Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. This week they discuss Joe Thorntons locker room comments, the Raptor Mascots injury, Canadas Olympic jerseys and the booing of Andrea Bargnani. Bruce Arthur, National Post: My thumb is up to big centre Joe Thornton of the San Jose Sharks. After 19-year-old teammate Tomas Hertl scored his fourth goal of the game on a brilliant between-the-legs play in a 9-2 win over the rangers, some suggested the youngster was too, uh, confident. During a question to this effect in Vancouver, Jumbo Joe interrupted a teammates scrum to tell reporters what he would do if he ever scored four goals in a game, and it would have made slap shots strip teasing hero Ned Braden blush. Yes, Thornton was foul-mouthed; maybe he didnt expect to be quoted, but there you are. At least he was honest, which we could use more of in hockey, and in sports. Now lets all pray, together, that Joe Thornton never scores four goals in a game. Steve Simmons, Sun Media: My thumb is down to the poor forever downtrodden Toronto Raptors and the season ending injury from which they cannot recover. And no, Im not talking about any of their players, not that any one of them would be thumb-worthy. Its their mascot, the Raptor, who is out after attempting a flip in a pre-season game in Halifax and ending up having surgery for a severed Achilles tendon. Normally, I could care less about furry arena-laden mascots. Most of them annoy me. But this Raptor, working for a perpetually losing team, is many nights the best part of the show. A season without him just wont be the same. Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated: My thumb is down to Canadas Olympic third jersey, which, as you know, is black. Now you might have noticed that the national colors are red and white, pretty much from sea to sea to sea. Of course, Canada does feature some black. You have your Alberta oil sands and the black watch regiment. And theres Randy Carlyles heart after a bad turnover by a Maple Leafs defenceman. But in a two-week tournament, Canada hardly needs to deviate from the colors it has worn so proudly and successfully. Goalie Carey Price joked he likes the black sweater because he finds it slimming. I dont like it because I find it foreign. Dave Hodge, TSN: My thumb is down to the booing of Andrea Bargnani, but not just any Bargnani booing. Specifically, the booing of Bargnani, the New York Knick, at Fridays exhibition game. Now, I cant imagine going to an exhibition game for the purpose of booing anyone, but as you may know, I cant imagine going to an exhibition game period. Presumably, you boo an opposing player to somehow get him off his game, to somehow help the home team. If theres a way to make Bargnani pay for being such a letdown as a Raptor, for goodness sake, come up with it during the regular season. . -- Oakland Athletics starting pitchers Jarrod Parker and A. . Austin Watson, Scott Ford, Filip Forsberg and Mark Van Guilder had the other goals for the Admirals (30-21-12). Scott Darling made 30 saves for his 10th win of the season.
http://www.cheapravensjerseyssale.com/? ... sey-sale.J. Barea during a three-game shooting slump that was getting him booed off his home court with regularity. .com) - Damian Lillard poured in 40 points on 11-of-21 shooting to go along with 11 assists, and the Portland Trail Blazers stunned the Oklahoma City Thunder, 115-111, in overtime on Tuesday. . -- Lindsey Vonn squeezed in a little freeskiing on Thanksgiving morning, a step in the right direction for a return to racing after reinjuring her right knee in a recent training crash.MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Washingtons Bradley Beal seemed to make every shot he took in setting a career high with 37 points. But then, with the game on the line, he struggled down the stretch. Nick Calathes and Marc Gasol scored 18 points each, and the Memphis Grizzlies survived Beals big night to defeat the Wizards 92-89 on Tuesday night. Beal finished the night converting 15 of 24 shots, but was unable to connect in the closing minutes. He missed five of his last six shots, including a 21-footer with 12.9 seconds left that would have tied the game. "The past few games, I was too worried about my defender," Beal said. "As soon as I saw the first couple go in, it was a wrap after that. My confidence was high, and I just kept shooting the ball the same way every time. "I was having fun." Zach Randolph split two free throws with 11.5 seconds left to give the Grizzlies the 92-89 lead. John Walls 3-pointer for the tie with about 1 second left rattled around before popping out, giving Memphis the win. "We were supposed to hand it back to John," Wizards coach Randy Wittman said of the final play. "Bradley was going to flare for a three, but we didnt get the hand off back to John." Randolph, Courtney Lee and James Johnson scored 13 apiece for Memphis, and Randolph grabbed 10 rebounds. Calathes, who started his sixth straight game because of an ankle injury to starting point guard Mike Conley, also had six assists for the Grizzlies. "Nick Calathes is playing great," Memphis coach Dave Joerger said. "He makes some mistakes, but I have the ball in his hands and 98 per cent of the time, he makes the right play and the right pass. What hes doing right now in leading this ballclub is absolutely tremendous." Nene had 17 points for the Wizards, while Trevor Ariza and Marcin Gortat added 10 points each. Wall, who entered the game averaging a team-best 20.1 points, was limited to a season-low five points, making only 2 of 10 shots, missing all four attempts from outside the arc. "Its terriblle that you waste a game like that from (them)," Wittman said of Beal and Nene, particularly citing Nene holding Randolph to 4 of 11 shooting and forcing the Grizzlies forward into five turnovers.dddddddddddd"As well as Nene was playing Zach Randolph in the post, its too bad you waste efforts like that." Memphis pushed the lead to 16 near the 9-minute mark of the third quarter on a 3-pointer from Tayshaun Prince. But Washington, with Beal continuing to score and Gortat contributing 10 in the quarter, went on a 20-8 burst to make a serious dent in the Memphis margin. "Obviously, Bradley Beal hits a lot of great shots," Joerger said. "Courtney (Lee) trailed him and bothered him. James (Johnson) trailed him and bothered him. The guy made tough shots." By the end of the third, Memphis had added a few points to its remaining lead carrying a 79-70 lead into the fourth. The Wizards were able to pull even at 80 with 6:52 left when Beals 14-footer, pushed him past his previous career high of 34. Beal was the major part of the 12-1 Wizards run to give them an 82-80 lead on Nenes 17-footer with 5:46 left. Memphis answered with a 7-2 mini-run to put the Grizzlies up for good, although each team made mistakes in the closing minutes. "We kept the ball on one side, and they just loaded up," Gasol said of Washingtons second-half defence. "We would average two, three passes and played too far away from the basket. We let them do what they wanted to do defensively and made it easy on them. "But we got away with a win." NOTES: Conley missed his sixth straight game with a bum right ankle. The Grizzlies are now 3-3 since his injury. ... Beals previous high was 34 points against Oklahoma City on Nov. 10. ... Johnson recorded his 16th block of a 3-pointer this season near the end of the first half. ... The Wizards have lost nine straight in Memphis and havent won a road game in the series since Nov. 3, 2004, the night of the first regular-season game the Grizzlies played at FedExForum. ' ' '
