Toronto, ON native faced intense criticism last year after recovering from shoulder surg

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Less than two months into his career, Jose Abreu is already the guy the Chicago White Sox want at the plate when the game is on the line. Abreu hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning, and the White Sox snapped a four-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday. "We realize what he is and how important he is to us," manager Robin Ventura said. "When you get in situations like that youre pretty glad hes up there. Thats what he means to us. You always feel like youre in a good spot if hes up there with guys on." Gordon Beckham homered on the first pitch of the game for the White Sox, who rallied against Oaklands bullpen to end a seven-game losing streak at the Coliseum. John Jaso and Josh Donaldson hit solo homers off Andre Rienzo for the Athletics, who were in line for a season-best seventh straight victory before the bullpen meltdown in the eighth cost Tommy Milone a chance at a win. Beckham and Conor Gillaspie started the rally with one-out singles against Fernando Abad (0-1), and Abreu greeted Luke Gregerson with a no-doubt drive to left field for his 15th home run of the season. "He has ridiculous power," Gillaspie said. "When he gets the ball up in the air like that its going to be tough for it not to leave. Hats off to him. The guy made a mistake and he took advantage of it." Abreu, a rookie slugger from Cuba, is the fourth player in major league history to hit 15 homers in his first 42 games, joining Wally Berger, Kevin Maas and Wally Joyner. "I got the opportunity to hit a good pitch," Abreu said through an interpreter. "All I was doing was trying to hit a ball in the air to bring the guy from third base. But I was able to get a good swing and a good pitch to hit." Gregerson was trying to make Abreu chase a pitch out of the strike zone but caught too much of the plate instead. "You try to make him fish, which he definitely does," Gregerson said. "I dont think it was really a bad pitch. It was just something he was ready for. He was looking for it. Weve been doing it to him the whole series, pound him in. It just stayed up a little too much. Any other day it could be a ground out to third base, we get a double play." Ronald Belisario (2-3) got four outs for the win and Matt Lindstrom pitched the ninth for his sixth save in nine chances. Milone was in danger of losing his spot in the rotation before pitching eight scoreless innings against Washington last Friday. He followed that up with another strong performance, allowing one run and five hits in six innings. But he ended up with a no-decision because of Chicagos late rally. The bullpen has been the one spotty area so far for the As, with eight of the teams 16 losses being credited to the relievers. The teams traded leadoff home runs, with Beckham going deep for his second career leadoff homer and Jaso answering with a drive on a 2-0 pitch from Rienzo for his third. Oakland went ahead when Donaldson led off the fourth with his ninth homer, a day after get his first day off of the season. But those were the only hits the As could manage in 6 1-3 innings against Rienzo. Milone got some help from his defence in the fifth. A perfectly executed relay from Yoenis Cespedes to Eric Sogard to Derek Norris caught Beckham trying to score from first on Gillaspies two-out double off the left-field wall. NOTES: The last time both teams led off the game with homers was Aug. 13, 2013, when Seattles Brad Miller and Tampa Bays Ben Zobrist did it. ... Beckham became the first White Sox player to homer on the first pitch since Ray Durham did it twice in 2000. ... Oakland OF Coco Crisp missed his seventh straight game with a strained neck but could return Friday. ... Both teams are off Thursday. Chicago starts a three-game series in Houston on Friday, while the As open a nine-game road trip in Cleveland. Adidas NMD R1 Suomi . The bout served as the headlining matchup of Saturdays "UFC Fight Night: Brown vs. Silva" event, which took place at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati. It was Silva who looked well on his way to victory in the early going, delivering a pair of crushing kicks to the body that sent Brown crashing to the floor, doubled over in pain. Adidas Prophere Ale . Thats the feeling that eight Canadian Football League teams are experiencing right now in advance of the expansion draft to stock the Ottawa Redblacks. http://www.nmdhalvalla.com/adidas-nmd-cs2-halvalla.html . Bale has had a successful debut season in Spain, and Ancelotti appears ready to reward him with a starting role on Saturday. Ancelotti says "Gareth had some problems at the beginning (of the season) but when he found good physical condition he scored a lot of goals, he had a good impact on the team. Myydään Yeezy Boost 350 V2 . A knee to the thigh might have stung him the most, but his sixth straight double-double made up for the brief burst of pain. Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Suomi . After missing 20 games as a rookie a year ago, Valanciunas - like the Raptors as a whole - has been fortunate to be in good health this season. As he spoke about it, the Raptors sophomore centre scanned the room for wood to knock on. "It is disappointing because we lost today so thats the worst part of the day," said Valanciunas, who left Tuesdays game with a lower-back sprain in the third quarter, missing the rest of Torontos 118-113 overtime defeat at the hands of the Hawks.Each week, The Three-Man Weave will fill the lanes and Weave To Achieve on the News, Views and Truths of the NBA and beyond. The unit will be led by Will Strickland and Duane Watson, hosts of TSN 1050s basketball radio show, 1 On 1 with Will & Duane. This week, the first overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, Toronto native and Cleveland Cavaliers forward Anthony Bennett joins the discussion, where The #3MW discusses the Raptors looking to win their first playoff series in over a decade, Commissioner Adam Silvers ruling on Donald Sterling and of course the NBA Playoffs. What Do The Raptors Have To Do To Win Game 6 in Brooklyn? Bennett: Its good to see the Raptors back in the