Plege und Gesundheit der Hunde » and trying to land jabs to control the act

Hard to argue with Joe Maddon.Hes guided the Chicago Cubs to Game 7 of the World Series, with a chance to claim their first championship in 108 years.But a couple of jittery managerial moves Tuesday night mightve summoned the Curse of the Billy Goat one more time.Well know in about 24 hours.To begin with, Maddon hastily yanked starter Jake Arrieta, a guy whos won 40 games over the last two regular seasons, with two outs in the sixth inning and the Cubs holding a five-run lead on the Cleveland Indians.I wouldve loved to get through at least seven, Arrieta said.In the seventh, with Arrieta gone but the Cubs still comfortably ahead 7-2, Maddon looked downright panicky when he brought in lights-out closer Aroldis Chapman to get out of a jam that didnt feel all that threatening.For the second game in a row, Chapman pitched in three different innings to help ensure a Cubs win.This one seemed totally unnecessary.Even after Anthony Rizzo hit a two-run homer in the ninth, pushing the Cubs to a 9-2 lead and giving the home crowd a chance to start heading for home with the clock still shy of midnight, Chapman went back to the mound in the bottom of the ninth. Turns out, Chicago didnt have anyone warming up in the bullpen, so there wasnt enough time to get someone else ready to take over at the start of the inning.Chapman had to go back out to face one more hitter.He issued a walk, and Maddon hustled out of the dugout to finally make a change that seemed long overdue, a rare miscalculation for a manager who has made all the right moves .At this point, Chapman has thrown 62 pitches over the last two games. Even taking into account a day off between appearances, what will he have left for the final game of the season -- especially after he appeared to tweak his right knee covering first base?The Indians, on the other hand, have their Bullpen Big Three -- Andrew Miller, Cody Allen and Bryan Shaw -- all ready to go in the deciding game.None were needed in Game 6, which quickly got out of hand when the Indians surrendered three runs in the first -- two of them scoring on a botched fly ball that shouldve been the third out -- and four more in the third on Addison Russells grand slam.Advantage, Cleveland.A big advantage, really.Maddon defended his moves after the 9-3 victory. And, to a degree, one could certainly understand his rationale. If the Cubs had somehow blown this lead -- as improbable as that was -- there wouldnt have been a Game 7. He decided to go all-in, no doubt mindful of all the heartache this franchise has gone through over the past century-plus. No need to toy with those demons.The middle of the batting order was coming up, Maddon said, looking back on the seventh. I thought the game could have been lost right there if we did not take care of it properly.The Cubs will have Kyle Hendricks going in Game 7, which is certainly encouraging for the folks in ChiTown, and they could possibly turn to two other starters -- Jon Lester and John Lackey -- to bolster the bullpen. Thats a risky move, using pitchers in roles theyre not accustomed to, but Maddon probably doesnt have much choice since its obvious he has no faith in any of his relievers beyond Chapman and Mike Montgomery.Even Arrieta said he would be ready to go, despite throwing 102 pitches on Tuesday.Ill definitely be available if outs are needed, he said. Last game of the year, Game 7 of the World Series, everybodys available.But Chapman is the guy the Cubs really want to send out in the finale.That, undoubtedly, would mean a championship is on the line.Hes a very strong young man, Maddon said. I think hell be fine, honestly.Well see.Chapman threw 42 pitches in Game 5 , but that made total sense with Chicago down 3-1 in the Series and clinging to a one-run lead. The hard-throwing left-hander -- whose fastball is almost always measured in three numbers -- got the final eight outs for the save that sent the Series back to Cleveland.Now, after two grueling appearances, at least by closer standards, Chapman might have to do it one more time.Somehow, it seems like too much to ask.Especially for a franchise that has endured everything from a Billy Goat to Bartman.---Paul Newberry is a sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at pnewberry(at)ap.org or at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry . Bert Blyleven Jersey . "Were just throwing s--- at the wall hoping something sticks," said Tortorella about the possible line combinations for Fridays game against Columbus. The Canucks have lost five straight games and six of their last seven, leaving them in a logjam in the Pacific Division, currently sitting fifth - good for ninth in the Western Conference. Brian Dozier Jersey . I cant pinpoint a date, but I do remember a player from my youth. Brian Downing was with the Chicago White Sox at a time when I listened to every game I possibly could on the radio. That particular season the late great Harry Caray was calling the White Sox games. http://www.twinsrookiestore.com/Twins-Miguel-Sano-Kids-Jersey/ . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. Kennys Vargas Jersey . Miller finished in two minutes, 6.09 seconds, one day before the first medal race on the Alpine schedule. The 36-year-old American also turned in the top time in Thursdays opening training session. Max Kepler Jersey . Ronaldo produced a spectacular individual performance on Tuesday, scoring all three goals and guiding Portugal into the next years World Cup in Brazil with a 3-2 victory in Sweden. The Real Madrid forward has scored 66 goals in 2013, but the last three may be the boost he needs to upstage Messi after FIFA unexpectedly extended the voting period for the Ballon dOr to Nov. LAS VEGAS -- Sergey Kovalev kept coming, and Andre Ward never stopped battling. With the crowd roaring in approval, they put on a fight that lived up to its advance billing.In the end, Ward won a narrow decision Saturday night to take Kovalevs light heavyweight titles in a battle between two unbeaten boxers.Ward survived a second-round knockdown and relentless pressure from Kovalev, doing just enough to win by a point on all three ringside scorecards. He remained unbeaten in his last 20 years in the ring, but it wasnt without some moments of worry.This was a beautiful thing. We did it baby, Ward said. Im a five-time world champion in two different weight classes. Man, its amazing.All three ringside judges had Ward winning 114-113. The Associated Press had Kovalev ahead 116-111.It was a fight of my life, Kovalev said. I am disappointed in the judges decision. He got maybe a few rounds, I agree with that. I kept control. I lost maybe three rounds the whole fight.Ward won all of the last six rounds on two scorecards, and five of six on a third. He won the final round on two of the scorecards.Kovalev knocked down Ward in the second round and chased him around the ring much of the early part of the fight. But Ward dug deep and managed to land some good punches of his own in a fight that built to a climax in the later rounds.The crowd of 13,310 at the T-Mobile Arena was on its feet in the late rounds as the two fighters went after each other, neither giving an inch. In the end, the judges favored Wards counter punching against the aggressive style of Kovalev.We were a little careless with that knockdown in the second round, said Wards trainer, Virgil Hunter. But we landed the cleaner punchesBoth fighters were unbeaten with almost identical records. Ward was 30-0 with 15 knockouts and Kovalev was 30-0-1 with 26 knockouts.It was a classic boxer versus puncher battle, and it looked like the puncher would prevail as Kovalev won the early rounds. But Ward kept punching and landed some good shots of his own in the middle rounds, and there were plenty of close rounds that could have gone either way.I knew it was going to be a tough fight -- it was the 1st time in my career I was dropped, Ward said. He did everything I expected him to do. He started to fight like I expected.Kovalevs promoter, Kathy Duva, said she would use the rrematch clause in the contract for a second fight.ddddddddddddHe won the first six rounds so I dont know how he could lose a decision, Duva said. Im happy we had a great fight. Boxing needed a great fight.The fight was billed as a matchup of U.S. and Russian fighters, with the 2004 Olympic gold medalist Ward against a Russian who lives mostly in the Los Angeles area. It was a classic matchup of puncher versus boxer, and for the early part of the fight the puncher was winning.Kovalev flashed his power early, hitting Ward with a left hand midway through the first round that briefly wobbled Wards legs. Ward grabbed and held on and finished the round jabbing at the Russian, but the tone of the fight was set early.Midway through the second round, both fighters threw right hands but it was Kovalevs that landed flush to the side of Wards head, putting him on the canvas. He got up quickly and smiles as if not hurt but needed all of his supreme defensive skills to make it out of the round.Ward seemed unwilling to go inside after that, moving backward and trying to land jabs to control the action. But he abandoned the style that had served him so well over the years and fought moving backward, throwing only one punch at a time, as Kovalev constantly pressed the attack.Ward did have some moments, including the seventh round when he landed a good left that snapped Kovalevs head back.Ward earned $5 million, while Kovalev was paid $2 million plus a percentage of pay-per-view.On the undercard, two-time Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields made her pro debut a successful one, winning a decision over Franchon Crews in a four-round super middleweight fight.Shields came back from a slow first round to land the bigger punches in an entertaining fight. Both women, fighting without headgear for the first time, traded punches freely but Shields won all over four rounds on the scorecards of the three ringside judges.Shields, who became the first American woman to win a gold medal in the 2012 Olympics and added another in Rio in August, had vowed to be impressive in her first pro fight. And she wasnt shy about trading punches with Franchon, a Baltimore fighter who lost to her during the Olympic trials in 2012. ' ' '