Francona certainly isnt dismissing the possibility | Forum

While Maria Sharapovas drug suspension wasnt reduced as much as she would have liked in the Court for Arbitration of Sport appeal ruling that was issued Tuesday, CAS decision to cut her ban was a qualified win for the tennis star, her legacy and her hopes of adding to her total of five Grand Slam victories before she retires. Air Max 90 Outlet Store .That said, the decision to reduce her suspension from the two years she was originally given by the International Tennis Federation to 15 months because she was not an intentional doper should still provoke some soul-searching in tennis on a bigger scale. Like the recent ban of two officials for electronically relaying information to bettors during live matches -- and a poll earlier this summer showing that 22.5 percent of 31 players polled believe they know a fellow player who uses performance-enhancing drugs -- Sharapovas positive test will do little to disabuse critics of the notion that there is more going on behind the curtain in tennis than anyone -- especially tennis -- would like to admit.The sport has tried to make better efforts to police itself against banned substances and match-fixing and the like; but as this ESPN investigative report Monday also showed, the sports drug-testing efforts are woefully below state-of-the-art and unlikely to catch people who dabble in stronger illegal aids than the 29-year-old Sharapova took. Even when the ITF does catch someone, it has trouble making its disciplinary rulings stick before CAS, a court of last resort for the worlds athletes.Sharapova pounced on the opportunity to note that Tuesday. In a statement posted on her Facebook page, she said: I have learned from this, and I hope the ITF has as well. CAS concluded that the Panel has determined it does not agree with many of the conclusions of the [ITF] Tribunal ...Sharapova added: Ive gone from one of the toughest days of my career last March when I learned about my suspension to now, one of my happiest days, as I found out I can return to tennis in April. In so many ways, I feel like something I love was taken away from me and it will feel really good to have it back.Sharapova was the top-ranked woman on Forbes list of the worlds highest-earning athletes in 2015 at No. 26 overall. She has fallen to No. 88 in 2016 since her suspension was announced.She had asked CAS to reinstate her immediately, hoping to limit her suspension to the nine months she has already served since first testing positive for meldonium in January at this years Australian Open rather than serve the two-year suspension she was given by an ITF Tribunal in June.While that didnt happen, Sharapova can now justifiably point to how she took responsibility up front at a news conference in March and served her punishment for making a costly mistake -- but was cleared of any nefarious motives beyond that by two different governing bodies: first, the International Tennis Federation (ITF), and now the CAS. She remains suspended because both panels did find fault with aspects of her behavior, such as not listing her use of meldonium on doping control forms and not applying for a therapeutic use exemption.Thats a win.CAS agreed in principle with the ITFs June ruling that Sharapova had taken meldonium -- which is also known by its brand name Mildronate -- to enhance her performance. But the panel did not believe she intended to cheat.That distinction is important.Worldwide and national doping agencies generally take the hard-line position that whatever goes into an athletes body is ultimately the athletes responsibility -- period, end of story; but teasing out intent is important to authorities like CAS when it comes to sentencing.In Sharapovas case, both CAS and ITF accepted her insistence that she had been taking meldonium since the age of 17 for therapeutic reasons on the advice of a doctor back in her native Russia, and that neither she nor her camp were aware it had moved to the banned list on Jan. 1 of this year.There was also no doubt Sharapova hoped meldonium would help her play better tennis. The ITFs 33-page decision cited old emails from Dr. Anatoly Skalny, the Russian doctor who treated Sharapova from 2004-12. He advised her to increase her dosage during games of special importance to 3-4 pills one hour before her matches. Sharapova listened. The ITF report said Sharapova used Mildronate six times in seven days at Wimbledon in 2015 -- and five times in seven days at the Australian Open.If Sharapova had been found to have deliberately violated anti-doping rules, she could have received the maximum four-year ban.Had CAS even upheld the ITFs original two-year suspension, she would have been 30 by the time she was eligible to return on Jan. 26, 2018 and missed seven Grand Slam events in addition to this years Rio Olympics, which she had hoped to play in for Russia.Instead, she now joins Richard Gasquet, Dimitar Kutrovsky, Marin Cilic, Viktor Troicki and, most recently, Varvara Lepchenko as tennis players whose drug suspensions have been reduced because of various extenuating circumstances.Tennis is also still dealing with the specter of Rafael Nadal suing a French official who publicly insisted that the Spanish star, long the target of PED rumors, benefited from one of the secret bans that tennis allegedly gives stars who test positive. That case raises echoes of how Andre Agassi