Allgemeine Regeln » a good job from there

Toronto FC Media Day has never been better. Colorado Avalanche Pro Shop . Seriously. Seven years of losing has brought many different faces, players and management, to the annual pre-season get-to-know-the-team round up. Unfortunately for those player-media relationships initiated and cultivated, most of the interviewees have been shipped out prematurely. Media Day became a meet-and-greet, followed by a see you later. Tuesdays team time out for Torontos media throng had a much different vibe at the Kia Training Grounds. A good mix of young up-and-comers with a core of veteran leadership has been assembled after an off-season of change, signings, spending and hype. First impressions are just that, but on initial glance, it all felt right. Nothing has been accomplished yet. But every ship needs a sail before heading out to sea. The good news is the mast is up and the TFC ship is heading in the right direction. Hopefully. Finally. Progress, alas. Stability and confidence go hand-in-hand. The revolving door of players and personnel has been TFCs worst enemy. General Manager Tim Bezbatchenko and Head Coach Ryan Nelsen have been busy in recent months filling the gaps and adding genuine quality. Bezbatchenko, hired in September, likes what he has in his group. "Im very comfortable with where we compare with other teams right now," said Bezbatchenko. The roster has coming a long way since end of season apologies and promises. On February 11th, comfortable will suffice. More is to be done, at least one more player is coming in, and more will go out. A work in progress. Here are eight notable notes from the eighth Media Day in franchise history. 1) Brazil Head Coach Felipe Scolari confirmed the seeming inevitable early Tuesday; that goalkeeper Julio Cesar, 34, has in fact joined Toronto FC on loan. The club refused to confirm anything, "I havent spoken to Julio for a couple days, but I think it would be really nice … I may have to give Scolari a call," said Nelsen. Give that man a phone! All sources indicate the deal for Cesar to join TFC on a short loan is done. Hes coming. The club will save that announcement for another day, with the five-time Serie A and UEFA Champions League winner in the flesh. Save that ink for another day. A lack of confirmation didnt stop anyone not named Bezbatchenko from heaping praise on the pending new arrival. Nelsen – "Hes a gentleman of a man, hes a quality guy, his character is flawless, and hes great around the locker-room. When you see him at work, theres a reason hes played nearly 80 times for Brazil and won everything in the game." Michael Bradley -"Its amazing, speaks volumes for the direction that this club is going. A week ago, if anybody had told us that now another guy like Julio Cesar would come in, I dont think anyone would believe them." Dwayne De Rosario – "Hes a winner. To have him here is a great opportunity to learn from him." The excitement is palpable. Although goalkeepers are often times interchangeable in MLS, the Cesar move to Toronto not only adds quality but also further shows the symbolic shift in approach and ambition of the franchise. 2) Last seasons number one goalkeeper Joe Bendik is the potential short-term loser with Cesars arrival. Key word: potential. It all depends on how Bendik takes the setback. Although Bendik wont play much, if at all in the opening months, its his job for the taking long-term. How he handles the situation will reveal whether his mind is on self or team. Cesars arrival is an opportunity not wasted rather than a shot at Bendik. The 24-year-old signed a new contract in December and has to understand this. Regardless, Bendik was noticeably uneasy about taking a back seat to Cesar. "It motivates me. Obviously its a little shot and a bomb to swallow … but it cant go badly because I can learn a lot from him and compete with him every day to play. Its a win-win." Bendik has to keep the long-view in mind. He need understand Bendik will be relied upon post World Cup as the team marches towards a potential playoff spot; the time with least room for error. 3) Big money signing Bradley didnt back away from my question regarding the sentiment amongst many MLS analysts saying Toronto FC overpaid for the midfielder. "I think its great, were now to the point with the growth of soccer in North America, a decision like mine to come to Toronto and back to MLS can illicit such a wide variety of responses and opinions … it doesnt bother me." Bradley remained poised throughout his time with the media. His teammates glowed when speaking about The Generals presence already in camp. De Rosario even spoke about meeting with Bradley and captain Steven Caldwell about direction and leadership. Bradley ticks all the boxes in terms of leadership and on-field qualities of a winner. Money necessarily spent. 4) Many players believe TFC have become the hunted after years of being the hunter. Caldwell is one of them. "We are probably the team to beat in MLS and its going to be difficult wherever we go." Teams will have undoubtedly taken notice the moves Toronto has made. And its unlikely the Reds will be MLS doormat of previous years. But it takes more than a team on paper to be the class of the league. Caldwell acknowledges as much, that the work is still to be done. Still, the acceptance of expectation is a healthy mindset and speaks to the newfound confidence in the group. 5) The third, often times forgotten designated player, Brazilian Gilberto has set lofty goals for himself for his inaugural MLS season. Through a translator, the striker stated his aim to score 25 goals. Seriously. No hesitation. Camilo Sanvezzo won MLS Golden Boot last season with 22 goals. Perhaps the proclamation was somewhat lost in translation, as the Brazilian says his biggest challenge right now is learning the language. After I wished him luck at learning English, he wished me luck learning Portuguese. Gilberto is a really friendly guy. He will be easy to cheer for, especially if he scores 25. 6) I couldnt resist asking Nelsen what he learned about MLS officiating last season. Nelsen, like many others, grew frustrated by the inconsistency and downright inferior refereeing performances on a regular basis. "They are really good guys, but for me, (they) just need experience at the very top level. In my humble opinion, theyve come to the top rather quickly without the pressure soaked experience. Its tough for them." It will be tougher for Nelsen to bite his lip when officiating goes against them this year. The stakes have been raised. How Nelsen grows from year one to year two in composure and approach will be a test. The manager sets the tone. Consistency will be key and a massive challenge for a manager with questions to be answered. 