Die Macht » Death Valley Rebels. A record and tour are in the works. Its

Novak Djokovic continues his quest to regain the world No 1 ranking with a World Tour Finals semi-final showdown against Kei Nishikori. The Serb saw his 122-week grasp at the top of the rankings ended by Andy Murray in Paris almost a fortnight ago, but he can reclaim the position depending on the outcome this week.First he must overcome Japans Nishikori and with a dominant 10-2 record in the head to head he will start Saturdays semi-final in confident fashion, especially after a week that has seen him return to somewhere close to top form. Novak Djokovic and Kei Nishikori have met in two finals this year - on Saturday they meet for a place in the World Tour Finals showpiece Djokovic lost his opening set of the week to Dominic Thiem last Sunday but recovered to win the match in three sets and followed up with another pair of victories over Milos Raonic and alternate David Goffin,He had to come through an epic content against Raonic, eventually prevailing 7-6 7-6 while he had little trouble against late replacement Goffin who was dispatched 6-1 6-2.Nishikoris last four place had already been assured after Murrays straight sets win over Stan Wawrinka earlier in the day. Having begun the week with a superb victory over Wawrinka, Nishikori lost his next two matches.Having pushed Andy Murray close in his second match before losing in three sets, he ended the group stages with another three-set defeat, losing to Marin Cilic in three sets on Friday night. World Tour Finals - Story So Far Novak Djokovic Kei Nishikori beat Dominic Thiem 6-7 6-0 6-2 beat Stan Wawrinka 6-2 6-3 beat Milos Raonic 7-6 7-6 lost Andy Murray 7-6 4-6 4-6 beat David Goffin 6-1 6-2 lost Marin Cilic 6-4 2-6 3-6 John McEnroe talks about the price of ending the year as the world No 1 While world No 5 Nishikori has been in fantastic form this season, reaching his second and third Masters finals as well as his second Grand Slam semi-final, he will have to overcome a run of form against Djokovic that has seen him lose his last nine matches against the Serb.Djokovic has won all five of their meetings this year, including victory in both the Canada and Miami Masters finals, while Nishikori has won just three sets in their contests since his last win, a memorable US Open semi-final success in 2014. Kei Nishikori has come as close as anyone to beating Andy Murray this week, losing in three sets in the group stage The pair have twice met at the O2, Djokovic winning in the group stage in both 2014 and last year where he was a 6-1 6-1 victor.The signs are ominous for Nishikori but the 26-year-old appears to be relishing the challenge against the very best these days and a win would see him beat his semi-final performance of his World Tour Finals debut a couple of years ago. Djokovic v Nishikori met in the Miami final earlier this year Djokovic v Nishikori met in the Miami final earlier this year As ever it will be a doubles match which kicks off the evening and after confirmation of their world No 1 ranking, Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares will hope to book a final place when they face Rajeev Ram and Raven Klaasen.Murrays position as the year-end No 1 was confirmed when the French pairing of Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Hubert lost their third group game of the week on Friday.Murray and Soares claimed the Australian and US Open titles and have won two of the three matches the pair have played.Follow all the action from the O2 on Saturday when the action begins on Sky Sports 3 from 12pm and 4pm or via our live blog here at www.skysports.com/tennis. Also See: World No 1 permutations Djokovic hammers Goffin Air Max 95 Baratas Verdaderas .Connor Graham, Alex Lintuniemi and Sam Studnicka also scored for Ottawa (11-8-2). Liam Herbst made 21 saves for the win.Brendan Lemieux had both of Barries (10-10-2) goals. Venta Nike Air Max 1 . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.tiendasairmaxbaratas.com/zapatillas-air-max-93.html . TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie tweeted that its believed the Flames are working towards a new contract with the defenceman. Air Max 200 Baratas .The 24-year-old quarterback spent four seasons at Northern Illinois and in 2013 was a finalist for the Heisman, which is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in U. Nike Air Max TN Baratas .Y. - Major League Soccer is prepared to start its season this weekend even if there isnt a labour deal with its referees and other on-field officials.TORONTO - Theo Fleury has come a long way.The former NHL star has seemingly escaped the chokehold of addiction and now wears a smile on his face. His mission today is to help others escape their emotional pain.Fleury chronicles his spiritual journey in a new book called Conversations With a Rattlesnake, co-written with therapist Kim Barthel.Helping is healing is a key theme.Its my purpose, Fleury writes. I honestly believe its more important than my hockey career. I was put on this earth to help. Fleury calls Barthel the Wayne Gretzky of therapy. She says Fleurys intellectual capacity is pretty extraordinary, shown by his ability to take in information, assimilate it and act on it.Now 46, Fleury still sees himself as a work in progress. But his life journey is no longer two steps forward, one step back.Its only a half-a-step back now or a quarter step back, Fleury said in a recent interview. Because I have tools.Nice, interjected Barthel.Whereas before I didnt have any tools, Fleury continued. I reached in my toolbox and I couldnt even build a square box ... because I didnt have anything. Now I have a few screws, a screwdriver. So I can build some stuff.The exchange, in the restaurant of a downtown hotel, reads like an excerpt from Conversations With a Rattlesnake.The book is written in the form of an extended conversation between Fleury and his therapist. Its the product of two and a half years of constant conversation, according to Barthel.The difficulty was I couldnt keep up with Theo, she said. He would change so fast, that all of the transcripts from the recordings, they were way out of date by the time I would get to them.In essence everything got written in about four months. But the transformational process was over a two-and-a-half year conversation — daily conversation.Barthel, who now teaches therapists, says it is not traditional therapy — if for no other reason that no one would have as much access to a therapist as Fleury did. It was also a collaborative, rather than a patient-therapist, relationship.Fleury evolved over the months, with the first 18 months