Yorkshire 166 for 6 (Williamson 65)beat Derbyshire 165 for 8 (Rutherford 44, Rashid 3-20) by one runScorecard Yorkshires NatWest Blast hopes still hang by a thread - and the margins are getting tighter. Five runs in a feverish Roses match against Lancashire, two runs - and a few doubts about that - against Warwickshire on Friday night and now the closest of all: victory by one run in a match that was Derbyshires for the taking.Twenty-five off the last three overs with six wickets intact made Derbyshire favourites, even allowing for a sluggish Derby pitch and slow outfield, but they contrived to lose four wickets in 10 balls for eight runs and, by the time Matt Critchley swung the last ball from Azeem Rafiq for six, the match was settled. Yorkshire go fifth, the return from England ODI duty of Adil Rashid, David Willey and Liam Plunkett reviving their optimism. Derbyshire, by losing by one run for the third time this season, are now as good as eliminated.Kane Williamson is fighting fatigue, according to Yorkshires director of cricket Martyn Moxon, but one of crickets consummate professionals is not the sort to wear his responsibilities lightly. There are few greater loads to bear than energising Yorkshires Twenty20 cricket, but he stood up to the challenge, his 65 from 45 balls the guiding force in Yorkshires 166 for 6.It has been a difficult season for all of Yorkshires T20 batsmen with only Joe Root having passed 50 before Williamsons intervention. Alex Lees own contribution on this occasion was a first-baller, caught at the wicket driving at Shiv Thakor, but his first season as Yorkshires T20 captain remains alive and he will take sustenance from that.Williamson will soon depart; the Australian Travis Head has just landed in England. In the NatWest Blast, players come and go so often the county grounds should have their own runway: another alternative perhaps to Heathrow expansion. Thanks to this victory, Heads involvement will at least have some relevance to it.That Williamsons efforts almost came to naught owed much to a second-wicket stand of 73 in 49 balls for Derbyshire between two New Zealand compatriots, Hamish Rutherford and Neil Broom. Rutherfords six over extra cover against Willey, who is now contending with shin splints after only just recovering from a side strain, was as good as it got, and with Broom taking a fancy to Plunkett, Derbyshire were 76 for 1 off nine.Rashid intervened in the nick of time, having Rutherford stumped attempting a slog sweep in his first over, and trapping Broom lbw at the start of his third. His return from England one-day duties will also steel Yorkshires challenge and his control never wavered, Wayne Madsen outfoxed as he came down the wicket, a second stumping for Andrew Hodd delivering figures of 3 for 20.Only briefly did Yorkshire feel confident. Two towering sixes by Chesney Hughes, with 17 off an over from Tim Bresnan, should have made it Derbyshires game but when an outstanding catch at deep midwicket by Plunkett intercepted Jimmy Neeshams fast, flat pick-up, they still needed 13 off the last over.That over was bowled by Rafiq - and thereby hung a tale. It was Derbyshire who almost signed him after he was released by Yorkshire, only for his action to waver ahead of the season while contractual negotiations were underway. His nerve held here - a yorker off his penultimate ball engineering a drive back by Critchley and the run out of Thakor - and Yorkshire look a better T20 side for having the option of bowling Rashid and Rafiq in tandem.Gillespie was full of praise for Rafiq, who conceded only 28 from four overs. It takes some nerve from a finger spinner to bowl in the powerplay and the last over of the innings, he said. It shows how far hes come in such a short time. Hes very relaxed, hes happy in his own skin and I cant tell you how happy I am to see him have that success after a challenging period for him.Some will contend that Yorkshire were fortunate to enter the match still with hopes of a quarter-final place. Adam Lyths acrobatic last-ball stop at long-on to complete an unexpected victory against Warwickshire at Headingley on Friday night was perilously near to the boundary according to some spectators with a close view. Yorkshires supporters celebrated victory, but their reaction might have been more critical if the situation had been reversed.Willey is another man Yorkshire are relying upon to bring fresh impetus to their last-eight challenge. Fourteen in three balls over long-on against Neesham, and 21 off in all off the over, gave Yorkshires innings early stimulus, but even he was relatively restrained apart from that, finally dismissed for 33 from 28 balls when he lofted Wes Durstons offspin to long off.From 42 for 0 off four overs, Yorkshire struggled to make headway, their batting strength undermined by a groin injury to Ballance which has made him doubtful for the first Test against Pakistan at Lords on Thursday. Lyth was first out, helping a short ball from Andy Carter to third man, and Jack Leaning and Will Rhodes succumbing quickly.Williamsons innings ended seven balls early, bowled around his legs by his fellow New Zealander Neesham. His seventh-wicket stand of 48 in 27 balls with Bresnan rallied Yorkshire, although as successful as it was, it seems wasteful for a side which struggles to hit long not to find a way to get the potentially destructive hitting of Plunkett into the action earlier.So for the second season in a row, the group stages of the NatWest Blast had reached the final stages with every county still in contention. That will be used as evidence by those dismissive of Twenty20 that it is such a short game that the result becomes more random and therefore is of less value.But it can be perceived in different ways. Those seeking comfort will view it as evidence of the depth, not always recognised in Englands professional game. Those committed to radical change will insist that it is the withdrawal of England players which levels the standards and only their introduction would lead to a tournament of real value. And some, this being England, just blame the whole thing on the rain which has caused 12 No Results and when matches have been played consigned them too often to sluggish surfaces where quality does not always out.Whatever the cause, only a fool would suggest with confidence who might win it. Rob Ramage Avalanche Jersey . All of the scoring came in the final 20:04. Lucic scored on a power play at 15:46 of the third period, when he tipped a shot over Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen for a 3-1 lead. John Wensink Avalanche Jersey . -- Chicago Bears cornerback Tim Jennings was selected Monday to his second straight Pro Bowl, while guard Kyle Long made it after a solid rookie season. http://www.hockeyavalanche.com/authentic-anton-lindholm-avalanche-jersey/ .