what they will be getting over the next five years with Yudhoyono. Indonesia is headed toward five more years of stability, he said. Most public opinion polls in Indonesia are funded by political parties, but even the surveys paid for by Yudhoyonos opponents put him 10 percent ahead of the closest rival. Pro-Yudhoyono pollsters give him a 30 percent lead at 70 percent of the vote. Yudhoyono needs 50 percent of cast ballots to win in one round. Yudhoyonos rivals are Megawati Sukarnoputri, a former president whose father was the first post-colonial lleader of Indonesia, and Vice President Jusuf Kalla. Mike Knuble Jersey The Indonesian Survey Circle, which has accurately forecast previous elections, predicted in a poll published on Monday that Yudhoyono would win more than 50 percent of the popular vote. It said Megawati and Kalla would garner less than 30 percent. The pollster said it conducted 2,000 face-to-face interviews in the nationwide survey in mid-June, and that it has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. Objections to voter list Complaints of voter list irregularities by the Megawati and Kalla soured the mood on the eve of elections Tuesday, with Megawatis camp alleging that there were problems with up to 20 million names. The objections to the voting process are not expected to derail the election. However, analysts said the complaints could be a tactic aimed at fanning public doubt about the credibility of the process and paving the way for the losers to challenge the result. People should not be confused, and this should not make the world view what is happening in our country as abnormal, Yudhoyono told reporters late on Monday, urging his rivals not to act improperly ahead of the vote. Concern over the voting lists arose first in the run-up to a parliamentary election in April, when duplicate and fictitious names were found on rolls and some voters were not registered. Tension over the issue was partly defused on Monday when key demands made by Kalla and Megawati were met, including their request to receive copies of the electoral rolls. Indicating that Yudhoyonos opponents were backing away from earlier suggestions they could ask for the poll to be postponed, Megawati Tuesday urged her supporters to go out and vote. AP-Reuters ’ ’ ’

SUNRISE, Fla. Martin Brodeur Jersey. – The Buffalo Sabres needed only about five minutes to beat the struggling Florida Panthers on Wednesday night. Mike Grier, Jason Pominville and Matt Ellis each scored early in the opening period to lift the Sabres to a 5-2 win over Florida. Tyler Myers and Thomas Vanek also scored in the first for the Sabres (5-1-1), who opened a three-game road trip. Sabres goalie Ryan Miller, who hasnt lost in regulation this season, stopped 41 shots. Miller had the night off Saturday when Buffalo lost 4-2 to Atlanta. I was very impressed with the start, Miller said. I think that everyone in the room recognized that our last home start wasnt what we wanted. We wanted to definitely come back and prove that we could bring our game together and not lose two in a row. Thats going to be important over the course of a season. Steve Reinprecht and Rostislav Olesz had goals for the Panthers (2-5-0). Scott Clemmensen, who helped Florida snap a four-game skid with a win over Philadelphia last Friday, made his second straight start in goal for Florida, but didnt last long this time. He was replaced by Tomas Vokoun after giving up two goals on three shots in less than two minutes. Vokoun finished with 30 saves. Thats the fastest Ive ever been pulled, Clemmensen said. It is what it is. Im not going to let it bother me. I know when I let in good goals, bad goals, when my angle is off, those sorts of things. Im old enough, I think Ive got the right philosophy. Theres not much you can do about it. As it turns out, it was the fastest any Florida goalie has ever been pulled from a start in franchise history. Clemmensens early departure at 1:56 in the first period beat a mark set by former Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo, who left a 2001 game after just 3:47 in the first because of an injury, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. We needed a spark, Panthers coach Pete DeBoer said of the decision to pull Clemmensen. It wasnt because of the play of the goaltender. We werent ready to play. I tried to shock them into getting themselves back in the game. Sometimes those things work, sometimes they dont and obviously it didnt tonight. Grier beat Clemmensen 1:11 into the first for his second goal of the season. Then, with Kamil Kreps in the penalty box for hooking, Pominville got a power-play goal just 45 seconds later to put the Sabres up 2-0 and chase Clemmensen. They were good goals, Clemmensen said. On the first the guy is in all alone. On the scoreboard I saw three shots against. I didnt see the other two. The one save I made I didnt see it. On the second goal, I didnt even know where the puck was, let alone who shot it or what happened. I cant stop what I dont see. I dont think I let in two bad goals, they were two good goals. Buffalo went up 3-0 at 4:37 in the first on Ellis goal and Myers scored on a shot from the blue line at 10:20 in the opening period to give the Sabres a commanding four-goal lead. With 5:49 left in the first, Reinprecht recorded Floridas lone goal of the period. An apparent goal by Reinprecht in the third period was disallowed because it was determined that the puck was knocked in with his hand. Whatever goals they score, weve got to bounce back, Florida left wing David Booth said. We had chance to get back in the game, even down 3-0 and 4-1. Weve got to do that if we expect to get back into games. Buffalo scored again with 3:12 left in the opening period, when Vokoun landed on his back and slid into the net during a scuffle in front of the Panthers goal. Vanek, who missed Buffalos last two games with an upper-body injury, knocked the puck into the net to make it 5-1. There was no question on the work ethic in the game. I think we worked throughout the game, Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said. We didnt make a lot of good decisions at times, but I thought our work ethic was really good. Olesz scored a power-play goal with 2:13 left in the third to make it 5-2. Notes: Buffalo went 3-1-0 against Florida last season. … The Sabres face the Panthers three more times this season. The two teams next meet Nov. 18 in Buffalo. … Buffalo LW Clarke MacArthur suffered from flu-like symptoms earlier in the week and wore a surgical mask on the teams flight to South Florida, but was in Buffalos starting lineup Wednesday. Ken Daneyko Jersey. Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier captured a silver medal in the dance Sunday to wrap up a strong showing by the Canadian team, which won four medals in four disciplines. Obviously from our point of view, this was an overwhelming success, said William Thompson, Skate Canadas CEO. Shane Doan Jersey. The Columbus Blue Jackets announced Wednesday that Boughner had stepped down as assistant coach after one season. Jamie Langenbrunner Jersey. Raja Bell added 21 points and Boris Diaw 15 for the Bobcats, who have won three in a row. D.J. Augustin doled out eight assists in the win. Zach Randolph notched a game-best 33 points and nine rebounds for the Clippers, who have dropped five of seven overall. Phoenix Coyotes Jersey. Louis Cardinals took a 5-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers to wrap up a three-game set at Miller Park. Pineiro (7-9) threw the 12th complete game of his career as he was charged with just one run on three hits with five strikeouts. Alexander Semin Jersey. Carmona (3-8) struck out a season-high eight batters while allowing just one run on five hits and a walk. It also marked the first time in 10 home starts this season that the righty sinkerball specialist has earned a victory.OMAYA, Japan – McLarens Lewis Hamilton tightened his grip on the Formula One title Saturday by claiming pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix. The championship leader and winner here last year took his sixth pole of the season with a time of one minute 18.404 seconds, and will start four grid positions ahead of his title rival Felipe Massa of Ferrari. Massas teammate Kimi Raikkonen was second quickest – putting him on the front row for the first time since the French Grand Prix – with a time 0.24 seconds slower than the Briton. McLarens Heikki Kovalainen and Renaults Fernando Alonso finished third and fourth in qualifying at the Fuji Speedway. ”I couldnt say it was a perfect qualifying session,” said Hamilton. ”Id say it was a step forward from Singapore. My first lap in third qualifying wasnt great but I managed to pull it together on the last lap. ”Were in a perfect position to step forward and make as many points as we can. Its going to be a tough race because Kimi is right there.” Massas relatively slow time – 0.43 seconds off Hamilton — may hint at the Brazilian carrying a heavier fuel load for Sundays race and therefore more flexibility in pit strategy. Ryan Callahan Jersey In the second qualifying session, which is regarded as a more pure measure of relative speed as all cars carry light fuel loads, Massa was quickest with a time 0.175 seconds ahead of Hamilton. BMWs Robert Kubica was sixth fastest, ahead of the Toyota pair of Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock. Glock in particular had been impressive in both dry and wet practice sessions over Friday and Saturday, and Toyota – whose parent company owns Fuji Speedway – may also be carrying heavier fuel. The disappointment of Saturdays qualifying was BMWs Nick Heidfeld, who was eliminated in the opening session and will start 16th. The German only won his place with the team for next season after stringent efforts to improve his qualifying performance, but he disappointed again in Japan. Saturdays pre-qualifying practice was on a track made wet by morning rain, giving teams a chance to fine tune their wet set-ups if the rain arrives for Sundays race. ’ ’ ’

Rubber ducks are being used to help scientists understand global warming and melting glaciers. Wayne Gretzky Jersey. Nasa researchers have dropped 90 ducks into holes in Greenlands fastest moving glacier, the Jakobshavn Glacier in Baffin Bay, between Greenland and Canada. Theres a reward for the return of the Nasa ducks. [Agencies] The toys have each been labelled with the words science experiment and reward in three languages, along with an e-mail address. If they are found scientists will be able to track how the water moves through the ice and provide information about the movement of glaciers. Scientists are still unsure about why glaciers speed up in summer and head towards the sea. One theory is that the summer sun melts ice on top of the glaciers surface, creating pools that flow into tubular holes in the glacier called moulins. These moulins carry some water to the bottom of the glacier, where it acts as a lubricant to speed the movement of ice toward the coast. The Jakobshavn Glacier is believed to be the source of the iceberg that sank the Titanic in 1912 and is important to researchers because it discharges nearly 7 per cent of all the ice coming off Greenland. Alberto Behar of Nasas Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California said none of the ducks had been reported yet. We havent heard back but it may take some time until somebody actually finds it and decides to send us an e-mail that they have found it, he said. These are places that are quite remote so there arent people walking around. Henrik Lundqvist Jersey. German Andrea Petkovic will be on the other side of the net from Henin in Saturdays final. The top-seeded former world No. 1 Henin blew past fifth-seeded Romanian Alexandra Dulgheru 6-2, 6-2 in 64 minutes on Day 6 at Autotron Rosmalen. Wayne Gretzky Jersey. I can almost rule out the possibility of high inflation this year, said He Keng, vice-chairman of the Financial and Economic Committee of the National Peoples Congress. He said the consumer price index (CPI), a major measure of inflation, would be around 3 percent for the whole of this year, a target set by the central government early this month. Henrik Lundqvist Jersey. Brett Holman got the Socceroos off to a great start with a goal in the 11th minute, but the Aussies were reduced to 10 men in the 24th when Harry Kewell received a straight red card for handling the ball on his own goal line. Asamoah Gyan converted the penalty kick, but Ghana was unable to take advantage of the situation, settling for a point that moves it to the top of the group with four points. Brooks Laich Jersey. Related readings: Authorities consider separate probe into hostage tragedy HK to mourn hostage victims on Thursday Chinese tourists tense after hostage tragedy HK govt to spare no effort in assisting hostage families Rep. Anthony Rolando Golez Jr. Mike Green Jersey. Even the longest of tenures with the Twins, though, dont last forever. Versatile veteran Michael Cuddyer, voted by local beat writers as the teams most valuable player in 2011, is gone. He will be with the Colorado Rockies next season.Own The Podium promoted from within Thursday, naming Anne Merklinger as its new chief executive officer. Merklinger was OTPs director of summer sport under former CEO Alex Baumann, who stepped down Oct. 1 to take a similar position in the New Zealand sport system. Own The Podium divides about $70 million annually in federal government funding between summer and winter sport, so Merklinger now holds one of the most powerful positions in Canadian sport. Her job is to continue Canadas success in international sport following the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler, B.C. ”Weve realized how important it is to Canada for our athletes to do well,” Merklinger told The Canadian Press on Thursday. ”We saw with the success in Vancouver, the impact it had on our country. Theres such an awareness and so much momentum to carry forward. ”Weve seen the impact that athletes winning medals has on building communities and developing national unity and pride.” OTP oversees many aspects of an elite athletes life in between Olympic Games and works in concert with the Canadian Olympic Committee. The COC prepares athletes for the Games environment and looks after their needs on the ground at Games. The selection of Merklinger provides continuity in the organization, particularly in summer sport with the Summer Games just six months from now in London. The 53-year-old from Ottawa is a former national team swimmer and a curler who competed in four national championships. She was an athlete in the Canadian sport system up until 2006 when she retired from curling. Merklinger served as director general of CanoeKayak Canada for several years before joining OTP in 2009. She doesnt feel as a woman thats shes broken through a glass ceiling to get OTPs top job. ”I dont ever think of my gender throughout my sport career and compare,” Merklinger said. ”Im aware of the different approaches I might use and how they may differ from a male perspective, but in terms of a leadership approach, the gender lens doesnt really enter into any of my thinking. ”The network of people who have mentored me along the way are highly accomplished men and women and I use that network to shape my own approach and my own thinking.” The CEO of OTP must be politically astute as the job requires lobbying the federal government for funding. ”I actually relish that part of it,” Merklinger said. ”I know for us to achieve our objectives as a nation in terms of being a world-leading high-performance country, we need all those partners fully engaged with us working together. ”Without those relationships getting stronger, we wont be able to affect the improvement we need as quickly.” Merklinger is now the ultimate decision-maker on which sport federations get more money than others. Money is distributed based on a sports medal potential at Olympic Games. ”If you were to ask around within the summer sport community they would know that I didnt shy away from making the difficult decisions,” she said. When Baumann resigned, executive search company Odgers Berndtson donated its services free of charge and launched a global search for a suitable replacement. OTP boaard chairman John Furlong, formerly the head of the Vancouver Olympic Games Organizing Committee (VANOC), said about 100 candidates from Australia, the United States, Europe, Britain, Asia and Canada applied for the job. Alex Ovechkin Jersey Merklinger was among three to make a short list. ”The best person to lead us was already on our team.,” Furlong said during a conference call. ”Anne is a very uniquely qualified individual. Her career has soared on both the summer and winter side.” ”She has an experience as an athlete in summer and winter and has worked on both sides. She has the kind of savvy you need and shes tough. This is a very tough process to prepare athletes. Youre under a lot of pressure and you have to make very difficult decisions and some of them are often not that well received.” Merklinger, winter sport director Ken Read and operations director Joanne Mortimore jointly ran OTP after Baumanns departure. Read, a former national team skier, told The Canadian Press late last year he was not interested in pursuing the job of CEO. Merklinger was put through four separate interviews before earning board approval. The final one was Monday when members of the OTP board took turns firing questions at her. ”I said in our staff meeting theres still blood on my pillow,” Merklinger said with a laugh. ”Its been a real whirlwind couple of days.” OTP must hire a director of summer sport following her promotion. OTP was established five years out from the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. It was a $117-million plan designed to help Canadian athletes win more medals than any other country at their own Games. Canada finished third in the overall medal count but won the most gold at 14, which was a record for a single Winter Games. Canada also won 19 medals, including 10 gold, in the Paralympic Games. Not so strong in summer sport, Canadas goal for London is more modest. It is to finish among the top-12 countries in overall medals and among the top eight in the gold medals at the Paralympics. ”This is a very key year for us obviously because we have been pouring it on to get the summer program to the place where we all feel the winter program now is,” Furlong said. Merklinger is the third person and the third former athlete named to the job after Baumann and Roger Jackson. Jackson, an Olympic champion in rowing, stepped down following the 2010 Games. Baumann, an Olympic gold medallist in swimming, was also overseeing summer sport within the organization when he was promoted to CEO that year. Merklinger curled in four Scotties Tournaments of Hearts and skipped Ontario to the final in 1998 and 2000. She swam on the Canadian team from 1977 to 1981 and won a silver medal in breaststroke at the 1979 World University Games. Merklinger lives in Ottawa with her husband Don and has two children — Megan, 22 and Connor, 18. Shes been a sports administrator for over 20 years. In addition to running the canoe and kayak association, Merklinger has worked with Special Olympics Canada and the Commission for Inclusion of Athletes with a Disability, as well as serving as president of the Sandra Schmirler Foundation from 2001 to 2004. ’ ’ ’

