Die Macht » really fun rarity for him to shoot for: He need

You wonder if the WNBA participants in the Summer Olympics feel like theyve just starred in a multi-episode run of the old Super Friends cartoon -- especially the romp-to-the-gold U.S. team members -- and now are headed to an episodic run of Survivor.The Americans kept the drama low and the quality of basketball high as they won their sixth consecutive Olympic tournament. But kudos also to Spain (silver) and Serbia (bronze) as they medaled in the Summer Games for the first time in womens hoops.Condolences to Australia, which is in transition mode as Penny Taylor will be joining Lauren Jackson in retirement. The Opals werent expecting their time in Rio de Janeiro to end in the quarterfinals, but it was another example of how competitive the Olympic tournament was -- aside from the U.S. dominance, that is.Now its back to the WNBA, which resumes play Friday. Los Angeles (21-3) and Minnesota (21-4) already have clinched playoff berths. Theyll focus on securing the top two spots, which come with a bye into the best-of-five semifinals in the WNBAs new playoff format.New York (18-8) is the only other team with a realistic shot of grabbing one of those two spots. Tina Charles leads the league in scoring and rebounding, and the Liberty are getting back guard Epiphanny Prince, who has been out all season with a knee injury. But unless the Sparks or Lynx have really lost their steam, its a long shot for the Liberty, who dont have any games left against L.A. or Minnesota.After those three teams, its a pretty big drop record-wise to what will be a free-for-all for the final five playoff berths. Other than 5-18 San Antonio, which is probably left to the role of spoiler, every team is still in the postseason hunt. Atlanta has the best record of that remaining group at 13-12.So as we enter the final three weeks of the regular season -- and close in on the career finishes of great players and fan favorites Taylor, Tamika Catchings and Swin Cash -- here are five questions to ponder.1. Will the Olympics help turn around the Mercury?Before the Rio Games, we examined the disappointing season?Phoenix has had. But the struggles of May, June and July wont matter much if the 10-14 Mercury can play up to their potential the rest of the way. (Admittedly, if has been a tormenting word for the Merc this summer.)Four players bring Olympic medals back to Phoenix, with Diana Taurasis and Brittney Griners golds, a silver for Spains Marta Xargay and a bronze for Serbias Sonja Petrovic.Taurasi had an outstanding Olympics, leading the U.S. team in scoring (15.6 points per game) and minutes played (24.3 per game). She was deadly from behind the arc (33 of 57, 57.9 percent) and played with trademark Taurasi zest and leadership.The latter part might be what most excites Mercury fans. Taurasis WNBA stats this season have been very good (18.9 PPG, 4.3 APG), but she hasnt always seemed ... well, Taurasi-like on court.As for Griner, she tied with Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles to lead the Americans in rebounding (5.6 RPG) and was the top shot-blocker with 11. Griner averaged 9.8 points per game, third best on the team.In WNBA play this season, Griner?is averaging 13.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, numbers down a bit from her previous two years. She needed the energy jolt the Olympic seemed to give her.Competitive consistency has been a thorny issue with Phoenix this season, but the potential is still there for a big finish. Lets put it this way: If the Mercury close out the regular season strong, they could be very scary in a one-game elimination format, which is now in place for the early rounds.2. Can Seattles young guns get the Storm back in the playoffs?Breanna Stewart turns 22 on Saturday. Jewell Loyd doesnt turn 23 until October and tweeted Monday with mock irritation that shed been asked twice that day if she was older than 15. The Storms two super babies still look like kids, but they dont play that way.Gold medalist Stewart averaged a very efficient 8.1 points while playing 10.9 minutes per game for the United States in Rio. She is averaging 19.2 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game for Seattle and has the 2016 WNBA rookie of the year award already locked up.Loyd won that honor last season and now is second on the Storm in scoring at 16.5 points per game, while also getting 3.0 assists per game.Seattle is tied with Washington at 9-15 for the eighth-best record in the league. For the Storm to get back to the playoffs after a two-year absence, theyll need a strong closing surge from Stewart and Loyd.Everyone breathed a sigh of relief that Sue Birds knee injury at the Olympics wasnt serious enough to keep her out of the gold-medal game. Shes having a very good WNBA season, too, leading the league with 6.0 assists per game. The Storm point guard has done so much to help Seattles two rising stars mature, and shell continue to push them and her team to try to get back where Bird is used to being: the postseason.3. Can the Mystics salvage their season?No team needed the Olympic break more than the