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again. Paul Kariya Jersey . -- The Missouri Tigers might not have a roster full of superstars. Nathan MacKinnon Jersey . NBA officials ruled the court unplayable in the Bucks final exhibition game on Oct. 25 because players were slipping, and the game was cancelled midway through the first period. CLEVELAND -- There was nothing Jhonny Peralta could do but apologize. The damage was done. Peralta is gone for the playoff chase, leaving a sizable hole for the Detroit Tigers, who have no choice but to move forward without their All-Star shortstop. Peralta was suspended for 50 games by Major League Baseball on Monday along with 12 other players for their association with Biogenesis of America, a closed anti-aging clinic in Florida accused of distributing banned performing-enhancing drugs. Peraltas punishment -- the Tigers have not yet decided if theyll make him eligible if they qualify for the post-season -- is a tough blow for Detroit, which enters a four-game series against Cleveland leading the second-place Indians by just three games. "He broke the rules and he has to pay for it and we support that totally," Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski said before Monday nights opener. "Hes going to pay a price for it and our organization is going to move on from there. It will change the look of our ballclub a little bit, but well move on. I think we still have a chance to win a world championship." The quiet and steady Peralta, who made his second All-Star team this season, is batting .305 with 11 homers and 54 RBIs. His name has been tied to the investigation for months, and to protect themselves in case he got suspended, the Tigers acquired infielder Jose Iglesias from Boston before the trading deadline. Peralta released a statement through the Tigers. "In spring of 2012, I made a terrible mistake that I deeply regret," he said. "I apologize to everyone that I have hurt as a result of my mistake, including my teammates, the Tigers organization, the great fans in Detroit, Major League Baseball, and my family. I take full responsibility for my actions, have no excuses for my lapse in judgment and I accept my suspension. "I love the fans, my teammates and this organization and my greatest punishment is knowing that I have let so many good people down. I promise to do everything possible to try and earn back the respect that I have lost." Peraltas teammates had his back. He got universal support in Detroits clubhouse, which seemed no different than any other day in the season. "Everybody makes mistakes," pitcher Justin Verlander said. "Hes my brother. We fight and bleed and sweat together on the baseball field. If my brother makes a mistake, especially if he owns up to it and serves his time, I dont see how you can hold a grudge or anything like that. "Its one thing to step up and be a man and own up to his mistake." Dombrowski said the team has not yet considered whether Peralta will be back on the roster if the defending AL champions make the post-season. "Right now, thats not something were going to tackle at this point," Dombrowwski said.dddddddddddd "We dont have to make that decision. Thats way down the road, so well focus on what we need to do, which is to win ballgames and worry about that question later on." Dombrowski said Peralta did not discuss any appeal with the Tigers. "My understanding is that if youre guilty you take the suspension, and if youre not guilty you appeal it, and they (Peraltas representatives) decided to take the suspension," Dombrowski said. Tigers starter Max Scherzer harshly criticized Milwaukee star Ryan Braun, who was recently suspended 65 games for cheating. Scherzer felt Brauns penalty should have been longer, but he was more sympathetic toward Peralta. "Its pretty apparent how I feel toward cheaters," Scherzer said. "With Jhonny, its disappointing. It really is, but he took ownership of it and hopefully we can move forward. Its a disappointing day when you have to talk about PEDs in baseball and the fans of baseball have to question whos doing what in this game and have to question if players are still taking PEDs and we still have to answer these questions. "Its unfair to all of us, but at the end of the day thats reality and hopefully we can further our program to make its stricter so that we dont have these days anymore and we can continue to have a clean game." When Detroits clubhouse opened at 3:30 p.m., reporters were turned away at the door and told to go to the Tigers dugout, where Dombrowski answered questions for about 10 minutes and said he would serve as the teams lone spokesman on Peraltas situation. Tigers manager Jim Leyland was in no mood to talk about anything but baseball. He curtly answered a few field-related questions about Iglesias in his office when a reporter asked if he had any comment about Peralta. "See you guys," Leyland said as he lifted a cup of freshly brewed coffee off his desk. "See you later, thats the end of the press conference. You were told that I wasnt going to comment on it. See ya." Dombrowski knows that losing Peraltas powerful bat from Detroits fearsome lineup is a major blow and difficult to replace. But in the slick-fielding Iglesias, the Tigers have a versatile player capable of playing short or third. The Tigers will have to change their stripes. "Its a little bit of a different kind of look, you got somebody who has a little more range and can do a little more from a defensive perspective," Dombrowski said of Iglesias, who has already made several stellar plays in the field. "He runs better. Hes not going to hit the ball out of the ballpark like Jhonny. But theres all kinds of different ways to win and well try to win in a different fashion. "Theres no question youre not going to have the same offence, so youll have to make up for it in other ways." ' ' '