MILWAUKEE - As drivers pulled up in their cars to drop off canned goods at Miller Park, Ryan Braun collected the Thanksgiving donations and offered a warm handshake with his gloved right hand.Spring training is still more than two months away, but this is a good sign for the Milwaukee Brewers and their star outfielder.Braun said Wednesday that his right hand feels good. He is cautiously optimistic that a medical procedure performed in early October will finally fix a nerve problem near his right thumb that has nagged him since the 2013 season.My hope is it gets back to 100 per cent. Right now, I dont feel anything and I havent been able to say that in two years, Braun said. It would hurt shaking hands, writing — doing everything activities — and I dont feel that at all. Im excited about that.Days after the end of a disappointing season, Braun had cryotherapy, a procedure involving the application of extreme cold. The procedure was performed at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles.Braun was suspended the final 65 games of the 2013 season for his connection to the Biogenesis doping scandal. The Brewers had hoped the extra rest going into last off-season would address the problem going into 2014.For a while, that plan seemed to be working. Braun got off to a hot start in spring training. The career .306 hitters average was up to .327 on June 1, though his power numbers were down. The average slowly dipped in the second half. His struggles at the plate epitomized Milwaukees frustrating September, when a team-wide slump dropped the Brewers out of first place and out of the playoffs.The 2011 NL MVP finished hitting a career-low .266 with 19 homers and 81 RBIs.I really believe if I was anywhere near healthy the season would end up differently, Braun said. Hopefully this thing continues to feel good ... and I can get back to being one of the best players in the league.Braun said his hand felt amazing after taking swings in the weeks after the procedure. He is in his typical off-season routine now, and doesnt plan to resume baseball activities until late December.The Brewers began their off-season by trading for Adam Lind from Toronto for pitcher Marco Estrada. The addition of Lind fills two glaring needs since he is a left-handed hitting first baseman.Other than that, Milwaukee has been relatively quiet so far. The club picked up starter Yovani Gallardos $13 million option. Third baseman Aramis Ramirez is returning to the Brewers after the two sides picked up the $14 million mutual option.Manager Ron Roenicke is also coming back, while Darnell Coles is taking over for Johnny Narron as hitting coach.I dont think our failure had anything to do with (Roenicke) managing, it had to do with us playing, Braun said. So definitely happy to have him back.Otherwise, Braun is also enjoying life as the father of a 2-month-old daughter. He said he wasnt getting much sleep, but otherwise called fatherhood indescribably beautiful. . Carling Bassett-Seguso was a world No. 8 almost 30 years ago. Currently 13th, Bouchard is assured of equalling that when the next rankings are released Monday. . -- Two out of three aint bad.
http://www.cheapbluejaysjerseysauthenti ... eld-jersey.“I always did my stuff ahead of the deadline. The best deal Ive ever done was the Darryl Sydor deal. We did that at the end of January in 04, and Syd was the missing piece. . They are back to a game above .500 on the year and back to .500 on the road. It was their 10th extra time game of the year, and only the second one that did not got to a shootout. . Simon (10-3) allowed three runs on five hits and three walks in 6 1-3 innings to break a tie with the Dodgers Zack Greinke and Cardinals Adam Wainwright for the NL lead in victories. Simon went to spring training as a relief pitcher and moved into the starting rotation when Mat Latos was recovering from elbow and knee surgeries.When former Boise State head coach Chris Petersen signed a five-year deal with Washington last Friday, it meant a new beginning for the Huskies. But more than that, Petersens departure also means the end of an era in college football. During his eight-year run on the blue turf of Bronco Stadium, nobody won more games than Petersen. His 92-12 record is unmatched from 2006 to 2013. He led the Broncos to five 12-win seasons, and took home five conference titles. Under Petersens tutelage, Boise State didnt just win; they went from mid-major, to BCS buster, to national power. Petersen announced Boise States arrival at the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. In a game that included both a statue of liberty play, and a hook and ladder, and ended with a marriage proposal, BSU stunned Oklahoma 43-42 in overtime to cap an undefeated season. The Broncos became just the second non-AQ school to win a BCS bowl, and finished No. 5 in the AP Top 25. In 2009 “Coach P” did it again, leading Boise State to the Fiesta