Die Macht » the best.Devon TravisLong before he homere

Heavyweight contender Alexander Povetkin failed his second drug test in seven months, forcing his vacant interim world title fight against former world titleholder Bermane Stiverne to be canceled about 20 hours before they were to walk to the ring.Povetkin and Stiverne were due to meet on Saturday at the Ekaterinburg Expo Center in Ekaterinburg, Russia, Povetkins home country.However, the fight was canceled when the WBC withdrew its sanction of the bout because Povetkin tested positive for the banned substance ostarine in a random Voluntary Anti-Doping Association drug test conducted under the WBCs Clean Boxing Program, which allows for random testing at any time.Povetkin provided the sample on Dec. 6 and VADA notified the fighters and organization of the failed test on Saturday.The WBC hereby withdraws its sanctioning of the bout for the heavyweight interim world championship and will conduct a thorough investigation of the circumstances of the case and will issue subsequent rulings as required, the WBC wrote in its ruling.Ostarine, which is supposed to increase stamina and recovery ability, has been on the World Anti-Doping Agency banned list since 2008.Povetkin promoter Andrey Ryabinsky of World of Boxing said of the positive test on social media that Povetkin was not clear where it came from.Stiverne (25-2-1, 21 KOs) could have gone through with the bout but without the sanction and a chance to win the interim title he elected not to.Theres no reason to fight if the WBC wont sanction the bout, Stiverne said. Im very disappointed in the actions of Povetkin. Ive been training for months to be victorious. To wake up the day of the fight, have breakfast, take a nap and wake up to find out he tested positive is the worst possible situation.World of Boxing announced that Johann Duhaupas (34-3, 21 KOs), 35, of France, would step in and face Povetkin in the new main event. Duhaupas has won two fights in a row, including a six-round knockout of Robert Helenius on April 2, since WBC titleholder Deontay Wilder knocked him out in the 11th round of a title defense September 2015.Apparently, Duhaupas was already in Russia and took the fight on less than a days notice, although it is unclear how the fight was set up so quickly and why Russian regulators are allowing Povetkin to fight in the wake of the failed test.Stiverne, 38, who was born in Haiti and lives in Las Vegas, made immediate plans to leave Russia.Im headed back home to Las Vegas, he said. Hopefully, the WBC will install me as the mandatory challenger to face Deontay Wilder. I want the opportunity to fight for the world title again, that was my whole reason to come to Russia was to earn that opportunity.Stiverne, who is promoted by Don King, lost a lopsided decision and the title to Wilder in January 2015 in Las Vegas. However, with Wilder sidelined after having surgery this past summer because of a hand and biceps injury, the WBC sanctioned the interim title bout.The cancelation of the fight will cost both fighters their purses of $1,424,250 apiece. Another $316,500 would have gone to the winner of the fight, which Ryabinsky won at a purse bid.It is Povetkins second canceled fight because he tested positive for a banned substance this year. He was the mandatory challenger and due face Wilder on May 21 in Moscow. The fight was canceled nine days beforehand, when Povetkin (30-1, 22 KOs), 37, failed a VADA test for the banned substance meldonium, which he claimed he ingested before the drug was added to the WADA banned list in January.The WBC ultimately elected to not punish Povetkin because the amount of the substance in his system was far below the threshold accepted by WADA in an updated notice on the drug published in June. There remain questions, however, about how Povetkin could have tested negative in random VADA doping tests conducted April 7, 8 and 11 while his April 27 sample -- the A and the B -- was positive for meldonium.Povetkins latest failed test came a month after Stiverne failed a random drug test for the banned substance methylhexaneamine, a stimulant also known as dimethyamylamine or DMAA. The WBC fined Stiverne $75,000 but ruled that he would still be allowed to fight. The WBC said Stiverne was cooperative and 100 percent forthcoming during its investigation.Stiverne informed the WBC that on the day of the test, in order to facilitate urination, he took a dietary supplement called Superharm in front of the sample collector, the WBC said at the time. He reported the ingestion of that supplement in the declaration of medication use section of the doping control form he filled in connection with the test.Kristopher Negron Dodgers Jersey . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Gary Sheffield Dodgers Jersey . Argentina winger Ezequiel Lavezzi and France midfielder Blaise Matuidi scored, with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic setting up both despite having a poor game by his high standards. Forward Eduardo gave Ajaccio the lead in the sixth minute after being set up by right winger Benjamin Andre, and the Corsican side looked comfortable in the first half, with the lively Johan Cavalli causing problems with his probing runs from midfield. https://www.cheapdodgersonline.com/2845h-ken-landreaux-jersey-dodgers.html . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. Reggie Smith Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Alex Verdugo Dodgers Jersey . He just needed to be his best twisting, turning acrobatic self. "I didnt need to be anybody else, I just needed to be myself and be aggressive," said Burks, who scored a career-high 34 points to spark the Utah Jazz to a 118-103 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night.Every Little Leaguer dreams of making it to the big leagues. A total of 45 players have reached both the Little League World Series and MLB, including these 11 current pros who first hit it big on the fields of Williamsport, Pennsylvania.Christian BethancourtSan Diego Padres catcher Christian Bethancourt began playing baseball at age 5. As a third baseman, Bethancourt had a tendency to stray from his position. Every time a batter hit a ball, even if it was toward right field, he would run after it. So his parents convinced him to move behind the plate but telling him that abandoning his post could lead to his team giving up a run.The younger Bethancourt became a catcher and star pitcher for the Panama City, Panama, squad that reached the 2004 Little League World Series -- but that experience exploring other positions would eventually come in handy. Although Bethancourts Panama team was eliminated in the quarterfinals, he didnt have to wait long to reach an even bigger stage. He was signed as a non-drafted international free agent by the Atlanta Braves in 2008 and began his minor league career at the age of 16. After two seasons in Atlanta, he was traded to San Diego in December. This year, in addition to serving as the Padres backup backstop, Bethancourt has pitched and logged plenty of time in the outfield.?Todd FrazierBefore he became a hometown Home Run Derby champ -- and the first Little League World Series alum to win the Derby -- Chicago White Sox?led his Toms River, New Jersey, team to the 1998 LLWS championship. As the leadoff hitter, the 13-year-old hit a grand slam in the third inning to put his team up 6-4 in Game 2 of the U.S. Central vs. U.S. East matchup. He also hit a homer and went 4-for-4 in the 12-9 victory over Kashima, Japan, in the championship game and was the winning pitcher.Adam LoewenAs a 12-year-old, Loewen tossed a three-hit shutout in the 1996 Canadian Little League championships to propel the Kennedy team from Surrey, British Columbia, past Toronto and on to the LLWS. The left-hander (above, in Williamsport) was the teams best pitcher as well as its top hitter. Kennedy lost two of three games it played in Williamsport, but the experience led Loewen to choose baseball over hockey. I always loved hockey more, he told The Morning Call. But I remember that summer [playing in the LLWS] being the most fun I ever had.Loewen -- who became the fourth Canadian selected in the first round of the draft when the Baltimore Orioles took him fourth overall in 2001 -- pitched for the Orioles from 2006-08 before becoming a position player and seeing time at all three outfield positions as well as first base for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011. Loewen switched back to pitching for stints with the?Philadelphia Phillies. He earned his first win with the Arizona Diamondbacks, who called him up from Triple-A on July 30, on Aug. 6.Lance LynnOnly a dozen people in baseball history have played in both the Little League World Series and the actual World Series, and only five of those 12 have played multiple times in baseballs Fall Classic. Cardinals starter Lance Lynn is one of those five.Lynn helped lead Brownsburg, Indiana, Little League to the Little League World Series in 1999. In Williamsport, the 12-year-old, who was then 5-foot-9 and 169 pounds, threw eight innings, posting a record of 0-1 with an ERA of 4.09 -- and also saw time at first base. In seven LLWS at-bats, he had three hits and scored a run for a .429 batting average.Pitching against the U.S. South team from Alabama -- a squad that included Colby Rasmus, who would be his Cardinals teammate briefly in 2011 -- Lynn had a shutout through four innings, but allowed a run in the fifth and then gave up a game-ending grand slam in the sixth. Brownsburg lost 5-4 and finished the World Series tournament 0-3, but 12 years later Lynn made his way back to the grand stage. As an MLB rookie, Lynn won the 2011 World Series as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals. He was a key contributor out of the bullpen for the NL champions, including a perfect eighth inning in the Game 7 victory over the Texas Rangers.Jurickson ProfarProfar played in the 2004 Little League World Series as an 11-year-old and helped Pabao Little League win the first championship for the island of Curacao. He was a force both on the mound and at the plate for Pabao, going 2-0 with a save over 12 1/3 innings and striking out 19 while also batting .313 (5-for-16) with a double and five