Mystics, who went into a tailspin and lost all seven of their games in July. Yet they are 9-15 and still battling to make the playoffs.Emma Meesseman (15.7 PPG) and Tayler Hill (14.7 PPG) are scoring well; its a breakthrough for Hill in her third full season in the league and fourth overall.But overall, this isnt a strong offensive team -- only San Antonios 72.2 points-per-game average is lower than Washingtons 79.6 -- so its hard to see the Mystics getting to the postseason if they cant clamp down more defensively in their remaining 10 games. Washington is allowing its foes 83.3 points per game.?It should help the Mystics to get back veteran forward LaToya Sanders, who missed the first part of the season while with the Turkish national team.4. Who has more on her shoulders: Elena or Angel?They both have plenty. But Chicagos Elena Delle Donne might have a heavier load to carry to get her team to the postseason because Atlantas Angel McCoughtry -- who has done a ton of heavy lifting in her WNBA career -- seems to have a little more help this year.Both players came off the bench during the Olympics and did their jobs well, providing energy for the U.S. team. Now, they go back to being their WNBA teams respective superstars.Delle Donne is the reigning WNBA MVP and is averaging 21.2 points per game for the Sky, who are 11-13. Cappie Pondexter and Allie Quigley are the other Chicago players who are scoring in double figures. Those two, Courtney Vandersloot and Jamierra Faulkner provide a solid perimeter core, but the Skys ability to score consistently inside other than with Delle Donne remains a concern.McCoughtry is averaging 18.2 points per game for the 13-12 Dream, who have three other players scoring in double figures: Tiffany Hayes, Elizabeth Williams and Layshia Clarendon. The Dream initially thought in July they might have lost veteran post player Sancho Lyttle for the season to a foot injury, but she is expected back. Her 8.5 rebounds per game are especially very valuable to the Dream.5. Who will be the No. 1 seed?The Sparks and the Lynx have split their two meetings thus far, with each winning on the others home court. They have one matchup left: Sept. 6 at Los Angeles.The Sparks havent played at Staples Center since July 10. They ended the first part of the season with five straight road games and open the second part with four more on the road. When they finally return to Staples Sept. 4, nearly two months will have passed between home games -- which is ridiculous.However, that means the Sparks will play five of their last six at home, so that might help down the stretch. Meanwhile, the Lynx have nine games left, and only one of their final five is at home.The teams were total contrasts in terms of the Olympics. Los Angeles had just one player competing: reserve guard Ana Dabovic for Serbia. Meanwhile, it seemed like everyone with the Lynx except mascot Prowl was in Brazil.OK, slight exaggeration. But with four starters -- Moore, Fowles, Lindsay Whalen and Seimone Augustus -- on the U.S. team along with coach Cheryl Reeve as one of Geno Auriemmas assistants, there was a lot of Lynx green and blue amid the American red, white and blue.All the Lynx players performed well in the Olympics, but Moore deserves a special shout-out. She was spectacular, which is not new. But watching her work so hard setting up others and defending -- she led the Americans with 34 assists and 16 steals -- while still being the second-leading scorer (12.0 PPG) and tying for the lead in rebounding (5.6 RPG) epitomizes why U.S. womens basketball has been unbeatable: truly great players happily putting the team first.Will the effort expended for the Olympics end up costing the Lynx a little in fatigue? Will the Sparks be extra motivated for a title because they dont have any 2016 gold medals among them?The Lynx are three-time champions trying to win back-to-back titles, which no WNBA team has done since the Sparks in 2001-02. How can you pick against Minnesota? But ... this is a different Sparks team than weve seen in a long, long time. They dont just have talent, they have resolve and chemistry and willpower.Its going to be quite a finish.China Shoes Jordans . Brazilian national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has confirmed that the veteran goalkeeper is set to join Toronto on loan, saying it will help him be ready for the World Cup. China Shoes Outlet . Roman Josi had a goal and an assist to lead the Predators to a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night. https://www.chinashoesshop.com/ .500 on the season. The Jets are now 0-5-1 in the second game of back-to-backs. The game started the same way the Vancouver game started the night before, with the Jets taking the first two penalties of the game and killing off the first, but the Oilers getting on the board first, scoring on the second man-advantage. Fake China Shoes . