EAST RUTHERFORD, N.
Ryan Kalil Jersey .J. -- John Hussey had an idea. Turned out to be a good one.The referee and his field judge, Rick Patterson, called over Odell Beckham Jr., then Josh Norman, to warn them that anything close to the shenanigans the receiver and cornerback were involved in last December simply wont be allowed Sunday. Hussey wasnt prompted by the NFL to deliver his lectures to the Giants and Redskins stars before the game.John understood the magnitude of the game, Troy Vincent, who is in charge of football operations for the league, told The Associated Press. Coaches and players were addressed in a professional manner to play within the whistles.They generally did, though Norman did draw a personal foul for a hit not on Beckham but on rookie Sterling Shepard. And Beckham had a sideline meltdown that turned comical when he threw his helmet at the kicking net, only to have the net ricochet off his head.There was even an ejection, the first under the new rule hastened by Beckham-Norman I last December when Norman was in the midst of an All-Pro season for Carolina. But the player with that dubious honor was Giants center Weston Richburg for getting two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties -- including one while addressing Norman.Its crucial for officials to lay down the parameters for a game, and to remind players, particularly those who have egregiously broken the rules before, that they are being watched closely. If other referees follow Husseys lead, Richburgs expulsion under the new rule that was backed by Commissioner Roger Goodell might stand alone.Neither Norman nor Beckham appreciated the words of wisdom from Hussey, but with a clearer view of the potential for more problems that their matchup presented, perhaps they wouldnt have been so upset.And they sure were upset.They pulled me off to the side and said, `We are not going to make a mockery of the game, Norman said. I dont know if that was from the top, or (Hussey) saying that directly to me.Wow. What am I doing? Im just playing a sport that God has blessed us with and being as physical as I can be within the rules and the confines of what they ask us to do. That (mockery) was a big word. I kind of felt bad.At the same time, I appreciate the officials. They really did a good job of controlling the game. It didnt get out of hand.Moments earlier, Hussey and Patterson laid down the law to Beckham, who last week was fined $36,000 for a crack-back block on Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro.That was two incidents fewer than he had against Norman last December. There were plenty of nasty words aimed at each other back then, and some excuses for the near-brawling.Beckham subsequently was suspended for a game, and when Norman signed as a free agent with Washington, it meant two meetings per season for the foes.They implemented a new rule this year. Its basically the Odell Beckham Jr. rule, said Beckham, whose boss, Giants owner John Mara, championed the rule. I had three personal fouls last year, so they said if you come out and get one personal foul and another one for the same thing (you are ejected). Today, they came up before the game and said, if you do anything, were throwing you out of the game. That was before the game.There was no you get a warning. There was not any of that. You just have to be on your best behavior. Unfortunately, thats what its come to. Its not really football anymore as much as it is all the other things that play into it.Beckham has no interest in playing what he sees as a gridiron political game. One of the characteristics that makes him so dynamic is his ability to perform on the edge. He is a playmaker and sometimes a game breaker, and toning down his style could diminish his contributions.But toning down his act when it comes to, well, acting out is a big difference. Hussey, and by extension the league, did not tell Beckham or Norman to turn into nerds. The intent was to inspire them to play clean, but energetic football.Despite a few missteps, they general did. And thats a good thing.---AP NFL website:
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http:///...jackson-blue-jersey/ . The recently retired Stern was elected Friday to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and will be enshrined with the class of 2014 on Aug. ST.PETERBURG, Fla. -- The Boston Red Sox are showing Tampa Bay how far the Rays have to climb after a last-place season.Dustin Pedroia hit his fourth career grand slam to help Rick Porcello get his major league-leading 22nd win, and the Red Sox clinched a playoff berth by beating the Rays 6-4 Saturday night for their 10th consecutive win.Theyre definitely the team to beat right now, in my eyes, Danny Farquhar said after allowing Pedroias home run.Boston maintained a 5 1/2-game lead over Toronto for the division title and ensured no worse than the ALs second wild card. The Rays dropped 24 games under .500 for the first since the end of the 2007 season.Tampa Bay went 2 for 10 with runners in scoring position.To play with these guys, youve got to capitalize on those opportunities because you know theyre going to score their runs, Rays manager Kevin Cash said.Tampa Bay threatened in the second but failed to score due to two nice defensive plays. Pedroia made a throw from just in front of the outfield grass at second base on Mikie Mahtooks grounder to get Corey Dickerson at the plate. Third baseman Brock Holt made a solid play along the line on Alexei Ramirezs grounder and threw him out at first to end the inning.Pedroia stopped an 0-for-17 skid with a single in the sixth and gave Boston a 6-3 lead with a seventh-inning drive. He hit several foul balls, including one off his toe before going deep.You can see why hes as good as he is because he fougght off some good pitches and got his pitch and crushed it, Farquhar said of a changeup.
Ryan Kalil Womens Jersey. Porcello (22-4) gave up three runs, eight hits and struck out nine over 6 1/3 innings.Craig Kimbrel, the fifth Boston reliever, reached 30 saves for the sixth straight season despite allowing Logan Forsythes solo homer in the ninth. Ryan Garton (1-2) was the loser.Brad Miller hit a two-run double in a three-run second that put Tampa Bay up 3-1 and gave him 80 RBI.TRAINERS ROOMRAYS: DH Nick Franklin (left hamstring) was in the lineup for the first time since Sept. 15. He did pinch hit twice in-between.HONORING BIG PAPIThe Rays will honor Red Sox DH David Ortiz in a pregame ceremony Sunday before his final game at Tropicana Field. He will be just the fourth visiting player to be honored, joining Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Cal Ripken Jr.BASERUNNING GAFFEWith the Rays trailing 6-3 in the eighth, Dickerson hit a leadoff double but later was thrown trying to advance a base when a pitch got away from Boston catcher Sandy Leon. Just being over-aggressive, Cash said. He knows the situation, he knows were down by three. Like weve said quite a few times this year, were not good enough to overcome those mistakes.UP NEXTRed Sox LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (3-7) will go against Rays RHP Jake Odorizzi (9-6) in Sundays series finale. ' ' '