Müll » rather than his stick or skate. This

Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. This week, they discuss the NBA Draft Lottery, the Redskins name, Donald Sterling, and fights in the playoffs. Dave Feschuk, Toronto Star: My thumb is down to the NBA Draft Lottery, which once again rewarded one of the worst franchises in pro sports with another No. 1 pick. Im talking about the Cleveland Oilers, I mean the Cleveland Cavaliers. Or, same thing. And same question: how many more Canadians have to suffer thanks to a dated draft model that rewards incompetence? Well, probably one more. Chances are good Cleveland will use the pick to select Canadas Andrew Wiggins next month. Third time in four years theyll pick No. 1. Theyve also got Canadas Anthony Bennett and Tristan Thompson in the lottery, Not to mention Kyrie Irving. And howve they been doing? Theyve averaged 26 wins the past three years. Hey, these are the guys who tanked for LeBron James and couldnt figure it out. The NBA needs to look hard at tank-proof alternatives to the lottery. They might not save the worst franchises from themselves, but they might save the best players from having to play for them. Gary Lawless, Winnipeg Free Press: My thumb is down to the Washington foot-draggers. Its down to the 50 senators who tried to make political hay out of this sad and tired situation after years of slurping martinis in luxury suites watching the football team not to be named here. Now theyre offended? What changed? Certainly not their moral stance but only the winds of public opinion. Its down to the NFL, who pretends the use of a racial slur is ok because its been used for so many years. Down to Daniel Snyder, who profits from said slur and ignores his own role in the spread of racism. NBA players were outraged when Donald Sterlings racism was laid bare. NFL players should take the opportunity to halt another affront. Demand change, NFLers. Rid your league of this slur and shame Snyder, Roger Goodell and the rest of the leagues owners to enact change. Steve Simmons, SUN Media: My thumb is up to Donald Sterling, yes up, to that old, disgraceful bigot who is barely hanging on to the Los Angeles Clippers, for apparently conceding defeat. Or what certainly seems from the outside like defeat. Far be it for the cloudy-minded Sterling to see clearly but ESPN has reported that Sterling has agreed to allow his wife, Shelly, to negotiate a sale of the team, which is exactly what the NBA wants. The quicker Sterling goes away, frankly, the better. The sooner the Clippers are sold, the happier NBA players will be. Should the team be sold for $1 billion, which is possible, the Sterlings would be taxed more than $328 million on the sale. It would be an expensive ending, but ending this is where the NBA wants to be. Dave Naylor, TSN Radio 1050: My thumb is up to the New York Rangers Derek Dorsett and the Montreal Canadiens Brandon Prust for reminding us what we havent been missing for most of these Stanley Cup Playoffs: fights. The tilt between Prust and Dorsett during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final was the first fight of the playoffs since Round 1 and the first since the calendar turned to May. In fact, there were 2,113 minutes of great playoff hockey played without a single fight. Which only proves that fighting is meaningless when it comes to winning hockey games, because if it was meaningful, coaches would send their players out do it more. When the games matter most. That would be the playoffs. Fake Nike Shoes For Sale . With the win, the Marlies complete a three-game series sweep of the Admirals and move on to the second round of the Calder Cup playoffs. T.J. Brennan added an empty netter with less than 25 seconds remaining for his second of the playoffs. Nike Shoes Outlet . The Extreme Heat Policy was enacted at Melbourne Park just before 2 p.m. Thursday, suspending all matches on outer courts until the early evening and requiring the closure of the retractable roofs at Rod Laver and Hisense arenas before play could continue on the show courts. https://www.fakenikeshoeswholesale.com/. Francis told several hundred members of the European Olympic Committees that when sport "is considered only in economic terms and consequently for victory at every cost . Clearance Nike Shoes . -- Arkansas didnt need a spectacular dunk to beat No. Nike Shoes China . Tokarski, a somewhat controversial choice -- with his 10 games of NHL experience and all -- to replace an injured Carey Price in Game Two had a night to remember, turning back a Rangers team that was dominating play from the get-go, outshooting the Canadiens 14-4 in the first period and 37-25 overall.In preserving Bruins forward Shawn Thorntons 15 game suspension on appeal, Commissioner Gary Bettman concluded that the attack on Penguins defenceman Brooks Orpik was "a bad act with a bad result, and neither will be tolerated in our game." Bettman very clearly confirms that protecting the brains of players is of paramount importance, and decisive action will be taken to discourage excessive and unnecessary force that may result in irreversible brain damage. Thornton will now have seven days to appeal Bettmans decision to an independent arbitrator. This is brand new under the CBA and has never been done. So if we do see an appeal, we will break new ground (and/or ice). The Hearing: Who