part of the game." The manager also discussed the m | Forum

SHANGHAI -- Dustin Johnsons victory in the most recent World Golf Championship at Firestone this summer means he has to capture only the Dell Match Play to become the first player to sweep the four world events. Tarik Cohen Womens Jersey .For Rory McIlroy, the HSBC Champions that starts Thursday is the last chance to make it three straight years with a WGC title.Its all quite impressive until compared with Tiger Woods.I know Tiger has won like 18 of these things, Im not sure, McIlroy said. Second place is probably down around three or four.McIlroy has a keen sense of history, even when it comes to a series that by golf standards is still relatively new. Woods won a WGC title 18 times in a span of 15 years. Johnson and Geoff Ogilvy are next in line with three.In some respects, the World Golf Championships can be barometer for the world of golf.During the height of his career, Woods had no peer. He won a majority of the WGCs at a time when he was ruling golf. Now, they seem to be spread out among top players. Johnson has three. McIlroy and Jason Day have two apiece. Henrik Stenson, Phil Mickelson, Darren Clarke, Adam Scott and Ernie Els also have two. Martin Kaymer, Bubba Watson and Justin Rose are among major champions who also have a WGC title.Golf is loaded with great players, just none that stands out so much clearly over anyone else.I guess it is a reflection of where we are, McIlroy said. Someone like Tiger comes around, if its not once-in-a-lifetime, its once-in-a-generation. I think with technology and with the knowledge thats in the game nowadays with the coaching, its harder and harder to separate yourself from the rest of the pack.And someone like me sitting here, Im saying that sort of grudgingly because I would have loved to be on the other side of that, where there wasnt so much parity, he said. But it seems like anyone that tees it up has a great chance to win. Overall for golf, thats not a bad thing.The theory that anyone can win on any given week was illustrated last year at Sheshan International.Russell Knox was the last one to get into the field at the HSBC Champions and produced his first PGA Tour victory, holding off Johnson and Kevin Kisner. Knox went on to win again at the Travelers Championships, had three runner-up finishes and now is No. 20 in the world.The HSBC Champions this year has its strongest field ever, even with a few top players taking time off to rest (Jordan Spieth and Mickelson) or letting injuries heal (Day and Rose). It has 40 of the top 50 in the world on a course that has been drenched with rain over the last week.Woods never won this WGC, though he had only two chances until he stopped playing because of injury or other priorities.McIlroy introduced an interesting theory on why Woods won 41 percent of the time in the WGCs, nearly 50 percent in stroke play. There is no cut, no stress, and players know they have four rounds to work their way into position.I never want to criticize Tigers game at all, but if there was one thing or one negative you would say about him was that he probably wasnt the fastest starter in normal golf tournaments, McIlroy said. Here, you dont really have that pressure of trying to play your way into a tournament. You know youre getting four rounds, so youve got plenty of time to make birdies and play well.As his answer was being translated into Chinese, McIlroy wanted to add one more theory that didnt require nearly as much thought.Can I just add one more thing to why he won so many? McIlroy said. Because he was the best.McIlroy is coming into the HSBC Champions hopeful that three weeks off didnt cost him momentum. He won the Tour Championship (and the FedEx Cup) and played well in the Ryder Cup. Hes not the only player coming off a break. The field includes 19 players from the Ryder Cup, and Justin Thomas, who is coming off a victory in Malaysia.Stenson, who won a silver claret jug at Royal Troon and a silver medal in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in a span of five weeks, will be playing a regular event for the first time in nearly two months and is feeling more fresh than rusty.Its my sixth time in Shanghai, and I dont think Ive finished worse than 11th, he said. So Ive played well here, but not quite well enough to win. Hopefully, I can try to change that this week. Anthony Miller Womens Jersey . The Islanders dealt Thomas Vanek to the Montreal Canadiens after less than a year on Long Island. Meanwhile, the Oilers dealt long-time sniper Ales hemsky to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick in 2014 and a third-rounder in 2015. Dick Butkus Womens Jersey . Olli Jokinen, Mark Scheifele, and Bryan Little each had a goal and an assist as Winnipeg won 5-2, handing Calgary its record-setting seventh consecutive loss on home ice. https://www.bearssportsgoods.com/Womens-Jim-Mcmahon-Inverted-Jersey/ . LOUIS -- Attorneys for the St. SAN FRANCISCO -- Bostons Ryan Dempster accepted his punishment without admitting any misdeed. The Canadian pitcher was suspended for five games and fined by