4) Speaking of which, if you invested time in the Cleveland Browns-Washington game, it is time to vote on the most interesting thing you saw. Was it Johnny Manziel "flipping off" the Washington bench, or the five holding penalties called against the Browns defence….in the first quarter?5) You will notice that I didnt mention the name of the Washington team. CBS analyst Phil Simms says he might do the same, while his play-by-play partner Jim Nantz feels it is not his place to "take a stance" on the controversy that will not go away. Whos right? I will only say that Nantz is, indeed, "taking a stance" by using the "R" name--hes saying he has no problem with it.6) Milos Raonics steady rise in the world tennis rankings is worthy of praise, but wheres the breakthrough victory that will signal the dawn of true greatness? The two views of Raonic are that it is inevitable, and that it will never come.7) It is time to tell MLB commissioner Rob Manfred how to save time and make games shorter. Are you with me in admitting that the appeal of the "sport without a clock" has waned?8) So lets begin with the toughest question--Should baseball actually use a clock to make the pitcher deliver the ball to home plate within 12 seconds of receiving it in his glove? The answer here is "yes", because the "discretion of the umpire" is a phrase that doesnt serve baseball well in any application.9) For instance, umpires can be encouraged to call more strikes, which usually means theyre supposed to call "high strikes", but they dont. Isnt it time for strict adherence to one strike zone, never mind the idea that umpires have their own strike zones? And, that strike zone, should you need a reminder, is between the top of the knees and the mid-point between the batters pants and the top of his shoulders, as he is about to swing.10) Batters arent supposed to step out of the batters box with both feet. So why are they allowed to do that for just about any reason, or for no reason? Stop them with called strikes.11) Mound conferences. The manager or pitching coach is allowed one trip, after which the pitcher must be changed. Whats wrong with applying the same restriction to catchers and infielders?12) Intentional walks. Why not save the time it takes to deliver four wide pitches and just wave the batter to first base?13) Video review. Baseball has lost its way with the introduction of challenges to umpires calls. Their number must be limited, and so too, the length of time they consume. Did it not occur to MLB that the only valid criticism of this innovation would be if the umps wore the headsets for more than, say, 90 seconds?14) And now it is time to offend the purists (I used to be one myself), or have I done that already? If the reason for this overhaul is to shorten games, there must be something done when an extra-inning game stretches to the ridiculous length of five or six hours. Draw the line where you think it belongs--Ill pick 12 innings--and for all innings beyond that, softballs international tie-breaker applies. (Each half-inning begins with a runner at second base).15) Kudos to the Montreal Alouettes for battling the Saskatchewan Roughriders to the very end of last Saturdays game, won 16-11 by the defending Grey Cup champs. But is there anyone not named Tom Higgins who would have done what the Montreal coach did after cutting Saskatchewans lead to two points with just over three minutes to play? What Higgins did was to order a one-point convert following the Als lone touchdown, when a successful two-point try would have evened the score. Ah, but what if the two-point play failed? Well, Montreal would have trailed by two, needing a field goal to win, which basically was what Montreal needed if the deficit was a single point. In summary, there was much to gain and little or nothing to lose by trying for two, and Higgins didnt.16) How good are the Calgary Stampeders? Well, if youre not willing to answer by saying "Theyre the best team in the CFL", try this: "Theyre good enough to be 6-1 without the services of the leagues top player in 2013, Jon Cornish". And wont it be good to see Cornish in action again on Sunday in Ottawa? (Ya, okay, perhaps not if youre Ottawa).17) Do you want the latest reason why its so frustrating being a Chicago Cubs fan? In their recently-completed four-game series against the Mets, the Cubs managed to hold the Mets to 16 hits, exactly four per game. And they split the series.18) Heres a stat that baseball needs to adjust--the "hold", which is awarded to a relief pitcher if he takes the mound with his team leading by three runs or less and departs without surrendering the lead. On Sunday, St. Louis closer Trevor Rosenthal walked three batters and was responsible for two of them crossing the plate, but because that still left the Cardinals in front for a one-run victory, Rosenthal, blown save and all, got his first "hold" of the season. What he got that he deserved was "the hook".19) If there must be a hockey question in August, here it is--what is the name of the Carolina Hurricanes head coach? (I had to look it up. Why dont you do the same, because the point of this exercise is lost if his name appears here. Or maybe you know it, which puts you ahead of me, unless you can name the NHLs five rookie general managers. It took me a couple of minutes, but hey, its August).20) Will the Los Angeles Clippers continue to employ cheerleaders, or would owner Steve Ballmer suffice? MLB Jerseys From China . Obasi chested the ball past one defender, prodded it past another and then rounded the keeper before scoring from a tight angle in the 16th minute. Seconds after the restart, Obasi set up Klaas Jan Huntelaar for the Dutchmans 11th goal from 13 games this season. NFL Jerseys China Authentic . -- Darrelle Revis says at least 26 teams called after he was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. http://www.wholesalejerseyscheap.net/ Cheap Jerseys Authentic . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. Cheap Jerseys From China . Scotlands Greg Laidlaw made one of two penalty kicks and all three conversions, and Stuart Hogg added a try in the second half. "The most important thing to come out of the game is that we did not get scored against," Laidlaw said. WASHINGTON -- Mike Dunleavy was making so many 3-pointers the Washington Wizards overplayed him at the arc and let him drive for a three-point play instead. The points were coming so easily Bradley Beal guaranteed at halftime Dunleavy wouldnt score again -- and then clobbered the Chicago Bulls veteran during a 3-point attempt during the third quarter. The ball went in anyway, and Dunleavy completed a four-point play. "He was in the zone, man," Beal said. "I guess the hoop looked like an ocean to him." The Bulls needed a go-to guy after their offensive struggles put them in a 2-0 hole in their Eastern Conference first round series. For one night, at least, they found him. Dunleavy scored 35 points, one short of his career-high, and Jimmy Butler hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 24 seconds remaining Friday for a 100-97 Game 3 win. "Coach mentioned some stuff about getting me some more catch-and-shoot situations, and we did that tonight," Dunleavy said. "A couple of easy layups early on got me going, and I just had one of those nights." Dunleavy went 12 for 19 from the field, including a career-high eight 3-pointers on 10 attempts. Not bad for a 33-year-old who was playing in only his 12th playoff game. His teams records in those games before Friday: 1-10. He had almost become a forgotten man in this series, scoring 20 points combined in the first two games. "These chances have been few and far between for me," he said. "But like I told somebody this morning, especially on the road in the playoffs, its where you can thrive. Its a hostile environment, and I like that." Derrick Rose has been injured for so long that the Bulls are accustomed to patching together a plan that somehow creates enough points to win. Theyll have to keep it up: Game 4 is Sunday in Washington as Chicago attempts to become only the fourth NBA team to win a seven-game series after losing the first two at home. "Weve got to get Sunday, for sure," Dunleavy said. "No question. Its a quick turnaround, one oclock start. We put ourselves in a hole, were starting to dig ourselves out, but were not near there yet." Beal scored 13 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, but hell be more remembered for a walk-off interview with CSN at halftime, when he guaranteed Dunleavy wouldnt score in thhe second half.dddddddddddd. Wall added 23 points and seven assists for the Wizards, who will have to wonder whether theyll have Nene for Game 4. The Brazilian forward was ejected in the fourth quarter after a forehead-to-forehead confrontation with Butler. Nene grabbed Butler by the back of the neck and the side of the head before they were separated. Nene is almost certain to get fined, and a suspension is possible. "I have nothing to regret," he said. "Im a warrior right there. What I did, Im supposed to do." Nene has been called the "X-factor" by Wall. It sure didnt help that he wasnt available for the final 8:28 of a close game. "It looked like an MMA move to me," Dunleavy said. "It was one of those headlocks. It was great that Jimmy kept his cool. I think a lot of people put in that situation wouldve started throwing blows." After avoiding the ejection, Butler made two 3-pointers down the stretch and finished with 15 points. He had struggled with his shot in the first two games, shooting 8 for 21 from the field. "Short-term memory loss," he said. "Its a new day, new game, new possessions. My team needs me to step up and take the open shot when its there and definitely knock it down when its needed." After Butlers final 3, the teams traded fouls and free throws over the final two dozen seconds. Washington had a chance to tie when Taj Gibson missed a free throw with 3.1 seconds to play, but Trevor Ariza threw the ball out of bounds after grabbing the rebound in a miscommunication with Wall. "We definitely have to play like a desperate team," Ariza said. "We didnt do so tonight." Notes: After a plea from owner Ted Leonsis to show up on time, the Wizards fans did a better job getting to the arena for the opening tip of their first home playoff game in six years, although there were still sections with plenty of empty seats. Fans were given red, white or blue T-shirts, and Leonsis did his part by showing up in a blue coat, red sweater and white shirt. ... Bulls C Joakim Noah got into a confrontation with a Wizards security official during the Bulls shootaround Friday morning. Washington coach Randy Wittman said his team was to blame. "Thats got to be something from our side that shouldnt happen," the coach said. ' ' '