playoffs and have the whole city of Toronto behind them. Brooklyn is a tough and experienced team. I think the Raptors will have to limit turnovers, rebound efficiently and contain Deron Williams and Joe Johnson. Watson: Defense, defense, defense. If the Raptors can muster up that defense presence they used at the end of Game 4, the game is theirs. The quick double-teams on scorers like Joe Johnson and more importantly the second man rotations, have proven to limit the Nets opportunities. problems. Offensively, they have to continue to move the ball and use their size to their advantage with the solid play of their big men of Jonas Valanciunas, Amir Johnson and Patrick Patterson. Strickland: Protect The Pumpkin. Value Every Possession On Both Ends. Win Every Quarter By One Point. Be Not Afraid Of The Moment. Then And Only Then Will The World Unfold As It Should... #WeTheNorthNBA Commissioner Adam Silvers Lifetime Ban Of Clippers Owner Donald Sterling Was...? Bennett: The Commissioners lifetime ban of Donald Sterling was very fitting. The NBA is a very diverse league with players from all over the world. The league continues to grow and it is my belief that this ban will help to grow the NBA. Watson: Swift and fair. Knowing the past pandering of former Commissioner David Stern, the league office has been known to favour its owners. Commissioner Silver unequivocally established himself as his own man in the most important decision of his young tenure. He did exactly what he was supposed to do, but truth be told, I was a little surprised that he did it, based on the history of the league. Strickland: Adroit and Resolute. It was far more than Id initially expected, but Silvers playing the long game. Any equivocation outside of Sterlings expulsion from the league as an owner would have possibly done irreparable damage to the NBA... and he and the other 29 owners knew it. Silver officially became the Commissioner of the NBA once he planted this flag. It will be a defining moment in his legacy. Adam Silvers decision didnt end racism in sports, ownership or the world. But it did set a very important precedent and protocol in dealing with issues like this in sport. Most Surprising Player In The Eastern Conference Playoffs Thus Far? Bennett: The most surprising player in the East hasnt been a surprise to me because I have played against him in Las Vegas, but it would have to be Kyle Lowry. He is just incredible for what he brings to the game for his size. Watson: Washington Wizards big man Nene missed 22 games down the stretch of the season with a sprained MCL and only played in four regular season matches before the post-season. He not only came back averaging 17.8 points per game in the playoffs on .548 % from the field, spacing the floor, but outplayed Defensive Plaayer of the Year Joakim Noah.dddddddddddd In his 11th season, hes showing he still has it and is a perfect compliment to the the speed and shooting of the Wizards wings in John Wall, Bradley Beal and Trevor Ariza. Strickland: Nene, easily. The talents always been there. Sounds a little oxymoronic to say "Wizards fans", but... They should revel in the fact that Nenes finally put it all together when it counted most, destroying the 2013-2014 Defensive Player of The Year, Joakim Noah. He must also not become a #BrainCrampChamp during the playoffs by getting ejected/suspended for working on his MMA skills during NBA games! Most Surprising Player In The Western Conference Playoffs Thus Far? Bennett: In the West, it would have to be Damian Lillard. Scary that this is the first go around in the NBA Playoffs and he looks like hes been there for years. Watson: LaMarcus Aldridge of the Trail Blazers has been in discussion as one of the best power forwards in the NBA, but he is ending those talks with his post season play right now. The power forward is averaging 29.8 points per game with 10.8 rebounds, carrying his team on his back. His ability to consistently knock down the mid-range jumper at a clip of .500% has forced the Houston big men to come out and contest him or get beat off the dribble. He has shown another level to his game, particularly when it matters. Strickland: La Marcus Aldridge. He felt like he should have started in the All-Star this past season and hes proving why he should be considered without question one of the best players in the NBA, if not the best power forward in the game. 30 ppg and 11 rpg are monster numbers that can only aid this young Portland Trail Blazers team in securing a first round defeat of the highly touted Houston Rockets of James Harden and Dwight Howard. Aldridge can have those guys reaching for the tackleboxes early to start their summers of lament and woe with a legendary Game 7 performance. The 2014-2015 Anthony Bennett Will Be...? Bennett: Next season, I will finally be a healthy me again who gets to play in summer league and contribute to my teams success in the regular season and we will hopefully be in the playoffs next year.Watson: Whatever he wants himself to be. The Toronto, ON native faced intense criticism last year after recovering from shoulder surgery, which forced him to miss summer league and parts of training camp. He wont have those obstacles this year, which should all help his growth, he showed flashes of the talent that earned him the #1 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft and has tons of motivation to prove all of his critics wrong. Look for Bennett to bounce back. Strickland: A Year Better. A Year Stronger. A Year Wiser. Bennett, who I chose as Rookie Of The Year in our Pre-Season #UNO Awards on #1On1, fell far short of that lofty goal. It was a difficult year of ridicule, doubt, injury, second-guessing and hand wringing for Cavs fans and media pundits. Bramptons very own Anthony Bennett should shed the weight of expectation and go into training camp next season armed with knowledge of the effort it takes to be a top flight NBA player and work to achieve all of his goals and not ours. The Three-Man Weave contributors are co-hosts of TSN Radio 1050s 1-on-1 with Will and Duane, Will Strickland (@WallStrizzle1) and Duane Watson (@byDuaneWatson) and special guest 68", 250 lb Weave Achiever, Cleveland Cavaliers SF Anthony Bennett (@AnthonyBennett) ' ' '