David Carroll Its tough being a fan. Sean Avery Jersey. No matter how objective you try to be about losing or winning, youll always get fished in when there is a chance, no matter how slim it might be. Although I consider myself more of a baseball fan in general, I do have a rooting interest in the Blue Jays. Blame Tony Fernandez. Anyway, the loss on Friday to the Tim Wakefield and the Red Sox was a downer, A.J. Burnetts win over Paul Byrd in the opener on Saturday was promising but the late game was a frustrating affair. The first inning of the late game took the wind out of the sails a bit as the Jays went down by a couple and Jesse Litsch didnt seem to be on. Then, things turned around in top of the second as the Jays mounted some offence and took a 5-2 lead. While Litsch looked off in the bottom of the first, Bartolo Colon looked worse in the top of the second. My fan-ness was starting to build up. The biggest concern after Fridays loss was how the club would come back on Saturday and in the early game they played like a team on a mission. In the second game, it started well but they just couldnt pull it off. After the second inning woes, Colon appeared more like the 2005 AL Cy Young winner than he has since, well 2005. He even made a highlight reel grab on an Alex Rios comebacker, it was a touch on the quirky side. One thing, Colon is big… really big and Im guessing hes much heavier than the 245 we have him listed at. If he is returning to form, hell be a nice weapon for the Sox to have down the stretch and into the playoffs. As for Litsch, pitching on three days rest and his control just wasnt there. Sadly, the bullpen didnt fair much better and the eighth was a disaster. Brandon League – looking more and more like Dennis Eckersley – Scott Downs and Shawn Camp couldnt hold it together. The heartbreaker came when Downs fell trying to field the Jacoby Ellsbury dribbler up the first base line. Could have ended the inning with the score tied, instead they went down 7-5 and that was it. Too many twists and turns in the plot. At this point you have to figure its over. The Jays are 7.5 games back of the Red Sox in the wild card race and 9.5 back of the Rays in the A.L. East. Thats a lot of ground to cover with only 13 games left. The clubs tragic number is seven for the Wild Card and six in the East. This is the worst part for a fan, you know its time to concede but you just cant do it. As long as that tragic number isnt zero, they have a shot… fished in yet again. Wayne Gretzky Jersey. [Agencies] BAGHDAD – Suicide bombers in a crowded Baghdad commercial district and Saddam Husseins hometown of Tikrit killed at least 33 people Sunday as insurgents tried to turn a monthslong deadlock over forming a new Iraqi government to their advantage. Marty Mcsorley Jersey. — Ontarios Glenn Howard is heading back to the Canadian mens curling championship. Henrik Lundqvist Jersey. – After watching the last three games from the bench, Chris Osgood made himself right at home back in the crease. Scott Stevens Jersey.C.s Cam Wake and Torontos Dominique Dorsey were named CFL Players of the Month for September. Wayne Gretzky Jersey. — Ryan Ellis was the big winner at the 2010-11 Canadian Hockey League Awards on Saturday.LAS VEGAS – B.J. Penn is gunning for Canadian Georges St. Pierre. After battering former title-holder Sean Sherk over three rounds to retain his 155-pound championship at UFC 84 Saturday night, the Hawaiian mixed martial arts fighter asked the fans if they wanted to see a rematch with the UFC welterweight champion. St. Pierre won a split decision at 170 pounds when they met at UFC 58 in March 2006. The sellout crowd of 14,773 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena howled with delight at the idea. Asked about the matchup at the post-fight news conference, UFC president Dana White said there is one more interesting fight for Penn in the 155-round ranks, presumably the winner of the UFC 87 bout in August between Kenny Florian and Roger Huerta. The winner of that fight is supposed to get a shot at the title. But White says he would not dismiss a Penn-St. Pierre rematch, prompting Penn to clap his hands. St. Pierre, meanwhile, has to get past No. 1 welterweight contender Jon Fitch at UFC 87 Penn made no secret that neither Florian or Huerta get his juices going. Well watch them go do their thing but its obvious what the fans want, Penn said. Press after press, the media, theyve been asking me about this thing since I went down to 155, `So when are you going to fight Georges? Everybodys just intrigued at the people who can go up and down (in weight classes). … Well just have to wait and see what happens. Middleweight Nate Marquardt, one of GSPs training partners, said hed like to see Penn-St. Pierre 2. I think it would be a great fight. But I definitely think Georges has got his number now. Penn hurt St. Pierre in the first round of their first fight, cutting him and doing damage. But the Montreal fighter rallied in the second and third rounds. The judges gave it to Penn, who says he went from the fight to a nightclub while St. Pierre went to hospital. I came up short in the training camp, said Penn, adding his recent success has come from training for 18 months straight. What you put into it is what youre going to get out of it. This thing is so big now, I mean, if youre getting the chance to step into the Octagon, you better be going full speed and giving everything youve got. Earlier, Wanderlei (The Axe Murderer) Silva scored a convincing knockout win over Keith (The Dean of Mean) Jardine and fellow light-heavyweight Tito (The Huntington Beach Bad Boy) Ortiz lost by unanimous decision to Lyoto Machida in what appears to be his UFC swansong. Penn and St. Pierre are key fighters in the UFC arsenal and both are wildly popular. While middleweight champion Anderson Silva is seen as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport – ironically in arguably the UFCs weakest division – Penn and St. Pierre are jockeying for No. 2. The UFC has also said that its first stadium show will take place in Hawaii, probably in 2009, with Penn likely to be the main attraction. Penn (14-4-1) looked impressive for the third time since returning to lightweight. Sherk, while known as a wrestler, elected to stand with the champion and paid the price. Penn opened a cut under the right eye, then the left. Sherk (35-3-1) connected with some of his punches, but not as many as Penn, who calmly deflected most of Sherks attack. The real damage was done at the end of the third round. Penn drove Sherk back to the cage with a pair of punches and then toppled him with a flying knee and punched away until the round ended. Sherk said later he had no recollection of how the fight finished. Penn said the bell rang, he asked the referee whether the bout was over and a downed Sherk motioned as if enough was enough. Sean Sherk didnt break. He got caught, he went down, Penn said. All three judges gave thee first three rounds to the champion, Sherk, who arrived late at the news conference with his face battered and swollen, said he wanted to show people he can box. Mike Green Jersey I wanted to show up some new stuff that people havent seen. And were fighting in the main event, he said. People come here to see a fight and thats what I wanted to give them. The Penn-Sherk fight was a grudge match fought against the backdrop of a positive steroids test last July that cost Sherk his title. Sherk denied cheating, but Penn wasted few opportunities to taunt him as a cheat. And the crowd chanted Steroids, Steroids during the bout. Sherk said he didnt hear the crowd, but hoped he had turned some of then around. I hope I gained some respect back from the fans, I gave the fans what they wanted to see. I felt like it was a great fight. Penn, a former welterweight champion, won the vacant 155-pound title in January at UFC 80 by stopping Joe Stevenson. Penn made US$250,000, including a win bonus of $125,000, according to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, while Sherk collected $35,000. The purses often do not tell the whole story, however, since bonuses are not included. Ortizs purse, for example, was listed at $210,000, the same as UFC 73 last July when he drew Rashad Evans. But Ortiz ended up making $710,00 from that fight once his cut of the pay-per-view was counted. Machida made $100,000, including a $50,000 win bonus. Silva collected $225,000, including $75,000 for knockout of the night, to just $10,000 for Jardine, although White said the loser would be getting more than that. He declined to say how much more. Things arent always what they appear, Silva scored his first win in the UFC in dominating fashion, taking out Jardine in just 36 seconds. The hard-punching Brazilian (32-8-1) caught Jardine trying to land a kick and toppled him with a right and a left, then punched away until the referee stepped in. The win ended a string of three losses for the 31-year-old former Pride champion, albeit to Chuck (The Iceman) Liddell, Dan Henderson and Mirko (Cro Cop) Filipovic. Jardine (13-5-1) lay on the ground for some time, seemingly unconscious, after the fight was stopped and needed help getting on his stool. He was taken to hospital to be checked out. White said he hoped Silva would stay at 205 rather than drop down to 185. Theres one interesting fight for him at 185 pounds, he said, referring to middleweight champion Anderson Silva. I think there are a lot of interesting fights for him at 205. The outcome muddies the light-heavyweight division in that Silva was coming off a loss to Liddell, who was beaten by Jardine. Its back to the drawing board for the Dean of Mean, who was also demolished in short order by Houston (The Assassin) Alexander at UFC 71. It was a night for newcomers with five of six winning. Canadian-born middleweight Ivan Salaverry ran into a jiu-jitsu buzzsaw in the form of Brazilian newcomer Rousimar Palhares (17-1). After defending a rear naked choke in the early going, Salaverry became Palhares 15th submission victim when the Brazilian slickly transitioned to an armbar to prompt the tapout at 2:36 of the first round. The loss probably marked the end of the UFC road for the 37-year-old Salaverry (12-6-1), who now makes his home in Seattle. Palhares earned an extra $75,000 for submission of the night. The other four first-time UFC winners were Croatian light-heavyweight Goran Reljic, heavyweight Shane Carwin and welterweights Dong (Stun Gun) Hyun Kim of South Korea and Yoshiyuki Yoshida of Japan. The only newcomer to lose was former prison guard Antonio Mendes, beaten by Thiago Silva in an all-Brazilian light-heavyweight battle. ’ ’ ’

