Die Macht » of gold-medal winning Canadian squad playing for the Furies

NEW YORK -- Get a grip. Using a suspicious substance for a better hold of the baseball on cool days is not such a sticky situation. Whether its the Yankees Michael Pineda with a mysterious brown goo on his hand, Bostons Jon Lester with a green smudge in his glove or Houstons Josh Zeid spraying something on his forearm before entering a recent game, most major leaguers dont care whether pitchers get a little help -- even though its against the Official Baseball Rules. To some, its preferable. "Its an unwritten rule in the game. Im sure a lot of pitchers do it," Red Sox outfielder Shane Victorino said Friday before Boston played the Yankees. "As a hitter, do what you got to do from letting that ball go astray and hitting me in the head. Im fine with that." Ever since pitchers started throwing to batters in the 1800s, theyve looked for an edge -- and it has continued long after doctoring the baseball was banned in 1920. Television cameras caught Pineda with what looked like sticky pine tar on his hand early in the Yankees 4-1 victory over Boston on a cool Thursday night, when the ball could be slick. Red Sox manager John Farrell didnt see a photograph of Pinedas hand until the fourth inning. By the time Pineda came out to warm up for the fifth, his hand was clean and Farrell didnt complain to umpires. "In conditions like last night, its not uncommon for pitchers to try and get a grip in some way," Farrell said. "Were more focused on what we need to do offensively to kind of get going rather than taking anything away from his abilities." Joe Torre, Major League Baseballs executive vice-president of baseball operations, said in a statement Friday that Pineda would not be suspended. "The umpires did not observe an application of a foreign substance during the game and the issue was not raised by the Red Sox," Torre said. "Given those circumstances, there are no plans to issue a suspension, but we intend to talk to the Yankees regarding what occurred." Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman spoke with Torre and said the issue was resolved. Pineda said hadnt spoken with any Yankees management as of early afternoon. Perhaps Farrell didnt say anything because his pitchers have been accused of using something extra. Toronto Blue Jays broadcasters last season thought they caught Clay Buchholz -- who faced Pineda Thursday -- using an illegal substance. During the 2013 World Series opener, Lester was seen on TV with something in his glove. Yankees manager Joe Girardi has never questioned his own pitchers, but he knows what goes on. "I dont talk to pitchers about that: Do you use or dont you use? This is not a recreational drug. I dont talk to people about that," Girardi said. "Im aware. Ive been on teams where Ive seen it. Im 99 per cent sure that I know of other guys on other teams that use it." Rule 8.02 says a pitcher may not apply a "foreign substance" to the ball, and section B of the rule says a pitcher may not have any "foreign substance" in his possession on the mound. The penalty if caught is automatic ejection and suspension. The rule has been applied, perhaps most famously when Twins pitcher Joe Niekro was caught with an emery board and sandpaper in the back pocket of his uniform pants in 1987. He was banned for 10 days. But Victorino agreed, doctoring the ball this way is different than improving ones grip. Dodgers reliever Jay Howell was suspended three days (later reduced to two) for pine tar on his glove in Game 3 of the 1988 NL championship series. For a player to be ejected, he has to be caught. Umpires are obligated to take action if they see a violation or if one is reported to them. Not so easily done. Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter and Victorino each said they have never gone up to the plate and noticed whether a pitcher had something on his hand or uniform. But as camera resolution increases, spotlight has increased on all players. Unlike golf, which has a self-policing policy that allows fans watching at home to point out rules violations, theres no such mechanism in baseball. Challenging the use of an illegal substance is not among the reviewable plays under MLBs new replay system. Baseball executives plan to examine the rules and make changes for 2015, perhaps a path that would allow for a change. For most, though, the problem for Pineda was he was too blatant. "Be discreet," Victorino said. Adidas Ultra Boost 19 Nederland .com) - Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price is set to return Tuesday against Nashville after sitting out the past two games because of a minor upper body injury. Adidas Superstar Heren Goedkoop .com) - American Madison Keys grabbed a first- round victory on Sunday in a rainy start to the Apia International Sydney tournament. http://www.nmdtekoop.com/y3-sneakers.html . That Ginette Reno can sing. Adidas Falcon Nederland . Dr. James Andrews is to operate next week on the 24-year-old pitcher, who made the AL All-Star team last year. Moore will be the first Rays pitcher to undergo Tommy John surgery since Jason Isringhausen in June 2009. Adidas Futurecraft 4d Nederland . LOUIS -- Joe Thornton and the San Jose Sharks won the matchup of unbeaten teams.MARKHAM, Ont. -- Britni Smith didnt know how it happened. One moment she was on the ice taking a shot, the next she was lifting the Toronto Furies first Clarkson Cup. Smith scored in overtime Saturday as the Furies shut out the Boston Blades 1-0. She struggled to describe how it happened. "I honestly dont even remember how we got in their end," Smith said as she held back her emotion. "But the puck went from (Natalie) Spooner behind the net over to Prevo (Caroline Prevost), I saw some ice in front of me, skated ahead, got a perfect pass on the tape. I shot high-blocker and it just twirled in. "Once I saw it cross the line, hands in the air and that was it." The sixth Canadian womens hockey league championship was the first time Toronto (3-1) and Boston (3-1) met in the championship game and the only time the Furies qualified for the final in club history. Toronto was a surprise finalist after defeating the number-one ranked, three-time Clarkson Cup champion Montreal Stars on Friday in the round-robins lone shootout. The Blades were undefeated in the round robin with an impressive 3-0 record, allowing just four goals against in the entire tournament. The Boston-Toronto rivalry was in full effect as both teams fought hard to the finish. Spooner, who scored the shootout winner in Fridays victory over the number-one ranked Stars, was named the tournaments most valuable player. "This year couldnt really have been better for me," said Spooner. "Obviously nothing beats winning an Olympic gold medal but this is pretty sweet right now and I am really happy about it." Christina Kessler was named the tournaments most valuable player after performing stellar in net for the Furies with 25 saves against Boston following up Fridays sppectacular 34 save spectacle.dddddddddddd. "Kess is amazing," said Furies forward Alyssa Baldin. "It is great to have a goalie like Kessler behind you." Blades forwards Hilary Knight, Kate Buesser and Kelli Stack were offensive stars throughout the tournament. Knight, who scored four goals against Calgary on Friday, led the tournament with five goals while Buesser led with seven points. Boston has three members of Olympic silver medallist American team on its roster including Stack and Knight while Toronto has four members of gold-medal winning Canadian squad playing for the Furies, including Jennifer Wakefield, Tessa Bonhomme and Spooner. The Blades were 5-2 against Toronto during the regular season and in the second day of round-robin action Boston defeated Toronto 2-1 in its closest game of the tournament. The pace of the final was quick from the start. Boston had the majority of quality scoring chances in the first 20 minutes and forced Kessler to make nine first-period saves. After a scoreless two periods, both teams speed and goaltending was on full display in the third. Kessler was forced to make a breakaway, short-handed save robbing Knight while Toronto failed to capitalize on the power play as the game headed to overtime. A day after scoring four goals against Calgary, Knight failed to score for Boston against Toronto while Buesser was also kept scoreless. Buesser finished the tournament leading with three game winning goals. Boston goaltender Brittany Ott played fantastic for the Blades, making 25 saves in front of a sold out crowd. During the regular season Boston was 5-2 against Toronto, and on the second day of round-robin action Thursday the Blades defeated Toronto 2-1 in Bostons closest game of the tournament. ' ' '