Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. Xavier Rhodes Jersey . This week, they discuss the ongoing Redskins name debate, a truly dominant pitching performance, the bargain basement standards of the LPGA and MLBs latest fine import. Bruce Arthur, Toronto Star: My thumb is down to the Washington Redskins name debate, and not just because theres any debate at all over the most clearly racist name in sports. No, its because the debates getting dumber by the second, as it ratchets up. A sitting U.S. Congressman - low bar, I know - compared Barack Obama to Kim Jong-Il, or -Un, after a federal trademark case declared the name derogatory. A Fox News host - low bar, I know - compared the name to the New York Giants offending tall people. This happens often, and its always, always stupid, people. Its like the Yankees, or the Lakers, or the Dallas Cowboys of stupid. Calling Dallas the Cowboys, of course, should only be offensive to competent and/or humble cowboys, one and all. Steve Simmons, Sun Media: My thumb is up to Clayton Kershaw, superstar pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who brought the no-hitter back into vogue with a performance for the ages Wednesday night at Coors Field. And I know what youre thinking: another no-hitter, big deal. Theres been so many of them in recent seasons that weve all grown a little bored of pitchers we didnt know or care about throwing another no-no. But it was different against the Colorado Rockies. This is a big name - Kershaw - striking out 15 batters, walking no one, in total command, only reaching the count of three balls on one batter and had it not been for an error by Hanley Ramirez, were talking perfect game here. Add Vin Scully broadcasting to the occasion and baseball doesnt get any better than that. Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated: My thumb is down not to 11-year-old Lucy Li, who qualified for the U.S. Open, but to womens professional golf, whose thimble-deep talent pool made it possible for an 11-year old to qualify. The sixth-grader, who looked like she should be entered in a hopscotch tournament and not slugging it out on Pinehurst no. 2, shot a pair of credible 78s, a score that matched marquee names Natalie Gulbis and Laura Davies but left her far off the cut. Nice two-day story. But rather than celebrate the presence of a sprite in the event, shouldnt the USGA, and by extension the LPGA, be mortified a novice qualified? The kid is precocious, but she isnt exactly Mozart. Dave Naylor, TSN: And my thumb is up to Masahiro Tanaka of the New York Yankees for proving that sometimes a player really is worth all the hype. You may remember how Tanakas transfer from Japan was the major story of the MLB off-season. You may also remember that when the first Major Leage hitter he faced in Melky Cabrera took him deep … some were wondering if the Yankees had just uncovered the next “Dice-K” Matsuzaka. Well right now Tanaka leads the American League in wins and ERA and is among the leaders in innings-pitched, as well as strikeouts and walks per nine innings. And hes looking like a good bet to win both the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year honours. Coming off a perfect 24-0 record in Japan last season, experts cautioned not to expect the same thing from Tanaka in the major leagues. And they were right. After all, on May 20th against the Cubs he did something he never did all of last season in japan. He took the loss. Cris Carter Jersey . Redden played a total of 1,023 regular-season games with Ottawa, the New York Rangers, St. Louis and Boston. He finished with 457 points (109 goals, 348 assists) and a plus-160 rating over his career. Laquon Treadwell Jersey . The two teams will play through the completion of the game starting at 5pm ct on Wednesday. The regularly scheduled Wednesday night matchup will follow that and will now be seven innings. http://www.vikingsnflfansclub.net/Black-Friday-Fran-Tarkenton-Jersey/ . Toronto FC hosts the three-time Italian league champions in a friendly Aug. 7 at BMO Field, a game that Roma CEO Italo Zanzi said falls within a key part of their pre-season.ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Peyton Manning wants to clear up a couple of things about his recent visit to Tuscaloosa, Ala., that raised eyebrows at NFL headquarters and the hackles of some Tennessee fans. The five-time MVP said hes always been driven to improve, a quality thats even more essential at age 38, and thats why he met with Alabama coach Nick Saban a couple of weeks ago. Saban shared defensive tips with Manning, who gave him pointers on the hurry-up offence that has befuddled the Crimson Tide. Saban said Denver offensive co-ordinator Adam Gase also visited his staff that week. NFL rules prohibit players and their coaches from meeting before the start of off-season workout programs, and thats why the NFL said it would look into the matter. Following the Broncos first organized workout Monday, however, Manning insisted that he and Gase didnt break any rules because they didnt meet with each other in Tuscaloosa. "Yeah, that didnt happen. We know what the rules were. Like I said, I was there on an independent project, and Adam was as well," Manning said. Saban has also said that Manning and Gase didnt meet with his coaches at the same time. Gase and Saban go way back: Gase got his start in coaching under Saban in the 1990s at Michigan State and followed him to LSU as a graduate assistant. As for fans from the quarterbacks alma mater who might be upset that he met with a rival coach from another SEC team, Manning said he still bleeds orange. "Obviously, I have been to Tennessee doing the same thing for the past 16 years. Ill do that, going to make it 17 years in a row, going back to Knoxville. Hopefully that covers me as far as being loyal to my university," Manning said. "Most of the other places, I go just one time. So Ive got 17 years at one place, so I think its pretty clear where my loyalties lie. "The projects I did this year were to help the Denver Broncos and to help me. That still is what my job is, to make myself a better player." The NFL rule prohibiting players and coaches from meeting before the start of the volunntary off-season workouts, the first two weeks of which are limited to strength and conditioning work and rehabilitation, were installed with the latest collective bargaining agreement a few years ago. Trae Waynes Jersey. . Its designed to prevent players from feeling pressured to meet with coaching staffs during whats supposed to be their free time in the off-season. Players and coaches often get together in casual settings and NFL coaches often meet with college coaches. Mannings appetite for improvement is what led to his trip this off-season to Alabama. He also visited Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. "Theres different things that Ive done throughout my career in the off-season that Ive sought out someone to talk to, something to study to try to make myself a better quarterback," he said. "I believe in this league you either get better or you get worse -- you dont stay the same. I know that has gotten a lot of attention, but that is something Ive done throughout my career. "I certainly know the rules, but I know theres no rule that says a player cant get better -- at least I havent read that one. Thats what I was trying to do and I believe that is important, especially as you get older, in the off-season to try to seek out some things to try to make yourself a better player." Seeing the leagues only five-time MVP trying to improve impressed new defensive end DeMarcus Ware, who was lured to Denver by a three-year, $30 million offer from general manager John Elway and the chance to play with Manning, whos intent on getting back to the Super Bowl this season following the Broncos 43-8 loss to Seattle in February. "Sometimes it doesnt matter about accolades, it doesnt matter if you were MVP or not, its what can I do to really get better for next season?" Ware said. "Peytons one of those types of guys that puts in that effort, not just on the field but off the field, trying to figure out, What can I do to get better? Because he has a bad taste in his mouth from the last season and he doesnt want it to happen again." Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys 2019 Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '