to win a war here, its just basketball. That

CARSON, Calif. -- Landon Donovan thought he had earned a prominent role on the U.S. World Cup team right up until the moment he was cut from the roster by coach Jurgen Klinsmann. Donovan was still stunned and confused by Klinsmanns decision when he went back to work with the LA Galaxy on Saturday. "Im disappointed. Im sad," Donovan said Saturday after the Galaxys practice. "Im human, and I wanted to go. I really wanted to go. Im at peace with it. I respect the decision. I just feel in my heart that I deserve to be there, and thats the pill thats hardest to swallow." The 32-year-old attacker was denied the chance to play in his fourth World Cup after Klinsmann chose U.S. team newcomer Aron Johannsson and 31-year-old Chris Wondolowski over the most accomplished international player in American history. The decision surprised Donovan, who believed a strong performance in training camp had secured his spot on the 23-man roster. But Donovan declined to speculate on additional possible factors in the decision: his recent soccer sabbatical, the coachs decision to evaluate a versatile player solely as a forward, or the impact of the Americans difficult group draw on their long-term planning. "I think if Im being judged solely on what happens in camp, then I absolutely deserved to be going to Brazil," Donovan said. "I firmly believe that not only should I be going, but I feel like I really deserved it, and not from anything that I did in the past, but from what Ive done in the last week and a half." Donovan gave little insight into whatever reasons Klinsmann shared with him at the Bay Area training camp. Klinsmann provided only murky details about his decision Friday, saying other players were "a little step ahead of Landon in certain areas." "I dont agree with that assessment," Donovan said. "I think I was at least as good as everybody else in camp. ... I think I was one of the better players, so thats why it stings a little. If I had gone in and didnt feel like I deserved it, I could live with that. But thats not the case here." Donovan had nothing to say about any underlying implications of the mocking tweet by Jonathan Klinsmann, the coachs teenage son, moments after the announcement. "I dont really know his son well, so Im not really sure where that came from," Donovan said. Donovan also doesnt think his four-month sabbatical from soccer in 2013 after the Galaxys second straight MLS Cup title should have worked against him. "I actually think Ive been a much better player since I came back," he said. Donovan is the career U.S. leader with 57 international goals, and is second with 156 appearances. He has scored five World Cup goals, including a stoppage-time goal against Algeria to send the Americans to the second round four years ago. Instead of jetting off to Brazil, the five-time MLS Cup champion will resume his pursuit of the top U.S. leagues career goal-scoring record in Sundays home game against Philadelphia. Donovan tied Jeff Cunninghams mark with his 134th goal late last season, but hasnt scored in seven matches with the Galaxy this year. "Im excited to be back here," Donovan said. "I certainly didnt want to be back here under these circumstances or this soon, but I love these guys. These are my teammates, and this is my home. I will not let this affect me going forward." Donovan said he would gladly return to the U.S. team from the standby list if an injury created a spot on the roster, and he wouldnt rule out playing for the U.S. team in the future. He urged fans to support Klinsmanns current squad because "I dont want there to be a negative tint to any of this." "Ive always loved representing this country, so I cant imagine that if Im given another opportunity that I would say no," Donovan added. "But at this point, Im just trying to deal with the disappointment." New England Patriots Store . -- Conor Casey scored two goals, his first of the season, as the Philadelphia Union beat Chivas USA 3-0 on Saturday night. New England Patriots Shirts . As if the individual strands of grey hair or the increasing amount of joint pain werent reminders enough, the impending end of Jeters career is a slap-in-the-face indicator of a generations fleeting youth. https://www.patriotsjerseysale.com/ . -- Dee Ford prefers to keep things simple: Play hard and fast, and let others worry about his NFL draft stock. Patriots Jerseys 2019 . Two weeks after suffering a concussion, Foles will start in place of Michael Vick, who is out for the second time this season with a hamstring injury. New England Patriots Gear .Y. -- Scott Chandler is returning to Buffalo, where he spent the past three seasons establishing himself as the Bills top pass-catching tight end. CALGARY -- Mark Giordano returned from a broken ankle Wednesday night and, just like they had been doing before he got injured, the Calgary Flames got right back to winning. In the captains first game back after missing 18 games, Giordano scored a goal and added an assist in the Flames 4-1 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes. "For me, personally, to get back in, it was a great feeling," said Giordano, who proudly wore the Flames fire hat after the game, emblematic of being the teams choice of player of the game. "I felt pretty good. Your adrenaline gets going pretty quick and I really didnt feel my ankle at all tonight so thats a great sign." Giordanos goal was a big one, extending the Flames lead to 3-1 at 11:46 of the second period. On the power play, Giordanos shot from the blue-line changed direction off the stick of Antoine Vermette and eluded goaltender Thomas Greiss. "Scoring always feels great. Obviously, that one was a bit lucky, going off the stick, but it was a great feeling and I felt after that for the rest of the game, we played pretty solid," said Giordano, who has 11 points in nine games, just four back of his point total in 47 games last year. Giordano sustained the injury Oct. 21 in a win in Los Angeles. At the time, the Flames were 4-2-2. While he was absent, the club struggled going just 5-11-2. "Obviously its a big deal to get your captain back. Hes our leader on and off the ice," said Flames goaltender Karri Ramo. "Hes been around us the whole time hes been hurt and trying to help the team any way he can, so it was really good to see him out there." TJ Brodie, Mikael Backlund and Lee Stempniak also scored for Calgary (10-13-4). The Flames have won consecutive games for the first time since Oct. 9 and 11 and won on home ice for just the second time in their last nine tries (2-5-2). Keith Yandle scored the lone goal for Phoenix (16-8-4), who had won 6-2 in Edmonton on Tuesday night. The Coyotes have split the opening two games of their four-game road trip, which continues Friday night in Vancouver. "Got unlucky with a goal at the end of the first period that probably gave them some momentum and we couldnt get it back," said Phoenix coach Dave Tippett. "We had lots of pucks around the net, lots of opportunities, thats the way it goes sometimes." Trailing 1-0, the Flames got an important goal with eight seconds left in the first period whhen Brodies shot deflected in off Phoenix defenceman David Schlemko for his career-high third goal.dddddddddddd. "That one hit me twice, once in my foot, once in my rear-end and then it goes top shelf," Schlemko said. "Kind of an unlucky way to end the first period." The goal sent Calgary to the dressing room even despite being outshot 11-3. Building off that momentum, the Flames played a much better second period, taking the lead at 5:48 when Backlund scored to end an 18-game scoreless drought. "We came in here, we know we didnt have our best first, they sort of took it to us for the first half. But those late goals, they usually are momentum swings and we did a great job of carrying it over into the second," Giordano said. Up 3-1 heading to the third period, Calgary got insurance at 2:44 in the form of their league-leading sixth short-handed goal. Matt Stajan neatly set up Stempniak on a two-on-one. "I think we dominated that first period so kind of unlucky to come out tied 1-1 but at the same time, you have to come out in the second with a little more jump, we knew they were going to push back and weve got to do a better job there," said Yandle. The benefactor of all the offence was Ramo. Making his second consecutive start after stopping 21-of-22 shots to beat Los Angeles on the weekend, the 27-year-old Finn was excellent again with 29 saves to improve to 4-4-1. "It was a while that I didnt see a game but you just have to take it game by game and dont think about the situation too much and whats going to happen," Ramo said. "You just have to play the game and enjoy it." In the pivotal second period when Calgary bolted into the lead, Ramo had a pair of solid glove saves -- first denying Vermette, and in the final minute robbing Mikael Boedker. With Mike Smith getting the night off, Greiss made his fourth start. He had 14 saves to fall to 3-2-0. Notes: Giordano logged 20:28 in ice time and was credited with three blocked shots... Phoenix fell to 12-2-1 when they score first ... The Flames wWINNIPEG -- Buck Pierce wasnt out of football long. On Tuesday, the former quarterback retired following nine CFL campaigns. Three days later, he returned to Winnipeg -- where he spent three-plus seasons -- as the Blue Bombers running backs coach. Rookie head coach Mike OShea said Friday adding Pierce to his staff was a no-brainer. "When Buck retired, it came up as part of my multiple conversations per day with Kyle (Bombers GM Kyle Walters)," OShea said. "Then it went to how good a guy Buck is, his experience and the value of adding a CFL quarterback to our staff. "The running backs position hadnt been filled and its an entry-level position for guys who want to get into coaching and learn the daily rigours of becoming a professional football coach. Kyle and I got on the phone with Buck and he was very receptive. He wants to coach, he loves the CFL game and it just made sense on all levels to have Buck Pierce on our staff." The six-foot-two, 195-pound Pierce began his CFL career with the B.C. Lions, spending five seasons in Vancouver before signing with Winnipeg as a free agent following the 09 season. Pierce, 32, remained with the Bombers until last September when he was traded back to B.C. Injuries limited Pierce to 67 starts in 125 career CFL games although he did post a solid 64.2 completion percentage, with 76 TDs and 63 interceptions. He also averaged 7.2 yards per rushing attempt with 14 touchdowns while also committing 18 fumbles. Despite being plagued by an assortment of injuries, there was never any question about Pierces heart, toughness or character. Regardless of the ailment, he always returned to the field for his teammates. And embarking on a coaching career in Winnipeg makes perfect sense. Not only did Pierce play for the Bombers, his fiancee is also from the Manitoba capital. But OShea, a former standout linebacker who became Torontos special-teams co-ordinator following his stellar career with the Argonauts, said becoming a coach can present challenges for some former players. "Im sure Buck recognized early in his career the coaches were there before he was and were there after he left," OShea said. "Its always an eye-opener in terms of the planning and the number of tasks that are involved. "But as the staff comes together in the off-season and gets going through the daily routine and has the specific tasks theyre charged with Im sure hell get it all figured out quickly." OShea believes adding a former CFL quarterback to his coaching staff will provide added benefits as well. "These guys play quarterback for a reason, they have the ability to take in all that information, process it and then put it all back out there," OShea said. "Hell obviously do some work figuring out drills and finding out what his position group needs on a daily basis but hell also give that group a