Was There? The hearing was held at the law firm Proskauer Rose LLP. Thats the firm that acted for the NHL during the lockout. Very good law firm. Apart from Thornton appearing at the hearing, his agent Anton Thun, NHLPA representatives Roman Stoykewych, David Sinclair and Maria Dennis, and Boston General Manager Peter Chiarelli were all in attendance. Thun and Chiarelli were called by the Union to testify. On the NHL side were members of the League office, including Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, David Zimmerman, Julie Grand and Brendan Shanahan (who was called to testify), as well as Joseph Baumgarten from Proskauer Rose. While Thornton has an agent, the NHLPA handles the hearing. The agent can help with arguments, but ultimately the Union is in charge of the appeal and does the talking. NHLPA: What They Argued The NHLPA did not dispute that a suspension was warranted, but rather argued that the suspension was too long. So the NHLPA focused on length and not whether a wrong was committed. In fact, at the hearing, the NHLPA and Thornton acknowledged that the act was "quite serious", "harmful", and resulted in "significant" injury. Bettman writes that the NHLPA was aiming for a suspension closer to 10 to 12 games. In doing so, the Union relied on the leagues past practice for similar incidents, Thorntons clean record and the act lacking premeditation. Overall, the NHLPA argued that the "punishment was excessive." Bettman Disagrees In preserving the length of the suspension, Bettman relied heavily on the intentional nature of the act together with its "highly dangerous nature" and the "extent of the injury." As per the NHL CBA, the league considers a number of factors when determining the length of a suspension, including the following: (1) the excessive and unnecessary nature of the act, (2) the injury sustained, (3) whether the player has a rap sheet or is a repeat offender, and (4) the circumstances of the game. The league can also consider any other relevant surrounding circumstances. Bettman ruled that Thornton engaged in intentionally excessive force. He skated the length of the ice, slew footed Orpik, dragged him to the ice from behind and punched him multiple times in the face. Orpik, Bettman writes, "never had a chance to fairly confront his opponent, much less an opportunity to defend himself..dddddddddddd" As well, Orpiks injury was also key in maintaining the suspension. Bettman noted that there was still no "definitive date for his return" and that there is "uncertainty as to his future condition." Bettman also ruled that the act constituted "retribution" for Orpik declining Thorntons invitation to fight after Orpiks hit on Louis Eriksson. For the Commissioner, that also supported upholding the suspension. The fact that Thornton had no prior history of suspensions was recognized by Bettman. Indeed, the Commissioner expressed that it was "certainly possible" to argue for a more "severe punishment." So it looks like Thorntons clean record may have resulted in a shorter suspension. Bettman also relied on one more key factor: the human brain. It is recognized that players may suffer irreversible brain damage as a result of blows to the head. Consequently, the league must take active and decisive steps to safeguard the brains of its players. That includes imposing punishments that are designed to strongly discourage behavior that threatens the long-term health of its players. The league would argue that failing to firmly discipline players puts all players at risk. Hockey is an inherently dangerous sport and that will never change. Still, contact that is not part of the game will be scrutinized. Indeed, the 200 plus NFL concussion lawsuits, the NHL class action concussion lawsuit and the Derek Boogaard lawsuit weighed heavily on the decision making process. The league simply cannot be seen as soft on brain damage with this mass of litigation gathering around sports. So the legal side of this case was inescapably important. Some have argued that the nature of Thorntons act just doesnt match up with past lengthy suspensions because Thornton used his glove to punish Orpik rather than his stick or skate. This type of argument is a red herring and ignores the bigger issue at play: its not how the harm is delivered but rather what harm is inflicted. Times have changed and penalties must be aligned with evolving sensibilities. Indeed, Bettman wrote in his Decision that a player "who today blatantly flouts the rules in a manner that causes a head injury can and should expect to be severely disciplined." Why So Long For Bettman Decision? Thorntons hearing was on December 20. So it took 4 days for the Commissioner to issue his decision. In part, a reason for the delay was that the NHL wanted to get the decision just right given the possibility the case could be appealed to an independent arbitrator. The NHL wanted to make sure, in part, that its reasons were well-reasoned, considered and thoughtful. So Whats The Takeway? The extent of the harm delivered together with the weight of the concussion lawsuits and evolving sensibilities conspired to preserve Thorntons suspension. Bettmans decision was not only predictable, but it was also prudent and ultimately correct. And for these reasons, and as I wrote here, Thorntons chances of success on appeal to an independent arbitrator are bleak. ' ' '