will not come back at the start of the 2014-15 season | Forum
miaowang123
Dec 5 '17
OEIRAS, Portugal -- Carlos Berlocq stormed back to beat top-seeded Tomas Berdych 0-6, 7-5, 6-1 and win the Portugal Open on Sunday for his second career title. Carmelo Anthony Team USA Jersey . The Argentine shook off his poor start to prevail in the two-hour match on outdoor clay by converting seven of his 10 break points. "Its a very strong, very beautiful feeling," he said. "It was a very special match for me. I didnt have any pressure to win and its not my culture to conform to expectations. "To win a title, and against a top-10 player, carries double merits. To close the match the way I did was very emotional." Berlocq earned a crucial late break in the second set to turn the match in his favour before breaking Berdych four more times to win the decider. "In the second set, when I changed my tactics I saw the ball better, committed less errors and it opened the door," Berlocq said. Berlocq beat Milos Raonic in Fridays quarterfinal for his first win over a top-10 ranked opponent, and two days later he added his second by bettering the sixth-ranked Berdych. "The first set looks easy, but it doesnt show what was going on," Berdych said. "Carlos is a big fighter and he completely changed his game, finding a way to win." The 31-year-old Berlocqs only other career title came last year at Bastad, Sweden. Allen Iverson Team USA Jersey . JOHNS, N. Clyde Drexler USA Jersey . Mako Vunipola was promoted from the reserves, with Matt Mullan called up to the bench on Thursday. "It is important that Joe is with his partner at this exciting time," England coach Stuart Lancaster said.TORONTO -- When Gary Bettman approached Ray Emery during the Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup celebration at the White House, everyone around wondered what was going to happen. The Philadelphia Flyers goaltender had drawn league-wide attention just a few days earlier for skating the length of the ice to fight an unwilling combatant in Braden Holtby. Naturally, that came up. "I said: Oh, Ray. Its good to see you. Ive been thinking about you. We had a nice chat," the commissioner said. "And I said, So just hypothetically, if there was a rule that said if you cross the red line to get into a fight with the other goaltender and you get a 10-game suspension, would you have done it? He goes, What? Are you crazy?" It might not be a 10-game suspension, but NHL general managers will discuss potential changes to fighting rules Tuesday at their annual meeting following Hall of Fame induction weekend. Bettman acknowledged that incidents like George Parros being concussed after falling during a fight with Colton Orr and what Emery did sparked plenty of debate, but he made it clear its just one of many topics on the agenda. "I think the level of dialogue gets sparked by an occasional incident, and an incident of this nature when you look at everything else that is going on in the season was really a small pebble relative to a beach full of sand, which is seeing an incredibly entertaining season," Bettman said Monday. "I think sometimes an incident, as rare as it might be, tends to get focused on disproportionately." During his remarks at the Prime Time Sports Management conference in Toronto, Bettman called fighting a "thermostat" in hockey that helps cool things down when tensions run high. "When Vinny Lecavalier was in a fight with (Jarome) Iginla ... they got mad at each other," he said during his question-and-answer session. "Id rather them be punching each other than swinging sticks at each other." One of the arguments against the abolition of fighting, or even making the punishment a game misconduct or suspension, is that it would cause more high-sticks and cheap shots. Bettman did not overtly reveal his opinion one way or the other but said that feelings on both sides of the fighting debate are "really dug in." "To say youre getting rid of fighting, Im not even sure what that means because you can change the penalty and make it more severe," he said. "That doesnt mean if somebodys sufficiently motivated, theyre not going to fight. So well take the hypothetical. You get thrown out of the game if you fight. OK, I think guys will still fight if they feel the need." A 2011 poll conducted by the NHLPA and CBC found that 98 per cent of players would not support the total elimination of fighting. Bettman wants to take the pulse of GMs at Tuesdays meeting. That includes feelings about goaltenders fighting and other topics. Emery was not suspended for pummelling Holtby because there is nothing in the rule book to use as precedent. Bettman expects a "general discussion" but does not think any rule changes will come about just yet. Bettman said the current rules, which include a five-minute major for fighting and extra penalties stemming from the instigator and third-man-in rules, represeent the consensus among GMs. Charles Barkley Team USA Jersey. "If somebody wants to change it, there needs to be a new consensus," he said. "Thats why the discussions ongoing. Having said that, it continues to evolve as the game does. Four years ago a shoulder hit to the head was not penalized. Now itll get you suspended. Were going to continue to look at what we can do to keep the game physical but safe as possible." Senior vice president of player safety Brendan Shanahan, whos being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame Monday night, is expected to address the GMs and give his usual update. Hybrid icing will also be on the docket, as Bettman said the adjustment is ongoing for players and officials. While the Parros and Emery incidents stoked the fire about fightings place in the NHL, Bettman doesnt want them to overshadow other things that are going on, like the Colorado Avalanches hot start, strong television ratings and arenas being filled to 95 per cent of capacity. "We probably wouldnt even be having the fighting discussion right now if there wasnt a freak play with George Parros losing his balance and falling," Bettman said. "Like the Emery-Holtby incident, those things dont define the season were having. Theyre important, we look at them, we discuss them, but they get more attention than they probably warrant in any particular case because were constantly monitoring the game." Bettman said the NHL does fan research on a constant basis and not specifically when incidents are in the news. Hes also aware of the opinions expressed by league executives, like when Brian Burke wrote an editorial for USA Today in support of fighting. Tuesday provides a chance for "to see if anybody has an appetite for pursuing" any rule changes, Bettman said. "Ultimately if theres going to be a change, there needs to be a new consensus (among) all parties who have to make a decision," he said. "We try to do whats in the best interest of the game, and that includes our fans, that includes our clubs and that includes our players. There are lots of views on lots of subjects. This happens to be one which probably gets a disproportionate amount of attention." Another topic that has gotten a lot of attention is NHL expansion, especially considering unbalanced divisions created by realignment. Having 32 teams would even out the divisions, but Bettman said there were no formal plans to expand. "I dont envision right now going through a formal expansion process," Bettman said in an interview after speaking at the conference. "We get expressions of interest all the time. Those are informal conversations that we have, but in terms of a formal bid process, Im not focused on doing anything like that right now." The league and NHLPA have discussed reviving the World Cup of Hockey, which Bettman said hed prefer over the Olympics, but the commissioner did not provide an update on those talks. He did confirm that NHL Premiere games in Europe that happened from 2007 through 2011 will not come back at the start of the 2014-15 season. "Thats something that we and the Players Association have agreed on," Bettman said. "We think its too late, all of us. We had a meeting a month ago and we jointly reached that conclusion." Cheap NFL JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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