different perspective and understanding about how other positions are looking at the game and not just through the running backs eyes. "Any time a player can gain a better understanding of what the other positions are thinking out there is a good thing. That kind of knowledge only helps players produce." Notes: The Bombers signed quarterback Robert Marve and receiver Mario Urrutia on Friday. The six-foot-one, 212-pound Marve played collegiately at Miami (2007-08) and Purdue (2010-2012). The six-foot-six, 238-pound Urrutia was a 2008 seventh-round draft pick of the Cincinnati Bengals out of the University of Louisville. He also spent time with the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers as well as the Arena Football Leagues Utah Blaze. Nike Air Max Womens . Toronto dropped a 7-2 decision to the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday afternoon, with only a pair of late runs preventing a second straight shutout loss. Josh Willingham belted a two-run homer in the first inning and Kendrys Morales hit a bases-clearing double in the seventh as the Twins took the rubber game of the three-game series. Cheap Air Max 2018 .com) - Calgary Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau has been selected as the NHLs Rookie of the Month for December, the league announced Friday. http://www.airmax2018womens.us/ . Trailing 2-1 from the first leg, Fiorentina levelled on aggregate in the 14th minute when Joaquin Sanchez Rodriguez headed back a long ball from David Pizarro and Pasqual smashed home an angled volley. Cheap Red Air Max . The 21-year-old Canadian earned a spot in his third career ATP final on Saturday thanks to his first Top 10 victory of the new tennis season, a 6-4, 6-4 win over world no. 10 Nicolas Almagro of Spain. Air Max 90 Sale . Both the top-seeded Djokovic and sixth-seeded Fish took relatively easy paths, with the Serb winning when opponent Jo-Wilfried Tsonga retired in the second set with a sore arm and Fish dominating Janko Tipsarevic in two quick sets.NEW YORK -- Paul Pierce called the Miami Heat a juggernaut. He insisted they are still the team to beat. So yes, the Brooklyn Nets have plenty of respect for the two-time defending NBA champions -- and no fear. Pierce made that clear again Sunday, a day after the Nets Game 3 rout that cut Miamis lead to 2-1 in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Brooklyn will try to even the series at home Monday night. "Youve got to have that type of mental ego against a juggernaut. You go against the best, a lot of series are won on fear factor, like, or non-belief. When you have that non-belief, then you have no chance," Pierce said after practice. "What I try to do in this locker room, or with my teammates, is just try to give them belief that we can beat this team. Theyre not unbeatable." The Heat had been in these playoffs until the Nets 104-90 victory on Saturday night. Miami hadnt even faced a fourth-quarter deficit, but was out of the game long before then after Brooklyn dominated the third quarter to build a huge lead. "The defeat was complete," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "It was both sides of the basketball. "It was like trying to plug in holes in a leaking dam. There was so many things that were not in our favour really on both ends of the court." The Nets made 15 of 25 3-point attempts, outrebounded Miami 43-27, and limited LeBron James to two baskets over the final three quarters after he had 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting in the first. Brooklyn swept the regular-season series, though none of the games was anywhere near as easy as Game 3. Yet the four victories gave the Nets a confidence against the Heat that some other opponents may not have. "We just had a little success against them during the regular season. We played them well and we feel like we match up well wiith them," Nets guard Deron Williams said.dddddddddddd "And if were on top of our game, were playing defence the way were capable of playing, like we did the last game, we put ourselves in a good position to win." Pierce did his part after the Nets were routed in Game 1, asking coach Jason Kidd to switch up the defence so he could guard James. And after he and the Nets did such a good job of it over the final three quarters of Game 3, Pierce said the Nets wanted to show the Heat that they werent scared of them. "Why should it be a fear factor?" James said. "Its just basketball. Were not trying to win a war here, its just basketball. Thats all it is. Were all grown men, who cares about whos fearing who? "Weve never been a team that talks. We dont get into that, and weve never been a bulletin board team. We just want to play the game the right way and we give ourselves a good chance to win if we play our type of basketball and last night we didnt do that." Miami had won its previous eight post-season games and followed every loss with a victory last year. To do that in this series, Spoelstra said the Heat would not only need better effort and urgency, but also more attention to the little details. Pierce is expecting that, as well as in Game 5 back in Miami on Wednesday night. Even though the Heat didnt look it Saturday, he believes they are just as good as the recent versions that ended his seasons in Boston. "Definitely. Theyre well-seasoned now. They know how to win," Pierce said. "Theyve won two championships, theres nothing they havent been through. So the one thing you always hear, its kind of a cliche, is never underestimate the heart of a champion, and you know thats what they have under their belts. So you know, theyre the team to beat." ' ' 'on by more than one goal for just the second time. They entered the night 1-9-0 in goals decided by two or more goals ... Calgary was coming off its fifth break of three or more days. Excluding the Olympic break, they have just two more breaks of that length the rest of the season ... Phoenixs Radim Vrbata saw his five-game points streak come to an end." ' ' '