These have been trying times for Canadian Mens soccer. [url=http://www.authenticbullsauthority.com/scottie-pippen-bulls-jersey- c-12/]Scottie Pippen Jersey[/url] . A struggling national team, and likewise Canadian Major League Soccer franchises have tested the patience of the most ardent support of th

These have been trying times for Canadian Mens soccer. Scottie Pippen Jersey . A struggling national team, and likewise Canadian Major League Soccer franchises have tested the patience of the most ardent support of the game in this country. Tuesday night at our National Soccer Stadium in Toronto told a different story: attractive play, highlight reel goals and a winning experience. The Canadian men gave head coach Benito Floro a winning home debut in a 3-1 victory over CONCACAF rival Jamaica. It was all-around a fun night for the Canadian faithful. Baby steps and hints of progress. To say its been a rough two years for the Canadian Mens National Soccer team would be an understatement. The players, program and supporters all deserved a night as such. A 16-match winless streak dating back to the 8-1 World Cup qualifying humiliation to Honduras in San Pedro Sula in October 2012 has cast a cloud of negativity over our Mens Soccer program. A seemingly never-ending goalless streak, soul searching and an absolute loss in confidence in the players and leadership has made for an all-time difficult time for the program. A losing mentality can be contagious. But that negative demeanour was nowhere to be found at Canadian camp over the last week heading into Tuesdays win. There was passion, energy and excitement around the team getting back at it for a long-anticipated home date. It was the mens first home date in 2014, and just the third match on home soil in the last two years. The players are well aware of all the negative talk about the team, individually and as collective. They felt they had something to prove. The win wont take away the sting of 8-1 but sets the tone of where this group plans to go. Its time to move forward. The players can now do so with confidence and reasoned belief in their new manager. The move by the CSA to bring in Floro was a calculated one; a man of vast experience looking for a new opportunity. How the marriage would work out was up for great debate. Much work was to be done, and many questioned whether Floro would be up for it. The initial returns are showing steps in the right direction. His players are speaking of tactics and compartmentalization in approach: something entirely different than recent years when survival and keeping heads above the water always seemed the goal. The new coach won over the crowd by bringing on Canadian and local soccer legend Dwayne De Rosario, as well as defender Karl Ouimette, who lost his sister to cancer earlier this month, for second half appearances – an appropriate touch and show of understanding by the manager. As for game-play, Floro has a clear vision how he wants his team to play. From attacking perspective, the initial returns speak to improvement. Its about making the most out of what he has. Canada will not win through individual ability: it must be a team approach, top-down. The intelligence and purpose of the Canadian attack against Jamaica was something unlike we have seen out of the Mens program for quite sometime. Canada may not be blessed with the natural goal-scorers of yester-year, but the team has pace. The ability to attack down the wings and move off the ball accordingly was refreshing. Tosaint Ricketts led the line well and looks a much more active player than in the past. His goal came off a mistake from goalkeeper Andre Blake, but the Canadian striker put himself in position to finish. It was a standout performance from the Israel-based player. Ricketts goal was the clincher after Canada scored three unanswered en route to victory. The other two goals were of the highest quality. Patrice Berniers corner finding David Edgar on the top of the 18, who volleyed home for a spectacular goal, rivaling Terry Dunfields wonder-strike against Ecuador in 2011. Marcel de Jong scored the other on a picture perfect free kick. Top goals, no matter what league or side youre watching worldwide. Atia Hutchinson remains the pulse of the team, outstanding again Tuesday night. The Besiktas player is a step above, and can be argued he could start for any CONCACAF nation. Hutchinson stands of evidence this country can still produce players of such high quality and deserves any and all the praise he gets. The team with speed around him takes advantage of his poise, composure and overall gifted ability to read the game. Hutchinson remains the centerpiece, and with Julian de Guzman, Patrice Bernier and the absent Will Johnson around him, make for a formidable middle of the park. Perhaps the most pleasant surprise was the play of goalkeeper Milan Borjan. Multiple top saves and intervention helped keep Canada in a position to win on home soil. His positioning was sound and shot-blocking ability was equal to the task. The defensive line was shaky in front of him and will need work growing as a unit. Toronto FCs Doneil Henry played at right-back and provided size and strength on the outside. Henry needs more polish at the position but was an interesting look for a player used to playing centre-half. Borjan is without a club at present time. He, along with de Guzman and Adam Straith need club teams as soon as possible. It need not matter the inexperience in the Jamaican team or the lack of preparation time for the visitors. Its the result that matters. Its time to turn the corner from the negative narrative to developing something positive. That only comes through results. Belief in Benito and better days ahead for the program is paramount looking ahead to the Gold Cup and World Cup qualifying in the not-so-distant future. Its important for the Mens program