revealed in his post-retirement autobiography that he failed a test in 1997 after taking crystal meth, then lied to ATP tennis authorities to escape punishment -- and the ATP believed him. The failed test remained a secret his entire playing career.Sharapova seems understandably eager to get on with her career.In recent days, she had been posting photos and video on Twitter of herself training on the court and in the gym. It might actually help that shes had experience coming back from long layoffs before due to injuries.Some people who read the full CAS or ITF reports or pay close attention to the worldwide anti-doping fight might continue to be skeptical that someone as famously detail-oriented and ambitious as Sharapova couldve made such a lazy mistake as not checking the new additions to the 2016 banned substance list.Sharapova is likely to experience little fallout going forward unless she stumbles again. The June ITF ruling alone was enough for Nike, one of Sharapovas many top-shelf sponsors along with Porsche, Evian, and Tag Heuer, to resume its endorsement deal with her. Others are likely to follow.Now that CAS has ruled, Sharapovas public image isnt likely to suffer much going forward.Sports fans, in particular, have long been a forgiving lot, especially if people they already find likeable are willing to apologize for their mistakes.Sharapova is probably never going to totally change the mind of cynics who continue to question her story, and how her use of meldonium dovetails with the systemic doping that led to the ban of many Russian athletes from the Rio Olympics and Paralympic Games. Even on a common-sense level, there are snags. As one skeptic wryly noted during the French Open, Why would Sharapova start a candy company if she was really taking meldonium because of her familys history of diabetes, as she said she was? Does someone afraid of diabetes do that?Sharapova doesnt have to acknowledge those questions anymore.Shes cleared of being an intentional doper. That will be enough. Nike Air Max 90 Cheap Sale . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. Nike Air Max 90 Clearance Sale . - The Washington Redskins have cut defensive lineman Adam Carriker and punter Sav Rocca. http://www.nikeairmax90outlet.com/ . Bjorn, who had a 36-hole total of 8-under 134, made a testing six-foot putt to save par on the 16th and a birdie on the 17th before bogeying the final hole after a misjudged approach shot. American Kevin Streelman was in second place after shooting a 69. CLEVELAND -- Round one of the three-game series between the Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers decisively went to the Indians on Friday night. Round two will be Saturday at Progressive Field.The AL Central-leading Indians are trying to go for the knockout punch of the Tigers in this series on Saturday.The Indians have a seven-game lead over second place Detroit in the AL Central with six games remaining against the Tigers.Obviously its a big series, said Corey Kluber, the Indians winning pitcher Friday night. We know the situation. Were ahead of them and they are chasing us. But you try to take it as just another game.The games in this season series have been painfully repetitive for the Tigers. Cleveland leads the season series 12-1 and the Indians have outscored the Tigers by 50 runs in those games: 90-40.Clevelands 12-1 advantage over Detroit includes an 11-4 win Friday night.This one was similar to the first 11 or 12 games. They stuck it to us, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. Weve got to figure out a way to beat them. Theyve kicked our tails.The Indians used a familiar formula in their win Friday: a little speed, a little power, and plenty of pitching. Cleveland stole three bases, got a home run from Mike Napoli, and outstanding starting pitching from Kluber, who pitched seven innings to improve his record to 17-9.Hes tough. He has over 200 strikeouts and a Cy Young Award in his trophy case, Ausmus said.In game two of the series on Saturday tthe pitching matchup will be Clevelands Carlos Carrasco (11-8, 3. Nike Air Max 90 Cheap Wholesale. 32) against Detroits Justin Verlander (14-8, 3.33).In 18 career appearances vs. the Tigers Carrasco is 6-6 with a 4.95 ERA. However, in three starts against the Tigers this season Carrasco is 2-0 with a 0.51 ERA. In 17 2/3 innings he has allowed one earned run and held Detroit to a .136 (8-for-59) batting average.As for Verlander, the Indians have been a career nemesis for him. In three starts vs. Cleveland this year he is 0-3 with a 9.18 ERA. In 46 career starts vs. the Indians Verlander is 18-21 with a 4.70 ERA. The 21 losses are by far the most Verlander has against any other major league opponent.Detroit is still very much alive in the chase for the two American League wild card spots. But if the Tigers have any hope of catching Cleveland and winning the Central Division, they probably have to win the next two games of this series, and then win three or four of the games against Cleveland in Detroit.Indians manager Terry Francona certainly isnt dismissing the possibility of Detroit running down the Indians for first place in the division over the last two weeks of the season.We set out today to win the game, and we did, Francona said after Fridays win. But you quickly turn the page because they will, too. But it is nice to win the first one. 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