arn, Affans dodges in particular are unb | Forum

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Cole Hamels kept getting two strikes. Emmitt Smith Cowboys Jersey . The Texas Rangers All-Star left-hander just couldnt finish off the Toronto hitters.The Blue Jays had five two-strike hits off Hamels, four of them in a five-run third on way to a 10-1 romp in the opener of their AL Division Series rematch on Thursday.When you give up the amount of runs that I did early in the game, it can kind of deflate anything and everything of what home-field advantage really is, Hamels said. It was a major letdown for what I was able to not do.The long three-run homer Jose Bautista hit off reliever Jake Diekman in the ninth inning, before gently tossing his bat to the ground, didnt really have much an impact on this game. Not like the sluggers emphatic bat flip after his tiebreaking homer in the ALDS Game 5 clincher last October.Marco Estrada took a shutout into the ninth inning for the wild-card Blue Jays. The All-Star right-hander with an impressive changeup, who won Game 3 in last years ALDS after Toronto lost the first two at home, struck out six without a walk.The last of the Rangers four hits off Estrada was Elvis Andrus leadoff triple in the ninth. Manager John Gibbons removed the right-hander when Shin-Soo Choo followed with an RBI grounder to end the shutout bid.When Josh Donaldson hit a hard liner toward four-time Gold Glove third baseman Adrian Beltre with two outs in the third, it appeared Hamels would get out of that inning without giving up a run. Instead, the liner ricocheted off Beltres glove and into left field for an RBI double.I saw it coming in, kind of got lost a little bit between the fans and I didnt get my glove quick enough there, Beltre said. I lost it in the fans or a white shirt, whatever. But I should have made it, anyways.Then Edwin Encarnacion hit a soft tailing liner on a two-strike pitch, and the ball went off Hamels outstretched glove for an infield single. Bautista followed with an RBI single on two-strike pitch before Russell Martin walked to load the bases.When youre trying to make pitches, sometimes you can try to be a little too fine, Hamels said. Sometimes when you overdo it youre going to miss your spots a little bit.Troy Tulowitzki followed with a triple , again with two strikes, to make it 5-0. The ball was deep into the right-center gap, and All-Star center fielder Ian Desmond might have lost when running out of the sun and into the shadows while getting close to the wall during the late afternoon.Wed be talking about how great a play it was if he made the catch, Texas manager Jeff Banister said.Game 2 in the best-of-five series is Friday.Hamels, the MVP of the 2008 World Series and NLCS for Philadelphia, threw 42 of his 82 pitches in the third. He allowed seven runs (six earned) with three walks in 3 1/3 innings, before Alex Claudio pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings.The AL West champion Rangers, who have home-field advantage this postseason, dropped to 1-10 in ALDS home games -- this is the seventh ALDS in their history.Bautista was booed heartily during pregame introductions and while he batted in the first inning. There also were chants of Rougie! Rougie! -- those were for Rougned Odor, the second baseman who punched Bautista and ignited a bench-clearing brawl in their last meeting May 15. Odor was suspended seven games.After Bautistas 425-foot blast in the ninth made it 10-0, a fan threw the ball almost back to the infield.I have a couple of home runs in my career and I think Ive only flipped it once, Bautista said. Just kind of been blown out of proportion because of the moment last year. So I dont think there was anything too special about laying it down the way I did, because thats the way that 99.9-plus percent of the time I do it.E6 AGAINMelvin Upton Jr. homered starting the Toronto fourth before Andrus one-out throwing error from shortstop led to an unearned run. When Texas had errors on three consecutive plays in that shaky seventh inning of Game 5 last October, leading up to Bautistas homer, Andrus had two of them (a fielding misplay and a dropped throw).TRAINERS ROOMRangers: RF Choo , who was 0 for 3, had four stints on the disabled list this season. He missed 39 games with a fractured left forearm before returning for the last three games of the regular season.UP NEXTBlue Jays: LHP J.A. Happ, a 20-game winner, allowed one run in seven innings in a win against the Rangers on May 5.Rangers: Yu Darvish starts only his second postseason game in his five seasons with Texas. The right-hander from Japan lost the 2012 AL wild-card game against Baltimore, and missed last season after Tommy John surgery. Robert Newhouse Cowboys Jersey . Supported by three-run homers from Jayson Werth and Wilson Ramos, the young right-hander went seven strong innings in the Washington Nationals 8-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night. Michael Irvin Cowboys Jersey .J. -- Seven games into a disappointing season, New York Giants defensive catalyst Jason Pierre-Paul is getting the feeling hes