Rollenspiele » ds are 5-12.TOP TWOThe Rangers host the Cle

The kneeling was noticeable quickly enough. To some, the raised fists seem almost ominous.On the first week of the NFL season there was almost as much going on during the national anthem as there was on the field. Players were making statements, and they didnt seem afraid of disrupting the highly choreographed spectacle that is an NFL game.At some point the league may have to find a way to deal with the newfound social consciousness of some of its employees. Theres no upside for the NFL if images of players holding clenched fists aloft during the national anthem begin to overshadow those of men colliding with each other on the field of play.So far that hasnt happened, though the season is young. Still, the sight of players making silent protests during the national anthem has to be disconcerting to a league that has always demanded conformity and blind obedience from its workers.It barely qualified as an NFL issue before Colin Kaepernick took a knee during an exhibition game. Now Commissioner Roger Goodell walks a fine line, voicing support for the right of players to speak out while in the same breath saying he wants them to respect the flag and most everyone who has ever put on a uniform.Goodell has so far been relatively restrained, and he has reason to tread lightly. The league he heads has profited greatly over the years, in no small part because it wraps itself around the flag and embraces the military and police at every opportunity.But two-thirds of its players are black. And they -- fueled by the constant feedback from social media -- are finding their voice about things they see wrong in the communities they grew up in.And sports may never be the same.I think weve come to a point in the history of sports that really for the first time in my lifetime -- and Ive spent 50 years doing this -- youre seeing athletes getting involved in social justice issues, said Richard Lapchick, director of The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida. You had the occasional heroic athlete stand up in the `60s or `70s, but they were very few and far between and they paid the price for it.Some may pay the price for this, too. Denvers Brandon Marshall quickly lost two endorsements after he took a knee before last weeks opener. The outcry against Kaepernick and others on social media has been ugly at times.And in a league where players are desperate to make rosters, it wouldnt be a surprise if taking a stand meant a greater chance of being told to hit the road.That wasnt an issue when LeBron James and fellow members of the Miami Heat donned hoodies in 2012 for a team picture in support of slain Miami teen-ager Trayvon Martin. Too much star power there, and the NBA is a little more socially aware than the NFL.Lapchick points to the hoodie protest as the start of a new generation of athletes becoming socially active. Some WNBA members also took a stand, wearing warmup shirts on behalf of Black Lives Matter this summer.The handling of that by the WNBA was botched a bit, and surely the NFL learned lessons from that. Goodell has said all the right things so far, but its still early in the game.Its an issue that sports is going to have to make an informed decision on how they are going to treat it, Lapchick said. This isnt something that is going to go away, whether its in the form of the national anthem or wearing T-shirts or other paraphernalia. From my viewpoint its here into the indefinite future.That may worry some, but it pleases Lapchick to no end. Hes not only crusaded for civil rights his entire life, but paid the price for it himself.Lapchick was a 5-year-old when he looked out his bedroom window in New York to see men hanging an image of his father. Joe Lapchick was the coach of the New York Knicks, and his crime was to sign Nat Sweetwater Clifton, the first black player in the NBA in 1950.Years later, as an anti-apartheid activist, Lapchick was attacked by two men in a library at Virginia Wesleyan College, who held him down and carved the N-word into his stomach.Hell be watching closely as Goodell navigates his way through uncharted waters. Well all be watching to see how a commissioner who fancies himself to be a disciplinarian deals with things that discipline cant solve.The way the NFL handles anthem protests may turn out to be as significant in the long run as the protests themselves.----Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg(at)ap.org or http://twitter.com/timdahlberg Chicago Bears Jerseys For Sale . The phone hearing is scheduled for 4:30pm et/1:30pm pt. Winchester, who was not penalized for the hit, appeared to make contact with Kellys head early in the first period of Thursdays game in Boston. Chicago Bears Allen Robinson Jersey . Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek defeated Nenad Zimonjic and Ilija Bozoljac 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (4) on the indoor hard-court at Belgrade Arena. The victory improved the Czech pairs impressive cup doubles record to 14-1. http://www.chicagobearsshoponline.com/ . Its an influence in football and a big part of the game. Chicago Bears Jersey Clearance .Y. - Free agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, fresh off winning the World Series with Boston, reached agreement with the rival New York Yankees on a seven-year contract worth about $153 million, a person familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday night. Khalil Mack Bears Jersey Sales . They were putting most of their energy into a record-setting offensive display. CINCINNATI -- One trip around the bases has Yu Darvish thinking more like a hitter.Darvish connected for only the second homer by a Rangers pitcher, and Adrian Beltre hit a tiebreaking double in the eighth inning Wednesday night for a 6-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds and a split of their two-game interleague series.Darvishs solo shot to center field was one of three homers by the Rangers, who wasted a three-run lead before rallying late. Beltres double off Blake Wood (5-2) snapped a 5-5 tie.The right-handers next start will be in an American League game with the DH preventing him from getting to try for an encore.Just take the DH off and let me hit, he said, through a translator.Well, maybe not.If I get another at-bat, I might strike out, he said. I want to keep that (home run) image in my mind.Darvishs big moment came in the fifth when he ended his 0 for 12 career slump. He tipped the bill of his batting helmet as he rounded third base and raised an index finger briefly as he headed for the plate. The only other Rangers pitcher to homer was Bobby Witt in 1997 at Dodger Stadium, in only their third interleague game.The way he did it -- his whole at-bat looked good, Beltre said. That wasnt a cheap home run. He hit it to straight center field.Darvish looked good in batting practice before the game and assured manager Jeff Banister that he could hit.When he came back after hitting the home run, he reminded me that hed told me he could hit, Banister said. Thats a big boy home run to center field. That ball was struck well.Hes the fifth pitcher to homer against the Reds this season.It was just a really bad pitch, something he could handle, pitcher Tim Adleman said.Nomar Mazara had a three-homer, and Ian Desmond followed Darvishs homer in the fifth with one off Adleman. The Reds have given up 10 homers in the last three games, including four sets of back-to-back homers.Darvish let a 5-2 lead slip away. He walked a season-high five batters and hit a batter in six innings. A passed ball and an error led to two unearned runs.Jake Diekman (4-2) went one inning andd got the win.dddddddddddd Sam Dyson pitched the ninth for his 28th save in 32 chances.The win snapped Texas three-game losing streak. The Rangers havent lost more than four straight this season. They improved to 28-8 in one-run games, best in the majors.Carlos Beltran was hitless in four at-bats, leaving him in an 0-for-24 slump that matches his career high from 2000.Darvish helped the Reds score two runs in the second. He hit Adam Duvall and walked two to load the bases. Duvall scored when Ramon Cabrera grounded into a forceout, and another run scored on Jonathan Lucroys passed ball.Shortstop Elvis Andrus throwing error set up another unearned run in the fifth. Cabrera had an RBI double as the Reds tied it with three runs in the sixth, aided by another walk.INTERLEAGUEThe Rangers are 11-6 in interleague play, with their pitchers going 4 for 21 at the plate. The Reds are 5-12.TOP TWOThe Rangers host the Cleveland Indians on Thursday, matching the top two teams in the AL. The last time they met so late in a season with both teams leading their divisions was 1999, according to STATS. The Rangers have won five of their last seven games with the Indians.TRAINERS ROOMRangers: RHP Tanner Scheppers had no problems after his third rehab appearance, an inning for Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday night. Hes missed the season recovering from surgery on his left knee.Reds: SS Zack Cozart missed his seventh straight game with an inflamed left Achilles tendon. He worked out on the field before the game. Manager Bryan Price said he could be back in the lineup this weekend.UP NEXTRangers: LHP Cole Hamels (13-4) opens a series in Arlington against the Cleveland Indians. Since the All-Star break, Hamels is 4-2 with a 1.85 ERA in seven starts.Reds: After a day off, they open a series in Arizona. LHP Brandon Finnegan (8-9) has 13 quality starts and has been the victim of blown saves four times.---Follow Joe Kay on Twitter: http://twitter.com/apjoekay ' ' '