NEW YORK – Calvin Johnson took one look at the voting and smiled broadly. Shane Doan Jersey. ”Thats sweet,” he said, as he studied The Associated Press 2011 NFL All-Pro Team. ”Thats one of the best honours you can have other than being a Super Bowl champion. To be an All-Pro is a tremendous honour.” Johnson and Vikings defensive end Jared Allen were the leading vote getters, each just one vote shy of being a unanimous pick. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers made the team for the first time, easily beating Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints, 47 1/2 to 2 1/2. Rodgers led Green Bay to a league-best 15-1 record this season, after taking the Packers to the Super Bowl title last February. ”I am a competitor,” Rodgers said. ”I care desperately about winning and doing everything I can to contribute. But personally, speaking for my own self, you learn exactly what you need to do to be able to balance the pressure from the outside with the pressure from within, that you put on yourself to be successful. Last years run is really going to help all of us and our preparation through the week.” Johnson and Allen received 49 votes Friday from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL. It was the fourth All-Pro Team for Allen, who led the league with 22 sacks, one-half short of the record. Johnson made it for the first time after hauling in 96 catches for a 17.5-yard average and scoring 16 touchdowns. ”The All-Pro Team to me is one of the all-time accomplishments,” said Allen, who also was selected in 2007 through 2009. ”Pro Bowls are nice, but guys get voted in longer than they should and guys who deserve to go dont always get to. Its the whole league. Its not just an AFC and NFC thing. So to me this is the honour I hold the highest. Its something to put on the resume and tell the grandkids about.” One rookie made the squad: Arizonas Patrick Peterson was selected as the kick returner. Peterson tied an NFL mark when he ran back four punts for touchdowns, including a 99-yarder in overtime to beat the Rams. ”Its special to be the only rookie on the list and a nice way to end my first NFL season,” said Peterson, a cornerback. Another cornerback, Darrelle Revis of the Jets, was behind Johnson and Allen with 48 selections. Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs got 47. One oddity: Both first-team guards, Carl Nicks and Jahri Evans, were from the Saints. That hasnt happened since 1953, with Detroits Lou Creekmur and Dick Stanfel. ”Thats a great honour and thats a long time since it happened,” Nicks said. ”I think this shows its recognized that we are strong and physical and not just big guys. We are athletic enough to pass protect 45 to 50 times a game and keep Drew clean.” In the All-Pro backfield joining Rodgers, whose quarterback rating of 122.5 broke Peyton Mannings single-season mark, were Maurice Jones-Drew of Jacksonville, LeSean McCoy of Philadelphia, and fullback Vonta Leach of Baltimore. Its the first All-Pro selections for Jones-Drew, the leagues rushing leader with 1,606 yards, and McCoy. Leach made it last year with Houston. ”It is a we thing, not a me thing,” Jones-Drew said, praising his teammates on offence and his coaches. ”The guys who dont get the glory and keep blocking all day, and the coaches who dont get enough credit, its for them.” McCoy scored 20 touchdowns, 17 rushing, and was the brightest spot in a down year for the hyped Eagles. Yet … ”There are so many things I can do better,” he said. ”I look at the numbers and see so many plays I left on the field, so many yards. I can perfect my game a lot more.” Record-setter Rob Gronkowski was the tight end. The Patriot set the single-season mark at his position with 1,327 yards receiving. Teammate Wes Welker (league-high 122 catches) was the other receiver. Pittsburghs Maurkice Pouncey was the centre, with Philadelphias Jason Peters and Clevelands Joe Thomas at tackle. Joining Allen on the defensive line were ends Jason Pierre-Paul of the Giants, and tackles Haloti Ngata of the Ravens and Justin Smith of the 49ers — who also placed third at DE; the 49ers used him at both spots. ”Actually, I knew that I was going to have a great year this year,” said Pierre-Paul, in his second season with the Giants. ”I came in and last year I had an all right season and I wanted to do better than what I did last year. Next season in 2012, I should be better than this year.” The linebackers were Suggs and DeMarcus Ware of Dallas on the outside, Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman of the 49ers and Derrick Johnson of the Chiefs on the inside. Bowman and Johnson tied with 16 votes, half of Willis total. Revis and Charles Woodson of the Packers were the cornerbacks, with Troy Polamalu of the Steelers and Eric Weddle of the Chargers at safety. Both kickers were 49ers: placekicker David Akers and punter Andy Lee. Repeaters from 2010 were Polamalu, Revis, Willis, Ngata, Evans, Thomas and Leach. In addition to Johnson, Jones-Drew, McCoy and Peterson, other first-timers were Gronkowski, Nicks, Peters, Pouncey, Pierre-Paul, Smith, Suggs, Bowman, Johnson and Weddle. The 49ers led the All-Pro Team with five players, a testament to the turnaround in San Francisco under new coach Jim Harbaugh. Baltimore was next with three players. The Ravens are coached by Jim Harbaughs brother, John, whose team beat the 49ers on Thanksgiving night. There were 16 players from the NFC and 12 from the AFC. Ray Whitney Jersey. Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and a soldier from the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea look at each other through the window of the UN Command Military Armistice Commission meeting room at the border village of Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone that has divided the Korean Peninsula since the 1950-1953 Korean War, in Paju, north of Seoul, on Sunday. Ryan Callahan Jersey. Atlanta was just swept in three games at Colorado and has lost five of its past seven contests, including Wednesdays tough 12-10 loss at Coors Field. Omar Infante hit a two-run homer, Martin Prado drove in three runs and Brian McCann finished 4-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored for the Braves, who blew a nine-run lead but still own a three-game edge over Philadelphia in the division. Ken Daneyko Jersey. Perkins (2-1) allowed one run on seven hits and a pair of walks, and fanned four for the Twins, who got their first series win since taking three of four from Boston from May 9-12. ”He was fantastic,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said of Perkins. Henrik Lundqvist Jersey. Cooke scored the go-ahead goal with 1:47 left in the game when he deflected Sergei Gonchars slap shot between Ray Emerys legs, and the Pittsburgh Penguins slipped past the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 on Sunday. Ryan Callahan Jersey. Brazils (front row, L-R) Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Ze Roberto, Roberto Carlos, Emerson, (back row, L-R) Dida, Adriano, Juan, Kaka, Lucio and Cafu pose for a team photo at the Mangueirao stadium in the northern Brazilian city of Belem, October 12, 2005.Chicago, IL (Sports Network) – Oakland Athletics shortstop Bobby Crosby was placed on the 15-day disabled list Saturday with a strained left hamstring. The move is retroactive to July 3. Crosby did not miss a game this season before the injury, setting a personal consecutive games played streak at 844. Mark Messier Jersey The 28-year-old has posted a .260 batting average, 26 doubles, four home runs and 38 runs batted in this season. This is his fifth career stint on the disabled list. To replace Crosby on the roster, Oakland recalled infielder Gregorio Petit from Triple-A Sacramento. ’ ’ ’

Houston, TX (Sports Network) – Brooks Conrad, an injury replacement, clubbed a two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning, as the Atlanta Braves rallied to beat Houston, 4-2, in the second portion of a three-game series at Minute Maid Park. Wayne Gretzky Jersey. Conrad took over at third base in the bottom of the sixth after Chipper Jones sprained his left knee while making a spectacular defensive play. He walked to begin the seventh and scored the games first run on a single by Troy Glaus, who added a solo blast in the ninth off Houstons Matt Lindstrom (2-3). ”I dont know what to say except that I take responsibility for this,” Lindstrom said. The loss snapped a six-game home winning streak. The Astros had taken advantage of sloppy Braves defense to pull ahead in the eighth. Michael Bourn tripled off Atlanta starter Jair Jurrjens to begin the inning. One out later, Jeff Keppinger hit a grounder to Braves shortstop Alex Gonzalez, whose throwing error to catcher Brian McCann allowed Bourn to score the tying run and Keppinger to go to second. Jurrjens left the game after an intentional walk to Hunter Pence. Peter Moylan took over from the bullpen, and Carlos Lee hit a potential double-play grounder. Gonzalez fielded the ball and flipped to second baseman Omar Infante, who missed the toss. Keppinger raced home to give Houston what proved to be a short-lived 2-1 advantage. After Pence was caught stealing third, Chris Johnson singled to place runners on the corners. Jonny Venters (4-0) struck out pinch-hitter Jason Michaels to end the inning. Gonzalez singled off Lindstrom to open the ninth and Conrad followed by crushing the first pitch he saw to right field for a two-run homer. Lindstrom retired the next two batters before Glaus smacked his 15th home run of the season. ”Its pretty much our job coming off the bench to come through like that,” Conrad said. Billy Wagner pitched a 1-2-3 frame to earn his 28th save. The come-from-behind victory increased Atlantas lead over Philadelphia in the NL East standings to 2 1/2 games. The Phillies lost to the Dodgers on Tuesday. Both Jurrjens and Houstons J.A. Happ were locked in a pitchers duel. Jurrjens scattered six hits, while Happ allowed one run on just two hits and walked four in 6 1/3 innings. Game Notes: Braves Rookie right fielder Jason Heyward missed the game with a sore right knee. Melky Cabrera got the start in his place and went 0-for-4…Jurrjens has yet to win on the road in 2010, going 0-4 in seven starts…Infante had a 12- game hitting streak snapped. It tied a career-high from September 13-27, 2002…Lindstrom has six blown saves this season. Sean Avery Jersey. The Chengdu Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding invited voters to send proposed panda names along with their own names and ID codes to the email address, 83507354@163. Ray Whitney Jersey. Catharines, ON (Sports Network) – Money leader Graham DeLaet shot a four- under 66 to share the second-round lead Friday at the Canadian Tour Championship. Henrik Lundqvist Jersey. ”He was never offered the position of flag-bearer,” said Canadian Olympic Committee spokesman Steve Keogh. The denial comes just hours after the 25-year-old short-track speedskater from Ste-Julie, Que. Derek Stepan Jersey. Jake Delhomme was 15-of-24 for 195 yards and two touchdowns for the Panthers (4-5), who have won two of three. DeAngelo Williams led the rushing attack with 92 yards on 19 carries, while Steve Smith added a pair of TD receptions and Muhsin Muhammad caught six balls for 91 yards. Mike Green Jersey. Tlusty continued his hot play with a goal and two assists as the Marlies improved their chances of winning the Western Conference with a convincing 6-2 over the woeful Rochester Americans.Salt Lake City, UT (Sports Network) – Utah Jazz center Mehmet Okur, who has missed the last six games, saw a back specialist on Monday and will be out of action indefinitely. Okur suffered a strained lower back during the Jazzs win over Minnesota on January 28. Mondays visit with Dr. Graham Hill confirmed inflammation of his chronic disc problem. Okur has been placed on a back rehabilitation process, consisting of low back rehab and cardiovascular exercise, which will be directed by Jazz team physical therapist, Marlin ”Moe” Forsyth. Alexander Semin Jersey Okur will be re-evaluated in three weeks, and no additional updates will be given prior to that point. The native of Turkey will not travel with the team during this span. The 6-foot-11, 265-pounder has played in just 13 games this season, averaging 4.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists. The Jazz enter Wednesdays action with a 31-22 record, which is good for second in the Northwest Division. ’ ’ ’

