think hes conditioned, I think he

Winter on the highveld is traditionally cold and dry, but recent days have seen widespread unseasonal rain across it and almost everywhere else in the country. There have been heavy falls of snow on the mountains, and photographs in the newspapers and websites have shown railway stations under metres of water, cars in parking lots floating casually downstream like so many bath-time ducks.In this type of weather, cricket is not exactly front of mind, although it will slide into the frame as the New Zealanders drift south from two Tests against Zimbabwe shortly to prepare for their twin Tests against South Africa next month.Its already a nicely poised series. New Zealand are an open-minded, streetwise lot, while the gifted South Africans seem to have taken their fractiousness to the next level. There has been bickering behind the scenes in the latest round of contract negotiations - the threat of free agency is the thing in South Africa at the moment - and we have a board that demonstrates little leadership or grace under pressure. Last seasons domestic match-fixing debacle shows no signs of finding closure, and from everywhere comes the fidgetiness of widespread discontent.This said, self-laceration has become so inimical to South African cricket that its quite possible to dismiss the angst as so much white noise. South Africa produce good, if slightly unadventurous, cricketers, and it will only need one decent series - and one competitive summer - to remind us all of the countrys cricketing riches.Southern Africa is a naturally fertile cricket crescent. How else does one explain the fecundity that sees a Dale Steyn spring from the copper-mining wastes of Phalaborwa, or Kagiso Rabada need only one spell of bowling (in the televised final of the Under-19 World Cup in 2014) to be fast-tracked to the terminus that is a South Africa cap?One player who has sailed blithely clear of all the sturm und drang for the last couple of seasons is Dean Elgar. Known variously as Deano or Porra, a not entirely onside reference to what some have erroneously seen as his Portuguese ancestry, Elgar seems happiest to play cricket, remain true to his chirpy self and tiptoe past the mines and booby traps. It is a mark, perhaps, of his emotional intelligence, although it might just be that hes largely unconcerned with anything else. Either way, the strategy has served him well. In the Titans dressing room he is known as one of the Three Hyenas, a select group of enforcers, fines dispensers and receptacles of cricketing wisdom who back up their captain and generally charge about in a pack. Roelof van der Merwe used to be a hyena until he hauled his coffin off to the Netherlands (he was replaced by Farhaan Behardien). The third member of the trio is Heino Kuhn.Last season Kuhn opened the innings for Titans with either Elgar (when he wasnt away on Test duty) or Grant Mokoena. He scored 1126 first-class runs in 20 innings at 62.55, not a bad return for a player who was on a pay-for-play contract because he wasnt deemed quite key enough in the initial contracting round.Those young men and their parents who bleat about quotas and lack of opportunities and head to England or New Zealand at the drop of a hat would do well to study Kuhns numbers. Like Elgar, he is no longer a young man, but he has remained loyal to the Titans system, hung around and polished his game. Like Elgar, there has been little toy-throwing, much endeavour and no lack of focus.The reason Titans won the domestic double last season is due to a variety of quantifiable factors, several of which relate to Kuhns contributions to good starts, which, in turn, put pressure on the opposition.Yet every happy dressing room also abounds with currents more difficult to pin down. One has to be Elgars general sense of mischief. He certainly brings a levity to things. When he was asked recently, for example, who he thought should replace Rob Walter as Titans coach, because Walter is heading to Otago, he didnt pause for thought. Albie [Morkel], he replied, because that way we can hunt and fish during pre-season. It wont be like Rob, who always had us out on obstacle courses and training runs.Whatever his secret, South African cricket needs more Elgars at the moment. In all the hand-wringing, we have lost sight of whats important, what remains pure and untrammelled in the game we all love. Elgar has kept perspective and so kept the faith.The first Test against New Zealand is at Kingsmead, where the South Africans have the kind of record thats best ignored. But then its on to Elgars home ground, Centurion, a fortress, and a place where hes very much at home.Discount Vapormax . