MetalSeadramons Gemach » defense thats record 37 in 13 games,

DETROIT – Alex Anthopoulos likes to say the perception of a player is directly tied to his production. If a team is winning and a player is excelling, the guy becomes known as a "leader" or a "positive clubhouse influence." When a team is losing and a player is struggling, his character is questioned. Its easy to be enamoured with Mark Buehrle because of the year hes having. By now you know the statistics: 10-1, a 2.10 ERA and in his only no-decision of the season, Buehrle left with the lead. Even last season, when Buehrle struggled through the first half of the Blue Jays haltingly poor year, he drew no negative attention. He went about his between-starts routine despite his weight-related self-deprecation. He was always approachable despite his claims that he detests speaking into a microphone. What became clear, quickly, was Buehrles devotion to his family. Married with two kids, he looks in advance at the schedule and plots out homestands that will facilitate relatively lengthy visits. His father, John and mother, Pat, seem to be constants around the ballclub, even though John estimates they attend about 30 games per season. When this reporter renewed acquaintances with Buehrle on the first day of spring training and casually asked how his offseason had gone, it took the pitcher less than five seconds to begin to explain the difficulty he had saying goodbye to his children, who are now old enough to understand their dad has to leave home to go to work but wish that he wouldnt. John is in Detroit for the brief road trip, having scheduled a personal matter in the Motor City to coincide with the Jays lone visit to the Tigers. Hed have it no other way. "Our whole family was brought up as a family," said John Buehrle. "Everything we failed in or excelled in we shared as a family, our trials and tribulations if you will. When Mark did well in school, high school, college, everybody shared. When my other sons did well, everybody shared. They were brought up as a family, just as I was. They were brought up with respect." Mark Buehrle is making $18 million this season and is due $19 million in 2015, the final year of the four-year pact he inked with the Miami Marlins in the 2011-2012 offseason. When it comes to respect, money isnt an object in the Buehrle household. Johns three sons, Mike, 40, Jason, 37, and Mark, 35, and his one daughter Amy, 32, are expected to adhere to a set of rules when they visit. "Even today, they come to my house, they sit down at my table, their hat comes off," said John Buehrle. "Ill sit there and Ill stare them down. They wont even look at me, they can feel it. They can feel me looking at them because its manners. Theyll say Yes sir, no sir and Yes maam, no maam and open the door for the wives and their wives because thats the way they were raised." Mark is four wins shy of 200 for his career. Not many pitchers make it to the big leagues, let alone last long enough to win that many games. Johns son has never been placed on the disabled list. Hes pitching in his 15th big league season. John is pleased for Marks success but shows his youngest son no favoritism. "Any parent is proud anytime their child excels or succeeds at anything, regardless of what it is," said Buehrle. "Im just as proud of Mark for being where he is today as I am of my one son whos driving a concrete truck whos never had an accident. And thats a lot to say for concrete truck drivers, believe me, because I used to be one." Asked about Toronto, John returns to what matters most. "Toronto is as much of a family-oriented town as what we had found Chicago to be," said Buehrle. "We were there 12-and-a-half years in Chicago. Everybody in Chicago was like family. Every place we went, they were so nice." He admitted to uncertainty about Toronto after the trade with the Marlins and no, the fact Johns sons pitbull dog wasnt allowed to move to Ontario wasnt his top concern. "We didnt know, coming to Toronto, big city, we didnt know what it was going to be like," said Buehrle. "From day one, the people, everyone, not just the team, the staff, the people we ran into in the restaurants, it was genuine, you can tell when someones putting it on, but you could really tell there was a genuine Were glad youre here." The Blue Jays are glad to have Buehrle. Since last years All-Star Break, Mark is 17-5 with a 2.66 ERA. With an impending second knee replacement surgery scheduled soon, John hopes to be able to travel to Minneapolis for this years All-Star Game. He expects Mark will be a participant. "Hes having a real good year and I couldnt want or wish any better for him or the team," said Buehrle. "Im really happy for the fans, too, because the fans, I guess in a certain way through Mark see a little hope and glimmer and think, Oh, we may just pull it off this year. Its not just Mark. You look at Joey Bats, Edwin, Melky. Everyones having an awesome year." Cheap Nike Shoes Online . Hollis-Jefferson went 5-for-6 from the field and added six rebounds, while Stanley Jefferson contributed 14 points for the Wildcats, who used their trademark tough defense to dominate the games final 24 minutes and advance to Tuesdays winners bracket matchup with Kansas State. Cheap Nike Shoes Uk . The Oilers have been shut out in three straight home games and are in last place in the Western Conference with a 4-14-2 record. "Things have obviously not gone as well as I would have thought probable. http://www.discountnikeshoesuk.com/ .Derrick Rose scored 23 points, and the Bulls pulled away from the Nets for a 105-80 victory on Wednesday night. Chicago held Brooklyn to 29 points on 26. Nike Shoes Cheap Uk Sale . Or how his team has defended Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Or just about anything that has happened on the court in the first-round playoff series. Instead, Rivers and his players spent Saturday talking about how they would respond to an audio recording of a man identified as Clippers owner Donald Sterling telling his girlfriend not to bring black people to games. Discount Nike Shoes Uk . -- Michigan coach John Beilein is willing to give Nik Stauskas a little leeway when it comes to shot selection.(SportsNetwork.com) - Its no wonder Justin Forsett is looking forward to this week. The seventh-year pro spent a nondescript 2013 with the Jacksonville Jaguars, before latching on with the Baltimore Ravens this season and becoming a 1,000- yard rusher for the first time in his career. The Ravens will host the Jaguars on Sunday, which provides Forsett a crack at a team thats been gashed for nearly 160 rush yards per game over its last half-dozen, since starting linebacker Paul Posluszny was lost for the season with a chest injury. Jacksonville had allowed 110.3 per game in its first seven. Forsett ran for 100 yards or more for three straight games before dipping to 71 yards on 13 carries in a Week 14 defeat of Miami. Still, hes racked up six yards per carry and scored five touchdowns in those four games, while the Ravens have averaged 168.5 ground yards and won three times. The Jaguars have allowed 20 or more rushing yards on 15 plays, most in the league. Last weeks home loss to Houston included a 51-yard run by Arian Foster, and 173 yards by the Texans overall. Weve been a lot better in certain aspects of the run game, but weve given up some big numbers on certain plays, linebacker J.T. Thomas said. Everyone is doing everything in their power to make sure we get better in that aspect of the run game. The team is 0-6 on the road in 2014, but hasnt gone 0-for-a-season away from home since 2003. Jacksonville led by three points at halftime last week before ultimately losing by 14. It has been shut out in the third quarter in seven of 13 games, and have scored just 32 points in 13 third quarters overall. Baltimore has allowed three third-quarter points in its last five games. I cant pinpoint a reason right now, Jaguars left tackle Luke Joeckel said. It needs to get fixed. While this weeks visitors are looking for simple answers, the Ravens are a touch more concerned with complex standings issues. Baltimore is part of a gaggle pursuing two available AFC wild-card playoff spots, but while its 8-5 record is even with San Diego and Pittsburgh, it would finish third in the group once tiebreakers are applied. That said, the Ravens are in if they sweep their remaining games against the 2-11 Jaguars, 7-6 Texans and 7-6 Cleveland Browns. We could sit here and say we wish wed be another game or two better, and we could say were happy were not a game or two worse, Baltimore coach John Harbaugh said. Were pleased with the fact that were in the hunt and control our own destiny. Its just our job to make the most of it. Some would claim the Ravens have made the most of their situation already, given the season-long absence of former running back Ray Rice, the recent suspension of defensive tackle Haloti Ngata and injuries to tight end Dennis Pitta and cornerback Jimmy Smith. Weve got a resilient bbunch, Harbaugh said.dddddddddddd Theyre mentally tough, they dont get caught up in the noise. They dont get easily distracted. We say turn neither to the left or the right, eyes straight ahead. Baltimore trailed by 10 against Miami last week before rallying for a 15-point win in which quarterback Joe Flacco had two touchdown passes, ran for another score and led fourth-quarter drives covering 80 and 81 yards. One week earlier, the Ravens lost a 10-point lead in falling to San Diego, 34-33, at home. Steve Smith had seven catches for 70 yards and a TD against Miami, and claimed the defeat of the Dolphins helped salve the wounds from the Chargers disappointment. (The San Diego defeat) just took a lot out of us, he said. But you cant sit there and throw a party if you won, and you cant throw a pity party if you lose. You just got to get back on the horse and just hold on. Wide receiver Torrey Smith was on the field for just 15 snaps against Miami and is questionable this week with a knee problem, meaning third-year man Kamar Allen - whos caught nine balls for 116 yards and a score in the last two weeks - could get additional emergence time. On defense, Elvis Dumervil has a franchise-record 16 sacks after racking up 3 1/2 last week, and he faces a recurring target in Jacksonvilles Blake Bortles, whos been dumped 38 times this season - 19 in the last four games. Weve got a team thats playing pretty well right now and gaining some confidence, Flacco said. WHAT TO WATCH FOR Bortles vs. Chaos Jacksonville quarterbacks have been sacked a league-high 54 times - including four last week against the Texans - and the fortunes dont figure to improve much when Bortles is looking across the line at a Baltimore defense thats record 37 in 13 games, good for sixth in the league. Keeping track of a rushing linebacker like Dumervil will be an all-day job if the aim is to keep Bortles vertical. Checking the Horizon With three games to go in yet another lost season, the Jaguars are yet again auditioning young players who may or may not have significant roles for 2015 and beyond. So while playoffs are not a concern, job security is for guys like wide receiver Marqise Lee, cornerback Johnathan Cyprien and aforementioned offensive lineman Joeckel. Seeing how they perform here will begin to shape roles for next season. OVERALL ANALYSIS Lets face it. Theres simply no reason why a 2-11 Jacksonville team without a road victory should be able to come into a hostile environment - where the Ravens are 4-2 this season - and defeat a battle - hardened team thats once again playing for its playoff existence. Expect Harbaugh to insist on a strong start to remove any idea that an upset could happen. If that start occurs, the upset will not. Sports Network predicted outcome: Ravens 30, Jaguars 14 ' ' '