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Bruce Arthur, Toronto Star: My thumb is up to small mercies for Toronto Maple Leafs fans. Every year, ESPN the magazine ranks 122 North American sports franchises, and this year, the Leafs ranked dead last. They were 119th last year, 122nd the year before that, 120th, 121st, 120th - well, you get the picture. ESPN uses a mixture of factors, but the Leafs are persistently rotten in both affordability and wins, the first of which has no chance to changing this season. But theres an upside to the bottom of the barrel: it cant get worse, right? Well, of course it can. Beer prices could rise, a meteor could strike, some league could add an expansion team. But numerically, this is as bad as it gets. If youre a Leafs fan, well, thats got to count for something. Steve Simmons, SUN Media: My thumb is down to the National Football League - I know, its an easy target these days - for its inability to see success, celebrate it, and understand the moment. On Thursday night, Devin Hester - now of the Atlanta Falcons - broke Deion Sanders remarkable record for most return touchdowns in history. Hester did so with style, with Deion in the building and he did so by paying tribute to Sanders by high-stepping the final yards to the end zone. For that, he should have been applauded for both respect and his acknowledgment of history. Instead, he was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct. The NFL, in need of an moment it could call good news, flagged itself on the play, spoiling the celebration. Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated: My thumb is up to the other referendum in Scotland this week. By a resounding margin of 85 to 15 per cent, the Royal & Ancient voted to allow women members at St. Andrews. Nice of these gents to enter a new century: The 20th century. Please hold your applause. Finishing runner-up to Augusta National in the category of social change is only mildly praiseworthy. At an existential level, golf is the most egalitarian sport. The only thing that matters is the number on the scorecard. But getting to post that number, getting through the figurative gates to the first tee in this exclusive sport, can make an otherwise great game exasperating. Dave Hodge, TSN: Once more before he plays his last game, my thumb is up to Derek Jeter and the way he has conducted his career. Im not suggesting hes a) the greatest shortstop or b) the best person in baseball history … a) hes not and b) hes probably not. But Derek Jeter has represented himself, his team, his city and his sport about as well as you could want. If you were writing a handbook guide for future athletes, Jeter could be chapter one. Who knows how many would turn out like him, but the number would be greater because of the opportunity to witness what he has done, and to learn from it. Dont make him an idol--the sports world has too many who arent. Make him a good example--the sports world has too few who are. Cheap Air Jordan 13 Wholesale . The 28-year-old from Rochester, Alta., was selected by the Redblacks from the Saskatchewan Roughriders roster in the 2013 CFL Expansion Draft. Cheap Air Jordan 13 Sale . New York then missed its next six shots and scored only two points the rest of the night. The Los Angeles Clippers defence and the Knicks general ineptitude both played a role in the unsurprising finish to a meeting of two teams headed in opposite directions. http://www.airjordan13discount.com/. On Tuesday, the star questioned whether that was still the case. Speaking to reporters at a charity event, Johnson said: "I just kind of wonder sometimes: Is this still the place for me?" Johnsons comments came after he was asked why he recently skipped a voluntary minicamp. Air Jordan 13 Discount . TSNs coverage of the Third Round gets underway Sunday with Game 1: Los Angeles at Chicago at 3pm et/Noon pt. TSNs broadcast schedule for the Third Round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs is as follows: Chicago Blackhawks vs. Los Angeles Kings• Game 1: Los Angeles at Chicago – Sunday, May 18 at 3pm et/Noon pt• Game 2: Los Angeles at Chicago – Wednesday, May 21 at 8pm et/5pm pt• Game 4: Chicago at Los Angeles – Monday, May 26 at 9pm et/6pm pt Featured in the broadcast booth for TSN are play-by-play announcer Chris Cuthbert and game analyst Ray Ferraro, with Farhan Lalji contributing reports from rinkside. Cheap Air Jordan Retro 13 . -- Theres been so much talk about Mike Moustakas at the plate that the third baseman ignored the conversation Wednesday -- even after doing something positive.It goes without saying that no mixed martial artist enjoys being stuck on the sidelines. Though fighters each have their own motivations for competing, they all must embrace the grind if they hope to reach the top. Not only do debilitating injuries prevent further training — and therefore hinder progress — they also mean a lack of paydays. For newly crowned UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks, his current hiatus is only further compounded by the fact that he has yet to defend his title. The two-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion captured the vacant 170-pound strap at UFC 171 in March, winning a thrilling unanimous decision over Robbie Lawler. However, he immediately underwent surgery to repair a torn bicep and has since been forced to watch as the welterweight elite jockey for the No. 1 contender spot. Though Hendricks admitted his body has enjoyed the time off, his mind has been itching to get back in the cage. "Im tired of being on the DL," Hendricks told UFC.ca during a phone interview. "It sucks watching everybody else train and do things when you cant. "It was nice to finally let the body heal, but then again, you want to be there. You want to train. Thats the way Ive always been. I like being at the front and active — all those things that a lot of people might not like. Theres nothing better than waking up every day, training and having something to train for, as well. Those are the things that make it fun for me." Luckily for Hendricks, his downtime is coming to a close. On top of already returning to full-time training, hes only days away from having his first title challenger established when Lawler battles surging Matt Brown in the main event of UFC on FOX 12 in San Jose, Calif. Saturday. Though Hendricks said he doesnt care who gets the job done this weekend, he expects an entertaining war from two of the welterweight divisions most aggressive fighters. "Its going to be a good one and I think it could go a couple ways," Hendricks said. "Matt Brown could win if he keeps his distance right. One thing I expect to see from Matt Brown is to keep his distance, throw a lot of kicks and keep Robbie Lawler off balance. "From Robbie Lawler, a thing he does very well is get guys to fight into his style. Thats something that I fell into, too. In that fifth round I had to pull myself back from that. Thats what (Brown) cant do. Robbie Lawlers going to try to get Matt Brown to fight his fight. If he does that it could be a quick night for Matt Brown." Even without title-shot implications, Brown vs. Lawler is a fight fans dream. Neither athlete is known playing it safe once the octagon door shuts. Since Lawler and Brown hold a combined 31 career knockout victories, fireworks are all but guaranteed. Then theres the curious case of Brown, who has successfully made the leap from journeyman to contender by netting seven consecutive victories. Hendricks said hes curious to see how The Ultimate Fighter 7 cast member handles the stress of competing in a title eliminator. "Itll be good for him to fight somebody in the top five for the first time," Hendricks said. "This is a big-time fight for him. This is a fight that could change his life forever. Thats something that you want to see: How does he handle the pressure? Does he handle that this could be the fight of his life?" Though a win for Brown would add yet another chapter to MMAs most intriguing win streak, a Lawler victory would guarantee a rematch of arguably the best fight of 2014 so far. Lawler pushed Hendricks to the limit four months ago, but faded in the final minutes of a wild slugfest. Despite being on the receiving end of a vicious beating in the third and fourth rounds, Hendricks said he wouldnt change his approach should he lock horns with Lawler a second time. He would simply tighten certain holes Lawler expposed in their first encounter.dddddddddddd "There are some things that I would change up because of what I know now," Hendricks said. "But other than that, no. I thought I had a good game plan going into the Robbie Lawler fight. We just didnt know how bad my injury was and how it would hinder me. "That played a huge factor in trying to get takedowns. Dont get me wrong, its not that I want to do a lot of takedowns, but one of my greatest attributes is that I can get somebody scared on the feet. The reason why Im able to get people scared on the feet is because I can take them down. Thats something I have to know for myself. I have to have both of those (tools) for me to be effective with one or the other. They sort of intertwine." For the time being though, Hendricks isnt worrying about who will be next in line. Like the rest of us, hes just looking forward to a good fight this weekend. Then, once the dust has settled, he will shift his focus to retaining the UFC welterweight championship. "Thats why I wanted to be on top, because I dont have to worry about (challengers)," Hendricks said. "Now, I get to focus on what I need to do. How do I get better? Then whenever I do get cleared to fight, and the UFC and my management group do come up with somebody, thats when I can switch my mind over to it and thats all Im going to give my attention to." ----- SIZING UP 170 Though UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks is expected to face the winner of Saturdays bout between Matt Brown and Robbie Lawler, there are a number of elite fighters vying for a future title shot. Among those at the top of the list is B.C. native Rory MacDonald, who has won consecutive decisions over Demian Maia and Tyron Woodley in recent appearances. Hendricks admitted MacDonald could offer an interesting challenge, but also took a jab at the Canadians last five outings all going the distance. "I think hes a good (challenger)," Hendricks said. "He can do some amazing things. Id like to see him try to finish a couple people — that would be great. But everybodys style is different. Thats whats nice about the welterweight class, there are so many different ways it could go." On top of MacDonald, fighters such as Woodley, Hector Lombard and Dong Hyun Kim have all been making waves at 170 pounds. Hendricks admitted its an exciting time for the division, but said he doesnt spend time thinking about the murderers row currently gunning for his championship. "Heres what Ive learned from wrestling — I cant worry about Hector Lombard, Rory MacDonald, Tyron Woodley, Matt Brown or Robbie Lawler," Hendricks began. "Right now, what I have to do is worry about what I can do. I have to worry about what I need to do to get better. Nobody else matters. "Lets say I decide to worry about Robbie Lawler because he has a better chance of winning (against Brown). If I worry about Robbie Lawler and Matt Brown wins, Ive just wasted (time) worrying about fighting Robbie Lawler when I could have been preparing myself to get better." Aside from the current crop of contenders, Hendricks also cant go far without former champ Georges St-Pierres name coming up. The MMA legend won a controversial split decision over Hendricks in November and many fans have been calling for a rematch ever since. Hendricks said he would relish the opportunity to rematch St-Pierre should the Montreal native choose to return to fighting. "The way that he went out and the way the last fight went, people want to see a rematch," Hendricks said. "So Ive always figured he wouldnt be a name that would really die down. Not only that, he was the champion for six years. Its going to be hard for that name to die down. "What Ive been telling everybody is: I dont want to kill his name. I just want to make my own name." ' ' '