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. China Shoes Cheap .S District Court against Major League Baseball, the Office of the Commissioner and his own union, the MLBPA.So here we are, in September baseball nirvana. Its a beautiful thing.Seven teams are scrambling for the finish line in the last week of the regular season, within two games of a playoff spot. And here we are, trying to watch or follow them all, with flat-screens, iPads, laptops and phones smoking.Now that is our definition of September nirvana. We have four days left in this baseball season. And ladies and gentlemen, this is going to be fun.I think its going to be whacked, said one baseball executive whose team has been trying to hang in this race. I think its going to be so emotional day to day. I wouldnt want to have to go on TV and talk about it ... because youre going to have a different opinion every day.So how do you keep your brain from overloading as you try to follow all this? Allow us to help you out here -- with our handy-dandy guide to what to watch this week:Intrigue north of the borderHave you checked those American League wild-card standings lately? Allow us to refresh your memory:Toronto 87-71Baltimore 86-72And guess which two teams finish their series in Toronto on Thursday?After Two rising stars, in Aaron Sanchez (Blue Jays) and Kevin Gausman (Orioles), battled Tuesday in a 5-1 Toronto win, Hyun Soo Kim gave the Orioles a much-needed lift with a ninth-inning home run?Wednesday; and two talented guys whose seasons have been roller-coaster rides, in Marcus Stroman (Blue Jays) and Ubaldo Jimenez (Orioles), are set to square off Thursday.The stakes are these: As close as those standings make this race appear, the Orioles probably had to sweep to win the first wild-card spot. If they wind up tied for the last two tickets to the party, the Blue Jays win the season series and still would host the wild-card game on Oct. 4.Survivor: AL West redemption islandMeanwhile, the Mariners and Astros might have waved adios to the Rangers a long time ago -- but theyre still breathing. After an epic Mariners win in the opener to their three-game series Monday night and a huge Astros comeback Tuesday, Seattle finished off the series with a blowout victory Wednesday afternoon.Realistically, though, even running the table at this point might not be enough for the Astros. Theyre now four games back of Baltimore in the loss column. So theyd need a 3-0 finish just to get to 86 wins.The Mariners, on the other hand, have charged to within two of Baltimore and are just a game back of Detroit.?A Seattle sweep would have put the Mariners in excellent shape, but they still very much are despite Tuesdays loss, considering they finish the season with four games at home against Oakland, while the Orioles spend the final days of the season on the road at Toronto and New York.Two tidbits to file away: (A) The Mariners are 10-2 against Oakland since the start of May, and (B) a Mariners-Orioles tiebreaker game would be played in Seattle because the Mariners went 6-1 against the Os this year.Drama in DetroitEvery time you think the Tigers are done for, they seem to rip off five wins in a row. And every time you think theyve taken control of their own fate, they play three games as messy as the three they played starting this past weekend.They went into the ninth inning Saturday with a half-game lead on Baltimore and a two-run lead over Kansas City. Then Francisco Rodriguez coughed up five runs in the ninth. That kicked off a brutal three-game losing streak in which their staff allowed 24 runs in the next 19 innings. And the upshot is, theyd dropped to two games back of Baltimore with six to play.As ugly as those past three losses had been and as bleak as their 2-14 record against Cleveland might have appeared heading into Tuesday, the Tigers are now in better shape than you might have thought.On Tuesday, Justin Verlander & Co. rocked the Tribe 12-0 before Miguel Cabreras heroics carried the Tigers to another win Wednesday night. Now, Daniel Norris (3.26 ERA since rejoining the rotation in August) gets his chance at Cleveland in Thursdays finale. Then theyll finish the season with three games in Atlanta, where the Braves have a ballpark to close up. So are the Tigers dead? Not yet.History in the NL?The bad news is, over in the National League, we have no head-to-head meetings left among serious contenders. The good news is, that might set up a finish unlike anything weve seen at any point in the division-play era -- which is now in its 48th season.The Mets have 74 losses. The Giants have 75 and the Cardinals are a game back at 82-76. Never, in any of the previous 47 seasons, have we witnessed a three-team tie in any race -- division or wild card -- in the final week of the season. So is this the year? Lets root for that, OK?The Mets pathAfter an emotional series in Miami, the Mets play their final three games in Philadelphia. They had Noah Syndergaard return to the rotation Tuesday (in a 12-1 win) after missing a turn with strep throat. That sets him up to start again Sunday in the final game of the season if they need to win. Hes the last ace standing. And the Mets have never needed him more.But no team faces greater pressure than the Mets do to get this over with fast. Suppose they have to burn Syndergaard on Sunday? Suppose theres a tiebreaker game Monday, with neither Syndergaarrd nor