Tools » h seeks to change the NBAs draft lo

Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. This week they discuss the Paralympic spirit, a good day for King James, the future of football in Toronto and one truly ugly game at Staples Center. Bruce Arthur, The National Post: My thumb is up to the Paralympics, which began Friday in Sochi, or, more specifically to the Paralympians involved. There were calls for athlete boycotts after Russia sent troops into Ukraine the day after the Olympics ended, but an athlete boycott was a silly and callous idea; it would have no effect on the invasion except to deprive those who push the edge of human possibility from something they deserve, even in a diminished spotlight. Instead, at the opening ceremony Friday, we saw a significant political statement from Ukraine, which sent just one of its 23 athletes to march in the opening ceremony. We didnt see anything that meaningful two weeks ago; Im glad we saw it now. The Paralympics, and Paralympians, deserve whatever spotlight they get. Steve Simmons, Sun Media: My thumb is up to LeBron James, and not for being the best player in the NBA or for the career-high 61 points he tossed up the other night. LeBron travelled last night to Cleveland, between games and against the advice of the Miami Heat, so he could be part of the ceremony that honoured his former Cavaliers teammate Zydrunas Ilgauskas. LeBron played more games with Ilgauskas as a teammate than anyone else he has played with in his 11-year career and he wanted to be there for his good friend and to see him honoured. In an NBA world in which selfishness reigns supreme, King James showed another side of himself last night. A surprisingly likable side. Dave Naylor, TSN Radio: My thumb is up to the Buffalo Bills who this week pulled the plug - at least for one year - on the Bills in Toronto series. For something that once stirred rabid debate across this country, the Bills playing in Toronto turned out to be much ado about nothing. The product was lousy, the prices too high and – oh, yes - that infamous news conference. But what also became obvious was the disconnect between Torontos sports fans and somebody elses NFL team. I dont know if there will ever be another NFL game played in Toronto, but the only way it makes sense is if one of the teams playing is Toronto. Dave Hodge, TSN: It was going to be "thumbs down" to the LA Lakers for the worst game in their history - that would be Thursdays loss by 48 points to the Clippers - but really, it should be "thumbs up" to the Lakers for their contribution to the anti-tanking movement, which seeks to change the NBAs draft lottery. Theres no proof that the Lakers tanked against the Clippers, except the scoreboard, and the 18,000 eyewitnesses at Staples Center, and the open encouragement of a "Riggin for Wiggins" campaign. The NBA needs to act, and the NHL needs to follow before next season a strategy unfolds that could be known as "Lose honor, get Connor". Cheap Athletics Jerseys China . For the Blue Jays the time was Wednesday and the ace was R.A. Dickey. He stepped up. "I feel some responsibility as a stopper from time to time," said Dickey. Cheap Dave Henderson Jersey . Louis Blues and Buffalo Sabres came to an agreement on a big trade that may only offer incremental improvement to the Blues in their quest for a Stanley Cup. http://www.cheapathleticsjerseys.com/. Dalton completed his only pass and led the Bengals to a touchdown in his only drive -- one that took four minutes to finish -- and the Cincinnati Bengals ended the preseason with a 27-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night. Cheap Dennis Eckersley Jersey . UEFA said Wednesday that the champions of England and France only have to include five home-trained players in their 21-man squads next season instead of the expected eight. Only one of the five players needs to be trained by the club itself. Cheap Joe Morgan Jersey .C. -- Ryan Sproul scored the winner late in double overtime to lift the Grand Rapids Griffins to a 2-1 win over the Abbotsford Heat on Friday in Game 1 of their American Hockey League playoff series.TORONTO -- AC Milans legends team looked better than a squad of former players should Wednesday night. The Italian side scored twice in a four-minute span in the second half to defeat former stars from S.L. Benfica 2-0 to win the Legends Cup at BMO Field. Christian Lantignotti finished off a cross from Ibrahim Ba in the 65th minute to get AC Milan on the board. Then in the 68th minute Milan forward Gauz was taken down in the area. Defender Massimo Oddo easily beat Benfica keeper Nuno Santos on the ensuing penalty kick to give his team a 2-0 lead. "I think AC Milan they play quite a few times a year, I heard 16 times together in a year. This was the first time we played together and I think we did very well," said Benfica coach Antonio Jerontomo. "If we start to play together more often, which we want to do, we will improve as well." Wednesdays match was played as a tribute to the late Mozambique native, Portuguese footballer Eusebio, who passed away Jan. 5 at the age of 71. Despite dominating the first-half possession and out-chancing Benfica the two sides remained scoreless at half. "I think it was a good performance by two good teams," said Jerontomo. "I think we started off well. Maybe AC Milan had a little bit more chances. Probably they have a little more options on the bench as we had a couple of injuries. "The players felt a little bit tired, but I think the spectators enjoyed seeing the ex-champions.dddddddddddd They still can play, but not as quick as before. It was a decent game. It was a good crowd, very good crowd." Ba had many quality chances for AC Milan. He nearly opened the scoring in the 14th minute, but collided with Santos and put his shot just wide of the goal. Two minutes later, Santos got just enough of Bas free kick from just outside the area to deflect the shot wide of the goal. In the 20th minute, AC Milan forward Christian Vieri had an excellent strike from the area, but put it just wide. "Weve been in Iran, were going to be in China so weve been all around the world. Weve had a lot of friendly matches and maybe well be back in Toronto," said Milans Palo Maldini. "The crowd was great. Were trying to put on a good show. People were excited to see the old Milan team." Benfica didnt generate much by way of scoring chances in the opening 40 minutes, but in the 32nd minute forward Nandinho had a great opportunity from just outside the box. However, he put the shot over the crossbar. As for Italys chances at the upcoming World Cup next month in Brazil, Maldini didnt seem optimistic. "Italy always battles for the final," he said. "This year is not going to be very easy. The quality is not so good, but we will have a chance to reach semifinal." AC Milan is a seven-time winner of Champions League while Benfica won last years Primeira Liga. 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