back. http://www.cowboysrookieproshop.com/Cowboys-Daryl-Johnston-Jersey/ . After the whistle, Thornton skated the length of the ice, pulled Orpik to the ice from behind and punched him in the face several times. The common refrain at the Aishbagh Stadium -- located in the heart of the central Indian city of Bhopal -- if you happen to be within earshot of animated spectators at a hockey match, is dodge karo, goal maro(dodge and score a goal). The crowd knows a drive from a drag-flick, doesnt take back-passes too kindly and is generous in its profanities when it comes to a sloppy defensive line. Legend has it that four decades ago, a Railways team with nine Olympians in it lost a national match to a Bihar team and then had to run to the safety of their hotel rooms, skipping across railway tracks and leaving their equipment behind, to escape the ire of the spectators.Hailing from this city, steeped in the legacy of the sport which can be spotted even in its most forlorn and dimly-lit street corner, 22-year-old Affan Yousuf never questioned its sustained presence in his life. With his father Mohammed Yousuf, grandfather Khuda Dad?and uncle Sameer Dad?having played for the Indian national team, Affan knew it would be a bit of an aberration had he picked anything other from hockey for a living.Making his senior international debut two years ago under Terry Walsh, at the Hockey World League Final, Affan slipped away from the national horizon thereafter. Now, part of the Indian side currently away at the Asian Champions Trophy in Malaysia, he knows that this opportunity would be hard to let go without leaving an impression.The pressure is crushing, admits the forward. I have to perform, he says, Theres no other option. And Affan delivered on Asian Champions Trophy debut, scoring Indias final goal in a crushing 10-2 win against Japan on October 20.Few know his game as closely as a certain Vasudevan Baskaran, who led India to gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics and coached both Affan and his uncle Sameer Dad. Affan is a natural left winger and can strengthen the existing team, says Baskaran, Like we saw in Rio, once SV Sunil was marked theres no play in the left zone and India has little option but to depend on penalty corners. Thats where Affan comes in handy.The transition from an outstanding junior to a reliable senior in Indian hockey has been a challenging one, and it hasnt been particularly smooth for the Bhopal boy. Chief coach Roelant Oltmans insists that while Affan had the talent, he was not picked earlier since his play lacked maturity and needed to adapt a lot more to the team style. I had some performance issues, Affan concedes, I think I needed time and experience to improve.Stressinng on the need for Affan to grasp the teams style of play and adapt his approach accordingly, Baskaran says, Oltmans has changed some core ideas in the team, like not to lose the ball and to steer clear of wild passes even if theres no space in the forward line. DeMarcus Ware Cowboys Jersey. And instead give it back to the defender and start over. Thats something Affan should learn.Starting out with football in school, Affan then switched to hockey and stayed put. During his early years, his father Mohammed Yousuf, who was a left-winger in the national side was his obvious choice for an idol.He would soon find fresh inspiration in his uncle, Sameer. The uncle-nephew combine led the attacking line together for the Bhopal Badshahs, coached by Baskaran, in the World Series Hockey in 2012. Playing for Air India at the senior hockey nationals a year later, Affan and Sameer, then aged 19 and 34 respectively, scored four out of the six goals in the final against Hockey Punjab. Playing alongside my uncle helped me learn a lot, says Affan, That experience was special and will always stay with me.Bhopal is known to have its own brand of hockey. Aside from their dodging skills, most players from the city are known to be natural left-wingers, who rely almost solely on taking on opposition players in one-on-one situations. The crowd, Affan reckons, isnt swayed by big names -- for them, the quality of play is all that matters. While earlier there was a steady stream of players from Bhopal in the national side, the numbers have dipped in the recent past. This is something that Affan himself ascribes to limited exposure, but his presence in the national setup can only benefit both the city and the player.Affan has all the skills to be a part of the core group of the present national side. In fact, the core group should ideally change every year and not remain the same for four years like in the present setup, says Basakarn, Affans dodges in particular are unbelievable. Hes in fact a lot better than some of the current players like Ramandeep (Singh) and Nikkin (Thimmaiah).For now, Affan is keen to cement his place in the Indian side and carry forward the family legacy with his impact during the course of the Asian Champions Trophy, hoping to help India reclaim the crown they last won in 2011.Ive found this opportunity after a long time, says Affan, This is my chance to prove myself. ' ' '