RBIs. Profar returned to the LLWS in 2005, when his team reached the international title game. That year, he hit .389 (7-for-18) with seven hits, five runs scored, three walks and two RBIs. He also pitched 13 innings in three games, giving up seven hits and four runs, striking out 26 and walking eight, earning a 1-0 record and a 1.85 ERA.In his first game for the Rangerss on Sept.dddddddddddd 2, 2012, Profar homered in his initial major league at-bat. After missing two season because of a shoulder injury, Profar was called up to replace Rougned Odor in May and made the most of it, earning a regular roster spot as a utility player.Yusmeiro PetitThe Washington Nationals reliever is a winner. As a 10-year-old -- and backup second baseman -- Petit (No. 3, right-center, above) helped his team from Coquivacoa Little League in Maracaibo, Venezuela, win the 1994 Little League World Series title. It was the first time a Venezuelan team had won the championship and the first title for a Latin American team since Mexico won in 1958. When Petit and the San Francisco Giants?won a championship in 2014, he became the only player to win both the Little League World Series and the MLB World Series.Colby RasmusHouston Astros outfielder Colby Rasmus led the Phenix City, Alabama, National Little League to the 1999 Little League World Series. Phenix City battled back through the losers bracket and beat Toms River East American Little League (3-2) to win the U.S. title but lost the championship game 5-0 to Hirakata Little League from Osaka, Japan. Rasmus went 5-for-10 with a home run, three runs scored and three RBIs -- and also recorded seven strikeouts over the course of the tournament.Rasmus was also a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic baseball team and was selected 28th overall in the 2005 amateur draft by the Cardinals. He finished eighth in the NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2009 and has since played for the Blue Jays and Astros, but was relegated to the 15-day DL on Aug. 7.Cory RasmusLos Angeles Angels pitcher Cory Rasmus took a back seat to his older brother during the 1999 LLWS. Nonetheless, he followed his sibling to the big leagues in 2013, where the two faced off in a rare fraternal matchup. Just 10 days into his rookie season, Cory (then with the Atlanta Braves) faced Colby, then with Toronto. It marked the first time one brother had pitched to another in MLB since June 13, 2010. Big bro had the upper hand once again, as Colby lined a double to left field.Michael SaundersSaunders grew up playing baseball in British Columbia and going to Seattle Mariners games at the Kingdome. Like many Canadian kids, he played hockey too, but a run to the Little League World Series in 1999 as a 12-year-old with the Gordon Head Little League convinced Saunders that baseball was the sport for him. I think playing in an international competition [at that age] and then getting a chance to play with the national team and travel the world really made me fall in love with the game, said Saunders, who was drafted by his favorite team in the 11th round of the 2004 draft and played for Seattle from 2009-14.The Mariners traded him to Toronto in December 2014, but missed the 2015 season after stepping on a sprinkler head during spring training. Saunders returned strong this year, becoming the first Canadian player to hit three homers in a game for a Canadian team and an first All-Star for the first time.Jonathan SchoopOrioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop made back-to-back trips to the LLWS, playing for the Pabao Little League from Curacao that represented the Caribbean Region in 2003 and 2004. He and his team lost in the semis in 2003 and won the whole thing the next year. Schoop, then 11 and all of 5-foot-3, went 10-for-19 with a .526 batting average, with three doubles, seven runs scored and four RBIs.Schoop, who batted third, and played shortstop and pitcher, shared his favorite memory of the LLWS with ESPN.coms Eddie Matz:?In the semifinals in 2004, we were losing to Chinese Taipei 8-4 in the last inning, and came back. I got a base hit to tie the game, said Schoop. Then I came on in extra innings to pitch. I struck out all three batters, and then the next inning I got another base hit to win the game. That was the best.Devon TravisLong before he homered in his major league debut (with the Blue Jays on April 6), Devon Travis went deep in the Little League World Series, propelling his Boynton Beach, Florida, team past Saugus, Massachussets, and on to the 2003 world championship game against Japan. And even after Travis and his team lost 10-1 in the LLWS finale against Tokyos Musashi-Fuchu All-Stars, they celebrated on the field with their opponents. We were just little boys playing the game we loved, Travis, Boyntons second baseman and catcher, told the Palm Beach Post in 2013.Travis led off his major league career with similar enthusiasm -- and success. He was named the AL rookie of the month for April after batting .325/.393/.625 with 6 home runs, 17 runs scored, and 19 RBIs for the month before shoulder injuries relegated him to the DL. ' ' '