RIO DE JANEIRO -- Andy Murray is one of the worlds best in his sport, a proud champion of the Olympics and an outspoken figure in the fight against drugs cheats.Aside from his support for Scottish independence from the rest of the United Kingdom a couple of years ago, there surely couldnt be a better choice of flag bearer for the British team at the Rio Games.Murrays role is not just about leading the?small Team GB delegation in the opening ceremony on Friday and keeping the Union Flag flying high.He will address the other British athletes once or twice and have the chance to inspire the less experienced and successful among them.Murray should provide the benchmark for the others, too, as he has effectively been made the symbol of what the British Olympic Association thinks is good about sport in the UK.From a public relations perspective, Murray is a sharp choice given the Lizzie Armitstead missed-drugs-test furore. Who better to try to move the agenda on before she is due to compete in the womens cycling road race on Sunday?Murray, who has three Grand Slam titles (including this years Wimbledon) to go with his 2012 Olympics gold, is a consummate professional, and the idea of him erring on World Anti-Doping Agencys whereabouts rule seems unlikely. Having the guy who has called for increased testing and transparency as a figurehead cannot be a bad thing.His diligence and work rate should also be a good example to young athletes, as hes known for the attention he pays to the physical side of his game and the time and effort he devotes to it.Murray is a player who has matured and made himself stand out from the crowd despite a lack of the flashy trappings of the famous and wealthy who reside at the top of their sports.He is a father, a husband, a dog lover and a fan of a range of other sports. In fact, looking closely at him, it is a wonder Team GB chef de mission Mark England and his panel considered anybody else.Murray wont be the only flag bearer from tennis in the ceremony; Rafael Nadal will also lead out Spain. Novak Djokovic, who has also arrived to play here when the sports competition starts on Saturday, led Serbia at the 2012 Games in London.Ironically, the two other best players, Swiss Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka, have pulled out of the competition,?and 4 of the top 10 highest-ranked players will be missing.Murray, unlike Nadal, was due to stay outside the athletes village during the Games because of the size of the entourage he has with him and his desire to focus on the event.The Spaniard has reportedly run up against the time-consuming issue of other athletes seeking autographs and selfies while he tries to go about his business.But Murray stayed in the village on Tuesday night and may spend more time there before finding some peace and quiet to focus on his game outside the commotion.He summed up his feelings for the Games after his first practice session in Rio on Tuesday. You are around the best athletes in the world and you want to perform well for your country and your teammates, he said.I remember in Beijing, although I didnt perform well, it was nice being surrounded by the best athletes in your country and seeing them come back with medals. It feels a lot more like a team environment and I have enjoyed that throughout my career.Other nations have gone a different route than Britain in selecting their flag bearers, with the U.S. picking Michael Phelps ?-- a character whose image has been a long way off squeaky clean (the swimmer has two DUIs on his record).Nicola Adams, who made history by becoming the first female Olympic boxing champion in 2012, was an alternative to Murray for the Team GB role and would also have represented some laudable values for British sport.But the Scots success, fame, conduct and credentials must have looked undeniable. Those involved in selecting him say he was brimming with pride when he was told about it, too, and the only thing that could take the edge off that would be the fact that wife Kim and daughter Sophia wont be here to see him parade with the team.Cheap Air Max Black Friday 2019 .J. -- Seven games into a disappointing season, New York Giants defensive catalyst Jason Pierre-Paul is getting the feeling hes back. Clearance Nike Shoes Store . But now that hes in the NHL, the Calgary Flames centre showed big improvement in that department by scoring the winner in the eighth round of a 5-4 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. http://www.shoesnikewholesale.com/ . -- Kyrie Irvings last-minute 3-pointer helped seal another victory for Cleveland -- and the Cavaliers longest winning streak since LeBron James left. Wholesale Nike Shoes Online . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive. Nike Shoes Black Friday Sale . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance.DENVER -- Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts had his speech all ready to go -- the one he was prepared to deliver after being swept out of Coors Field.Thanks to Andrew Toles, there was no need.Toles hit a grand slam with two outs in the ninth inning, helping Los Angeles overcome a late six-run deficit in a 10-8 win over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night for a doubleheader split.Toles didnt think it was going out, either.I was amazed. I still am, Toles said. All I want to do is contribute.Has he ever. In his last 10 games, Toles is hitting .579 with three homers.None bigger than Wednesday, of course.He is so calm and cool, Roberts said. He doesnt know how good some of these pitchers are. Or the ballpark.I was preparing my pep talk in the middle innings. To get them up after being swept.With good reason. It wasnt looking promising. Then again, this is Coors Field, where anything can happen -- and often does.Trailing 8-2, the Dodgers scored three times in the eighth and added five more in the ninth. Toles capped the final inning with an opposite-field homer off closer Adam Ottavino (0-1) for his first career slam.Ottavino tried to start the pitch inside, but it drifted into the middle of the plate.Everybody played good. I just let everybody down tonight, Ottavino said. Unacceptable performance.Luis Avilan (1-0) threw a scoreless eighth to earn the win. Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth for his 40th save, getting David Dahl on a called third strike to end it.The Dodgers began their comeback in the eighth with an RBI double from Yasmani Grandal, an RBI single by Joc Pederson and a sacrifice fly by Howie Kendrick. Chase Utley nearly brought in more, sending a two-out grounder up the middle with two on, but DJ LeMahieu ranged to his right, snared the ball and threw Utley out by a step to end the threat.Los Angeles scored once in the ninth on an RBI single from Josh Reddick and then loaded the bases with two outs, setting the stage for Toles.Colorado took two of three in the series against the NL West-leading Dodgers, who maintain a 1 1/2-game lead over San Francisco. This marks the fifth series the Rockies have captured from a first-place team in August. Theyre the only team in the majors with a posiitive run differential (plus-24) and a losing mark (64-69).dddddddddddd.We won the series -- doesnt feel like it, Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. Bottom line: Were up six with six outs to go. Weve got to win that game.Starter Jeff Hoffman allowed two runs and was in line for his first big league win before the bullpen had a meltdown.Stephen Cardullo did most of the early damage -- on his 29th birthday, no less -- with a grand slam during a five-run first inning off Bud Norris, who got the last-minute start with Rich Hill bothered by a blister. Cardullo also hit his first big league homer as a pinch-hitter in Game 1.In the opening game, left-hander Tyler Anderson (5-5) threw 6 1/3 stellar innings as the Rockies cruised to a 7-0 win for their first home shutout this season.The doubleheader was necessitated by a rainout Tuesday.Utley led off the game with a homer for the Dodgers, the third time hes done that this season.Cristhian Adames turned in quite a doubleheader with six hits, including two triples. LeMahieu finished the day 3 for 8 to run his average to an NL-leading .345.Nolan Arenado hit a two-run homer and finished with 36 RBI for the month. Its the most by a Rockies player for August, passing the mark of 33 set by Andres Galarraga in 1996.TRAINERS ROOMDodgers: LHP Clayton Kershaw (mild disk irritation) had a successful outing in a simulated game Tuesday and now is in a momentary holding pattern. We havent made the decision as far as what his next progression will be, Roberts said. ... LHP Scott Kazmir (neck stiffness) will be slotted into the rotation when hes eligible to come off the DL on Sept. 7.Rockies: 1B Mark Reynolds (broken bone in left hand) was activated off the 15-day disabled list and entered both games as a defensive replacement. To make room, INF Daniel Descalso was put on the paternity list.UP NEXTDodgers: After a day off, Los Angeles opens a three-game series at home against San Diego. Lefty Julio Urias (5-2) will start Friday.Rockies: Following a rest day, Colorado faces Arizona for three games. Lefty Jorge De La Rosa (8-7) starts Friday. ' ' '