Milwaukee, WI (Sports Network) – The Milwaukee Brewers signed veteran outfielder Trot Nixon to a minor league contract on Thursday. Henrik Lundqvist Jersey. Nixon hit .171 with one home run in 11 games for the Mets in 2008. Two seasons ago in his last full campaign, he batted .251 with three homers and 31 RBI in 99 games for the Cleveland Indians. In a 12-season career with the Red Sox, Indians and Mets, the 34-year-old holds a .274 average with 137 homers, 555 RBI and 222 doubles in 1,092 games. Nixon also won a World Series with Boston in 2004. Marc Staal Jersey. Welcome home. After missing the seasons first three races because of a lack of sponsorship money, the 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner announced Wednesday he has completed a one-race deal to put veteran Spanish driver Oriol Servia in the cockpit of his No. Brad Richards Jersey. The St. Paul Pioneer Press is reporting that the Wild sniper has a hip deficiency that is causing his groin problems and have him contemplating season ending surgery. Ryan Callahan Jersey.S. Open tune-up. The Cypriot Baghdatis, a former Aussie Open runner-up and finalist at the U.S. Open Series event in Washington, D.C. three weeks ago, dropped the first set to 14th-seeded Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina, but rallied to win 1-6, 6-3, 6-2. Mike Green Jersey. Finding an apartment to share with his buddy from childhood, No. 1 overall draft pick Andrew Wenger, was another. ”Ill probably be the housewife, from past experiences,” Valentin joked after a 90-minute indoor practice at Marie Victorin College. Scott Stevens Jersey.S. President Barack Obamas star power could help Chicago win the bid for the 2016 Olympics at the expense of Rio de Janeiro.The goal of the ”Meet The Prospects” series is to familiarize readers with some of the more prominent prospects in the Class of 2012. These articles are, by no means, a complete prospect listing, nor are they rankings…those will come later. Also, with that in mind, the term ”Potential Sleepers” is used in this series to describe players who could sneak into the earlier rounds of the draft, as opposed to the traditional reference to a lesser known or lower ranked prospect. Defensive Line Cream of the Crop: Defensive end Tyrone Crawford (Boise State) is NFL-bound, while tackle Christo Bilukidi (Georgia State) is generating serious interest down south as well. End Ameet Pall (Wofford) is also pursuing his NFL options after a stellar NCAA (FCS) career and, assuming that his non-import status will eventually be granted, Bo Adebayo (Western Kentucky) belongs on this list, too. Best of the Rest: Hasan Hazime (Akron) has good film and a strong résumé but his immediate future is cloudy. He redshirted in 2011 following an early season ACL tear but has since graduated and reportedly left the Zips football program. His rehab is ahead of schedule so, assuming he makes a complete recovery, his draft status will ultimately depend on whether he decides to turn pro this year or play out his eligibility at another school. Defensive end Justin Capicciotti (Simon Fraser) followed up his productive college career by turning in a great E-Camp performance. Burning Questions: How many of the top prospects will wind up in NFL camps? Simply put, as the top prospects odds of sticking in the NFL increase, their CFL Draft stock decreases…which opens the door for the next tier of prospects to move up on Draft Day. Potential Sleepers: The depth at this position is the only reason that tackles Jake Thomas (Acadia), Jabar Westerman (Eastern Michigan), and redshirt junior Michael Atkinson (Boise State), as well as end Arnaud Gascon-Nadon (Laval) arent listed in one of the previous categories. Thomas, Westerman, and Atkinson all possess uncommon athleticism for players their size. As for Gascon-Nadon, the two-time Metras Trophy winner as the top CIS lineman, his stock may have taken a hit when his hamstring injury and subsequent refusal to participate in testing led to a premature departure from E-Camp. Nonetheless, he remains a very worthy prospect. Linebackers Cream of the Crop: Fredric Plésius (Laval) didnt have his best season for the Rouge et Or but he remains a rare physical talent and the headliner in a deep class of linebackers. South of the border, the film on redshirt junior Hervé Tonye-Tonye (Northern Colorado) is limited because he sat out the 2011 season after transferring from Alcorn State. Nonetheless, hes an impressive physical specimen, who was a highly productive performer at Alcorn. Best of the Rest: With a number of talented linebackers jockeying for draft position, Rene Stephan (Harding) and Sam Hurl (Calgary) emerged as two of the great revelations of E-Camp weekend. The key with Stephan is his upside, as he is a gifted athlete but has been out of football for two years. Despite his absence from the game, he didnt look out of place among the top draft eligible prospects. Hurl was a much more proven commodity on the field but the combine setting also allowed him to establish that hes more athletic than some might have thought. Alexander Semin Jersey. Burning Question: Is Plésius best suited to play linebacker or defensive end? The same debate surrounded eventual #1 overall pick Shomari Williams in 2010. Plésius had no issues in coverage at the CIS level but some are concerned that, at 245 lbs., he may be challenged to do it in the CFL. That question mark, along with his size and power, make him a candidate to move to end, where he was slotted as a freshman at Baylor in 08. Potential Sleepers: Jonathan Beaulieu-Richard (Montreal) may prove to be a steal for a team that is willing to wait an extra year for him, as he has already committed to return to UdeM this fall to complete his pharmacy degree. Filipe Fonseca da Silva (Sherbrooke) and Wilkerson DeSouza (Toronto) also stand out, as both rank in the Top 5 in the country in total tackles over the last two seasons. Defensive Backs Cream of the Crop: A strong argument could be made that Courtney Stephen (Northern Illinois) was the best defensive back in the CIS before he transferred away from Wilfrid Laurier after his sophomore year. He suffered a knee injury last season but should be 100% by the fall, when hell complete his eligibility at NIU. Best of the Rest: E-Camp testing revealed that Keenan MacDougall (Saskatchewan) and Dylan Hollohan (St. Francis Xavier) are athletic freaks…but each is accompanied by a unique concern. MacDougall missed the entire 2011 season with a knee/quadriceps injury and then tweaked a hamstring at E-Camp, prompting many to wonder about his health and durability. Hollohan is undersized and not overly physical, which creates matchup concerns against bigger receivers. Burning Question: How good a football player is Keenan MacDougall? The Huskies star played three full seasons before sitting out last year but the lack of 2011 film and the E-Camp injury that limited his participation in one-on-ones have left scouts without much in the way of a current evaluation of his skills. Potential Sleepers: Theres no doubt that safety Bryce McCall (Saskatchewan) is limited athletically, which makes a combine environment less than ideal for him to showcase his strengths. However, there arent many players in the draft with a stronger work ethic or better football sense. Specialists Cream of the Crop: The reality is that, unlike 2010 and 2011, there wont be any specialists generating early round buzz. Best of the Rest: None of the top guys are considered triple threats (punts, field goals, and kickoffs) but punter Brett Cameron (North Dakota) is likely the best prospect. Among the placekickers, keep an eye on Derek Williams (Savannah State), Austin Anderson (McGill), and William Dion (Sherbrooke). Linebacker Aaron Crawford (Saint Marys) is a top flight long snapper. Burning Questions: Will any kickers from the Class of 2012 be able to find CFL employment this season? Its only an eight-team league and kicker is a position that is associated with career longevity. So many young non-import kickers (Rob Maver, Christopher Milo, Justin Palardy, Grant Shaw, Hugh ONeill, Rene Paredes, Josh Maveety) have entered the league over the last two years that it might have reached a saturation point. Potential Sleepers: Kickers Anthony Alix (St. Francis Xavier) and Taylor Wandler (Regina) are both still refining their consistency but likely have the strongest legs in the class. ’ ’ ’

PARIS: Puccinis Turandot may sound familiar to music-loving Parisians. Sean Avery Jersey. But a rendition by Chinese artists on their traditional instruments such as erhu, pipa, ruan, dizi and suona is a rare treat to their ears. The local audience seemed to enjoy every minute of the fascinating performance. Bravo! Encore! Rounds upon rounds of deafening applause expressed the appreciation of the over 1,000 music-loving Parisians who packed the UNESCO theater in Paris Saturday night for a concert by Chinas Central Nationalities Orchestra. The theater was immediately filled with jubilance as an assortment of traditional Chinese string, wind and percussion instruments wove out The Spring Festival Overture, an equivalent to the opening number of the New Years Concert in Vienna. Related readings: Revived Shanghai orchestra to close China Festival Philadelphia Orchestra to perform concert at Expo US National Symphony Orchestra performs in Beijing Chinese orchestra to perform in America The mood was then carried away to a soul-comforting equilibrium by The Moon Reflected Er-quan Spring, an erhu (two-stringed bowed fiddle) concerto. When the melody of Swam, a pipa (traditional Chinese stringed instrument) piece composed jointly by Chinese and German artists resonated through the hall, the audience seemed able to visualize the noble bird swimming peacefully in serene waters. I recognized er-hu as soon as I heard its sound, said Phillipe, a music lover who gave only his last name. I have learned the violin-like sound but this was the first time I ever saw er-hu on stage in play. If the traditional Chinese tunes and melodies insinuated quiet oriental harmony into the minds of audience, the Italian classical opera piece and Johann Strauss Polkas threw the packed theater into hands-clapping resonance and pushed the entire performance to its climax. Conductor Chen Xieyang turned to face the audience to confirm his appreciation of their understanding rhythmic clappings. Mr. Taleton, who sat in the front row, recorded with his iPhone some of the numbers of Chinese music, like The Dance of the Yao Ethnicity. I knew it would be good, he said, but the wonderful performance was still well beyond my imagination and expectation. It was very nice indeed. Long after the standing ovation that ended the days performance after several curtain calls, a little French boy was still rocking his body upstage to imitate the Chinese conductor to the accompaniment of his imagined playback of the music he just heard. The Chinese ensemble had just participated in the Europalia China arts festival in Belgium and is on its way to Austria and Slovakia for more concerts before winding up its Europe tour. Jaromir Jagr Jersey. Ladds second goal, at 6:48 of the third period, snapped a three-all tie. Cristobal Huet made his debut with the Blackhawks (2-0) and finished with 28 saves. Huet signed a US$22.5-million, four-year free-agent contract with Chicago in July. Anze Kopitar Jersey. — Carlos Marmol, once a catcher in the minors, has been rewarded for his expertise as a closer. Marty Mcsorley Jersey. This will be the second of two season-opening games in Europe for the NHL, as the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning are in the Czech Republic at Pragues O2 Arena. Ryan Callahan Jersey. And the Calgary middleweight doesnt mind travelling a long way to do it. Ring is slated to meet Japans Riki Fukuda at UFC 127 on Feb. Shane Doan Jersey. [PhotoXinhua] BEIJING – Torrential rains and floods, the worst in a decade, have claimed the lives of 701 people and left 347 missing in China since the beginning of the year, according to government figures Wednesday.KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Zack Greinke dealt with the elements about as well as the New York Yankees lineup. Greinke threw eight scoreless innings and the Kansas City Royals defeated the banged-up Yankees 4-0 on a rainy Wednesday night. Greinke (2-0) gave up six hits, walked two and struck out two, lowering his earned run average to 0.60. ”Even when it looked bad on the pitchers mound it really wasnt that bad,” Greinke said. ”I did have a hard time with the grip. Its just a little tougher with the rain drops, not so much the ground.” Greinke said it ”crossed my mound” in the second inning when the rain was heavy that the game might be called or delayed. ”Im like, If it rains, Im still coming back out because I still feel fine,” Greinke said. ”All I was thinking, they better let me pitch if there is a rain delay. Sometimes they cut you off.” With rain in the forecast, Yankees manager Joe Girardi scratched starter Ian Kennedy and started Brian Bruney. It was Bruneys first career start after 157 relief appearances. The umpires, however, allowed the teams to play through the rain, which started in the first inning. By the time Girardi went to Kennedy in the sixth, the Yankees trailed 2-0. ”I chose to use the bullpen first until it became an official game (after five innings),” Girardi said. ”There was only one period where it rained hard. The bottom line is we didnt score any runs. Thats why we didnt win. I thought we pitched pretty well.” The Yankees have two runs in their last 19 innings, and have scored 25 in nine games this season. Only the Detroit Tigers (22) have fewer runs in the American League. New York is hitting .244 on the season. ”Were close, but we just havent put it together yet,” outfielder Johnny Damon said. ”Were frustrated, but hope we can nip it in the bud.” It was the first time the Yankees were shut out since last Aug. 27, at Detroit. ”We believe in this offence,” Girardi said. ”Eventually, they are going to hit. Our approach is not bad. Were just not getting a lot of results right now.” Bruney threw two scoreless innings, holding the Royals to one hit, a double by Billy Butler. Bruney struck out four, including the final three batters he faced. After left-hander Billy Traber pitched a scoreless third, the Royals got two runs off Kylee Farnsworth (0-1). Martin Brodeur Jersey John Buck led off the fifth with a home run to centre on the first pitch, and Jose Guillens two-out single scored Mark Grudzielanek with the other run of the inning. ”I just wanted to jump on the first thing he offered to me,” Buck said. ”When I hit it, I was running hard. I wasnt sure if it was going to get out and it fought through the rain.” Kennedy gave up two more runs in the sixth. Alex Gordon walked to lead off the inning and scored on Ross Gloads double to left. Gload stopped at third on Bucks single and scored on a Tony Pena Jr. fielders choice grounder. ”Pitching in relief is just different,” Kennedy said. ”I dont like it. The weather looked good early. I played catch before the game, stretching, getting ready to start. I was told just before I took the mound in the bullpen I wasnt starting. Its hard going into the game in the middle. The batters are adjusted and you are not.” Greinke thought it was advantageous to pitch several innings in the poor weather, while the Yankees kept changing pitchers. ”I feel in pitching situations like that if you keep putting new guys out the next guy might have problem with it,” Greinke said. ”If you have someone who is consistent dealing with it, its probably easier than having five different guys trying to deal with bad situations.” No Yankee touched third base, although they did have four doubles: by Jose Molina to lead off the third, Alex Rodriguez with two out in the fourth, Alberto Gonzalez with two out in the fifth and Johnny Damon with two out in the eighth. The Yankees grounded into three double plays. Rodriguez, who struck out four times Tuesday, singled in the ninth off Yasuhiko Yabuta and was the only Yankee with more than one hit. Jimmy Gobble got the final two outs with two runners on to log his fourth career save and his first since June 24, 2007, at Milwaukee. The Royals lowered their American League-best ERA to 2.25, and have won back-to-back games over the Yankees for the first time since sweeping a three-game series May 31-June 2, 2005, at Kauffman Stadium. Notes: Royals SS Tony Pena Jr. went 0-for-4 and is hitless in his past 20 at-bats. .. The Royals lead the majors with a .997 fielding percentage, having made only one error in eight games. .. Rodriguez is one shy of 400 career doubles. ’ ’ ’

The Swift Current Broncos ended the Moose Jaw Warriors seven-game winning streak on Saturday with a 3-2 victory in Western Hockey League action. Alex Ovechkin Jersey. Shea Howorko, Trevor Cameron and Graham Black each scored for the Broncos (8-11-3). Quinton Howden scored both goals for the Warriors (13-6-1) as Cody Beach chipped in with two assists. Jon Groenheyde made 28 saves for the victory while Spencer Tremblay stopped 34 shots in defeat. Moose Jaw went 1-for-4 on the power play as Swift Current scored once on six opportunities with the man advantage. Elsewhere in the WHL, it was: Portland 4. Spokane 3 (SO); Brandon 7, Prince Albert 4; Kootenay 5, Seattle 1; Tri-City 7, Lethbridge 3; Saskatoon 5, Medicine Hat 1; Kamloops 5, Edmonton 2; Vancouver 3, Kelowna 2 (OT); Everett 3, Prince George 2 and Red Deer 7, Victoria 4. At Swift Current, Sask., Black opened the scoring just 28 seconds into the game to give the Broncos a 1-0 lead. Cameron scored at 1:28 of the second period, on the power play, to double Swift Currents lead and Howorko scored at 13:28 to make it 3-0. Howden answered for the Tigers with a power-play goal at 15:10 to make it 3-1 Broncos heading into the second intermission. Howden scored his second goal of the game at 11:41 of the third period but it was as close as Medicine Hat would come as Groenheyde turned away everything else, giving Swift Current a 3-2 victory. — Winterhawks 4 Chiefs 3 (SO) At Portland, Ore., Ty Rattie scored twice and assisted on two others as the Winterhawks (13-7-2) beat Spokane (9-4-3). — Wheat Kings 7 Raiders 4 At Brandon, Man., Mark Stone scored two goals and added two assists as the Wheat Kings (14-6-2) beat Prince Albert (5-16-2). — Ice 5 Thunderbirds 1 At Cranbrook, B.C., Joey Leach scored two goals to lead the Ice (13-4-3) past Seattle (7-11-0). — Americans 7 Hurricanes 3 At Lethbridge, Alta., Zachary Yuen scored two goals to lift Tri-City (15-5-0) over the Hurricanes (3-17-1). — Blades 5 Tigers 1 At Medicine Hat, Alta., Matej Stransky scored two goals as Saskatoon (14-6-1) defeated the Tigers (14-6-2). — Blazers 5 Oil Kings 2 At Kamloops, B.C., the Blazers (13-6-0) received scoring from five different players as they defeated the Oil Kings (11-7-3). Giants 3 Rockets 2 (OT) At Vancouver, Marek Tyrdon scored 56 seconds into overtime as the Giants (12-8-1) beat Kelowna (6-11-3). — Silvertips 3 Cougars 2 At Everett, Wash., Ryan Harrison scored twice during a five-minute power play, and Austin Lotz earned his first career win as the Silvertips (5-14-3) beat Prince George (6-13-1). — Rebels 7 Royals 4 At Victoria, seven different players scored for Red Deer (14-4-1) as it defeated the Royals (10-10-1). Nicklas Backstrom Jersey. In the other other league game, the Chicoutimi Sagueneens defeated the Lewiston Maineiacs 3-0. In Rouyn-Noranda, Que., Ryan Penny, Olivier Daoust, Simon Jodoin and Devon MacAusland had the other goals for Moncton (29-22-7). Mike Knuble Jersey. Pete Times Forum. Cal Clutterbuck, Antti Miettinen and Eric Nystrom also tallied for the Wild, who ended a two-game slide in which they were outscored 7-2. Niklas Backstrom turned away 37 shots to earn the win for the visitors, who evened their road record at 3-3-1. Henrik Lundqvist Jersey. 17, 2009.[Xinhua]? SEOUL: Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping met President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Lee Myung Bak here on Thursday, and the two leaders pledged to promote cooperation in all areas. Ray Whitney Jersey. Ma Jiwen purchased and dug up 10 hectares of waste land in the 1980s in his hometown in Linxian County, a practice in line with the agriculture policy then, which aimed to expand rural cultivation. Jujube and peach trees were planted on the barren lands, bringing success to Ma, who was once hailed a as a farming paragon. Mike Knuble Jersey. It turned to be anything but satisfactory. The 19-year-old Yi, standing at 2.12-meter, struggled with foul trouble before finishing with 14 points and six rebounds in less than 22 minutes.BOSTON – The Boston Bruins sent forward Vladimir Sobotka to Providence of the American Hockey League on Tuesday. Sobotka was scoreless in five games with the Bruins this season. In 48 games with Boston last season, he had one goal and six assists. The 21-year-old Sobotka, a fourth-round pick by the Bruins in the 2005 draft, had 10 goals and 10 assists in 18 regular-season games with Providence last season. Drew Doughty Jersey He started this season in Providence where he had two goals and two assists in two games. ’ ’ ’

PHILADELPHIE – Jonathan Toews a mérité le trophée Conn Smythe remis au joueur par excellence des séries éliminatoires de la Coupe Stanley, mercredi soir, et complété du même coup la triple couronne. Alexander Semin Jersey. Grace au triomphe des Blackhawks de Chicago en finale de la Coupe Stanley mercredi soir, Toews a désormais remporté la coupe Stanley et les médailles dor aux Jeux olympiques de Vancouver et au Championnat du monde de la FIHG. Il est aussi devenu le deuxième jeune capitaine consécutif à soulever le précieux trophée. Et le joueur vedette des Blackhawks ne sest pas arrêté là. Toews a failli terminer au sommet des marqueurs du circuit Bettman avec une récolte de 29 points. Il a complété son parcours printanier avec un retard de seulement trois points sur Daniel Brière, des Flyers de Philadelphie. Toews, 22 ans, était un membre de léquipe canadienne qui a remporté la médaille dor à Moscou en 2007. Il a aussi été un joueur clé lors de la conquête de lor aux Jeux de Vancouver 2010. Il est aussi devenu le 24e membre de ce club exclusif, et le septième Canadien après Rob Blake, Joe Sakic, Brendan Shanahan, Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger et Eric Staal. Ce dernier sest joint à ce groupe cette année, après quil eut réclamé la médaille dor à Vancouver. Brooks Laich Jersey. Amare Stoudemire scored 22 points, Raja Bell had 20 and the Phoenix Suns avoided their first three-game losing skid of the season with a 107-93 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night. Henrik Lundqvist Jersey. The top-seeded Djokovic was a 7-5, 6-1 winner over third-seeded Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic, while the second-seeded Tsonga crushed fellow Frenchman Gael Monfils, 6-0, 6-3, in a mere 59 minutes. Jamie Langenbrunner Jersey. In San Joses 2-1 victory Monday night over the Calgary Flames, Jonathan Cheechoo — just back from injury himself, scored the go-ahead goal and goaltender Evgeni Nabokov made 28 saves as the Sharks reached the 50 win mark for the second time in franchise history. Marc Staal Jersey. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston ordered Bonds to enter a plea for the third time since he was initially charged in 2007 with lying to a grand jury about his steroids use. The new plea was needed because prosecutors the day before filed a revised indictment, cutting the number of charges Bonds faces from 11 to five. Brandon Dubinsky Jersey. — The Sacramento Kings used a balanced offence to cool off the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night. BODRUM, Turkey ?– An earthquake struck Turkey s Aegean region on Tuesday, strong enough to knock out electricity inn the southwestern coastal city of Bodrum, but phone lines remained intact. Henrik Lundqvist Jersey. Currently, no building damage is known. ’ ’ ’

Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) – Lastings Milledge went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and two runs scored, as Washington spoiled John Smoltzs milestone night with a 6-0 win over Atlanta. Derek Stepan Jersey. Willie Harris finished 2-for-3 with a double and run batted in, and Ryan Zimmerman had a two-RBI double for the Nationals, who snapped a three-game losing streak. John Lannan (1-2) scattered five hits in seven shutout innings, while walking three and striking out four. Ray King, Luis Ayala and Jon Rauch combined to shut the Braves out the rest of the way. Smoltz (3-1) became the 16th pitcher in major league history with 3,000 career strikeouts in a solid start. He needed four coming into the contest and got 10 in seven innings, putting him at 3006 total. He also gave up the lone run over the first eight innings of play, along with five hits. ”Obviously it didnt go the way we had hoped. Up til the ninth inning we had a chance,” Smoltz said. ”Coming in, I tried to downplay it as much as I could. Every time I got two strikes, they (the crowd) wanted to see it, and so did I..Then when it was done, I was certainly relieved and happy for the fans, and happy for everybody whos been here. ”Ill be honest,” Smoltz continued. ”I didnt know how to react, because theres still a game to pitch. It wasnt like I could get my four, walk off the mound and the job was done.” Yunel Escobar and Matt Diaz both collected two hits for Atlanta, which had a five-game win streak stopped. A pitchers duel turned into a blowout in the ninth, as Washington rallied off the Braves bullpen for five runs. Milledge started the frame by smacking a double, and Harris followed with a walk. Wil Nieves then weakly tapped a grounder back to the pitcher, Jorge Campillo, who attempted to throw to second to start a double play. Instead, he tossed the ball low in the dirt, and it bounced into center, allowing Milledge to race home and Harris to go to third. Rob Mackowiak then walked, and Felipe Lopez singled to simultaneously plate Harris and load the bases, still with one out, prompting a pitching change. Chris Resop came in from the bullpen, and got Cristian Guzman to ground out weakly to short, but the ball was too soft and slow for Atlanta to turn the double play, and Nieves crossed home for a 4-0 Nationals lead. The single out proved to be important, as the next batter, Zimmerman, doubled over Jeff Francoeurs head in right to clear the bases and boost Washington to a 6-0 lead. Rauch worked a perfect ninth to close out the game. Smoltz started piling up the strikeouts in the second, when he got Nick Johnson and Austin Kearns looking to lead off the inning. But Milledge and Harris followed with consecutive doubles to give the Nationals the early one- run lead. Then, in the third, Smoltz struck out Lannan, and Lopez missed on a low splitter in the next at-bat. The game stopped momentarily as the Atlanta crowd cheered Smoltzs milestone. ”Hes a great pitcher,” Lopez said. ”Hes tough. He doesnt fall in a pattern. He always changes it up. Thats why hes so tough.” Game Notes Nationals closer Chad Cordero will have his right shoulder examined by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Alabama on Wednesday, according to a report on the teams Web site. He heard some ”clicking” in the shoulder on Monday..Atlantas Chipper Jones had a 13-game hitting streak snapped..Lopez finished 2-for-5 with one RBI for Washington. Henrik Lundqvist Jersey. Premier Wen is traveling to the two countries at the invitation of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Zach Parise Jersey. His players responded Friday night, overcoming a 26-point deficit to beat the Pacers 94-92. ”I told them to keep fighting,” Cheeks said following a dismal first quarter, which ended with the Pacers ahead 38-13. Ken Daneyko Jersey. Justin Turner and Jason Bay both had an RBI and run scored for the Mets, who bounced back from a 4-3 loss in the opener of this set on Friday. Pelfrey (4-5) gave up just one run on five hits to pick up his first complete game of the season. Brandon Dubinsky Jersey.S. President Barack Obamas star power could help Chicago win the bid for the 2016 Olympics at the expense of Rio de Janeiro. Marty Mcsorley Jersey. Jude Championship for the second time. Leonard, who also won the 2005 St. Jude, rolled in a 19-foot birdie putt for his 12th PGA Tour title. He missed a chance to win in regulation when his 13-foot birdie try at the 18th hole burned the edge of the cup.WASHINGTON – After the Washington Capitals were eliminated in four games by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round of last seasons playoffs, the Capitals made several important changes. One of them was adding goaltender Tomas Vokoun. In his first game with Washington, Vokoun had a rocky start — allowing five goals to the Lightning. He recovered in overtime and in a shootout as the Capitals scored a rugged 6-5 win. Matt Hendricks and Alexander Semin scored goals in the shootout as Vokoun stopped shots by Nate Thompson and Dominic Moore, who had both beaten him earlier. Three shots into his Washington career, Vokoun, who expected to start in Saturday nights opener but didnt, had allowed two goals — including a fluky one off defenceman Mike Greens skate. The rest of regulation time wasnt much better. ”Its been a long, long time since I feel as bad as I feel today,” Vokoun said. ”I should have lost — hands down — 99 out of 100 games — and I won it.” Jason Chimera added two goals to give him three in the first two games. It was the teams first meeting since the last springs shocking Lightning sweep. Coach Bruce Boudreau was relieved the Capitals pulled out the win — despite Vokouns shaky performance. ”It ends up as a positive thing — even if he didnt have a positive game,” Boudreau said. The Capitals have won their first two games — one in overtime and the second in a shootout. Tampa Bay, which is playing its first five games on the road, has lost two of three. Hendricks was the first shooter in the shootout and he beat Dwayne Roloson, and after Thompson and Moore failed to cover for the Lightning, Semins shot secured the win. In the five-minute overtime there were three penalties — two on Washington. Vokoun stopped all five Tampa Bay shots. ”Takes a guy with a lot of mental toughness to play like that,” Boudreau said. ”I got to believe if it was me I would have been so mentally out of it.” Roloson, last seasons playoff hero and two days shy of his 42nd birthday, was far less effective this time. After holding the Capitals to 10 goals in four games last spring, Roloson allowed five goalss and stopped 38 shots. Brooks Laich Jersey. ”The craziest in all my years of playing,” Roloson said. Due to an arena renovation, the Lightning are starting the season with their longest road trip, and theyre a little rusty. ”We worked hard — we just didnt work smart,” Thompson said. The first period was a surprisingly offensive one. Tampa Bays Teddy Purcell was given credit for the first goal when a shot deflected off Greens skate. After Marcus Johansson poked a shot out of Rolosons glove behind the net, he wrapped it around the goal to tie the score. Bruno Gervais first goal in 57 games — since March 25, 2010 — gave Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead 8:35 into the game. The Lightning were held to just one shot in the remaining 11:25 of the period. Dennis Widemans shot past a screened Roloson with 3:20 to play in the first period tied the score at 2-2. While the first period was frenetic, the second was more defensive. Moore gave Tampa Bay a 3-2 lead 56 seconds into the period on a slap shot past Voukon. Troy Brouwer scored his first goal for Washington at 3:42 into the second to tie it 3-3. Chimera scored his second goal in two games when he rebounded a shot from Brooks Laich past a sprawling Roloson for the 4-3 lead. At 7:42 of the third, Thompson scored for the Lightning to tie it 4-4. Brett Clark scored at 13:56 of the third period for a 5-4 Tampa Bay lead. Chimera tied it on an unassisted goal at 17:16. Notes: Tampa Bay D Mattias Ohlund, who has yet to play this season, will be gone for at least a month with a right knee injury. … Gervais played his first game for Tampa Bay. C Blair Jones, C Tom Pyatt and D Matt Gilroy were healthy scratches for the Lightning. … Chimeras first goal was the 100th of his career. … The Capitals play their first road game on Thursday, at Pittsburgh. The Lightning will next play Thursday at the New York Islanders. … Tampa Bay signed LW Ondrej Palat to a three-year, entry-level contract. … Washington had a two-man advantage for 1:14 in the second period, but couldnt score. Twelve seconds after the first penalty expired, C Nicklas Backstrom was called for slashing. ’ ’ ’

Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) – Ryane Clowe netted a pair of goals and Antti Niemi stopped 35 shots as San Jose put a stranglehold on this Western Conference quarterfinal series with a 6-3 decision over the Kings in Game 4 from Staples Center. Ken Daneyko Jersey. Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Torrey Mitchell and Jason Demers also tallied for the Sharks, who scored three times in the third period to win and can advance to the conference semifinals with a victory in Game 5 in San Jose on Saturday. Theyre going to fight and theyre going to claw, Thornton said. The close- out games are always the toughest, so we have to really be ready and take this win and enjoy it for tonight, but get back to work tomorrow. Justin Williams, Brad Richardson and Alexei Ponikarovsky lit the lamp for the Kings, who were unable to rebound from Tuesdays epic collapse. Los Angeles led 4-0 early in the second period before allowing six of the games final seven goals in a 6-5 overtime setback. Its terrible, but in the playoffs when a games over you start the next game with a clean slate, said Kings defenseman Jack Johnson. Thats just the way it is, win or lose, each game is a new game and a new beginning. Theres no momentum carried over because each game means so much. Jonathan Quick was tagged for all six goals on 27 shots in defeat. San Jose notched goals within a 54-second span early in the third period, turning a slim one-goal edge into a comfortable 5-2 lead. Patrick Marleau fed Thornton, the Sharks captain, on the doorstep at 2:28, then Pavelski tipped in a Dan Boyle offering at 3:22. Mitchells tally with 8:18 left in the contest gave the Sharks a four-goal bulge, but Ponikarovskys deflection score made it 6-3 inside of seven minutes to play. Los Angeles failed to make further headway despite a two-man advantage for 1:45 in the final three minutes of regulation. San Jose picked up the games first score less than four minutes into the second period during a 4-on-4, when Marc-Edouard Vlasic fed Clowe for a tap-in at the left side. It was a two-goal lead at 5:12, when Logan Couture followed up his own blocked shot in the slot and fed an open Demers. The Sharks enjoyed a three-goal edge at the tail end of a four-minute power play as Clowe shoveled home a Couture rebound. Richardson put the Kings on the board with exactly nine minutes left in the second. LA pulled within a goal when Williams pass, intended for Ryan Smyth, redirected off Vlasics stick with 3:56 remaining. GAME NOTES:Couture, Ian White and Kyle Wellwood all posted two assists for the Sharks…Clowe leads San Jose with four goals and seven points…The Kings have not won a playoff series since 2001 and have won just once in 10 tries when trailing three games to one…Kings head coach Terry Murray remains on 49 career postseason victories…Smyth has notched at least one point in all four games…Thornton only has two points in the series, with one each coming in the last two contests. Nicklas Backstrom Jersey. Eric Greenwood caught two touchdown passes for Idaho (5-6, 2-4 WAC), and finished the game with 114 yards on just four catches. Diondre Borel had a rough outing for Utah State (4-7, 2-5), as the quarterback completed less than 50. Ray Whitney Jersey. Welcome home. After missing the seasons first three races because of a lack of sponsorship money, the 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner announced Wednesday he has completed a one-race deal to put veteran Spanish driver Oriol Servia in the cockpit of his No. Mark Messier Jersey. The lowly Cavaliers, who will also visit their former superstar LeBron James in Miami on Monday, have lost 19 straight games, matching the club record for futility in one season set in 1981-82 when that team dropped its final 19 games. Cleveland also went on to lose the first five in 1982-83 for an NBA- record 24-game skid. Brad Richards Jersey. They had the best regular-season record in the National Lacrosse League at 11-5, and mowed down Colorado before losing the West Division final by two goals to Washington. Brad Richards Jersey. March is likely to be a lot more difficult. Tracy McGrady had 25 points and six assists, and the Rockets beat the Memphis Grizzlies 116-95 on Friday night to extend their winning streak to 14, the longest in the NBA this season. ARLINGTON, Texas — Derek Jeter has set a major league record for the most games played at shortstop for one team. Jeter played in his 2,303rd game at shortstop for the New York Yankees on Saturday night at Texas. It was his 2,324th career game overall since his major league debut in 1995. Cal Ripken Jr. played in 2,302 games at shortstop during 21 seasons for Baltimore. Only tthree players have played more games at shortstop than Jeter and Ripken, all playing for multiple teams. Derek Stepan Jersey Omar Vizquel of the Chicago White Sox, his fifth team, has played in a record 2,692 games at shortstop. Luis Aparicio appeared in 2,583 games at shortstop for three teams and Ozzie Smith played 2,511 games at shortstop for San Diego and St. Louis. ’ ’ ’

Casey Janssens season is over before it begins. Ray Whitney Jersey. The Blue Jays relief pitcher has a torn labrum in his right shoulder and will be out for the entire 2008 season. ”Janssen is out for the year,” Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi told reporters Wednesday morning. ”He has a torn labarum in his right shoulder and we wont have him this year. Pretty straight forward.” Janssen had a stellar 2007 season, posting a 2.35 ERA in 72 innings pitched. This spring, the Jays were planning on trying Janssen out as a starting pitcher. He was scratched from a simulated game on Tuesday due to soreness in his shoulder. Ricciardi said that Janssen will likely have surgery next week, and would be able to start throwing in four months, which would be too late to help the team in 2008. ”But well have him back healthy next year and just give him a long rehab process and he should be 100 per cent to go next year.” Ricciardi said. With Gustavo Chacin not ready to open the season in the starting rotation, Ricciardi said he might be in the market for another starter. Jesse Litsch looks to have a hold on the fifth starters job for now. Wayne Gretzky Jersey. Rick Dutrow said Wednesday he has had a virus for several days and did not feel well enough to travel. ”I would go in a minute, but I just dont feel well,” Dutrow said in a telephone interview. ”To go down there when Im not on top of my game would not be right. Mike Green Jersey. After his 6-2, 6-1, 6-1 win Thursday over American qualifier Ryan Sweeting, the Spanish star appeared as comfortable talking about his next match — against 18-year-old Australian Bernard Tomic — as he was in beating Sweeting so convincingly. Brad Richards Jersey. Eric Tillman was not at the provincial courthouse in Regina on Tuesday, but his lawyer, Aaron Fox, entered the plea on his behalf. Jaromir Jagr Jersey.8 billion) starting on Thursday. ? ? The batch is the 7th of its kind the MOF has issued this year. ? Related readings: China to issue $3.8b of treasury bonds China to float 26b yuan T-bonds China to issue $3. Shane Doan Jersey. — Leading the Detroit Lions to two straight wins may not have been enough to help Drew Stanton earn another shot. Oakland, CA (Sports Network) – Josh Willingham had a two-run single to help back eight strong innings from Trevor Cahill, as the Oakland Athletics earned a 5-1 win over the Detroit Tigers in the finale of a four-game set. Conor Jackson, Hideki Matsui and Cliff Pennington also knocked in a run apiece for Oakland, which earned a split in the series and has won three of its last five overall. Mark Ellis had a pair of doubles and scored a run in the victory. Cahill (2-0) was stellar in his outing, allowing one run on four hits and striking out nine without issuing a walk. Great job by Trevor today, Oakland manager Bob Geren said. He definitely answered the challenge, going eight innings and throwing 112 pitches. Casper Wells accounted for the only offense with a homer for the Tigers, who have dropped two in a row after winning the previous four. Brad Penny (0-2) suffered the loss after yielding five runs on four hits, with four walks in five-plus innings of work. The veteran right-hander struck out five. Oakland manufactured a run in the fourth to open the scoring. Daric Barton drew a leadoff walk and went to third on a single by Jackson. After Willingham strucck out, Matsuis groundout plated Barton. Jamie Langenbrunner Jersey The Athletics then tacked on three more in the fifth. Landon Powell led off with a double and the next two batters were retired before David DeJesus was hit by a pitch and Barton walked. A free pass to Jackson forced in a run and Willingham followed with a two-run single through the left side for a 4-0 game. Wells homer leading off the sixth got the Tigers on the board, but Oakland got the run back in the home half on Penningtons sacrifice fly. Cahill stranded a runner in the seventh, worked around a leadoff single in the eighth and was lifted after throwing 112 pitches — 80 for strikes — in favor of Tyson Ross in the ninth. The young right-hander gave up a leadoff single to Austin Jackson before settling down to strikeout Brennan Boesch and Miguel Cabrera. Ryan Raburn then flied out to left to end the game. We should have found a way to get a win these last couple of days, Tigers catcher Alex Avila said. GAME NOTES:These two teams split six meetings last season…Cahill improved to 2-1 in four career appearances against the Tigers…Oakland stranded seven runners on base, while Detroit left four. ’ ’ ’

