NEWS » had it his way. "The desire to be the best third baseman

The situation in the East is simply fantastic for fans of the CFL. Air Max 270 Australia . All Week 20 games in the East matter as to who is in the playoffs and that’s how you want it to play out. I will be on site at the marque game of the week, Montreal at Hamilton. I am looking forward to seeing Hamilton’s new stadium and the facilities they have for the players and coaches. I can remember when I worked for the Ticats, Jamie Barresi and I shared an office which was fine except for when we had to meet with the players there. The players sat on the floor and watched practice and game film on two TVs we jerry-rigged to play the same video. We had to do this because the room had a weird shape and the guys closest to the exit could not see the big TV. The big TV was actually one I had at my house and had brought in to be able have a bigger screen! I have heard nothing but great things about this new facility that will provide the players with a professional work environment they deserve, looking forward to seeing that. Speaking of Coach Barresi, he is now the head coach of the University of Ottawa, and led them to a 5-3 finish and a first round playoff win over Windsor. He will now come home to Hamilton to take on McMaster this weekend in the second round of the playoffs. I am not sure that this situation has ever happened in the CFL. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats can finish first place, second place, or be eliminated from the playoffs! You don’t often have to prepare your team for all those possibilities within a week. But I think there is a very interesting coaching situation for the Cats, let’s talk about it. Hamilton’s playoff scenario is this: if they beat Montreal by eight points or more they clinch first place; if they win by less than eight points or Toronto loses they earn second place; and if they lose and Toronto wins, they are eliminated from the playoffs. Teams that finish in first place statistically have a greater chance of going to the Grey Cup, so does Hamilton change the game plan to put themselves in first place? I think I would. Let’s say Toronto wins the game Friday and Hamilton is eliminated with a loss, this is the harder scenario. Hamilton starts the game basically down 7-0 to the Als for first place. Do they become more aggressive to make up the point differential and go for first place? Aggressive might be a fake punt or special play on Teams to be able get a few extra offensive scoring possessions. Could it be a more aggressive defensive scheme or pressure package trying to limit Montreal scoring? Third and goal from the two-yard line early in the game, usually you kick the field goal but do you go for it to make up the points to try to get first place? All these things mentioned have a risk that when not executed can hurt your chances of winning the game, which is the ultimate goal for Hamilton because they would be eliminated if Toronto wins. Late in the game this will be employed but early in the game is when it could easily affect the outcome. Certainly late in the game, if Hamilton is up by three, you will see the best of both teams, because Hamilton will actually be trying to drive the length of the field and score a touchdown with the lead. That situation does not happen often. These are the decisions that a head coach must have a good understanding of not only at the end of the year, but at the beginning of the year. In 2009, when I was the offensive coordinator of the Saskatchewan Roughriders we were in the first of a four-game series with an opponent. It was late in the game and we were winning but I called a few more passes and scored a late touchdown. A coach from the other team after the game sought me out on the field and took offence to my offence (funny?) of scoring a touchdown when we could have taken a knee at the end of the game. I looked at him somewhat surprised and said we are playing you four times and there is the very real possibility that we will end up tied at the end of the year and the next playoff tie breaker is points scored. That is why we were scoring points late in the last drive, we don’t know how we will end up, so you assume you will be tied. Points-scored has to be thought of when you play an opponent twice or four times because you could be tied at the end. Playing someone three times, points is not an issue (unless there was a tie) because someone usually finishes 2-1. Back to Hamilton, let’s assume Toronto loses and a loss by Hamilton will not affect their playoff chances, they would have second place locked up no matter what happens in their game. Now you can see the Ticats being aggressive and be ready for anything that can help them score points. No huddle to get more plays, going for it on third down, onside kicks. Mistakes or poor execution of those plays can also hurt your field position which can help Montreal’s opportunity to score, so executing these calls is key. If you have a chance, look up Head Coach Kevin Kelley and the Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, Arkansas, a coach who calls for onside kicks every kickoff and will not punt throughout the season. The guy must be crazy and must lose every game right? A state Championship, a loss in the finals, and a semi-final appearance in three years tells another story. Although some of his data may not correlate with the CFL, he believes on kickoffs the difference in the field position is only about 15 yards if an onside kick is recovered by the receiving team and coach Kelley’s teams recover one out of every three onside kicks which is a turnover, and we know turnovers are one of the most telling stats in winning football games. In the CFL, a failed onside kick would probably be a 30-yard difference in field position which is certainly a