leading up to the real meat of the discussion.The book comes in a challenging format. But the give-and-take between the two does show movement and how they reached their conclusions. Its like being a silent partner in a marathon self-help session.Chapter titles include Its Not My Fault, What We Say is More Than Words, Relentless Positivity, Shame Revisits and Walk With Thousands.Its the kind of book that will be well-worn, with more than a few highlighted passages, for some readers.We can all be a conduit for healing, said Fleury.He has proved to be just that. Barthel says people seem drawn to the former hockey player by his honesty and vulnerability, reasoning that if he can change his life so can they. Its actually miraculous, she said. I havent really got enough adjectives to describe it.People approach Fleury everywhere. He cant even go to the bathroom, said Barthel.We have had some incredible moments of reveals, said Fleury. It would just warm your heart that people look to you as somebody whos safe.Fleury, who has no complaints about being a people magnet, says part of his success is that people understand he is on their side. They know he not going to judge them or use their deepest darkest secrets against them.And he understands that part of helping others is not interjecting yourself. Youre just holding the space which allows them to talk about these things that have happened to them in their life, said Fleury. They dont want comments. If they want, theyll ask. Theyll ask for what they want. But you dont provide anything other than Im just going to hold the space for you.And occasionally asking the right question, adds Barthel.Barthel has her own rule of rule of thumb — not to offer advice unless someone asks three times.Fleurys autobiography, Playing with Fire, co-written by Kirstie McLellan Day, was released in 2009. An HBO Canada documentary, Theo Fleury: Playing with Fire, came out in 2012.Both detail his life spiral. The bleak image of Fleury standing outside a Chicago crackhouse he used to frequent is hard to forget.The two faces of Fleury are captured on the cover photo of Conversations With a Rattlesnake.Theres the black-and-white shot of Fleury from the past, his face covered with an unhealthy sheen of sweat. And next to it, a colour shot of a smiiling Fleury today.dddddddddddd.One is a survival face that says Stay away, Fleury explains. The other says Come ....Ive got something you might want to try.These days there is a glow about Fleury, who says he has not had a drink or used drugs in nine years. He says his story of abuse is part of him, but does not define him.I dont wear the Scarlet Letter any more. Ive gotten rid of it. And thats why I want other people to come to the realization, he said.Because I look at my parents, I look at Graham James, I look at the lowest points of his life, I look at them as gifts now. Because without those gifts, I still have that face. With those gifts I have this face now.James was convicted in 2012 for hundreds of sexual assaults on Fleury and his cousin, Todd Holt, when they played for him in the Western Hockey League in the late 1980s and early 90s. An Appeal Court later extended his sentence to five years from two.Fleury and Barthel first met in May 2012 in Winnipeg at a presentation by Barthel. Fleury, who was also a speaker at the conference, called it a thunderbolt of brilliance.He walked up to an unsuspecting Barthel afterwards to say she had changed his life and that they were going to work together from then on.It was amazing. It was like you were explaining me inside and out and I didnt feel threatened by it, Fleury writes in the book. One hell of a liberating combination. I guess we should never underestimate the potential for finding help when we least expect it.Today they are friends before anything else, according to Fleury.But when you have a close friendship or relationship, you should have these kind of conversations, said Fleury.Those with little experience of therapists might be surprised to learn that the growth in the book seems on both sidesIf youre a really good therapist, its always a learning experience, said Barthel, who opens up about her past in the book. Part of the process is Healer, heal thyself.Fleury says Barthel helped him understand his trauma started early in life. Fleury believes he was shaped by an upbringing that included an alcoholic father and depressed mother. The book discusses in depth the chemistry of the brain and how the way you are treated can modify it.The book is about finally taking a look at that family of origin trauma where I understand why my brain is defective, Fleury said.Barthel jumps in again to warn against the use of defective as negative language.So would she call him out on it if that exchange had been in the book? I just did, she replied.Which tells you that therapy is for the rest of your life, Fleury added. Theres no beginning and theres no end. Theres only learning and experiences.His own brand of spirituality — a mixed bag of everything from organized religion to aboriginal spiritual teachings — has played a huge part in Fleurys road to recovery.For me spirituality was the way back to self, he said. I dont care what you believe in. Its not my journey and spirituality is very personal. I suggest that you try everything.Fleury, who has been married twice and has four children, who has just embarked on a new relationship.He is constantly on the move these days, be it speaking, accepting an honorary doctorate in Guelph or giving a speech in Helsinki. Fleury reckons he is on the road 200 days a year while Barthel is at 300.Fleury is also making music, writing and singing rockabilly/country songs for his band Theo Fleury and the Death Valley Rebels. A record and tour are in the works. Its all a far cry from his hockey days. But it somehow makes sense for Fleury. Because Im a big thinker, I always felt there was something greater than my hockey career, he said. I just didnt know what it was.Today he does. He knows his life purpose.Thats to share my story and be vulnerable, and not really care about what the world thinks about what Im doing. All I know is the feedback that I get back is more positive than negative.The former Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks forward still watches hockey but with not as much interest and not as much invested.Because someday I would like people to say Oh, Theo Fleury, the spiritual guy and philosopher. Didnt he used to play hockey? That would be kind of neat.— Conversations With a Rattlesnake, by Theo Fleury and Kim Barthel, Influence Publishing, $26.95---Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter ' ' '