7) An ongoing worry among the media and diehards is the salary cap situation. Its a rather nerdy habit to worry about a GMs bookkeeping. Bezbatchenko tried to alleviate worries on potential limited financial flexibility. "You can always make room on your team for new players. We do have some space left. We always have space." This is a much different tactic than previous regimes, which overspent on players and used the cap ceiling as an excuse for lackluster play and lack of positive player movement. Bezbatchenkos experience with MLS puts him and the team in good stead in cap management. So dont lose sleep, moves can be made. 8) The clock is ticking on Toronto FCs efforts to resolve Matias Labas future. A loan move within or outside MLS is the most logical step. Laba is in Toronto and the club continues to consult with the player on whats best for the Argentines future. Bezbatchenko is clearly aware of the messy, borderline deceitful break-ups between club and player that have contributed to a negative perception of TFC among agents and power brokers. "Were trying to treat our players a little differently than in the past," said Bezbatchenko. This isnt a shot at past management. Its the truth. Good on him and the front office to right this long-standing wrong. The Laba situation will continue to be handled with kid gloves. Reputations and the future of a good young player caught in the middle of a rebuild are on the line. Avalanche Jerseys 2020 . Last years runner-up, Sara Errani, also reached the last eight in straight sets. Flipkens converted all four of her break points against Meusburger, and the third-seeded Errani broke Karin Knapps serve five times to win their all-Italian match 6-4, 6-3. Avalanche Jerseys 2021 . Manager Alex Ferguson says the injury was sustained while the player tried to hit a volley toward the end of training on Tuesday. https://www.cheapavalanche.com/ . - All-Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers looked spry enough in pregame warmups Sunday for Green Bays divisional playoff game against Dallas. LOS ANGELES -- Dan Haren didnt let a little thing like a four-run inning discourage him. He had plenty of confidence in his teammates ability to get him some runs, and they didnt disappoint him against a pitcher theyd never seen before. Andre Ethier hit a three-run homer and the Dodgers rallied to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-6 on Saturday. "That inning was kind of fluky there. It seemed like everything that could have gone wrong did," Haren said. "Even when I got back to the dugout, I was saying: If we can keep them there at four, were going to win this game. Then the offence really stepped up, and it was one hit after the other. It was really fun." Haren (3-0) was charged with five runs -- two earned -- and seven hits over 7 1-3 innings. The right-hander struck out five in his fourth start of the season, six days after his 8-6 victory over the Diamondbacks at Phoenix. "He has a few weapons he likes to go to," Diamondbacks left fielder Mark Trumbo said of his former Angels teammate. "He usually likes to work the outer half of the plate, and thats what he did tonight with his cutter, his two-seamer, his split and his curve. Hes had a great career -- and more than anything, he knows how to pitch. So you take the runs where you can get them. We got four, but he battled back and they battled back." Haren departed with an 8-4 lead and was replaced by Brian Wilson, who gave up a two-run double by Martin Prado before retiring Chris Owings on a grounder with runners at the corners to end the eighth. Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless ninth for his sixth save. Mike Bolsinger (0-1) made his first major league start and was charged with seven runs -- six earned-- and seven hits in four-plus innings. He struck out five of the first 11 batters he faced. The 26-year-old righty was inserted into the rotation in place of an ineffective Trevor Cahill, who went 0-4 with a 9.17 ERA before earning his first career save on Friday. Cahill pitched three perfect innings of relief Saturday, and has retired all 12 batters hes faced since his 8-6 loss to Haren on April 13. Bolsinger pitched three innings last Monday in his big league debut, allowinng two runs and six hits against the New York Mets after winning both of his starts with Triple-A Reno. Avalanche Jerseys China. . Los Angeles was trailing 4-0 in the fourth when Ethier hit his second homer of the season. "I think any home run like that energizes you," teammate Matt Kemp said. "Were never out of a game, especially with the offence that we have. We have a lot of guys who can drive the ball our of the ballpark. We just need to get guys on base. And if we continue to do that, well be very successful. Today we got big hits with runners on base, and we didnt do that too much last night." The Dodgers grabbed an 8-4 lead with five more in the fifth, including a two-run single by Adrian Gonzalez and a two-run double by Kemp. Haren led off the inning with a single and later scored when Prado fielded a potential double-play grounder to third base by Hanley Ramirez with the bases loaded and dropped the ball as he looked toward second base. Bolsinger got his first big league hit during Arizonas four-run third. Paul Goldschmidt hit a two-run single with the bases loaded. Ramirezs fifth error of the season at shortstop made three of the runs unearned. "We had a quick four-run deficit and we were kind of playing back on our heels and not playing the way we were capable of doing," Ethier said. "But Gonzo and Matty came up with big hits right there and Haren did a good job from there on out and kept their guys off the bases." NOTES: Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, who hasnt pitched in a game since beating the Diamondbacks in the season opener in Australia, is scheduled to throw to batters in simulated game conditions on Sunday. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner has been sidelined by a muscle strain in his upper back. ... Haren, who came in leading all active major leaguers with a 4.09 strikout-to-walk ratio, has 20 strikeouts and two walks this season. ... The Dodgers rotating outfield of Ethier, Kemp, Carl Crawford and Yasiel Puig all entered Saturday hitting .235 or lower through the teams first 17 games. ... Gonzalez extended his hitting streak to 14 games. His longest streak in the majors is 18, two seasons ago with Boston. ' ' '