reason not to do it every time. Kelley never punts because his philosophy is you have to score more points to win the football game and you cannot score without retaining possession of the football. That is why he will always go for it on fourth down, to keep possession of the ball. So if your team is in a fourth and 3 situation four times in a game and they average 5.5 yards per rush, why not go for it? Kelley believes he will make three out of four conversions and will keep the football. Interesting thoughts and I thought of this philosophy this week to see if the Ticats would employ some of these tactics to get to first place. Either way it will be a great weekend for football, punt or no punt. Vapormax Australia . Theres little time for rest, too. The Flyers and Rangers play again Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. Simmonds scored in the first period and twice more in the second for his first career post-season hat trick. Mason survived a busy first period and stopping 31 straight shots until Carl Hagelin scored late in the third. Discount Air Jordan 1 . Manager Alex Ferguson says the injury was sustained while the player tried to hit a volley toward the end of training on Tuesday. http://www.discountaustraliashoes.com/cheap-air-force-1-fake.html . Trailing by a goal after 20 minutes of play, Joe Pavelski responded with three goals and an assist as the Sharks snapped a two-game losing skid with a 5-2 victory over the struggling Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.PITTSBURGH -- San Diego left-hander Eric Stults entered Saturday nights game in Pittsburgh winless on the road in 12 starts. He got his first road win of the season, going 6 1-3 innings as the San Diego Padres beat the Pirates 2-1 on Saturday night. "Its nice to just have a win," Stults said. "This year has been a little frustrating." Stults (5-13) gave up one run and seven hits, struck out six and walked none. He entered the game with an 0-9 record away from Petco Park. The Padres scored both runs in the first inning off Francisco Liriano (3-8). San Diego loaded the bases with no outs and scored on Jedd Gyorkos RBI single and Yasmani Grandals sacrifice fly. Pittsburgh answered in the home half when Josh Harrison led off with a single, stole second and scored on Russell Martins RBI single. Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle chalked up Lirianos arduous first inning to a spot of bad luck. "A few well-placed ground balls," Hurdle said. "The hit batter didnt help, that was the one misstep." After Gyorkos single Liriano retired the next 19 batters he faced before walking Grandal with two outs in the seventh. He gave up three hits and a walk in seven innings. San Diego manager Bud Black, a former pitching coach, noted the effects to which each starter used his changeup. "I thought that was the key for both pitchers to keep that score at 2-1 basically the entire game," Black said. "It was a very deserving win for Stultsy because he matched a guy who had us handcuffed after the first inning." Jared Hughes pitched a scoreless eighth for Pittsburgh. Hughes hit Tommy Medica in the back of the head with a pitch to load the bases. Medica left the game. "We caught a break there," Black said. "It was a hard fastball with velocity and movement but fortunately he was evaluated by the Pirates team doctor (Edward Snell) and checked out fine. Obviously, it was good that he got on his feet and could walk off on his own." The Pirates put men on second and third with no outs in the eighth but failed to score against Kevin Quackenbush. Joaquin Benoit struck out two in a scoreless ninth for his fifth save. TRAINERS ROOOM Padres: Right-hander Andrew Cashner (shoulder) made his first rehab start for Single-A Lake Elsinore on Friday night and threw 24 pitches over two scoreless innings. New Balance Shoes Australia. Black said Cashners velocity was normal and he received good reports. Cashner is slated to throw a side session with Elsinore on Monday and then make his second rehab start with Triple-A El Paso on Wednesday. Pirates: Center fielder Andrew McCutchen (rib) missed his fifth straight game. ... Second baseman Neil Walker (back) could be nearing a return to the starting lineup after participating in batting practice and field work before each of the last two games. He pinch-hit in the ninth inning, his first action since Tuesday. ON DECK Padres: Right-hander Tyson Ross (10-10, 2.62 ERA) looks to continue his strong season as the Padres wrap up their five-game trip. Ross is among the league leaders in innings this season with 154 2-3. He had thrown at least six innings in 18 of his 22 starts this season. Pirates: Right-hander Charlie Morton (5-10, 3.43 ERA) attempts to stay undefeated against San Diego. The sinkerballer is 3-0 with a 1.78 ERA in four career starts against the Padres, with the latest win coming in Pittsburgh 10-3 at Petco Park June 2 with Morton allowing two runs in five innings. ACROSS THE DIAMOND Pittsburgh third baseman Pedro Alvarez, removed from the bereavement list Friday, has taken infield work at first base before the Pirates games each of the last two days. The move is a potential solution to get Alvarezs bat back in the regular lineup while reducing the risks associated with his league-high 23 throwing errors. "Maybe this move can free him up offensively and defensively," Hurdle said. "Hes willing to give it a shot. Time will tell." Alvarez was an All-Star in 2013 and tied for the league lead with 36 home runs a year ago, but the plague of throwing errors has dropped him out of regular duty in 2014. Alvarez recognizes the value of giving his team flexibility, but would like to stay at the position hes regularly played since he was 12 years old if he had it his way. "The desire to be the best third baseman I can be is still in play," Alvarez said. ' ' '