bowl, beating TCU to finish undefeated. Petersen also led Boise State to victories over national powers like Oregon, Virginia Tech, and Georgia. He led BSU to eight-straight bowl games and led them to respect from the college football elite. In the season following their 2010 Fiesta Bowl win, Boise State debuted at No. 3 in the AP Top 25, the highest pre-season ranking for a non-AQ school in the BCS era. That year the Broncos would peak at No. 2 and were a missed overtime field goal away from a possible national championship berth. During the Petersen era, Boise State moved from the now defunct WAC to the MWC. They helped the MWC secure a new television contract worth a reported $116 million, and guaranteed themselves three home games a year with a national television audience. All this at a school that recruits two-star athletes, plays in a tiny 37,000-seat stadium - 84th largest in the NCAA - and resides in the 120th largest media market in America. Washington wasnt the first AQ program to show interest; Petersens name was a constant in almost any discussion of head coaching vacancies. Arkansas, USC, UCLA, and Stanford all came calling at one time or another. But Petersen always stayed, content to lead his program and raise his family in isolated Boise. That changed this year. The Broncos won just eight games, the lowest win total of Petersens eight-year tenure. Rampant conference realignment left the MWC substantially weaker than it was when the BSU joined in 2011. And with the college football playoff coming, it should be harder than ever for schools from non-power conferences to crash the party. So Petersen heads to Washington, a school with a long, proud history. He heads to a school that beat him twice in his time in Idaho, and one that ranks third all-time in Rose Bowl appearances.Its fitting that the man who defined the term BCS buster moves on as the BCS as we know it gets busted up once and for all. Some other notes from around college football: -When Michiggan State upset Ohio State, talk immediately turned to Auburn and the National Championship.dddddddddddd But lost in the BCS shuffle was how great the moment was for the Spartans. The last time MSU was in the Rose Bowl, 1988, most of the current Spartans hadnt even been born yet. After Oregons DeAnthony Thomas said the Rose Bowl was “not a big deal,” it was refreshing to see MSUs players acting excited to be heading to the grand-daddy of them all. -Despite stunning numbers, Fresno States Derek Carr didnt receive an invite to the Heisman ceremony on Saturday. Carr led FBS with 4,833 yards passing, and a ridiculous TD/INT ratio of 48/7. He also led the Bulldogs to an 11-1 record, and a win in the inaugural MWC championship. Brother of former first overall pick David Carr, Derek should take solace in the fact that he too should be a top-10 pick. -One of the strangest sights of the season had to be UCFs game against SMU last Saturday. With a blast of winter on the way, SMU officials offered free admission to Gerald Ford Stadium. But after temperatures dipped to -5 C at kickoff - the coldest home game in SMU history - almost nobody showed up. The announced attendance was 12,589, but the AP reports the actual crowd was less than 1,000, and the stadium looked empty on the broadcast. Tickets for No. 15 UCFs next game - the Fiesta Bowl - start at $95. -One head coach to watch in the crop of new hires is Wyomings Craig Bohl. Bohl comes to Laramie from North Dakota State, where he guided the Bisons for the last 11 seasons. Since 2010, NDSU is 40-2 under Bohl, and is coming off back-to-back FCS championships. The former Nebraska defensive coordinator will finish the FCS playoffs with NDSU before joining the Cowboys. -Another coach to follow will be opposite Bohl this weekend when North Dakota meets Coastal Carolina in the FCS quarterfinals. Joe Moglia is in his second season as head coach of the Chanticleers. Moglia is actually a multimillionaire, the former CEO of TD Ameritrade. After stepping down in 2008, Moglia became a sort of unpaid intern with Nebraska, shadowing Bo Pelini for two years. A brief stint in the now-defunct UFL later, and Moglia was hired at Coastal Carolina. Last season the Chanticleers went 8-5. This season the team from Myrtle Beach, SC is 12-2. -Former Sooners head coach Barry Switzer drew criticism back in November when he tweeted before Oklahomas game against Iowa State, “Since everyone beats ISU at home, I want to be the first to congratulate [Bob Stoops] on tying the record of 157 wins!” Well the three-time national champion was at it again before Saturdays game against Oklahoma State tweeting, “Sooners will ‘Hang Half a Hundred Saturday! Anyone want to bet Old Coach!!!!” OU didnt hang ‘half a hundred, but they did beat OSU for the 10th time in 11 meetings. No word yet if Switzer will tweet about a Sooners upset of Alabama before the Sugar bowl. Click here for the Dec. 12 podcast. ' ' '
