You may or may not be aware that I am a massive baseball fan. Zapatillas Nike Air Max 90 Hombre . I love it. You, however, may not be and you are probably expecting a column on soccer in this spot of the site. Dont worry, it is coming. Stay with me. The 2014 Major League Baseball season is not yet three weeks old and it is in a bit of a mess. I often use that great sport as a companion in my down time, away from the beautiful game I am blessed enough to cover. During this time I will watch many games, very often not complete ones, around the continent by using my remote control to allow me to jump into numerous different ballparks. I will read plenty and listen to many smart baseball media personalities talk about the game. Except, this season has been very different. Those pages I turn, the sites I visit and the podcasts and stations I listen to have been flooded by debates about replay, challenges and rule changes. When is a runner out at first base? Where does the ball need to land in the glove? When is a lane not being opened for a runner heading from third for a play at the plate? When is the catcher breaking the rules by blocking the plate when in possession of the ball? Why is a Yankee being called safe, even after a replay call, when the world can see on their own monitors live that he was tagged by a Red Sox player while his foot was off the bag? Why, while dealing with replay issues, is the sport taking a moronic approach to another fight about the transfer of the ball to the glove after a catch? Blah blah blah. My ears hurt. Back to soccer. For a minute. One of the true charms of the sport, for me, has always been the amount of discussions that surround what actually happens to the players between the white lines. Yes, the sport has a gambling and a fantasy component but most discussions about the sport are about the sport. In fact now, more than ever, thanks to the fine work being done by tactical writers like Michael Cox and analytical, statistical authors like Simon Gleave and many others, more than ever we are surrounded by insightful analysis around incidents and conclusions that have been determined on the pitch. Pundits like Gary Neville on Sky Sports has also taken his industry to a different level and I like to think the fine team here at TSN that I am a part of helps to deliver a similar message. Entertain and inform the audience about what is happening on the field. Compare this to the NFL, which in the United States is as enormous as the Premier League is in England. Except, the analysis around it is much different. The majority of their fans desire discussions on betting lines and fantasy previews. While this is being delivered to them, what actually is happening is the audience is getting less educated about what kind of players play the game. They see their wide receiver, for example, on their fantasy team and look for his stats but they dont know what kind of routes he runs to confuse defensive backs. Theyll hope their fantasy quarterback will deliver the goods on Sunday but if he doesnt most arent told why not and by Tuesday they dont care as the planning goes into the following fantasy week matchup. Over the last decade, Formula One racing has mastered a way to feed hungry fans with a lot of stories away from their races, because, quite frankly, many on-track narratives in the last few years havent been interesting enough. Baseball, for me, was always different. I love hearing why players are struggling or improving and so many other nuances on the diamond that make it so great. Except now the sport is searching for perfection in an imperfect world. One respected writer said this week the replay system is not a mess, sure its got problems but they are still now getting more calls correct than they used to. Yes, but at what cost? The sport is all over the media and for the wrong reasons. Or, perhaps, the right reasons and not just the reason I want. Despite record revenues and attendances, baseball does worry about his lack of coverage compared to other big sports like football and basketball. Maybe this is a way of combating that. Maybe. Soccer certainly does not need such attention. As the world evolves in front of our very eyes, attention spans are getting smaller and smaller yet more people than ever are watching the game globally. And in a World Cup year that number will grow again. Eyes in every nation across the world will focus on what is happening between the white lines. For a sport that plays shorter games than most and nowhere near as often as most, that is a significant achievement for both those who cover it and those who watch it. Combined in 2014 they have managed to accomplish what the purpose of sport is in the first place. Anything with large sums of money involved will always have complications and politics, but throughout that it is important for us all to never be distracted from the magnificent accomplishments