Being a blue-collar midfielder on the verge of his 300th AFL match, Scott Thompson would never dare talk publicly about that elusive premiership.But the 33-year-olds answer was instructive when asked what still drove him in the game.Three losing prelims isnt a good track record, is it?, the much-admired Adelaide veteran said.The Crows have soared into third position on the back of a seven-game winning streak, raising legitimate hopes that they can contend this season.Thompson is in the last season, or so, of his outstanding career and the contested-ball animal admits he is impressed by what he sees around him.It would be unfair to single out any side as better than another, he said.But ... as a club right now, we sit in a pretty good position.Thompson had played 39 games in four seasons at Melbourne when he was traded to the Crows at the end of 2004.The following two seasons, he was part of Crows teams that lost preliminary finals and they did so again in 2012.The third of those near-misses was also the season when Thompson earned his one All-Australian selection and won the club best-and-fairest award for the second time.This Saturday, he will become the fifth Adelaide player to reach 300 games - and the first to do so after starting his career at a different club.Thompson is joining Crows royalty, with Andrew McLeod, Tyson Edwards, Mark Ricciuto and Ben Hart the others to reach the milestone.I certainly held them in the highest regard when they played and, to be reaching that milestone myself, albeit over two clubs, certainly I will be proud of when I finish, Thompson said.One of footballs good blokes said the only downside to his longevity in the game was the lack of respect from teammates.Wayne Milera was just three when Thompson made his senior debut in 2001.The only thing that keeps me reminded (about how long he has played) ... is getting called fossil and old such-and-such and maybe a couple of other words I cant describe in here, Thompson said.A clear key to that longevity is how well Thompson takes care of himself.Asked if he has the best rig at the Crows, the impressively built midfielder smiled and answered probably.He joked about doing weights: I stare at them and they lift themselves.Thompson continued the banter when asked how much pride he took in helping younger midfielders step up since Patrick Dangerfields departure to Geelong.Thats all my doing - seriously, it is, he said.More seriously, Thompson said the development of teammates such as the Crouch brothers and Jarryd Lyons was testament to the clubs coaching.And he hopes his faultless workrate will remain an example long after he eventually retires.In this club, I would like to walk away leaving some form of legacy that I worked hard, got the best out of myself, taught other players good habits, he said. Custom Washington Redskins Jerseys Cheap . LOUIS -- Theres no telling how these wacky World Series games will end. Custom Philadelphia Eagles Jerseys Cheap . The native of Mont-Tremblant, Que., captured a World Cup downhill event Saturday, his second this year and fifth career victory on the circuit. http://www.customjerseysfootball.com/ . Belfort (24-10) needed just 77 seconds to down Henderson in the headlining bout of Saturdays "UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson" event at Goiania Arena in Goiania, Brazil. The fight served as a rematch of the pairs 2006 meeting, which Henderson won by decision. Custom Chicago Bears Jerseys Cheap . -- Five former Kansas City Chiefs players who were on the team between 1987 and 1993 filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming the team hid and even lied about the risks of head injuries during that time period when there was no collective bargaining agreement in place in the NFL. Custom Miami Dolphins Jerseys Cheap . 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. AUSTIN, Texas --?Texas?has decided to fire Charlie Strong as football coach, according to ESPNs Brett McMurphy and multiple reports.Strong is 16-20 overall and 12-14 in Big 12 play in three seasons with the Longhorns. If he coaches Friday against TCU, Strong will clinch either a bowl bid or his third seven-loss season.Strong told ESPNs Kirk Herbstreit on Sunday night that he had heard the reports that he was going to be fired but had not heard anything from the university.The coach had a regularly scheduled meeting with the team Sunday night and has a regularly scheduled news conference Monday. During a Big 12 teleconference Monday morning, Strong said he would address questions about his future during the news conference.Texas athletic director Mike Perrin issued a statement earlier Sunday night addressing the reports and saying the university would continue to evaluate Strong.There are a number of rumors out there about the status of Coach Strong, Perrins statement said. Ive said it all along: We will evaluate the body of work after the regular season. We have a game to get ready for against TCU on Friday, and I hope our fans will come out and support our team. Well discuss where things stand after that.Strong will be owed a $10.7 million buyout for the remaining two years on his contract, a fee that would be reduced if he takes another job.The decision to part ways with Strong became inevitable Saturday night after Texas (5-6, 3-5 Big 12) lost 24-21 in overtime to a Kansas team that was 1-9 and had lost its past 19 Big 12 games.Texas began this season with a dramatic 50-47, double-overtime victory over a preseason top-10 Notre Dame team, a feat that moved the Longhorns from unranked to No. 11 in the Associated Press poll. But that game did not prove to be a turning point for the program; the Fighting Irish are struggling at 4-7.After losses to Cal and Oklahoma State, Strong demoted his longtime defensive coordinator, Vance Bedford, and put himself in charge of Texas struggling defense. The Longhorns pulled off an upset victory over Baylor and had an opportunity to finish 8-4 and save Strongs job. But after close losses to West Virginia and Kansas, they are 5-6.dddddddddddd.Some Texas boosters were already exerting extreme pressure on Texas leadership to move on from Strong and pursue Houston coach Tom Herman, McMurphy reported Saturday.Texas president Greg Fenves and Perrin publicly offered their support for Strong during the season, and Strong acknowledged last week that Fenves would take a long look at the programs progress at the end of the year. But Texas first loss to Kansas since 1938 seemingly sealed Strongs fate, and he will finish with the worst win percentage of any head coach in school history.?Strong replaced longtime Texas coach Mack Brown in January 2014 after successfully rebuilding Louisville, where he went 23-3 in his final two seasons. Texas went 6-7 in Strongs debut season and lost to Arkansas in the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl to end a tumultuous season in which nine players were dismissed from the program and starting quarterback David Ash suffered a career-ending concussion in his first game.Strong has been coaching through hot seat speculation ever since a 1-4 start to the 2015 season. He demoted offensive playcaller Shawn Watson after a season-opening loss to Notre Dame and struggled through another up-and-down year for a 5-7 finish despite upset wins over Oklahoma and Baylor.After the season, Strong hired Tulsas Sterlin Gilbert as his new offensive coordinator and brought in four more new assistants. The Longhorns finally developed a successful quarterback this year, true freshman Shane Buechele, who has thrown for 2,740 yards and 21 touchdowns, and running back DOnta Foreman (1,863 yards, 15 TDs) leads the nation in rushing.Despite that offensive talent, Texas came up short in too many close games with losses by margins of three, three, four, five and seven points this season.Against Kansas, the Longhorns committed six turnovers and blew an 11-point fourth-quarter lead. They are 1-17 when trailing at halftime during Strongs tenure.ESPN staff writer Max Olson contributed to this report. ' ' '