top of the womens game should make for a fascinating 2017. W

Some of the sports stories The Associated Press is covering Sunday. A full Sports Digest will be sent by about 3 p.m. All times EDT:- LOS ANGELES -- The Rams host Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks in their first regular-season home game as the NFL returns to Los Angeles for the first time in nearly 22 years. Game starts 4 p.m.- MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Vikings unveil U.S. Bank Stadium, their $1.1 billion new home, as another chapter in their rich rivalry with the Green Bay Packers is written. Game starts 8:30 p.m.- PITTSBURGH -- The Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers meet for the first time since an ugly 18-16 Pittsburgh win in the playoffs last January. Game starts 1 p.m.- Follows to various Top 25 college football games.- The AP releases its weekly Top 25 college football poll at 2 p.m.- NEW YORK -- A day after moving into a tie with San Francisco atop the NL wild-card standings, the New York Mets send rookie Gabriel Ynoa (1-0) to the mound in place of injured star Jacob deGrom in a series finale against the Minnesota Twins and Kyle Gibson (6-9). Game starts 1:10 p.m.- BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Orioles, tied with Toronto top the AL wild-card standings, look to enhance their playoff position in the finale of a four-game series against the last-place Tampa Bay Rays. Wade Miley (8-13) starts for Baltimore while Jake Odorizzi (9-6) goes for Tampa Bay. Game starts 1:35 p.m.- SAN FRANCISCO -- The San Francisco Giants wrap up a four-game series with fellow NL wild-card contender St. Louis. Alex Reyes (1-2) starts for the Cardinals against Alberto Suarez (3-3). Game starts 4:05 p.m.- JOLIET, Ill. -- Defending champion Kyle Busch is the top seed and starts from the pole as NASCARs season-ending Chase for the Sprint Cup championship kicks off at Chicagoland Speedway. Race starts 2:46 p.m.- SONOMA, Calif. -- Simon Pagenaud tries to ward off teammate Will Power for the IndyCar title, while Team Penske goes for a 1-2-3 sweep of the championship standings. Race starts 4 p.m.- TORONTO -- All eyes are on the unknown Team North America in its first World Cup of Hockey game against Finland. Connor McDavid and the rest of the blend of 23-and-under U.S. and Canadian players bring speed, skill and excitement thats hard to find in international hockey. Game starts 8 p.m.- TORONTO -- Henrik Lundqvist and Sweden open the World Cup of Hockey against Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and high-powered Russia. Game starts 3 p.m.- INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana Fever star Tamika Catchings says farewell to fans when she plays in her final regular-season game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. After 15 seasons, Catchings is retiring and her team is holding a farewell ceremony after the game. Game starts 4 p.m.- RIO DE JANEIRO -- After 1,192 days, Brazils run of mega-sports events comes to an end at the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games -- a musical tribute to Brazils diversity and 4,350 unique Paralympicans. It began with soccers Confederations Cup in 2013, extended to the 2014 World Cup, ran through IOC President Thomas Bachs goodbye speech last month at the Olympics and culminates as the Paralympics close before 45,000 at Rios Maracana stadium. Ceremony starts 6 p.m. Cheap Football Jerseys China . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. Wholesale Authentic Jerseys . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August. http://www.cheapfootballjerseys.us.org/ .Y. -- Marcell Dareus and the Buffalo Bills defence made life miserable for Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco. Wholesale Football Jerseys Online . Zvonareva, who won the tournament in 2009 and 10, couldnt handle her opponents big groundstrokes in only her third event back after 17 months out with a shoulder injury. Zvonareva made her comeback in January in Shenzhen and played in the Australian Open but lost her first matches at both tournaments. Football Jerseys China .Y. -- Jayna Hefford scored the winning goal Friday as Canada survived a scare with a 4-3 win over Sweden at the Four Nations womens hockey tournament. In todays real world, 60 is said to be the new 50.In the slightly surreal world of elite tennis, there is a parallel paradigm: hope for those approaching 30 (and already beyond).Weeks before her 30th birthday, Francesca Schiavone won her first and only major, the 2010 French Open. Li Na, who took the crown a year later at Roland Garros at the age of 29, earned her second Grand Slam singles title, the 2014 Australian Open, one month shy of 32. Flavia Pennetta was 33 when she broke through at the 2015 US Open, defeating 32-year-old Roberta Vinci in the final.Stan Wawrinka won this years US Open, his third major title in three years, at 31, and 29-year-old Andy Murray became the oldest first-time No. 1-ranked player since John Newcombe in 1974.Add Angelique Kerber to the growing list of athletes who have blossomed spectacularly in their maturing years. After going 0-for-32 in nine previous seasons of Grand Slams, the 28-year-old German won this years Australian Open and US Open and supplanted Serena Williams as the No. 1-ranked player.What was she, No. 10 a year ago? asked ESPN analyst Brad Gilbert. Ten to one is pretty good.Coincidentally, thats the best such leap since Gilbert coached Andy Roddick from a No. 10 year-end ranking to No. 1 at the end of 2003.For Kerber to win two majors, almost out of nowhere, Gilbert continued, I did not see that coming.Who did? Perhaps only Kerber herself and longtime coach Torben Beltz.Her 2015 season was typical of the recent success that came with three consecutive year-end finishes in the top 10. The lefty won $1.9 million and four titles -- in the relatively modest venues of Charleston, Stuttgart, Birmingham and Stanford -- more than doubling her previous career victory total. Her match record was 53-22. A thoroughly professional effort, but her record in majors was only 6-4 and she failed to advance past the third round.This caused Kerber to rethink her career.A year ago, for whatever reason, Kerber realized she needed to be more consistently emotionally stable and engaged in all her matches, said Pam Shriver, who will join Gilbert next month as part of ESPNs Australian Open coverage. She also realized, although she was already pretty fit, she could take fitness to the next level. Upon those two things happening, things fell into place at Melbourne.Indeed, fitness was always a Kerber calling card. It allowed her to play long rallies and defend as well as any of her competitors. But that skill set came with a downside; there was usually a reluctance, particularly under duress, to go for the decisive shot.Kerber explained her dramatically changed 2016 mindset after beating Karolina Pliskova in the US Open final.Being more aggressive and go for it when I have the chance, she said. Not just hitting balls over the net. I know that when I [was] practicing I can be aggressive. Just make the transfer on the match court -- that was the challenge.And also, mentally being more positive, a little bit more stronger, and just focusing on the moment I am on court.In the past, adversity sometimes brought on bad body language that reflected her doubt. After losing the second set to Pliskova in New York, Kerbers manner remained upbeat.I just told myself, OK, stay positive. Believe in your game, Kerber told repoorters after the match.ddddddddddddI was thinking a little bit on the final in Australia, where I was also in the third set. I believed then in my game, and I did it today as well. So that was in my mind to stop the negative emotions and change it again in a positive way.For athletes, there is a powerful correlation between all things physical and mental. When world No. 1s Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic were nursing injuries this year, they sometimes became visibly and uncharacteristically frustrated on the court. Mind under matter, as it were.For Kerber, it was the other way around. After building a best-ever fitness base by bringing new intensity to her work in the gym and on the practice courts, she employed her more aggressive philosophy and, finally, in the moments that mattered most, prevailed.Before Kerber, the last WTA player to win two majors outside Serena was Belgiums Justine Henin, who took the French Open and US Open titles in 2007. She was 25 years old and subsequently would retire twice, never to win another major. The trajectory of Amelie Mauresmo is more similar to Kerbers. The Frenchwoman was 26 when she won her only two majors, the 2006 Australian Open and Wimbledon, and was ranked No. 1 for 34 weeks. She made the semifinals of the US Open that year, too, but in the 11 majors that followed never advanced past the fourth round.Kerber looked weary following the clay-court season, losing her first matches in Madrid, Rome and Paris. The opening-round loss to Kiki Bertens at Roland Garros was a bracing wake-up call for Kerber, who rallied to reach the finals at Wimbledon (losing to Serena) and the Rio Olympics (Monica Puig) before winning the US Open.There, she acknowledged the uncomfortable weight of being a Grand Slam champion.Im ready to have this pressure on my shoulder, she said, responding to a question about entering 2017 as the No. 1-ranked player. Because I think I get used to all of this, especially after my first Grand Slam in Australia. I had so much pressure after the title.The swiftly changing landscape at the top of the womens game should make for a fascinating 2017. What does Serena Williams have left? Can Maria Sharapova return to Grand Slam form when she comes back from a drug ban in the spring? When will Victoria Azarenka, soon due to give birth to her first child, get back on the court? Is Garbine Muguruza ready to build on her French Open win? Which of the young top-10 players -- Madison Keys, Simona Halep, Karolina Pliskova, Johanna Konta -- will step up and win her first Slam??And what to expect from Kerber?It used to be, back in the day, that it was a damn good year if you won one, Gilbert said. Two is outrageous.The hardest thing to do after being great for the first time is to back it up. If she can be in the finals of two Slams and win one, that would be a great year.That doesnt sound like Kerbers goal for 2017.Being No. 1, of course now everybody will try to beat me and have nothing to lose, she said. I will try to take this challenge because it will be a little bit new situation for me. Now I can take the next step and try to [stay] as long as I can there. ' ' '