often see other, better keepers with greatly inferior

CINCINNATI -- Cody Kessler ran away from the rush, pulled up and tossed an 11-yard shovel pass as two Bengals bore down on him. The Browns quarterback went down after the hit, and stayed down.Unbelievably, Cleveland had lost yet another quarterback.Kessler suffered a concussion during the second quarter of a 31-17 loss to Cincinnati on Sunday that left the Browns as the NFLs only winless team. Its unclear whether hell be available next Sunday when the Browns (0-7) host the Jets.So that makes six quarterbacks in seven games for the Browns, who just cant keep them healthy.The lucks just not swinging our way, coach Hue Jackson said. Were not getting those breaks right now.Things seemed to be looking up when Kessler threw for a career-high 337 yards and a pair of touchdowns during a loss at Tennessee a week ago.Against the Bengals, he completed 9 of 11 for 82 yards, getting off to a solid start and keeping Cleveland in the game. His final completion -- on a shovel pass -- ended his day.On came Kevin Hogan, an undrafted rookie who took over at Stanford after Andrew Luck left. Hed already been in the game for a couple of running plays, showing the Bengals (3-4) an unexpected look. He never expected to be running the offense -- he never even does that in practice.I felt very comfortable out there, Hogan said. I felt good in the huddle, leading the guys and getting to the right plays.Hogan slipped through a couple of tackles on a 28-yard touchdown run early in the second half, the longest TD run by a quarterback in Browns history.But the Bengals were able to go after him with the big lead and force mistakes. Hogan was 12 of 24 for 100 yards with a pair of interceptions, one of them tipped.Hogan also ran seven times for a team-high 104 yards, the second-most by a quarterback in Browns history. Johnny Manziel ran for 108 yards against Kansas City in 2015.For a guy who was on our practice squad that Id never taken snaps with -- unbelievable, right guard John Greco said.Hes the latest in a long list of Browns quarterbacks through seven games, joining Robert Griffin III, Josh McCown, Kessler, Charlie Whitehurst and Terrelle Pryor, who also filled in as an emergency replacement.Pryor is the Browns leading receiver and played Sunday despite an injured hamstring. Jackson said theres a chance that McCown, who has an injured left shoulder, could be available to play against the Jets.For now, Hogan is the last Browns quarterback standing.These quarterbacks only have so many of these hits in their body, you know? Jackson said. Pretty soon, guys dont get up all the time, and thats whats been happening. Its just been happening way too much, so on we go.---Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Chase Headley Jersey . Collaros, 25, was solid last season, posting a 5-2 record as the starter while incumbent Ricky Ray was injured. Collaros also started Torontos 23-20 regular-season finale loss to Montreal — Ray didnt dress because the Argos had already clinched first in the East Division — but was one of three quarterbacks to play that day. Christian Villanueva Jersey . -- Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a championship. http://www.padresrookiestore.com/Padres-Johnny-Manziel-Kids-Jersey/ . -- Ty Montgomery had 290 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, and fifth-ranked Stanford held on to beat No. Matt Szczur Jersey . After Martin Skrtel put the Reds in front from close range at Stamford Bridge after only four minutes, Hazard hit back in the 17th with a superb strike. Etoo gave Jose Mourinhos team a decisive lead from Oscars back pass in the 34th. Tyson Ross Jersey . Blackwood, 28, has played the last three seasons in the San Diego Padres system, including the past two summers with Class AA San Antonio of the Texas League. Once upon a time, when Sundays were as cloudless as our clarity of purpose, we would have donned our whites and taken to the field, and there the modern world would be held at bay for a few sweet, sweet hours by its great antidote, village cricket. But the wheel of fate is ever spinning and before long we slid off the teamsheet, distracted by family, work and the myriad other calls upon our time. Sulking in our tents like so many modern-day Achilleses, we could only slowly appreciate when the game might fit back into our lives, or we might fit our lives back into the game. And when, finally, we are tempted back into the fray, we search for our old armour in vain.And theres the rub: what do we do about equipment? Do we kit ourselves up to the eyeballs or just stroll out with the barest of bare necessities? Theres a fine line to be walked here, and its the one between the pavilion and the middle. And back.As we all know, cricket is played largely in the head (certainly my best innings have taken place there), but its not just our attitude or expectations that count: the opposition has a part to play here, too. No one wants to be that player, do they? The one whose journey to the middle (and back again) is accompanied by the fateful words all the gear, no idea.But if we judge a player by the gear they sport, or their journey to the crease, we are fools and may well end up hoist by our own petard.I am told that when I walk out to bat against a new team, they can be somewhat worried. Not because my swagger is akin to that of some legendary Greek warrior, my bat cutting slices in the air like a demiurges scimitar, but because my gait is, well, Im not sure how best to describe it, other than to say it wouldnt strike fear into your average penguin. Teams have been known to ask the umpire if they should bowl nicely, and how the hell Im going to run between the wickets.But my problem with cricket isnt Parkinsons, its lack of talent. Of course, it doesnt help that my bat shakes, my feet wont move and my left-hand grip is fast diminishing, but once Im out of the blocks, Im plenty quick enough to steal singles. My appearance makes expectations dip, however - and my life in the middle somewhat easier (sometimes). And my kit? As Nicholas Hogg pointed out recently, cricket can be an expensive pastime, but then, what hobby isnt? When I was 21 I taught at a contemporary-music school, and my evening classes were full of middle-aged men who, finding that they were suddenly richer in both time and money than they had been in 20 years, decided to revisit their youth in the shape of the electric guitar. You think crickets expensive? Try catching the guitar bug. These men would often show up to class with a different guitar each week, each worth more than my entire rig, while I was still playing the guitar I bought for ￡150 when I was 17. And you know what? These uber-axes didnt make them better guitarists, but they did have two very positive results (apart from keeping guitar makers in business). The high-quality guitar not only allows the player to squeeze that little bit more out of their ability, but, perhaps more importantly, it makes them feel good. And that, for me, is the point of the exercise.If theres a pastime more perfectly tailored forr good-old-days romanticism than cricket, however, Ive yet to discover it.dddddddddddd Hed never have got away with that if he had one of the old bats, Its all the fault of helmets, DRS is ruining everything, hang on, no, T20 is ruining everything, oh, wait, Covered pitches are ruining everything, and so on and on. The image of the old-timer with his fraying, ill-fitting pads and 20-year old bat coming to the middle and showing up the middle-aged arriviste with the hand-shaved wand and moulded thigh pad is as seductive as ever it was. But its not only a daft image, its unfair to both parties.Weve all played that shot before. You know, the one where body, bat and ball become one for a split-second and your spirit is electrified. You enter the realm of the truly sublime as you transcend time and space and the ball, oh, the ball. No one moves in the field, because everyone feels what you feel. Perfection. The nature of a really good bat is such that using it increases the chances of experiencing this harmonic convergence.Now, youre not going to tell me that our mythical old-timer isnt going to get more value from his shots using a good bat.I have a good bat - a very good bat, in fact. Every so often I play a shot that is almost worthy of it, causing one or other of the fielders to ask me what it is. I reckon its worth 20% of my runs over the course of a season, and more to the point, if I time a worthy shot early enough, my confidence soars. If Im out early, no ones any the wiser. (Im, ahem, between sponsors)The same goes for protective gear, except that not only does well-designed, well-made kit help you function better, it protects you better. As a keeper, I want the best gloves I can afford. They feel better, help me take more catches, and protect my hands better. In fact, I want fitted gloves, because my little finger never quite sits right and its vulnerable enough as it is. (If anyone fancies making me a pair, drop me a line.) I often see other, better keepers with greatly inferior gloves, and after getting over my embarrassment wonder why they dont step up a gear... in gear.What matters most in the professional game is results. There is no Armenian judge giving extra points for style, just a scorer marking down the result of each ball. Of course, pretty runs have a different psychological impact on the game than ugly runs do, but no team worth its salt picks a player who makes elegant 20s over one who makes ugly 60s. Do they? But we dont play the professional game. We play real cricket, recreational cricket. We are the giants on whose shoulders the professionals stand. In our game, its all about feeling good. Its a game we play for pleasure, and if it makes you feel good to play with a ￡400 bat, and you can afford it, then you just go for it. After all, youre effectively subsidising the whole cricket industry. And its almost Christmas.Dont forget, however, that while an awesome bat may allow you to get full value from your shots, it might just make a bowler take you more (or less) seriously than they ought, and it will certainly allow the opposition to get full value from your feathered edges. ' ' '