PORTLAND, Ore. Ray Whitney Jersey. — Greg Oden has suffered yet another setback with his troublesome knees. The often-injured seven-foot centre was undergoing a minor procedure Monday to clear out debris in his left knee in Vail, Colo., when the surgeon determined there was additional damage and performed microfracture surgery, the Portland Trail Blazers said. The former No.1 pick in the 2007 NBA draft has now had two microfracture surgeries on his left knee, and one on his right. He has also undergone surgery for a fractured left kneecap. The Blazers say Oden will not play this season. ”Its hard to put into words the heartbreak for everyone involved, but especially for Greg. Hes a young man who has experienced a great number of physical challenges in his playing career and today is yet another significant setback for him,” Trail Blazers President Larry Miller said in a prepared statement. ”We have a lot of empathy for Greg and his family during this difficult time.” Oden, who has not played in an NBA game since Dec. 5, 2009, has appeared in 82 career games for the Blazers, averaging 9.4 points and 7.3 rebounds. It was expected that he might be able to play this season, but a checkup before the start of training camp in December reportedly revealed concerns about a non-weight-bearing ligament in the left knee, further setting back his rehabilitation. Oden was a restricted free agent heading into this season. The Blazers and Oden initially agreed to an US$8.9 million qualifying offer for this year, but when the setback was announced the two sides restructured the deal, which was dropped to $1.5 million. He will become an unrestricted free agent following this season. Oden has turned down several interview requests this season. Shortly after the news about the latest surgery broke, Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge posted on Twitter: ”Praying for my bro G.O. get better!” The Blazers were in Los Angeles on Monday night for a game against the Lakers. ”Im sure hes saying, Why Me? Sometimes in life, things like that happen, and you wonder why its happening to you,” coach Nate McMillan said about Oden before the game. ”Some of these injuries have occurred, not only on the floor but off the floor. Theres really not an explanation for why, or sometimes how theyre happening. Im sure its been a frustrating start for him.” Portlands acting general manager Chad Buchanan told reporters that the team knew there was the possibility of an additional microfracture surgery when he went in for the procedure. The doctor found two defects, he said. Buchanan was asked whether the latest surgery might mean the end of Odens career. ”Gregs still very young, in relative terms, for a professional basketball player. Hes recovered from a couple of these before — his last two microfracture lesions have healed fine,” Buchanan said. ”So theres no reason to think he couldnt come back as long as he shows the work ethic and desire that hes had in the past to come back. I think its premature to speculate anything beyond that.” The former Ohio State star was selected over Oklahoma Citys Kevin Durant with the top pick in the 2007 draft. Debates raged over who should be the No. 1 selection, and the Blazers eventually went with Oden in the hope that he would lead the team — along with Brandon Roy and Aldridge — to an NBA championship. But Odens rookie season was postposed when he required microfracture surgery on his right knee that forced him to miss the 2007-08 season. Odens repeated knee problems have drawn comparisons to Sam Bowie, the injury-plagued big man the Blazers selected ahead of Michael Jordan in the 1984 draft. While Bowie played in 76 games his rookie season, averaging 10 points and 8.6 rebounds, he appeared in just 63 games over the next four seasons because of injuries. He missed the entire 1987-88 season. In all, he had five operations. Wayne Gretzky Jersey. The 22-year-old played last season with the Binghamton Senators of the American Hockey League. Brad Richards Jersey. The Braves sent reliever Joey Devine and a minor league pitcher to Oakland, while the rebuilding As were expected to pick up about US$5 million of Kotsays $7. Shane Doan Jersey. The Gunners were already 2-0 ahead in their playoff after last weeks first leg in Glasgow and completed a 5-1 aggregate win over the visiting Scottish side through goals by Eduardo Da Silva, Emmanuel Eboue and substitute Andrei Arshavin. Shane Doan Jersey. Zhang XiaodongFor China Daily BEIJING – Until about a month ago, 44-year-old Wang Xu and 29-year-old Liu Gang were just two common migrant workers, who played music in the national capitals subways at night to make some extra cash. Mike Knuble Jersey., and brought home some of that UK winning magic. Nick Young got all flashy with a pair of highlight dunks, and JaVale McGee got the better of his head-to-head with Andrew Bogut. The death toll in the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on March 11 rose to 9,487 on Wednesday, and 15,617 people were still missing. The twin natural disaster damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, too, triggering a radiation scare. The triple disaster, as the media are calling it, especially the radiation threat, has affected the Japanese economy because many foreigners – tourists and workers both – have been leaving Japan in a rush. Fears are now being raised that the economy could even suffer long-term damage. The Great Hanshin earthquake (or the Kobe earthquake) on Jan 17, 1995, killed about 6,400 people and caused an economic damage of about 10 trillion yen ($100 billion), or 2.5 percent of Japans GDP then. But the March 11 quake is estimated to have killed more people and caused more damage than the Kobe earthquakes. In fact, the Japanese government says it could cost $309 billion. This is particularly surprising because the GDP of Kobe and Osaka (Hyogo and Osaka prefectures) is more than two times the size of Japans northeast region(Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures)that was devastated by the March 11 quake and tsunami. The March 11 quake and tsunami destroyed power plants in the coastal areas, too, though they were designed to withstand even massive quakes. The resultant disruption in power supply in the Tokyo metropolitan area has thrown industrial production out of gear. The chairman of the Federation of Economic Organizations has said that the semiconductor sector is expected to suffer heavily because semiconductors cannot be produced under rationed electricity supply. Moreover, a delay in the production of manufacturing parts and related products in the Tokyo metropolitan area will hamper production in other areas. The effects of the triple disaster on small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will be huge. Many large enterprises have established business continuity management systems to maintain business activities even in the face of natural disasters or to recover from them as soon as possible by repairing the damage and procuring manufacturing parts from non-regular sources. But SMEs dont have enough funds or resources to have such systems in place. Besides, if they fail to deliver in time they can lose their business. All these raise the fear of recession in Japan, because although the devastated area in proportion to the entire economy is relatively small, the indirect damage, such as reduction of business activities in the Tokyo metropolitan area, is huge. The impact of the triple disaster on the Japanese economy will change with the passage of time. In the short term, the economy may see a strong growth because of the rising demand for the civil engineering industry and the construction sector, including their related sectors, durring the reconstruction and rehabilitation phase. Sean Avery Jersey. But after that, that is, in the long term, the economy could face depression. There are three principal reasons for that. First, much of private capital in Japans northeastern coastal area has been lost. So the crippled companies have no choice but to depress their production, and will thus drag down the GDP. Second, many companies are likely to shift their operations, including manufacturing, from Japan to other countries. Large domestic enterprises and foreign companies are more likely to do so, given their international networks. Such a phenomenon was witnessed after the 1995 Kobe quake. A fast recovery in the northeastern coastal areas is not expected also because on the supply side, voluntary or temporary firms are likely to replace the existing ones. Third, the destruction caused by the triple disaster will require the government to arrange for massive funds and resources to fuel economic recovery. For example, the central and local governments spent 16.3 trillion yen for economic recovery after the Kobe quake. But since the damage to infrastructure, such as roads, ports, power plants and supply lines, and farmland is far greater and more widespread this time, the costs of recovery and rehabilitation will be many times more. The government may have to issue large numbers of bonds to finance the costs. The relatively high percentage of savings in Japan will certainly help the government to get a big part of the funds from the domestic government bond market. But if they prove inadequate, the government may have to get the extra money from foreign financial markets at high interest rates. After the Great Kanto earthquake in the Tokyo metropolitan area in 1923, killing more than 100,000 people, the Japanese government issued government bonds in foreign markets at higher interest rates than in the domestic market to get the funds for reconstruction and rehabilitation. But if the government were to do the same this time, it would increase its financial burden just like it had done in 1923. In conclusion, fiscal action for reconstruction and recovery this time would boost the Japanese economy in the short term because of an increase in the demand for construction and related industries. But in the long term, it would be difficult for the economy to sustain the upward trend. Indirect damage caused by the shortage of electricity, fleeing of foreign companies, and the damage to the supply chain and production capacity will worsen the economic outlook. Moreover, the fiscal burden accrued from massive fiscal expenditure may have further negative effects on the economy. Hence, the triple disaster is expected to depress the Japanese economy in the long run. The author is an assistant professor of economics at Meikai University, Japan. ’ ’ ’