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. Black Vapormax Womens Uk . Hamelin, who triumphed in the 500 on Saturday, edged out Victor An of Russia by 0.021 seconds to maintain his lead in the World Cup standings. Russias Vladimir Grigorev was third. In the relay, Canada took control six laps from the finish line to beat Russia and the Netherlands. http://www.vapormaxwholesaleuk.com/wholesale-vapormax-womens-trainers/discount-vapormax-womens-white.html . The Clippers were angry about blowing a big lead; the Kings didnt like being in that kind of hole and nearly digging themselves out only to lose. Black Vapormax Womens Uk . -- The Magic have their first victory of the new year. Wholesale Vapormax Womens . Brad Jacobs and his Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., team took control of the game early.SAN FRANCISCO -- Matt Cains first win in more than two months didnt come easily and it certainly wasnt enough to put to rest concerns about the back end of the Giants rotation.Hitting a three-run homer, though, had the three-time All-Star and former staff ace feeling a lot better about things.More importantly, it also helped jumpstart San Franciscos slumping offense.Cain pitched into the sixth inning after hitting his first home run in four years, and the Giants beat the Cincinnati Reds 9-7 on Tuesday night.Its just nice to go out there and be able to contribute, Cain said. It was a big win for us tonight and something that was definitely needed.Brandon Crawford had three hits and two RBI, and Buster Posey and Denard Span added two hits apiece for the Giants. San Francisco won for only the second time since the All-Star break.It had been longer than that for Cain.The right-hander failed to make it past the fourth inning in his three previous starts and wasnt much better against the Reds. He retired nine of his first 10 batters but quickly wore down and left with one out in the sixth after giving up the first of two homers by Adam Duvall.Cain (2-6) allowed four runs, struck out four and walked one to win for the first time since May 21.I had a couple of (pitches) toward the end that kind of ran out over the plate, but for the most part I did a better job of limiting mistakes, Cain said.Duvall added his second home run of the game in the eighth. Joey Votto and Jay Bruce also went deep for Cincinnati.The Giants broke out of their offensive funk with 13 hits and nine runs, the most by manager Bruce Bochys club in nearly a month.San Francisco scored four times in the second capped by Cains seventh career home run, his first since July 21, 2012.The Giants made it 5-0 in the third on Grant Greens fielders choice groundout with runners on the corners. Umpires initially ruled that Green hit into an inning-ending double play, but Bochy challenged second baseman Brandon Phillips tag of Belt and got the call overturned.Cincinnati chipped away behind Votto and Duvall before San Francisco pulled away on Crawfords two-run triple in the seventh.Bruce and Duvall hit back-to-back home runs in the eighth off Sergio Romo.ddddddddddddDuvalls homer was his fifth in four games.Santiago Casilla allowed a run in the ninth but got three outs for his 22nd save. He struck out Bruce with a runner on to end it.Thats us: We dont do anything easy, Bochy said. To get a win, its a good thing right now. Weve been in a tough stretch.Reds starter Cody Reed (0-5) allowed six runs over five innings in his first career appearance against the Giants.We found our way back into the ballgame against their best guys, Cincinnati manager Bryan Price said. It was a good feeling to be able to come back and rally. It gave the guys a good sign.HOMERS HEALTHHomer Bailey rejoined the Reds before the game following his latest rehab outing in the minors and is likely to make his first major league start in more than 15 months Sunday when Cincinnati ends its six-game road trip in San Diego. Price said the team is monitoring the right-handers health after he threw 98 pitches for Triple-A Louisville on Monday. I think hes fine, I think hes conditioned, I think hes ready to pitch for us, but we wont announce and make that commitment until he gets through the next 48 hours, Price said. It could be Saturday, but the probability is its Sunday.TRAINERS ROOMGiants: 3B Ramiro Pena left with a bruised groin after taking a bad hop on pinch-hitter Ivan De Jesus grounder in the seventh. He is day to day. ... 3B Matt Duffy (left Achilles strain) ran the curves around the infield and could begin a rehab assignment this weekend. ... Ehire Adrianza (broken left foot) is getting close to finishing his rehab, but Bochy is unsure what the plans are after that for the infielder.UP NEXTReds: RHP Dan Straily (5-6) pitches the series finale Wednesday afternoon. Straily, who began the season in the bullpen, is holding opponents to a .213 batting average.Giants: LHP Madison Bumgarner (10-5) faces the Reds for the first time this season. The four-time All-Star has won three of his last four matchups against Cincinnati. ' ' '