ur, Toronto Star My thumb is

Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. Cheap NFL Jerseys . This week, they discuss preparations for the Rio Olympics, the exciting first round of the NBA playoffs, Mike Keenan victorious in Russia and the prolonged wait for the NFL Draft finally coming to an end. Bruce Arthur, Toronto Star My thumb is down to the International Olympic Committee and…I know, I know…you feel like weve been here before, but this is a new frontier because the concept of an Olympics in Rio was new when the IOC awarded Brazil the 2016 games seven years ago. Concerns about readiness, inequality and about the way the country might react? Dont worry! Rio! Now with two years to go, the IOC is shocked…shocked…to find that they gambled on a country that hasnt built the establishment. Seriously, Rio is in major organization trouble with whole complexes unbuilt and with public unrest still simmering, the IOC is lamenting the fact that they cant employ Beijing-style slave labour. Theyre blaming it on Rio. Guess who they should be blaming instead? Steve Simmons, Toronto Sun My thumb is up to the first round of the playoffs and Im not talking about the Stanley Cup playoffs, which have been marvelous, as usual. Im talking about the NBA playoffs, where, normally, the first round is about favourites winning and not much else, but not this year. A last-second three by the sensational Damian Lillard of Portland meant there were five Game 7s in the first round, instead of a record-breaking six. There have been eight overtime games and the road team has won 21 of the first 36 playoff games - this from a league that usually sees the home teams win 70 per cent of the time. And, of course, there is Game 7 in Toronto today with the possibility of 2 million people watching on TV. If this isnt fun, I dont know what is. Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated My thumb is up to Mike Keenan, who reminds us that a coach is a coach is a coach, no matter the team or the time zone. Keenan always dreamed of winning a Cup, although probably not the Gagarin Cup. Two decades after the New York Rangers memorable Stanley Cup run, Iron Mike did it again on the far side of the erstwhile Iron Curtain, coaching the KHLs Metallurg Magnitogorsk to a Game 7 win over Lev Prague. Note one striking similarity in the championships: as he did after beating the Vancouver Canucks in 94, Keenan celebrated in the dressing room by singing karaoke - this time in Russian, of course. The Red Army choir is not giving up its day job. Dave Hodge, TSN My thumb is up to May 8, which is coming soon - on Thursday - and thats why my thumb is up, because when May 8 finally arrives, it brings with it the National Football League Draft…finally. Did I say "finally?" When the NFL moved the draft from April to May, we might have known wed be sick of mock drafts by now. There is actual analysis that proclaims winners and losers of mock drafts! Ive heard so much about Jadeveon Clowneys awesome talent and alleged laziness that Im sure there are two Jadeveon Clowneys. Im not sure if the Houston Texans will take one of them or which one or if the Texans will take Johnny Manziel or if theyll trade down - I only know they cant trade up and I dont care anymore what they do, I just want them to do it. On May 8. wholesale nfl jerseys . Johnson, 34, appeared in three games for the Baltimore Orioles last season after being acquired from the New York Yankees organization on Aug. 30. The six-foot-two, 210-pound native of Coon Rapids, Minn. wholesale jerseys . </br></br> Apparently this took place at a soccer stadium for a club match in Brazil.(Sports Network) - The Tampa Bay Lightning will aim for a third straight victory when they visit the Minnesota Wild for tonights interconference clash at Xcel Energy Center. You can watch the live on TSN2 and TSN Mobile TV, tonight at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. The Lightning had dropped two straight and four of five before getting back on track with a home-and-home sweep of the Florida Panthers. After getting destroyed by Toronto, 7-1, on Tuesday, the Bolts posted an overtime win Friday at Florida and then slammed the Panthers, 5-1, in Tampa on the following day. Steven Stamkos had two goals and an assist to help lead the Lightning to Saturdays blowout win. Stamkos has three goals in the last two games after notching the OT game-winner in Fridays 2-1 win at the BankAtlantic Center. With 14 markers on the season, Stamkos is second only to Torontos Phil Kessel for the league lead. Kessel has 16 tallies on the season. Mathieu Garon stopped 24 shots in Saturdays win, while Martin St. Louis, Tom Pyatt and Ryan Malone also added goals. "Were showing what we have now," said Tampa Bay head coach Guy Boucher. "It took a little while, but I saw it in training camp and were going to keep it going here. This is our team." The Lightning won the last ttwo games without forward Steve Downie, who suffered an upper-body injury Tuesday against Toronto. Cheap Jerseys From China. Downie is questionable for tonights contest. Tampa Bay is playing two straight and six of its next seven games on the road, where Bouchers team is just 4-6-2 this season. The Wild had won five in a row and 10 of 12 before getting dealt consecutive 5-2 defeats over the weekend. Minnesota, which leads the Northwest Division by two points over Vancouver, was 3-0 on a six-game homestand before losing to Edmonton by the 5-2 score. The Wild lost by the same score on Sunday when it hosted the Calgary Flames. Cal Clutterbuck and Nick Johnson scored on Sunday for Minnesota, which has yet to lose three straight games this season. Niklas Backstrom stopped just 5-of-8 shots before being pulled in the first period. Josh Harding made 25 saves the rest of the way. The Wild fell to 8-4-1 as the host this year and are completing the six-game residency tonight. Minnesota will play six of its next seven games on the road, beginning with Wednesdays test in Edmonton. Tampa has taken two of the last three meetings with the Wild, but Minnesota still has won four of six in this series overall. The Wild also have four wins in six all-time encounters in St. Paul. Wholesale Jerseys ' ' '