Bartolo Colon available to pitch it? As big a lifesaver as Robert Gsellman (3-2, 2.dddddddddddd56) has been, it wouldnt quite be their dream scenario to go into a Gsellman vs.?Madison Bumgarner survival game -- or something like that.The Giants pathDont ask us how the Giants are still alive and kicking. Theyve won one series in all of September (at Arizona two weeks ago). They havent won a series at home since Aug. 26-28 (against Atlanta). They havent won a series against a team thats currently over .500 since June 10-12 (against L.A.).But if the wild-card game were today, they would be playing in it. Somehow. Now, to finish this deal, they might actually have to win some games, especially after being shut out by the Rockies on Wednesday night. The Dodgers have Clayton Kershaw and Rich Hill (blister permitting) penciled in to start against them this weekend. You think they would take any joy in sending the Giants home for the winter -- in an even year, no less? Yeah, us, too.The Cardinals pathThe St. Louis Cardinals are 34-43 at Busch Stadium. Is that crazy, or what? Well, its also relevant because they have four more home games stretched before them the rest of the way, against Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.Games to circle: the dazzling Alex Reyes against the underrated Dan Straily on Thursday. (The Cardinals have hit .176 against Straily this year.) Then Carlos Martinez?faces Pirates phenom Tyler Glasnow on Friday. And an Adam Wainwright-Ryan Vogelsong duel is possible for Sunday.So why do we have a feeling well be seeing a Cardinals-Giants tiebreaker game Monday in St. Louis? Just a hunch.Five more stories to watch? Try this on for Cys: Four?days left, and theres no clear-cut leader in either leagues Cy Young derby. So dont underestimate the importance of the final start(s) of the year for Kyle Hendricks, Jon Lester, Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello, Verlander, Chris Sale,?and a half-dozen other aces. Just two years ago, Corey Kluber wrestled this trophy away from King Felix in Clevelands 160th game of the year. So it happens!? Plant a seed: If you think home field matters, five of the six division winners have major incentive to play it out this week. The Dodgers (37-40 on the road but 53-28 at home) are just two games behind the Nationals (47-30 home, 45-36 road) for the second seed -- which determines who holds home-field advantage in their first-round matchup next week. And L.A. gets that edge if it finishes with the same record. In the AL, not much separates the Red Sox (46-32 home and 46-34 road), Rangers (52-26 home, 42-39 road) and Indians (53-28 home, 38-39 road) in the late-breaking three-way tussle for the No. 1 seed. The Indians lose out on every potential tiebreaker formula. But the Boston-Texas tiebreaker depends on division games this week, as they split their five games head-to-head.? 20 is plenty: In Tampa Bay, Rays ace Chris Archer started the season dreaming of winning 20 games. Hes suddenly in danger of becoming the first pitcher to lose 20 in a season since Mike Maroth dethroned Brian Kingmans 23-year reign as the last 20-game loser back in 2003. Since Maroth did it for the Tigers, no pitcher has ever even been allowed to start a game after reaching 19 losses. But as of now, Archer is still scheduled to pitch Thursday against the White Sox. Let us be the first to mention that Archer clearly doesnt deserve this fate. He could still lead the AL in strikeouts. And his eight criminally unsupported starts (six-plus innings, no more than one run of support while on the mound) are the second-most in the league. Coincidentally, the league leader in that stat -- Jose Quintana, with 10 CUSes -- is the opposing pitcher Thursday. Think either team will score?? Papis last stand: Have you heard that David Ortiz is retiring? Has word of that gotten around? Just checking. Well, this is it for the regular season. Finally. And its possible there might be some Papi festivities at Fenway this weekend. Just a hunch. No player has ever led the major leagues in either slugging or OPS in his final season. Unless he forgets to get another hit, Ortiz can count on clinching the lead in both categories this weekend. But heres a really fun rarity for him to shoot for: He needs three more home runs to hit 40 at 40, which would make him the oldest player ever to homer his age. Barry Bonds did it in 2004, at 40 years, 2 months. Ortiz is 40 years, 10 months old.? 2011 revisited? Finally, does anybody still have a vision of the final night of the season back in 2011? Pretty memorable evening, wasnt it? We know of at least two books that were written about just that one night, so it must have been an all-timer. Well, were all set up to have it happen again Sunday afternoon. There are 15 games scheduled that day. Theyll all start about the same time -- 3 p.m. ET. It isnt out of the question that as many as eight of them could determine which teams get to keep playing and which of them go home. Anyone else rooting hard for the sheer joyful madness of trying to keep track of all eight of them simultaneously? We just raised our hands. How about you? ' ' '