Major League Baseball on Tuesday for intentionally hitting New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez with a pitch last weekend. While Dempster still maintains he was only trying to establish the inside part of the plate and wasnt trying to hit Rodriguez on purpose, he will not contest the punishment and began serving it Tuesday. "I thought about appealing," the Gibsons, B.C., native said before Boston played the Giants. "At the end of the day, I think Major League Baseball does a really good job of thinking through punishments before they hand them out. I thought it was in the best interest of us as a team to go ahead and serve my suspension." MLB senior vice-president Joe Garagiola Jr. announced the penalty two days after Dempster hit A-Rod in the second inning at Fenway Park. Yankees manager Joe Girardi was fined for arguing with plate umpire Brian ONora. Dempsters fine was $2,500 and Girardis was $5,000, people familiar with the discipline told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the amounts were not announced. Dempster was scheduled to pitch Saturday at the Los Angeles Dodgers but now could be pushed back to next Tuesdays homestand opener against Baltimore. He will throw a simulated game on Friday. Boston is off Thursday, and Jon Lester will be able to pitch on regular rest Saturday in Dempsters place. Jake Peavy is set to go Sunday on normal four days rest. "That has nothing to do with it," Dempster said. "I think it has to do with taking my suspension and put it past. Theres no point in carrying out an appeals process. We have other things to worry about and thats going out and winning a ballgame tonight against the San Francisco Giants. Ill take my punishment." Earlier Tuesday, Girardi insisted it would be "open season" on Rodriguez if MLB failed to suspend Dempster. Girardi had hoped for a suspension long enough to make Dempster miss a turn. "I think I made my feelings pretty clear then," Girardi said after the suspension was announced. Dempster threw one pitch behind A-Rods knees and two more inside during the second inning. Then his 3-0 pitch struck Rodriguezs left elbow pad and ricocheted off his back. "You dont throw at a guy four times," Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia said. "He violated every code in every way." Dempster said he will never stop pitching inside. "Thats a real important part of pitching to any hitter, especially a big power hitter," he said. Girardi sprinted onto the field, screaming at ONora for not ejecting the pitcher. Jim McMahon Womens Jersey. Girardi was tossed as the benches and bullpens emptied, and Rodriguez homered off Dempster to spark a sixth-inning rally that lifted New York to a 9-6 win. "That baseball is a weapon. Its not a tennis ball. Or its not an Incrediball thats soft. Its a weapon, and it can do a lot of damage to someones life," Girardi said before a doubleheader against Toronto. "And thats why I was so upset about it. You can express your opinion and be upset with someone, but you just cant start throwing baseballs at people. I mean, its scary." Girardi said his profane rant at ONora probably was the angriest hes been on a ball field. Rodriguez was suspended for 211 games on Aug. 5 for violating baseballs drug and labour agreements but is playing while he appeals. Red Sox pitcher John Lackey criticized the rules last week for allowing A-Rod to play. Girardi said prior to the announcement that if Dempster wasnt punished, it would make Rodriguez "open season for people, and that cant happen. Its not fair. If a player is suspended for throwing at someone, theyre going to get their appeal. Are we just going to throw that out, too?" Asked later if the level of penalty would make it open season, he responded: "Thats my concern. Well find out. I sure hope not." "If you suspend a position player three games, he misses three games," Girardi added. "You can suspend a pitcher five games, even six games and he may not miss a start. The off days come into play." The Red Sox did not criticize the decision, saying their focus was on winning games and making it to the playoffs. "We fully respect what MLB has decided to do and hand down the suspension," manager John Farrell said. "Never has it been uttered that its been unjust. To Ryans credit, hes serving the suspension starting tonight." New York didnt retaliate Sunday. Girardi wouldnt say whether there is a need to respond when the teams next meet, at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 5. Girardi said "protecting your own" in baseball has gone on for "for a long time. And unfortunately youre part of those situations sometimes, but thats part of the game." The manager also discussed the matter with his 6-year-old son, Dante. "Part of pitching is pitching inside, thats all part of it," he recalled telling the boy. "But I dont ever want you to hit anyone on purpose." After Sundays game, Rodriguez declined to say whether Dempster should be suspended. "Im the wrong guy to be asking about suspensions. Holy mackerel," A-Rod said with a laugh. "Ive got an attorney I can recommend." ' ' '