EDMONTON — The Edmonton Oilers have re-signed goaltender Jeff Deslauriers to a one-year, $1. Scott Stevens Jersey.05 million contract, the team announced Saturday. Deslauriers was 16-28-4 last season with a 3.26 goals-against average and .901 save percentage. The St-Jean-Richelieu, Que., native took over between the pipes after veteran netminder Nikolai Khabibulin went down with a back injury. Deslauriers put together a season-best five-game winning streak in December, backstopping the Oilers to five consecutive road victories. The 26-year-old was drafted by Edmonton 31st overall in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. Phoenix Coyotes Jersey. Cory Emmerton scored in his NHL debut to give Detroit the lead midway through the first. Dave Bolland tied it later in the period and Kopecky scored two times in the second against his former team to make it 3-1. Phoenix Coyotes Jersey. Kadri, the seventh pick of the 2009 Entry Draft, had 2 goals, 3 points and a minus-3 rating in five preseason games. Kadri had dazzled last year in the preseason, but failed to make as much of an impression this fall. Alexander Semin Jersey. A day after clinching her fifth consecutive World Cup downhill title, the American sealed her third straight super-combined trophy Sunday after the final race in the discipline this season was cancelled due to heavy snowfall on the Sochi 2014 Olympics course. Brooks Laich Jersey. — Joe Paterno, the living embodiment of Penn State and its football program, kept a low profile Saturday as his last team took on Nebraska, but his name and image wont disappear from campus any time soon. Dale Hunter Jersey. The biggest news coming out the meeting was that changes are coming. There will be subtle modifications done for next season, like eliminating some of the extra padding that helps goaltenders stop pucks as opposed to protecting them.HALIFAX – Everything is falling into place for Team Canada at the IIHF World Hockey Championship. A 7-0 win over Latvia on Sunday represents the start of bigger things for the squad, which now finds itself as the last Canadian outfit playing hockey with professionals after the Montreal Canadiens were eliminated from the NHL playoffs. ”The lights just got a little bit brighter,” said coach Ken Hitchcock. ”Well deal with it the best way we can. ”The players show up at this thing and theyre grateful for the chance but theyre a little down, especially the guys that got knocked out in the first round (of the NHL playoffs). Now everybodys pretty jacked up.” After opening the tournament with comfortable wins over Slovenia and Latvia, a bigger test lies ahead in Tuesdays game against the U.S. The Latvians were simply overpowered by the talented hosts. Dany Heatley had a goal and three assists, Rick Nash added two goals and Pascal Leclaire stopped all 30 shots he faced during the game. Elsewhere in the tournament, the United States beat Slovenia 5-1, Russia edged the Czech Republic 5-4 and Denmark defeated Italy 6-2. Any hope Latvia had of pulling off an upset went out the window when defenceman Mike Green scored a highlight-reel goal early on. He took a Heatley pass just inside the Latvian zone and beat a defender before sliding the puck by goalie Edgars Masalskis while being turned sideways. That made it 2-0 for Canada just 3:45 into the game and pretty much ensured that it would be a long afternoon for the Latvians. ”I just had to skate by that last guy and had a bit of a half-breakaway,” said Green, who scored 18 goals for the Washington Capitals this season. The siege continued from there as Canadas top line put on another fantastic show. Heatleys four points made him Canadas top career point-getter at this event in the modern era. He now has 40 points in 36 world championship games, which puts him one ahead of Steve Yzerman – this teams GM. The sniper has found instant chemistry with Nash and Ryan Getzlaf. ”That line has been phenomenal,” said captain Shane Doan. ”The best part about it is that we still have two or three other lines that are still going to get going. Thats the part that makes Canada so dangerous.” There are more dangerous opponents lurking. With NHL teams being eliminated from the second round, Hitchcock has already heard some rumblings of top players joining their national teams. ”I think theres going to be some great games coming up,” he said. ”It seems like a lot of teams are loading up now.” Canada will not add any more players. This group has already started to jell and develop an identity, as was eviidenced prior to Sundays game when Doan was shown on the scoreboard singing along to the Stan Rogers ballad ”Barretts Privateers. Mark Messier Jersey” Its a popular tune among this group. ”The players have adopted that as a theme song,” said Hitchcock. ”Its being played at the start of the games and its also being played in our locker-room. Theyve really adopted that song as the song of the tournament for them and theyll carry it right through. Its a fantastic song.” Patrick Sharp, Martin St. Louis and Chris Kunitz also scored goals for Canada on Sunday. Latvia only had one NHLer in its lineup and Los Angeles Kings tough guy Raitis Ivanans was ejected in the third period for spearing Heatley. There were some empty seats at the Metro Centre for the second straight Canadian game but it didnt ruin the atmosphere. A rowdy contingent of Latvians made itself heard among the crowd of 7,831 by pounding drums and singing – even as their team continued to be scored on again and again. ”When some countries are down 7-0, I think their fans would have left,” said Nash. ”Theyve probably got the best following out of the countries that are here.” Sharp got things going quickly when he picked up a rebound and beat Masalskis 2:35 into the game. He scored 36 goals for the Chicago Blackhawks this season but is part of the fourth line on this team. Greens highlight-reel goal came soon after before Heatley scored his fourth of the tournament at 12:15 of the first period. Canada put the game away in the second period. Nash, St. Louis and Kunitz scored in a span of 2:42 to start the period, prompting Latvian coach Olegs Znaroks to call a timeout and replace Masalskis with Sergejs Naumovs. Nash got his second of the night at 12:20 on a play that was almost as nice as the one Green scored on. Getzlaf came out from behind the net and found him with a no-look backhand pass – Naumovs had no chance and the score was 7-0. ”They were tap-ins,” Nash said of his goals. ”It was great passes from Getzlaf and Heatley. If I miss those, somethings wrong.” The most misleading stat of the night presented itself as the horn went to end the second period. Canada only held a 23-21 edge in shots at that point despite dominating the game. Latvia actually came on in the third period and it took some remarkable saves from Leclaire to keep them from scoring. Leclaire, who played junior hockey here with the QMJHLs Mooseheads, ended up getting more work than he thought he would. ”They play really hard and didnt give up,” he said. ”It would have been easy for them when it was six or seven nothing to fold up the bags and go home but they kept coming.” ’ ’ ’

TORONTO – Its been a tough baptism by fire for Bart Andrus. Henrik Lundqvist Jersey. Eight games into his CFL tenure, the Toronto Argonauts head coach has compiled a less-than-stellar 2-6 record. Not only are the Argos last in the East Division, but sport the leagues worst mark. Whats more, two of those losses can be attributed to Andruss management of games on the sidelines. And thats important because Toronto heads into a crucial Labour Day home-and-home series with Hamilton (4-4) needing the sweep just to move into a tie with the arch-rival Tiger-Cats. Toronto dropped a 13-12 home loss to Winnipeg on Aug. 1 when kicker Justin Medlocks 57-yard field goal try hit the crossbar late in the contest. Medlock originally had a 47-yard boot for the win, but the Argos were called for a timecount violation, moving the ball back 10 yards. Its stunning that Toronto allowed the time clock to run down in the first place, considering it still had a timeout. Trouble was, Andrus, who is also the Argos offensive co-ordinator, was more focused on the offence at the time and not the situation on the field. The failure to monitor the clock and keep the field-goal attempt at 47 yards — well within Medlocks range — essentially gave Winnipeg the victory. On Friday night, a curious Andrus special-teams decision cost Toronto the chance for a home win over Calgary. With Toronto trailing 23-20 and at the Calgary 50-yard line in the dying seconds, Andrus opted against trying the 57-yard field goal that wouldve tied the game and forced overtime. Instead, he went for the lower-percentage call of having quarterback Cody Pickett throw a Hail Mary pass to Mike Bradwell. Predictably, the attempt was incomplete and the Argos suffered a club-record 10th straight home loss. The decision not to let Medlock attempt the tying field goal was curious, given the Rogers Centre roof was closed and Medlock has connected on 20-of-21 tries this season. His only miss was the 57-yard try against Winnipeg, which certainly had the distance and wouldve been good had it hit the inside portion of the crossbar instead of the outside part. Part of a coachs job is to put his players in the best position to succeed and give the team its best chance to win. In both instances, that simply wasnt the case. One could also question Torontos offensive gameplan in its 36-28 home loss to B.C. on Aug. 14. B.C. came into the contest showing some vulnerability against the run. Hamilton rookie DeAndra Cobb had 100 and 167 yards rushing in separate wins over the Lions and as a team the Ticats had run for a combined 375 yards on 43 attempts. And on Aug. 21, Winnipegs Fred Reid ran for 260 yards — part of a 393-yard rushing attack — to lead the Bombers to a 37-10 victory over B.C.. Yet, Toronto rushed just 11 times for 24 yards against the Lions. A dependable running game mightve allowed the Argos to use more clock in the fourth and better protect a 25-14 lead. Instead, B.C. outscored the home team 22-3 to rally for the win. This isnt to suggest Andrus isnt a good coach. His football resume includes stints in the NCAA, NFL and NFL Europe (where he won two league championships). Twice he has served as an assistant under Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher, who is regarded as one of the NFLs best. And in 99, Andrus was on the Titans staff when it reached the Super Bowl and suffered a heart-breaking loss to the St. Louis Rams. On a personal level, Andrus is always professional with the media and willingly answers all questions directed his way. He is courteous and respectful and knows exactly when to reveal his dry wit and great sense of humour. But this is Andrus first year of coaching in the CFL and initial exposure to three-down football on a longer, wider field. Theres no doubt Andrus understands the passing nature of Canadian football, but its seemingly come at a price. Two years ago, Kerry Joseph was the CFLs outstanding player and led Saskatchewan to a Grey Cup title by using his mobility to either scramble downfield or escape pressure and keep passing plays alive. But this season, the Argos seemed intent on converting Joseph into more of a drop-back passer, severely limiting his effectiveness. Before being supplanted by Cody Pickett as Torontos starter last month, Joseph had completed 56.8 per cent of his passes for 1,303 yards with seven touchdowns against 10 interceptions. He had only run 21 times for 191 yards (6.8 yards) with no TDs and four fumbles. In 2007, Joseph completed 58.2 per cent of his passes but also presented a threat with his legs, rushing for 737 yards (8.2-yard average) with 13 TDs against six fumbles. The Argos were hoping Andrus would follow the same path of success travelled last year by Marc Trestman, who guided the Montreal Alouettes to a Grey Cup berth in his first season coaching in Canada. Granted, Trestman inherited a Montreal roster stacked with proven veteran talent and arrived in Quebec with a reputation of being a bright offensive mind. But Trestman also hired CFL-tested assistants like offensive co-ordinator Scott Milanovich, defensive co-ordinator Tim Burke and special-teams co-ordinator Scott Stiles to help ease his transition into the Canadian game. Andrus, though, opted to go with coaches he had known or worked with previously. His only CFL-tested hire was special-teams coach Steve Burrato, thus setting the stage for a huge learning curve for not only Andrus but also the bulk of his staff. And then theres the matter of whether Andrus has too much on his plate as Torontos head coach and offensive co-ordinator. Its often said the CFL season officially begins after Labour Day. But Andruss quest to lead Toronto back into the playoffs would certainly be much easier had the club been able to close the deal in those three lost opportunities this summer. NOTES — The Argos will add defensive tackle Jim Stillwagon to their all-time team when they host Hamilton on Sept. 11. Stillwagon spent five years with Toronto (1971-75) and was a three-time CFL all-star. He will become the 20th player named to Torontos all-time squad and first since 06 . . . The B.C. Lions shouldnt hold their breath waiting for running back Stefan Logan. In three exhibition games with the Super Bowl-champion Pittsburgh Steelers, Logan has eight punt returns for 111 yards (13.9-yard average) and returned four kickoffs for 157 yards (39.3-yard average) . . . Montreal has placed safety Matthieu Proulx (knee) on the nine-game injured list, meaning Etienne Boulay will start Friday night against B.C. . . . Hamilton is facing an interesting decision. Running back Kenton Keith is eligible to return from the nine-game injured list following Mondays game against Toronto. Trouble is, rookie DeAndra Cobb has performed well in Keiths absence (501 yards rushing, 6.3-yard average). Marc Staal Jersey. NHL Network will host a one-hour NHL On The Fly: Conference Finals Preview show from 6:00 — 7:00 p.m. ET. Host David Amber will mediate an all-goalie panel with regular contributor Kevin Weekes and special guest analyst and Chicago Blackhawks netminder Marty Turco, who also will be joining the NHL On The Fly cast throughout the Conference Finals. Mark Messier Jersey. Still coach Jerry Sloan kept urging his team to ”keep on fighting, keep on fighting,” Utah forward C. Mike Green Jersey. Dancevic, from Niagara Falls, Ont., defeated his Colombian opponent 6-4, 6-3. Earlier Monday, Dancevic was awarded a wild-card berth in next weeks Rogers Cup in Montreal. Jaromir Jagr Jersey. The Canucks play their seventh straight as the visiting club tonight, and have won just twice so far on the swing (2-3-1). However, that includes a 3-1 victory in Nashville on Tuesday, the last time they hit the ice. Brooks Laich Jersey. Two days after ending top-ranked Justine Henins 32-match winning streak in the quarterfinals, Sharapova outclassed Jelena Jankovic 6-3, 6-1 on Thursday to advance to the final Saturday and a bid for her third Grand Slam singles title. CINCINNATI, Ohio — The Reds exercised second baseman Brandon Phillips contract option for 2012 on Monday, but declined a US$12 million option to keep closer Francisco Cordero for one more season. The Reds also lost left-hander Matt Maloney, who was claimed off waivers by Minnesota on Monday. Phillips batted .300 with 18 homers, 82 RBIs and six errors last season, when he became an all-star for the second time. The two-time Gold Glove winner finished second to Pittsburghs Neil Walker in fielding percentage by a second baseman. Cincinnati picked up his $12 million option and is trying to negotiate a multiyear deal. ”Were going to continue to talk about extending him long-term if possible,” general manager Walt Jocketty said in a phone interview. Jocketty said the Reds basically had to decide between keeping Phillips or Cordero, given their payroll constraints. The Reds decided to pay a $1 million buyout to Cordero, who becomes a free agent but couldd stay with Cincinnati if hes willing to take a reduced contract. Ryan Callahan Jersey. ”We have a lot of tough decisions weve had to make this off-season going forward,” Jocketty said. ”Well continue to talk with (Cordero). This also gives him an opportunity to see what the market is like.” Cordero was 37 of 43 in save chances, including 20 of 21 after the All-Star break. The 36-year-old reliever ranks 12th with 327 career saves. Cordero signed a four-year, $46 million deal with the Reds after the 2007 season as a free agent from Milwaukee. He saved 34, 39, 40 and 37 games in each of those four seasons. Only two other Reds had a save last season — Nick Masset and Aroldis Chapman with one apiece. Maloney cracked a rib and was on the disabled list from May 29 to Aug. 16. He went 0-3 with a 9.16 ERA in two starts and six relief appearances for the Reds. He was 7-1 with a 2.99 ERA in 13 starts and one relief appearance at Triple-A Louisville. ’ ’ ’