Charles has 340 in his last three games but faces a stout task von lou0930s Blog
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MONTREAL -- All things considered, Chelsea Carey would rather be in Sochi, Russia. Reggie Miller Jersey . But qualifying for her first Scotties Tournament of Hearts after years of falling short in tough Manitoba provincial championships is as good as consolation prizes get for the 29-year-old from Winnipegs Fort Rouge Curling Club. And Carey is making the most of it, taking her record to 7-1 after an 8-4 victory over New Brunswicks Andrea Crawford (5-4) on Wednesday night. Earlier, the Carey rink trounced Quebecs Allison Ross (1-8) by 15-3. The 15 points tied the Scotties record set in 1989, when Alberta beat Newfoundland 15-6. Carey reached the Manitoba finals twice, losing in 2011 to Cathy Overton-Clapham and in 2012 to Jennifer Jones, the four-time Scotties champion who will represent Canada at the 2014 Winter Games. "We wanted to be here badly and lost a couple of heartbreakers and thats no fun, but it wasnt the only thing for us," said Carey. "The (Olympic) trials was our first goal and this was our second goal." Her only loss so far was an 8-3 setback this week to defending champion Rachel Homans seemingly unstoppable Canada team. Homans Ottawa foursome extended its unbeaten string to eight games with a 9-4 victory over Prince Edward Islands Kim Dolan. They have outscored their opponents 62-26 and have yet to play a full 10 ends. Saskatchewans Stefanie Lawton (7-1) posted an 8-6 win over Nova Scotia (3-6) and Ontarios Allison Flaxey (3-5) completed a sweep of her sides two games on Wednesday with a 12-2 victory over the Yukons Sarah Koltun (1-8). Flaxey had the upset of the day in the afternoon draw with a 6-5 win over Albertas Val Sweeting (6-3). Carey put together her team with lead Lindsay Titheridge, second Kristen Foster and third Kristy McDonald specifically to take a shot at the Olympics. The rink has been among Canadas best for a few years, winning often in national and regional events, and did well enough to earn an invitation to the Canadian Olympic trials in Winnipeg. When that dream died with a fourth-place finish, Carey admits it was tough to find the energy to go to last months provincial championship, let alone win it. "I took a week off and didnt throw," she said. "I forced myself to go back, but I wanted no part of it. "I was just going through the motions. It took a long time to get our heads back there, but wed played in a lot of provincials before and we knew going into the trials that it was something wed have to transition to. It wasnt easy, but we did a good enough job to pull off the win there." Once she got her Manitoba team jacket and got to Montreal, she was thrilled to finally have a chance to represent her province at the Scotties. On the team website, Carey describes herself as "Unemployed, AKA Starving Curler." She worked as a sales representative for a mattress company for six years, but was finally told to choose between curling and her job. "It was the year of the trials and Im not going to pick that job over curling," she said. "My initial thought was to get a new job, but with trials in December its hard to start a new job and say I need six weeks of holidays. "Ive been unemployed since then. It will have to change after this because I cant pay my bills." Manitobas win over Quebec had some wondering if curling needs a mercy rule. It was Quebecs worst beating since a 13-1 setback to Alberta in 1991. A rule obliges teams to play at least eight ends no matter how badly theyre trailing. "Im not so sure I believe in the eight-end rule," said Manitobas McDonald. "If things arent going well, the other team should be able to get out when they feel its time. "Theyre a good team. Theyre much better than that. But theyre just having a tough go. When things go sour, they go sour." Ross had plenty of support among the 1,790 spectators at the Maurice Richard Arena, but her squad has been off the target consistently all week. She was also missing second Brittany ORourke to the flu bug that has sidelined several players and officials during the week. "Todays game was tough for sure," said Ross, whose team also lost 6-5 to B.C. in the morning draw. "We didnt play well at all." Flaxey turned around what had been a dismal week with her win over Alberta. Ontario held off a charge that saw Alberta score two in the ninth end. She took out Sweetings stone on the button in the 10th to prevent a steal and secure the victory. "We havent been playing as well as we could have all week," said Flaxey, the 2001 Manitoba junior champion now based out of Listowel, Ont. "To show that we are a good, solid team and that we belong with the favourites and can play with the favourites, it shows people why were here." Ontario is all but eliminated from playoff contention, but can still play the role of spoiler with three round-robin games remaining, including a match Thursday afternoon with Manitoba. "Its all we have left so youve got to love doing it," said Flaxey. "Weve got a couple of tough ones left and hopefully we can at least shake things up." The afternoon draw saw Homan put up a 7-3 victory over British Columbia (5-4). Homan has a shot at being the first skip to go undefeated in the tournament since B.C.s Linda Moore in 1985. Jennifer Jones went undefeated in the round robin last year but lost to Homan in the final. "Im confident we can win the rest of our games," said Homan. "You have to be confident in your abilities. "You put in the practice and the hours and the work. I believe 100 per cent in our team. Were in a good spot now and we have to keep playing the way were playing." Lawton downed Newfoundlands Heather Strong (4-4) by 7-3. Other early matches saw Alberta top Newfoundland 9-5, New Brunswick beat P.E.I. 9-6 and Nova Scotia down Yukon 7-3. Custom Indiana Pacers Jerseys . Jurrjens signed a minor league contract with Cincinnati in May, and was 2-3 with a 4.46 ERA at Triple-A Louisville. He has a 53-37 record with a 3.63 ERA in seven major league seasons, including five with Atlanta. Monta Ellis Jersey . However, Therrien added that Galchenyuks status for next Wednesdays game against the Detroit Red Wings is questionable. Galchenyuk has been out since Jan. 6 with a broken right hand.