athletes reach on a daily basis. They are the reasons people flock to watch professional sports and they are deserving of the coverage. They bring great joy and pleasure to lives that can be full of difficulties. When the public actually gets time to read, watch or listen to their sport they deserve to be told more about the people who attracted them to the sport in the first place. And this brings me back to my original point. Technology does not have every answer to questions thrown up by the game. Goal-line technology is now here to stay and does not disrupt the game or dominate news cycles for weeks on end but that is where is must stop. There are many ways for the sport to progress and help referees but further technology is not one of them. Yes, mistakes will continue and during the World Cup this summer one will likely happen where more people will call for technology to change the game. Except, it doesnt just change the game, it changes the focus. Sure, if you have time this summer read up all on the politics of Brazil 2014, the bidding process around the next two World Cups, the issues with stadiums and potential crime but if you are a true fan of the sport nothing should be more exciting for you than Brazil vs Croatia on the opening day. Eight weeks today it kicks off. I can hardly wait. nike air veer gs online . Retired players Dave Christian, Reed Larson and William Bennett filed a class action lawsuit in federal court on Tuesday alleging that the league has promoted fighting and downplayed the risk of head injuries that come from it. "I think the glorified violence is really the Achilles heel for the NHL," said Charles "Bucky" Zimmerman, an attorney at Zimmerman Reed that filed the lawsuit on behalf of the players. Nike Free 3.0 v4 Mujer . Jennifer Jones team out of Winnipeg beat the former world champion 8-5 at the Ice Cube Center in Sochi.Boston, MA (SportsNetwork.com) - Nazem Kadri scored the deciding goal of the shootout as the Toronto Maple Leafs prevailed with a 4-3 win over the Boston Bruins. Mike Santorelli, Torontos first shooter, made several quick moves before shooting the puck through the legs of Tuukka Rask for a good goal. Torey Krug tied the shootout with a quick wrister over the glove of Jonathan Bernier in the second round. Kadri opened the fifth round by shuffling a backhander off Rasks pad and through his legs to put the Maple Leafs ahead, and David Krejci missed the net for Boston to end the game. That was probably as good of a win as we are going to have all year, said Kadri. Phil Kessel notched his 500th career point after finishing with a goal and an assist, while James van Riemsdyk and Leo Komarov also scored as the Maple Leafs ended a two-game skid. Bernier stopped 25 shots in the win. Carl Soderberg had a goal and an assist, Krejci and Krug also lit the lamp and Rask stopped 18 shots for the Bruins, who were coming off a 5-2 win over Detroit on Monday. We need to be ready to play 60 minutes, Bruins coach Claude Julien said. Boston stormed back to tie the game with two goals late in the second period. Krejcis offering went off Toronto defenseman Cody Franson and into the net with 4:32 to play and less than two minutes later, Krugs cross-crease dish went off Komarovs skate and into the net for a 3-3 contest heading into the third. The Maple Leafs survived a late onslaught and the game went to overtime as Bernnier made nine saves and Rask made just two. Nike Air Max 90 Ice Baratas. . Boston continued its strong play by outshooting Toronto 4-0 in the extra session, but was unable to convert. Toronto started the scoring midway through the opening period as Peter Holland wrestled the puck off a defender below the goal line and sent a pass to the slot, where Komarov beat Rask with a quick shot just inside the right post. Each team scored within the first minute of the middle stanza. Soderberg tied the game just 17 seconds into the frame as he deflected Reilly Smiths point shot in front. The puck trickled through Berniers pads and Soderberg swiped it into the net for a power-play goal. Kessel raced into the offensive zone and sent a pass from the right faceoff dot to van Riemsdyk, who tapped the puck through the pads of Rask from the slot for a 2-1 score 31 seconds later. Kessel extended Torontos lead to 3-1 on the power play as he skated up to the left circle and wristed a shot off the pipe and past Rask at 9:45. Game Notes Maple Leafs forward Joffrey Lupul left the game with a lower-body injury and did not return ... Komarov played for the first time since Nov. 29 after missing time with a concussion ... Boston forwards Patrice Bergeron and Milan Lucic both returned to the lineup after sitting on Mondays win over Detroit with undisclosed injuries ... Bruins forward Loui Eriksson played in his 600th NHL game ... The two teams will conclude the season series on Apr. 4 at TD Garden. cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '
