New St Johnstone midfielder Blair Alston is determined to hit the ground running at the club to repay the faith shown in him by Tommy Wright. The Saints manager has been keen to sign Alston from Falkirk since the turn of the year, and he finally landed the player on Thursday.Alston decided to end his five-year stay with the Bairns after they lost the promotion play-off final to Kilmarnock last weekend. The 24-year-old has signed a two-year contract at McDiarmid Park and he is desperate to make the most of his opportunity.Its massive to play at a club where you know the manager really wants you, Alston told the Dundee Courier.From the moment I met him I could tell the kind of guy he was and hes the type of person I want to play for. St Johnstone boss Tommy Wright has been keen to sign Alston since January Hes told me what hes looking for and to show the level of interest he did in me was a big factor in my decision.This is the first time Ive had to make a decision like that because Ive been at Falkirk my whole career.So to have someone with the kind of faith the gaffer here has in me then its a huge thing. He believes I can come here, develop and improve as a player.Thats my aim, I want to be as good as I can be and here Im joining a club that has been really successful in the last few years. Also See: St Johnstone fixtures St Johnstone stats Scottish Prem table .com) - Sixth-seeded Feliciano Lopez was a first-round winner on Monday at the Delray Beach Open tennis event. . Specifically, thumbs up to the Canadian-based teams in the NHL, or at least most of them.
http://www.cheappacersjerseysauthentic. ... nis-jersey. This was one of them. Omar Infante homered and tied a career high with six RBIs to carry the Kansas City Royals over the Baltimore Orioles 9-3 on Sunday. .C. -- Ryan Sproul scored the winner late in double overtime to lift the Grand Rapids Griffins to a 2-1 win over the Abbotsford Heat on Friday in Game 1 of their American Hockey League playoff series. . Subway workers in Rio de Janeiro, meanwhile, were holding an assembly to vote on whether they would strike to demand higher wages, threatening to disrupt transportation. By late Tuesday night there was no announcement of their decision.The San Antonio Spurs fought off a valiant effort from the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of their Western Conference quarterfinal and will go for a 2-0 series lead Wednesday night when the two long-time rivals clash at AT&T Center. On Sunday afternoon, the Spurs trailed 81-71 with 7:45 to play, but closed the game on a 19-4 run. They finished with a 90-85 victory and a 10-game winning streak against their Texas neighbors. "Made some stops, that generates offense. We needed it," San Antonios All- Star guard Tony Parker said of the run. San Antonio couldnt buy a 3-pointer as Manu Ginobili was the only Spur to convert one in Game 1. He went 3-of-6 from 3-point range, but the Spurs went just 3-of-17 (17.6 percent) as a team. It shot a blistering 43.3 percent (42- of-97) from downtown in four games against Dallas this season. The difference on Sunday was Tim Duncan. The future Hall of Famer finished with 27 points and seven rebounds. "We got killed on threes in the first four outings this year," Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki said. "We stayed home a little more on 3-point shooters, but youve got to give them something, and Duncan in there is obviously still solid." Parker posted 21 points, six assists and four rebounds for the top-seeded Spurs, who finished with the NBAs best record at 62-20. Ginobili finished with 17 points and six rebounds, while Kawhi Leonard registered a double- double with 11 points and 10 boards. Devin Harris led Dallas with 19 points, followed by 11 apiece from Nowitzzki, Monta Ellis and Brandan Wright.dddddddddddd Vince Carter chipped in 10 off the bench. The late-game run was sparked by, of course, Duncan. He banked in a turnaround and then put in a runner to begin the surge before Tiago Splitter tied the game at 81-81 with a layup with 4:54 remaining. Consecutive Parker baskets gave the Spurs their first lead since it was 50-49 when there was 8:14 left in the third. Wright split a pair of foul shots to pull Dallas within 86-82 with 2:05 on the clock, but it never got any closer. Splitter sunk two foul shots at the other end and the Mavericks missed three of their final four shots from the field. "Its obvious that we did a lot of great things," Dallas head coach Rick Carlisle told the teams website. "We built a lead, but 7 1/2 minutes is a long time in an NBA game and youve got to be able to sustain. Weve got to work on getting another lead in Game 2 and then closing." The Spurs received some good news on Tuesday when Gregg Popovich was named Coach of the Year. He became the third coach to earn the honor three times, joining Pat Riley and Don Nelson. "I feel very honored for a whole lot of reasons," said Popovich. "First, there were so many coaches that did such a great job this year. To be singled out is pretty humbling. "When you win an award, it comes down to the players. Theyve been unbelievable for me. Without their play, diligence and professionalism, I know this wouldnt happen." Game 3 will be Saturday evening in Dallas. ' ' '