(SportsNetwork.com) - As if things could get worse for the New York Jets. Not only are Rex Ryan and Co. already irrelevant in the standings at the seasons halfway point and in the middle of one of their semi-annual quarterback controversies, theyll visit a Kansas City Chiefs team this Sunday that seems ideally suited to whatever they might arrive with. Backup signal-caller Michael Vick makes his first start since his days with the Philadelphia Eagles against the leagues top-rated pass defense, third overall defense and third overall scoring defense. Kansas City enters the weekend having won two straight games, defeating San Diego and St. Louis while allowing just 451 total yards. The Chiefs registered seven sacks in a point 27-point home defeat of the Rams on Sunday, and the Jets arrive toting a league-worst turnover margin (minus-15) and No. 28 rankings in both total offense (319.4 yards per week) and scoring offense (18 points per week). New York will gets its first full-game look at the tandem of Vick and Percy Harvin, who caught three passes and carried four times in a 20-point loss to Buffalo last week, but that wont be of significant help to a battered defensive unit thats allowed 30.6 points per week in a seven-game losing slide. Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith sprained his right shoulder against the Rams, but stayed in and finished with 226 pass yards. He sustained no structural damage and is probable for the weekend. Hes upbeat about it and we did all of the precautionary things looking at it, Kansas City coach Andy Reid said, so just need a little time to get the soreness out of there. His load is lightened thanks to the presence of the running duo of Jamaal Charles and Knile Davis, who combined for 122 yards and three scores against St. Louis. The Chiefs are best in the AFC with 140.7 ground yards per game, though stopping the run is one of things the Jets do with some success - surrendering 85.4 yards per game and 3.3 yards per attempt. In his last six games, Charles has averaged five yards per game and scored six times. Still, its no understatement to suggest the headline-grabbing matchup is elsewhere. As fate would have it, Vicks return to the starting lineup comes against the very same man - Reid - who famously gave him a second chance with the Eagles in 2009, following a two-year prison stint. In three subsequent seasons with Philadelphia, he had 8,683 yards with 51 touchdowns, 30 interceptions and a 6.7-yard per-carry average - including a comeback player of the year nod in 2010. He maintained his starting role under Reid until the coach was fired following a 4-12 season in 2012. I love Andy Reid for the man that he is, said Vick, whose last start came in Week 8 last season. As far as the football gaame, football is football. Mark Jackson Jersey. I just want to go out there and do whats best for the team and hopefully try to get a win. Its kind of ironic. Would I have wanted it that way? Honestly, no. A loss for the Jets would yield their first eight-game skid since the first half of 1996s 1-15 debacle. I liked him better when he was in my world with the same helmet and team because hes a good football player, Reid said. Vick relieved embattled starter Geno Smith in the loss to the Bills after the youngster threw three interceptions in the first quarter. The older man wasnt exactly spectacular while completing 18 of 36 passes for 153 yards and an interception - in addition to 69 rushing yards - but he gets the lesser-of- two-evils vote from equally embattled coach Rex Ryan. To say Ryans job security is non-existent would be an understatement. My focus is just on Kansas City and trying to find a way to get a win, he said. Thats why this decision was made. Vick also relieved Smith in a Week 5 loss to San Diego and was 8-for-19 for 47 yards, then conceded afterward that hed been unprepared to play. Its a great opportunity, he said. Any time you get named to be the starter, in any profession, in professional sports, its a great thing. You have to relish it, but also at the same time take it extremely serious and understand whats at stake and what needs to be done. WHAT TO WATCH FOR Hey, Dont I Know You? Not only is Vicks meeting with his former coach an opportunity for two old friends to get together, it also provides a chance for the ex-Eagles boss to share an extensive dossier of QB-centric knowledge with his current staff - which, ironically, includes former Jets assistant Bob Sutton, now the Chiefs defensive coordinator. Of note, Vick lost two fumbles and was picked off once in the relief stint against Buffalo. Can Anyone Here Run This Ball? For all their faults, the Jets may have a fertile matchup on the ground against a Chiefs defense thats surrendered 4.7 yards per attempt. That obviously could mean more opportunities for Harvin as he grows more accustomed to the offense. On the flip side, Charles has 340 in his last three games but faces a stout task in the New York rush defense that gave up only 67 ground yards last week. OVERALL ANALYSIS Maybe Ryan will give the speech of his life and rev a 1-7 team. Maybe seeing Reid again will convince Vick that its 2010. And maybe the Jets will bottle up Charles enough to keep Kansas City in check. Or, maybe the 20-point loss to Buffalo and Vicks less-than-stellar play in two previous auditions are indicative of a franchise whose disarray surface is just being scratched. Three words: Assume the latter. Sports Network predicted outcome: Chiefs 27, Jets 10 Cheap NFL JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaCheap Jerseys From ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys AuthenticWholesale Jerseys ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaNFL Cheap JerseysCheap Jerseys ' ' '
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