to gain prominence on the Canadian sports landscape. Canada has become a leader in the womens game in terms of development and fan support. The success of the womens game has been a boon for the Canadian Soccer Association. But the Mens program on a global scale will always be the primary, long-term moneymaker and the barometer by which a countrys soccer success will be judged. It was unfortunate young boys club teams didnt flock out Tuesday night as girls club teams do for the womens program. It all comes from perception. When the perception of the mens program turns to one of success, we can expect similar fandom to follow. So some headlines the night before tickets went on sale for the 2015 FIFA Womens World Cup is well-taken by the CSA and the Canadian soccer community. Its a big year for Canadian soccer and there is no reason the Mens team cant be part of the headlines. The goal is all programs finding on and off-field success. Progress should be embraced as it comes. Tuesday was just that. More baby steps. Gareth Wheeler can be reached at:@WheelerTSNgareth.wheeler@bellmedia.ca Lauri Markkanen Jersey . 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This weeks topics include the Blue Jays struggles at Yankee Stadium, what the Tampa Bay Rays should do with David Price, remembering Tony Gwynn and his pick for the best team in baseball. 1) What is it about the Blue Jays and Yankee Stadium that dont go together (15 straight losses through Wednesday)? You would think an offensive team would do well in a hitters park. In your experience, what was the toughest park to play in and why? There isnt anything wrong with the Blue Jays. They just cant seem to beat the Yankees. The Yankees have the Jays number. Baseball is such a mental game. What you think or feel impacts how you play. When one team dominates another like this it gets in the mind of the losing team. It also empowers the winning team. As each subsequent game unfolds, the losing team feels that a loss is inevitable. When something goes wrong in the game it feels like that will be the reason the team loses on that day. In contrast the winning team has a feeling of inevitability as well. They just know someone will make a play or get a big hit to win the game. The Jays have a defeatist attitude against the Yankees. Im sure they start out each game telling themselves that this will be the day they end the losing streak. But at some point a lost scoring opportunity, an error, a bloop base hit, etc causes the voices of doubt start to scream in their psyche. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. I lived this nightmare when I was Mets general manager. We could not beat the Atlanta Braves, especially at Turner Field in Atlanta. It didnt matter what we did, we lost. We could get good starting pitching but their starters pitched better. We could score a bunch of runs but they would find a way to outscore us. We lost every way imaginable. We lost some games with bad first innings and some with bad ninth innings. We lost on home runs, errors, wild pitches and squeeze bunts. We would rally and look like we were coming back and then hit in to a double play to end the game. We even walked in a game-winning run in the NLCS in 1999. What makes matters worse is when the team that has your number is in your division. With the unbalanced schedule we played division rivals nineteen times each. We always finished second to the Braves mainly because we couldnt beat them head-to-head. I told Braves GM John Schuerholz and manager Bobby Cox that if I ever had to pick them out of a police line-up I would have to have them turn around because I chased them for six years and only saw their backside and never saw their faces. In fact I am convinced that the only reason we advanced to the World Series in 2000 against the Yankees was because the Braves lost in the NLDS that year to the Cardinals. Our struggles ran from one season into another season. Not even an off-season flushed out the demons. In fact, several years after I was general manager I returned to Turner Field as a baseball analyst to broadcast a game. I remember walking in the visiting clubhouse and the awful feelings of past losses at Turner Field flooded me. It was still in my head. Every team has that other team. Unfortunately for the Jays that team is the Yankees. 2) There are a lot of suggestions that the Rays should be trading David Price now. Would you do it, and what would be your expected return in a deal for Price? What team has assets that fit that wish list? The Rays must trade David Price. Small market teams have to do all they can to maximize their assets. Price is the Rays most substantial asset. They cant afford to keep him and they cant afford not to trade him. In order to continuously reinvent themselves, small market teams have to recycle their roster. It seems highly unlikely that the Rays would trade David Price withinthe AL East. It is already a very difficult division so why make it that much tougher. Certainly the Jays, Orioles, Yankees and Red Sox would all have interest in Price. But so do the Tigers, Athletics, Angels, Braves, Cardinals, Reds Giants, and Dodgers. The Rays have had success being an organization built around deep pitching and just enough offense. Unfortunately for them, this year they dont have anywhere close to enough offence. The challenge for small market teams is finding the right balance between their pitching and offence. The timing between the two is critical since they cant spend significant dollars in the free agent market to fill deficiencies. The Rays want to compete again as soon as possible so finding young major league talent instead of a bevy prospects is preferred. The team that can make the best deal with the Rays is the St. Louis Cardinals. The Rays should ask for 1B Matt Adams and RHS Michael Wacha. This would replace Prices role in the rotation and give them a big power bat for the middle of their lineup. I would expect the Cardinals to say no to including Wacha in the deal. So the Rays should then ask for RHS Shelby Miller and RHP Carlos Martinez in the deal with Adams. The Cardinals would have a rotation that would include Adam Wainwright, Wacha, Price, Lance Lynn and Jaime Garcia. Alan Craig can play first base in the absence of Adams and Oscar Tavares can play right field. The Rays would get a quality young starter in Miller, a potential impact starter/closer in Martinnez and a big bat for their lineup. Michael Jordan Jersey. . It will be very interesting to see where Price goes and what the deal will be. One thing for certain he will not finish the season with the Rays. 3) We lost one of the great hitters and great personalities in baseball last week. What is your fondest memory of Tony Gwynn and where does he rank among the hitters you saw play? Tony Gwynn is one of the best pure hitters that baseball has ever known. He was a student and a teacher of the game. Gwynn is one of the rare players who played for one team his entire career. He is known as Mr. Padre. He never had a contract dispute. He didnt play for the money. He could have taken advantage of the free agent market and squeezed every last dollar out of his ability. But he wasnt about money. He played for the love of the game. Interestingly Gwynn got more attention in his death than he did as a Hall of Famer. People in some ways diminished his accomplishments because he was a singles hitter. The most home runs he ever hit in a season were seventeen. He could have hit more but he chose to stay within himself and do what he did best. He punched the ball the other way. He was a contact hitter. He hit for average. Gwynn had a .338 career batting average. He led the league in hitting eight times. He was a 15-time All Star and a five-time Gold Glover. His .393 batting average in the strike-shortened 1994 season, was the closest that anyone has gotten to .400 since Ted Williams did it in 1941. The hole between the shortstop and third baseman became know as the "5.5" hole because of Gwynn. He had an uncanny knack of being able to hit any pitch anywhere in the zone through that hole. I remember an afternoon when I was GM for the Mets that I was sitting in my office and heard the crack of the bat coming from the field at 1pm. We had a 7pm game that night so I wondered who could possibly be hitting that early. I went out on the concourse and saw Tony Gwyn taking early batting practice with one of the Padres coaches. I couldnt believe it. The game was six hours away. Then after regular batting practice I saw Gwynn walking with a bucket of balls down to the batting age under the stadium. He was going to practice some more. The best pure hitter of his era was also the hardest worker. That told me all I needed to know. The other remarkable thing about Gwynn was his smile. He was the least Hall of Fame acting Hall of Famer I have ever met. He was genuine, sincere, compassionate, kind and friendly. He greeted fans and opponents and ground crew workers in exactly the same way. He wasnt too big for anyone and no one was too small for him. Baseball lost the best pure hitter of this era and one of the best ever in the game. But the bigger loss was that of the man that was Tony Gwynn. 4) Baseball is such a great sport. Everyday gives you some different feeling about your team and its chances. It is made for sports talk radio. Or maybe it made sports talk radio. Either way our team can excite us one day and disappoint us the next. One week we feel like we are going all the way and the next week our team is a bunch of bums. The season is a marathon-long roller coaster ride. It can be exhilarating or exhausting depending upon the end result. Statistics allow us to continuously grade the progress of our team and how it is performing. The numbers can be made to tell just about any story and often times suit our bias. I love the weekly power rankings that come out and show which team is ranked ahead of its competition. Each week the teams are moved up and down based upon how they performed over a seven-day time frame. Seven days in a baseball season is only a snapshot of a team and who they are. There is a saying in baseball that no team is as good as they are when playing its best or as bad as they are when they play their worst. Yet each week we come up with an ordering of the teams according to some arbitrary evaluation. This year is no different. So far in one ranking the Giants, Cardinals, As, Brewers and Tigers have all been atop the rankings at one point or another this season. This is bizarre to me because there is one team that is the best and no one else is even close. The best team in baseball by far is the Oakland As. Why? The As have outscored the opposition by 134 runs. The next closest team is the San Francisco Giants who are a +47. Isnt the idea to outscore your opponent? The As have scored the most runs in baseball. "Well isnt pitching more important?" you ask. The As have given up the least number of runs as well. Back when Billy Beane co-wrote "Moneyball" everyone focused on the need for hitters to have a good OBP. Yet, Beanes teams back then had much better pitching than they did offence. They didnt win because their hitters had a great plan at the plate, they won because their pitchers didnt give up OBP. This As team is a true "Moneyball" team through and through. They are baseballs best offensive team while also having the best pitching. Beane has been criticized because his teams never won anything. That means championships. His clubs won a ton of games and got more bang for the buck than anyone else but that doesnt seem to matter. This is their year. Here are my power rankings: Its the Oakland As and then everybody else. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '